Influence of rare earth co-dopant on the photocatalytic property of TiO<Subscript>2</Subscript> nano-particles

A series of nanometer TiO2 photocatalysts co-doped respectively with rare earth Er3+-Ce3+ and La3+-Fe3+ were prepared by sol-gel method,and the photocatalytic activity under ultra-violet light was evaluated by photocatalytic degradation of methyl blue.The crystallographic forms,particles size,and morphology were characterized by XRD and TEM.The results showed that the optimum heat temperature of co-doped TiO2 was 550 ℃,and the co-doped TiO2 kept anatase.The anatase crystal had the average size of 20 nm.The ...     

Eleetronie Structures and Bonding Properties of Ti2AlC and Ti3AlC2

The relation among electronic structure, chemical bond and property of Ti2AlC, Ti3AlC2 and doping Si into Ti2AlC was studied by density function and the discrete variation （DFT-DVM） method. After adding Si into Ti2AlC, the interaction between Si and Ti is weaker than that between Al and Ti, and the strengths of ionic and covalent bonds decrease both. The ionic and covalent bonds in Ti3AlC2, especially in Ti-Al, are stronger than those in Ti2AlC. Therefore, in synthesis of Ti2AlC, the addition of Si enhances the Ti3AlC2 content instead of Ti2AlC. The density of state （DOS） shows that there is mixed conductor characteristic in Ti2AlC and Ti3AlC2. The DOS of Ti3AlC2 is much like that of Ti2AlC. Ti2SiAl1-xC has more obvious tendency to form a semiconductor than Ti2AlC, which is seen from the obvious difference of partial DOS between Si and Al 3/7.     

Dielectric Properties of B2O3 Doped MgTiO3-CaTiO3 System Ceramics

The dielectric ceramics with a main crystal phase of MGTiO3 and additional crystal phase of CaTiO3 were prepared by the conventional electronic ceramics technology .the strucures of MgTiO3 are ilmenitetype,and belong to hexagonal syngony.the ratio of MgTiO3 to Ca TiO3 doping on the dielectric properties of MGTiO3-CaTiO3(MCT)ceranics were inrestigated.the addition of B2O3 decreases the sintering temperatnre and results in rapid desification without obrious negative effect on the Q values of the system(Q=1/tan ).B2O3 exists as liquid phase in the sintering process,promoting the reactions as a singering agent.     

Investigation on the electrocatalytic characteristics of SnO<Subscript>2</Subscript> electrodes with nanocoating prepared by electrodeposition method

SnO₂ electrodes have many advantages in the degradation of toxic or bio-refractory organic wastewater, and SnO₂ is a kind of anode material which has the potential to be widely used. Electrocatalytic efficiency and service life of TiSnO₂ electrodes are key factors that can influence its applications. In order to enhance the electrocatalytic characteristics of TiSnO₂ electrodes, a type of electrocatalytic electrode with nanocoating was prepared by direct current (DC) electrodeposition method and thermal oxidation technique. With phenol as the model pollutant, the electrochemical degradation efficiencies of electrodes with nanocoating and non-nanocoating were investigated. It was demonstrated that the electrodes with nanocoating have higher efficiency than that of electrodes with non-nanocoating. The degradation time was decreased 33.3% for the same amount of phenol’s degradation. The crystal structure of surface coating, the micrograph of electrode surface and the chemical environment of Sn and Sb in the electrode surface were analyzed with the help of XRD, SEM and XPS. The results showed that the surface of electrode was mainly SnO₂ crystal with rutile structure and that much adsorbed oxygen in nanocoating was the dominant factor for enhancing the electrocatalytic characteristics. Supported by the Excellence Young Teacher Foundation of China Education Ministry and Research Foundation for Outstanding Young Scholars of Heilongjiang Province (Grant No. JC-02-04)     

Preparation and characteristics of Cu/Al<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript>/MgF<Subscript>2</Subscript>/Au tunnel junction

The fabrication process of Cu/Al₂O₃/MgF₂/Au double-barrier metal/insulator/metal junction (DMIMJ) was introduced, and more stable light emission from this junction was successfully observed. The light emission physical mechanism of the junction was discussed. Results show that light emission spectrum of this structure locates at wavelength of 250–700 nm with two peaks at around 460 nm and 640 nm, which moves towards shorter wavelength region in comparison with that of the Al/Al₂O₃/Au junction. The light emission efficiency of this junction ranges from 0.7×10⁻⁵–2.0×10⁻⁵, which is 1 to 2 orders higher than that of the single-barrier Al/Al₂O₃/Au junction. The improved properties of this structure should be due to the electrons resonant tunneling effect in the double-barrier.     

