Sample records for nanostructured alpha-fe2o3-sno2 solid

  1. Heterojunction Fe2O3-SnO2 Nanostructured Photoanode for Efficient Photoelectrochemical Water Splitting

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Han, Hyun Soo; Shin, Sun; Noh, Jun Hong; Cho, In Sun; Hong, Kug Sun

    2014-04-01

    Hierarchically organized nanostructures were fabricated by growing SnO2 nanoparticles on a fluorine-doped tin oxide/glass substrate via a laser ablation method. Cauliflower-like clusters consisting of agglomerated nanoparticles were deposited and aligned with respect to the substrate with a large internal surface area and open channels of pores. The morphological changes of SnO2 nanostructured films were investigated as a function of the oxygen working pressure in the range of 100-500 mTorr. A nanostructured scaffold prepared at an oxygen working pressure of 100 mTorr exhibited the best photoelectrochemical (PEC) performance. A Ti:Fe2O3-SnO2 nanostructured photoanode showed the photocurrent that was 34% larger than that of a Ti:Fe2O3 flat photoanode when the amount of Ti:Fe2O3 sensitizer was identical for the two photoanodes. The larger surface area and longer electron lifetime of the Ti:Fe2O3-SnO2 nanostructured photoanode explains its improved PEC performance.

  2. Microwave-assisted synthesis and humidity sensing of nanostructured {alpha}-Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3}

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Deshmukh, Rupali G.; Badadhe, Satish S.; Mulla, Imtiaz S.

    2009-05-06

    Nanocrystalline {alpha}-Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3} has been prepared on a large-scale by a facile microwave-assisted hydrothermal route from a solution of Fe(NO{sub 3}){sub 3}.9H{sub 2}O and pentaerythritol. A systematic study of the morphology, crystallinity and oxidation state of Fe using different characterization techniques, such as transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy was performed. It reveals that nanostructured {alpha}-Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3} comprises bundles of nanorods with a rhombohedral crystalline structure. The individual nanorod has 8-10 nm diameter and {approx}50 nm length. The as-prepared nanostructured {alpha}-Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3} (sensor) gives selective response towards humidity. The sensor shows high sensitivity, fastmore » linear response to change in the humidity with almost 100% reproducibility. The sensor works at room temperature and rejuvenates without heat treatment. The as-prepared nanostructured {alpha}-Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3} appears to be a promising humidity sensing material with the potential for commercialization.« less

  3. Facile synthesis of SnO2/α-Fe2O3 nanocomposite for supercapacitor capacitor applications

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rani, B. Jansi; Saravanakumar, B.; Ravi, G.; Yuvakkumar, R.

    2018-05-01

    Facile and economically viable one step hydrothermal route was adapted to synthesis SnO2/α-Fe2O3 nanocomposite with and without hexamine (HMT) as surfactant successfully. The formation of SnO2/α-Fe2O3 nanocomposite was confirmed through XRD, Raman, PL and FTIR studies. The presence of well defined XRD diffraction peaks of both SnO2 and α-Fe2O3 revealed the formation SnO2/α-Fe2O3 nanocomposite. The obtained characteristic Raman active (Eg+Eg+Eu+A2u) mode of vibrations confirmed the formation of SnO2/α-Fe2O3 nanocomposite. Photoluminescence study revealed the emission behavior of the product. Metal oxygen vibrations of Fe-O in both octahedral, tetrahedral sites and Sn-O were confirmed by the bands located at 466, 580 and 673 cm-1 respectively through FTIR. The spherical morphology of the product synthesized with and without the surfactant HMT has been revealed by SEM images. The electrochemical behavior of the product was investigated through CV and EIS studies in 1M Na2SO4 electrolyte solution and obtained the highest specific capacitance of 211.25 F/g at 5 mV for the surfactant assisted product.

  4. Synthesis and enhanced acetone gas-sensing performance of ZnSnO3/SnO2 hollow urchin nanostructures

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lian, Dandan; Shi, Bing; Dai, Rongrong; Jia, Xiaohua; Wu, Xiangyang

    2017-12-01

    A kind of novel ZnSnO3/SnO2 hollow urchin nanostructure was synthesized by a facile, eco-friendly two-step liquid-phase process. The structure, morphology, and composition of samples were characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and nitrogen adsorption-desorption techniques. The results revealed that many tiny needle-like SnO2 nanowires with the average diameter of 5 nm uniformly grew on the surface of the ZnSnO3 hollow microspheres and the ZnSnO3/SnO2 hollow urchin nanostructures with different SnO2 content also were successfully prepared. In order to comprehend the evolution process of the ZnSnO3/SnO2 hollow urchin nanostructures, the possible growth mechanism of samples was illustrated via several experiments in different reaction conditions. Moreover, the gas-sensing performance of as-prepared samples was investigated. The results showed that ZnSnO3/SnO2 hollow urchin nanostructures with high response to various concentration levels of acetone enhanced selectivity, satisfying repeatability, and good long-term stability for acetone detection. Specially, the 10 wt% ZnSnO3/SnO2 hollow urchin nanostructure exhibited the best gas sensitivity (17.03 for 50 ppm acetone) may be a reliable biomarker for the diabetes patients, which could be ascribed to its large specific surface area, complete pore permeability, and increase of chemisorbed oxygen due to the doping of SnO2.

  5. Effect of substrates on structural and optical properties of tin oxide (SnO2) nanostructures.

    PubMed

    Johari, Anima; Bhatnagar, M C; Rana, Vikas

    2012-10-01

    We report on controlling the morphology of tin oxide (SnO2) nanostructures and the study of the effect of surface morphology on structural and optical properties of SnO2 nanostuctures. In present work, Tin oxide (SnO2) nanostructures such as nanowires and nanorods have been grown by thermal evaporation of SnO2 powder. To demonstrate the effect of different substrates on the morphology of grown SnO2 nanostructures, the thermal evaporation of SnO2 powder was carried out on Si and gold catalyzed Si (Au/Si) substrates. The scanning-electron-microscopic analysis shows the growth of SnO2 nanowires on Au/Si substrate and growth of SnO2 nanorods on Si substrate. The scanning-and transmission-electron-microscopic analysis shows that the diameter of SnO2 nanowires and nanorods are about 70 nm and 95 nm respectively and their length is about 80 microm and 30 microm respectively. The vapor-liquid-solid (VLS) growth of SnO2 nanowires and vapor-solid (VS) growth of SnO2 nanorods is also confirmed with the help of TEM and EDX spectra. The synthesized SnO2 nanowires show tetragonal rutile structure of SnO2, whereas SnO2 nanorods show tetragonal rutile as well as cassiterite structure of SnO2. UV-Vis absorption spectra showed the optical band gaps of 4.1 eV and 3.8 eV for the SnO2 nanowires and the nanorods, respectively. The SnO2 nanowires and nanorods show photoluminescence with broad emission peaks centred at around 600 nm and 580 nm respectively. Raman spectra of SnO2 nanowires shows three Raman shifts (478, 632, 773 cm(-1)) corresponding to Eg, A1g and B2g vibration modes, whereas in Raman spectra of SnO2 nanorods, A1g peak is dramatically reduced and the B2g mode is totally quenched.

  6. Magnetically Separable Fe3O4/SnO2/Graphene Adsorbent for Waste Water Removal

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Paramarta, V.; Taufik, A.; Saleh, R.

    2017-05-01

    Our previous study conducted the SnO2 and SnO2/graphene adsorption efficiency in Methylene Blue removal from aqueous solution, however, the difficulty of adsorbent separation from the methylene blue solution limits its efficiency. Therefore, in this work, SnO2 and SnO2/graphene was combined with Fe3O4 to improve the separation process and adsorption performance for removing the organic dyes. Fe3O4/SnO2/grapheme were synthesized by using the co-precipitation method. The graphene content was varied from 1, 3, and 5 weight percent (wt%). The crystalline phase and thermal stability of the samples were characterized by using X- ray Diffraction (XRD) and Thermal Gravimetric Analysis (TGA). The adsorption ability of the samples was investigated by using significant adsorption degradation of MB observed when the graphene in Fe3O4/SnO2 nanocomposite was added. The other parameters such as pH and initial concentration have also been investigated. The reusability was also investigated to study the stability of the samples. The fitting of equilibrium adsorption capacity result indicates that the adsorption mechanism of Fe3O4/SnO2 nanocomposite with graphene tends to follow the Langmuir adsorption isotherm model.

  7. Shape Engineering Driven by Selective Growth of SnO2 on Doped Ga2O3 Nanowires.

    PubMed

    Alonso-Orts, Manuel; Sánchez, Ana M; Hindmarsh, Steven A; López, Iñaki; Nogales, Emilio; Piqueras, Javier; Méndez, Bianchi

    2017-01-11

    Tailoring the shape of complex nanostructures requires control of the growth process. In this work, we report on the selective growth of nanostructured tin oxide on gallium oxide nanowires leading to the formation of SnO 2 /Ga 2 O 3 complex nanostructures. Ga 2 O 3 nanowires decorated with either crossing SnO 2 nanowires or SnO 2 particles have been obtained in a single step treatment by thermal evaporation. The reason for this dual behavior is related to the growth direction of trunk Ga 2 O 3 nanowires. Ga 2 O 3 nanowires grown along the [001] direction favor the formation of crossing SnO 2 nanowires. Alternatively, SnO 2 forms rhombohedral particles on [110] Ga 2 O 3 nanowires leading to skewer-like structures. These complex oxide structures were grown by a catalyst-free vapor-solid process. When pure Ga and tin oxide were used as source materials and compacted powders of Ga 2 O 3 acted as substrates, [110] Ga 2 O 3 nanowires grow preferentially. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy analysis reveals epitaxial relationship lattice matching between the Ga 2 O 3 axis and SnO 2 particles, forming skewer-like structures. The addition of chromium oxide to the source materials modifies the growth direction of the trunk Ga 2 O 3 nanowires, growing along the [001], with crossing SnO 2 wires. The SnO 2 /Ga 2 O 3 junctions does not meet the lattice matching condition, forming a grain boundary. The electronic and optical properties have been studied by XPS and CL with high spatial resolution, enabling us to get both local chemical and electronic information on the surface in both type of structures. The results will allow tuning optical and electronic properties of oxide complex nanostructures locally as a function of the orientation. In particular, we report a dependence of the visible CL emission of SnO 2 on its particular shape. Orange emission dominates in SnO 2 /Ga 2 O 3 crossing wires while green-blue emission is observed in SnO 2 particles attached to Ga 2

  8. Role of Cu in engineering the optical properties of SnO2 nanostructures: Structural, morphological and spectroscopic studies

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kumar, Virender; Singh, Kulwinder; Jain, Megha; Manju; Kumar, Akshay; Sharma, Jeewan; Vij, Ankush; Thakur, Anup

    2018-06-01

    We have carried out a systematic study to investigate the effect of Cu doping on the optical properties of SnO2 nanostructures synthesized by chemical route. Synthesized nanostructures were characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), High resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM), Energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, UV-visible and Photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy. The Rietveld refinement analysis of XRD patterns of Cu-doped SnO2 samples confirmed the formation of single phase tetragonal rutile structure, however some localized distortion was observed for 5 mol% Cu-doped SnO2. Crystallite size was found to decrease with increase in dopant concentration. FE-SEM images indicated change in morphology of samples with doping. HR-TEM images revealed that synthesized nanostructures were nearly spherical and average crystallite size was in the range 12-21 nm. Structural defects, crystallinity and size effects on doping were investigated by Raman spectroscopy and results were complemented by FTIR spectroscopy. Optical band gap of samples was estimated from reflectance spectra. We have shown that band gap of SnO2 can be engineered from 3.62 to 3.82 eV by Cu doping. PL emission intensity increased as the doping concentration increased, which can be attributed to the development of defect states in the forbidden transition region of band gap of SnO2 with doping. We have also proposed a band model owing to defect states in SnO2 to explain the observed PL in Cu doped SnO2 nanostructures.

  9. Growth of Fe2O3/SnO2 nanobelt arrays on iron foil for efficient photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lei, Rui; Ni, Hongwei; Chen, Rongsheng; Zhang, Bowei; Zhan, Weiting; Li, Yang

    2017-04-01

    Tin(IV) oxide has been intensively employed in optoelectronic devices due to its excellent electrical and optical properties. But the high recombination rates of the photogenerated electron-hole pairs of SnO2 nanomaterials often results in low photocatalytic efficiency. Herein, we proposed a facile route to prepare a novel Fe2O3/SnO2 heterojunction structure. The nanobelt arrays grown on iron foil naturally form a Schottky-type contact and provide a direct pathway for the photogenerated excitons. Hence, the Fe2O3/SnO2 nanobelt arrays exhibit much improved photocatalytic performance with the degradation rate constant on the Fe2O3/SnO2 film of approximately 12 times to that of α-Fe2O3 nanobelt arrays.

  10. Enhanced Ethanol Gas Sensing Properties of SnO2-Core/ZnO-Shell Nanostructures

    PubMed Central

    Tharsika, T.; Haseeb, A. S. M. A.; Akbar, Sheikh A.; Sabri, Mohd Faizul Mohd; Hoong, Wong Yew

    2014-01-01

    An inexpensive single-step carbon-assisted thermal evaporation method for the growth of SnO2-core/ZnO-shell nanostructures is described, and the ethanol sensing properties are presented. The structure and phases of the grown nanostructures are investigated by field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) techniques. XRD analysis indicates that the core-shell nanostructures have good crystallinity. At a lower growth duration of 15 min, only SnO2 nanowires with a rectangular cross-section are observed, while the ZnO shell is observed when the growth time is increased to 30 min. Core-shell hierarchical nanostructures are present for a growth time exceeding 60 min. The growth mechanism for SnO2-core/ZnO-shell nanowires and hierarchical nanostructures are also discussed. The sensitivity of the synthesized SnO2-core/ZnO-shell nanostructures towards ethanol sensing is investigated. Results show that the SnO2-core/ZnO-shell nanostructures deposited at 90 min exhibit enhanced sensitivity to ethanol. The sensitivity of SnO2-core/ZnO-shell nanostructures towards 20 ppm ethanol gas at 400 °C is about ∼5-times that of SnO2 nanowires. This improvement in ethanol gas response is attributed to high active sensing sites and the synergistic effect of the encapsulation of SnO2 by ZnO nanostructures. PMID:25116903

  11. Enhanced lithium storage in Fe2O3-SnO2-C nanocomposite anode with a breathable structure

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rahman, Md Mokhlesur; Glushenkov, Alexey M.; Ramireddy, Thrinathreddy; Tao, Tao; Chen, Ying

    2013-05-01

    A novel nanocomposite architecture of a Fe2O3-SnO2-C anode, based on clusters of Fe2O3 and SnO2 nanoparticles dispersed along the conductive chains of Super P Li™ carbon black (Timcal Ltd.), is presented as a breathable structure in this paper for lithium-ion batteries. The synthesis of the nanocomposite is achieved by combining a molten salt precipitation process and a ball milling method for the first time. The crystalline structure, morphology, and electrochemical characterization of the synthesised product are investigated systematically. Electrochemical results demonstrate that the reversible capacity of the composite anode is 1110 mA h g-1 at a current rate of 158 mA g-1 with only 31% of initial irreversible capacity in the first cycle. A high reversible capacity of 502 mA h g-1 (higher than the theoretical capacity of graphite, ~372 mA h g-1) can be obtained at a high current rate of 3950 mA g-1. The electrochemical performance is compared favourably with those of Fe2O3-SnO2 and Fe2O3-SnO2-C composite anodes for lithium-ion batteries reported in the literature. This work reports a promising method for the design and preparation of nanocomposite electrodes for lithium-ion batteries.A novel nanocomposite architecture of a Fe2O3-SnO2-C anode, based on clusters of Fe2O3 and SnO2 nanoparticles dispersed along the conductive chains of Super P Li™ carbon black (Timcal Ltd.), is presented as a breathable structure in this paper for lithium-ion batteries. The synthesis of the nanocomposite is achieved by combining a molten salt precipitation process and a ball milling method for the first time. The crystalline structure, morphology, and electrochemical characterization of the synthesised product are investigated systematically. Electrochemical results demonstrate that the reversible capacity of the composite anode is 1110 mA h g-1 at a current rate of 158 mA g-1 with only 31% of initial irreversible capacity in the first cycle. A high reversible capacity of 502 m

  12. Comparison of Photocatalytic Performance of Different Types of Graphene in Fe3O4/SnO2 Composites

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Paramarta, Valentinus; Taufik, Ardiansyah; Saleh, Rosari

    2017-03-01

    We have reported the role of annealing temperature Fe3O4/SnO2 nanocomposites as a photocatalyst for remove methylene blue (MB) dye from aqueous solution. However, how to enhanced the degradation performance of Fe3O4/SnO2 nanocomposites is important to its photocatalytic application. Therefore, in this work Fe3O4/SnO2 nanocomposites was combined with two different types of graphene materials (NGP and grahene) to improve the photocatalytic performance for remove methylene blue (MB) dye. Fe3O4/SnO2/NGP and Fe3O4/SnO2/graphene have been successfully synthesized by co-precipitation method. The influence of two types graphene on Fe3O4/SnO2 nanocomposites properties were systematically investigated by means of X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and Thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA). Degradation of methylene Blue (MB) in aqueous solution was studied in detail under photocatalytic process. Effect of catalyst dosage (0.1-0.4 g/L) and scavengers on dye degradation were carried out to check the efficiency of photocatalyst. The results indicated Fe3O4/SnO2/graphene displayed higher photocatalytic activity than other catalyst. The reusability tests have also been done to ensure the stability of the used photocatalyst.

  13. Superparamagnetic behavior of Fe-doped SnO2 nanoparticles

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hachisu, M.; Onuma, K.; Kondo, T.; Miike, K.; Miyasaka, T.; Mori, K.; Ichiyanagi, Y.

    2014-02-01

    SnO2 is an n-type semiconductor with a wide band gap of 3.62 eV, and SnO2 nanoparticles doped with magnetic ions are expected to realized new diluted magnetic semiconductors (DMSs). Realizing ferromagnetism at room temperature is important for spintronics device applications, and it is interesting that the magnetic properties of these DMS systems can be varied significantly by modifying the preparation methods or conditions. In this study, the magnetic properties of Fe-doped (3% and 5%) SnO2 nanoparticles, prepared using our novel chemical preparation method and encapsulated in amorphous SiO2, were investigated. The particle size (1.8-16.9 nm) and crystal phase were controlled by the annealing temperature. X-ray diffraction confirmed a rutile SnO2 single-phase structure for samples annealed at 1073-1373 K, and the composition was confirmed using X-ray fluorescence analysis. SQUID magnetometer measurements revealed superparamagnetic behavior of the 5%-Fe-doped sample at room temperature, although SnO2 is known to be diamagnetic. Magnetization curves at 5 K indicated that the 3%-Fe-doped has a larger magnetization than that of the 5%-Fe-doped sample. We conclude that the magnetization of the 5%-Fe-doped sample decreased at 5 K due to the superexchange interaction between the antiferromagnetic coupling in the nanoparticle system.

  14. Structural and spectroscopic study of mechanically synthesized SnO2 nanostructures

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Vij, Ankush; Kumar, Ravi

    2016-05-01

    We report the single step synthesis of SnO2 nanostructures using high energy mechanical attrition method. X-ray diffraction (XRD) pattern reveals the single phase rutile structure with appreciable broadening of diffraction peaks, which is a signature of nanostructure formation. The average crystallite size of SnO2 nanostructures has been calculated to be ~15 nm. The micro-Raman study reveals the shifting of A1g Raman mode towards lower wave number, which is correlated with the nanostructure formation.

  15. Hierarchical nanostructured WO3-SnO2 for selective sensing of volatile organic compounds

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Nayak, Arpan Kumar; Ghosh, Ruma; Santra, Sumita; Guha, Prasanta Kumar; Pradhan, Debabrata

    2015-07-01

    It remains a challenge to find a suitable gas sensing material that shows a high response and shows selectivity towards various gases simultaneously. Here, we report a mixed metal oxide WO3-SnO2 nanostructured material synthesized in situ by a simple, single-step, one-pot hydrothermal method at 200 °C in 12 h, and demonstrate its superior sensing behavior towards volatile organic compounds (VOCs) such as ammonia, ethanol and acetone. SnO2 nanoparticles with controlled size and density were uniformly grown on WO3 nanoplates by varying the tin precursor. The density of the SnO2 nanoparticles on the WO3 nanoplates plays a crucial role in the VOC selectivity. The responses of the present mixed metal oxides are found to be much higher than the previously reported results based on single/mixed oxides and noble metal-doped oxides. In addition, the VOC selectivity is found to be highly temperature-dependent, with optimum performance obtained at 200 °C, 300 °C and 350 °C for ammonia, ethanol and acetone, respectively. The present results on the cost-effective noble metal-free WO3-SnO2 sensor could find potential application in human breath analysis by non-invasive detection.It remains a challenge to find a suitable gas sensing material that shows a high response and shows selectivity towards various gases simultaneously. Here, we report a mixed metal oxide WO3-SnO2 nanostructured material synthesized in situ by a simple, single-step, one-pot hydrothermal method at 200 °C in 12 h, and demonstrate its superior sensing behavior towards volatile organic compounds (VOCs) such as ammonia, ethanol and acetone. SnO2 nanoparticles with controlled size and density were uniformly grown on WO3 nanoplates by varying the tin precursor. The density of the SnO2 nanoparticles on the WO3 nanoplates plays a crucial role in the VOC selectivity. The responses of the present mixed metal oxides are found to be much higher than the previously reported results based on single/mixed oxides and

  16. Structural, electrical and magnetic properties of (Fe, Co) co-doped SnO2 diluted magnetic semiconductor nanostructures

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mehraj, Sumaira; Ansari, M. Shahnawaze; Alimuddin

    2015-01-01

    Nanostructures (NSs) of basic composition Sn1-xFex/2Cox/2O2 with x=0.00, 0.04, 0.06, 0.08 and 0.1 were synthesized by citrate-gel route and characterized to understand their structural, electrical and magnetic properties. X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy were used to confirm the formation of single phase rutile type tetragonal structure. The crystallite sizes calculated by using Williamson Hall were found to decrease with increasing doping level. In addition to the fundamental Raman peaks of rutile SnO2, the other three weak Raman peaks at about 505, 537 and 688 cm-1 were also observed. Field emission scanning electron microscopy studies showed the emergence of structural transformation. Electric properties such as dc electrical resistivity as a function of temperature and ac conductivity as a function of frequency were also studied. The variation of dielectric properties with frequency reveals that the dispersion is due to Maxwell-Wagner type of interfacial polarization in general. Hysteresis loops were clearly observed in M-H curves of Fe and Co co-doped SnO2 NSs. However, pure SnO2 nanoparticles (NPs) showed paramagnetic behaviour which vanished at higher values of magnetic field. The grain and grain boundary contribution in the conduction process is estimated through complex impedance plot fitted with non-linear least square (NLLS) approach which shows that the role of grain boundaries increases rapidly as compared to the grain volume with the increase of Fe and Co ions in to system.

  17. Structural and optical characterization of p-type highly Fe-doped SnO2 thin films and tunneling transport on SnO2:Fe/p-Si heterojunction

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ben Haj Othmen, Walid; Ben Hamed, Zied; Sieber, Brigitte; Addad, Ahmed; Elhouichet, Habib; Boukherroub, Rabah

    2018-03-01

    Nanocrystalline highly Fe-doped SnO2 thin films were prepared using a new simple sol-gel method with iron amounts of 5, 10, 15 and 20%. The obtained gel offers a long durability and high quality allowing to reach a sub-5 nm nanocrystalline size with a good crystallinity. The films were structurally characterized through X-ray diffraction (XRD) that confirms the formation of rutile SnO2. High Resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy (HRTEM) images reveals the good crystallinity of the nanoparticles. Raman spectroscopy shows that the SnO2 rutile structure is maintained even for high iron concentration. The variation of the PL intensity with Fe concentration reveals that iron influences the distribution of oxygen vacancies in tin oxide. The optical transmittance results indicate a redshift of the SnO2 band gap when iron concentration increases. The above optical results lead us to assume the presence of a compensation phenomenon between oxygen vacancies and introduced holes following Fe doping. From current-voltage measurements, an inversion of the conduction type from n to p is strongly predicted to follow the iron addition. Electrical characterizations of SnO2:Fe/p-Si and SnO2:Fe/n-Si heterojunctions seem to be in accordance with this deduction. The quantum tunneling mechanism is expected to be important at high Fe doping level, which was confirmed by current-voltage measurements at different temperatures. Both optical and electrical properties of the elaborated films present a particularity for the same iron concentration and adopt similar tendencies with Fe amount, which strongly correlate the experimental observations. In order to evaluate the applicability of the elaborated films, we proceed to the fabrication of the SnO2:Fe/SnO2 homojunction for which we note a good rectifying behavior.

  18. Preparation and characterization of SnO2 and Carbon Co-coated LiFePO4 cathode materials.

    PubMed

    Wang, Haibin; Liu, Shuxin; Huang, Yongmao

    2014-04-01

    The SnO2 and carbon co-coated LiFePO4 cathode materials were successfully synthesized by solid state method. The microstructure and morphology of LiFePO4 composites were characterized by X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscope. The results showed that the SnO2 and carbon co-coated LiFePO4 cathode materials exhibited more uniform particle size distribution. Compared with the uncoated LiFePO4/C, the structure of LiFePO4 with SnO2 and carbon coating had no change. The existence of SnO2 and carbon coating layer effectively enhanced the initial discharge capacity. Among the investigated samples, the one with DBTDL:LiFePO4 molar ratios of 7:100 exhibited the best electrochemical performance.

  19. Synthesis of Co 2SnO 4@C core-shell nanostructures with reversible lithium storage

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Qi, Yue; Du, Ning; Zhang, Hui; Wu, Ping; Yang, Deren

    This paper reports the synthesis of Co 2SnO 4@C core-shell nanostructures through a simple glucose hydrothermal and subsequent carbonization approach. The as-synthesized Co 2SnO 4@C core-shell nanostructures have been applied as anode materials for lithium-ion batteries, which exhibit improved cyclic performance compared to pure Co 2SnO 4 nanocrystals. The carbon matrix has good volume buffering effect and high electronic conductivity, which may be responsible for the improved cyclic performance.

  20. Heterogeneous nanocrystals assembled TiO2/SnO2/C composite for improved lithium storage

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tian, Qinghua; Mao, Yuning; Zhang, Xuzhen; Yang, Li

    2018-07-01

    Using stable TiO2 and flexible carbon as double-functional structure protector of nanostructural SnO2 to fabricate TiO2/SnO2/C composites is widely considered as a favorable strategy for improving the lithium storage performance of SnO2 anodes. But, it is still a challenge to obtain a satisfying TiO2/SnO2/C composite. Herein, an interesting porous nanostructure of TiO2/SnO2/C nanosphere composite assembled by TiO2 and SnO2 nanocrystals with an outer carbon coating has been fabricated by a well-designed approach. Thanks to the perfectly combined action of porous spherical nanostructure, TiO2 and SnO2 nanocrystals and carbon coating, the as-prepared composite obtains excellent structure stability and improved electrochemcial properties. When used as a promising anode for lithium-ion batteres, it exhibits outstanding lithium storage performance, delivering a high capacity of 687.2 mAh g-1 after even 400 cycles.

  1. Highly sensitive nanostructure SnO2 based gas sensor for environmental pollutants

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Korgaokar, Sushil; Moradiya, Meet; Prajapati, Om; Thakkar, Pranav; Pala, Jay; Savaliya, Chirag; Parikh, Sachin; Markna, J. H.

    2017-05-01

    A major quantity of pollutants are produced from industries and vehicles in the form of gas. New approaches are needed to solve well-known environmental pollutants like CO, CO2, NO2, SOx. Therefore detection with effective gas sensors is a vital part of pollution prevention efforts. There is a need to develop fast, rapid, cost-effective, highly sensitive, low power, and non-intrusive rugged sensors that can be easily installed. In the present study, nanostructured SnO2 used as a sensitive material in the devices and synthesized using hydrothermal process. The detailed development of the fabrication of SnO2 nanostructures gas sensor is described, which shows the remarkable change in the sensing properties with varying particle size. Additionally, we have used X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) for characterization and carefully examined the relative parameters like response magnitude (sensitivity) and selectivity of SnO2 nano structures with different particle size.

  2. Self-catalytic branch growth of SnO 2 nanowire junctions

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chen, Y. X.; Campbell, L. J.; Zhou, W. L.

    2004-10-01

    Multiple branched SnO2 nanowire junctions have been synthesized by thermal evaporation of SnO powder. Their nanostructures were studied by transmission electron microscopy and field emission scanning electron microcopy. It was observed that Sn nanoparticles generated from decomposition of the SnO powder acted as self-catalysts to control the SnO2 nanojunction growth. Orthorhombic SnO2 was found as a dominate phase in nanojunction growth instead of rutile structure. The branches and stems of nanojunctions were found to be an epitaxial growth by electron diffraction analysis and high-resolution electron microscopy observation. The growth directions of the branched SnO2 nanojunctions were along the orthorhombic [1 1 0] and [ 1 1 bar 0 ] . A self-catalytic vapor-liquid-solid growth mechanism is proposed to describe the growth process of the branched SnO2 nanowire junctions.

  3. γ-Fe2O3 and Fe3O4 magnetic hierarchically nanostructured hollow microspheres: preparation, formation mechanism, magnetic property, and application in water treatment.

    PubMed

    Xu, Jing-San; Zhu, Ying-Jie

    2012-11-01

    In this paper, we report the preparation of γ-Fe(2)O(3) and Fe(3)O(4) magnetic hierarchically nanostructured hollow microspheres by a solvothermal combined with precursor thermal conversion method. These γ-Fe(2)O(3) and Fe(3)O(4) magnetic hierarchically nanostructured hollow microspheres were constructed by three-dimensional self-assembly of nanosheets, forming porous nanostructures. The effects of experimental parameters including molar ratio of reactants and reaction temperature on the precursors were studied. The time-dependent experiments indicated that the Ostwald ripening was responsible for the formation of the hierarchically nanostructured hollow microspheres of the precursors. γ-Fe(2)O(3) and Fe(3)O(4) magnetic hierarchically nanostructured hollow microspheres were obtained by the thermal transformation of the precursor hollow microspheres. Both γ-Fe(2)O(3) and Fe(3)O(4) hierarchically nanostructured hollow microspheres exhibited a superparamagnetic property at room temperature and had the saturation magnetization of 44.2 and 55.4 emu/g, respectively, in the applied magnetic field of 20 KOe. Several kinds of organic pollutants including salicylic acid (SA), methylene blue (MB), and basic fuchsin (BF) were chosen as the model water pollutants to evaluate the removal abilities of γ-Fe(2)O(3) and Fe(3)O(4) magnetic hierarchically nanostructured hollow microspheres. It was found that γ-Fe(2)O(3) hierarchically nanostructured hollow microspheres showed a better adsorption ability over SA than MB and BF. However, Fe(3)O(4) hierarchically nanostructured hollow microspheres had the best performance for adsorbing MB. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  4. Nano SnO 2-Al 2O 3 mixed oxide and SnO 2-Al 2O 3-carbon composite oxides as new and novel electrodes for supercapacitor applications

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jayalakshmi, M.; Venugopal, N.; Raja, K. Phani; Rao, M. Mohan

    New nano-materials like SnO 2-Al 2O 3 and SnO 2-Al 2O 3-carbon were synthesized by a single step hydrothermal method in searching for novel mixed oxides with high electrochemical double layer capacitance. A SnO 2-Al 2O 3-carbon sample was calcined at 600 °C and tested for its performance. The source of carbon was tetrapropyl ammonium hydroxide. The capacitive behavior of SnO 2 was compared to the performance of SnO 2-Al 2O 3, SnO 2-Al 2O 3-carbon and calcined SnO 2-Al 2O 3-carbon using the techniques of cyclic voltammetry, double potential step, chronopotentiometry and E-log I polarization. In 0.1 M NaCl solutions, SnO 2-Al 2O 3 gave the best performance with a value of 119 Fg -1 and cycled 1000 times. The nano-material mixed oxides were characterized by TEM, XRD, ICP-AES and SEM-EDAX.

  5. Electrospinning Hetero-Nanofibers In2O3/SnO2 of Homotype Heterojunction with High Gas Sensing Activity

    PubMed Central

    Du, Haiying; Yao, PengJun; Sun, Yanhui; Wang, Jing; Wang, Huisheng; Yu, Naisen

    2017-01-01

    In2O3/SnO2 composite hetero-nanofibers were synthesized by an electrospinning technique for detecting indoor volatile organic gases. The physical and chemical properties of In2O3/SnO2 hetero-nanofibers were characterized and analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM), Energy Dispersive X-Ray Spectroscopy (EDX), specific surface Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Gas sensing properties of In2O3/SnO2 composite hetero-nanofibers were measured with six kinds of indoor volatile organic gases in concentration range of 0.5~50 ppm at the operating temperature of 275 °C. The In2O3/SnO2 composite hetero-nanofibers sensor exhibited good formaldehyde sensing properties, which would be attributed to the formation of n-n homotype heterojunction in the In2O3/SnO2 composite hetero-nanofibers. Finally, the sensing mechanism of the In2O3/SnO2 composite hetero-nanofibers was analyzed based on the energy-band principle. PMID:28792433

  6. Enhanced photovoltaic performance of dye sensitized solar cell using SnO2 nanoflowers

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Arote, Sandeep A.; Tabhane, Vilas A.; Pathan, Habib M.

