Magnetic recyclable ZnO/SrFe12O19 photocatalyst for effective photodegradation of rhodamine B under simulated sunlight

This work develops a novel magnetic photocatalysts ZnO/SrFe₁₂O₁₉ (ZS) synthesized with hydrothermal process. The introduction of SrFe₁₂O₁₉ not only enhances the photocatalytic behavior of ZnO towards Rhodamine B (RhB) decomposition, but also reinforces the recycling stability. Especially, ZS-5 composite exhibits the optimal photocatalytic performance, and the RhB decomposition reaches 99.5% after being exposed to simulative sunlight for 70 min, which is obviously superior to that of bare ZnO. Furthermore, the ZS-5 can be recovered from RhB solution by an extra magnet space and reused. After five recycles, the RhB removal efficiency can still be maintained over 90%. Such prominent photocatalytic property and stability of ZS-5 are associated with the greatly improved detachment efficiency of photoexcited carriers in a magnetic field. This study could provide a new-type recyclable photocatalyst that can effectively purify dye wastewater for convenient recovery.     

Magnetic properties,phase evolution,hollow structure and biomedical application of hematite (α-Fe2O3) and QUAIPH

We investigate synthesis, phase evolution, hollow and porous structure and magnetic properties of quasi-amorphous intermediate phase (QUAIPH) and hematite (α-Fe₂O₃) nanostructure synthesized by annealing of akaganeite (β-FeOOH) nanorods. It is found that the annealing temperature determines the phase composition of the products, the crystal structure/size dictates the magnetic properties whereas the final nanorod morphology is determined by the starting material. Annealing of β-FeOOH at ～300 °C resulted in the formation of hollow QUAIPH nanorods. The synthesized material shows low-cytotoxicity, superparamagnetism and good transverse relaxivity, which is rarely reported for QUAIPH. The QUAIPH nanorods started to transform to porous hematite nanostructures at ～350 °C and phase transformation was completed at 600 °C. During the annealing, the crystal structure changed from monoclinic (akaganeite) to quasi-amorphous and rhombohedral (hematite). Unusually, the crystallite size first decreased (akaganeite → QUAIPH) and then increased (QUAIPH → hematite) during annealing whereas the nanorods retained particle shape. The magnetic properties of the samples changed from antiferromagnetic (akaganeite) to superparamagnetic with blocking temperature T_B = 84 K (QUAIPH) and finally to weak-ferromagnetic with the Morin transition at T_M = 244 K and high coercivity H_C = 1652 Oe (hematite). The low-cytotoxicity and MRI relaxivity (r₂ = 5.80 mM^?1 s^?1 (akaganeite), r₂ = 4.31 mM^?1 s^?1 (QUAIPH) and r₂ = 5.17 mM^?1 s^?1 (hematite)) reveal potential for biomedical applications.     

The structure,vacancy characteristics,and magnetic properties of GdMn1-xCrxO3 ceramics

To investigate the evolution of the structural and enhanced magnetic properties of GdMnO₃ systems induced by the substitution of Mn with Cr, polycrystalline GdMn_1-xCr_xO₃ samples were synthesized via solid-state reactions. XRD characterization shows that all GdMn_1-xCr_xO₃ compounds with single-phase structures crystallize well and that Cr³⁺ ions entering the lattice sites of GdMnO₃ induce structural distortion. SEM results indicate that the grain size of the synthesized samples (a few microns) decreases as the Cr substitution concentration increases. Positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy reveals that vacancy-type defects occur in GdMn_1-xCr_xO₃ ceramics and that the vacancy size and concentration clearly change with the Cr content. The temperature and field dependence of the magnetization curves show that Cr substitution significantly influences the magnetic ordering of the gadolinium sublattice, improving the weak ferromagnetic transition temperature and magnetization of GdMn_1-xCr_xO₃. The enhanced magnetization of GdMn_1-xCr_xO₃ is closely related to the vacancy defect concentration.     