Enhanced Low-field Magnetoresistence in the Absence of Mn Content in Polycrystalline La0.67Ca0.33MnO3

Magnetic and electrical transport properties of the La0.67Ca0.33Mn1-xO3 （x=0-0.16）, which were prepared by the sol-gel method followed by sintering treatment at 1 450, 1 100 and 900 ℃, respectively, were investigated. Experimental results show that, with the increase of x, the resistivity of samples increases and the insulator-metal transition temperature shifts towards lower temperature. Meanwhile, the intrinsic megnetoresistance effect is weakened and the extrinsic magnetoresistance is enhanced. For the samples with x=0.16 and 0.10 sintered at 1 100 ℃ and 900 ℃, respectively, low field magnetoresistance as high as about 50% can be observed. Furthermore, for the samples sintered at 1 100 ℃ and 900 ℃, the grain size is not only controlled by about sintering temperature, but also by the absence of Mn content x.     

Self-assembled SnO<Subscript>2</Subscript> colloidal particles and their gas sensing performance to H<Subscript>2</Subscript>, C<Subscript>2</Subscript>H<Subscript>5</Subscript>OH and LPG

Using organo-tin Sn(OC4H9)4 as precursor, sodium dodecyl sulfonate (SDS) and SDS-gelatin (SDS-G) complex as template, two tin dioxide colloidal particles were prepared by a self-assembly method. Both SnO2 products were respectively labelled SnO2-B particles with SDS and SnO2-C particles with SDS-G, which are applied in fabricating SnO2 gas sensors corresponding to SnO2-B’ and SnO2-C’ sensors. X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and thermo-gravimetry and different thermal analysis (TG/DTA) were used for characterizations. The experimental results show that SnO2-B colloidal particles are composed of mesoporous piece-like particles, while SnO2-C particles mainly consist of spherical particles. Gas sensing measurements show that SnO2-B’ sensor performs the best sensing response to all target gases, including H2, C2H5OH and liquid petroleum gas (LPG). In particular, the sensing response of SnO2-B’ sensor is achieved at 32 in H2 atmosphere at the concentration of 1000×10-6 M. The gas sensing mechanism was purposely discussed from the electron transfer process and the microstructures of the as-prepared SnO2 products. It is found that serious agglomerations in SnO2-B’ particles facilitate the high gas sensing performance of SnO2-B’ sensor, while mesoporous structures in SnO2-C’ particles decrease the gas sensing response of SnO2-C’ sensor.     

Effect of ZnO-B<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript> glass addition on the microwave dielectric properties of BaO-Nd<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript>-TiO<Subscript>2</Subscript>-Bi<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript> system

The effect of ZnO-B₂O₃(ZB) glass addition on the sintering behavior, microstructures and microwave dielectric properties of BaO-Nd₂O₃-TiO₂-Bi₂O₃ (BNTB) system was investigated with the aid of X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and capacitance meter. It is found that the ZB glass addition, acting as a sintering aid, can effectively lower the sintering temperature of BNTB system to 850 °C. The dielectric constant of BNTB-ZB ceramics increases with the increase of soaking time and the value of dielectric loss decreased with increasing soak time. The optical dielectric properties at 1 GHz of ɛ=74, tan δ=4×10⁻⁴, and TCC=25 ppm/°c were obtained for the BNTB system doped with 25 wt% ZB glass sintered at 850 °C for 2 h, representing that the BNTB-ZB ceramics could be promising for multilayer low temperature co-fired ceramics applications.     

Effect of water soluble PVA on the microstructure characteristics of C-S-H formed in Na<Subscript>2</Subscript>SiO<Subscript>3</Subscript>-Ca(NO<Subscript>3</Subscript>)<Subscript>2</Subscript> solution system

The structure characteristics of hydrated calcium silicate synthesized by solution reaction method with the existing of water soluble polymer polyvinyl alcohol(PVA)are investigated.Using Na 2 SO 3 and Ca(NO 3 ) 2 as the main raw materials,in the condition of 2%(in weight)addition of PVA and the water to solid ratio of 20,hydrated calcium silicate samples(Ca/Si=1.0 and 1.5)were prepared with 60℃water bath.IR,BET,XRD and SEM methods were used to study the microstructure of the hydration products.The results s...     

