Fabrication and Characterization of Undoped and Cobalt-doped ZnO Based UV Photodetector Prepared by RF-sputtering

Undoped and 1 at.% Co-doped ZnO nanostructure based UV photodetectors were successfully fabricated by RF- magnetron sputtering technique with comb like Pt electrodes. Cobalt ions were successfully incorporated into the lattice of the ZnO nanostructure without changing its wurtzite structure. It was indicated that Co-doping can effectively adjust the luminescence properties of the ZnO nanostructure. The undoped and Co-doped ZnO photodetectors were observed to have photosensitivities of 1.44 x 104 % and 8.57 x 102 % and low dark currents of 9.74 x 10-8 A and 1.18 x 10-7 A, respectively.     

Grain boundary segregation and its influences on ionic conduction properties of scandia doped zirconia electrolytes

Solid oxide fuel cell is a promising energy conversion system which converts chemical energy into electrical energy directly. Electrolyte is the key component and determines the working temperature. In this paper,ceria and scandia co-doped zirconia electrolytes sintered from 1300 to 1550 ℃ were chosen as research objects. Scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy were performed to characterize the ceramic samples. The effects of grain size and grain boundary element segregation on the electrical conductivity were focused. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy was used to calculate the bulk, grain boundary and specific grain boundary conductivity. Results show that the bulk and grain boundary ionic conductivity increases with the increasing grain size.However, the specific grain boundary conductivity decreases with the increasing grain size. This is explained by the fact that Sc~(3+) is segregated at the grain boundary, which leads to higher oxygen vacancy concentration when sintered at lower temperature.     

Lu3+/Yb3+ and Lu3+/Er3+ co-doped antimony selenide nanomaterials: synthesis,characterization, and electrical,thermoelectrical, and optical properties

Lu³⁺/Yb³⁺ and Lu³⁺/Er³⁺ co-doped Sb₂Se₃ nanomaterials were synthesized by co-reduction method in hydrothermal condition. Powder X-ray diffraction patterns indicate that the Ln_xLn^′_xSb_2−2xSe₃ Ln: Lu³⁺/Yb³⁺ and Lu³⁺/Er³⁺ crystals (x = 0.00 − 0.04) are isostructural with Sb₂Se₃. The cell parameters were increased for compounds upon increasing the dopant content (x). Scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy images show that co-doping of Lu³⁺/Yb³⁺ ions in the lattice of Sb₂Se₃ produces nanorods, while that in Lu³⁺/Er³⁺ produces nanoparticles, respectively. The electrical conductivity of co-doped Sb₂Se₃ is higher than that of the pure Sb₂Se₃ and increases with temperature. By increasing the concentration of Ln³⁺ions, the absorption spectrum of Sb₂Se₃ shows red shifts and some intensity changes. In addition to the characteristic red emission peaks of Sb₂Se₃, emission spectra of co-doped materials show other emission bands originating from f-f transitions of the Yb³⁺ ions.     

First-principle investigation on stability of Co-doped spinel λ-Mn4-xCoxO8

The mechanism of stability of Co-doped spinel λ-MnO2 that is referred to as spinel LixMn2O4 （x=0） was studied by using the first-principle calculation method. The total energy and formation enthalpy can be decreased remarkably due to the Co substation, resulting in a more stable structure ofλ-MnxCr2-xO4. The bond order and DOS analysis were given in detail to explain the nature of stability improvement. The calculated results show that as the content of Co dopant increases, the bond order of Mn-O becomes larger and the peak of density of states around Fermi level shifts toward lower energy. The charge density distribution illustrates that the Mn-O bonding is ionic and partially covalent, and the covalent Mn-O bonding becomes stronger with the increase of Co dopant content. The results confirm that the Co-doping will enhance the stability of λ-MnO2 and hence improve the electrochemistry performance of LixMn2O4.     

Improving the electrochemical properties of polyaniline by co-doping with titanium ions and protonic acid

Polyaniline co-doped with titanium ions and protonic acid was synthesized in aqueous H₂SO₄ solution containing Ti(SO₄)₂ (pH 2), and was characterized via Fourier-transform infrared spectra, UV–vis spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy and cyclic voltammetry. Its conductivity was 2.8 S cm⁻¹ at room temperature (25 °C), which is the same order of magnitude as polyaniline doped with protonic acid (5 S cm⁻¹). Compared with polyaniline doped with protonic acid, it showed a better redox reversibility and cycling stability in aqueous pH 4.0 media, even in an acetate electrolyte (pH 4.0). It could be a promising material for several applications due the increase of the operating pH window of polyaniline in an aqueous environment.     

Electrical conductivity of textured Sm and Nd Co-doped CeO2 thin-film electrolyte

Nanocrystalline thin-film electrolytes of Sm³⁺ and Nd³⁺ co-doped ceria have been deposited on polycrystalline alumina substrates via RF magnetron sputtering. It is found that with the increase of substrate temperature from room temperature to 600 °C, the structure of the film varies from (1 1 1) preferred orientation to random orientation, accompanied by an enhancement in electrical conductivity. It is estimated that the activation energy for oxygen ion migration along (1 1 1) orientation may be higher than other crystal orientations, resulting in a lower conductivity of the (1 1 1) barrier textured co-doped ceria film electrolyte. It also indicates that the electrical conduction is predominantly due to the oxygen ions.     