    2018-01-01

    The study highlighted enhanced performance of SnO2 based DSSC using photoanode with nanostructured morphology. The simple organic surfactant free hydrothermal synthesis method was used for preparation of SnO2 nanoflowers for dye sensitized solar cell (DSSC) application. The hydrothermal reaction time was varied to obtain different SnO2 nanostructures. The hydrothermal reaction time showed considerable effect on optical and structural properties of the prepared samples. The results indicated that the prepared samples were pure rutile SnO2. The band gap of prepared samples was greater than bulk SnO2 and varied from 3.64 to 3.81 eV with increase in hydrothermal reaction time. With increase in reaction time from 4 to 24 h, the microstructure of SnO2 changed from agglomerated nanoparticles to nanopetals and finally to self-assembled nanoflowers. Flower-like SnO2 nanostructures showed size around 300-700 nm, and composed of large numbers of 3 dimensional petals connected with each other forming 3D nanoflowers by self-assembly. Consequently, the DSSC with flower-like SnO2 nanostructures exhibited good photovoltaic performance with Voc, Jsc and η about 0.43 V, 4.36 mA/cm2 and 1.11%, respectively.

  7. Hierarchical MnO2/SnO2 heterostructures for a novel free-standing ternary thermite membrane.

    PubMed

    Yang, Yong; Zhang, Zhi-Cheng; Wang, Peng-Peng; Zhang, Jing-Chao; Nosheen, Farhat; Zhuang, Jing; Wang, Xun

    2013-08-19

    We report the synthesis of a novel hierarchical MnO2/SnO2 heterostructures via a hydrothermal method. Secondary SnO2 nanostructure grows epitaxially on the surface of MnO2 backbones without any surfactant, which relies on the minimization of surface energy and interfacial lattice mismatch. Detailed investigations reveal that the cover density and morphology of the SnO2 nanostructure can be tailored by changing the experimental parameter. Moreover, we demonstrate a bottom-up method to produce energetic nanocomposites by assembling nanoaluminum (n-Al) and MnO2/SnO2 hierarchical nanostructures into a free-standing MnO2/SnO2/n-Al ternary thermite membrane. This assembled approach can significantly reduce diffusion distances and increase their intimacy between the components. Different thermite mixtures were investigated to evaluate the corresponding activation energies using DSC techniques. The energy performance of the ternary thermite membrane can be manipulated through different components of the MnO2/SnO2 heterostructures. Overall, our work may open a new route for new energetic materials.

  8. Facile fabrication of robust TiO2@SnO2@C hollow nanobelts for outstanding lithium storage

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tian, Qinghua; Li, Lingxiangyu; Chen, Jizhang; Yang, Li; Hirano, Shin-ichi

    2018-02-01

    Elaborate fabrication of state-of-the-art nanostructure SnO2@C-based composites greatly contributes to alleviate the huge volume expansion issue of the SnO2 anodes. But the preparation processes of most of them are complicated and tedious, which is generally adverse to the development of SnO2@C-based composite anodes. Herein, a unique nanostructure of TiO2@SnO2@C hollow nanobelts (TiO2@SnO2@C HNBs), including the characteristics of one-dimensional architecture, sandwich protection, hollow structure, carbon coating, and a mechanically robust TiO2 support, has been fabricated by a facile approach for the first time. As anodes for lithium-ion batteries, the as-fabricated TiO2@SnO2@C HNBs exhibit an outstanding lithium storage performance, delivering capacity of 804.6 and 384. 5 mAh g-1 at 200 and even 1000 mA g-1 after 500 cycles, respectively. It is demonstrated that thus outstanding performance is mainly attributed to the unique nanostructure of TiO2@SnO2@C HNBs.

  9. A Resumable Fluorescent Probe BHN-Fe3O4@SiO2 Hybrid Nanostructure for Fe3+ and its Application in Bioimaging

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhou, Xi; Wang, Yujiao; Peng, Qi; Liu, Weisheng

    2017-12-01

    A multifunctional fluorescent probe BHN-Fe3O4@SiO2 nanostructure for Fe3+ was designed and developed. It has a good selective response to Fe3+ with fluorescence quenching and can be recycled using an external magnetic field. With adding EDTA (2.5 × 10-5 M) to the consequent product Fe3+-BHN-Fe3O4@SiO2, Fe3+ can be removed from the complex, and its fluorescence probing ability recovers, which means that this constituted on-off type fluorescence probe could be reversed and reused. At the same time, the probe has been successfully applied for quantitatively detecting Fe3+ in a linear mode with a low limit of detection 1.25 × 10-8 M. Furthermore, the BHN-Fe3O4@SiO2 nanostructure probe is successfully used to detect Fe3+ in living HeLa cells, which shows its great potential in bioimaging detection.

  10. SnO2/TiO2 bilayer thin films exhibiting superhydrophilic properties

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Talinungsang, Nibedita Paul; Purkayastha, Debarun Dhar

    2017-05-01

    Nanostructured thin films of TiO2, SnO2, and SnO2/TiO2 have been deposited by sol-gel method. The films are characterized by X-ray diffraction, wettability and optical properties. In the present work, we have achieved a way of converting hydrophilic to super-hydrophilic state by incorporating TiO2 buffer layer in between substrate and SnO2 film, which has its utility in anti-fogging surfaces. The decrease in contact angle of water over SnO2/TiO2 bilayer is attributed to the increase in roughness of the film as well as surface energy of the substrate.

  11. SnO2 Nanostructures: Effect of Processing Parameters on Their Structural and Functional Properties

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Dontsova, Tetiana A.; Nagirnyak, Svitlana V.; Zhorov, Vladyslav V.; Yasiievych, Yuriy V.

    2017-05-01

    Zero- and 1D (one-dimensional) tin (IV) oxide nanostructures have been synthesized by thermal evaporation method, and a comparison of their morphology, crystal structure, sorption properties, specific surface area, as well as electrical characteristics has been performed. Synthesized SnO2 nanomaterials were studied by X-ray diffraction, scanning and transmission electron microscopy (SEM and TEM), N2 sorption/desorption technique, IR spectroscopy and, in addition, their current-voltage characteristics have also been measured. The single crystalline structures were obtained both in case of 0D (zero-dimensional) SnO2 powders and in case of 0D nanofibers, as confirmed by electron diffraction of TEM. It was found that SnO2 synthesis parameters significantly affect materials' properties by contributing to the difference in morphology, texture formation, changes in IR spectra of 1D structure as compared to 0D powders, increases in the specific surface area of nanofibers, and the alteration of current-voltage characteristics 0D and 1D SnO2 nanostructures. It was established that gas sensors utilizing of 1D nanofibers significantly outperform those based on 0D powders by providing higher specific surface area and ohmic I-V characteristics.

  12. Engineering of high performance supercapacitor electrode based on Fe-Ni/Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3}-NiO core/shell hybrid nanostructures

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Singh, Ashutosh K., E-mail: ashuvishen@gmail.com, E-mail: aksingh@bose.res.in; Mandal, Kalyan

    The present work reports on fabrication and supercapacitor applications of a core/shell Fe-Ni/Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3}-NiO hybrid nanostructures (HNs) electrode. The core/shell Fe-Ni/Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3}-NiO hybrid nanostructures have been fabricated through a two step method (nanowire fabrication and their controlled oxidation). The 1D hybrid nanostructure consists of highly porous shell layer (redox active materials NiO and Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3}) and the conductive core (FeNi nanowire). Thus, the highly porous shell layer allows facile electrolyte diffusion as well as faster redox reaction kinetics; whereas the conductive FeNi nanowire core provides the proficient express way for electrons to travel to the current collector,more » which helps in the superior electrochemical performance. The core/shell Fe-Ni/Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3}-NiO hybrid nanostructures electrode based supercapacitor shows very good electrochemical performances in terms of high specific capacitance nearly 1415 F g{sup −1} at a current density of 2.5 A g{sup −1}, excellent cycling stability and rate capability. The high quality electrochemical performance of core/shell hybrid nanostructures electrode shows its potential as an alternative electrode for forthcoming supercapacitor devices.« less

  13. Morphology-controlled synthesis of α-Fe 2O 3 nanostructures with magnetic property and excellent electrocatalytic activity for H 2O 2

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Li, Xiyan; Lei, Yongqian; Li, Xiaona; Song, Shuyan; Wang, Cheng; Zhang, Hongjie

    2011-12-01

    α-Fe 2O 3 nanocrystals (NCs) with different morphologies are successfully synthesized via a facile template-free hydrothermal route. By simply changing the volume ratio of ethanol to water, we obtained three different α-Fe 2O 3 nanostructures of rhombohedra, truncated rhombohedra and hexagonal sheet. The morphologies and structures of the as-obtained products have been confirmed by varieties of characterizations such as X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectrometry (XPS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The influences of the experimental conditions, such as the amount of NaOH and reaction temperature on the morphologies of the as-prepared α-Fe 2O 3 NCs, have been well investigated. Additionally, magnetic investigations show that the as-obtained α-Fe 2O 3 nanostructures show structure-dependent magnetic properties. Furthermore, the electrochemical experiments indicate that the as-prepared α-Fe 2O 3 hexagonal sheets exhibit strong electrocatalytic reduction activity for H 2O 2.

  14. Bio-green synthesis of Fe doped SnO2 nanoparticle thin film

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gattu, Ketan P.; Ghule, Kalyani; Huse, Nanasaheb P.; Dive, Avinash S.; Bagul, Sagar B.; Digraskar, Renuka V.; Sharma, Ramphal; Ghule, Anil V.

    2017-05-01

    Herein Fe doped SnO2 nanoparticles have been synthesized using simple, cost effective and ecofriendly biosynthesis method, in which remnant water (ideally kitchen waste) collected from soaked Bengal gram beans (Cicer arietinum L.) was used. This extract consists of different bio-molecules which acted as complexing as well as capping agents for synthesis of Fe-doped SnO2 nanoparticles. The X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) and Field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) revealed uniform size distribution with the average size of 6 nm and confirmed the formation of rutile structure with space group (P42/mnm) and nanocrystalline nature of the products with spherical morphology. Further, the gas sensing properties of the materials have been studied in comparison with other gases. The reported gas sensing results are promising, which suggest that the Fe-dopant is a promising noble metal additives to fabricate low cost SnO2 based sensor.

  15. Design, Fabrication, and Characterization of Hematite (α-Fe2O3) Nanostructures

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jansi Rani, B.; Mageswari, R.; Ravi, G.; Ganesh, V.; Yuvakkumar, R.

    2017-12-01

    The influence of processing parameters on the physicochemical properties of hematite α-Fe2O3 nanostructures was investigated. X-ray diffraction results revealed the hematite phase rhombohedral structure. Scanning electron microscope results explored nanospheres, nanohexagonal platelets, nanoellipsoids, distorted nanocubes, and interconnected platelets nanostructures. Rhombohedral single-phase hematite was confirmed through five Raman active modes. 2 P 3/2 (1) → 2 P 1/2 transition in photoluminescence spectra and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy band observed at 555 cm-1 revealed the hematite formation. The highest specific capacitance value of 151.09 F/g for scan rate of 10 mV/s was obtained for the hydrothermal-assisted product using an Fe(NO3)2·9H2O precursor in KOH electrolyte solutions.

  16. Facile One-pot Transformation of Iron Oxides from Fe2O3 Nanoparticles to Nanostructured Fe3O4@C Core-Shell Composites via Combustion Waves

    PubMed Central

    Shin, Jungho; Lee, Kang Yeol; Yeo, Taehan; Choi, Wonjoon

    2016-01-01

    The development of a low-cost, fast, and large-scale process for the synthesis and manipulation of nanostructured metal oxides is essential for incorporating materials with diverse practical applications. Herein, we present a facile one-pot synthesis method using combustion waves that simultaneously achieves fast reduction and direct formation of carbon coating layers on metal oxide nanostructures. Hybrid composites of Fe2O3 nanoparticles and nitrocellulose on the cm scale were fabricated by a wet impregnation process. We demonstrated that self-propagating combustion waves along interfacial boundaries between the surface of the metal oxide and the chemical fuels enabled the release of oxygen from Fe2O3. This accelerated reaction directly transformed Fe2O3 into Fe3O4 nanostructures. The distinctive color change from reddish-brown Fe2O3 to dark-gray Fe3O4 confirmed the transition of oxidation states and the change in the fundamental properties of the material. Furthermore, it simultaneously formed carbon layers of 5–20 nm thickness coating the surfaces of the resulting Fe3O4 nanoparticles, which may aid in maintaining the nanostructures and improving the conductivity of the composites. This newly developed use of combustion waves in hybridized nanostructures may permit the precise manipulation of the chemical compositions of other metal oxide nanostructures, as well as the formation of organic/inorganic hybrid nanostructures. PMID:26902260

  17. The optical properties of α-Fe2O3 nanostructures synthesized with different immersion time

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ahmad, W. R. W.; Mamat, M. H.; Zoolfakar, A. S.; Khusaimi, Z.; Yusof, M. M.; Ismail, A. S.; Saidi, S. A.; Rusop, M.

    2018-05-01

    In this study, nanostructured hematite (α-Fe2O3) thin films have been prepared successfully by sonicated immersion method on fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) coated glass substrate. The effect of the immersion time on the structural and optical properties of α-Fe2O3 nanostructure were investigated for a variation of immersion time ranging from 1 to 4 hour. From the characterization results, the surface morphology of the sample prepared in 4 hours immersion process has exhibited highest porosity, and the highest absorbance properties were found in the same sample. These results suggest that the different time duration during immersion process play important roles in optical properties of α-Fe2O3 nanostructures.

  18. Aqueous chemical growth of alpha-Fe2O3-alpha-Cr203 nanocompositethin films

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Vayssieres, Lionel; Guo, Jinghua; Nordgren, Joseph

    2001-06-30

    We are reporting here on the inexpensive fabrication and optical properties of an iron(III) oxide chromium(III) oxide nanocomposite thin film of corundum crystal structure. Its novel and unique-designed architecture consists of uniformed, well-defined and oriented nanorods of Hematite (alpha-Fe2O3) of 50 nm in diameter and 500nm in length and homogeneously distributed nonaggregated monodisperse spherical nanoparticles of Eskolaite (alpha-Cr2O3) of 250 nm in diameter. This alpha-Fe2O3 alpha-Cr2O3 nanocomposite thin film is obtained by growing, directly onto transparent polycrystalline conducting substrate, an oriented layer of hematite nanorods and growing subsequently, the eskolaite layer. The synthesis is carried out by a template-free, low-temperature,more » multilayer thin film coating process using aqueous solution of metal salts as precursors. Almost 100 percent of the light is absorbed by the composite film between 300 and 525 nm and 40 percent at 800 nm which yields great expectations as photoanode materials for photovoltaic cells and photocatalytic devices.« less

  19. Ethanol Gas Detection Using a Yolk-Shell (Core-Shell) α-Fe2O3 Nanospheres as Sensing Material.

    PubMed

    Wang, LiLi; Lou, Zheng; Deng, Jianan; Zhang, Rui; Zhang, Tong

    2015-06-17

    Three-dimensional (3D) nanostructures of α-Fe2O3 materials, including both hollow sphere-shaped and yolk-shell (core-shell)-shaped, have been successfully synthesized via an environmentally friendly hydrothermal approach. By expertly adjusting the reaction time, the solid, hollow, and yolk-shell shaped α-Fe2O3 can be selectively synthesized. Yolk-shell α-Fe2O3 nanospheres display outer diameters of 350 nm, and the interstitial hollow spaces layer is intimately sandwiched between the inner and outer shell of α-Fe2O3 nanostructures. The possible growth mechanism of the yolk-shell nanostructure is proposed. The results showed that the well-defined bilayer interface effectively enhanced the sensing performance of the α-Fe2O3 nanostructures (i.e., yolk-shell α-Fe2O3@α-Fe2O3), owing predominantly to the unique nanostructure, thus facilitated the transport rate and augmented the adsorption quantity of the target gas molecule under gas detection.

  20. Screen-printed SnO2/CNT quasi-solid-state gel-electrolyte supercapacitor

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kuok, Fei-Hong; Liao, Chen-Yu; Chen, Chieh-Wen; Hao, Yu-Chuan; Yu, Ing-Song; Chen, Jian-Zhang

    2017-11-01

    This study investigates a quasi-solid-state gel-electrolyte supercapacitor fabricated with nanoporous SnO2/CNT nanocomposite electrodes and a polyvinyl alcohol/sulfuric acid (PVA/H2SO4) gel electrolyte. First, pastes containing SnO2 nanoparticles, CNTs, ethyl cellulose, and terpineol are screen-printed onto carbon cloth. A tube furnace is then used for calcining the SnO2/CNT electrodes on carbon cloth. After furnace-calcination, the wettability of SnO2/CNT significantly improved; furthermore, the XPS analysis shows that number of C-O bond and oxygen content significantly decrease after furnace-calcination owing to the burnout of the ethyl cellulose by the furnace calcination processes. The furnace-calcined SnO2/CNT electrodes sandwich the PVA/H2SO4 gel electrolyte to form a supercapacitor. The fabricated supercapacitor exhibits an areal capacitance of 5.61 mF cm-2 when flat and 5.68 mF cm-2 under bending with a bending radius (R) of 1.0 cm. After a 1000 cycle stability test, the capacitance retention rates of the supercapacitor are 96% and 97% when flat and under bending (R  =  1.0 cm), respectively.

  1. Porous SnO2-CuO nanotubes for highly reversible lithium storage

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cheong, Jun Young; Kim, Chanhoon; Jung, Ji-Won; Yoon, Ki Ro; Kim, Il-Doo

    2018-01-01

    Facile synthesis of rationally designed structures is critical to realize a high performance electrode for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). Among different candidates, tin(IV) oxide (SnO2) is one of the most actively researched electrode materials due to its high theoretical capacity (1493 mAh g-1), abundance, inexpensive costs, and environmental friendliness. However, severe capacity decay from the volume expansion and low conductivity of SnO2 have hampered its use as a feasible electrode for LIBs. Rationally designed SnO2-based nanostructures with conductive materials can be an ideal solution to resolve such limitations. In this work, we have successfully fabricated porous SnO2-CuO composite nanotubes (SnO2-CuO p-NTs) by electrospinning and subsequent calcination step. The porous nanotubular structure is expected to mitigate the volume expansion of SnO2, while the as-formed Cu from CuO upon lithiation allows faster electron transport by improving the low conductivity of SnO2. With a synergistic effect of both Sn and Cu-based oxides, SnO2-CuO p-NTs deliver stable cycling performance (91.3% of capacity retention, ∼538 mAh g-1) even after 350 cycles at a current density of 500 mA g-1, along with enhanced rate capabilities compared with SnO2.

  2. Effects of SnO2, WO3, and ZrO2 addition on the magnetic and mechanical properties of NiCuZn ferrites

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wang, Sea-Fue; Yang, Hsiao-Ching; Hsu, Yung-Fu; Hsieh, Chung-Kai

    2015-01-01

    In this study, the effects of SnO2, WO3 and ZrO2 addition at levels up to 5 wt% on the magnetic and mechanical properties of Ni0.5Cu0.3Zn0.2Fe2O4 ceramics were investigated. Only Ni0.5Cu0.3Zn0.2Fe2O4 ceramic with a SnO2 addition of ≥3.5 wt% required a densification temperature of 1150 °C, while the others reached maximum densification at 1075 °C. All samples revealed a pure spinel phase and a uniform microstructure, except for the Ni0.5Cu0.3Zn0.2Fe2O4 ceramic with the WO3 addition, which showed an exaggerated grain growth accompanied with a small amount of needle-shaped Cu0.85Zn0.15WO4 second phase. The fracture mode in the pure Ni0.5Cu0.3Zn0.2Fe2O4 ceramic revealed a transgranular phase, as the CuO second phase increased the grain boundary strength; the Ni0.5Cu0.3Zn0.2Fe2O4 ceramics sintered with 5 wt% additives showed an intergranular phase. The Vickers hardness and the bending strength of the Ni0.5Cu0.3Zn0.2Fe2O4 ceramic were 733.6 and 62.0 MPa, respectively. The Vickers hardness of the ferrite with added SnO2 or ZrO2 showed only a slight improvement, while an apparent change (832.7) was observed with the addition of 5.0 wt% WO3. The bending strength of the ferrite was optimized at 75.7 MPa with 2.0 wt% SnO2 and at 90.5 MPa with 3.5 wt% ZrO2, while that of the ferrite sintered with WO3 added dropped gradually from 62.0 to 47.7 MPa as the amount of WO3 was increased from 0 to 5.0 wt% due to the non-uniform microstructure. The pure Ni0.5Cu0.3Zn0.2Fe2O4 ceramic sintered at 1075 °C had an initial permeability of 356.9 and a quality factor of 71.2. The addition of ZrO2 led to a significant increase in the initial permeability (588.4 at 5.0 wt% ZrO2), but a slight decline in the quality factor (56.6 at 5.0 wt% ZrO2).

  3. Mechanochemical synthesis of nanostructured Sr(Ti{sub 1-x}Fe{sub x})O{sub 3-{delta}} solid-solution powders and their surface photovoltage responses

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Chen Xiaofeng; Luo Qiong; GlobalFoundries Singapore Pte Ltd, 60 Woodlands Industrial Park D Street 2, Singapore 738406

    2012-05-15

    A series of nanostructure Sr(Ti{sub 1-x}Fe{sub x})O{sub 3-{delta}} (STFx, x=0.4, 0.6, 0.8) solid-solution powders were synthesized by mechanochemical approach milling from the mixture of SrO, Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3} and TiO{sub 2} metal oxides at room temperature. The XRD results revealed that the perovskite STFx nanoparticles were finally formed with few residual {alpha}-Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3} detected dependent on the milling conditions. The structure evolution suggested that the mechanochemical synthesis underwent via a solid-state reaction route to initially form Ti-rich perovskite and then incorporate with the residual {alpha}-Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3} to achieve the estimated composition. The synthesized STF08 powders exhibited the significantmore » Surface Photovoltage (SPV) spectrum response both in UV and in visible-light region with p-type semiconductor behavior. This finding suggested that the synthesized STF nanopowders could potentially utilize more solar spectrum energy effectively for photo-oxidation and photo-catalysis applications. - Graphical abstract: It is demonstrated that Sr(Ti{sub 1-x}Fe{sub x})O{sub 3-{delta}} perovskite nanopowders were successfully synthesized by mechanochemical reaction approach at room temerpature, and the synthesized STF08 powders showed the significant SPV response in UV-VIS region with p-type semiconductor behaviors. Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Sr(Ti{sub 1-x}Fe{sub x})O{sub 3-{delta}} nanopowders synthesized by mechanochemical reaction approach. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The reaction process was shorten by introduce high impact energy. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Synthesized STF08 powders show the significant SPV response in UV-VIS region. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Synthesized STFx powders show p-type semiconductor behaviors.« less

  4. High capacity and stable all-solid-state Li ion battery using SnO2-embedded nanoporous carbon.

    PubMed

    Notohara, Hiroo; Urita, Koki; Yamamura, Hideyuki; Moriguchi, Isamu

    2018-06-08

    Extensive research efforts are devoted to development of high performance all-solid-state lithium ion batteries owing to their potential in not only improving safety but also achieving high stability and high capacity. However, conventional approaches based on a fabrication of highly dense electrode and solid electrolyte layers and their close contact interface is not always applicable to high capacity alloy- and/or conversion-based active materials such as SnO 2 accompanied with large volume change in charging-discharging. The present work demonstrates that SnO 2 -embedded nanoporous carbons without solid electrolyte inside the nanopores are a promising candidate for high capacity and stable anode material of all-solid-state battery, in which the volume change reactions are restricted in the nanopores to keep the constant electrode volume. A prototype all-solid-state full cell consisting of the SnO 2 -based anode and a LiNi 1/3 Co 1 / 3 Mn 1/3 O 2 -based cathode shows a good performance of 2040 Wh/kg at 268.6 W/kg based on the anode material weight.

  5. Nanostructured TiO2-based gas sensors with enhanced sensitivity to reducing gases

    PubMed Central

    Kusior, Anna; Trenczek-Zajac, Anita

    2016-01-01

    2D TiO2 thin films and 3D flower-like TiO2-based nanostructures, also decorated with SnO2, were prepared by chemical and thermal oxidation of Ti substrates, respectively. The crystal structure, morphology and gas sensing properties of the TiO2-based sensing materials were investigated. 2D TiO2 thin films crystallized mainly in the form of rutile, while the flower-like 3D nanostructures as anatase. The sensor based on the 2D TiO2 showed the best performance for H2 detection, while the flower-like 3D nanostructures exhibited enhanced selectivity to CO(CH3)2 after sensitization by SnO2 nanoparticles. The sensor response time was of the order of several seconds. Their fast response, high sensitivity to selected gas species, improved selectivity and stability suggest that the SnO2-decorated flower-like 3D nanostructures are a promising material for application as an acetone sensor. PMID:28144521

  6. Formation mechanisms of Fe3−xSnxO4 by a chemical vapor transport (CVT) process

    PubMed Central

    Su, Zijian; Zhang, Yuanbo; Liu, Bingbing; Chen, Yingming; Li, Guanghui; Jiang, Tao

    2017-01-01

    Our former study reported that Fe-Sn spinel (Fe3−xSnxO4) was easily formed when SnO2 and Fe3O4 were roasted under CO-CO2 atmosphere at 900–1100 °C. However, the formation procedure is still unclear and there is a lack of theoretical research on the formation mechanism of the Fe-Sn spinel. In this work, the reaction mechanisms between SnO2 and Fe3O4 under CO-CO2 atmosphere were determined using XRD, VSM, SEM-EDS, XPS, etc. The results indicated that the formation of Fe3−xSnxO4 could be divided into four steps: reduction of SnO2 to solid phase SnO, volatilization of gaseous SnO, adsorption of gaseous SnO on the surface of Fe3O4, and redox reaction between SnO and Fe3O4. During the roasting process, part of Fe3+ in Fe3O4 was reduced to Fe2+ by gaseous SnO, and meanwhile Sn2+ was oxidized to Sn4+ and entered into Fe3−xSnxO4. The reaction between SnO2 and Fe3O4 could be summarized as Fe3O4 + xSnO(g) → Fe3−xSnxO4 (x = 0–1.0). PMID:28262673

  7. Low-cost flexible supercapacitors with high-energy density based on nanostructured MnO2 and Fe2O3 thin films directly fabricated onto stainless steel.

    PubMed

    Gund, Girish S; Dubal, Deepak P; Chodankar, Nilesh R; Cho, Jun Y; Gomez-Romero, Pedro; Park, Chan; Lokhande, Chandrakant D

    2015-07-24

    The facile and economical electrochemical and successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction (SILAR) methods have been employed in order to prepare manganese oxide (MnO2) and iron oxide (Fe2O3) thin films, respectively with the fine optimized nanostructures on highly flexible stainless steel sheet. The symmetric and asymmetric flexible-solid-state supercapacitors (FSS-SCs) of nanostructured (nanosheets for MnO2 and nanoparticles for Fe2O3) electrodes with Na2SO4/Carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) gel as a separator and electrolyte were assembled. MnO2 as positive and negative electrodes were used to fabricate symmetric SC, while the asymmetric SC was assembled by employing MnO2 as positive and Fe2O3 as negative electrode. Furthermore, the electrochemical features of symmetric and asymmetric SCs are systematically investigated. The results verify that the fabricated symmetric and asymmetric FSS-SCs present excellent reversibility (within the voltage window of 0-1 V and 0-2 V, respectively) and good cycling stability (83 and 91%, respectively for 3000 of CV cycles). Additionally, the asymmetric SC shows maximum specific capacitance of 92 Fg(-1), about 2-fold of higher energy density (41.8 Wh kg(-1)) than symmetric SC and excellent mechanical flexibility. Furthermore, the "real-life" demonstration of fabricated SCs to the panel of SUK confirms that asymmetric SC has 2-fold higher energy density compare to symmetric SC.

  8. Low-cost flexible supercapacitors with high-energy density based on nanostructured MnO2 and Fe2O3 thin films directly fabricated onto stainless steel

    PubMed Central

    Gund, Girish S.; Dubal, Deepak P.; Chodankar, Nilesh R.; Cho, Jun Y.; Gomez-Romero, Pedro; Park, Chan; Lokhande, Chandrakant D.

    2015-01-01

    The facile and economical electrochemical and successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction (SILAR) methods have been employed in order to prepare manganese oxide (MnO2) and iron oxide (Fe2O3) thin films, respectively with the fine optimized nanostructures on highly flexible stainless steel sheet. The symmetric and asymmetric flexible-solid-state supercapacitors (FSS-SCs) of nanostructured (nanosheets for MnO2 and nanoparticles for Fe2O3) electrodes with Na2SO4/Carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) gel as a separator and electrolyte were assembled. MnO2 as positive and negative electrodes were used to fabricate symmetric SC, while the asymmetric SC was assembled by employing MnO2 as positive and Fe2O3 as negative electrode. Furthermore, the electrochemical features of symmetric and asymmetric SCs are systematically investigated. The results verify that the fabricated symmetric and asymmetric FSS-SCs present excellent reversibility (within the voltage window of 0–1 V and 0–2 V, respectively) and good cycling stability (83 and 91%, respectively for 3000 of CV cycles). Additionally, the asymmetric SC shows maximum specific capacitance of 92 Fg−1, about 2-fold of higher energy density (41.8 Wh kg−1) than symmetric SC and excellent mechanical flexibility. Furthermore, the “real-life” demonstration of fabricated SCs to the panel of SUK confirms that asymmetric SC has 2-fold higher energy density compare to symmetric SC. PMID:26208144

  9. Low-cost flexible supercapacitors with high-energy density based on nanostructured MnO2 and Fe2O3 thin films directly fabricated onto stainless steel

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gund, Girish S.; Dubal, Deepak P.; Chodankar, Nilesh R.; Cho, Jun Y.; Gomez-Romero, Pedro; Park, Chan; Lokhande, Chandrakant D.

    2015-07-01

    The facile and economical electrochemical and successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction (SILAR) methods have been employed in order to prepare manganese oxide (MnO2) and iron oxide (Fe2O3) thin films, respectively with the fine optimized nanostructures on highly flexible stainless steel sheet. The symmetric and asymmetric flexible-solid-state supercapacitors (FSS-SCs) of nanostructured (nanosheets for MnO2 and nanoparticles for Fe2O3) electrodes with Na2SO4/Carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) gel as a separator and electrolyte were assembled. MnO2 as positive and negative electrodes were used to fabricate symmetric SC, while the asymmetric SC was assembled by employing MnO2 as positive and Fe2O3 as negative electrode. Furthermore, the electrochemical features of symmetric and asymmetric SCs are systematically investigated. The results verify that the fabricated symmetric and asymmetric FSS-SCs present excellent reversibility (within the voltage window of 0-1 V and 0-2 V, respectively) and good cycling stability (83 and 91%, respectively for 3000 of CV cycles). Additionally, the asymmetric SC shows maximum specific capacitance of 92 Fg-1, about 2-fold of higher energy density (41.8 Wh kg-1) than symmetric SC and excellent mechanical flexibility. Furthermore, the “real-life” demonstration of fabricated SCs to the panel of SUK confirms that asymmetric SC has 2-fold higher energy density compare to symmetric SC.

  10. Iron doped SnO2/Co3O4 nanocomposites synthesized by sol-gel and precipitation method for metronidazole antibiotic degradation.

    PubMed

    Agarwal, Shilpi; Tyagi, Inderjeet; Gupta, Vinod Kumar; Sohrabi, Maryam; Mohammadi, Sanaz; Golikand, Ahmad Nozad; Fakhri, Ali

    2017-01-01

    Sol-gel and precipitation reaction methods were used to synthesize Un-doped and Fe-doped SnO 2 /Co 3 O 4 nanocomposites under UV light; the synthesized nanocomposites were applied for the photocatalytic degradation of metronidazole antibiotic. The developed photo catalyst was well characterized using energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer (EDX), X-ray diffraction (XRD), vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), UV-Visible and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy. Effective parameters such as pH, photocatalyst dose and contact time was optimized and well investigated. From the obtained facts it is clear that the 98.3% of MTZ was degraded with in 15min, pH6 and 0.1g catalyst when the Fe molar ratio was 1:1 at %. As compared to results obtained from un-doped SnO 2 /Co 3 O 4 nanocomposites Fe doped SnO 2 /Co 3 O 4 nanocomposites possess greater photocatalytic efficiency. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  11. Surfactant modified SnO2 nanostructured thin film for improved sensing performance of LPG and ammonia

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kumari, K. Prasanna; Thomas, Boben

    2017-05-01

    SnO2 nanostructured thin films have been successfully synthesized by way of spray pyrolysis from surfactant added solution. The X-ray diffraction pattern discloses the tetragonal rutile phase of the deposited SnO2 films, which experience a grain size reduction from 35 nm to 19 nm, on the addition of PVP surfactant in precursor. Gas sensing investigations on the surfactant modified film show considerable LPG and NH3 response at a lower operating temperature of 150°C. Quick response (˜20s) and fast recovery (˜30s) are the main features of these sensors. The measurement of AC conductivity of the sample allows understanding the conduction mechanism and sensing action for to enhance the detection sensitivity greatly.

