Low-valence ion addition induced more compact passive films on nickel-copper nano-coatings

Ni-Cu nano-coatings were prepared by pulsed electroplating technique in the baths containing various amount of boric acid. Their microstructure, morphologies and corrosion resistance were characterized in detail. The addition of boric acid strongly influences on the microstructure of the Ni-Cu coatings. The coating with a grain size of 130 nm, obtained from the bath containing 35 g L⁻¹ boric acid, shows the highest corrosion resistance. This is attributed to the low-valence Cu ion (Cu⁺) additions in nickel oxide, which could significantly decrease the oxygen ion vacancy density in the passive film to form a more compact passive film. The higher Cu⁺ additions and the lower diffusivity of point defects (D₀) are responsible for the formation of more compact passive film on the coating obtained from the bath with 35 g L⁻¹ boric acid.     

Preparation and characterization of nanocrystalline porous TiO2/WO3 composite thin films

TiO₂ materials possessing not only photocatalytic but also electrochromic properties have attracted many research and development interests. Though WO₃ exhibits excellent electrochromic properties, the much higher cost and water-sensitivity of WO₃ as compared with the TiO₂ may restrict the practical application of WO₃ materials. In the present study, the feasibility of preparing nanocrystalline porous TiO₂/WO₃ composite thin films was investigated.Precursors of sols TiO₂ and/or WO₃ and polystyrene microspheres were used to prepare nanocrystalline pure TiO₂, WO₃, and composite TiO₂/WO₃ thin films by spin coating. The spin-coated thin films were amorphous and, after heat treating at a temperature of 500 °C, nanocrystalline TiO₂, TiO₂/WO₃, and WO₃ thin films with or without pores were prepared successfully. The heat-treated thin films were colorless and coloration-bleaching phenomena can be observed during cyclic voltammetry tests. The heat-treated thin films exhibited good reversible electrochromic behavior while the porous TiO₂/WO₃ composite film exhibited improved electrochromic properties.     

Synthesis and characterization studies of NiO nanorods for enhancing solar cell efficiency using photon upconversion materials

We report the effect of calcination on the structural and optical properties of nanocrystalline NiO nanoparticles were successfully synthesized by virtue of a single source precursor method at mild reaction conditions between nickel nitrate and sodium hydroxide. Composition, structure and morphology of the products were analyzed and characterized by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD). The ultra-violet visible (UV–vis) absorption peaks of NiO exhibited a large blue shift and the luminescent spectra had a strong and broad emission band centered at 328 nm. The intense band gap was also observed, with some spectral tuning, to give a range of absorption energies from 2.60 to 3.41 eV. The various functional groups present in the NiO nanorods were identified by FTIR analysis. High resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) and the chemical composition of the samples the valence states of elements were determined by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) in detail. The electrochemical response of NiO proved that the nano-nickel has a high level of functionality due to its small size and higher electrochemical activity without any modifications. The above studies demonstrate the potential for the utilization of NiO nanoparticles as a promising material for opto-electronics applications.     

Effect of calcination temperature on Cu doped NiO nanoparticles prepared via wet-chemical method: Structural,optical and morphological studies

In the present study, NiO and Cu-doped NiO nanoparticles were successfully synthesized by wet chemical method at room temperature using sodium hydroxide (NaOH) as precipitating agent. The as-prepared Cu-doped NiO powder samples were subjected to three different calcination temperatures such as, 350 °C, 450 °C and 550 °C in order to investigate the impact of calcined temperatures on the phase formation, particle size and band gap evolution. The phase formation and crystal structure information of the prepared nanomaterials were examined by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD). XRD revealed the face-centered cubic (FCC) structure. Average crystalline size of pure and doped samples estimated using Scherer formula was found to be 15 nm and 9 nm respectively. With increase in the calcination temperature from 350 °C to 550 °C for the Cu doped NiO samples the particle size of the nanoparticles was found to increase from 4 nm to 9 nm respectively. The optical study for both pure and doped NiO nanoparticles was performed using an UV–Vis spectrophotometer in the wavelength range of 200–800 nm. The strong absorption in the UV region confirms the band gap absorption in NiO and was estimated from the UV–Vis diffuse reflectance spectra via Tauc plot. Systematic studies were also carried out to study the effect of calcination on the optical transmittance. Samples were also investigated using Raman and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR). Furthermore, morphology of the pure NiO and Cu-doped NiO Nanoparticles were examined by scanning electron microscope (SEM).     

