La-doped SnO₂:synthesis and its electrochemical property

Tin dioxide(SnO2) and La-doped(1%,5%,10% in mass ratio) SnO2 samples were prepared via a hydrothermal method. The as-prepared powders were characterized by X-ray diffraction(XRD) and scanning electron microscopy(SEM) . Results showed that the particle size of SnO2 decreased gradually with the increase of the doped La element. When used as anode materials of Li ion battery,the La-doped samples exhibited better cycling performance than the pure SnO2,and the cycling performance of the La-doped samples got better and better with the increase of the doped La. The better electrochemical performance of the doped material could be attributed to the doping of La element,which not only enabled SnO2 powders to have a good dispersivity but also reduced their particle size.     

Synthesis and photocatalytic property of Ce-doped SnO₂

Pure SnO2 and Ce-doped(1%,4%,7%,10% in mass ratio) SnO2 powders were prepared by a simple sol-gel method.The as-prepared samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction(XRD),scanning electron microscopy(SEM),and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller(BET) specific surface area analyzers.Results showed that the 7% Ce-doped sample has a particle size of 0.1-0.3 μm with a narrow particle size distribution while the pure SnO2 was consisted of large agglomerated particles with a diameter up to several micrometers.When used as the catalyst to degrade methyl orange(MO),the 7% Ce-doped sample showed best photocatalytic property.These properties can be attributed to the large surface area and small particle size of the 7% Ce-doped sample.     

Synthesis and characterization of yttrium and antimony codoped SnO₂ conductive nanoparticles

Y was used as a dopant in preparing conductive powder to improve its performance. Y and Sb co-doped SnO2 conductive nanoparticles were prepared by the complexation-coprecipitation method with Sn,Sb2O3 and Y2O3 as the raw materials. Crystal phase,thermal behavior and structure of the prepared conductive nanoparticles were characterized by X-ray diffraction(XRD) ,thermal analysis(TG-DSC) ,Fourier transform infrared(FTIR) and transmission electron microscopy(TEM) techniques,respectively. The Y and Sb co-doped SnO2 conductive nanoparticles with a structure of tetragonal rutile had intense absorption in 4000-2500 cm-1,and the diameter ranged from 10 to 30 nm. The resistivity of Y and Sb co-doped SnO2 conductive nanoparticles was as low as 0.09 Ω·cm which was 4.6 times lower than that of Sb doped SnO2 conductive nanoparticles.     

Re-determination of the crystal structure of Ca₂Y₈Si₆O₂₆ and study on the luminescent properties of Ca₂Y₈Si₆O₂₆:Tb³⁺

The crystal structure of silicate oxyapatite Ca2Y8Si6O26 was indexed as hexagonal,space group P63/m,a=0.93515 nm,c=0.67872 nm,α=β=90°,γ=120°,V=0.5138692 nm3.Three strong peaks located at 32.079o,32.595o,and 50.104o with d=2.7903,2.74649,1.8194 was in accordance with,(112),and(213) planes.The optimum concentration of Tb3+ in Ca2Y8Si6O26 to yield highest photoluminescence intensity was 10 mol.% of Y3+.The corresponding excitation spectrum consisted of an intense broad band from 220 to 260 nm.The photoluminescence measurements showed that the green emission originated from 5D4-7F5 was predominant in the measured range with strong doublet lines at 543 and 549 nm.     

Study on analysis of crystal structure in CeO₂ doped with Er₂O₃ or Gd₂O₃

To simulate the effects of burnable poison doping in nuclear fuel UO2,Er2O3(or Gd2O3)-doped CeO2 pellets were prepared. Changes in lattice constant and atomic disordering for CeO2 due to the Er2O3 and Gd2O3 doping were measured by means of XRD and XAFS. By the Er2O3 doping,the lattice constant decreased,and a disordering of lattice structure was induced in the samples. The doping with Er2O3 also induced the disordering of atomic arrangement around Er atoms,which was observed through the change in XAFS spectra. In contrast,the effect of Gd2O3 doping was smaller than that of Er2O3 doping. The result was discussed in terms of ionic size of dopants in CeO2 crystal.     

Effects of Sr²⁺ on structure and luminescent properties of BaAl₁₂O₁₉:Eu phosphors

Ba0.9-ySryAl12O19:Eu0.1 phosphors were prepared by sol-gel technique,the crystalline structures of samples characterized by XRD,and the luminescence properties were investigated.The influence of crystallographic positions on the luminescent properties of Sr2+-doped BaAl12O19:Eu was investigated in detail.The results indicated that the crystal lattice of BaAl12O19:Eu was not influenced by the Sr2+ and doping Sr2+ in BaAl12O19:Eu enhanced the luminescent properties of the phosphors at the proper concentration of Sr2+.With the increasing of concentration of Sr2+ doped in BaAl12O19:Eu,the relative luminescent intensity of Ba0.9-ySryAl12O19:Eu0.1 strengthened and blue-shifted.     