  12. Gas Sensing Properties of ZnO-SnO2 Nanostructures.

    PubMed

    Chen, Weigen; Li, Qianzhu; Xu, Lingna; Zeng, Wen

    2015-02-01

    One-dimensional (1D) semiconductor metal oxide nanostructures have attracted increasing attention in electrochemistry, optics, magnetic, and gas sensing fields for the good properties. N-type low dimensional semiconducting oxides such as SnO2 and ZnO have been known for the detection of inflammable or toxic gases. In this paper, we fabricated the ZnO-SnO2 and SnO2 nanoparticles by hydrothermal synthesis. Microstructure characterization was performed using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and surface morphologies for both the pristine and doped samples were observed using field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). Then we made thin film gas sensor to study the gas sensing properties of ZnO-SnO2 and SnO2 gas sensor to H2 and CO. A systematic comparison study reveals an enhanced gas sensing performance for the sensor made of SnO2 and ZnO toward H2 and CO over that of the commonly applied undecorated SnO2 nanoparticles. The improved gas sensing properties are attributed to the size of grains and pronounced electron transfer between the compound nanostructures and the absorbed oxygen species as well as to the heterojunctions of the ZnO nanoparticles to the SnO2 nanoparticles, which provide additional reaction rooms. The results represent an advance of compound nanostructures in further enhancing the functionality of gas sensors, and this facile method could be applicable to many sensing materials, offering a new avenue and direction to detect gases of interest based on composite tin oxide nanoparticles.

  13. Thermoelectric Properties of Self Assembled TiO2/SnO2 Nanocomposites

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Dynys, Fred; Sayir, Ali; Sehirlioglu, Alp

    2008-01-01

    Recent advances in improving efficiency of thermoelectric materials are linked to nanotechnology. Thermodynamically driven spinodal decomposition was utilized to synthesize bulk nanocomposites. TiO2/SnO2 system exhibits a large spinodal region, ranging from 15 to 85 mole % TiO2. The phase separated microstructures are stable up to 1400 C. Semiconducting TiO2/SnO2 powders were synthesized by solid state reaction between TiO2 and SnO2. High density samples were fabricated by pressureless sintering. Self assemble nanocomposites were achieved by annealing at 1000 to 1350 C. X-ray diffraction reveal phase separation of (Ti(x)Sn(1-x))O2 type phases. The TiO2/SnO2 nanocomposites exhibit n-type behavior; a power factor of 70 W/mK2 at 1000 C has been achieved with penta-valent doping. Seebeck, thermal conductivity, electrical resistivity and microstructure will be discussed in relation to composition and doping.

  14. Thermoelectric Properties of Self Assemble TiO2/SnO2 Nanocomposites

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Dynys, Fred; Sayir, Ali; Sehirlioglu, Alp

    2008-01-01

    Recent advances in improving efficiency of thermoelectric materials are linked to nanotechnology. Thermodynamically driven spinodal decomposition was utilized to synthesize bulk nanocomposites. TiO2/SnO2 system exhibits a large spinodal region, ranging from 15 to 85 mole % TiO2. The phase separated microstructures are stable up to 1400 C. Semiconducting TiO2/SnO2 powders were synthesized by solid state reaction between TiO2 and SnO2. High density samples were fabricated by pressureless sintering. Self assemble nanocomposites were achieved by annealing at 1000 to 1350 C. X-ray diffraction reveal phase separation of (Ti(x)Sn(1-x))O2 type phases. The TiO2/SnO2 nanocomposites exhibit n-type behavior; a power factor of 70 (mu)W/m sq K at 1000 C has been achieved with penta-valent doping. Seebeck, thermal conductivity, electrical resistivity and microstructure will be discussed in relation to composition and doping.

  15. Thermoelectric Properties in the TiO2/SnO2 System

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Dynys, F.; Sayir, A.; Sehirlioglu, A.; Berger, M.

    2009-01-01

    Nanotechnology has provided a new interest in thermoelectric technology. A thermodynamically driven process is one approach in achieving nanostructures in bulk materials. TiO2/SnO2 system exhibits a large spinodal region with exceptional stable phase separated microstructures up to 1400 C. Fabricated TiO2/SnO2 nanocomposites exhibit n-type behavior with Seebeck coefficients greater than -300 .V/K. Composites exhibit good thermal conductance in the range of 7 to 1 W/mK. Dopant additions have not achieved high electrical conductivity (<1000 S/m). Formation of oxygen deficient composites, TixSn1-xO2-y, can change the electrical conductivity by four orders of magnitude. Achieving higher thermoelectric ZT by oxygen deficiency is being explored. Seebeck coeffcient, thermal conductivity, electrical conductance and microstructure will be discussed in relation to composition and doping.

  16. SnO 2 nanowires decorated with forsythia-like TiO 2 for photoenergy conversion

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Park, Ik Jae; Park, Sangbaek; Kim, Dong Hoe

    Here, we report forsythia-like TiO 2-decorated SnO 2 nanowires on fluorine-doped SnO 2 electrode as a photoelectrode of dye-sensitized solar cells. When SnO 2 nanowires grown via vapor-liquid-solid reaction were soaked in TiCl 4 solution, leaf-shaped rutile TiO 2 was grown onto the surface of the nanowires. The TiO 2 decoration increases the short circuit current (J sc), open circuit voltage (V oc) and fill factor (FF) of dye-sensitized solar cells. Further, electron lifetime increased by employing an atomic-layer-deposited TiO 2 nanoshell between the TiO 2 leaves and the SnO 2 nanowire, due to preventing charge recombination at the nanowire/electrolytemore » interface.« less

  17. SnO 2 nanowires decorated with forsythia-like TiO 2 for photoenergy conversion

    DOE PAGES

    Park, Ik Jae; Park, Sangbaek; Kim, Dong Hoe; ...

    2017-05-17

    Here, we report forsythia-like TiO 2-decorated SnO 2 nanowires on fluorine-doped SnO 2 electrode as a photoelectrode of dye-sensitized solar cells. When SnO 2 nanowires grown via vapor-liquid-solid reaction were soaked in TiCl 4 solution, leaf-shaped rutile TiO 2 was grown onto the surface of the nanowires. The TiO 2 decoration increases the short circuit current (J sc), open circuit voltage (V oc) and fill factor (FF) of dye-sensitized solar cells. Further, electron lifetime increased by employing an atomic-layer-deposited TiO 2 nanoshell between the TiO 2 leaves and the SnO 2 nanowire, due to preventing charge recombination at the nanowire/electrolytemore » interface.« less

  18. Negative differential resistance and resistive switching in SnO2/ZnO interface

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pant, Rohit; Patel, Nagabhushan; Nanda, K. K.; Krupanidhi, S. B.

    2017-09-01

    We report a very stable negative differential resistance (NDR) and resistive switching (RS) behavior of highly transparent thin films of the SnO2/ZnO bilayer, deposited by magnetron sputtering. When this bilayer of SnO2/ZnO was annealed at temperatures above 400 °C, ZnO diffuses into SnO2 at the threading dislocations and gaps between the grain boundaries, leading to the formation of a ZnO nanostructure surrounded by SnO2. Such a configuration forms a resonant tunneling type structure with SnO2/ZnO/SnO2…….ZnO/SnO2 interface formation. Interestingly, the heterostructure exhibits a Gunn diode-like behavior and shows NDR and RS irrespective of the voltage sweep direction, which is the characteristic of unipolar devices. A threshold voltage of ˜1.68 V and a peak-to-valley ratio of current ˜2.5 are observed for an electrode separation of 2 mm, when the bias is swept from -5 V to +5 V. It was also observed that the threshold voltage can be tuned with changing distance between the electrodes. The device shows a very stable RS with a uniform ratio of about 3.4 between the high resistive state and the low resistive state. Overall, the results demonstrate the application of SnO2/ZnO bilayer thin films in transparent electronics.

  19. Highly uniform and vertically aligned SnO2 nanochannel arrays for photovoltaic applications

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kim, Jae-Yup; Kang, Jin Soo; Shin, Junyoung; Kim, Jin; Han, Seung-Joo; Park, Jongwoo; Min, Yo-Sep; Ko, Min Jae; Sung, Yung-Eun

    2015-04-01

    Nanostructured electrodes with vertical alignment have been considered ideal structures for electron transport and interfacial contact with redox electrolytes in photovoltaic devices. Here, we report large-scale vertically aligned SnO2 nanochannel arrays with uniform structures, without lateral cracks fabricated by a modified anodic oxidation process. In the modified process, ultrasonication is utilized to avoid formation of partial compact layers and lateral cracks in the SnO2 nanochannel arrays. Building on this breakthrough, we first demonstrate the photovoltaic application of these vertically aligned SnO2 nanochannel arrays. These vertically aligned arrays were directly and successfully applied in quasi-solid state dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) as photoanodes, yielding reasonable conversion efficiency under back-side illumination. In addition, a significantly short process time (330 s) for achieving the optimal thickness (7.0 μm) and direct utilization of the anodized electrodes enable a simple, rapid and low-cost fabrication process. Furthermore, a TiO2 shell layer was coated on the SnO2 nanochannel arrays by the atomic layer deposition (ALD) process for enhancement of dye-loading and prolonging the electron lifetime in the DSSC. Owing to the presence of the ALD TiO2 layer, the short-circuit photocurrent density (Jsc) and conversion efficiency were increased by 20% and 19%, respectively, compared to those of the DSSC without the ALD TiO2 layer. This study provides valuable insight into the development of efficient SnO2-based photoanodes for photovoltaic application by a simple and rapid fabrication process.Nanostructured electrodes with vertical alignment have been considered ideal structures for electron transport and interfacial contact with redox electrolytes in photovoltaic devices. Here, we report large-scale vertically aligned SnO2 nanochannel arrays with uniform structures, without lateral cracks fabricated by a modified anodic oxidation process

  20. Tuning magnetic properties of magnetoelectric BiFeO 3-NiFe 2O 4 nanostructures

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Crane, S. P.; Bihler, C.; Brandt, M. S.; Goennenwein, S. T. B.; Gajek, M.; Ramesh, R.

    2009-02-01

    Multifunctional thin film nanostructures containing soft magnetic materials such as nickel ferrite are interesting for potential applications in microwave signal processing because of the possibility to shrink the size of device architecture and limit device power consumption. An essential prerequisite to future applications of such a system is a firm understanding of its magnetic properties. We show that nanostructures composed of ferrimagnetic NiFe 2O 4 pillars in a multiferroic BiFeO 3 matrix can be tuned magnetically by altering the aspect ratio of the pillars by depositing films of varying thickness. Magnetic anisotropy is studied using ferromagnetic resonance, which shows that the uniaxial magnetic anisotropy in the growth direction changes sign upon increasing the film thickness. The magnitude of this anisotropy contribution can be explained via a combination of shape and magnetostatic effects, using the object-oriented micromagnetic framework (OOMMF). The key factors determining the magnetic properties of the films are shown to be the aspect ratio of individual pillars and magnetostatic interactions between neighboring pillars.

  1. Dopant controlled photoinduced hydrophilicity and photocatalytic activity of SnO2 thin films

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Talinungsang; Dhar Purkayastha, Debarun; Krishna, M. Ghanashyam

    2018-07-01

    The influence of Fe and Ni (1 wt.%) doping on the wettability and photocatalytic activity of sol-gel derived SnO2 films is reported. X-ray diffraction studies revealed the presence of tetragonal phase for both pure and doped SnO2 thin films. The crystallite size was of the order of 8 nm indicating the nanocrystalline nature of the films. The pure SnO2 films which were hydrophilic with a contact angle of 11.8° showed increase in contact angle with doping (38.7° for Fe and 48.6° for Ni). This is accompanied by decrease in surface energy and root mean square roughness, with doping of SnO2 film. In order to further increase the water contact angle, the film surfaces were modified using a layer of stearic acid. As a consequence, the water contact angles increased to 108°, 110° and 111° for the pure, Fe and Ni doped SnO2 films respectively, rendering them hydrophobic. Significantly, the unmodified surfaces that did not exhibit any change under UV irradiation showed photoinduced hydrophilicity on modification with stearic acid. There was a red-shift in the optical band gap of SnO2 films from 3.8 to 3.5 eV with doping, indicating the possibility of dopant controlled photocatalytic activity. This was confirmed by observing the photocatalytic degradation of an aqueous solution of methylene blue under UV irradiation. There was, indeed, significant improvement in the photocatalytic efficiency of the metal doped SnO2 thin film in comparison to undoped film. The current work, thus, demonstrates a simple method to chemically engineer the wettability and photocatalytic activity of SnO2 thin film surfaces.

  2. Preparation and catalytic activities of LaFeO3 and Fe2O3 for HMX thermal decomposition.

    PubMed

    Wei, Zhi-Xian; Xu, Yan-Qing; Liu, Hai-Yan; Hu, Chang-Wen

    2009-06-15

    Perovskite-type LaFeO(3) and alpha-Fe(2)O(3) with high specific surface areas were directly prepared with appropriate stearic acid-nitrates ratios by a novel stearic acid solution combustion method. The obtained powders were characterized by XRD, FT-IR and XPS techniques. The catalytic activities of perovskite-type LaFeO(3) and alpha-Fe(2)O(3) for the thermal decomposition of octahydro-1,3,5,7-tetranitro-1,3,5,7-tetrazocine (HMX) were investigated by TG and TG-EGA techniques. The experimental results show that the catalytic activity of perovskite-type LaFeO(3) was much higher than that of alpha-Fe(2)O(3) because of higher concentration of surface-adsorbed oxygen (O(ad)) and hydroxyl of LaFeO(3). The study points out a potential way to develop new and more active perovskite-type catalysts for the HMX thermal decomposition.

  3. Porous α-Fe2O3 nanostructures and their lithium storage properties as full cell configuration against LiFePO4

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Veluri, P. S.; Shaligram, A.; Mitra, S.

    2015-10-01

    A two step approach for synthesis of porous α-Fe2O3 nanostructures has been realized via polyol method by complexing iron oxalate with ethylene glycol. Crystalline Fe2O3 samples with different porosities are obtained by calcination of Fe-Ethylene glycol complex at various temperatures. The as-prepared porous Fe2O3 structures exhibit promising lithium storage performance at high current rates. It is observed that the calcination temperature and the resultant porosity have a significant effect on capacity and cycling stability. Samples calcined at high temperature (600 °C) demonstrates stable cycle life with capacity retention of 1077 mAh g-1 at 500 mA g-1 current rate after 50 charge-discharge cycles. Samples calcined at temperatures of 500 and 600 °C display stable cycle life and high rate capability with reversible capacity of 930 mAh g-1 and 688 mAh g-1 at 5 A g-1, respectively. Impregnation of electrodes with electrolyte before cell fabrication shows enhanced electrochemical performance. The viability of Fe2O3 porous nanostructures as prospective anode material examined against commercial LiFePO4 cathode shows promising electrochemical performance.

  4. Ultrahigh broadband photoresponse of SnO2 nanoparticle thin film/SiO2/p-Si heterojunction.

    PubMed

    Ling, Cuicui; Guo, Tianchao; Lu, Wenbo; Xiong, Ya; Zhu, Lei; Xue, Qingzhong

    2017-06-29

    The SnO 2 /Si heterojunction possesses a large band offset and it is easy to control the transportation of carriers in the SnO 2 /Si heterojunction to realize high-response broadband detection. Therefore, we investigated the potential of the SnO 2 nanoparticle thin film/SiO 2 /p-Si heterojunction for photodetectors. It is demonstrated that this heterojunction shows a stable, repeatable and broadband photoresponse from 365 nm to 980 nm. Meanwhile, the responsivity of the device approaches a high value in the range of 0.285-0.355 A W -1 with the outstanding detectivity of ∼2.66 × 10 12 cm H 1/2 W -1 and excellent sensitivity of ∼1.8 × 10 6 cm 2 W -1 , and its response and recovery times are extremely short (<0.1 s). This performance makes the device stand out among previously reported oxide or oxide/Si based photodetectors. In fact, the photosensitivity and detectivity of this heterojunction are an order of magnitude higher than that of 2D material based heterojunctions such as (Bi 2 Te 3 )/Si and MoS 2 /graphene (photosensitivity of 7.5 × 10 5 cm 2 W -1 and detectivity of ∼2.5 × 10 11 cm H 1/2 W -1 ). The excellent device performance is attributed to the large Fermi energy difference between the SnO 2 nanoparticle thin film and Si, SnO 2 nanostructure, oxygen vacancy defects and thin SiO 2 layer. Consequently, practical highly-responsive broadband PDs may be actualized in the future.

  5. Improve the catalytic activity of {alpha}-Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3} particles in decomposition of ammonium perchlorate by coating amorphous carbon on their surface

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Zhang Yifu; Liu Xinghai, E-mail: liuxh@whu.edu.c; Nie Jiaorong

    2011-02-15

    Sphere- and pod-like {alpha}-Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3} particles have been selectively synthesized using NH{sub 3}.H{sub 2}O and NaOH solution to adjust the pH value of the designed synthetic system, respectively. The sphere-like {alpha}-Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3} particles with diameter about 25 nm on average were encapsulated into carbon shells to fabricate a novel core-shell composite ({alpha}-Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3}-C) through the coating experiments. The catalytic performance of the products on the thermal decomposition of ammonium perchlorate (AP) was investigated by thermal gravimetric analyzer (TG) and differential thermal analysis (DTA). The thermal decomposition temperatures of AP in the presence of pod-like {alpha}-Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3},more » sphere-like {alpha}-Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3} and {alpha}-Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3}-C are reduced by 72, 81 and 109 {sup o}C, respectively, which show that {alpha}-Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3}-C core-shell composites have higher catalytic activity than that of {alpha}-Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3}. -- Graphical abstract: The catalytic performance of pod-like {alpha}-Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3}, sphere-like {alpha}-Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3} and {alpha}-Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3}-C on the thermal decomposition of ammonium perchlorate (AP). Display Omitted Research highlights: {yields} Sphere- and pod-like {alpha}-Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3} particles have been selectively synthesized using NH{sub 3}.H{sub 2}O and NaOH solution to adjust the pH value. {yields} A novel core-shell composite ({alpha}-Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3}-C core-shell structured composite) has been successfully synthesized using sphere-like {alpha}-Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3} particles as the cores and glucose as the source of carbon. {yields} The thermal decomposition temperatures of AP in the presence of pod-like {alpha}-Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3}, sphere-like {alpha}-Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3} and {alpha}-Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3}-C are reduced by 72, 81 and 109 {sup o}C, respectively, which shows that these materials have high catalytic activity.« less

  6. Stabilization of the high coercivity {epsilon}-Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3} phase in the CeO{sub 2}-Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3}/SiO{sub 2} nanocomposites

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Mantlikova, A., E-mail: mantlikova@fzu.cz; Poltierova Vejpravova, J.; Bittova, B.

    2012-07-15

    We have investigated the processes leading to the formation of the Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3} and CeO{sub 2} nanoparticles in the SiO{sub 2} matrix in order to stabilize the {epsilon}-Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3} as the major phase. The samples with two different concentrations of the Fe were prepared by sol-gel method, subsequently annealed at different temperatures up to 1100 Degree-Sign C, and characterized by the Moessbauer spectroscopy, Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), Powder X-ray Diffraction (PXRD), Energy Dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX) and magnetic measurements. The evolution of the different Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3} phases under various conditions of preparation was investigated, starting with themore » preferential appearance of the {gamma}-Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3} phase for the sample with low Fe concentration and low annealing temperature and stabilization of the major {epsilon}-Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3} phase for high Fe concentration and high annealing temperature, coexisting with the most stable {alpha}-Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3} phase. A continuous increase of the particle size of the CeO{sub 2} nanocrystals with increasing annealing temperature was also observed. - Graphical abstract: The graphical abstract displays the most important results of our work. The significant change of the phase composition due to the variation of preparation conditions is demonstrated. As a result, significant change of the magnetic properties from superparamagnetic {gamma}-Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3} phase with negligible coercivity to the high coercivity {epsilon}-Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3} phase has been observed. Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Research of the stabilization of the high coercivity {epsilon}-Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3} in CeO{sub 2}-Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3}/SiO{sub 2}. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Samples with two different concentrations of Fe and three annealing temperatures. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Phase transition {gamma}{yields}{epsilon}{yields}({beta}){yields}{alpha} with increasing annealing temperature

  7. Electrochemical synthesis and photoelectrochemical properties of grass-like nanostructured α-Fe2O3 photoanodes for use in solar water oxidation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hanedar, Yesim; Demir, Umit; Oznuluer, Tuba

    2016-10-01

    Grass-like nanostructured α-Fe2O3 photoelectrodes were prepared for the first time through a simple cathodic electrodeposition method from an oxygenated aqueous solution of Fe3+ at room temperature without using surfactant, capping agents or any other additives. The α-Fe2O3 electrodeposits were characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), UV-vis absorption and photoelectrochemical (PEC) techniques. The SEM and XRD results indicated that the as-deposited α-Fe2O3 are composed of single crystalline nanoleaves. The formation mechanisms of α-Fe2O3 have also been proposed based on a series of cyclic voltammetric and XPS studies. This new electrochemical method is expected to be a useful technique for the fabrication of single crystalline and photoactive α-Fe2O3 nanostructures directly onto the electrode surface, which is required in most applications, such as energy conversion and storage and sensors.

  8. The alcohol-sensing behaviour of SnO2 nanorods prepared by a facile solid state reaction

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gao, F.; Ren, X. P.; Wan, W. J.; Zhao, Y. P.; Li, Y. H.; Zhao, H. Y.

    2017-02-01

    SnO2 nanorods with the range of 12-85 nm in diameter were fabricated by a facile solid state reaction in the medium of NaCl-KCl mixture at room temperature and calcined at 600, 680, 760 and 840 oC, respectively. The XRD, TEM and XPS were employed to characterize the structure and morphology of the SnO2 nanorods. The influence of the calcination temperature on the gas sensing behaviour of the SnO2 nanorods with different diameter was investigated. The result showed that all the sensors had good response to alcohol. The response of the gracile nanorods prepared at a low calcined temperature demonstrated significantly better than the thick nanorods prepared at a high calcined temperature. The mechanism was attributed to the nonstoichiometric ratio of Sn/O and larger surface area of the gracile nanorods to enhance the oxygen surface adsorption.

  9. Behaviour of Fe4O5-Mg2Fe2O5 solid solutions and their relation to coexisting Mg-Fe silicates and oxide phases

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Uenver-Thiele, Laura; Woodland, Alan B.; Miyajima, Nobuyoshi; Ballaran, Tiziana Boffa; Frost, Daniel J.

    2018-03-01

    Experiments at high pressures and temperatures were carried out (1) to investigate the crystal-chemical behaviour of Fe4O5-Mg2Fe2O5 solid solutions and (2) to explore the phase relations involving (Mg,Fe)2Fe2O5 (denoted as O5-phase) and Mg-Fe silicates. Multi-anvil experiments were performed at 11-20 GPa and 1100-1600 °C using different starting compositions including two that were Si-bearing. In Si-free experiments the O5-phase coexists with Fe2O3, hp-(Mg,Fe)Fe2O4, (Mg,Fe)3Fe4O9 or an unquenchable phase of different stoichiometry. Si-bearing experiments yielded phase assemblages consisting of the O5-phase together with olivine, wadsleyite or ringwoodite, majoritic garnet or Fe3+-bearing phase B. However, (Mg,Fe)2Fe2O5 does not incorporate Si. Electron microprobe analyses revealed that phase B incorporates significant amounts of Fe2+ and Fe3+ (at least 1.0 cations Fe per formula unit). Fe-L2,3-edge energy-loss near-edge structure spectra confirm the presence of ferric iron [Fe3+/Fetot = 0.41(4)] and indicate substitution according to the following charge-balanced exchange: [4]Si4+ + [6]Mg2+ = 2Fe3+. The ability to accommodate Fe2+ and Fe3+ makes this potential "water-storing" mineral interesting since such substitutions should enlarge its stability field. The thermodynamic properties of Mg2Fe2O5 have been refined, yielding H°1bar,298 = - 1981.5 kJ mol- 1. Solid solution is complete across the Fe4O5-Mg2Fe2O5 binary. Molar volume decreases essentially linearly with increasing Mg content, consistent with ideal mixing behaviour. The partitioning of Mg and Fe2+ with silicates indicates that (Mg,Fe)2Fe2O5 has a strong preference for Fe2+. Modelling of partitioning with olivine is consistent with the O5-phase exhibiting ideal mixing behaviour. Mg-Fe2+ partitioning between (Mg,Fe)2Fe2O5 and ringwoodite or wadsleyite is influenced by the presence of Fe3+ and OH incorporation in the silicate phases.

  10. Critical Evaluations and Thermodynamic Optimizations of the MnO-Mn2O3-SiO2 and FeO-Fe2O3-MnO-Mn2O3-SiO2 Systems

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kang, Youn-Bae; Jung, In-Ho

    2017-06-01

    A critical evaluation and thermodynamic modeling for thermodynamic properties of all oxide phases and phase diagrams in the Fe-Mn-Si-O system (MnO-Mn2O3-SiO2 and FeO-Fe2O3-MnO-Mn2O3-SiO2 systems) are presented. Optimized Gibbs energy parameters for the thermodynamic models of the oxide phases were obtained which reproduce all available and reliable experimental data within error limits from 298 K (25°C) to above the liquidus temperatures at all compositions covering from known oxide phases, and oxygen partial pressure from metal saturation to 0.21 bar. The optimized thermodynamic properties and phase diagrams are believed to be the best estimates presently available. Slag (molten oxide) was modeled using the modified quasichemical model in the pair approximation. Olivine (Fe2SiO4-Mn2SiO4) was modeled using two-sublattice model in the framework of the compound energy formalism (CEF), while rhodonite (MnSiO3-FeSiO3) and braunite (Mn7SiO_{12} with excess Mn2O3) were modeled as simple Henrian solutions. It is shown that the already developed models and databases of two spinel phases (cubic- and tetragonal-(Fe, Mn)3O4) using CEF [Kang and Jung, J. Phys. Chem. Solids (2016), vol. 98, pp. 237-246] can successfully be integrated into a larger thermodynamic database to be used in practically important higher order system such as silicate. The database of the model parameters can be used along with a software for Gibbs energy minimization in order to calculate any type of phase diagram section and thermodynamic properties.

  11. Effect of size on structural, optical and magnetic properties of SnO2 nanoparticles

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Thamarai Selvi, E.; Meenakshi Sundar, S.

    2017-07-01

    Tin Oxide (SnO2) nanostructures were synthesized by a microwave oven assisted solvothermal method using with and without cetyl trimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB) capping agent. XRD confirmed the pure rutile-type tetragonal phase of SnO2 for both uncapped and capped samples. The presence of functional groups was analyzed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Scanning electron microscopy shows the morphology of the samples. Transmission electron microscopy images exposed the size of the SnO2 nanostructures. Surface defect-related g factor of SnO2 nanoparticles using fluorescence spectroscopy is shown. For both uncapped and capped samples, UV-visible spectrum shows a blue shift in absorption edge due to the quantum confinement effect. Defect-related bands were identified by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy. The magnetic properties were studied by using vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM). A high value of magnetic moment 0.023 emu g-1 at room temperature for uncapped SnO2 nanoparticles was observed. Capping with CTAB enhanced the saturation magnetic moment to high value of 0.081 emu g-1 by altering the electronic configuration on the surface.

  12. Simultaneous detection of morphine and codeine in urine samples of heroin addicts using multi-walled carbon nanotubes modified SnO2-Zn2SnO4 nanocomposites paste electrode

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Taei, M.; Hasanpour, F.; Hajhashemi, V.; Movahedi, M.; Baghlani, H.

    2016-02-01

    The SnO2-Zn2SnO4 nanocomposite was successfully prepared via a simple solid state method. Then, a chemically modified electrode based on incorporating SnO2-Zn2SnO4 into multi-walled carbon nanotube paste matrix (MWCNTs/SnO2-Zn2SnO4/CPE) was prepared for the simultaneous determination of morphine(MO) and codeine (CO). The measurements were carried out by application of differential pulse voltammetry (DPV), cyclic voltammetry, and chronoamperometry. The MWCNTs/SnO2-Zn2SnO4/CPE showed an efficient electrocatalytic activity for the oxidation of MO and CO. The separation of the oxidation peak potential for MO-CO was about 550 mV. The calibration curves obtained for MO and CO were in the ranges of 0.1-310 μmol L-1 and 0.1-600.0 μmol L-1, respectively. The detection limits (S/N = 3) were 0.009 μmol L-1 for both drugs. The method also successfully employed as a selective, simple, and precise method for the determination of MO and CO in pharmaceutical and biological samples.

  13. Multi-yolk-shell SnO2/Co3Sn2@C Nanocubes with High Initial Coulombic Efficiency and Oxygen Reutilization for Lithium Storage.

    PubMed

    Su, Liwei; Xu, Yawei; Xie, Jian; Wang, Lianbang; Wang, Yuanhao

    2016-12-28

    The challenging problems of SnO 2 anode material for lithium ion batteries are the poor electronic conductivity and the low oxygen reutilization due to the irreversibility of Li 2 O generated in the initial discharge leading to a theoretical initial Coulombic efficiency (ICE) of only 52.4%. Different from these strategies, this work proposes a novel strategy to level up the oxygen reutilization in SnO 2 by introducing Co 3 Sn 2 nanoalloys which can release Co atoms to reversibly react with Li 2 O instead. According to this protocol, multi-yolk-shell SnO 2 /Co 3 Sn 2 @C nanocubes are designed and successfully prepared using hollow CoSn(OH) 6 nanocubes as precursors followed a hydrothermal carbon coating and calcination treatment. The unique multi-yolk-shell nanostructure offers adequate breathing space for the volumetric deformation during long-term cycling. Moreover, the removal of Li 2 O allows a high electronic conductivity and resultant rate performance. As a result, the efficient reutilization of oxygen enables a high ICE of 71.7% and a reversible capacity of 1003 mA h g -1 after 200 cycles at 100 mA g -1 . Cyclic voltammetry, cycling performance at different voltage windows, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy confirm the proposed mechanism. This strategy employing oxygen-poor metals or alloys provides a novel approach to enhance the oxygen reutilization in SnO 2 for higher reversibility.

  14. Carbon-coated SnO2 nanotubes: template-engaged synthesis and their application in lithium-ion batteries

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wu, Ping; Du, Ning; Zhang, Hui; Yu, Jingxue; Qi, Yue; Yang, Deren

    2011-02-01

    This paper reports the synthesis of carbon-coated SnO2 (SnO2-C) nanotubes through a simple glucose hydrothermal and subsequent carbonization approach by using Sn nanorods as sacrificial templates. The as-synthesized SnO2-C nanotubes have been applied as anode materials for lithium-ion batteries, which exhibit improved cyclic performance compared to pure SnO2 nanotubes. The hollow nanostructure, together with the carbon matrix which has good buffering effect and high electronic conductivity, can be responsible for the improved cyclic performance.

  15. Selective Detection of Formaldehyde Gas Using a Cd-Doped TiO2-SnO2 Sensor

    PubMed Central

    Zeng, Wen; Liu, Tianmo; Wang, Zhongchang; Tsukimoto, Susumu; Saito, Mitsuhiro; Ikuhara, Yuichi

    2009-01-01

    We report the microstructure and gas-sensing properties of a nonequilibrium TiO2-SnO2 solid solution prepared by the sol-gel method. In particular, we focus on the effect of Cd doping on the sensing behavior of the TiO2-SnO2 sensor. Of all volatile organic compound gases examined, the sensor with Cd doping exhibits exclusive selectivity as well as high sensitivity to formaldehyde, a main harmful indoor gas. The key gas-sensing quantities, maximum sensitivity, optimal working temperature, and response and recovery time, are found to meet the basic industrial needs. This makes the Cd-doped TiO2-SnO2 composite a promising sensor material for detecting the formaldehyde gas. PMID:22291551

  16. Morphology-controlled construction of hierarchical hollow hybrid SnO2@TiO2 nanocapsules with outstanding lithium storage

    PubMed Central

    Zhou, Linzong; Guo, Hong; Li, Tingting; Chen, Weiwei; Liu, Lixiang; Qiao, Jinli; Zhang, Jiujun

    2015-01-01

    A novel synthesis containing microwave-assisted HCl etching reaction and precipitating reaction is employed to prepare hierarchical hollow SnO2@TiO2 nanocapsules for anode materials of Li-ion batteries. The intrinsic hollow nanostructure can shorten the lengths for both ionic and electronic transport, enlarge the electrode surface areas, and improving accommodation of the anode volume change during Li insertion/extraction cycling. The hybrid multi-elements in this material allow the volume change to take place in a stepwise manner during electrochemical cycling. In particular, the coating of TiO2 onto SnO2 can enhance the electronic conductivity of hollow SnO2 electrode. As a result, the as-prepared SnO2@TiO2 nanocapsule electrode exhibits a stably reversible capacity of 770 mA hg−1 at 1 C, and the capacity retention can keep over 96.1% after 200 cycles even at high current rates. This approach may shed light on a new avenue for the fast synthesis of hierarchical hollow nanocapsule functional materials for energy storage, catalyst and other new applications. PMID:26482415

  17. Flexible Fe2O3 and V2O5 nanofibers as binder-free electrodes for high-performance all-solid-state asymmetric supercapacitors.

