Sol-gel synthesis and electrochemical performance of Li4Ti5O12/graphene composite anode for lithium-ion batteries

Li₄Ti₅O₁₂/graphene composite was prepared by a facile sol-gel method. The lattice structure and morphology of the composite were investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electronic microscopy (SEM). The electrochemical performances of the electrodes have been investigated compared with the pristine Li₄Ti₅O₁₂ synthesized by a similar route. The Li₄Ti₅O₁₂/graphene composite presents a higher capacity and better cycling performance than Li₄Ti₅O₁₂ at the cutoff of 2.5-1.0 V, especially at high current rate. The excellent electrochemical performance of Li₄Ti₅O₁₂/graphene electrode could be attributed to the improvement of electronic conductivity from the graphene sheets. When discharged to 0 V, the Li₄Ti₅O₁₂/graphene composite exhibited a quite high capacity over 274 mAh g⁻¹ below 1.0 V, which was quite beneficial for not only the high energy density but also the safety characteristic of lithium-ion batteries.     

Effect of Bi2O3 on structure and wetting studies of Bi2O3-ZnO-B2O3 glasses

Glasses with different Bi₂O₃ contents (37-42 mol%) have been prepared by conventional melt quench technique. The IR and Raman studies indicate that these glasses are made up of [BiO₆], [BiO₃], [BO₃] and [BO₄] basic structural units. The vibrations of [BiO₃] and [BO₃] become stronger as the content of Bi₂O₃ increases, which makes glass structure loosened. Viscosity of the glasses was measured by using a Rheotronic III paralleled plate rheometry, which shows that the viscosity of glass samples decreased when the content of Bi₂O₃ increased at the same temperature (400-460 °C). The temperature range which suits for glasses sealing was calculated by using the approximation of Arrhenian behaviour. The wetting performance of Bi₂O₃-ZnO-B₂O₃ glasses was described by using high-temperature microscope, which also proves that the structure of investigated Bi₂O₃-ZnO-B₂O₃ glasses become loosened due to the increasing of the content of Bi₂O₃.     

Charge compensation, electrical and dielectric behavior of lanthanum doped CaCu3Ti4O12

Mechanism of charge compensation on lanthanum, (La³⁺) substitution on Ca site in calcium copper titanate (CaCu₃Ti₄O₁₂), and its effect on resulting electrical and dielectric properties has been studied in the present investigation. For this purpose samples were prepared according to two stoichiometries viz. La_xCa_(1−3x/2)Cu₃Ti₄O₁₂ (x ≤ 0.09) and La_xCa_(1−x)Cu₃Ti₄O₁₂ (x = 0.03) by solid state ceramic route. The former represents ionic compensation while the later is in accordance with electronic compensation. Nature of charge carriers is identified by measuring Seebeck coefficient which is found to be negative in the entire range of measurement. In order to understand the mechanism of conduction, ac conductivity is measured as a function of temperature and frequency. Space charge polarization is the dominant polarization mechanism phenomenon at low frequency and high temperature while orientation polarization dominates at low temperature and high frequency. Impedance analysis confirms the formation of internal barrier layers which is responsible for high dielectric constant in these samples.     

Dielectric relaxation behaviors of pure and Pr6O11-doped CaCu3Ti4O12 ceramics in high temperature range

Pure and Pr₆O₁₁-doped CaCu₃Ti₄O₁₂ (CCTO) ceramics were prepared by conventional solid-state reaction method. The compositions and structures were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The influences of Pr-ion concentration on dielectric properties of CCTO were measured in the ranges of 60 Hz-3 MHz and 290-490 K. The third phase of Ca₂CuO₃ was observed from the XRD of CCTO ceramics. From SEM, the grain size was decreased obviously with high valence Pr-ion (mixing valence of Pr³⁺ and Pr⁴⁺) substituting Ca²⁺. The room temperature dielectric constant of Pr-doped CCTO ceramics, sintered at 1323 K, was an order of magnitude lower than the pure CCTO ceramics due to the grain size decreasing and Schottky potential increasing. The dielectric spectra of Pr-doped CCTO were flatter than that of pure CCTO. The loss tangent of Pr-doped CCTO ceramics was less than 0.20 in 2 × 10²-10⁵ Hz region below 440 K. The complex impedance spectra of pure and Pr-doped CCTOs were fitted by ZView. From low to high frequency, three semicircles were observed corresponding to three different conducting regions: electrode interface, grain boundary and grain. By fitting the resistors R and capacitors C, the activation energies of grain boundary and electrode contact were calculated. All doped CCTOs showed higher activation energies of grain boundary and electrode than those of pure CCTO ceramics, which were concordant with the decreasing of dielectric constant after Pr₆O₁₁ doping.     