Intense blue-emitting Ca₂PO₄Cl:Eu²⁺ phosphor for near-ultraviolet converting white light-emitting diodes

A blue phosphor Ca2PO4Cl:Eu2+(CAP:Eu2+) was synthesized by solid state reaction.The Ca2PO4Cl:Eu2+ exhibited high quantum efficiency and excellent thermal stability.The luminescent intensity of Ca2PO4Cl:Eu2+ was found to be 128% under excitation at 380 nm,149% under 400 nm,and 247% under 420 nm as high as that of BaMgAl10O17:Eu2+.The optimal doping concentration was observed to 11 mol.% of CAP:Eu2+.The energy transfer between Eu2+ ions in CAP were occurred via electric multipolar interaction,and the critical transfer distance was estimated to be 1.26 nm.A mixture of blue-emitting Ca2PO4Cl:Eu2+,green-emitting(Ba,Sr)2SiO4:Eu2+ and red-emitting CaAlSiN3:Eu2+ phosphors were selected in conjunction with 400 nm chip to fabricate white LED devices.The average color-rendering index Ra and correlated color temperature(Tc) of the white LEDs were found to be 93.4 and 4590 K,respectively.The results indicated that it was a promising candidate as a blue-emitting phosphor for the near-UV white light-emitting diodes.     

Magnetic properties and magnetocaloric effects of manganite (La_0.8Ho_0.2)_2/3Ca_1/3MnO₃ and (La_0.5Ho_0.5)_2/3Ca_1/3MnO₃

We reported the magnetic properties and magnetocaloric effects(MCE) of(La0.8Ho0.2)2/3Ca1/3MnO3 and(La0.5Ho0.5)2/3Ca1/3MnO3 nanoparticles by sol-gel technique.With this method,we were able to obtain the samples with particle diameters ranging from 50 to 200 nm.In the(La1-xHox)2/3Ca1/3MnO3 compound,an external magnetic field induced a magnetic transition from an paramagnetic phase to a ferromagnetic phase above Ts=105-135 K,leading to magnetocaloric effects.The maximum value of ΔSM was 1.19 J/(kg·K) at 100 K and 2.03 J/(kg·K) at 152 K for a magnetic field change of 5 T.Because both samples had large relative cooling power(RCP) and wide δTFWHM,the study on systems with the(La1-xHox)2/3Ca1/3MnO3-related magnetic transitions may open an important field in searching good magnetic materials.     

Electrospinning synthesis and luminescent properties of Lu₂O₃:Eu³⁺ nanofibers

One-dimensional Lu2O3:Eu3+ nanofibers were prepared by electrospinning followed by high-temperature calcinations.Thermogravimetric and differential thermal analysis,X-ray powder diffraction,Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy,scanning electron microscopy,photoluminescent spectra and decay curves were used to characterize the samples.Results showed that samples began to crystallize at ～500 oC and crystallized completely around 1000 oC.The average diameter of nanofibers(1000 oC annealed) was about 55 nm and the particle size of Lu2O3:Eu3+ increased with increasing annealing temperature.Under ultraviolet excitation,nanofibers exhibited typical red emission of Eu3+ in Lu2O3.The effect of heat-treatment temperature on luminescent properties of nanofibers was also discussed.     

Synthesis mechanism of Sm₂Fe₁₇ alloy produced in reduction-diffusion process

Sm2Fe17 alloy was the precursor of Sm2Fe17Nx magnetic materials.Reduction-diffusion(R/D) method was a new preparation process for the Sm2Fe17 alloy,and had been widely employed as a new preparation method for rare earth-transition metal intermetallic compounds.In this text,thermodynamics and kinetics for the synthesis of the Sm2Fe17 alloy by reduction-diffusion(R/D) method in the Ca-Sm2O3-Fe system were analyzed.The related synthesis mechanism of this reaction was investigated in detail by means of scanning electron microscope(SEM).The results showed that the thickness of the Sm2Fe17 alloy layer versus the reaction time could be fit by the parabola law,and its growth model was determined to be:(L0-L)2=43.848 t,the diffusion of Sm into Fe proceeded with the formation of the Sm2Fe17 phase from the very beginning of the reaction,and rich samarium phases,such as SmFe2 and SmFe3,were not formed,and the rate-determining step of the R/D reaction was found to be the peritectic reaction between liquid samarium and solid iron.     