Transport properties in spinel ferrite/graphene oxide nanocomposites for electromagnetic shielding

Herein, $\left({\text{Co}}_{0.5}{\text{Ni}}_{0.5}\right){\text{Cr}}_{0.3}{\text{Fe}}_{1.7}{\text{O}}_4$/graphene oxide nanocomposites were fabricated by ultrasonication technique, using pure spinel ferrite and graphene oxide synthesized by sol-gel method and modified Hummers' method, respectively. The effect of graphene incorporation with ferrite nanoparticles was studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD), electrical and dielectric measurements. XRD analysis revealed the spinel phase for the ferrite sample and confirmed the formation of graphene oxide. The crystallite size was found in the range of $37-43\text{ nm}$ and the porosity increased with the increase in the concentration of graphene oxide in the composites. The DC electrical resistivity of spinel ferrite was found equal to $3.83\times {10}^9\text{ Ω}.\text{cm}$ and it substantially decreased with the increase in the percentage of graphene oxide at room temperature. The real and imaginary part of relative permittivity followed the Maxwell-Wagner type of interfacial polarization. AC conductivity confirmed the conduction by hopping mechanism and increased on increasing the GO content. The coupling of magnetic ferrite with graphene oxide tunes the magneto-electrical properties for potential applications at high frequencies.     

Theoretical estimation of dielectric loss of oxide glasses using nonequilibrium molecular dynamics simulations

To theoretically explore amorphous materials with a sufficiently low dielectric loss, which are essential for next-generation communication devices, the applicability of a nonequilibrium molecular dynamics simulation employing an external alternating electric field was examined using alkaline silicate glass models. In this method, the dielectric loss is directly evaluated as the phase shift of the dipole moment from the applied electric field. This method enabled us to evaluate the dielectric loss in a wide frequency range from 1 GHz to 10 THz. It was observed that the dielectric loss reaches its maximum at a few THz. The simulation method was found to qualitatively reproduce the effects of alkaline content and alkaline type on the dielectric loss. Furthermore, it reasonably reproduced the effect of mixed alkalines on the dielectric loss, which was observed in our experiments on sodium and/or potassium silicate glasses. Alkaline mixing was thus found to reduce the dielectric loss.     

Magnetic field-enhanced photocatalytic nitrogen fixation over defect-rich ferroelectric Bi2WO6

Photocatalytic N₂ fixation is a promising and sustainable manufacturing process of ammonia (NH₃); however, the NH₃ production rate by this method is very low, thus severely restricting further application of this sustainable technology. Therefore, developing an efficient photocatalyst for N₂ fixation under mild conditions is urgently required. Herein, ferroelectric Bi₂WO₆ materials with different surface oxygen defects were prepared, and the concentration of corresponding defects was controlled by adjusting the thermal reduction time. The abundant oxygen defects in Bi₂WO₆ can provide more reactive sites to promote the effective adsorption of N₂, and the photogenerated charge carrier can be efficiently separated benefiting from the internal electric field. These would weaken the N₂ triple bond and reduce the activation energy barrier for the conversion of N₂ to NH₃ under mild conditions. In the absence of sacrificial agents and cocatalysts, the optimized Bi₂WO₆ with oxygen defects shows an indigenous NH₃ yield of 132.175 μmol·g^-1·L^-1·h^-1, which is more than two times higher than that of the original Bi₂WO₆. Surprisingly, the Bi₂WO₆ with oxygen defects produced more than eight times NH₃ (471.13 μmol·g^-1·L^-1·h^-1) than that of the original Bi₂WO₆ when assisted by an external magnetic field, thus providing a new perspective for further enhancing the N₂ fixation performance.     