    PubMed

    Jiang, He; Niu, Hao; Yang, Xue; Sun, Zhiqin; Li, Fuzhi; Wang, Qian; Qu, Fengyu

    2018-04-16

    Flexible highly porous Fe2O3 and V2O5 nanofibers are synthesized by a facile electrospinning method followed by calcination treatment and directly used as binder-free electrodes for high-performance supercapacitors. These Fe2O3 and V2O5 nanofibers interconnect with each other and construct three-dimensional hierarchical porous films with high specific surface area. Benefiting from the unique structural features, the intriguing binder-free Fe2O3 and V2O5 porous nanofiber electrodes possess high specific capacitance of 255 F g-1 and 256 F g-1 at 2 mV s-1 in 1 M Na2SO4 electrolyte, respectively. An all-solid-state asymmetric supercapacitor is fabricated using Fe2O3 and V2O5 nanofibers as negative and positive electrodes, respectively, and the all-solid-state asymmetric supercapacitor can be operated up to 1.8 V attributed to the wide and opposite potential window of both electrodes. The assembled all-solid-state asymmetric supercapacitor achieves a high energy density up to 32.2 Wh kg-1 at an average power density of 128.7 W kg-1 as well as excellent cycling stability and power capability. The effective and facile synthesis method and superior electrochemical performance provided in this work make electrospun Fe2O3 and V2O5 nanofibers promising electrode materials for high performance asymmetric supercapacitors. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  18. Highly Sensitive H2S Sensor Based on the Metal-Catalyzed SnO2 Nanocolumns Fabricated by Glancing Angle Deposition

    PubMed Central

    Yoo, Kwang Soo; Han, Soo Deok; Moon, Hi Gyu; Yoon, Seok-Jin; Kang, Chong-Yun

    2015-01-01

    As highly sensitive H2S gas sensors, Au- and Ag-catalyzed SnO2 thin films with morphology-controlled nanostructures were fabricated by using e-beam evaporation in combination with the glancing angle deposition (GAD) technique. After annealing at 500 °C for 40 h, the sensors showed a polycrystalline phase with a porous, tilted columnar nanostructure. The gas sensitivities (S = Rgas/Rair) of Au and Ag-catalyzed SnO2 sensors fabricated by the GAD process were 0.009 and 0.015, respectively, under 5 ppm H2S at 300 °C, and the 90% response time was approximately 5 s. These sensors showed excellent sensitivities compared with the SnO2 thin film sensors that were deposited normally (glancing angle = 0°, S = 0.48). PMID:26134105

  19. Evaluation of SnO2 for sunlight photocatalytic decontamination of water.

    PubMed

    Aslam, M; Qamar, M Tariq; Ali, Shahid; Rehman, Ateeq Ur; Soomro, M T; Ahmed, Ikram; Ismail, I M I; Hameed, A

    2018-07-01

    The broad bandgap tin (IV) oxide (SnO 2 ) is the least investigated semiconductor material for photocatalytic water decontamination in sunlight exposure. A detailed study covering the synthesis, characterization and the evaluation of photocatalytic activity of SnO 2 , in the natural sunlight exposure, is presented. The structural characterization by XRD revealed the formation of phase pure tetragonal SnO 2 with the average crystallite size of ∼41.5 nm whereas minor Sn 2+ states in the material were identified by XPS analysis. As explored by diffuse reflectance (DR) and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy, the material exhibited a distinct absorption edge at ∼3.4 eV. The morphological and microstructure analysis of the synthesized SnO 2 was carried out by FESEM and HRTEM. The electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and chronopotentiometry (CP) predicted the better charge transport and retention ability of the material under illumination whereas the Mott-Schottky extrapolation prophesied the n-type behavior with the flat-band potential of -0.60 V. The photocatalytic activity of SnO 2 was assessed in the exposure of complete spectrum natural sunlight for the removal of 2,4,6-trichlorophenol. The HPLC and TOC analysis monitored the progress of degradation and mineralization whereas the released chloride ions were evaluated by ion chromatography. The effect of the transition metal ions (Fe 3+ , Cu 2+ , Ni 2+, and Zn 2+ ) as electron capture agents and H 2 O 2 as ROS generator was explored during the degradation process. The utility of the material for the simultaneous removal of chlorophenols in the mixture was also investigated. The SnO 2 exhibited sustained activity in the repeated use. Based on experimental evidence congregated, the mechanism of the removal process and the efficacy of SnO 2 for sunlight photocatalytic decontamination of water was established. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  20. OPTICAL AND SPECTROSCOPIC STUDIES OF Fe2O3-Bi2O3-B2O3:V2O5 GLASSES

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sanjay; Kishore, N.; Agarwal, A.; Dahiya, S.; Pal, Inder; Kumar, Navin

    2013-11-01

    The glasses of compositions xFe2O3ṡ (40 - x)Bi2O3ṡ60B2O32V2O5 have been prepared by the standard melt-quenching technique. Amorphous nature of these samples is ascertained by XRD patterns. The presence of BO3 and BO4 units is identified by IR spectra of glass samples. The absorption edge (λcut-off) shifts toward longer wavelengths with an increase in Fe2O3 content in the glass matrix. The values of optical band gap energy for indirect allowed and forbidden transitions have been determined and it is found to decrease with increase in transition metal ions. The Urbach's energy is used to characterize the degree of disorder in amorphous solids.

  1. Interfacial characteristics and multiferroic properties of ion-doped BiFeO3/NiFe2O4 thin films

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Guo, Meiyou; Tan, Guoqiang; Zheng, Yujuan; Liu, Wenlong; Ren, Huijun; Xia, Ao

    2017-05-01

    Multi-ion doped BiFeO3/NiFe2O4 bilayered thin films were successfully prepared on fluorine-doped SnO2/glass (SnO2:F) substrates by sol-gel method. The crystalline structure, leakage current, interfacial characteristics, and multiferroic properties were investigated in detail. The results of Rietveld refinement showed that the structure of BSrSFMC layer is transformed from rhombohedral to tetragonal structure by the means of ion-doping. The difference of leakage current density of the BSrSFMC/NiFe2O4 (NFO) bilayered films of the -40 V to 40 V and 40 V to -40 V are 0.32 × 10-5 and 1.13 × 10-5 A/cm2, respectively. It was observed that there are obvious interface effects between BSrSFMC and NFO layers, which will cause the accumulation of space charges and the establishment of built-in internal electric field (EI) at the interface. Therefore, different EI directions will affect the dipoles reversal and migration of carriers in the BSrSFMC layer, which will result in different values of transient current with the same applied voltage in the opposite directions. The larger coercive field (Ec ˜ 750 kV/cm) of BSrSFMC/NFO film indicated that there is a tensile stress at the interface between BSrSFMC and NFO layers, making the polarization difficult. These results showed that the above interesting phenomena of the J-V are closely related to the interface effects between the layer of BiFeO3 and NiFe2O4.

  2. SnO2@C@VO2 Composite Hollow Nanospheres as an Anode Material for Lithium-Ion Batteries.

    PubMed

    Guo, Wenbin; Wang, Yong; Li, Qingyuan; Wang, Dongxia; Zhang, Fanchao; Yang, Yiqing; Yu, Yang

    2018-05-02

    Porous SnO 2 @C@VO 2 composite hollow nanospheres were ingeniously constructed through the combination of layer-by-layer deposition and redox reaction. Moreover, to optimize the electrochemical properties, SnO 2 @C@VO 2 composite hollow nanospheres with different contents of the external VO 2 were also studied. On the one hand, the elastic and conductive carbon as interlayer in the SnO 2 @C@VO 2 composite can not only buffer the huge volume variation during repetitive cycling but also effectively improve electronic conductivity and enhance the utilizing rate of SnO 2 and VO 2 with high theoretical capacity. On the other hand, hollow nanostructures of the composite can be consolidated by the multilayered nanocomponents, resulting in outstanding cyclic stability. In virtue of the above synergetic contribution from individual components, SnO 2 @C@VO 2 composite hollow nanospheres exhibit a large initial discharge capacity (1305.6 mAhg -1 ) and outstanding cyclic stability (765.1 mAhg -1 after 100 cycles). This design of composite hollow nanospheres may be extended to the synthesis of other nanomaterials for electrochemical energy storage.

  3. Fabrication of a transparent ultraviolet detector by using n-type Ga2O3 and p-type Ga-doped SnO2 core-shell nanowires.

    PubMed

    Hsu, Cheng-Liang; Lu, Ying-Ching

    2012-09-21

    This study investigates the feasibility of synthesizing high-density transparent Ga(2)O(3)/SnO(2):Ga core-shell nanowires on a sapphire substrate at 1000 °C by VLS. The doping Ga concentrations are 0.46, 1.07, 2.30 and 17.53 atomic%. The XRD spectrum and HR-TEM reveal Ga(2)O(3) and SnO(2) as having monoclinic and tetragonal rutile structures, respectively. Experimental results indicate that the XRD peak shift of SnO(2) to a larger angle increases with the increasing amount of Ga doping. According to the CL spectrum, SnO(2) and Ga(2)O(3) peak at approximately 528-568 nm and 422-424 nm, respectively. The maximum quantum efficiency of Ga(2)O(3)/SnO(2):Ga core-shell nanowires is around 0.362%. The UV light on-off current contrast ratio of Ga(2)O(3)/SnO(2):Ga core-shell nanowires is around 1066.7 at a bias of 5 V. Moreover, the dynamic response of Ga(2)O(3)/SnO(2):Ga core-shell nanowires has an on-off current contrast ratio of around 16. Furthermore, the Ga(2)O(3) region functions similar to a capacitor and continues to accumulate SnO(2):Ga excited electrons under UV light exposure.

  4. Chemical quenching of positronium in Fe 2O 3/Al 2O 3 catalysts

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Li, C.; Zhang, H. J.; Chen, Z. Q.

    2010-09-01

    Fe 2O 3/Al 2O 3 catalysts were prepared by solid state reaction method using α-Fe 2O 3 and γ-Al 2O 3 nano powders. The microstructure and surface properties of the catalyst were studied using positron lifetime and coincidence Doppler broadening annihilation radiation measurements. The positron lifetime spectrum shows four components. The two long lifetimes τ3 and τ4 are attributed to positronium annihilation in two types of pores distributed inside Al 2O 3 grain and between the grains, respectively. With increasing Fe 2O 3 content from 3 wt% to 40 wt%, the lifetime τ3 keeps nearly unchanged, while the longest lifetime τ4 shows decrease from 96 ns to 64 ns. Its intensity decreases drastically from 24% to less than 8%. The Doppler broadening S parameter shows also a continuous decrease. Further analysis of the Doppler broadening spectra reveals a decrease in the p-Ps intensity with increasing Fe 2O 3 content, which rules out the possibility of spin-conversion of positronium. Therefore the decrease of τ4 is most probably due to the chemical quenching reaction of positronium with Fe ions on the surface of the large pores.

  5. Highly Sensitive Nanostructured SnO2 Thin Films For Hydrogen Sensing

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Patil, L. A.; Shinde, M. D.; Bari, A. R.; Deo, V. V.

    2010-10-01

    Nanostructured SnO2 thin films were prepared by ultrasonic spray pyrolysis technique. Aqueous solution (0.05 M) of SnCl4ṡ5H2O in double distilled water was chosen as the starting solution for the preparation of the films. The stock solution was delivered to nozzle with constant and uniform flow rate of 70 ml/h by Syringe pump SK5001. Sono-tek spray nozzle, driven by ultrasonic frequency of 120 kHz, converts the solution into fine spray. The aerosol produced by nozzle was sprayed on glass substrate heated at 150 °C. The sensing performance of the films was tested for various gases such as LPG, hydrogen, ethanol, carbon dioxide and ammonia. The sensor (30 min) showed high gas response (S = 3040 at 350 °C) on exposure of 1000 ppm of hydrogen and high selectivity against other gases. Its response time was short (2 s) and recovery was also fast (12 s). To understand reasons behind this uncommon gas sensing performance of the films, their structural, microstructural, and optical properties were studied using X-ray diffraction, electron microscopy (SEM and TEM) respectively. The results are interpreted

  6. Highly efficient and recyclable triple-shelled Ag@Fe3O4@SiO2@TiO2 photocatalysts for degradation of organic pollutants and reduction of hexavalent chromium ions

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Su, Jianwei; Zhang, Yunxia; Xu, Sichao; Wang, Shuan; Ding, Hualin; Pan, Shusheng; Wang, Guozhong; Li, Guanghai; Zhao, Huijun

    2014-04-01

    Herein, we demonstrate the design and fabrication of the well-defined triple-shelled Ag@Fe3O4@SiO2@TiO2 nanospheres with burr-shaped hierarchical structures, in which the multiple distinct functional components are integrated wonderfully into a single nanostructure. In comparison with commercial TiO2 (P25), pure TiO2 microspheres, Fe3O4@SiO2@TiO2 and annealed Ag@Fe3O4@SiO2@TiO2 nanocomposites, the as-obtained amorphous triple-shelled Ag@Fe3O4@SiO2@TiO2 hierarchical nanospheres exhibit a markedly enhanced visible light or sunlight photocatalytic activity towards the photodegradation of methylene blue and photoreduction of hexavalent chromium ions in wastewater. The outstanding photocatalytic activities of the plasmonic photocatalyst are mainly due to the enhanced light harvesting, reduced transport paths for both mass and charge transport, reduced recombination probability of photogenerated electrons/holes, near field electromagnetic enhancement and efficient scattering from the plasmonic nanostructure, increased surface-to-volume ratio and active sites in three dimensional (3D) hierarchical porous nanostructures, and improved photo/chemical stability. More importantly, the hierarchical nanostructured Ag@Fe3O4@SiO2@TiO2 photocatalysts could be easily collected and separated by applying an external magnetic field and reused at least five times without any appreciable reduction in photocatalytic efficiency. The enhanced photocatalytic activity and excellent chemical stability, in combination with the magnetic recyclability, make these multifunctional nanostructures promising candidates to remediate aquatic contaminants and meet the demands of future environmental issues.Herein, we demonstrate the design and fabrication of the well-defined triple-shelled Ag@Fe3O4@SiO2@TiO2 nanospheres with burr-shaped hierarchical structures, in which the multiple distinct functional components are integrated wonderfully into a single nanostructure. In comparison with commercial TiO2

  7. Sensing mechanism of SnO2/ZnO nanofibers for CH3OH sensors: heterojunction effects

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tang, Wei

    2017-11-01

    SnO2/ZnO composite nanofibers were synthesized by a simple electrospinning method. The prepared SnO2/ZnO gas sensors exhibited good linear and high response to methanol. The enhanced sensing behavior of SnO2/ZnO might be associated with the homotypic heterojunction effects formed in n-SnO2/n-ZnO nanograins boundaries. In addition, the possible sensing mechanisms of methanol on SnO2/ZnO surface were investigated by density functional theory in order to make the methanol adsorption and desorption process clear. Zn doped SnO2 model was adopted to approximate the SnO2/ZnO structure because of the calculation power limitations. Calculation results showed that when exposed to methanol, the methanol would react with bridge oxygen O2c , planar O3c and pre adsorbed oxygen vacancy on the lattice surface. The -CH3 and -OH of methanol molecule would both lose one H atom. The lost H atoms bonded with oxygen at the adsorption sites. The final products were HCHO and H2O. Electrons were transferred from methanol to the lattice surface to reduce the resistance of semiconductor gas sensitive materials, which is in agreement with the experimental phenomena. More adsorption models of other interfering gases, such as ethanol, formaldehyde and acetone will be built and calculated to explain the selectivity issue from the perspective of adsorption energy, transferred charge and density of states in the future work.

  8. Incorporation of Mg and Ca into nanostructured Fe2O3 improves Fe solubility in dilute acid and sensory characteristics in foods.

    PubMed

    Hilty, Florentine M; Knijnenburg, Jesper T N; Teleki, Alexandra; Krumeich, Frank; Hurrell, Richard F; Pratsinis, Sotiris E; Zimmermann, Michael B

    2011-01-01

    Iron deficiency is one of the most common micronutrient deficiencies worldwide. Food fortification can be an effective and sustainable strategy to reduce Fe deficiency but selection of iron fortificants remains a challenge. Water-soluble compounds, for example, FeSO(4), usually demonstrate high bioavailability but they often cause unacceptable sensory changes in foods. On the other hand, poorly acid-soluble Fe compounds, for example FePO(4), may cause fewer adverse sensory changes in foods but are usually not well bioavailable since they need to be dissolved in the stomach prior to absorption. The solubility and the bioavailability of poorly acid-soluble Fe compounds can be improved by decreasing their primary particle size and thereby increasing their specific surface area. Here, Fe oxide-based nanostructured compounds with added Mg or Ca were produced by scalable flame aerosol technology. The compounds were characterized by nitrogen adsorption, X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, and Fe solubility in dilute acid. Sensory properties of the Fe-based compounds were tested in 2 highly reactive, polyphenol-rich food matrices: chocolate milk and fruit yoghurt. The Fe solubility of nanostructured Fe(2)O(3) doped with Mg or Ca was higher than that of pure Fe(2)O(3). Since good solubility in dilute acid was obtained despite the inhomogeneity of the powders, inexpensive precursors, for example Fe- and Ca-nitrates, can be used for their manufacture. Adding Mg or Ca lightened powder color, while sensory changes when added to foods were less pronounced than for FeSO(4). The combination of high Fe solubility and low reactivity in foods makes these flame-made nanostructured compounds promising for food fortification. Practical Application: The nanostructured iron-containing compounds presented here may prove useful for iron fortification of certain foods; they are highly soluble in dilute acid and likely to be well absorbed in the gut but cause less severe

  9. Designed hybrid nanostructure with catalytic effect: beyond the theoretical capacity of SnO2 anode material for lithium ion batteries

    PubMed Central

    Wang, Ye; Huang, Zhi Xiang; Shi, Yumeng; Wong, Jen It; Ding, Meng; Yang, Hui Ying

    2015-01-01

    Transition metal cobalt (Co) nanoparticle was designed as catalyst to promote the conversion reaction of Sn to SnO2 during the delithiation process which is deemed as an irreversible reaction. The designed nanocomposite, named as SnO2/Co3O4/reduced-graphene-oxide (rGO), was synthesized by a simple two-step method composed of hydrothermal (1st step) and solvothermal (2nd step) synthesis processes. Compared to the pristine SnO2/rGO and SnO2/Co3O4 electrodes, SnO2/Co3O4/rGO nanocomposites exhibit significantly enhanced electrochemical performance as the anode material of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). The SnO2/Co3O4/rGO nanocomposites can deliver high specific capacities of 1038 and 712 mAh g−1 at the current densities of 100 and 1000 mA g−1, respectively. In addition, the SnO2/Co3O4/rGO nanocomposites also exhibit 641 mAh g−1 at a high current density of 1000 mA g−1 after 900 cycles, indicating an ultra-long cycling stability under high current density. Through ex-situ TEM analysis, the excellent electrochemical performance was attributed to the catalytic effect of Co nanoparticles to promote the conversion of Sn to SnO2 and the decomposition of Li2O during the delithiation process. Based on the results, herein we propose a new method in employing the catalyst to increase the capacity of alloying-dealloying type anode material to beyond its theoretical value and enhance the electrochemical performance. PMID:25776280

  10. Hydrothermal synthesis of hierarchical CoO/SnO2 nanostructures for ethanol gas sensor.

    PubMed

    Wang, Qingji; Kou, Xueying; Liu, Chang; Zhao, Lianjing; Lin, Tingting; Liu, Fangmeng; Yang, Xueli; Lin, Jun; Lu, Geyu

    2018-03-01

    In this work, ethanol gas sensor with high performance was fabricated successfully with hierarchical CoO/SnO 2 heterojunction by two-steps hydrothermal method. The response value of CoO/SnO 2 sensor is up to 145 at 250 °C when exposed to 100 ppm ethanol gas, which is much higher than that (13.5) of SnO 2 sensor. These good sensing performances mainly attribute to the formation of the CoO/SnO 2 heterojunction, which makes great variation of resistance in air and ethanol gas. Thus, the combination of n-type SnO 2 and p-type CoO provides an effective strategy to design new ethanol gas sensors. The unique nanostructure also played an important role in detecting ethanol, due to its contribution in facilitating the transport rate of the ethanol gas molecules. Also, we provide a general two-step strategy for designing the heterojunction based on the SnO 2 nanostructure. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  11. Aerosol assisted chemical vapour deposition of gas sensitive SnO2 and Au-functionalised SnO2 nanorods via a non-catalysed vapour solid (VS) mechanism

    PubMed Central

    Vallejos, Stella; Selina, Soultana; Annanouch, Fatima Ezahra; Gràcia, Isabel; Llobet, Eduard; Blackman, Chris

    2016-01-01

    Tin oxide nanorods (NRs) are vapour synthesised at relatively lower temperatures than previously reported and without the need for substrate pre-treatment, via a vapour-solid mechanism enabled using an aerosol-assisted chemical vapour deposition method. Results demonstrate that the growth of SnO2 NRs is promoted by a compression of the nucleation rate parallel to the substrate and a decrease of the energy barrier for growth perpendicular to the substrate, which are controlled via the deposition conditions. This method provides both single-step formation of the SnO2 NRs and their integration with silicon micromachined platforms, but also allows for in-situ functionalization of the NRs with gold nanoparticles via co-deposition with a gold precursor. The functional properties are demonstrated for gas sensing, with microsensors using functionalised NRs demonstrating enhanced sensing properties towards H2 compared to those based on non-functionalised NRs. PMID:27334232

  12. A Nanocrystalline Fe2O3 Film Anode Prepared by Pulsed Laser Deposition for Lithium-Ion Batteries

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Teng, Xiaoling; Qin, Youzhi; Wang, Xia; Li, Hongsen; Shang, Xiantao; Fan, Shuting; Li, Qiang; Xu, Jie; Cao, Derang; Li, Shandong

    2018-02-01

    Nanocrystalline Fe2O3 thin films are deposited directly on the conduct substrates by pulsed laser deposition as anode materials for lithium-ion batteries. We demonstrate the well-designed Fe2O3 film electrodes are capable of excellent high-rate performance (510 mAh g- 1 at high current density of 15,000 mA g- 1) and superior cycling stability (905 mAh g- 1 at 100 mA g- 1 after 200 cycles), which are among the best reported state-of-the-art Fe2O3 anode materials. The outstanding lithium storage performances of the as-synthesized nanocrystalline Fe2O3 film are attributed to the advanced nanostructured architecture, which not only provides fast kinetics by the shortened lithium-ion diffusion lengths but also prolongs cycling life by preventing nanosized Fe2O3 particle agglomeration. The electrochemical performance results suggest that this novel Fe2O3 thin film is a promising anode material for all-solid-state thin film batteries.

  13. Novel microwave-assisted synthesis of porous g-C3N4/SnO2 nanocomposite for solar water-splitting

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Seza, A.; Soleimani, F.; Naseri, N.; Soltaninejad, M.; Montazeri, S. M.; Sadrnezhaad, S. K.; Mohammadi, M. R.; Moghadam, H. Asgari; Forouzandeh, M.; Amin, M. H.

    2018-05-01

    Highly porous nanocomposites of graphitic-carbon nitride and tin oxide (g-C3N4/SnO2) were prepared through simple pyrolysis of urea molecules under microwave irradiation. The initial amount of tin was varied in order to investigate the effect of SnO2 content on preparation and properties of the composites. The synthesized nanocomposites were well-characterized by XRD, FE-SEM, HR-TEM, BET, FTIR, XPS, DRS, and PL. A homogeneous distribution of SnO2 nanoparticles with the size of less than 10 nm on the porous C3N4 sheets could be obtained, suggesting that in-situ synthesis of SnO2 nanoparticles was responsible for the formation of g-C3N4. The process likely occurred by the aid of the large amounts of OH groups formed on the surfaces of SnO2 nanoparticles during the polycondensation reactions of tin derivatives which could facilitate the pyrolysis of urea to carbon nitride. The porous nanocomposite prepared with initial tin amount of 0.175 g had high specific surface area of 195 m2 g-1 which showed high efficiency photoelectrochemical water-splitting ability. A maximum photocurrent density of 33 μA cm-2 was achieved at an applied potential of 0.5 V when testing this nanocomposite as photo-anode in water-splitting reactions under simulated visible light irradiation, introducing it as a promising visible light photoactive material.

  14. Novel flame synthesis of nanostructured α-Fe2O3 electrode as high-performance anode for lithium ion batteries

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wang, Yang; Roller, Justin; Maric, Radenka

    2018-02-01

    Nanostructured electrodes have significant potential for enhancing the kinetics of lithium storage in secondary batteries. A simple and economical manufacturing approach of these electrodes is crucial to the development and application of the next generation lithium ion (Li-ion) batteries. In this study, nanostructured α-Fe2O3 electrode is fabricated by a novel one-step flame combustion synthesis method, namely Reactive Spray Deposition Technology (RSDT). This process possesses the merits of simplicity and low cost. The structure and morphology of the electrode are investigated with X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Electrochemical performance of the nanostructured α-Fe2O3 electrodes as the anodes for Li-ion batteries is evaluated by cyclic voltammetry, galvanostatic charge/discharge and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy in coin-type half-cells. The as-prepared electrodes demonstrate superior cyclic performance at high current rate, which delivers a high reversible capacity of 1239.2 mAh g-1 at 1 C after 500 cycles. In addition, a discharge capacity of 513.3 mAh g-1 can be achieved at 10 C.

  15. Highly mesoporous α-Fe2O3 nanostructures: preparation, characterization and improved photocatalytic performance towards Rhodamine B (RhB)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bharathi, S.; Nataraj, D.; Mangalaraj, D.; Masuda, Y.; Senthil, K.; Yong, K.

    2010-01-01

    Single-crystalline porous hematite nanorods and spindle-like nanostructures were successfully synthesized by a low temperature reflux condensation method. Two different iron sources, namely, FeCl3·6H2O and Fe(NO3)3·9H2O, were hydrolyzed in the presence of urea to selectively prepare nanorods and spindle-like nanostructures. Initially, the akagenite phase was obtained by refluxing the precursor for 12 h and then the as-prepared akagenite nanostructures were transformed to porous hematite nanostructures upon calcination at 300 °C for 1 h. The shape and the aspect ratio of the 12 h refluxed sample was retained even after calcination and this shows the topotactic transformation of the nanostructure. TEM and HRTEM investigations have shown the porous nature of the prepared sample. Brunauer-Emmett-Teller and Barret-Joyner-Halenda measurements have shown a large surface area and distribution of mesopores in the nanorods sample. The photocatalytic activity of the prepared nanostructures towards RhB has reflected this variation in the pore size distribution and specific surface area, by showing a higher activity for the nanorods sample. Magnetic studies by VSM have shown a weak ferromagnetic behaviour in both the samples due to shape anisotropy.

  16. CO2 Sensors Based on Nanocrystalline SnO2 Doped with CuO

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Xu, Jennifer C.; Hunter, Gary W.; Liu, Chung Chiun; Ward, Benjamin J.

    2008-01-01

    Nanocrystalline tin oxide (SnO2) doped with copper oxide (CuO) has been found to be useful as an electrical-resistance sensory material for measuring the concentration of carbon dioxide in air. SnO2 is an n-type semiconductor that has been widely used as a sensing material for detecting such reducing gases as carbon monoxide, some of the nitrogen oxides, and hydrocarbons. Without doping, SnO2 usually does not respond to carbon dioxide and other stable gases. The discovery that the electrical resistance of CuO-doped SnO2 varies significantly with the concentration of CO2 creates opportunities for the development of relatively inexpensive CO2 sensors for detecting fires and monitoring atmospheric conditions. This discovery could also lead to research that could alter fundamental knowledge of SnO2 as a sensing material, perhaps leading to the development of SnO2-based sensing materials for measuring concentrations of oxidizing gases. Prototype CO2 sensors based on CuO-doped SnO2 have been fabricated by means of semiconductor-microfabrication and sol-gel nanomaterial-synthesis batch processes that are amendable to inexpensive implementation in mass production.

  17. Solvent-Free Synthesis of Uniform MOF Shell-Derived Carbon Confined SnO2 /Co Nanocubes for Highly Reversible Lithium Storage.

    PubMed

    He, Qiu; Liu, Jinshuai; Li, Zhaohuai; Li, Qi; Xu, Lin; Zhang, Baoxuan; Meng, Jiashen; Wu, Yuzhu; Mai, Liqiang

    2017-10-01

    Tin dioxide (SnO 2 ) has attracted much attention in lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) due to its abundant source, low cost, and high theoretical capacity. However, the large volume variation, irreversible conversion reaction limit its further practical application in next-generation LIBs. Here, a novel solvent-free approach to construct uniform metal-organic framework (MOF) shell-derived carbon confined SnO 2 /Co (SnO 2 /Co@C) nanocubes via a two-step heat treatment is developed. In particular, MOF-coated CoSnO 3 hollow nanocubes are for the first time synthesized as the intermediate product by an extremely simple thermal solid-phase reaction, which is further developed as a general strategy to successfully obtain other uniform MOF-coated metal oxides. The as-synthesized SnO 2 /Co@C nanocubes, when tested as LIB anodes, exhibit a highly reversible discharge capacity of 800 mAh g -1 after 100 cycles at 200 mA g -1 and excellent cycling stability with a retained capacity of 400 mAh g -1 after 1800 cycles at 5 A g -1 . The experimental analyses demonstrate that these excellent performances are mainly ascribed to the delicate structure and a synergistic effect between Co and SnO 2 . This facile synthetic approach will greatly contribute to the development of functional metal oxide-based and MOF-assisted nanostructures in many frontier applications. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  18. Morphology-modulation of SnO2 Hierarchical Architectures by Zn Doping for Glycol Gas Sensing and Photocatalytic Applications

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhao, Qinqin; Ju, Dianxing; Deng, Xiaolong; Huang, Jinzhao; Cao, Bingqiang; Xu, Xijin

    2015-01-01

    The morphology of SnO2 nanospheres was transformed into ultrathin nanosheets assembled architectures after Zn doping by one-step hydrothermal route. The as-prepared samples were characterized in detail by various analytical techniques including scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and nitrogen adsorption-desorption technique. The Zn-doped SnO2 nanostructures proved to be the efficient gas sensing materials for a series of flammable and explosive gases detection, and photocatalysts for the degradation of methyl orange (MO) under UV irradiation. It was observed that both of the undoped and Zn-doped SnO2 after calcination exhibited tremendous gas sensing performance toward glycol. The response (S = Ra/Rg) of Zn-doped SnO2 can reach to 90 when the glycol concentration is 100 ppm, which is about 2 times and 3 times higher than that of undoped SnO2 sensor with and without calcinations, respectively. The result of photocatalytic activities demonstrated that MO dye was almost completely degraded (~92%) by Zn-doped SnO2 in 150 min, which is higher than that of others (MO without photocatalyst was 23%, undoped SnO2 without and with calcination were 55% and 75%, respectively).

  19. Morphology-modulation of SnO2 Hierarchical Architectures by Zn Doping for Glycol Gas Sensing and Photocatalytic Applications

    PubMed Central

    Zhao, Qinqin; Ju, Dianxing; Deng, Xiaolong; Huang, Jinzhao; Cao, Bingqiang; Xu, Xijin

    2015-01-01

    The morphology of SnO2 nanospheres was transformed into ultrathin nanosheets assembled architectures after Zn doping by one-step hydrothermal route. The as-prepared samples were characterized in detail by various analytical techniques including scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and nitrogen adsorption-desorption technique. The Zn-doped SnO2 nanostructures proved to be the efficient gas sensing materials for a series of flammable and explosive gases detection, and photocatalysts for the degradation of methyl orange (MO) under UV irradiation. It was observed that both of the undoped and Zn-doped SnO2 after calcination exhibited tremendous gas sensing performance toward glycol. The response (S = Ra/Rg) of Zn-doped SnO2 can reach to 90 when the glycol concentration is 100 ppm, which is about 2 times and 3 times higher than that of undoped SnO2 sensor with and without calcinations, respectively. The result of photocatalytic activities demonstrated that MO dye was almost completely degraded (~92%) by Zn-doped SnO2 in 150 min, which is higher than that of others (MO without photocatalyst was 23%, undoped SnO2 without and with calcination were 55% and 75%, respectively). PMID:25597269

  20. Syntheses, crystal structures, and magnetic properties of the oxalato-bridged mixed-valence complexes (FeII(bpm)3]2[FeIII2(ox)5].8H2O and FeII(bpm)3Na(H2O)2Fe(ox)(3).4H2O (bpm = 2,2'-bipyrimidine).