Preparation and characterization of nanocomposite MgFe<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>4</Subscript>/SiO<Subscript>2</Subscript>

Nanocomposites MgFe₂O₄/SiO₂ were successfully synthesized by the sol-gel method in the presence of N, N-dimethylformamide (DMF). The formation of pure MgFe₂O₄ was confirmed by powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) and electron diffraction. The structural evolution of MgFe₂O₄ nanocrystals was followed by powder X-ray diffraction and IR absorption spectroscopy. The formation of spinel structure of MgFe₂O₄ started at 800 °C, and completed at 900 °C. The transmission electron microscopy (TEM) measurements suggest that the particle sizes increase with the increasing annealing temperature, and the mean particle sizes of the spherical samples annealed at 800 °C, 900 °C and 1 050 °C are ca. 3 nm, 8 nm and 11 nm, respectively. Magnetization measurements at room temperature and 78 K indicate superparamagnetic nature of these MgFe₂O₄ nanocrystals. Funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No. 30771676), the Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province (No. BK20081842), and the Foundation of Nanjing Bureau of Personal for the Returned Overseas Chinese Excellent Scholars     

Mechanical characteristics of SiO<Subscript>2</Subscript> electrets

1μm SiO₂ layer was thermally grown on silicon wafer. Negative and positive charging of SiO₂ layer was performed by means of corona method at room temperature. By controlling grid voltage, we have obtained uniformly charged SiO₂ with surface potential from −500 to +200 V. With certain electric field, the electrostatic force between charged SiO₂ is investigated. Experimental results indicate that attraction not only exists between charged SiO₂ with different polarity, but also exists between charged SiO₂ with the same polarity, and no repulsion has been observed. The attractive force is related to both surface potential difference of charged SiO₂ and the uniformity of the electric field. Based on the experiment, the attractive force is supposed to be caused by polarization when two charged SiO₂ wafers are close.     

Influence of thickness on the properties of solution-derived LiMn<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>4</Subscript> thin films

LiMn₂O₄ thin films of different thickness were derived from solution deposition and heat treated by rapid thermal annealing. The phase identification and surface morphology were studied by X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. The electrochemical properties of the films were examined by galvanostatic charge-discharge experiments and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. LiMn₂O₄ thin films of different thickness derived from solution deposition and rapid thermal annealing are homogeneous and crack free with the grain size between 20 nm and 50 nm. The specific capacity of these films is between 42 and 47 μAh·cm²·μm⁻¹. The capacity decreases with the increase of discharge current density. The capacity loss per cycle increases from 0.012% to 0.16% after being cycled 50 times as the film thickness increases from 0.18 μm to 1.04 μm. The lithium diffusion coefficients of these films are in the same order of 10⁻¹¹ cm²·s⁻¹.     

Preparation of TiO2 Thin Film and Its Antibacterial Activity

TiO2 nanometer thin films with photocatalytic antibacterial activity were prepared by the sol-gel method on fused quartz and soda lime glass precoated with a SiO2 layer. The thin films were characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy ( XPS ), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and X- ray diffraction ( XRD ). The results show that sodium and calcium diffusion into nascent TiO2 film is effectively retarded by the SiO2 layer precoated on the soda lime glass, The antibacterial activity of the films was determined. The crystalline of TiO2 nanometer thin film has important effects on the antibacterial activity of the film.     

Solvothermal synthesis and photocatalytic performance of Bi<Subscript>2</Subscript>S<Subscript>3</Subscript> hierarchical nanostructure

The synthesis of Bi₂S₃ hierarchical nanostructure was reported by a solvothermal reaction using ethylene disulfhydrate as the sulfur source and chelating reagent. The as-synthesized samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and photoluminescence (PL). The XRD, Raman, and XPS data confirmed that the as-synthesized sample belongs to orthorhombic phase Bi₂S₃. The SEM observations displayed that Bi₂S₃ hierarchical nanostructure assembled from nanorods. A 410 nm ultraviolet photoluminescence (PL) emission of as-synthesized Bi₂S₃ was observed when the sample was excited with wavelength of 320-330 nm. The Bi₂S₃ hierarchical nanostructure also shows a significant enhancement of photocatalytic capability toward degrading methyl orange (MO) under UV light, the photodegradation of MO reaches 95% within 180 min.     

Controllable preparation and superior rate performance of spinel LiMn<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>4</Subscript> hollow microspheres as cathode material for lithium-ion batteries

Spinel LiMn₂O₄ microspheres and hollow microspheres with adjustable wall thickness have been prepared using controllable oxidation of MnCO₃ microspheres precursors and following solid reactions with lithium salts. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) investigations demonstrate that the microsphere morphology and hollow structure of precursors are inherited. The effect of hollow structure properties of as-prepared LiMn₂O₄ on their performance as cathode materials for lithium-ion batteries has been studied. Electrochemical performance tests show that LiMn₂O₄ hollow microspheres with small wall thickness exhibit both superior rate capability and better cycle performance than LiMn₂O₄ solid microspheres and LiMn₂O₄ hollow microspheres with thick wall. The LiMn₂O₄ hollow microspheres with thin wall have discharge capacity of 132.7 mA·h·g^-1 at C/10 (14.8 mA·g^-1) in the first cycle, 94.1% capacity retention at C/10 after 40 cycles and discharge capacity of 116.5 mAh·g^-1 at a high rate of 5C. The apparent lithium-ion diffusion coefficient (D _app) of as-prepared LiMn₂O₄ determined by capacity intermittent titration technique (CITT) varies from 10^-11 to 10^-8.5 cm²·s^-1 showing a regular “W” shape curve plotted with test voltages. The Dapp of LiMn₂O₄ hollow microspheres with thin wall has the largest value among all the prepared samples. Both the superior rate capability and cycle stability of LiMn₂O₄ hollow microspheres with thin wall can be ascribed to the facile ion diffusion in the hollow structures and the robust of hollow structures during repeated cycling.     