Synthesis and characterization of CaAl_xO_y:Eu²⁺ phosphors prepared using solution-combustion method

Europium-doped calcium aluminate(CaAlxOy:Eu2+) phosphors were obtained at low temperatures(500 oC) by the solution-combustion of corresponding metal nitrate-urea solution mixtures.The particle size and morphology and the structural and luminescent properties of the as-synthesized phosphors were examined by means of scanning electron microscopy(SEM),X-ray diffraction(XRD),Auger spectroscopy,transmission electron spectroscopy(TEM) and photoluminescence(PL).It was found that the Ca:Al molar ratios showed greatly influence not only on the particle size and morphology,but also on their PL spectra and structure.With the Ca:Al molar ratios increasing from 6:100 to 26:100,the structure of as-synthesized phosphor changed from CaAl12O19 to monoclinic CaAl2O4 and the dominant emitting light from red to blue,implying that the oxidation state of doped europium ions changed from trivalent to divalent due to the structure variation of host lattice.A blue phosphor with almost pure phase can be easily prepared by solution combustion method with suitable Ca:Al molar ratio.     

Photoluminescence study of SiO₂ coated Eu³⁺:Y₂O₃ core-shells under high pressure

Uniform core-shell Eu3+:Y2O3/SiO2 spheres were synthesized via precipitation and the Stber method.The structural transition of core-shell Eu3+:Y2O3/SiO2 was studied by using high pressure photoluminescence spectra.With pressure increasing,the emission intensities of 5D0→7F0,1,2 transitions of Eu3+ ions decreased and the transition lines showed a red shift.The relative luminescence intensity ratio of 5D0→7F2 to 5D0→7F1 transitions decreased with increasing pressure,indicating lowering asymmetry around Eu3+ ions.During compression,structural transformation for cores in the present core-shell Eu3+:Y2O3/SiO2 sample from cubic to monoclinic took place at 7.5 GPa,and then the monoclinic structure turned into hexagonal above 15.2 GPa.After the pressure was released,the hexagonal structure transformed back to monoclinic and the monoclinic structure was kept stable to ambient pressure.     

Research on microstructure and magnetostriction of Fe₈₃Ga₁₇Dy_x alloys

The crystal structure,microstructure and the magnetostriction of Fe83Ga17Dyx(x=0,0.2,0.4,0.6) series alloys were studied.The results showed that the influence of the Dy on the crystal structure of the alloy was very small but the effect on the microstructure was significant when different contents of Dy were added into the Fe83Ga17 alloy,respectively.Meanwhile,the magnetostriction of Fe83Ga17Dy0.2 alloy was greatly enhanced,the magnetostriction λ value reached 300×10-6 at 400(kA/m) magnetic field.     

Anomalous thermal expansion of Gd₂Fe_15.5Cr_1.5 compound

The structure and magnetic properties of Gd2Fe15.5Cr1.5 compound were investigated by means of X-ray diffraction and magnetization measurements.The Gd2Fe15.5Cr1.5 compound had a rhombohedral Th2Zn17-type structure.The Curie temperature of Gd2Fe15.5Cr1.5 compound was about 570 K.This value was about 60 K higher than that of the mother compound Gd2Fe17.Negative thermal expansion was found in Gd2Fe15.5Cr1.5 compound in a broad temperature range 294-572 K by X-ray dilatometry.The coefficient of the average thermal expansion was =-3.87×10-6 K-1 in 294-512 K,and-1.58×10-5 in 512-572 K.The magnetostriction deformations from 294 to 532 K were calculated by means of the differences between the experimental values of the lattice parameters and corresponding values extrapolated from the paramagnetic range.The result showed that the spontaneous volume magnetostrictive deformation ωS decreased linearly from 4.73×10-3 to 0.11×10-3 with the temperature increasing from 294 to 532 K.The analysis showed that the ωS mainly came from the contribution of the spontaneous linear magnetostrictive λc along the c axis.     

Mechanical properties of UHMWPE/Sm₂O₃ composite shielding material

UHMWPE have good effect to slow down fast neutrons and Sm2O3 can absorb the thermal neutrons.A new style UHMWPE/ Sm2O3 composite shielding material was manufractured by hot-press moulding method.The microstructure and mechanical properties were characterized by IR and SEM.The results indicate that Sm2O3 distributed continuously,evenly in UHMWPE,and the interface was combined closely.Hardness of UHMWPE/Sm2O3 composites increased at first and decreased and tensile strength decreased with the increasing of Sm2O3 mass fraction.     