Two new Keggin-type polyoxometalate-based entangled coordination networks constructed from metal-organic chains with dangling arms

Two new polyoxometalate(POM)-based entangled coordination networks with chemical formula of [Mn₂(H₂O)₂(BBPTZ)₅][SiW₁₂O₄₀] (1) and [Ni₂(H₂O)₂(BBPTZ)₅][SiMo₁₂O₄₀]·6H₂O (2) (BBPTZ = 4.4′-bis(1,2,4-triazol-1-ylmethyl)biphenyl), were prepared in a hydrothermal reaction system. Compounds 1–2 were characterized by elemental analyses, IR spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, powder X-ray diffraction and single-crystal X-ray diffraction. In compound 1, dangling arms thread in quadrangular window of the adjacent 2-D layers, thus resulting in a rare 2-D → 3-D polythreading motif. Compound 2 exhibits a rare 2-D → 3-D zipper-closing motif. Using the degradation of methylene blue (MB) as the model, the photocatalytic activities of compounds 1–2 were investigated. Both compounds show efficient catalytic activity for the degradation of MB with the order of 2 > 1. It is found that the POM species of compounds 1–2 play the main role in the photocatalytic degradation process.     

Effects of aluminium nitride silane-treatment on the mechanical and thermal properties of polybenzoxazine matrix

A new kind of polymer composite, produced from the typical polybenzoxazine and 0–30 wt-% native and silane-treated aluminium nitride (T-AlN), was investigated. The mechanical tests revealed a significant increase in the microhardness and flexural properties upon adding the T-AlN particles compared to that obtained from the untreated ones. By adding 0–30 wt-% T-AlN, the tensile moduli were accurately reproduced by the Halpin-Tsai and Nielsen models. At 30 wt-% T-AlN, dynamic mechanical analysis showed a significant increase in the storage moduli and the glass transition temperature (T_g), reaching 3.2?GPa and 217°C, respectively. The thermal stability of these materials was significantly improved upon the addition of the T-AlN fillers. These improvements are attributed to the high thermal and mechanical properties of the fillers and their good dispersion and adhesion in and to the matrix as revealed by a morphological analysis.     

A theoretical study of the ability of 2D monolayer Au (111) to activate gas molecules

The adsorption and activation of gas molecules are investigated substantially in solid-gas heterogeneous catalysis. Here we investigated the interaction between gas molecules and unique two-dimensional monolayer Au (111) structure using density functional theory. It is found that CO₂, H₂O, N₂ and CH₄ molecules are weakly adsorbed on the surface with the adsorption energies between ?0.150 and ?0.250 eV due to van der Waals interaction. While CO, NO, NO₂, and NH₃ molecules are adsorbed more stably with the adsorption energies between ?0.300 and ?0.470 eV. Especially, the bond length of CO is stretched by 0.038 Å and the bond angle of NO₂ is obviously enlarged by 10.460°. The activation originates from the rearrangement of molecule orbitals and the orbitals hybridization between the partial orbitals of gas molecules and Au-5d orbitals. The fundamental analyses of adsorption mechanism and electronic properties may provide guidance for the applications of two-dimensional monolayer metal catalysis.PACSnumbers 73.22.-f, 73.61.-r     

Facile synthesis of IrO2 nanoparticles decorated @ WO3 as mixed oxide composite for outperformed oxygen evolution reaction

Oxygen evolution reaction (OER) electrocatalysts play the critical role in efficiency and durability for different hydrogen production systems. We have successfully synthesized the earth abundant WO₃ coupled with IrO₂ as mixed oxide composite by a facile two-step chemical method. 50% reduction in noble metal contents (IW-50) followed by two times enhancement in activity, four-folds increase in bulk mass specific activity along with the stability of mixed oxide composite as compared to state –of –the art IrO₂ catalyst are affirmed. Superior performance of mixed oxide composites are perceived due to four times increase in electrochemical surface area, reduction of Tafel slope, four-fold increase of turn over frequency, electronic distortion in Ir-4f spectrum of IW-50 along with the bridging of lattice oxygen atoms between iridium and tungsten metals. We believe that it would open up the new avenues for effective utilization of noble metal with high valence tungsten metal in corrosive environment.     

Microstructure and mechanical properties of duplex stainless steel subjected to hydrostatic extrusion

The nanostructure and mechanical properties of ferritic-austenitic duplex stainless steel subjected to hydrostatic extrusion were examined. The refinement of the structure in the initial state and in the two deformation states (ε = 1.4 and ε = 3.8) was observed in an optical microscope (OM) and a transmission electron microscope (TEM). The results indicate that the structure evolved from microcrystalline with a grain size of about 4 μm to nanocrystalline with a grain size of about 150 nm in ferrite and 70 nm in austenite. The material was characterized mechanically by tensile tests performed in the two deformation states. The ultimate strength appeared to increase significantly compared to that in the initial deformation stages, which can be attributed to the grain refinement and plastic deformation. The heterogeneity observed in microregions results from the dual-phase structure of the steel. The results indicate that hydrostatic extrusion is a highly potential technology suitable for improving the properties of duplex steels.