In situ synthesis and characterization of polyaniline–CaCu3Ti4O12 nanocrystal composites

High dielectric constant (ca. 2.4 × 10⁶ at 1 kHz) nanocomposite of polyaniline (PANI)/CaCu₃Ti₄O₁₂ (CCTO) was synthesized using a simple procedure involving in situ polymerization of aniline in dil. HCl. The PANI and the composite were subjected to X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared, thermo gravimetric, scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy analyses. The presence of the nanocrystallites of CCTO embedded in the nanofibers of PANI matrix was established by TEM. Frequency dependent characteristics of the dielectric constant, dielectric loss and AC conductivity were studied for the PANI and the composites. The dielectric constant increased as the CCTO content increased in PANI but decreased with increasing frequency (100 Hz–1 MHz) of measurement. The dielectric loss was two times less than the value obtained for pure PANI around 100 Hz. The AC conductivity increased slightly up to 2 kHz as the CCTO content increased in the PANI which was attributed to the polarization of the charge carriers.     

Improved capacity and rate capability of Ru-doped and carbon-coated Li4Ti5O12 anode material

Pure Li₄Ti₅O₁₂, modified Li₄Ti₅O₁₂/C, Li₄Ru_0.01Ti_4.99O₁₂ and Li₄Ru_0.01Ti_4.99O₁₂/C were successfully prepared by a modified solid-state method and its electrochemical properties were investigated. From the XRD patterns, the added sugar or doped Ru did not affect the spinel structure. The results of electrochemical properties revealed that Li₄Ru_0.01Ti_4.99O₁₂/C showed 120 and 110 mAh/g at 5 and 10 C rate after 100 charge/discharge cycles. Li₄Ru_0.01Ti_4.99O₁₂/C exhibited the best rate capability and the highest capacity at 5 and 10 C charge/discharge rate owing to the increase of electronic conductivity and the reduction of interface resistance between particles of Li₄Ti₅O₁₂.It is expected that the Li₄Ru_0.01Ti_4.99O₁₂/C will be a promising anode material to be used in high-rate lithium ion battery.     

Characterization and electrochemical properties of carbon-coated Li4Ti5O12 prepared by a citric acid sol-gel method

Since carbon coating can effectively improve electrical wiring of Li₄Ti₅O₁₂ and thus enhance its high rate performance, a novel and simple citric acid sol-gel method for in situ carbon coating is employed in this study. The effects of the amount of the carbon source in the starting xerogel on the particle size, the resistance and the electrochemical performance of the synthesized Li₄Ti₅O₁₂ samples are systematically studied. The physical and electrochemical properties of the obtained samples have been characterized by XRD, TG-DSC, SEM, TEM, BET, A.C. impedance, galvanostatically charge-discharge and cyclic voltammetry tests. The results show that the initial amount of the carbon source in the starting xerogel is a critical factor which determines the content of the coated carbon and the pore volume, therefore governs the high rate performance of the Li₄Ti₅O₁₂/C composites. The Li₄Ti₅O₁₂/C composite with in situ carbon coating of 3.5 wt% exhibits the best electrochemical performance which delivers delithiation capacities of 143.6 and 133.5 mAh g⁻¹ with fairly stable cycling performance even after 50 cycles at 0.5C and 1C rate, respectively.     