    PubMed

    Armentano, D; De Munno, G; Faus, J; Lloret, F; Julve, M

    2001-02-12

    The preparation and crystal structures of two oxalato-bridged FeII-FeIII mixed-valence compounds, [FeII(bpm)3]2[FeIII2(ox)5].8H2O (1) and FeII(bpm)3Na(H2O)2FeIII(ox)(3).4H2O (2) (bpm = 2,2'-bipyrimidine; ox = oxalate dianion) are reported here. Complex 1 crystallizes in the triclinic system, space group P1, with a = 10.998(2) A, b = 13.073(3) A, c = 13.308(3) A, alpha = 101.95(2) degrees, beta = 109.20(2) degrees, gamma = 99.89(2) degrees, and Z = 1. Complex 2 crystallizes in the monoclinic system, space group P2(1)/c, with a = 12.609(2) A, b = 19.670(5) A, c = 15.843(3) A, beta = 99.46(1) degrees, and Z = 4. The structure of complex 1 consists of centrosymmetric oxalato-bridged dinuclear high-spin iron(III) [Fe2(ox)5]2- anions, tris-chelated low-spin iron(II) [Fe(bpm)3]2+ cations, and lattice water molecules. The iron atoms are hexacoordinated: six oxygen atoms (iron(III)) from two bidentate and one bisbidentate oxalato ligands and six nitrogen atoms (iron(II)) from three bidentate bpm groups. The Fe(III)-O(ox) and Fe(II)-N(bpm) bond distances vary in the ranges 1.967(3)-2.099(3) and 1.967(4)-1.995(3) A, respectively. The iron(III)-iron(III) separation across the bridging oxalato is 5.449(2) A, whereas the shortest intermolecular iron(III)-iron(II) distance is 6.841(2) A. The structure of complex 2 consists of neutral heterotrinuclear Fe(bpm)2Na(H2O)2Fe(ox)3 units and water molecules of crystallization. The tris-chelated low-spin iron(II) ([Fe(bpm)3]2+) and high-spin iron(III) ([Fe(ox)3]3-) entities act as bidentate ligands (through two bpm-nitrogen and two oxalato-oxygen atoms, respectively) toward the univalent sodium cation, yielding the trinuclear (bpm)2Fe(II)-bpm-Na(I)-ox-Fe(III)(ox)2 complex. Two cis-coordinated water molecules complete the distorted octahedral surrounding of the sodium atom. The ranges of the Fe(II)-N(bpm) and Fe(III)-O(ox) bond distances [1.968(6)-1.993(5) and 1.992(6)-2.024(6) A, respectively] compare well with those observed in 1. The Na

  1. Synthesis and properties of Li2SnO3/polyaniline nanocomposites as negative electrode material for lithium-ion batteries

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wang, Qiufen; Huang, Ying; Miao, Juan; Zhao, Yang; Wang, Yan

    2012-10-01

    The nanocomposites Li2SnO3/polyaniline (Li2SnO3/PANI) have been synthesized by a micro emulsion polymerization method. The structure, morphology and electrochemical properties of the as-prepared materials are characterized by XRD, FTIR, Raman, XPS, TGA, TEM and electrochemical measurements. Results show that Li2SnO3/PANI nanocomposites are composed of uniform and blocky nano-sized particles (40-50 nm) with clear lattice fringes. Electrochemical measurement suggests that Li2SnO3/PANI exhibits better cycling properties and lower initial irreversible capacities than Li2SnO3 as negative electrodes materials for lithium-ion batteries. At a current density of 60 mA g-1 in the voltage about 0.05-2.0 V, the initial irreversible capacity of Li2SnO3/PANI is 563 mAh g-1 while it is 687.5 mAh g-1 to Li2SnO3. The capacity retained of Li2SnO3/PANI (569.2 mAh g-1) is higher than that of Li2SnO3 (510.2 mAh g-1) after 50 cycles. The PANI in the Li2SnO3/PANI nanocomposites can buffer the released stress caused by the drastic volume variation during the alloying/de-alloying process of Li-Sn.

  2. Atomic layer deposition and properties of ZrO2/Fe2O3 thin films

    PubMed Central

    Seemen, Helina; Ritslaid, Peeter; Rähn, Mihkel; Tamm, Aile; Kukli, Kaupo; Kasikov, Aarne; Link, Joosep; Stern, Raivo; Dueñas, Salvador; Castán, Helena; García, Héctor

    2018-01-01

    Thin solid films consisting of ZrO2 and Fe2O3 were grown by atomic layer deposition (ALD) at 400 °C. Metastable phases of ZrO2 were stabilized by Fe2O3 doping. The number of alternating ZrO2 and Fe2O3 deposition cycles were varied in order to achieve films with different cation ratios. The influence of annealing on the composition and structure of the thin films was investigated. Additionally, the influence of composition and structure on electrical and magnetic properties was studied. Several samples exhibited a measurable saturation magnetization and most of the samples exhibited a charge polarization. Both phenomena were observed in the sample with a Zr/Fe atomic ratio of 2.0. PMID:29441257

  3. One-step facile hydrothermal synthesis of Fe2O3@LiCoO2 composite as excellent supercapacitor electrode materials

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gopi, Chandu V. V. Muralee; Somasekha, A.; Reddy, Araveeti Eswar; Kim, Soo-Kyoung; Kim, Hee-Je

    2018-03-01

    Herein, for the first time, we demonstrate the fabrication of Fe2O3@LiCoO2 hybrid nanostructures on Ni foam substrate by facile one-step hydrothermal technique. Morphological studies reveal that aggregated Fe2O3 nanoflakes anchored on the surface of sphere-like LiCoO2 nanoflakes. Electrochemical studies are used to examine the performance of the supercapacitor electrodes. The composite Fe2O3@LiCoO2 electrode exhibited excellent electrochemical performance than Fe2O3 and LiCoO2 electrodes, such as a low charge transfer resistance, a high specific capacitance of 489 F g-1 at 5 mA cm-2 and an enhanced capacity retention of 108% over 3000 cycles at 15 mA cm-2. The composite Fe2O3@LiCoO2 holds great promise for electrochemical applications due to well-defined hierarchical morphology, synergetic effect of Fe2O3 and LiCoO2, enhanced electrical conductivity, efficient electrolyte penetration and fast electron transfer.

  4. The Bi{sub 2}O{sub 3}–Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3}–Sb{sub 2}O{sub 5} system phase diagram refinement, Bi{sub 3}FeSb{sub 2}O{sub 11} structure peculiarities and magnetic properties

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Egorysheva, A.V., E-mail: anna_egorysheva@rambler.ru; Ellert, O.G.; Gajtko, O.M.

    2015-05-15

    The refinement of the Bi{sub 2}O{sub 3}–Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3}–Sb{sub 2}O{sub 5} system phase diagram has been performed and the existence of the two ternary compounds has been confirmed. The first one with a pyrochlore-type structure (sp. gr. Fd 3-barm) exists in the wide solid solution region, (Bi{sub 2−x}Fe{sub x})Fe{sub 1+y}Sb{sub 1−y}O{sub 7±δ}, where x=0.1–0.4 and y=−0.13–0.11. The second one, Bi{sub 3}FeSb{sub 2}O{sub 11}, corresponds to the cubic KSbO{sub 3}-type structure (sp. gr. Pn 3-bar) with unit cell parameter a=9.51521(2) Å. The Rietveld structure refinement showed that this compound is characterized by disordered structure. The Bi{sub 3}FeSb{sub 2}O{sub 11} factor groupmore » analysis has been carried out and a Raman spectrum has been investigated. According to magnetization measurements performed at the temperature range 2–300 K it may be concluded that the Bi{sub 3}FeSb{sub 2}O{sub 11} magnetic properties can be substantially described as a superposition of strong short-range antiferromagnetic exchange interactions realizing inside the [(FeSb{sub 2})O{sub 9}] 3D-framework via different pathways. - Graphical abstract: The refinement of the Bi{sub 2}O{sub 3}–Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3}–Sb{sub 2}O{sub 5} system phase diagram has been performed and the existence of the solid solution with a pyrochlore-type structure (sp. gr. Fd 3-barm) and Bi{sub 3}FeSb{sub 2}O{sub 11}, correspond of the cubic KSbO{sub 3}-type structure (sp. gr. Pn 3-bar has been confirmed. The structure refinement, Raman spectroscopy as well as magnetic measurements data of Bi{sub 3}FeSb{sub 2}O{sub 11} are presented. - Highlights: • The Bi{sub 2}O{sub 3}–Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3}–Sb{sub 2}O{sub 5} system phase diagram refinement has been performed. • The Bi{sub 3}FeSb{sub 2}O{sub 11} existence along with pyrochlore structure compound is shown. • It was determined that the Bi{sub 3}FeSb{sub 2}O{sub 11} is of disordered cubic KSbO{sub 3}-type structure. • Factor group

  5. The phase relations in the In 2O 3Fe 2ZnO 4ZnO system at 1350°C

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Nakamura, Masaki; Kimizuka, Noboru; Mohri, Takahiko

    1990-05-01

    The phase relations in the In 2O 3Fe 2ZnO 4ZnO system at 1350°C are determined by means of a classical quenching method. There are a series of homologous solid solutions, In 1.28Fe 0.72O 3(ZnO)InFeO 3(ZnO), In 1.69Fe 0.31O 3(ZnO) 2InFeO 3(ZnO) 2In 0.85Fe 1.15O 3(ZnO) 2, In 2O 3(ZnO) 3InFeO 3(ZnO) 3In 0.78Fe 1.22O 3(ZnO) 3, In 2O 3(ZnO) 4InFeO 3(ZnO) 4In 0.62Fe 1.38O 3(ZnO) 4, In 2O 3(ZnO) 5InFeO 3(ZnO) 5In 0.67Fe 1.33O 3(ZnO) 5, In 2O 3(ZnO) 6InFeO 3(ZnO) 6In 0.60Fe 1.40O 3(ZnO) 6, In 2O 3(ZnO) 7InFeO 3(ZnO) 7In 0.51Fe 1.49O 3(ZnO) 7, In 2O 3(ZnO) 8InFeO 3(ZnO) 8In 1- xFe 1+ xO 3(ZnO) 8 (0.44 ≦ x ≦ 0.64), In 2O 3(ZnO) 9InFeO 3(ZnO) 9In 0.20Fe 1.80O 3(ZnO) 9, In 2O 3(ZnO) 10InFeO 3(ZnO) 10In 1- xFe 1+ xO 3(ZnO) 10 (0.74 ≦ x ≦ 0.89), In 2O 3(ZnO) 11InFeO 3(ZnO) 11In 1- xFe 1+ xO 3(ZnO) 11 (0.60 ≦ x < 1.00), and In 2O 3(ZnO) 13InFeO 3(ZnO) 13Fe 2O 3(ZnO) 13 having the layered structures with space group R overline3m (m = odd) or {P6 3}/{mmc} (m = even) for m in the InFeO 3(ZnO) m. We conclude that there are a series of homologous phases, (Fe 2O 3)(ZnO) m (m ≧ 12) , in the binary ZnOFe 2O 3 system. The lattice constants for these solid solutions are presented as a hexagonal crystal system. It is also concluded that the crystal structures for each solid solution consist of three kinds of layers which are stacked perpendicular to the c-axis in the hexagonal crystal system. In 1+ xFe 1- xO 3(ZnO) m (0 ≦ x ≦ 1) is composed of the InO 1.5, (In xFe 1- xZn)O 2.5, and ZnO layers, and In 1- xFe 1+ xO 3(ZnO) m (0 ≦ x ≦ 1) is composed of (In 1- xFe x)O 1.5, (FeZn)O 2.5, and ZnO layers, respectively. The solid solution range between Fe 2ZnO 4 and In xFe 2- xZnO 4 ( x = 0.40 ± 0.02) with a spinel structure is observed.

  6. Dye-sensitized solar cells employing a SnO2-TiO2 core-shell structure made by atomic layer deposition.

    PubMed

    Karlsson, Martin; Jõgi, Indrek; Eriksson, Susanna K; Rensmo, Håkan; Boman, Mats; Boschloo, Gerrit; Hagfeldt, Anders

    2013-01-01

    This paper describes the synthesis and characterization of core-shell structures, based on SnO2 and TiO2, for use in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSC). Atomic layer deposition is employed to control and vary the thickness of the TiO2 shell. Increasing the TiO2 shell thickness to 2 nm improved the device performance of liquid electrolyte-based DSC from 0.7% to 3.5%. The increase in efficiency originates from a higher open-circuit potential and a higher short-circuit current, as well as from an improvement in the electron lifetime. SnO2-TiO2 core-shell DSC devices retain their photovoltage in darkness for longer than 500 seconds, demonstrating that the electrons are contained in the core material. Finally core-shell structures were used for solid-state DSC applications using the hole transporting material 2,2',7,7',-tetrakis(N, N-di-p-methoxyphenyl-amine)-9,9',-spirofluorene. Similar improvements in device performance were obtained for solid-state DSC devices.

  7. Specific features of the atomic structure of metallic layers of multilayered (CoFeZr/SiO2)32 and (CoFeZr/ a-Si)40 nanostructures with different interlayers

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Domashevskaya, E. P.; Guda, A. A.; Chernyshev, A. V.; Sitnikov, V. G.

    2017-02-01

    Multilayered nanostructures (MN) were prepared by ion-beam successive sputtering from two targets, one of which was a metallic Co45Fe45Zr10 alloy plate and another target was a quartz (SiO2) or silicon plate on the surface of a rotating glass-ceramic substrate in an argon atmosphere. The Co and Fe K edges X-ray absorption fine structure of XANES in the (CoFeZr/SiO2)32 sample with oxide interlayers was similar to XANES of metallic Fe foil. This indicated the existence in metallic layers of multilayered CoFeZr nanocrystals with a local environment similar to the atomic environment in solid solutions on the base of bcc Fe structure, which is also confirmed by XRD data. XANES near the Co and Fe K edges absorption in another multilayered nanostructure with silicon interlayers (CoFeZr/ a-Si)40 differs from XANES of MN with dielectric SiO2 interlayer, which demonstrates a dominant influence of the Fe-Si and Co-Si bonds in the local environment of 3 d Co and Fe metals when they form CoFeSi-type silicide phases in thinner bilayers of this MN.

  8. Solid-State Reaction Between Fe-Al-Ca Alloy and Al2O3-CaO-FeO Oxide During Heat Treatment at 1473 K (1200 °C)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Liu, Chengsong; Yang, Shufeng; Li, Jingshe; Ni, Hongwei; Zhang, Xueliang

    2017-04-01

    The aim of this study was to control the physicochemical characteristics of inclusions in steel through appropriate heat treatment. Using a confocal scanning laser microscope (CSLM) and pipe furnace, the solid-state reactions between Fe-Al-Ca alloy and Al2O3-CaO-FeO oxide during heat treatment at 1473 K (1200 °C) and the influence of these reactions on the compositions of and phases in the alloy and oxide were investigated by the diffusion couple method. Suitable pretreatment of the oxide using a CSLM and production of the diffusion couple of Fe-Al-Ca alloy and Al2O3-CaO-FeO oxide gave good contact between the alloy and oxide. The diffusion couple was then sealed in a quartz tube with a piece of Ti foil to lower oxygen partial pressure and a block of Fe-Al-Ca alloy was introduced to conduct heat treatment experiments. Solid-state reactions between the alloy and oxide during heat treatment at 1473 K (1200 °C) were analyzed and discussed. A dynamic model to calculate the width of the particle precipitation zone based on the Wagner model of internal oxidation of metal was proposed. This model was helpful to understand the solid-state reaction mechanism between Fe-Al-Ca alloy and Al2O3-CaO-FeO oxide.

  9. Influence of Fe substitution on structural and magnetic features of BiMn2O5 nanostructures

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gaikwad, Vishwajit M.; Goyal, Saveena; Yanda, Premakumar; Sundaresan, A.; Chakraverty, Suvankar; Ganguli, Ashok K.

    2018-04-01

    Nanostructures of complex oxides [BiFexMn2-xO5 (x = 0, 1, 2)] have been designed to study their structural, optical and magnetic behaviour. X-ray diffraction data (XRD) revealed orthorhombic phase with Pbam space group. Noticeable expansion in unit cell parameters has been found from BiMn2O5 (x = 0) to BiFe2O4.5 (x = 2). The observed structural changes via tuning of B-site (x = 0-2) played an important role in overall magnetic properties. Transmission electron microscopic images confirm that the average particle size of all the materials are in nano domain range with different morphologies. From optical studies, it has been found that the observed energy band gap values are strongly related to 3d electron numbers. These values appear to be larger than that reported for bulk. Isothermal magnetization plots (at 5 K) show increase in coercivity (Hc) from x = 0 to x = 2. Temperature dependent magnetization studies implied anti-ferromagnetic interactions for BiMn2O5, frustrated magnet for BiFeMnO5 and ferromagnetic behaviour for BiFe2O4.5. Ferromagnetic state of nanostructured BiFe2O4.5 is in contrast with its bulk counterparts.

  10. Uniform Fe3O4 coating on flower-like ZnO nanostructures by atomic layer deposition for electromagnetic wave absorption.

    PubMed

    Wan, Gengping; Wang, Guizhen; Huang, Xianqin; Zhao, Haonan; Li, Xinyue; Wang, Kan; Yu, Lei; Peng, Xiange; Qin, Yong

    2015-11-21

    An elegant atomic layer deposition (ALD) method has been employed for controllable preparation of a uniform Fe3O4-coated ZnO (ZnO@Fe3O4) core-shell flower-like nanostructure. The Fe3O4 coating thickness of the ZnO@Fe3O4 nanostructure can be tuned by varying the cycle number of ALD Fe2O3. When serving as additives for microwave absorption, the ZnO@Fe3O4-paraffin composites exhibit a higher absorption capacity than the ZnO-paraffin composites. For ZnO@500-Fe3O4, the effective absorption bandwidth below -10 dB can reach 5.2 GHz and the RL values below -20 dB also cover a wide frequency range of 11.6-14.2 GHz when the coating thickness is 2.3 mm, suggesting its potential application in the treatment of the electromagnetic pollution problem. On the basis of experimental observations, a mechanism has been proposed to understand the enhanced microwave absorption properties of the ZnO@Fe3O4 composites.

  11. Interaction mechanisms between α-Fe2O3, γ-Fe2O3 and Fe3O4 nanoparticles and Citrus maxima seedlings.

    PubMed

    Li, Junli; Hu, Jing; Xiao, Lian; Wang, Yunqiang; Wang, Xilong

    2018-06-01

    The interactions between α-Fe 2 O 3 , γ-Fe 2 O 3 , and Fe 3 O 4 nanoparticles (NPs) and Citrus maxima seedlings were examined so as to better understand possible particle applications as an Fe source for crop plants. NPs toxicity to the exposed plant was investigated as well. The α- and γ-Fe 2 O 3 NPs were accumulated by plant root cells through diapirism and endocytosis, respectively, but translocation to the shoots was negligible. Analysis of malondialdehyde (MDA), soluble protein content, and antioxidant enzyme activity revealed that Fe deficiency induced strong oxidative stress in Citrus maxima seedlings, which followed an order of Fe deficiency>Fe 3+ >α-Fe 2 O 3 , γ-Fe 2 O 3 NPs>Fe 3 O 4 NPs. However, the chlorophyll leaf content of plants exposed to α-Fe 2 O 3 , γ-Fe 2 O 3 , Fe 3 O 4 NPs and Fe 3+ were significantly reduced by 31.1%, 14.8%, 18.8% and 22.0%, respectively, relative to the control. Furthermore, RT-PCR analysis revealed no up-regulation of AHA and Nramp3 genes in Citrus maxima roots; however, the relative FRO2 gene expression upon exposure to iron oxide NPs was 1.4-2.8-fold higher than the control. Ferric reductase activity was consistently enhanced upon iron oxide NPs exposure. These findings advance understanding of the interaction mechanisms between metal oxide NPs and plants, and provide important knowledge need for the possible application of these materials in agriculture. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  12. In2O3-ZnO heterostructure development in electrical and photoluminescence properties of In2O3 1-D nanostructures

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Shariati, M.; Ghafouri, V.

    2014-05-01

    Indium Oxide quasi one-dimensional (1D) nanostructures known as nanowires and nanorods synthesis using the thermal evaporation method, has been articulated. To nucleate growth sites, substrate seeding promoted 1D nanostructures growth. The catalyst-mediated growth mechanism showed more favorable morphologies and physical properties in under vacuum conditions associated with bottom-up technique. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) results showed that the Zn-doped 1D nanostructures had spherical caps. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) pattern and energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectrum indicated that these caps intensively associated with ZnO. Therefore, it was reasonable that the vapor-liquid-solid mechanism (VLS) was responsible for the growth of the In2O3-ZnO heterostructure nanowires. This technique enhances optical and electrical properties in nanostructures. The photoluminescence (PL) analysis in Zn-doped In2O3 nanowires and nanorods shows that the intensity of the visible and UV-region emissions overwhelmingly increases and resistance measurement professes the improvement of linear conductance in VLS growth mechanism.

  13. Photocurrent generation in SnO2 thin film by surface charged chemisorption O ions

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lee, Po-Ming; Liao, Ching-Han; Lin, Chia-Hua; Liu, Cheng-Yi

    2018-06-01

    We report a photocurrent generation mechanism in the SnO2 thin film surface layer by the charged chemisorption O ions on the SnO2 thin film surface induced by O2-annealing. A critical build-in electric field in the SnO2 surface layer resulted from the charged O ions on SnO2 surface prolongs the lifetime and reduces the recombination probability of the photo-excited electron-hole pairs by UV-laser irradiation (266 nm) in the SnO2 surface layer, which is the key for the photocurrent generation in the SnO2 thin film surface layer. The critical lifetime of prolonged photo-excited electron-hole pair is calculated to be 8.3 ms.

  14. Gas-sensing enhancement methods for hydrothermal synthesized SnO2-based sensors

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhao, Yalei; Zhang, Wenlong; Yang, Bin; Liu, Jingquan; Chen, Xiang; Wang, Xiaolin; Yang, Chunsheng

    2017-11-01

    Gas sensing for hydrothermal synthesized SnO2-based gas sensors can be enhanced in three ways: structural improvement, composition optimization, and processing improvement. There have been zero-dimensional, one-dimensional, and three-dimensional structures reported in the literature. Controllable synthesis of different structures has been deployed to increase specific surface area. Change of composition would intensively tailor the SnO2 structure, which affected the gas-sensing performance. Furthermore, doping and compounding methods have been adopted to promote gas-sensing performance by adjusting surface conditions of SnO2 crystals and constructing heterojunctions. As for processing area, it is very important to find the optimal reaction time and temperature. In this paper, a gas-solid reaction rate constant was proposed to evaluate gas-sensing properties and find an excellent hydrothermal synthesized SnO2-based gas sensor.

  15. Synthesis and Electrochemical Properties Characterization of SnO2-coated LiNi1/3Co1/3Mn1/3O2 Cathode Material for Lithium Ion Batteries

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2009-01-01

    Synthesis and electrochemical properties characterization of SnO2-coated LiNi1/3Co1/3Mn1/3O2 cathode material for lithium ion batteries Ping Yang...electrochemical properties characterization of SnO2-coated LiNi1/3Co1/3Mn1/3O2 cathode material for lithium ion batteries 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER 5b. GRANT NUMBER...electrochemical reaction. References 1. N Yabuuchi, T Ohzuku, “Novel lithium insertion material of LiCo1/3Ni1/3Mn1/3O2 for advanced lithium - ion batteries ”, J

  16. One-pot electrospinning and gas-sensing properties of LaMnO3 perovskite/SnO2 heterojunction nanofibers

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chen, Dongdong; Yi, Jianxin

    2018-03-01

    Using nanostructured composite materials is an effective way to obtain high-performance gas sensors. This work used p-type LaMnO3 perovskite-structured semiconductor as a novel promoter for SnO2 nanofibers and studied the gas-sensing characteristics. Nanofibers of 0-2.5-mol% LaMnO3/SnO2 were synthesized via one-pot electrospinning. Compared with pristine SnO2, LaMnO3/SnO2 composite nanofibers exhibited smaller particle size (10-30 nm) and higher BET surface area. XPS revealed that oxygen surface absorption decreased with increasing LaMnO3 content. 0.3-mol% LaMnO3/SnO2 exhibited significantly enhanced ethanol sensitivity relative to pristine SnO2. A response of 20 was obtained at the optimum temperature of 260 °C for 100-ppm ethanol. Higher LaMnO3 loading led to decrease of the ethanol response. The impact of LaMnO3 loading on the sensing behavior of SnO2 nanofibers was discussed in terms of p-n heterojunction formation and changes in the microstructure and catalytic properties.

  17. Synthesis of porous SnO2 nanocubes via selective leaching and enhanced gas-sensing properties

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Li, Yining; Wei, Qi; Song, Peng; Wang, Qi

    2016-01-01

    Porous micro-/nanostructures are of great interest in many current and emerging areas of technology. In this paper, porous SnO2 nanocubes have been successfully fabricated via a selective leaching strategy using CoSn(OH)6 as precursor. The structure and morphology of as-prepared samples were investigated by several techniques, such as X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), thermogravimetric and differential scanning calorimeter analysis (TG⿿DSC), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and N2 adsorption⿿desorption analyses. On the basis of those characterizations, the mechanism for the formation of porous SnO2 nanocubes has been proposed. Owing to the well-defined and uniform porous structures, porous SnO2 nanocubes possessing more adsorbent amount of analytic gas and accelerate the transmission speed so as to enhance the gas-sensing properties. Gas sensing investigation showed that the sensor based on porous SnO2 nanocubes exhibited high response, short response⿿recovery times and good selectivity to ethanol gas.

  18. FIB-tomographic studies on chemical vapor deposition grown SnO2 nanowire arrays on TiO2 (001)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chen, Haoyun; Liu, Yi; Wu, Hong; Xiong, Xiang; Pan, Jun

    2016-12-01

    Tin oxide nanowire arrays on titania (001) have been successfully fabricated by chemical vapor deposition of Sn(O t Bu)4 precursor. The morphologies and structures of ordered SnO2 nanowires (NWs) were analyzed by cross-sectional SEM, HR-TEM and AFM. An FIB-tomography technique was applied in order to reconstruct a 3D presentation of ordered SnO2 nanowires. The achieved 3D analysis showed the spatial orientation and angles of ordered SnO2 NWs can be obtained in a one-shot experiment, and the distribution of Au catalysts showed the competition between 1D and 2D growth. The SnO2 nanowire arrays can be potentially used as a diameter- and surface-dependent sensing unit for the detection of gas- and bio-molecules.

  19. Facile fabrication of a well-ordered porous Cu-doped SnO2 thin film for H2S sensing.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Shumin; Zhang, Pingping; Wang, Yun; Ma, Yanyun; Zhong, Jun; Sun, Xuhui

    2014-09-10

    Well-ordered Cu-doped and undoped SnO2 porous thin films with large specific surface areas have been fabricated on a desired substrate using a self-assembled soft template combined with simple physical cosputtering deposition. The Cu-doped SnO2 porous film gas sensor shows a significant enhancement in its sensing performance, including a high sensitivity, selectivity, and a fast response and recovery time. The sensitivity of the Cu-doped SnO2 porous sensor is 1 order of magnitude higher than that of the undoped SnO2 sensor, with average response and recovery times to 100 ppm of H2S of ∼ 10.1 and ∼ 42.4 s, respectively, at the optimal operating temperature of 180 °C. The well-defined porous sensors fabricated by the method also exhibit high reproducibility because of the accurately controlled fabrication process. The facile process can be easily extended to the fabrication of other semiconductor oxide gas sensors with easy doping and multilayer porous nanostructure for practical sensing applications.

  20. Core/shell Fe3O4/Gd2O3 nanocubes as T1-T2 dual modal MRI contrast agents

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Li, Fenfen; Zhi, Debo; Luo, Yufeng; Zhang, Jiqian; Nan, Xiang; Zhang, Yunjiao; Zhou, Wei; Qiu, Bensheng; Wen, Longping; Liang, Gaolin

    2016-06-01

    T1-T2 dual modal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has attracted considerable interest because it offers complementary diagnostic information, leading to more precise diagnosis. To date, a number of nanostructures have been reported as T1-T2 dual modal MR contrast agents (CAs). However, hybrids of nanocubes with both iron and gadolinium (Gd) elements as T1-T2 dual modal CAs have not been reported. Herein, we report the synthesis of novel core/shell Fe3O4/Gd2O3 nanocubes as T1-T2 dual-modal CAs and their application for enhanced T1-T2 MR imaging of rat livers. A relaxivity study at 1.5 T indicated that our Fe3O4/Gd2O3 nanocubes have an r1 value of 45.24 mM-1 s-1 and an r2 value of 186.51 mM-1 s-1, which were about two folds of those of Gd2O3 nanoparticles and Fe3O4 nanocubes, respectively. In vivo MR imaging of rats showed both T1-positive and T2-negative contrast enhancements in the livers. We envision that our Fe3O4/Gd2O3 nanocubes could be applied as T1-T2 dual modal MR CAs for a wide range of theranostic applications in the near future.T1-T2 dual modal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has attracted considerable interest because it offers complementary diagnostic information, leading to more precise diagnosis. To date, a number of nanostructures have been reported as T1-T2 dual modal MR contrast agents (CAs). However, hybrids of nanocubes with both iron and gadolinium (Gd) elements as T1-T2 dual modal CAs have not been reported. Herein, we report the synthesis of novel core/shell Fe3O4/Gd2O3 nanocubes as T1-T2 dual-modal CAs and their application for enhanced T1-T2 MR imaging of rat livers. A relaxivity study at 1.5 T indicated that our Fe3O4/Gd2O3 nanocubes have an r1 value of 45.24 mM-1 s-1 and an r2 value of 186.51 mM-1 s-1, which were about two folds of those of Gd2O3 nanoparticles and Fe3O4 nanocubes, respectively. In vivo MR imaging of rats showed both T1-positive and T2-negative contrast enhancements in the livers. We envision that our Fe3O4/Gd2O3 nanocubes

  1. Effect of doping and chemical ordering on the optoelectronic properties of complex oxides: Fe 2 O 3 –V 2 O 3 solid solutions and hetero-structures

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Nayyar, Iffat H.; Chamberlin, Sara E.; Kaspar, Tiffany C.

    2017-01-01

    The electronic and optical properties of a-(Fe1xVx)2O3 at low (x = 0.04) and high (x = 0.5) doping levels are investigated using a combination of periodic and embedded cluster approaches, and time dependent density functional theory. At low V concentrations the onset of the optical absorption is B0.5 eV (i.e., nearly 1.6 eV lower than that in pure a-Fe2O3) and corresponds to the electron transitions from V 3d to Fe 3d* orbitals. At high V concentrations, optical absorption energies and intensities are sensitive to specific arrangements of Fe and V atoms and their spin configuration that determine Fe–V hybridization. Themore » onset of the lowest inter-vanadium absorption band in the case of Fe2O3/V2O3 hetero-structures is as low as B0.3 eV and the corresponding peak is at B0.7 eV. In contrast, in the case of solid solutions this peak has lower intensity and is shifted to higher energy (B1.2 eV). Analysis of the orbital character of electronic excitation suggests that Fe2O3/V2O3 hetero-structures absorb light much more effectively than random alloys, thus promoting efficient photo-induced carrier generation. These predictions can be tested in a-(Fe1xVx)2O3 thin films synthesized with well-controlled spatial distribution of Fe and V species.« less

  2. Comparisons of multilayer H2O adsorption onto the (110) surfaces of alpha-TiO2 and SnO2 as calculated with density functional theory.

    PubMed

    Bandura, Andrei V; Kubicki, James D; Sofo, Jorge O

    2008-09-18

    Mono- and bilayer adsorption of H2O molecules on TiO2 and SnO 2 (110) surfaces has been investigated using static planewave density functional theory (PW DFT) simulations. Potential energies and structures were calculated for the associative, mixed, and dissociative adsorption states. The DOS of the bare and hydrated surfaces has been used for the analysis of the difference between the H2O interaction with TiO2 and SnO 2 surfaces. The important role of the bridging oxygen in the H2O dissociation process is discussed. The influence of the second layer of H2O molecules on relaxation of the surface atoms was estimated.

  3. Tri-functional Fe2O3-encased Ag-doped ZnO nanoframework: magnetically retrievable antimicrobial photocatalyst

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Karunakaran, Chockalingam; Vinayagamoorthy, Pazhamalai

    2016-11-01

    Fe2O3-encased ZnO nanoframework was obtained by hydrothermal method and was doped with Ag through photoreduction process. Energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), high resolution TEM, selected area electron diffractometry, x-ray diffractometry and Raman spectroscopy were employed for the structural characterization of the synthesized material. While the charge transfer resistance of the prepared nanomaterial is larger than those of Fe2O3 and ZnO the coercivity of the nanocomposite is less than that of hydrothermally obtained Fe2O3 nanostructures. Although Fe2O3/Ag-ZnO exhibits weak visible light absorption its band gap energy does not differ from that of ZnO. The photoluminescence of the fabricated nanoframework is similar to that of ZnO. The radiative recombination of charge carriers is slightly slower in Fe2O3/Ag-ZnO than in ZnO. The synthesized Fe2O3-encased Ag-doped ZnO, under UV A light, exhibits sustainable photocatalytic activity to degrade dye and is magnetically recoverable. Also, the Fe2O3/Ag-ZnO nanocomposite disinfects bacteria effectively in absence of direct illumination.

  4. Time-Resolved Optical Emission Spectroscopy Diagnosis of CO2 Laser-Produced SnO2 Plasma

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lan, Hui; Wang, Xinbing; Zuo, Duluo

    2016-09-01

    The spectral emission and plasma parameters of SnO2 plasmas have been investigated. A planar ceramic SnO2 target was irradiated by a CO2 laser with a full width at half maximum of 80 ns. The temporal behavior of the specific emission lines from the SnO2 plasma was characterized. The intensities of Sn I and Sn II lines first increased, and then decreased with the delay time. The results also showed a faster decay of Sn I atoms than that of Sn II ionic species. The temporal evolutions of the SnO2 plasma parameters (electron temperature and density) were deduced. The measured temperature and density of SnO2 plasma are 4.38 eV to 0.5 eV and 11.38×1017 cm-3 to 1.1×1017 cm-3, for delay times between 0.1 μs and 2.2 μs. We also investigated the effect of the laser pulse energy on SnO2 plasma. supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 11304235) and the Director Fund of WNLO

  5. Synthesis and gas sensing properties of α-Fe(2)O(3)@ZnO core-shell nanospindles.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Jun; Liu, Xianghong; Wang, Liwei; Yang, Taili; Guo, Xianzhi; Wu, Shihua; Wang, Shurong; Zhang, Shoumin

    2011-05-06

    α-Fe(2)O(3)@ZnO core-shell nanospindles were synthesized via a two-step hydrothermal approach, and characterized by means of SEM/TEM/XRD/XPS. The ZnO shell coated on the nanospindles has a thickness of 10-15 nm. Considering that both α-Fe(2)O(3) and ZnO are good sensing materials, we have investigated the gas sensing performances of the core-shell nanocomposite using ethanol as the main probe gas. It is interesting to find that the gas sensor properties of the core-shell nanospindles are significantly enhanced compared with pristine α-Fe(2)O(3). The enhanced sensor properties are attributed to the unique core-shell nanostructure. The detailed sensing mechanism is discussed with respect to the energy band structure and the electron depletion theory. The core-shell nanostructure reported in this work provides a new path to fabricate highly sensitive materials for gas sensing applications.