Preparation of Pt/Ce–Zr–Y mixed oxide/anodized aluminium oxide catalysts for hydrogen passive autocatalytic recombination

The use of a Pt-based catalyst was evaluated for autocatalytic hydrogen recombination. The Pt was supported on a mixture of Ce-, Zr- and Y-oxides (CZY) to yield nanosized Pt particles. The Pt/CZY/AAO catalyst was then prepared by the spray-deposition of the Pt/CZY intermediate onto an anodized aluminium oxide (AAO) layer on a metallic aluminum core. The Pt/CZY/AAO catalyst (3 × 1 cm) was evaluated for hydrogen combustion (1–8 vol% hydrogen in the air) in a recombiner section testing station. The thermal distribution throughout the catalyst surface was investigated using an infrared camera. The maximum temperature gradient (ΔT) for the examined hydrogen concentrations did not exceed 36 °C. The Pt/CZY/AAO catalyst was also evaluated for prolonged hydrogen combustion duration to assess its durability. An average combustion temperature of 239.0 ± 10.0 °C was maintained for 53 days of catalytic hydrogen combustion, suggesting that there was limited, or no, catalyst deactivation. Finally, a Pt/CZY/AAO catalytic plate (14.0 × 4.5 cm) was prepared to investigate the thermal distribution. An average surface temperature of 212.5 °C and a maximum ΔT of 5.4 °C was obtained throughout the catalyst surface at a 3 vol% hydrogen concentration.     

Anisotropic thermal expansion and ionic conductivity of a crystal-oriented,Mg2+-conducting NASICON-type solid electrolyte

Multivalent ion-conducting ceramics are required for the manufacture of high-safety, high-capacity rechargeable batteries. However, the low ionic conductivity of solid electrolytes and discrepancies in the thermal expansion between the battery components limit their widespread application. Furthermore, anisotropic thermal expansion in crystals during battery manufacturing and the charge-discharge cycles causes the formation of microcracks, which degrade the battery performance. The physical properties of ceramic materials with anisotropic crystal structures can be modified by varying the crystallographic orientation of their grains. In this study, a co-precipitation approach was used to synthesize an Mg²⁺-conducting (Mg_0.1Hf_0.9)_4/3.8Nb(PO₄)₃ solid electrolyte, and the grain orientation in the bulk sample was controlled using strong magnetic fields during the slip casting process. The results showed that inducing an orientation along the c-axis enhanced the apparent ionic conductivity of the bulk sample. It was also observed that (Mg_0.1Hf_0.9)_4/3.8Nb(PO₄)₃ crystal has a negative volumetric thermal expansion despite a positive linear thermal expansion along its c-axis. By adjusting the c-axis orientation of the grains, (Mg_0.1Hf_0.9)_4/3.8Nb(PO₄)₃ electrolytes with negative or positive linear thermal expansion coefficient have been produced. The findings of this study suggest that solid-electrolytes with negative, positive, or zero linear thermal expansion can be produced to create more compatible and higher-performance solid-state devices.     

Synthesis of a Fe3O4-rGO-ZnO-catalyzed photo-Fenton system with enhanced photocatalytic performance

In this work, we designed a magnetically-separable Fe₃O₄-rGO-ZnO ternary catalyst, ZnO anchored on the surface of reduced graphene oxide (rGO)-wrapped Fe₃O₄ magnetic nanoparticles, where rGO, as an effective interlayer, can enhance the synergistic effect between ZnO and Fe₃O₄. The effects of three operational parameters, namely irradiation time, hydrogen peroxide dosage, and the catalyst dosage, on the photo-Fenton degradation of methylene blue and methyl orange were investigated. The results showed that the Fe₃O₄-rGO-ZnO had great potential for the destruction of organic compounds from wastewater using the Fenton chemical oxidation method at neutral pH. Repeatability of the photocatalytic activity after 5 cycles showed only a tiny drop in the catalytic efficiency.     

硫磷混合酸溶样重铬酸钾容量法测定全铁

介绍了硫磷混合酸溶样重铬酸钾容量法测定矿石中铁含量的方法和步骤。重点讨论了一线生产中的质量控制。