Bi3.25La0.75Ti3O12纳米管的制备工艺研究

研究了一种Bi3.25La0.75Ti3O12 (BLT)铁电存储材料纳米管的简单有效合成方法。通过阳极氧化铝模板(AAO)辅助溶胶凝胶法,合成了BLT纳米管。其基本过程是以次硝酸铋、硝酸镧和钛酸四丁酯为原料,以冰醋酸和乙二醇甲醚为溶剂配制BLT溶胶,然后将BLT溶胶滴在AAO模板表面,浸润后烘干并反复多次,而后将材料在500 ℃下保温1 h,除去有机物,最后在750 ℃下保温30 min晶化,用KOH腐蚀去除氧化铝模板,即得到BLT纳米管。结果表明,BLT纳米管具有[117]择优取向;BLT纳米管管壁光滑,直径与模板孔径相当,约300 nm,且分布均匀,管壁厚度约25 nm,纳米管是多晶体,由粒径为8~12 nm晶粒组成     

Improved dielectric and non-ohmic properties of Ca2Cu2Ti4O12 ceramics prepared by a polymer pyrolysis method

Non-ohmic and dielectric properties of Ca₂Cu₂Ti₄O₁₂ (CaCu₃Ti₄O₁₂/CaTiO₃ composite) ceramics prepared by a polymer pyrolysis method (PP-ceramic samples) are investigated. The PP-ceramics show a highly dense structure and improved non-ohmic and dielectric properties compared to the ceramics obtained by a solid state reaction method (SSR-ceramic samples). ?′ (tan δ) of the PP-ceramic samples is found to be higher (lower) than that of the SSR-ceramic samples. Interestingly, the PP-ceramic sintered at 1050 °C for 10 h exhibits the high ?′ of 2530 with weak frequency dependence below 1 MHz, the low tan δ less than 0.05 in the frequency range of 160 Hz-177 kHz, and the little temperature coefficient, i.e., |Δ?′| ≤ 15 % in the temperature range from −55 to 85 °C. These results indicate that the CaCu₃Ti₄O₁₂/CaTiO₃ composite system prepared by PP method is a promising high-?′ material for practical capacitor application.     

基于第一性原理的石榴石型Li7La3Zr2O12 固态电解质的设计与合成

基于密度泛函理论（DFT）的第一原理方法计算了四方相和立方相中2种不同的Li₇La₃Zr₂O₁₂（LLZO）固体电解质材料的能带结构,晶格参数,态密度和成键特性。基于理论计算结果,通过电子结构特性解释了四面体相的离子电导率低于立方相的离子电导率的原因。基于LLZO的第一性原理计算,设计了2种晶体结构的LLZO材料,并通过高温固相法制备并分析了不同烧结时间的LLZO颗粒的性能。探索了合成工艺参数对Li₇La₃Zr₂O₁₂性能的影响。立方晶Li₇La₃Zr₂O₁₂（C-LLZO）的平均晶格大小为a=b=c=1.302 246 nm,而四方Li₇La₃Zr₂O₁₂（T-LLZO）的平均晶格大小为a=b=1.313 064 nm,c=1.266 024 nm。在1000 ℃下烧结12 h的C-LLZO为纯立方相,在室温（25 ℃）下最大离子电导率为9.8×10^-5 S·cm^-1。T-LLZO在室温（25 ℃）下的离子电导率为5.96×10^-8 S·cm^-1,在800 ℃下烧结6 h具有纯的四方相结构,与计算结果基本吻合。     

Preparation and characterization of spinel Li4Ti5O12 anode material from industrial titanyl sulfate solution

Spinel Li₄Ti₅O₁₂ anode material is successfully synthesized by a solid-state method using lithium carbonate and titanium precursors which are prepared by the low cost industrial titanyl sulfate solution. The characters of H₂TiO₃ and TiO₂ precursors are determined by TG/DTA and SEM methods. TG-DAT and EDS methods show that H₂TiO₃ can absorb sulphate ions which can be present as impurities. XRD method shows that the impure phases of Li₂SO₄ and rutile TiO₂ appear in Li₄Ti₅O₁₂ synthesized by H₂TiO₃. The formation of Li₂SO₄ is identified in thermodynamics during the process of calcination. Owing to the formation of Li₂SO₄ impurity, the capacity of the Li₄Ti₅O₁₂ synthesized by H₂TiO₃ is low. One effective way that can tackle this problem is to remove the sulphur by calcining H₂TiO₃, after calcinations, the production will have a thermal treatment with Li₂CO₃. The obtained Li₄Ti₅O₁₂ shows better electrochemical performance. The specific capacities can be increased by 20 mAh g⁻¹ at 0.1, 0.5 and 1C rates.     