  6. 57Fe CEMS study on dilute metal ions codoped SnO2 thin films prepared by spray pyrolysis

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Nomura, Kiyoshi; Koike, Yuya; Nakanishi, Akio

    2017-11-01

    Dilute Mn-Fe, Co-Fe and V-Fe codoped tin oxide films prepared by spray pyrolysis were characterized by 57Fe conversion electron Mössbauer spectrometry (CEMS) at room temperature (RT) and at 20 K. Two kinds of paramagnetic Fe3+ species were detected at RT; one doublet 1 (D1) with IS = 0.36-0.37 mm/s, QS = 0.69-0.75 mm/s and LW = 0.32-0.40 mm/s, and another doublet 2 (D2) with IS = 0.31-0.35 mm/s QS = 1.16-1.25 mm/s and LW = 0.46-0.52 mm/s. CEMS at 20 K provided more distinguished doublets than at RT. It is found that especially D2 with relatively small IS and large QS values are influenced by other metal ions codoped in SnO2 matrix, whereas D1 with relatively large IS and small QS has the parameters close to the models of Fe-VO1 and Fe-2VO1-Fe models (Nomura et al. Phys. Rev. B 75, 184411 2007; Mudarra Navarro et al. J. Phys. Chem. C 119, 5596-5603 2015).

  7. Investigations on FCAM-III (Ca2.38Mg2.09Fe3+10.61Fe2+1.59Al9.33O36): A new homologue of the aenigmatite structure-type in the system CaO-MgO-Fe2O3-Al2O3

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zöll, Klaus; Kahlenberg, Volker; Krüger, Hannes; Tropper, Peter

    2018-02-01

    In the course of a systematic study of a part of the quaternary system Fe2O3-CaO-Al2O3-MgO (FCAM) the previously unknown compound Ca2.38Mg2.09Fe3+10.61Fe2+1.59Al9.33O36 (FCAM-III) has been synthesized. By analogy with the so-called SFCA series [1-5], our investigation in the system of FCAM shows the existence of a stoichiometric homologous series M14+6nO20+8n, where M = Fe, Ca, Al, Mg and n = 1 or 2. In air, we can prove the formation of coexisting FCAM-III and FCAM-I solid solutions at 1400 °C. By increasing the temperature up to 1425 °C FCAM-I disappears completely and FCAM-III co-exists with magnesiumferrite and a variety of calcium iron oxides. At 1450 °C FCAM-III breaks down to a mixture of FCAM-I again as well as magnesioferrite and melt. Small single-crystals of FCAM-III up to 35 μm in size could be retrieved from the 1425 °C experiment and were subsequently characterized using electron microprobe analysis and synchroton X-ray single-crystal diffraction. Finally the Fe2+/Fetot ratio was calculated from the total iron content based on the crystal-chemical formula obtained from EMPA measurements and charge balance considerations. FCAM-III or Ca2.38Mg2.09Fe3+10.61Fe2+1.59Al9.33O36 has a triclinic crystal structure (space group P 1 ̅). The basic crystallographic data are: a = 10.223(22) Å, b = 10.316(21) Å, c = 14.203(15) Å, α = 93.473(50)°, β = 107.418(67)°, γ = 109.646(60)°, V = 1323.85(2) ų, Z = 1. Using Schreinemaker's technique to analyze the phase relations in the system Fe2O3-CaO-Al2O3-MgO it was possible to obtain the semi-quantitative stability relations between the participating phases and construct a topologically correct phase sequence as a function of T and fO2. The analysis shows that Ca2Al0.5Fe1.5O5 (C2A0.25F0.75) and CaAl1.5Fe2.5O7 (CA0.75F1.25) with higher calculated Fe2+ contents are preferably formed at lower oxygen fugacity and react to CaAl0.5Fe1.5O4 (CA0.25F0.75) by increasing fO2. Spinel-type magnesium

  8. Eu 3+-doped wide band gap Zn 2SnO 4 semiconductor nanoparticles: Structure and luminescence

    DOE PAGES

    Dimitrievska, Mirjana; Ivetić, Tamara B.; Litvinchuk, Alexander P.; ...

    2016-08-03

    Nanocrystalline Zn 2SnO 4 powders doped with Eu 3+ ions were synthesized via a mechanochemical solid-state reaction method followed by postannealing in air at 1200 °C. X-ray diffraction (XRD), energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX), and Raman and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopies provide convincing evidence for the incorporation of Eu 3+ ions into the host matrix on noncentrosymmetric sites of the cubic inverse spinel lattice. Microstructural analysis shows that the crystalline grain size decreases with the addition of Eu 3+. Formation of a nanocrystalline Eu 2Sn 2O 7 secondary phase is also observed. Luminescence spectra of Eu 3+-doped samples show several emissions, including narrow-bandmore » magnetic dipole emission at 595 nm and electric dipole emission at 615 nm of the Eu 3+ ions. Excitation spectra and lifetime measurements suggest that Eu 3+ ions are incorporated at only one symmetry site. According to the crystal field theory, it is assumed that Eu 3+ ions participate at octahedral sites of Zn 2+ or Sn 4+ under a weak crystal field, rather than at the tetrahedral sites of Zn2+, because of the high octahedral stabilization energy for Eu 3+. Activation of symmetry forbidden (IR-active and silent) modes is observed in the Raman scattering spectra of both pure and doped samples, indicating a disorder of the cation sublattice of Zn 2SnO 4 nanocrystallites. These results were further supported by the first principle lattice dynamics calculations. The spinel-type Zn 2SnO 4 shows effectiveness in hosting Eu 3+ ions, which could be used as a prospective green/red emitter. As a result, this work also illustrates how sustainable and simple preparation methods could be used for effective engineering of material properties.« less

  9. Nanoscale TiO2 and Fe2O3 Architectures for Solar Energy Conversion Schemes

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sedach, Pavel Anatolyvich

    The direct conversion of sunlight into more useable forms of energy has the potential of alleviating the environmental and social problems associated with a dependence on fossil fuels. If solar energy is to be utilized en-masse, however, it must be inexpensive and widely available. In this vein, the focus of this thesis is on nanostructured materials relevant to solar energy conversion and storage. Specifically, this thesis describes the ambient sol-gel synthesis of titanium dioxide (Ti02) nanowires designed for enhanced charge-transfer in solar collection devices, and the synthesis of novel disordered metal-oxide (MOx) catalysts for water oxidation. The introductory chapter of this thesis gives an overview of the various approaches to solar energy conversion. Sol---gel reaction conditions that enable the growth of one-dimensional (1-D) anatase TiO2 nanostructures from fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) for photovoltaics (PVs) are described in the second chapter. The generation of these linear nanostructures in the absence of an external bias or template is achieved by using facile experimental conditions (e.g., acetic acid (HOAc) and titanium isopropoxide (Ti(OiPr)4) in anhydrous heptane). The procedure was developed by functionalizing base-treated substrates with Ti-oxide nucleation sites that serve as a foundation for the growth of linear Ti-oxide macromolecules, which upon calcination, render uniform films of randomly oriented anatase TiO2 nanowires. A systematic evaluation of how reaction conditions (e.g., solvent volume, stoichiometry of reagents, substrate base treatment) affect the generation of these TiO 2 films is presented. A photo-organic MO. deposition route (i.e., photochemical metal-organic deposition (PMOD)) used to deposit thin-films of amorphous iron oxide (a-Fe2O3) for water oxidation catalysis is detailed in third chapter. It is shown that the irradiation of a spin-coated metal-organic film produces a film of non-crystalline a-Fe203. It is shown

  10. N-doped amorphous carbon coated Fe3O4/SnO2 coaxial nanofibers as a binder-free self-supported electrode for lithium ion batteries.

    PubMed

    Xie, Wenhe; Li, Suyuan; Wang, Suiyan; Xue, Song; Liu, Zhengjiao; Jiang, Xinyu; He, Deyan

    2014-11-26

    N-doped amorphous carbon coated Fe3O4/SnO2 coaxial nanofibers were prepared via a facile approach. The core composite nanofibers were first made by electrospinning technology, then the shells were conformally coated using the chemical bath deposition and subsequent carbonization with polydopamine as a carbon source. When applied as a binder-free self-supported anode for lithium ion batteries, the coaxial nanofibers displayed an enhanced electrochemical storage capacity and excellent rate performance. The morphology of the interwoven nanofibers was maintained even after the rate cycle test. The superior electrochemical performance originates in the structural stability of the N-doped amorphous carbon shells formed by carbonizing polydopamine.

  11. Fabrication of SnO2-TiO2 core-shell nanopillar-array films for enhanced photocatalytic activity

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cheng, Hsyi-En; Lin, Chun-Yuan; Hsu, Ching-Ming

    2017-02-01

    Immobilized or deposited thin film TiO2 photocatalysts are suffering from a low photocatalytic activity due to either a low photon absorption efficiency or a high carrier recombination rate. Here we demonstrate that the photocatalytic activity of TiO2 can be effectively improved by the SnO2-TiO2 core-shell nanopillar-array structure which combines the benefits of SnO2/TiO2 heterojunction and high reaction surface area. The SnO2-TiO2 core-shell nanopillar-array films were fabricated using atomic layer deposition and dry etching techniques via barrier-free porous anodic alumina templates. The photocatalytic activity of the prepared films was evaluated by methylene blue (MB) bleaching under 352 nm UV light irradiation. The results show that the photocatalytic activity of TiO2 film was 45% improved by introducing a SnO2 film between TiO2 and ITO glass substrate and was 300% improved by using the SnO2-TiO2 core-shell nanopillar-array structure. The 45% improvement by the SnO2 interlayer is attributed to the SnO2/TiO2 heterojunction which separates the photogenerated electron-hole pairs in TiO2 for MB degradation, and the high photocatalytic activity of the SnO2-TiO2 core-shell nanopillar-array films is attributed to the three dimensional SnO2/TiO2 heterojunction which owns both the carrier separation ability and the high photocatalytic reaction surface area.

  12. LPG sensing characteristics of electrospray deposited SnO2 nanoparticles

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gürbüz, Mevlüt; Günkaya, Göktuğ; Doğan, Aydın

    2014-11-01

    In this study, SnO2 films were fabricated on conductive substrate such as aluminum and platinum coated alumina using electro-spray deposition (ESD) method for gas sensor applications. Solution flow rate, coating time, substrate-nozzle distance and solid/alcohol ratio were studied to optimize SnO2 film structure. The morphology of the deposited films was characterized by stereo and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The gas sensing properties of tin oxide films were investigated using liquid petroleum gas (LPG) for various lower explosive limit (LEL). The results obtained from microscopic analyses show that optimum SnO2 films were evaluated at flow rate of 0.05 ml/min, at distance of 6 cm, for 10 min deposition time, for 20 gSnO2/Lethanol ratio and at 7 kV DC electric field. By the results obtained from the gas sensing behavior, the sensitivity of the films was increased with operating temperature. The films showed better sensitivity for 20 LEL LPG concentration at 450 °C operating temperature.

  13. Structural and optical properties of cobalt doped multiferroics BiFeO3 nanostructure thin films

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Prasannakumara, R.; Naik, K. Gopalakrishna

    2018-05-01

    Bismuth ferrite (BiFeO3) and Cobalt doped BiFeO3 (BiFe1-XCoXO3) nanostructure thin films were deposited on glass substrates by the sol-gel spin coating method. The X-ray diffraction patterns (XRD) of the grown BiFeO3 and BiFe1-XCoXO3 nanostructure thin films showed distorted rhombohedral structure. The shifting of peaks to higher angles was observed in cobalt doped BiFeO3. The surface morphology of the BiFeO3 and BiFe1-XCoXO3 nanostructure thin films were studied using FESEM, an increase in grain size was observed as Co concentration increases. The thickness of the nanostructure thin films was examined using FESEM cross-section. The EDX studies confirmed the elemental composition of the grown BiFeO3 and BiFe1-XCoXO3 nanostructure thin films. The optical characterizations of the grown nanostructure thin films were carried out using FTIR, it confirms the existence of Fe-O and Bi-O bands and UV-Visible spectroscopy shows the increase in optical band gap of the BiFeO3 nanostructure thin films with Co doping by ploting Tauc plot.

  14. Magnetic anomalies in self-assembled SrRuO3 -CoFe2O4 nanostructures studied by Raman spectroscopy

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chen, Yi-Chun; Huang, Yen-Chin; Chien, Chia-Hsien; Liu, Heng-Jui; Chu, Ying-Hao

    2015-03-01

    Self-assembled nanostructures with high interface-to-volume ratio usually possess interesting physical properties through the coupling between neighboring materials. In complex-oxide nanocomposites, the interplay of spin, charge, orbital, and lattice degrees of freedom especially provides various functionalities. Our recent study had shown photo-induced magnetization switching in a self-assembled system, CoFe2O4 (CFO)- SrRuO3(SRO), where the CFO nanopillars were embedded in the SRO matrix. Moreover, this system also has significant magnetoresistance behaviors. In this study, we used Raman spectroscopy to investigate the magnetic coupling mechanisms in CFO-SRO nanostructures. Compared to the pure CFO films, the CFO nano-pillars under out-of-plane compressive strain show a slightly increase of A1g(Co)/A1g(Fe) intensity ratio, which corresponds to a migration of Co ions from O-site (oxygen octahedron) to T-site (oxygen tetrahedron). This behavior can be further tuned by external stimulus, such as magnetic fields and temperatures. A strong increase of A1g(Co)/A1g(Fe) ratio together with a discontinuous A1g frequency shift occur at the SRO magnetic transition temperature. This result indicated that the spin-orbital interaction in CFO can be modulated by the SRO magnetic orderings.

  15. Non-aqueous synthesis of water-dispersible Fe3O4-Ca3(PO4)2 core-shell nanoparticles

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Liu, HongLing; Wu, JunHua; Min, Ji Hyun; Hou, Peng; Song, Ah-Young; Kim, Young Keun

    2011-02-01

    The Fe3O4-Ca3(PO4)2 core-shell nanoparticles were prepared by one-pot non-aqueous nanoemulsion with the assistance of a biocompatible triblock copolymer, poly(ethylene glycol)-block-poly(propylene glycol)-block-poly(ethylene glycol) (PEO-PPO-PEO), integrating the magnetic properties of Fe3O4 and the bioactive functions of Ca3(PO4)2 into single entities. The Fe3O4 nanoparticles were pre-formed first by thermal reduction of Fe(acac)3 and then the Ca3(PO4)2 layer was coated by simultaneous deposition of Ca2 + and PO43 - . The characterization shows that the combination of the two materials into a core-shell nanostructure retains the magnetic properties and the Ca3(PO4)2 shell forms an hcp phase (a = 7.490 Å, c = 9.534 Å) on the Fe3O4 surface. The magnetic hysteresis curves of the nanoparticles were further elucidated by the Langevin equation, giving an estimation of the effective magnetic dimension of the nanoparticles and reflecting the enhanced susceptibility response as a result of the surface covering. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) analysis provides the characteristic vibrations of Ca3(PO4)2 and the presence of the polymer surfactant on the nanoparticle surface. Moreover, the nanoparticles could be directly transferred to water and the aqueous dispersion-collection process of the nanoparticles was demonstrated for application readiness of such core-shell nanostructures in an aqueous medium. Thus, the construction of Fe3O4 and Ca3(PO4)2 in the core-shell nanostructure has conspicuously led to enhanced performance and multi-functionalities, offering various possible applications of the nanoparticles.

  16. Dopant concentration dependent growth of Fe:ZnO nanostructures

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Sahai, Anshuman; Goswami, Navendu, E-mail: navendugoswami@gmail.com

    2016-05-23

    Systematic investigations of structural properties of 1-10% Fe doped ZnO nanostructure (Fe:ZnO NS) prepared via chemical precipitation method have been reported. Structural properties were probed thoroughly employing scanning electron microscope (SEM) and transmission electron microscope (TEM), energy dispersive X-ray (EDAX) analysis and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Morphological transformation of nanostructures (NS) with Fe incorporation is evident in SEM/TEM images. Nanoparticles (NP) obtained with 1% Fe, evolve to nanorods (NR) for 3% Fe; NR transform to nanocones (NC) (for 5% and 7% Fe) and finally NC transform to nanoflakes (NF) at 10% Fe. Morover, primary phase of Zn{sub 1-x}Fe{sub x}O along withmore » secondary phases of ZnFe{sub 2}O{sub 4} and Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3} were also revealed through XRD measurements. Based on collective XRD, SEM, TEM, and EDAX interpretations, a model for morphological evolution of NS was proposed and the pivotal role of Fe dopant was deciphered.« less

  17. Disappearance of superconductivity in the solid solution between (Ca4Al2O6)(Fe2As2) and (Ca4Al2O6)(Fe2P2) superconductors.

    PubMed

    Shirage, Parasharam M; Kihou, Kunihiro; Lee, Chul-Ho; Takeshita, Nao; Eisaki, Hiroshi; Iyo, Akira

    2012-09-19

    The effect of alloying the two perovskite-type iron-based superconductors (Ca(4)Al(2)O(6))(Fe(2)As(2)) and (Ca(4)Al(2)O(6))(Fe(2)P(2)) was examined. While the two stoichiometric compounds possess relatively high T(c)'s of 28 and 17 K, respectively, their solid solutions of the form (Ca(4)Al(2)O(6))(Fe(2)(As(1-x)P(x))(2)) do not show superconductivity over a wide range from x = 0.50 to 0.95. The resultant phase diagram is thus completely different from those of other typical iron-based superconductors such as BaFe(2)(As,P)(2) and LaFe(As,P)O, in which superconductivity shows up when P is substituted for As in the non-superconducting "parent" compounds. Notably, the solid solutions in the non-superconducting range exhibit resistivity anomalies at temperatures of 50-100 K. The behavior is reminiscent of the resistivity kink commonly observed in various non-superconducting parent compounds that signals the onset of antiferromagnetic/orthorhombic long-range order. The similarity suggests that the suppression of the superconductivity in the present case also has a magnetic and/or structural origin.

  18. Constructing Hierarchical Tectorum-like α-Fe2 O3 /PPy Nanoarrays on Carbon Cloth for Solid-State Asymmetric Supercapacitors.

    PubMed

    Wang, Libin; Yang, Huiling; Liu, Xiaoxiao; Zeng, Rui; Li, Ming; Huang, Yunhui; Hu, Xianluo

    2017-01-19

    The design of complex heterostructured electrode materials that deliver superior electrochemical performances to their individual counterparts has stimulated intensive research on configuring supercapacitors with high energy and power densities. Herein we fabricate hierarchical tectorum-like α-Fe 2 O 3 /polypyrrole (PPy) nanoarrays (T-Fe 2 O 3 /PPy NAs). The 3D, and interconnected T-Fe 2 O 3 /PPy NAs are successfully grown on conductive carbon cloth through an easy self-sacrificing template and in situ vapor-phase polymerization route under mild conditions. The electrode made of the T-Fe 2 O 3 /PPy NAs exhibits a high areal capacitance of 382.4 mF cm -2 at a current density of 0.5 mA cm -2 and excellent reversibility. The solid-state asymmetric supercapacitor consisting of T-Fe 2 O 3 /PPy NAs and MnO 2 electrodes achieves a high energy density of 0.22 mWh cm -3 at a power density of 165.6 mW cm -3 . © 2017 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  19. Phase relations in the system In{sub 2}O{sub 3}-TiO{sub 2}-Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3} at 1100 C in air

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Brown, F.; Flores, M.J.R.; Kimizuka, N.

    1999-04-01

    Phase relations in the system In{sub 2}O{sub 3}-TiO{sub 2}-Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3} at 1100 C in air are determined by means of a classic quenching method. There exist In{sub 2}TiO{sub 5}, Fe{sub 2}TiO{sub 5} having a pseudo-Brookite-type phase and a new phase, In{sub 3}Ti{sub 2}FeO{sub 10} having a solid solution range from In{sub 2}O{sub 3}:TiO{sub 2}:Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3} = 4:6:1 to In{sub 2}O{sub 3}:TiO{sub 2}:Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3} = 0.384:0.464:0.152 (mole ratio) on the line InFeO{sub 3}-In{sub 2}Ti{sub 2}O{sub 7}. The crystal structures of In{sub 3}Ti{sub 2}FeO{sub 10} are pyrochlore related with a{sub m} = 5.9171 (5) {angstrom}, b{sub m} = 3.3696more » (3) {angstrom}, c{sub m} = 6.3885 (6) {angstrom}, and {beta} = 108.02 (1){degree} in a monoclinic crystal system at 1100 C, and a{sub 0} = 5.9089 (5) {angstrom}, b{sub 0} = 3.3679 (3) {angstrom}, and c{sub 0} = 12.130 (1) {angstrom} in an orthorhombic system at 1200 C. The relationship between the lattice constants of these phases and those of the cubic pyrochlore type are approximately as follows: a{sub m} = {minus}{1/4}a{sub p} + ({minus}{1/2})b{sub p} + ({minus}{1/4})c{sub p}, b{sub m} = {minus}{1/4}a{sub p} + (0)b{sub p} + ({1/4})c{sub p}, c{sub m} = {1/4}a{sub p} + ({minus}{1/2})b{sub p} + ({1/4})c{sub p} and {beta} = 109.47{degree} in the monoclinic system, and a{sub 0} = {minus}{1/4}a{sub p} + ({minus}{1/2})b{sub p} + ({minus}{1/4})c{sub p}, b{sub 0} = {minus}{1/4}a{sub p} + (0)b{sub p} + ({1/4})c{sub p}, and c{sub 0} = 2/3a{sub p} + ({minus}2/3)b{sub p} + (2/3)c{sub p} in the orthorhombic system, where a{sub p} = b{sub p} = c{sub p} = 9.90 ({angstrom}) are the lattice constants of In{sub 2}Ti{sub 2}O{sub 7} having the cubic pyrochlore type. All solid solutions of In{sub 3}Ti{sub 2}FeO{sub 10} have incommensurate structures with a periodicity of q {times} b{sup *} (q = 0.281--0.356) along the b{sup *} axis and the stoichiometric phase has q = 1/3. In FeO{sub 3} having a layered structure type is unstable between 750

  20. Ni: Fe2O3, Mg: Fe2O3 and Fe2O3 thin films gas sensor application

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Saritas, Sevda; Kundakci, Mutlu; Coban, Omer; Tuzemen, Sebahattin; Yildirim, Muhammet

    2018-07-01

    Iron oxide is a widely used sensitive material for gas sensor applications. They have fascinated much attention in the field of gas sensing and detecting under atmospheric conditions and at 200 °C temperature due to their low cost in production; simplicity and fast of their use; large number of detectable gases. Iron oxide gas sensors constitute investigated for hazardous gases used in various fields. The morphological structure (particle size, pore size, etc.), optical, magnetic and electrical properties of Ni:Fe2O3, Mg:Fe2O3 and Fe2O3 thin films which grown by Spray pyrolysis (SP) have been investigated. XRD, Raman and AFM techniques have been used for structural analysis. AFM measurements have been provided very useful information about surface topography. I-V (Van der Pauw) technique has been used for response of gas sensor. These devices offer a wide variety of advantages over traditional analytical instruments such as low cost, short response time, easy manufacturing, and small size.

  1. Fluorine incorporation into SnO2 nanoparticles by co-milling with polyvinylidene fluoride

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Senna, Mamoru; Turianicová, Erika; Šepelák, Vladimír; Bruns, Michael; Scholz, Gudrun; Lebedkin, Sergei; Kübel, Christian; Wang, Di; Kaňuchová, Mária; Kaus, Maximilian; Hahn, Horst

    2014-04-01

    Fluorine was incorporated into SnO2 nanoparticles from polyvinylidene fluoride (PVdF) by co-milling. The incorporation process was triggered by an oxidative partial decomposition of PVdF due to the abstraction of oxygen atoms, and began soon after milling with a simultaneous decrease in the crystallite size of SnO2 from 56 nm to 19 nm, and increase in the lattice strain by a factor 7. Appearance of D and G Raman peaks indicated that the decomposition of PVdF was accompanied by the formation of nanometric carbon species. Decomposing processes of PVdF were accompanied by the continuous change in the states of F, with a decrease of C-F in PVdF and increase in Sn-F. This indicates the gradual incorporation of F into SnO2, by replacing a part of oxygen in the oxide with fluorine. These serial mechanochemical reaction processes were discussed on the basis of X-ray diffractometry, FT-IR, Raman and UV-Vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, F1s, Sn3d and C1s X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and Auger electron spectra, as well as magic angle spinning NMR spectroscopy of 19F and 119Sn. The present findings serve as an initial stage of incorporating fluorine into SnO2 via a solvent-free solid-state process, toward the rational fabrication of fluorine doped SnO2 powders.

  2. Multi-applicative tetragonal TiO2/SnO2 nanocomposites for photocatalysis and gas sensing

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Patil, S. M.; Dhodamani, A. G.; Vanalakar, S. A.; Deshmukh, S. P.; Delekar, S. D.

    2018-04-01

    TiO2-based mixed metal oxide heteronanostructures have multiple applications in photocatalysis and gas sensing because of their charge transport properties. In this study, we prepared tetragonal TiO2/SnO2 nanocomposites (NCs) with different weight percentages using a simple wet impregnation method. The physicochemical properties of the NCs were investigated using X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy, ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy, field-emission scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller surface area analysis. The results showed that the surface area of the NCs increased significantly and the anatase TiO2 was sensitized after the addition of a small amount of cassiterite SnO2 NPs. We systematically studied the as-prepared NCs during the photocatalytic degradation of Congo Red dye under visible light irradiation (λ > 420 nm) and NH3 gas sensing, which demonstrated the efficient photocatalytic performance and the superior sensing response of the catalyst with a weight composition of 25% SnO2 in TiO2 (4:1) compared with the other NCs or the bare individual nanoparticles. The improved photocatalytic and gas sensing performance of the TiO2/SnO2 (4:1) NCs may be attributed to the increased active surface area, the increased adsorption of the dye and target gas molecules, as well as efficient electron-hole charge separation and transfer.

  3. Enhanced thermoelectric property of oxygen deficient nickel doped SnO2 for high temperature application

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Paulson, Anju; Sabeer, N. A. Muhammad; Pradyumnan, P. P.

    2018-04-01

    Motivated by the detailed investigation on the thermoelectric performance of oxide materials our work concentrated on the influence of acceptor dopants and defect density in the lattice plane for the enhancement of thermoelectric power. The series of Sn1‑x Nix O2 (0.01 ≤ x ≤ 0.05) compositions were prepared by solid state reaction mechanism and found that 3 atomic percentage Ni doped SnO2 can be considered as a good candidate due to its promising electrical and transport properties. Defect lattices were introduced in the sample and the deviation from oxygen stochiometry was ensured using photoluminescence measurement. High power factor was obtained for the 3 atomic percentage nickel doped SnO2 due to the effective number of charge carrier concentration and the depletion of oxygen rich layers. Defect centered and acceptor doped SnO2 lattice opens a new door for energy harvesting at higher temperatures.

  4. Viscosity of SiO2-"FeO"-Al2O3 System in Equilibrium with Metallic Fe

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chen, Mao; Raghunath, Sreekanth; Zhao, Baojun

    2013-08-01

    The present study delivered the measurements of viscosities in SiO2-"FeO"-Al2O3 system in equilibrium with metallic Fe. The rotational spindle technique was used in the measurements at the temperature range of 1473 K to 1773 K (1200 °C to 1500 °C). Molybdenum crucibles and spindles were employed in all measurements. The Fe saturation condition was maintained by an iron plate placed at the bottom of the crucible. The equilibrium compositions of the slags were measured by EPMA after the viscosity measurements. The effect of up to 20 mol. pct Al2O3 on the viscosity of the SiO2-"FeO" slag was investigated. The "charge compensation effect" of the Al2O3 and FeO association has been discussed. The modified quasi-chemical viscosity model has been optimized in the SiO2-"FeO"-Al2O3 system in equilibrium with metallic Fe to describe the viscosity measurements of the present study.

  5. Spinel, YbFe2O4, and Yb2Fe3O7 types of structure for compounds in the In2O3 and Sc2O3-A2O3-BO systems (A: Fe, Ga, or Al; B: Mg, Mn, Fe, Ni, Cu, or Zn) at temperatures over 1000C

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Kimizuka, N.; Mohri, T.

    In the Sc2O3-Ga2O3-CuO, Sc2O3-Ga2O3-ZnO, and Sc2O3-Al2O3-CuO systems, ScGaCuO4, ScGaZnO4, and ScAlCuO4 with the YbFe2O4-type structure and Sc2Ga2CuO7 with the Yb2Fe3O7-type structure were obtained. In the In2O3-A2O3-BO systems (A: Fe, Ga, or Al; B: Mg, Mn, Fe, Ni, or Zn), InGaFeO4, InGaNiO4, and InFeT MgO4 with the spinel structure, InGaZnO4, InGaMgO4, and InAl-CuO4 with the YbFe2O4-type structure, and In2Ga2MnO7 and In2Ga2ZnO7 with the Yb2Fe3O7-type structure were obtained. InGaMnO4 and InFe2O4 had both the YbFe2O4-type and spinel-type structures. The revised classification for the crystal structures of AB2O4 compounds is presented, based upon the coordination numbers of constituent A and B cations. 5more » references, 2 tables.« less

  6. Comparative study of three magnetic nano-particles (FeSO4, FeSO4/SiO2, FeSO4/SiO2/TiO2) in plasmid DNA extraction.

    PubMed

    Rahnama, H; Sattarzadeh, A; Kazemi, F; Ahmadi, N; Sanjarian, F; Zand, Z

    2016-11-15

    Recent updates on Magnetic Nano-Particles (MNPs) based separation of nucleic acids have received more attention due to their easy manipulation, simplicity, ease of automation and cost-effectiveness. It has been indicated that DNA molecules absorb on solid surfaces via hydrogen-bonding, and hydrophobic and electrostatic interactions. These properties highly depend on the surface condition of the solid support. Therefore, surface modification of MNPs may enhance their functionality and specification. In the present study, we functionalized Fe3O4 nano-particle surface utilizing SiO2 and TiO2 layer as Fe3O4/SiO2 and Fe3O4/SiO2/TiO2 and then compare their functionality in the adsorption of plasmid DNA molecules with the naked Fe3O4 nano-particles. The result obtained showed that the purity and amount of DNA extracted by Fe3O4 coated by SiO2 or SiO2/TiO2 were higher than the naked Fe3O4 nano-particles. Furthermore, we obtained pH 8 and 1.5 M NaCl as an optimal condition for desorption of DNA from MNPs. The result further showed that, 0.2 mg nano-particle and 10 min at 55 °C are the optimal conditions for DNA desorption from nano-particles. In conclusion, we recommended Fe3O4/SiO2/TiO2 as a new MNP for separation of DNA molecules from biological sources. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  7. Study of lattice strain and optical properties of nanocrystalline SnO2

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ahmad, Naseem; Khan, Shakeel; Bhargava, Richa; Ansari, Mohd Mohsin Nizam

    2018-05-01

    Nanocrystalline SnO2 has been synthesized by co-precipitation method by using two solvents (water and ethylene glycol). The structure and surface morphology were investigated using XRD and scanning electron microscope (SEM). The optical properties were studied using diffused reflectance spectroscopy (DRS). From the XRD analysis, the prepared materials are found to be pure crystalline with tetragonal rutile structure. The lattice strain and crystallite size, were calculated using Williamson-Hall method, are found to be 0.00413 & 16.3 nm in water assisted SnO2 and 0.00495 & 35.6 nm for EG assisted SnO2. Study of surface morphology of the samples was carried out using SEM. It has been seen that the solvents which are used in synthesis can also alter the optical properties of the materials. The optical band gap of the water based SnO2 and EG based SnO2 are found to be 3.92eV and 3.86eV respectively.

  8. Promotion effect of Pt on a SnO2-WO3 material for NOx sensing

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wang, Chen-Yang; Hong, Zih-Siou; Wu, Ren-Jang

    2015-05-01

    Metal-oxide nanocomposites were prepared over screen-printed gold electrodes to be used as room-temperature NOx (nitric-oxide (NO) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2)) sensors. Various weight ratios of SnO2-WO3 and Pt loadings were used for NO sensing. The sensing materials were characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and BET surface analysis. The NO-sensing results indicated that SnO2-WO3 (1:2) was more effective than other materials were. The sensor response (S=resistance of N2/resistance of NO=RN2/RNO) for detecting 1000 ppm of NO at room temperature was 2.6. The response time (T90) and recovery time (TR90) was 40 s and 86 s, respectively. By further loading with 0.5% Pt, the sensor response increased to 3.3. The response and recovery times of 0.5% Pt/SnO2-WO3 (1:2) were 40 s and 206 s, respectively. The linearity of the sensor response for a NO concentration range of 10-1000 ppm was 0.9729. A mechanism involving Pt promotion of the SnO2-WO3 heterojunction was proposed for NO adsorption, surface reaction, and adsorbed NO2 desorption.