Nd-doped SnO2: characterization and its gas sensing property

Nd-doped (2%, 5%, 10% in mass ratio) SnO₂ powders were prepared via a facile hydrothermal procedure. The as-prepared samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) specific surface area analyzers. Results showed that the Nd-doped SnO₂ samples had more uniform and smaller primary particles compared with the pure sample, the particle size of the doped SnO₂ decreased gradually with the increase of Nd, and the specific surface area also increased with the increase of the doped Nd. When used as gas sensing materials, the 5% and 10% Nd-doped sample showed high sensitivity and selectivity to ethanol. Furthermore, the Nd-doped sample showed fast response and recovery time to ethanol gas. This could be attributed to their small diameter, large surface area and Nd element doping.     

Hydrothermal synthesis,structure study and luminescent properties of YbPO₄:Tb³⁺ nanoparticles

YbPO4:Tb3+ were synthesized by mild hydrothermal method.The luminescent properties,morphologies and structure of the obtained powders were characterized by photoluminescence(PL) spectra,FESEM,X-ray diffractometer(XRD) and FTIR.The results showed that the prepared YbPO4:Tb3+ nanoparticles were pure tetragonal phase and the average grain size varied with increasing of Tb3+ concentration.Hydrothermal temperature was revealed to be the key factor to enhance the emission intensity of YbPO4:Tb3+ phosphors.The spherical nanoparticles could be effectively excited by near UV(369 nm) light and exhibited green performance at 543 nm(5D4→7F5),489 nm(5D4→7F6) and 586 nm(5D4→7F4).The CIE chromaticity was calculated to be x=0.298,y=0.560.The YbPO4:Tb3+ nanoparticles exhibited potential to act as UV absorber for solar cells to enhance the conversion efficiency.     

Optimization of BaMgAl₁₀O₁₇:Eu²⁺ phosphors by the substitution of Si-N bonds for Al-O bonds

We proposed a simple method to improve the thermal stability of BaMgAl10O17:Eu2+(BAM) phosphors by the substitution of Si-N bonds for Al-O bonds in the host lattice.Both photoluminescence properties and thermal stability under ultraviolet(UV) and vacuum ultraviolet(VUV) excitation could be significantly improved through Si-N incorporation.After thermal degradation at 600 °C for 1 h in air atmosphere,the Si-N doped sample(Ba0.88Eu0.12MgAl9.97Si0.03O16.97N0.03) had the highest emission intensity which was 22% and 40% stronger than that of as-received sample under UV and VUV excitation,respectively.This could be attributed to the stable local structure surrounding the Eu2+ ions and the lower electronegativity of nitrogen.     

Kinetics of mixed rare earths minerals decomposed by CaO with NaCl-CaCl₂ melting salt

For increasing reaction rate and reducing decomposing temperature,TG-DTA,XRD,SEM and Chemical analysis were used to study the kinetics of mixed rar e earths minerals decomposed by CaO with NaCl-CaCl2. The results showed that the reaction rate increased with increasing of NaC-CaCl2 addition,CaO addition,an d decomposition temperature. The kinetics of mixed rare earths minerals decompos ed by CaO conformed to 1-2/3X-(1-X) 2/3=kdt mode. The decomposition reaction rate was controlled by two steps,and the activation energy was decreased with addin g of NaCl-CaCl2 melting salt. The micro-pattern of products was loosening and po rous with NaCl-CaCl2 in decomposition system.     

Probe into deposition mechanism of double pulse electrodepositing Ni-W-P matrix composite coatings containing CeO₂ and SiO₂ nano-particles

Ni-W-P matrix composite coatings reinforced by CeO2 and SiO2 nano-particles were prepared on common carbon steel surface by double pulse electrodeposition and the deposition mechanism was discussed.The results showed that the composite coatings with amorphous structure were obtained as-deposited.The initial growth behavior had alternatives and the nucleation was inhomogeneous because of obvious composition fluctuation.With the pulse deposition time increasing,some pearlite microstructures of the substrate were covered by some deposits and the composition fluctuation disappeared.Forward pulse currents promoted to form a great number of atomic beams composed of Ni,W and P atoms or CeO2 and SiO2 nano-particles as the core,which inhabited the growth of atomic beams.Reverse pulse currents eliminated concentration polarization and dissolved some surface boss of atomic beams.The solution of W and P atoms within Ni grains and embedding of CeO2 and SiO2 nano-particles within Ni-W-P matrix metal made atomic arrangement disordered.Finally,the atomic beams grew to amorphous small particles.