La2O3含量对Al2O3/Cu基复合材料组织与性能的影响

以La₂O₃粉、Al粉、CuO粉为反应物原料、纯铜为基体,采用原位合成技术和近熔点铸造法制备颗粒增强Cu基复合材料,研究La₂O₃对Al-CuO体系制备的Cu基复合材料组织及性能的影响。结果表明：添加La₂O₃可获得纳米Al₂O₃颗粒,且弥散分布于Cu基体中,制备的材料组织更加细小、均匀,其材料的电导率及摩擦磨损性能明显提高。当添加0.6%wtLa₂O₃,复合材料的电导率达到90.2%IACS,磨损量达到最小,相比未添加La₂O₃,其导电率提高10.1%,磨损量减小36.6%。     

Preparation and photocatalytic properties of sillenite Bi12TiO20 films

Sillenite Bi₁₂TiO₂₀ thin films with high photocatalytic activity have been successfully fabricated by means of chemical solution decomposition, and characterized by X-ray diffraction, energy-dispersive spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy, scanning electron microscopy and UV-Vis spectrophotometry. The photocatalytic activity of Bi₁₂TiO₂₀ thin films has been evaluated by photodegrading methyl orange solution and the effect of processing conditions on the photocatalytic activity has been studied in detail.     

Porous Li4Ti5O12 anode material synthesized by one-step solid state method for electrochemical properties enhancement

A porous Li₄Ti₅O₁₂ anode material was successfully synthesized from mixture of LiCl and TiCl₄ with 70 wt% oxalic acid by a modified one-step solid state method. The anode material Li₄Ti₅O₁₂ exhibited a cubic spinel structure and only one voltage plateau occurred around 1.5 V. The initial capacity of porous Li₄Ti₅O₁₂ was 167 and 133 mAh g⁻¹ at 0.5 and 1C charge/discharge rate, respectively, and the capacity retention maintained above 98% after 200 cycles. The porous Li₄Ti₅O₁₂ structure showed promising rate performance with a capacity of 70 mAh g⁻¹ at charge/discharge 10C rate after 200 cycles. It was demonstrated that the porous structure could withstand 50C charge/discharge rate and exhibited excellent cycling stability.     

Fe3O4/SiO2/Bi2WO6磁性复合光催化剂的制备及其光催化性能

钨酸铋(Bi₂WO₆),结构最简单的Aurivillius相化合物,是近期受到研究者关注的新型光催化材料。然而,光催化剂粉末在反应介质中难被回收,工业化应用成本较高。本文用三步方法合成了可回收的Fe₃O₄/SiO₂/Bi₂WO₆磁性复合光催化剂,通过溶剂热法合成具有磁性的Fe₃O₄,用溶胶凝胶法在Fe₃O₄表面覆盖SiO₂层,后将磁性颗粒与Bi₂WO₆纳米片相结合。光催化剂的形貌结构及性能通过XRD、SEM、PL、UV-vis进行表征测试。结果表明,直径约500 nm的Fe₃O₄微球附着在边长约500 nm的Bi₂WO₆纳米片的表面,SiO₂在两者之间起到了粘连作用。光催化剂Fe₃O₄/SiO₂/Bi₂WO₆对于罗丹明B的光降解活性较好,且有一定磁性,可以通过外加磁场将其从溶液中分离,有较大的应用潜力。     

Mechanical properties of La2O3 doped diamond-like carbon films

Twelve La₂O₃ doped diamond-like carbon (DLC) nanofilms were deposited using unbalanced dual-magnetron sputtering. AFM, XRD, Raman spectroscopy, AES, XPS, TEM, contact surface profiler and nanoindenter were employed to investigate the structure and tribological properties of deposited films. The results show that the La₂O₃ doped DLC films are amorphous. La₂O₃ doping obviously decreases internal stress, and effectively increases the elastic modulus. This results from the dissolving and dissolution of La₂O₃ within the amorphous DLC matrix. Furthermore, the friction coefficient of the doped DLC films decreases, and adhesion strength increases. These are attributed to the lubrication function of La₂O₃ and the formation of transition layer at interface, respectively.     