  9. Long-range ordering in the Bi 1-xAe xFeO 3-x/2 perovskites: Bi 1/3Sr 2/3FeO 2.67 and Bi 1/2Ca 1/2FeO 2.75

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lepoittevin, C.; Malo, S.; Barrier, N.; Nguyen, N.; Van Tendeloo, G.; Hervieu, M.

    2008-10-01

    Two-ordered perovskites, Bi 1/3Sr 2/3FeO 2.67 and Bi 1/2Ca 1/2FeO 2.75, have been stabilized and characterized by transmission electron microscopy, Mössbauer spectroscopy and X-ray powder diffraction techniques. They both exhibit orthorhombic superstructures, one with a≈ b≈2 ap and c≈3 ap (S.G.: Pb2 n or Pbmn) for the Sr-based compound and one with a≈ b≈2 ap and c≈8 ap (S.G.: B222, Bmm2, B2 mm or Bmmm) for the Ca-based one. The high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) images evidence the existence of one deficient [FeO x] ∞ layer, suggesting that Bi 1/3Sr 2/3FeO 2.67 and Bi 1/2Ca 1/2FeO 2.75 behave differently compared to their Ln-based homolog. The HAADF-STEM images allow to propose a model of cation ordering on the A sites of the perovskite. The Mössbauer analyses confirm the trivalent state of iron and its complex environment with three types of coordination. Both compounds exhibit a high value of resistivity and the inverse molar susceptibility versus temperature curves evidence a magnetic transition at about 730 K for the Bi 1/3Sr 2/3FeO 2.67 and a smooth reversible transition between 590 and 650 K for Bi 1/2Ca 1/2FeO 2.75.

  10. Fabrication by Electrophoretic Deposition of Nano-Fe3O4 and Fe3O4@SiO2 3D Structure on Carbon Fibers as Supercapacitor Materials

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hajalilou, Abdollah; Abouzari-Lotf, Ebrahim; Etemadifar, Reza; Abbasi-Chianeh, Vahid; Kianvash, Abbas

    2018-05-01

    Core-shell nanostructured magnetic Fe3O4@SiO2 with particle size ranging from 3 nm to 40 nm has been synthesized via a facile precipitation method. Tetraethyl orthosilicate was employed as surfactant to prepare core-shell structures from Fe3O4 nanoparticles synthesized from pomegranate peel extract using a green method. X-ray diffraction analysis, Fourier-transform infrared and ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopies, transmission electron microscopy, and scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive spectroscopy were employed to characterize the samples. The prepared Fe3O4 nanoparticles were approximately 12 nm in size, and the thickness of the SiO2 shell was 4 nm. Evaluation of the magnetic properties indicated lower saturation magnetization for Fe3O4@SiO2 powder ( 11.26 emu/g) compared with Fe3O4 powder ( 13.30 emu/g), supporting successful wrapping of the Fe3O4 nanoparticles by SiO2. As-prepared powders were deposited on carbon fibers (CFs) using electrophoretic deposition and their electrochemical behavior investigated. The rectangular-shaped cyclic voltagrams of Fe3O4@CF and Fe3O4@C@CF samples indicated electrochemical double-layer capacitor (EDLC) behavior. The higher specific capacitance of 477 F/g for Fe3O4@C@CF (at scan rate of 0.05 V/s in the potential range of - 1.13 to 0.45 V) compared with 205 F/g for Fe3O4@CF (at the same scan rate in the potential range of - 1.04 to 0.24 V) makes the former a superior candidate for use in energy storage applications.

  11. Composite multifunctional nanostructures based on ZnO tetrapods and superparamagnetic Fe3O4 nanoparticles.

    PubMed

    Villani, M; Rimoldi, T; Calestani, D; Lazzarini, L; Chiesi, V; Casoli, F; Albertini, F; Zappettini, A

    2013-04-05

    A nanocomposite material is obtained by coupling superparamagnetic magnetite nanoparticles (Fe3O4 NP) and vapor phase grown zinc oxide nanostructures with 'tetrapod' morphology (ZnO TP). The aim is the creation of a multifunctional material which retains the attractive features of ZnO (e.g. surface reactivity, strong UV emission, piezoelectricity) together with added magnetism. Structural, morphological, optical, magnetic and functional characterization are performed. In particular, the high saturation magnetization of Fe3O4 NP (above 50 A m(2) kg(-1)), the strong UV luminescence and the enhanced photocatalytic activity of coupled nanostructures are discussed. Thus the nanocomposite turns out to be suitable for applications in energy harvesting and conversion, gas- and bio-sensing, bio-medicine and filter-free photocatalysis.

  12. Scalable fabrication of SnO2 thin films sensitized with CuO islands for enhanced H2S gas sensing performance

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Van Toan, Nguyen; Chien, Nguyen Viet; Van Duy, Nguyen; Vuong, Dang Duc; Lam, Nguyen Huu; Hoa, Nguyen Duc; Van Hieu, Nguyen; Chien, Nguyen Duc

    2015-01-01

    The detection of H2S, an important gaseous molecule that has been recently marked as a highly toxic environmental pollutant, has attracted increasing attention. We fabricate a wafer-scale SnO2 thin film sensitized with CuO islands using microelectronic technology for the improved detection of the highly toxic H2S gas. The SnO2-CuO island sensor exhibits significantly enhanced H2S gas response and reduced operating temperature. The thickness of CuO islands strongly influences H2S sensing characteristics, and the highest H2S gas response is observed with 20 nm-thick CuO islands. The response value (Ra/Rg) of the SnO2-CuO island sensor to 5 ppm H2S is as high as 128 at 200 °C and increases nearly 55-fold compared with that of the bare SnO2 thin film sensor. Meanwhile, the response of the SnO2-CuO island sensor to H2 (250 ppm), NH3 (250 ppm), CO (250 ppm), and LPG (1000 ppm) are low (1.3-2.5). The enhanced gas response and selectivity of the SnO2-CuO island sensor to H2S gas is explained by the sensitizing effect of CuO islands and the extension of electron depletion regions because of the formation of p-n junctions.

  13. Photocatalytic degradation of diclofenac using TiO2-SnO2 mixed oxide catalysts.

    PubMed

    Mugunthan, E; Saidutta, M B; Jagadeeshbabu, P E

    2017-12-26

    The complex nature of diclofenac limits its biological degradation, posing a serious threat to aquatic organisms. Our present work aims to eliminate diclofenac from wastewater through photocatalytic degradation using TiO 2 -SnO 2 mixed-oxide catalysts under various operating conditions such as catalyst loading, initial diclofenac concentration and initial pH. Different molar ratios of Ti-Sn (1:1, 5:1, 10:1, 20:1 and 30:1) were prepared by the hydrothermal method and were characterized. The results indicated that addition of Sn in small quantity enhances the catalytic activity of TiO 2 . Energy Band gap of the TiO 2 -SnO 2 catalysts was found to increase with an increase in Tin content. TiO 2 -SnO 2 catalyst with a molar ratio of 20:1 was found to be the most effective when compared to other catalysts. The results suggested that initial drug concentration of 20 mg/L, catalyst loading of 0.8 g/L and pH 5 were the optimum operating conditions for complete degradation of diclofenac. Also, the TiO 2 -SnO 2 catalyst was effective in complete mineralization of diclofenac with a maximum total organic carbon removal of 90% achieved under ultraviolet irradiation. The repeatability and stability results showed that the TiO 2 -SnO 2 catalyst exhibited an excellent repeatability and better stability over the repeated reaction cycles. The photocatalytic degradation of diclofenac resulted in several photoproducts, which were identified through LC-MS.

  14. Synthesis of methyl 2-O- and 3-O-alpha-D-talopyranosyl-alpha-D-mannopyranoside.

    PubMed

    Rana, S S; Matta, K L

    1986-09-01

    Methyl 3,4,6-tri-O-benzyl-2-O-[6-O-(tert-butyldiphenylsilyl)-alpha-D- mannopyranosyl]-alpha-D-mannopyranoside (2) was synthesized by treatment of methyl 3,4,6-tri-O-benzyl-2-O-alpha-D-mannopyranosyl-alpha-D-mannopyranoside with tert-butylchlorodiphenylsilane in the presence of imidazole. Isopropylidenation, followed by oxidation with pyridinium chlorochromate, and stereoselective reduction with sodium borohydride, converted 2 into methyl 3,4,6-tri-O-benzyl-2-O-[6-O-(tert-butyldiphenylsilyl)-2,3-O-isopro pylidene- alpha-D-talopyranosyl]-alpha-D-mannopyranoside (5). Treatment of 5 with a molar solution of tetrabutylammonium fluoride in dry oxolane produced a diol which, on O-de-isopropylidenation followed by catalytic hydrogenolysis, afforded the disaccharide glycoside methyl 2-O-alpha-D-talopyranosyl-alpha-D-mannopyranoside. Synthesis of methyl 3-O-alpha-D-talopyranosyl-alpha-D-mannopyranoside was accomplished by a similar reaction-sequence. The structures of the final disaccharides, and of various other intermediates, were established by 1H- and 13C-n.m.r. spectroscopy.

  15. 2D SnO2 Nanosheets: Synthesis, Characterization, Structures, and Excellent Sensing Performance to Ethylene Glycol

    PubMed Central

    Wan, Wenjin; Li, Yuehua; Ren, Xingping; Zhao, Yinping; Gao, Fan; Zhao, Heyun

    2018-01-01

    Two dimensional (2D)SnO2 nanosheets were synthesized by a substrate-free hydrothermal route using sodium stannate and sodium hydroxide in a mixed solvent of absolute ethanol and deionized water at a lower temperature of 130 °C. The characterization results of the morphology, microstructure, and surface properties of the as-prepared products demonstrated that SnO2 nanosheets with a tetragonal rutile structure, were composed of oriented SnO2 nanoparticles with a diameter of 6–12 nm. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) and high-resolution transmission electron microscope (FETEM) results demonstrated that the dominant exposed surface of the SnO2 nanoparticles was (101), but not (110). The growth and formation was supposed to follow the oriented attachment mechanism. The SnO2 nanosheets exhibited an excellent sensing response toward ethylene glycol at a lower optimal operating voltage of 3.4 V. The response to 400 ppm ethylene glycol reaches 395 at 3.4 V. Even under the low concentration of 5, 10, and 20 ppm, the sensor exhibited a high response of 6.9, 7.8, and 12.0 to ethylene glycol, respectively. The response of the SnO2 nanosheets exhibited a linear dependence on the ethylene glycol concentration from 5 to 1000 ppm. The excellent sensing performance was attributed to the present SnO2 nanoparticles with small size close to the Debye length, the larger specific surface, the high-energy exposed facets of the (101) surface, and the synergistic effects of the SnO2 nanoparticles of the nanosheets. PMID:29462938

  16. Superconductivity in SnO: a nonmagnetic analog to Fe-based superconductors?

    PubMed

    Forthaus, M K; Sengupta, K; Heyer, O; Christensen, N E; Svane, A; Syassen, K; Khomskii, D I; Lorenz, T; Abd-Elmeguid, M M

    2010-10-08

    We discovered that under pressure SnO with α-PbO structure, the same structure as in many Fe-based superconductors, e.g., β-FeSe, undergoes a transition to a superconducting state for p≳6 GPa with a maximum Tc of 1.4 K at p=9.3 GPa. The pressure dependence of Tc reveals a domelike shape and superconductivity disappears for p≳16 GPa. It is further shown from band structure calculations that SnO under pressure exhibits a Fermi surface topology similar to that reported for some Fe-based superconductors and that the nesting between the hole and electron pockets correlates with the change of Tc as a function of pressure.

  17. Three-dimensional SnO2@TiO2 double-shell nanotubes on carbon cloth as a flexible anode for lithium-ion batteries

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhang, Haifeng; Ren, Weina; Cheng, Chuanwei

    2015-07-01

    In this study, three-dimensional SnO2@TiO2 double-shell nanotubes on carbon cloth are synthesized by a combination of the hydrothermal method for ZnO nanorods and a subsequent SnO2 and TiO2 thin film coating with atomic layer deposition (ALD). The as-prepared SnO2@TiO2 double-shell nanotubes are further tested as a flexible anode for Li ion batteries. The SnO2@TiO2 double-shell nanotubes/carbon cloth electrode exhibited a high initial discharge capacity (e.g. 778.8 mA h g-1 at a high current density of 780 mA g-1) and good cycling performance, which could be attributed to the 3D double-layer nanotube structure. The interior space of the stable TiO2 hollow tube can accommodate the large internal stress caused by volume expansion of SnO2 and protect SnO2 from pulverization and exfoliation.

  18. Synthesis of novel 3D SnO flower-like hierarchical architectures self-assembled by nano-leaves and its photocatalysis

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Cui, Yongkui; Wang, Fengping, E-mail: fpwang@ustb.edu.cn; Iqbal, M. Zubair

    Highlights: • Novel 3D SnO flowers self-assembled by 2D nano-leaves were synthesized by hydrothermal method. • The SnO nano-leaf is of single crystalline nature. • The band gap of 2.59 eV of as-prepared products was obtained. • The as-synthesized material will be a promising photocatalytic material. - Abstract: In this report, the novel 3D SnO flower-like hierarchical architectures self-assembled by 2D SnO nano-leaves are successfully synthesized via template-free hydrothermal approach under facile conditions. The high-resolution transmission electron microscopy results demonstrate that the 2D nano-leaves structure is of single crystalline nature. The band gap 2.59 eV for prepared product is obtainedmore » from UV–vis diffuse reflectance spectrum. The photocatalysis of the as prepared SnO for degrading methyl orange (MO) has been studied. A good photocatalytic activity is obtained and the mechanism is discussed in detail. Results indicate that the SnO nanostructures are the potential candidates for photocatalyst applications.« less

  19. Quantum chemical calculations of Cr2O3/SnO2 using density functional theory method

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jawaher, K. Rackesh; Indirajith, R.; Krishnan, S.; Robert, R.; Das, S. Jerome

    2018-03-01

    Quantum chemical calculations have been employed to study the molecular effects produced by Cr2O3/SnO2 optimised structure. The theoretical parameters of the transparent conducting metal oxides were calculated using DFT / B3LYP / LANL2DZ method. The optimised bond parameters such as bond lengths, bond angles and dihedral angles were calculated using the same theory. The non-linear optical property of the title compound was calculated using first-order hyperpolarisability calculation. The calculated HOMO-LUMO analysis explains the charge transfer interaction between the molecule. In addition, MEP and Mulliken atomic charges were also calculated and analysed.

  20. Multifunctional BiFeO{sub 3}/TiO{sub 2} nano-heterostructure: Photo-ferroelectricity, rectifying transport, and nonvolatile resistive switching property

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Sarkar, Ayan; Khan, Gobinda Gopal, E-mail: gobinda.gk@gmail.com; Chaudhuri, Arka

    Multifunctional BiFeO{sub 3} nanostructure anchored TiO{sub 2} nanotubes are fabricated by coupling wet chemical and electrochemical routes. BiFeO{sub 3}/TiO{sub 2} nano-heterostructure exhibits white-light-induced ferroelectricity at room temperature. Studies reveal that the photogenerated electrons trapped at the domain/grain boundaries tune the ferroelectric polarization in BiFeO{sub 3} nanostructures. The photon controlled saturation and remnant polarization opens up the possibility to design ferroelectric devices based on BiFeO{sub 3.} The nano-heterostructure also exhibits substantial photovoltaic effect and rectifying characteristics. Photovoltaic property is found to be correlated with the ferroelectric polarization. Furthermore, the nonvolatile resistive switching in BiFeO{sub 3}/TiO{sub 2} nano-heterostructure has been studied, whichmore » demonstrates that the observed resistive switching is most likely caused by the electric-field-induced carrier injection/migration and trapping/detrapping process at the hetero-interfaces. Therefore, BiFeO{sub 3}/TiO{sub 2} nano-heterostructure coupled with logic, photovoltaics and memory characteristics holds promises for long-term technological applications in nanoelectronics devices.« less

  1. Magnetic properties of x(Fe2O3).(100-x)[P2O5.Li2O] and x(Fe2O3).(100-x)[P2O5.CaO] glass systems

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Andronache, Constantin; Racolta, Dania; Ardelean, Gheorghe

    2017-12-01

    Magnetic properties of x(Fe2O3).(100-x)[P2O5 .Li2O] and x(Fe2O3).(100-x)[P2O5 .CaO] with 0 < x ≤ 50 mol % were investigated using magnetic susceptibility measurements. The both glass systems were prepared in the same condition. The valence states and the distribution of iron ions in the glass matrix depend on the Fe2O3 content. For the P2O5.CaO glass matrix with x≤35mol%, the data revealed iron ions as isolated or participating in dipole-dipole interaction. For x > 35 mol% an antiferromagnetic coupling is observed. For the P2O5.Li2O glass matrix, the iron ions behave magnetically similarly as in other oxide glasses, but concentration of Fe2O3 over which magnetic superexchange interactions occur is lower. The absolute magnitude of θp values increases when content of Fe2O3 are increased. If the content of the magnetic ions is increased in the glass, the exchange integral increased and as a result the magnitude of the θP increases.

  2. Structural and Mössbauer characterization of the ball milled Fe x(Cr 2O 3) 1- x system

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Biondo, Valdecir; de Medeiros, Suzana Nóbrega; Paesano, Andrea, Jr.; Ghivelder, Luis; Hallouche, Bachir; da Cunha, João Batista Marimon

    2009-08-01

    The Fe x(Cr 2O 3) 1- x system, with 0.10 ≤ X ≤ 0.80, was mechanically processed for 24 h in a high-energy ball-mill. In order to examine the possible formation of iron-chromium oxides and alloys, the milled samples were, later, thermally annealed in inert (argon) and reducing (hydrogen) atmospheres. The as-milled and annealed products were characterized by X-ray diffraction, Mössbauer spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy and magnetization. The as-milled samples showed the formation of an Fe 1+ YCr 2- YO 4- δ nanostructured and disordered spinel phase, the α 1-Fe(Cr) and α 2-Cr(Fe) solid solutions and the presence of non-exhausted precursors. For the samples annealed in inert atmosphere, the chromite (FeCr 2O 4) formation and the recrystallization of the precursors were verified. The hydrogen treated samples revealed the reduction of the spinel phase, with the phase separation of the chromia phase and retention of the Fe-Cr solid solutions. All the samples, either as-milled or annealed, presented the magnetization versus applied field curves typical for superparamagnetic systems.

  3. Data of chemical analysis and electrical properties of SnO2-TiO2 composite nanofibers.

    PubMed

    Bakr, Zinab H; Wali, Qamar; Ismail, Jamil; Elumalai, Naveen Kumar; Uddin, Ashraf; Jose, Rajan

    2018-06-01

    In this data article, we provide energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) spectra of the electrospun composite (SnO 2 -TiO 2 ) nanowires with the elemental values measured in atomic and weight%. The linear sweep voltammetry data of composite and its component nanofibers are provided. The data collected in this article is directly related to our research article "Synergistic combination of electronic and electrical properties of SnO 2 and TiO 2 in a single SnO 2 -TiO 2 composite nanowire for dye-sensitized solar cells" [1].

  4. Non-centrosymmetric Au-SnO2 hybrid nanostructures with strong localization of plasmonic for enhanced photocatalysis application

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wu, Wei; Liao, Lei; Zhang, Shaofeng; Zhou, Juan; Xiao, Xiangheng; Ren, Feng; Sun, Lingling; Dai, Zhigao; Jiang, Changzhong

    2013-05-01

    We present an innovative approach to the production of sub-100 nm hollow Au-SnO2 hybrid nanospheres, employing a low-cost, surfactant-free and environmentally friendly solution-based route. The hollow hybrid nanostructures were synthesized using a seed-mediated hydrothermal method, which can be divided into two stages: (1) formation of multicore-shell Au@SnO2 nanoparticles (NPs) and (2) thermal diffusion and ripening to form hollow Au-SnO2 hybrid NPs. The morphology, optical properties and formation mechanism were determined by a collection of joint techniques. Photocatalytic degradation of Rhodamine B (RhB) in the liquid phase served as a probe reaction to evaluate the activity of the as-prepared hollow hybrid Au-SnO2 NPs under the irradiation of both visible light and ultraviolet light. Significantly, the as-obtained Au-SnO2 hybrid nanostructures exhibited enhanced visible light or UV photocatalytic abilities, remarkably superior to commercial pure SnO2 products and P25 TiO2, mainly owing to the effective electron hole separation at the SnO2-Au interfaces and strong localization of plasmonic near-fields effects.We present an innovative approach to the production of sub-100 nm hollow Au-SnO2 hybrid nanospheres, employing a low-cost, surfactant-free and environmentally friendly solution-based route. The hollow hybrid nanostructures were synthesized using a seed-mediated hydrothermal method, which can be divided into two stages: (1) formation of multicore-shell Au@SnO2 nanoparticles (NPs) and (2) thermal diffusion and ripening to form hollow Au-SnO2 hybrid NPs. The morphology, optical properties and formation mechanism were determined by a collection of joint techniques. Photocatalytic degradation of Rhodamine B (RhB) in the liquid phase served as a probe reaction to evaluate the activity of the as-prepared hollow hybrid Au-SnO2 NPs under the irradiation of both visible light and ultraviolet light. Significantly, the as-obtained Au-SnO2 hybrid nanostructures

  5. Characterization and properties of TiO2-SnO2 nanocomposites, obtained by hydrolysis method

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kutuzova, Anastasiya S.; Dontsova, Tetiana A.

    2018-04-01

    The paper deals with the process of TiO2-SnO2 nanocomposites synthesis utilizing simple hydrolysis method with further calcination for photocatalytic applications. The obtained nanopowders contain 100, 90, 75, 65 and 25 wt% of TiO2. The synthesized nanocomposite samples were analyzed by X-ray diffraction method, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and N2 adsorption-desorption method. The correlation between structure and morphology of the obtained nanocrystalline composite powders and their sorption and photocatalytic activity towards methylene blue degradation was established. It was found that the presence of SnO2 in the nanocomposites stabilizes the anatase phase of TiO2. Furthermore, sorption and photocatalytic properties of the obtained composites are significantly influenced not only by specific surface area, but also by pore size distribution and mesopore volume of the samples. In our opinion, the results obtained in this study have shown that the TiO2-SnO2 composites with SnO2 content that does not exceed 10% are promising for photocatalytic applications.

  6. High-pressure phases transitions in SnO2 to 117 GPa: Implications for silica

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Shieh, S. R.; Kubo, A.; Duffy, T. S.; Prakapenka, V. B.; Shen, G.

    2005-12-01

    Cassiterite (SnO2) is regarded to be a good analog material for silica as both SnO2 and SiO2 are group IV-B metal dioxides. The high-pressure behavior of SnO2 has been the subject of many previous investigations extending up to 49 GPa and in addition to the rutile structure, three high-pressure phases, CaCl2-type, α-PbO2-type, and pyrite-type were observed. Better knowledge of high-pressure phases of SnO2 will be useful to understand the behavior of silica at deep mantle conditions. In addition, high-pressure metal dioxide phases may qualify as superhard solids. Our study will also provide insights into interpretation of shock compression data. Pure natural cassiterite (SnO2) powder was compressed in a diamond anvil cell using an argon medium. Pressure was determined from the equation of state of platinum. In situ monochromatic x-ray diffraction at high pressure was carried out at the GSECARS, Advanced Photon Source. High temperatures were achieved using double-sided laser heating . Three heating cycles were conducted with total heating times up to 30 minutes. Our diffraction results on SnO2 demonstrate the existence of four phase transitions to 117 GPa. The observed sequence of high-pressure phases for SnO2 is rutile-type, CaCl2-type, pyrite-type, ZrO2 orthorhombic phase I (Pbca), cotunnite-type. Our observations of the first three phases are generally in agreement with earlier studies. The orthorhombic phase I and cotunnite-type structures were observed in SnO2 for the first time. The Pbca phase is found at 50-74 GPa during room-temperature compression. The cotunnite-type structure was synthesized when SnO2 was heated at 74 GPa and 1200 K. The cotunnite-type form was observed during compression between 54-117 GPa. Fitting the pressure-volume data for the high-pressure phases to the second-order Birch-Murnaghan equation of state yields a bulk modulus of 259(26) GPa for the Pbca phase and 417(7) GPa for the cotunnite-type phase. Rietveld profile refinements were

  7. Hollow SnO2@Co3O4 core-shell spheres encapsulated in three-dimensional graphene foams for high performance supercapacitors and lithium-ion batteries

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhao, Bo; Huang, Sheng-Yun; Wang, Tao; Zhang, Kai; Yuen, Matthew M. F.; Xu, Jian-Bin; Fu, Xian-Zhu; Sun, Rong; Wong, Ching-Ping

    2015-12-01

    Hollow SnO2@Co3O4 spheres are fabricated using 300 nm spherical SiO2 particles as template. Then three-dimensional graphene foams encapsulated hollow SnO2@Co3O4 spheres are successfully obtained through self-assembly in hydrothermal process from graphene oxide nanosheets and metal oxide hollow spheres. The three-dimensional graphene foams encapsulated architectures could greatly improve the capacity, cycling stability and rate capability of hollow SnO2@Co3O4 spheres electrodes due to the highly conductive networks and flexible buffering matrix. The three-dimensional graphene foams encapsulated hollow SnO2@Co3O4 spheres are promising electrode materials for supercapacitors and lithium-ion batteries.

  8. Metal-to-insulator transition induced by UV illumination in a single SnO2 nanobelt

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Viana, E. R.; Ribeiro, G. M.; de Oliveira, A. G.; González, J. C.

    2017-11-01

    An individual tin oxide (SnO2) nanobelt was connected in a back-gate field-effect transistor configuration and the conductivity of the nanobelt was measured at different temperatures from 400 K to 4 K, in darkness and under UV illumination. In darkness, the SnO2 nanobelts showed semiconductor behavior for the whole temperature range measured. However, when subjected to UV illumination the photoinduced carriers were high enough to lead to a metal-to-insulator transition (MIT), near room temperature, at T MIT = 240 K. By measuring the current versus gate voltage curves, and considering the electrostatic properties of a non-ideal conductor, for the SnO2 nanobelt on top of a gate-oxide substrate, we estimated the capacitance per unit length, the mobility and the density of carriers. In darkness, the density was estimated to be 5-10 × 1018 cm-3, in agreement with our previously reported result (Phys. Status Solid. RRL 6, 262-4 (2012)). However, under UV illumination the density of carriers was estimated to be 0.2-3.8 × 1019 cm-3 near T MIT, which exceeded the critical Mott density estimated to be 2.8 × 1019 cm-3 above 240 K. These results showed that the electrical properties of the SnO2 nanobelts can be drastically modified and easily tuned from semiconducting to metallic states as a function of temperature and light.

  9. Bouquet-Like Mn2SnO4 Nanocomposite Engineered with Graphene Sheets as an Advanced Lithium-Ion Battery Anode.

    PubMed

    Rehman, Wasif Ur; Xu, Youlong; Sun, Xiaofei; Ullah, Inam; Zhang, Yuan; Li, Long

    2018-05-30

    Volume expansion is a major challenge associated with tin oxide (SnO x ), which causes poor cyclability in lithium-ion battery anode. Bare tin dioxide (SnO 2 ), tin dioxide with graphene sheets (SnO 2 @GS), and bouquet-like nanocomposite structure (Mn 2 SnO 4 @GS) are prepared via hydrothermal method followed by annealing. The obtained composite material presents a bouquet structure containing manganese and tin oxide nanoparticle network with graphene sheets. Benefiting from this porous nanostructure, in which graphene sheets provide high electronic pathways to enhance the electronic conductivity, uniformly distributed particles offer accelerated kinetic reaction with lithium ion and reduced volume deviation in the tin dioxide (SnO 2 ) particle during charge-discharge testing. As a consequence, ternary composite Mn 2 SnO 4 @GS showed a high rate performance and outstanding cyclability of anode material for lithium-ion batteries. The electrode achieved a specific capacity of about 1070 mA h g -1 at a current density of 400 mA g -1 after 200 cycles; meanwhile, the electrode still delivered a specific capacity of about 455 mA h g -1 at a high current density of 2500 mA g -1 . Ternary Mn 2 SnO 4 @GS material could facilitate fabrication of unique structure and conductive network as advanced lithium-ion battery.

  10. Transparent nanostructured Fe-doped TiO2 thin films prepared by ultrasonic assisted spray pyrolysis technique

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rasoulnezhad, Hossein; Hosseinzadeh, Ghader; Ghasemian, Naser; Hosseinzadeh, Reza; Homayoun Keihan, Amir

    2018-05-01

    Nanostructured TiO2 and Fe-doped TiO2 thin films with high transparency were deposited on glass substrate through ultrasonic-assisted spray pyrolysis technique and were used in the visible light photocatalytic degradation of MB dye. The resulting thin films were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Raman spectroscopy, photoluminescence spectroscopy, x-ray diffraction (XRD), and UV-visible absorption spectroscopy techniques. Based on Raman spectroscopy results, both of the TiO2 and Fe-doped TiO2 films have anatase crystal structure, however, because of the insertion of Fe in the structure of TiO2 some point defects and oxygen vacancies are formed in the Fe-doped TiO2 thin film. Presence of Fe in the structure of TiO2 decreases the band gap energy of TiO2 and also reduces the electron–hole recombination rate. Decreasing of the electron–hole recombination rate and band gap energy result in the enhancement of the visible light photocatalytic activity of the Fe-doped TiO2 thin film.

  11. Viscosity of TiO2-FeO-Ti2O3-SiO2-MgO-CaO-Al2O3 for High-Titania Slag Smelting Process

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hu, Kai; Lv, Xuewei; Li, Shengping; Lv, Wei; Song, Bing; Han, Kexi

    2018-05-01

    The present study demonstrates the dependence of viscosity on chemical composition and temperature of high-titania slag, a very important raw material for producing titanium dioxide. The results indicated that completely molten high-titania slag exhibits a viscosity of less than 1 dPa s with negligible dependence on temperature. However, it increases dramatically with decreasing temperature slightly below the critical temperature, i.e., the solidus temperature of the slag. Above the critical temperature, the slag samples displayed the same order of viscosity at 0.6 dPa s, regardless of their compositional variation. However, the FeO, CaO, and MgO were confirmed to decrease viscosity, while SiO2 and Ti2O3 increase it. The apparent activation energy for viscosity-temperature relation and liquidus temperature based on experiments and thermodynamic calculations are also presented. Conclusively, the critical temperatures of the slags are on average 15 K below their corresponding calculated liquidus temperatures. The increase in FeO content was found to considerably lower the critical temperature, while the increase in both Ti2O3 and TiO2 contents increases it. The main phases of the slag in solid state, as indicated by X-ray diffraction, are (Fe, Mg) x Ti y O5 (x + y = 3, pseudobrookite) and rutile.

  12. Metallic Sn spheres and SnO2@C core-shells by anaerobic and aerobic catalytic ethanol and CO oxidation reactions over SnO2 nanoparticles

    PubMed Central

    Kim, Won Joo; Lee, Sung Woo; Sohn, Youngku

    2015-01-01

    SnO2 has been studied intensely for applications to sensors, Li-ion batteries and solar cells. Despite this, comparatively little attention has been paid to the changes in morphology and crystal phase that occur on the metal oxide surface during chemical reactions. This paper reports anaerobic and aerobic ethanol and CO oxidation reactions over SnO2 nanoparticles (NPs), as well as the subsequent changes in the nature of the NPs. Uniform SnO2@C core-shells (10 nm) were formed by an aerobic ethanol oxidation reaction over SnO2 NPs. On the other hand, metallic Sn spheres were produced by an anaerobic ethanol oxidation reaction at 450 °C, which is significantly lower than that (1200 °C) used in industrial Sn production. Anaerobic and aerobic CO oxidation reactions were also examined. The novelty of the methods for the production of metallic Sn and SnO2@C core-shells including other anaerobic and aerobic reactions will contribute significantly to Sn and SnO2-based applications. PMID:26300041

  13. Enhancement of visible light photocatalytic activity over bistructural SnO2 nanobelts

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wang, Lihua; Wang, Yongli; Su, Dezhi; Zhao, Yongjie

    2018-02-01

    SnO2 nanobelts were synthesized by hydrothermal method. The structure and morphology were investigated by XRD, Raman spectra, SEM and TEM. The results revealed that the synthesized SnO2 nanobelts were covered with amorphous surface. For the photocatalytic efficiency of methylene blue, the none-fully crystallized SnO2 nanobelts were over four times higher than bulk SnO2. Moreover, the photo-degradation rate constant with SnO2 nanobelts as photocatalysts was over six times higher than bulk SnO2. It was considered that the subtle structure of SnO2 nanobelts not only lowered the band gap but also improved the transfer of charge carriers and trapping effect of solar light. Furthermore, this strategy of enhancing photocatalytic performance could be extended to the other kinds of metal oxide photocatalyst.

  14. Ternary composite of TiO2 nanotubes/Ti plates modified by g-C3N4 and SnO2 with enhanced photocatalytic activity for enhancing antibacterial and photocatalytic activity.