Effect of temperature on polishing and flatting time of float-formed Li<Subscript>2</Subscript>O-Al<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript>-SiO<Subscript>2</Subscript> glass

Li₂O-Al₂O₃-SiO₂ glass prepared from traditional melting and cooling process was investigated. The surface characteristic of LAS glass was studied by simulating tin bath with different temperature and time, and the effect of surface tension/viscosity ratio on flatting time was analyzed. The results demonstrated that LAS glass can polish effectively when polishing at 1 300 for 8 °C min, and the optimum flatting and polishing temperature was 1 250–1 300 °C.     

Influences of heat treatments on crystallization in SiO<Subscript>2</Subscript>-Al<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript>-MgO-K<Subscript>2</Subscript>O-F glass-ceramics

Five kinds of heating treatment processing were chosen according to the experiment result of differential scanning calorimeter to prepare SiO2-Al2O3-MgO-K2O-F glass ceramics samples.The effects of heat treatment processing on the crystallization of these samples were explored by X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy techniques.The results indicate that phase separations can occur in the bulk regions of the glass sample when holding at 670 ℃ for 3 h.The phase separation can accelerate the precip...     

Investigation on extremal and critical characteristics of ignition time for H<Subscript>2</Subscript>/O<Subscript>2</Subscript> combustion system and their applications

The L, H and C curves in P-T phase are proposed to describe the minimal, maximal and critical characteristics of ignition time of H₂/O₂ combustion system, respectively. The features of H₂/O₂(Air) combustion system, including explosion or not as well as the time delay to achieve its explosion status, can be well shown by explosion limits and these proposed curves. These curves can be described by 1.2k ₁=k _s [M_s], (k ₁₁/k ₁₀+1)k ₁=k _s [M_s], and 2k ₁=k _s [M_s], respectively, which provide a physical explanation for these curves and give another way to establish them. Based on the contour of ignition time, the Z-type explosion limits can be explained by thermal explosion theory. Furthermore, the ignition distance of supersonic combustion is predicted according to the ignition time obtained in a Semenov system, which is very reasonable.     

Effect of aluminum addition on microstructure and properties of SiO<Subscript>2</Subscript>-B<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript>-Al<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript>-CaO vitrified bond

Influence of aluminum addition on the structures and properties of SiO₂-B₂O₃-Al₂O₃-CaO vitrified bond at low sintering temperature and high strength was discussed. FTIR and XRD analyses were used to characterize the structures of the basic vitrified bond with different contents of aluminum. The bending strength and the thermal expansion coefficients were also tested. Meanwhile, the microstructures of composite specimens at sintering temperature of 660 °C were observed by scanning electron microscope (SEM). The experimental results showed that the properties of vitrified bond with 1wt% aluminum were improved significantly, where the bending strength, Rockwell hardness, and thermal expansion coefficient of the vitrified bond reached 132 MPa, 63 HRB, and 6.73×10^-6 °C^-1, respectively.     

Interaction of rare earth ions in Sr<Subscript>2</Subscript>MgSi<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>7</Subscript>: Eu<Superscript>2+</Superscript>, Dy<Superscript>3+</Superscript> material

To discuss the function of Eu and Dy and their interaction in Sr₂MgSi₂O₇: Eu²⁺, Dy³⁺ long afterglow material, the Eu and Dy single doped and their co-doped Sr₂MgSi₂O₇: Eu²⁺, Dy³⁺ were prepared. The samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), decay curves, photoluminescence (PL), and thermoluminescence (TL). The results indicate that Sr₂MgSi₂O₇: Eu has afterglow properties, and the doping of Eu ion in Sr₂MgSi₂O₇: Eu²⁺, Dy³⁺ can lower the depth of traps. Eu ion can not only serve as luminescence center, but also produce traps in the matrix, meanwhile, it also exerts certain influences on the traps produced by Dy in Sr₂MgSi₂O₇: Eu²⁺, Dy³⁺. The Dy ion can not act as luminescence center but relates to the change of the traps in the Sr₂MgSi₂O₇ matrix.