Microstructure and characterization of La2O3 and CeO2 doped diamond-like carbon nanofilms

Seven kinds of hydrogen-free La₂O₃ and CeO₂ doped DLC films with thickness of 220-280 nm were deposited on Si (100) substrates by unbalanced magnetron sputtering. Nanoparticles with diameter of 20-30 nm are formed on the surface of films. The surface roughness Ra of films is in the range of 1.5-2.0 nm. C, La, Ce and O elements distribute uniformly along the depth direction, and C, La, and Ce elements diffuse into the Si substrate at the interface. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy confirms that the La₂O₃ and CeO₂ form within the DLC amorphous films, and Raman spectra indicate the obvious amorphous characteristics of DLC films. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy shows the nanocrystallines structure with diameter of 2-3 nm of 16% La₂O₃ and 10% CeO₂ doped DLC films, and Fourier transformation spectroscopy also exhibits the obvious crystalline characteristics. In this work, the microstructure of two kinds of rare earth oxides doped DLC composite films is measured and analyzed.     

Preparation and properties of sintered molybdenum doped with La2O3/MoSi2

Sintered Mo with the addition of La₂O₃/MoSi₂ was prepared via the process of solid–solid doping + powder metallurgy. X-ray diffraction experiment, hardness test, three-point bending test and high-temperature tensile test were carried out to characterize the samples. The XRD pattern of a typical sample shows that the sintered Mo was mainly composed of Mo, La₂O₃ and Mo₅Si₃. Mo₅Si₃ was probably formed through the reaction between MoSi₂ and the Mo matrix. Densities and fracture toughnesses of both doped Mo and pure Mo were measured and contrasted. Sintered Mo with the addition of 0.2 wt% La₂O₃/MoSi₂ has the highest toughness, while more addition of La₂O₃/MoSi₂ has smaller effect on improving toughness or even embrittles Mo. The results of three-point bending test and high-temperature tensile test show that the bending strength and high-temperature tensile strength of doped Mo are both higher than those of pure Mo. The formation of Mo₅Si₃ improves the high-temperature strength. The La₂O₃/Mo₅Si₃ dispersed in the Mo matrix refined the grains, and thus strengthened the Mo matrix by dispersion strengthening and grain refinement.     

Thermal conductivity and thermal cycle life of La2O3 and HfO2 doped ZrO2-Y2O3 coatings produced by EB-PVD

The effects of La₂O₃ and HfO₂ addition on thermal conductivity and thermal cycle life of EB-PVD YSZ coatings were investigated. La₂O₃ and HfO₂ were selected as additives, because they significantly suppress the sintering of YSZ. The developed coating showed low thermal conductivity as well as high resistance to sintering. Burner rig tests confirmed that the developed coating have a superior thermal insulating effect and have a longer life than that of a coating with conventional composition.     

Thermo-physical and thermal cycling properties of plasma-sprayed BaLa2Ti3O10 coating as potential thermal barrier materials

Increased turbine inlet temperature in advanced turbines has promoted the development of thermal barrier coating (TBC) materials with high-temperature capability. In this paper, BaLa₂Ti₃O₁₀ (BLT) was produced by solid-state reaction of BaCO₃, TiO₂ and La₂O₃ at 1500 °C for 48 h. BLT showed phase stability between room temperature and 1400 °C. BLT revealed a linearly increasing thermal expansion coefficient with increasing temperature up to 1200 °C and the coefficients of thermal expansion (CTEs) are in the range of 1 × 10^− 5–12.5 × 10^− 6 K^− 1, which are comparable to those of 7YSZ. BLT coatings with stoichiometric composition were produced by atmospheric plasma spraying. The coating contained segmentation cracks and had a porosity of around 13%. The microhardness for the BLT coating is 3.9–4.5 GPa. The thermo-physical properties of the sprayed coating were investigated. The thermal conductivity at 1200 °C is about 0.7 W/mK, exhibiting a very promising potential in improving the thermal insulation property of TBC. Thermal cycling result showed that the BLT TBC had a lifetime of more than 1100 cycles of about 200 h at 1100 °C. The failure of the coating occurred by cracking at the thermally grown oxide (TGO) layer due to severe oxidation of bond coat. Based on the above merits, BLT could be considered as a promising material for TBC applications.