钴掺杂对氧化镍薄膜电致变色性能的影响

采用恒电位法在FTO玻璃上沉积Co与Ni摩尔比为0.16:1的薄膜,用X射线衍射仪、扫描电镜和能谱仪分析了膜的成分、结构和形貌,用紫外-可见分光光度计表征了膜的透光性能,用循环伏安法表征了膜的电化学稳定性和可逆性,用双电位阶跃法表征了膜的开关响应时间,研究了钴掺杂对氧化镍薄膜电致变色性能的影响。结果表明,钴掺杂使NiO薄膜颗粒更加细小和均匀,提高了薄膜在可见光波段着色态与消色态之间的透光率差值,降低了电致变色反应的工作电压,有利于薄膜在电致变色过程的可逆性,缩短了着色响应时间。     

Investigation on La3+ and Dy3+ co-doped ceria ceramics with an optimized average atomic number of dopants for electrolytes in IT-SOFCs

In the present study, we investigate the fundamental properties of CeO₂ by selecting La³⁺ (57), and Dy³⁺ (66) as dopants with optimized average atomic number of 61.5, which lies in between Pm³⁺ (62) and Sm³⁺ (62) in accordance with the criteria for optimum doping. A system of co-doped ceria ceramics Ce_1–x–yLa_xDy_yO_2-δ ((x, y) = (0.00, 0.00), (0.025, 0.025), (0.05, 0.05), (0.075, 0.075), (0.10, 0.10), (0.00, 0.20) and (0.20, 0.00)) as electrolytes for intermediate temperature solid oxide fuel cells were successfully prepared by a well-known sol-gel auto-combustion route. In order to obtain dense samples, the prepared pellets were sintered in air at 1300 °C for 4 h using conventional furnace and relative densities of all the samples were found to be higher than 95%. Single phase cubic structure, microstructural density and elemental composition analysis of all the samples were studied by powder X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscope and energy dispersive spectroscopy techniques, respectively. Raman spectroscopy analysis confirmed the formation of concentrated O^2-–vacancies in the co-doped ceria system. Impedance spectroscopy measurements revealed the high value of total ionic conductivity and low activation energy for the composition Ce_0.85La_0.075Dy_0.075O_2?δ i.e., 2.08 × 10^–2 S cm^–1 and 0.58 eV, respectively. Linear thermal expansion analyses of all the samples revealed the matched thermal expansion coefficients. Finally, these results recommend that the Ce_0.85La_0.075Dy_0.075O_2?δ sample can be useful as a solid electrolyte in IT-SOFC applications.     

Encapsulation of MnS Nanocrystals into N,S-Co-doped Carbon as Anode Material for Full Cell Sodium-Ion Capacitors

Sodium-ion capacitors(SICs)have received increasing interest for grid stationary energy storage application due to their affordability,high power,and energy densities.The major challenge for SICs is to overcome the kinetics imbalance between faradaic anode and nonfaradaic cathode.To boost the Na+reaction kinetics,the present work demonstrated a high-rate MnS-based anode by embedding the MnS nanocrystals into the N,S-co-doped carbon matrix(MnS@NSC).Benefiting from the fast pseudocapacitive Na+storage behavior,the resulting composite exhibits extraordinary rate capability(205.6 mAh g−1 at 10 A g−1)and outstanding cycling stability without notable degradation after 2000 cycles.A prototype SIC was demonstrated using MnS@NSC anode and N-doped porous carbon(NC)cathode;the obtained hybrid SIC device can display a high energy density of 139.8 Wh kg−1 and high power density of 11,500 W kg−1,as well as excellent cyclability with 84.5%capacitance retention after 3000 cycles.The superior electrochemical performance is contributed to downsizing of MnS and encapsulation of conductive N,S-co-doped carbon matrix,which not only promote the Na+and electrons transport,but also buffer the volume variations and maintain the structure integrity during Na+insertion/extraction,enabling its comparable fast reaction kinetics and cyclability with NC cathode.     

Effect of active site and charge transfer on methane dehydrogenation over different Co doped Ni surfaces by density functional theory

To uncover the effects and the underlying mechanisms of Co content on CH₄ dehydrogenation over Ni–Co bimetal catalyst, the CH₄ successive dehydrogenation process over Ni (111) and different Co doped Ni (111) surface has been systematically studied via DFT calculation. Active sites and electronic properties have been obtained. CH₄ physically located at the top site of Ni or Co, while other CH_x species preferably occupied the threefold site. Besides, the charge transferred from surface to absorbates and the p-band center of absorbates could well describe the adsorption strength of CH_x and the activation barrier of CH dehydrogenation on different surfaces. More importantly, the addition of small Co could improve the resistance to carbon deposition by weakening the adsorption of C, suppressing the activity of CH₄ dehydrogenation and promoting C hydrogenation process.