    PubMed

    Faraji, Masoud; Mohaghegh, Neda; Abedini, Amir

    2018-01-01

    A series of g-C 3 N 4 -SnO 2 /TiO 2 nanotubes/Ti plates were fabricated via simple dipping of TiO 2 nanotubes/Ti in a solution containing SnCl 2 and g-C 3 N 4 nanosheets and finally annealing of the plates. Synthesized plates were characterized by various techniques. The SEM analysis revealed that the g-C 3 N 4 -SnO 2 nanosheets with high physical stability have been successfully deposited onto the surface of TiO 2 nanotubes/Ti plate. Photocatalytic activity was investigated using two probe chemical reactions: oxidative decomposition of acetic acid and oxidation of 2-propanol under irradiation. Antibacterial activities for Escherichia coli (E. coli) bacteria were also investigated in dark and under UV/Vis illuminations. Detailed characterization and results of photocatalytic and antibacterial activity tests revealed that semiconductor coupling significantly affected the photocatalyst properties synthesized and hence their photocatalytic and antibacterial activities. Modification of TiO 2 nanotubes/Ti plates with g-C 3 N 4 -SnO 2 deposits resulted in enhanced photocatalytic activities in both chemical and microbial systems. The g-C 3 N 4 -SnO 2 /TiO 2 nanotubes/Ti plate exhibited the highest photocatalytic and antibacterial activity, probably due to the heterojunction between g-C 3 N 4 -SnO 2 and TiO 2 nanotubes/Ti in the ternary composite plate and thus lower electron/hole recombination rate. Based on the obtained results, a photocatalytic and an antibacterial mechanism for the degradation of E. coli bacteria and chemical pollutants over g-C 3 N 4 -SnO 2 /TiO 2 nanotubes/Ti plate were proposed and discussed. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  15. Absence of cytotoxicity towards microglia of iron oxide (α-Fe 2O 3) nanorhombohedra

    DOE PAGES

    Crystal S. Lewis; Wong, Stanislaus S.; Torres, Luisa; ...

    2016-02-26

    Understanding the nature of interactions between nanomaterials, such as commercially ubiquitous hematite (α-Fe 2O 3) nanorhombohedra (N-Rhomb) and biological systems is of critical importance for gaining insight into the practical applicability of nanomaterials. Microglia represent the first line of defense in the central nervous system (CNS) during severe injury or disease such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease as illustrative examples. Hence, to analyze the potential cytotoxic effect of N-Rhomb exposure in the presence of microglia, we have synthesized Rhodamine B (RhB)-labeled α-Fe 2O 3 N-Rhomb, with lengths of 47 ± 10 nm and widths of 35 ± 8 nm. Internalizationmore » of RhB-labeled α-Fe 2O 3 N-Rhomb by microglia in the mouse brain was observed, and a dose-dependent increase in the cellular iron content as probed by cellular fluorescence was detected in cultured microglia after nanoparticle exposure. The cells maintained clear functional viability, exhibiting little to no cytotoxic effects after 24 and 48 hours at acceptable, physiological concentrations. Importantly, the nanoparticle exposure did not induce microglial cells to produce either tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFα) or interleukin 1-beta (IL1β), two pro-inflammatory cytokines, nor did exposure stimulate the production of nitrites and reactive oxygen species (ROS), which are common indicators for the onset of inflammation. Finally, we propose that under the conditions of our experiments, i.e. in the presence of RhB labeled-α-Fe 2O 3 N-Rhomb maintaining concentrations of up to 100 μg mL–1 after 48 hours of incubation, the in vitro and in vivo internalization of RhB-labeled α-Fe 2O 3 N-Rhomb are likely to be clathrin-dependent, which represents a conventional mechanistic uptake route for most cells. Furthermore, given the crucial role that microglia play in many neurological disorders, understanding the potential cytotoxic effects of these nanostructures is of fundamental importance if

  16. Effects of Al2O3 and CaO/SiO2 Ratio on Phase Equilbria in the ZnO-"FeO"-Al2O3-CaO-SiO2 System in Equilibrium with Metallic Iron

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhao, Baojun; Hayes, Peter C.; Jak, Evgueni

    2011-02-01

    The phase equilibria and liquidus temperatures in the ZnO-"FeO"-Al2O3-CaO-SiO2 system in equilibrium with metallic iron have been determined experimentally in the temperature range 1383 K to 1573 K (1150 °C to 1300 °C). The experimental conditions were selected to characterize lead blast furnace and imperial smelting furnace slags. The results are presented in a form of pseudoternary sections ZnO-"FeO"-(Al2O3 + CaO + SiO2) with fixed CaO/SiO2 and (CaO + SiO2)/Al2O3 ratios. It was found that wustite and spinel are the major primary phases in the composition range investigated. Effects of Al2O3 concentration as well as the CaO/SiO2 ratio on the primary phase field, the liquidus temperature, and the partitioning of ZnO between liquid and solid phases have been discussed for zinc-containing slags.

  17. Facile synthesis of CuFe2O4-Fe2O3 composite for high-performance supercapacitor electrode applications

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Khan, Rashid; Habib, Muhammad; Gondal, Mohammed A.; Khalil, Adnan; Rehman, Zia Ur; Muhammad, Zahir; Haleem, Yasir A.; Wang, Changda; Wu, Chuan Qiang; Song, Li

    2017-10-01

    We report the synthesis of CuFe2O4-Fe2O3 composite material for efficient and highly stable supercapacitor electrode by using eco-friendly low-temperature co-precipitation method. The CuFe2O4-Fe2O3 composite demonstrated the highest specific capacitance of 638.24 F g-1 and excellent stability up to 2000 charge/discharge cycles. The achieved capacitance value is 16 times higher than that of pure CuFe2O4. The results revealed the extraordinary performance of CuFe2O4-Fe2O3 composite as supercapacitor electrode with excellent retention in comparison to CuFe2O4. The enhanced electrochemical activity of CuFe2O4-Fe2O3 composite is attributed to the synergistic effect which is responsible for redox coupling between Cu2+ and Fe3+ that has never been achieved by single component before.

  18. The effect of Fe2O3 crystal phases on CO2 hydrogenation

    PubMed Central

    Wang, Tianqi; Chen, Hongxian; Yang, Xiazhen; Jin, Yangfu

    2017-01-01

    The effect of Fe2O3 crystal phases on their performance in CO2 hydrogenation was studied. α-Fe2O3 crystal was prepared by precipitation method from Fe(NO3)3·9H2O and (NH4)2CO3, and γ-Fe2O3 was prepared by grinding Fe(NO3)3·9H2O and L(+)-Tartaric acid in agate mortar completely. The crystal phases of Fe2O3 influence the distribution of promoter Zn, K and Cu on catalysts. The dispersity of K on γ-Fe2O3 surface is higher than α-Fe2O3. On the contrary, Cu and Zn are more dispersive on α-Fe2O3 surface than γ-Fe2O3. The catalyst in γ-Fe2O3 phase is easily reduced relative to the catalyst in α-Fe2O3 phase. The former presents higher CO2 conversion and C2+ hydrocarbon selectivity than the latter in CO2 hydrogenation. PMID:28806421

  19. The effect of Fe2O3 crystal phases on CO2 hydrogenation.

    PubMed

    Ning, Wensheng; Wang, Tianqi; Chen, Hongxian; Yang, Xiazhen; Jin, Yangfu

    2017-01-01

    The effect of Fe2O3 crystal phases on their performance in CO2 hydrogenation was studied. α-Fe2O3 crystal was prepared by precipitation method from Fe(NO3)3·9H2O and (NH4)2CO3, and γ-Fe2O3 was prepared by grinding Fe(NO3)3·9H2O and L(+)-Tartaric acid in agate mortar completely. The crystal phases of Fe2O3 influence the distribution of promoter Zn, K and Cu on catalysts. The dispersity of K on γ-Fe2O3 surface is higher than α-Fe2O3. On the contrary, Cu and Zn are more dispersive on α-Fe2O3 surface than γ-Fe2O3. The catalyst in γ-Fe2O3 phase is easily reduced relative to the catalyst in α-Fe2O3 phase. The former presents higher CO2 conversion and C2+ hydrocarbon selectivity than the latter in CO2 hydrogenation.

  20. Azadirachta indica (neem) leaves mediated synthesis of SnO2/NiO nanocomposite and assessment of its photocatalytic activity

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Varshney, Bhaskar; Shoeb, Mohd; Siddiqui, M. J.; Azam, Ameer; Mobin, Mohammad

    2018-05-01

    SnO2/NiO nanocomposite are prepared by using a simple cost effective and ecofriendly green soft template method followed by ultrasonication treatment further by calcination at 300 °C. The resulting nanocatalysts were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), UV-Visible spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The SnO2-NiO photocatalyst was made of a mesoporous network of aggregated NiO and cassiterite SnO2 nanocrystallites, the size of which was estimated to be 16.68 nm and 13.17 nm, respectively, after calcination. According to UV-visible spectroscopy, the evident energy band gap value of the SnO2-NiO photocatalyst was estimated to be 3.132 eV to be compared with those of pure SnO2, that is, 3.7 eV. Moreover, the heterostructure SnO2-NiO photocatalyst showed much higher photocatalytic activities for the degradation of methylene blue than those of individual SnO2 and NiO nanomaterials. This behaviour was rationalized in terms of better charge separation and the suppression of charge recombination in the SnO2-NiO photocatalyst because of the energy difference between the conduction band edges of SnO2 and NiO as evidenced by the band alignment determination. Finally, this mesoporous SnO2-NiO heterojunction nanocatalyst was stable and could be easily recycled several times opening new avenues for potential industrial applications.

  1. High Efficiency Dye-sensitized Solar Cells Constructed with Composites of TiO2 and the Hot-bubbling Synthesized Ultra-Small SnO2 Nanocrystals.

    PubMed

    Mao, Xiaoli; Zhou, Ru; Zhang, Shouwei; Ding, Liping; Wan, Lei; Qin, Shengxian; Chen, Zhesheng; Xu, Jinzhang; Miao, Shiding

    2016-01-13

    An efficient photo-anode for the dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) should have features of high loading of dye molecules, favorable band alignments and good efficiency in electron transport. Herein, the 3.4 nm-sized SnO2 nanocrystals (NCs) of high crystallinity, synthesized via the hot-bubbling method, were incorporated with the commercial TiO2 (P25) particles to fabricate the photo-anodes. The optimal percentage of the doped SnO2 NCs was found at ~7.5% (SnO2/TiO2, w/w), and the fabricated DSSC delivers a power conversion efficiency up to 6.7%, which is 1.52 times of the P25 based DSSCs. The ultra-small SnO2 NCs offer three benefits, (1) the incorporation of SnO2 NCs enlarges surface areas of the photo-anode films, and higher dye-loading amounts were achieved; (2) the high charge mobility provided by SnO2 was confirmed to accelerate the electron transport, and the photo-electron recombination was suppressed by the highly-crystallized NCs; (3) the conduction band minimum (CBM) of the SnO2 NCs was uplifted due to the quantum size effects, and this was found to alleviate the decrement in the open-circuit voltage. This work highlights great contributions of the SnO2 NCs to the improvement of the photovoltaic performances in the DSSCs.

  2. High Efficiency Dye-sensitized Solar Cells Constructed with Composites of TiO2 and the Hot-bubbling Synthesized Ultra-Small SnO2 Nanocrystals

    PubMed Central

    Mao, Xiaoli; Zhou, Ru; Zhang, Shouwei; Ding, Liping; Wan, Lei; Qin, Shengxian; Chen, Zhesheng; Xu, Jinzhang; Miao, Shiding

    2016-01-01

    An efficient photo-anode for the dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) should have features of high loading of dye molecules, favorable band alignments and good efficiency in electron transport. Herein, the 3.4 nm-sized SnO2 nanocrystals (NCs) of high crystallinity, synthesized via the hot-bubbling method, were incorporated with the commercial TiO2 (P25) particles to fabricate the photo-anodes. The optimal percentage of the doped SnO2 NCs was found at ~7.5% (SnO2/TiO2, w/w), and the fabricated DSSC delivers a power conversion efficiency up to 6.7%, which is 1.52 times of the P25 based DSSCs. The ultra-small SnO2 NCs offer three benefits, (1) the incorporation of SnO2 NCs enlarges surface areas of the photo-anode films, and higher dye-loading amounts were achieved; (2) the high charge mobility provided by SnO2 was confirmed to accelerate the electron transport, and the photo-electron recombination was suppressed by the highly-crystallized NCs; (3) the conduction band minimum (CBM) of the SnO2 NCs was uplifted due to the quantum size effects, and this was found to alleviate the decrement in the open-circuit voltage. This work highlights great contributions of the SnO2 NCs to the improvement of the photovoltaic performances in the DSSCs. PMID:26758941

  3. Self induced gratings in ternary SiO2:SnO2:Na2O bulk glasses by UV light seeding.

    PubMed

    Lancry, M; Douay, M; Niay, P; Beclin, F; Menke, Y; Milanese, D; Ferraris, M; Poumellec, B

    2005-09-05

    The diffraction efficiency of gratings written in ternary SnO2:SiO2:Na2O bulk glasses rises dramatically with time after the occultation of the cw 244nm light used to write the thick hologram. This self-induced behavior lasts for several hours and ultimately leads to refractive index changes as high as 3 10-3.

  4. [Influences of R2O-Al2O3-B2O3-SiO2 system glass and superfine alpha-Al2O3 on the sintering and phase transition of hydroxyapatite ceramics].

    PubMed

    Wang, Zhiqiang; Chen, Xiaoxu; Cai, Yingji; Lü, Bingling

    2003-06-01

    The effects of R2O-Al2O3-B2O3-SiO2 system glass and superfine alpha-Al2O3 on the sintering and phase transition of hydroxyapatite (HAP) ceramics were assessed. The results showed that alpha-Al2O3 impeded the sintering of HAP and raised the sintering temperature. When glass and alpha-Al2O3 were used together to reinforce HAP ceramics, better results could be obtained; the bending strength of multiphase HAP ceramics approached 106 MPa when 10% (wt) alpha-Al2O3 and 20%(wt) glass were used and sintered at 1200 for 1 h.

  5. Synthesis of SnO2 pillared carbon using long chain alkylamine grafted graphene oxide: an efficient anode material for lithium ion batteries

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Reddy, M. Jeevan Kumar; Ryu, Sung Hun; Shanmugharaj, A. M.

    2015-12-01

    With the objective of developing new advanced composite materials that can be used as anodes for lithium ion batteries (LIBs), herein we describe the synthesis of SnO2 pillared carbon using various alkylamine (hexylamine; dodecylamine and octadecylamine) grafted graphene oxides and butyl trichlorotin precursors followed by its calcination at 500 °C for 2 h. While the grafted alkylamine induces crystalline growth of SnO2 pillars, thermal annealing of alkylamine grafted graphene oxide results in the formation of amorphous carbon coated graphene. Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) results reveal the successful formation of SnO2 pillared carbon on the graphene surface. X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and Raman spectroscopy characterization corroborates the formation of rutile SnO2 crystals on the graphene surface. A significant rise in the BET surface area is observed for SnO2 pillared carbon, when compared to pristine GO. Electrochemical characterization studies of SnO2 pillared carbon based anode materials showed an enhanced lithium storage capacity and fine cyclic performance in comparison with pristine GO. The initial specific capacities of SnO2 pillared carbon are observed to be 1379 mA h g-1, 1255 mA h g-1 and 1360 mA h g-1 that decrease to 750 mA h g-1, 643 mA h g-1 and 560 mA h g-1 depending upon the chain length of grafted alkylamine on the graphene surface respectively. Electrochemical impedance spectral analysis reveals that the exchange current density of SnO2 pillared carbon based electrodes is higher, corroborating its enhanced electrochemical activity in comparison with GO based electrodes.With the objective of developing new advanced composite materials that can be used as anodes for lithium ion batteries (LIBs), herein we describe the synthesis of SnO2 pillared carbon using various alkylamine (hexylamine; dodecylamine and octadecylamine) grafted graphene oxides and butyl trichlorotin precursors

  6. The enhancement of photovoltaic parameters in dye-sensitized solar cells of nano-crystalline SnO2 by incorporating with large SrTiO3 particles.

    PubMed

    Aponsu, G M L P; Wijayarathna, T R C K; Perera, I K; Perera, V P S; Siriwardhana, A C P K

    2013-05-15

    In this paper, the performance of nano-porous electrodes made of a composite material of SrTiO3 and SnO2 are compared with those made of bare SnO2. When these particular devices are analyzed in a comparative mode the results confirmed the enhancement of photovoltaic parameters in the former device. The performance of respective cells were examined by several methods including I-V characteristic measurements, photocurrent action spectra, dark I-V measurements, Mott-Schottky measurements and X-ray diffraction measurements. Even though such improvements in this particular cell could be explicated by the formation of a potential energy barrier of SrTiO3 particles of comparably large width at the SrTiO3/SnO2 interface, the passivation of voids in the SnO2 film by SrTiO3 particles to a certain extent could not be totally ruled out. Besides, high energetic electrons injected by dye molecules move more credibly through mini-bands formed in the chain of nano-crystalline SnO2 particles to the back contact. The blocking of the recombination path and the shifting up of the uppermost electron occupied level of SnO2 accompanying the conduction band edge in the SrTiO3/SnO2 composite film, may have lead to the observed enhancement of the fill factor and photovoltage, respectively. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  7. Facile fabrication of all-solid-state SnO2/NiCo2O4 biosensor for self-powered glucose detection

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cai, Bin; Mao, Weiwei; Ye, Zhizhen; Huang, Jingyun

    2016-09-01

    With increasing attention on daily diabetes management, we develop an all-solid-state self-powered glucose biosensor, with simultaneous solar energy conversion, electrochemical energy storage and glucose sensing. The SnO2 nanosheet arrays are used to obtain photogenerated electron-hole pairs, and rhombus-shaped NiCo2O4 nanorod arrays are developed for solar energy storage. A stable open circuit voltage ~0.58 V is obtained after being fully charged, which is a suitable voltage for the oxidation of glucose. The biosensor can work under two different modes without any external bias voltage, and both show large linear range and excellent selectivity. Under the sunlight, photocurrent shows a sensitive decrease upon different glucose additions. Meanwhile, in the dark condition, the open circuit voltage of the charged biosensor also exhibits a corresponding response to glucose.

  8. Calcination Method Synthesis of SnO2/g-C3N4 Composites for a High-Performance Ethanol Gas Sensing Application

    PubMed Central

    Cao, Jianliang; Qin, Cong; Wang, Yan; Zhang, Bo; Gong, Yuxiao; Zhang, Huoli; Sun, Guang; Bala, Hari; Zhang, Zhanying

    2017-01-01

    The SnO2/g-C3N4 composites were synthesized via a facile calcination method by using SnCl4·5H2O and urea as the precursor. The structure and morphology of the as-synthesized composites were characterized by the techniques of X-ray diffraction (XRD), the field-emission scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy (SEM and TEM), energy dispersive spectrometry (EDS), thermal gravity and differential thermal analysis (TG-DTA), and N2-sorption. The analysis results indicated that the as-synthesized samples possess the two dimensional structure. Additionally, the SnO2 nanoparticles were highly dispersed on the surface of the g-C3N4nanosheets. The gas-sensing performance of the as-synthesized composites for different gases was tested. Moreover, the composite with 7 wt % g-C3N4 content (SnO2/g-C3N4-7) SnO2/g-C3N4-7 exhibits an admirable gas-sensing property to ethanol, which possesses a higher response and better selectivity than that of the pure SnO2-based sensor. The high surface area of the SnO2/g-C3N4 composite and the good electronic characteristics of the two dimensional graphitic carbon nitride are in favor of the elevated gas-sensing property. PMID:28468245

  9. Effect of Fe2O3 and Binder on the Electrochemical Properties of Fe2O3/AB (Acetylene Black) Composite Electrodes

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Anh, Trinh Tuan; Thuan, Vu Manh; Thang, Doan Ha; Hang, Bui Thi

    2017-06-01

    In an effort to find the best anode material for Fe/air batteries, a Fe2O3/AB (Acetylene Black) composite was prepared by dry-type ball milling using Fe2O3 nanoparticles and AB as the active and additive materials, respectively. The effects of various binders and Fe2O3 content on the electrochemical properties of Fe2O3/AB electrodes in alkaline solution were investigated. It was found that the content of Fe2O3 strongly affected the electrochemical behavior of Fe2O3/AB electrodes; with Fe2O3 nanopowder content reaching 70 wt.% for the electrode and showing improvement of the cyclability. When the electrode binder polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) was used, clear redox peaks were observed via cyclic voltammetry (CV), while polyvinylidene fluoride-containing electrodes provided CV curves with unobservable redox peaks. Increasing either binder content in the electrode showed a negative effect in terms of the cyclability of the Fe2O3/AB electrode.

  10. X-ray diffraction and infrared spectroscopy studies of Ba(Fe1/2Nb1/2)O3-(Na1/2Bi1/2)TiO3 ceramics

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chandra, K. P.; Yadav, Anjana; Prasad, K.

    2018-05-01

    Ceramics (1-x)Ba(Fe1/2Nb1/2)O3-x(Na1/2Bi1/2)TiO3; 0≤x≤1.0 were prepared by conventional ceramic synthesis technique. Rietveld refinements of X-ray diffraction data of these ceramics were carried out using FullProf software and determined their crystal symmetry, space group and unit cell dimensions. Rietveld refinement revealed that Ba(Fe1/2Nb1/2)O3 has cubic structure with space group Pm 3 ¯ m and Na1/2Bi1/2)TiO3 has rhombohedral structure with space group R3c. Addition of (Na1/2Bi1/2)TiO3 to Ba(Fe1/2Nb1/2)O3 resulted in the change of unit cell structure from cubic to tetragonal (P4/mmm) for x = 0.75 and the X-Ray diffraction peaks slightly shift towards higher Bragg's angle, suggesting slight decrease in unit cell volume. SEM studies were carried out in order to access the quality of the prepared ceramics which showed a change in grain shapes with the increase of (Na1/2Bi1/2)TiO3 content. FTIR spectra confirmed the formation of perovskite type solid solutions.

  11. Tuning exchange bias in Fe/γ-Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3} core-shell nanoparticles: Impacts of interface and surface spins

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Khurshid, Hafsa, E-mail: hkhurshi@usf.edu, E-mail: phanm@usf.edu, E-mail: sharihar@usf.edu; Phan, Manh-Huong, E-mail: hkhurshi@usf.edu, E-mail: phanm@usf.edu, E-mail: sharihar@usf.edu; Mukherjee, Pritish

    A comparative study has been performed of the exchange bias (EB) effect in Fe/γ-Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3} core-shell nanoparticles with the same thickness of the γ-Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3} shell (∼2 nm) and the diameter of the Fe core varying from 4 nm to 11 nm. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and high-resolution TEM confirmed the high quality of the core-shell nanostructures. A systematic analysis of magnetization versus magnetic field measurements under zero-field-cooled and field-cooled regimes using the Meiklejohn-Bean model and deconvoluting superparamagnetic and paramagnetic contribution to the total magnetic moment Langevin function shows that there exists a critical particle size (∼10 nm), above which the spinsmore » at the interface between Fe and γ-Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3} contribute primarily to the EB, but below which the surface spin effect is dominant. Our finding yields deeper insight into the collective contributions of interface and surface spins to the EB in core-shell nanoparticle systems, knowledge of which is the key to manipulating EB in magnetic nanostructures for spintronics applications.« less

  12. Crystallization of MgFe2O4 from a glass in the system K2O/B2O3/MgO/P2O5/Fe2O3

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    El Shabrawy, Samha; Bocker, Christian; Rüssel, Christian

    2016-10-01

    Spherical magnetic Mg-Fe-O nanoparticles were successfully prepared by the crystallization of glass in the system K2O/B2O3/MgO/P2O5/Fe2O3. The magnetic glass ceramics were prepared by melting the raw materials using the conventional melt quenching technique followed by a thermal treatment at temperatures in the range 560-700 °C for a time ranging from 2 to 8 h. The studies of the X-ray diffraction, electron microscopy and FTIR spectra confirmed the precipitation of finely dispersed spherical (Mg, Fe) based spinel nanoparticles with a minor quantity of hematite (α-Fe2O3) in the glass matrix. The average size of the magnetic nano crystals increases slightly with temperature and time from 9 to 15 nm as determined by the line broadening from the XRD patterns. XRD studies show that annealing the glass samples for long periods of time at temperature ≥604 °C results in an increase of the precipitated hematite concentration, dissolution of the spinel phase and the formation of magnesium di-borate phase (Mg2B2O5). For electron microscopy, the particles were extracted by two methods; (i) replica extraction technique and (ii) dissolution of the glass matrix by diluted acetic acid. An agglomeration of the nano crystals to larger particles (25-35 nm) was observed.

  13. SnO2 quantum dots with rapid butane detection at lower ppm-level

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cai, Pan; Dong, Chengjun; Jiang, Ming; Shen, Yuanyuan; Tao, You; Wang, Yude

    2018-04-01

    SnO2 quantum dots (QDs) were successfully synthesized by a facile approach employing benzyl alcohol and ammonium hydroxide at lower temperature of 130 °C. It is revealed that the SnO2 QDs is about 3 nm in size to form clusters. The gas sensor based on SnO2 QDs shows a high potential for detecting low-ppm-level butane at 400 °C, exhibiting a high sensitivity, short response and rapid recovery time, and effective selectivity. The sensing mechanism is understood in terms of adsorbed oxygen species. Significantly, the excellent sensing performance is attributed to the smaller size of SnO2 and larger surface area (204.85 m2/g).

  14. Voltammetric Sensor Based on Fe-doped ZnO and TiO2 Nanostructures-modified Carbon-paste Electrode for Determination of Levodopa

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Anaraki Firooz, Azam; Hosseini Nia, Bahram; Beheshtian, Javad; Ghalkhani, Masoumeh

    2017-10-01

    In this study, undoped and 1 wt.% Fe-doped with ZnO, and TiO2 nanostructures were synthesized by a simple hydrothermal method without using templates. The influence of the Fe dopant on structural, optical and electrochemical response was studied by x-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, UV-Vis spectra, photoluminescence spectra and electrochemical characterization system. The electrochemical response of the carbon paste electrode modified with synthesized nanostructures (undoped ZnO and TiO2 as well as doped with Fe ions) toward levodopa (L-Dopa) was studied. Cyclic voltammetry using provided modified electrodes showed electro-catalytic properties for electro-oxidation of L-Dopa and a significant reduction was observed in the anodic overvoltage compared to the bare electrode. The results indicated the presence of the sufficient dopants. The best response was obtained in terms of the current enhancement, overvoltage reduction, and reversibility improvement of the L-Dopa oxidation reaction under experimental conditions by the modified electrode with TiO2 nanoparticles doped with Fe ions.

  15. β-K3Fe(MoO4)2Mo2O7

    PubMed Central

    Souilem, Amira; Zid, Mohamed Faouzi; Driss, Ahmed

    2014-01-01

    The title compound, tripotassium iron(III) bis­(ortho­molyb­date) dimolybdate, was obtained by a solid-state reaction. The main structural building units are one FeO6 octa­hedron, two MoO4 tetra­hedra and one Mo2O7 dimolybdate group, all with point group symmetries m. These units are linked via corner-sharing to form ribbons parallel to [010]. The three K+ cations are located between the ribbons on mirror planes and have coordination numbers of 10 and 12. Two O atoms of one of the MoO4 tetra­hedra of the dimolybdate group are disordered over two positions in a 0.524 (11):0.476 (11) ratio. The structure of the title compound is compared briefly with that of Rb3FeMo4O15. PMID:25161509

  16. Dependence of catalytic properties of Al/Fe2O3 thermites on morphology of Fe2O3 particles in combustion reactions

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhao, Ningning; He, Cuicui; Liu, Jianbing; Gong, Hujun; An, Ting; Xu, Huixiang; Zhao, Fengqi; Hu, Rongzu; Ma, Haixia; Zhang, Jinzhong

    2014-11-01

    Three Fe2O3 particle samples with the same crystal structure but different morphologies were prepared by the hydrothermal method and then combined with Al nanoparticles to produce Al/Fe2O3 thermites using ultrasonic mixing. The properties of Fe2O3 and Al/Fe2O3 were studied using a combination of experimental techniques including scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The influences of the three Al/Fe2O3 thermites on the combustion properties of the AP/HTPB (ammonium perchlorate/hydroxyl-terminated polybutadiene) composite propellant were investigated in comparison to those of Fe2O3. The results show that the Al/Fe2O3 thermites are better than Fe2O3 in enhancing the combustion performance of AP/HTPB. Furthermore, the surface area, which depends on size and mophology, of Fe2O3 particles was found to play a vital role in improving the burning rate of the thermites-containing propellant formulation, with the smallest particles with the largest surface-to-volume (S/V) ratio performing the best. The enhanced catalytic property of the granular-shape Fe2O3 and the corresponding thermite is attributed to the large specific surface area of Fe2O3. The different thermal behaviors of these three superthemites were supposed to be attributed to the surface site of Fe2O3 particles. This work provides a better understanding on the catalytic properties of thermites that are important for combustion applications.

  17. Phase Equilibria Studies in the System ZnO-``FeO''-Al2O3-CaO-SiO2 Relevant to Imperial Smelting Furnace Slags: Part I

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhao, Baojun; Hayes, Peter C.; Jak, Evgueni

    2010-04-01

    The phase equilibria and liquidus temperatures in the system ZnO-“FeO”-Al2O3-CaO-SiO2 in equilibrium with metallic iron have been determined experimentally in the temperature range of 1423 K to 1553 K. The experimental conditions were focused on the composition range relevant to Imperial Smelting Furnace slags. The results are presented in the form of a pseudo-ternary section ZnO-“FeO”-(CaO + SiO2 + Al2O3) in which CaO/SiO2 = 0.93 and (CaO + SiO2)/Al2O3 = 7.0. It was found that wustite and spinel are the major primary phases and that zincite and melilite are also present in the composition range investigated. Wustite (Fe2+,Zn)O and spinel (Fe2+,Zn)O (A1,Fe3+)2O3 solid solutions are formed in this system, and the ZnO concentration in the spinel phase is found to be much greater than in the liquid phase.

  18. Synthesis of In2O3 nanostructures with different morphologies as potential supercapacitor electrode materials

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tuzluca, Fatma Nur; Yesilbag, Yasar Ozkan; Ertugrul, Mehmet

    2018-01-01

    In this study performed using a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) system, one-dimensional (1-D) single crystal indium oxide (In2O3) nanotowers, nanobouqets, nanocones, and nanowires were investigated as a candidate for a supercapacitor electrode material. These nanostructures were grown via Vapor-Liquid-Solid (VLS) and Vapor-Solid (VS) mechanisms according to temperature differences (1000-600 °C). The morphologies, growth mechanisms and crystal structures of these 1-D single crystal In2O3 nanostructures were defined by Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM), High Resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy (HR-TEM), X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) and Raman Spectroscopy analyses. The elemental analyses of the nanostructures were carried out by energy dispersive X-Ray Spectroscopy (EDS); they gave photoluminescence (PL) spectra with 3.39, 2.65, and 1.95 eV band gap values, corresponding to 365 nm, 467 nm, and 633 wavelengths, respectively. The electrochemical performances of these 1-D single crystal In2O3 nanostructures in an aqueous electrolyte solution (1 M Na2SO4) were determined by Cyclic Voltammetry (CV), Galvanostatic Charge Discharge (GCD) and Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) analyses. According to GCD measurements at 0.04 mA cm-2 current density, areal capacitance values were 10.1 mF cm-2 and 6.7 mF cm-2 for nanotowers, 12.5 mF cm-2 for nanobouquets, 4.9 mF cm-2 for nanocones, and 16.6 mF cm-2 for nanowires. The highest areal capacitance value was observed in In2O3 nanowires, which retained 66.8% of their initial areal capacitance after a 10000 charge-discharge cycle, indicating excellent cycle stability.

  19. Role of the heterojunctions in In2O3-composite SnO2 nanorod sensors and their remarkable gas-sensing performance for NOx at room temperature

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Xu, Shuang; Gao, Jun; Wang, Linlin; Kan, Kan; Xie, Yu; Shen, Peikang; Li, Li; Shi, Keying

    2015-08-01

    Establishing heterostructures, as a good strategy to improve gas sensing performance, has been studied extensively. In this research, In2O3-composite SnO2 nanorod (ICTOs) heterostructures have been prepared via electrospinning, followed by calcination. It is found that In2O3 can improve the carrier density and oxygen deficiency of SnO2. In particular, the 3ICTO (Sn : In atom ratio of 25 : 0.3) nanorods with special particle distributions show an excellent sensing response towards different concentrations of NOx at room temperature. The highest sensing response is up to 8.98 for 100 ppm NOx with a fast response time of 4.67 s, which is over 11 times higher than that of pristine SnO2 nanorods at room temperature and the lowest detection limit is down to 0.1 ppm. More significantly, it presents good stability after 30 days for NOx of low concentration (0.1 ppm and 0.5 ppm). In addition, the rational band structure model combined with the surface depletion model which describe the NOx gas sensing mechanism of 3ICTO are presented. The 3ICTO nanorods may be promising in the application of gas sensors.Establishing heterostructures, as a good strategy to improve gas sensing performance, has been studied extensively. In this research, In2O3-composite SnO2 nanorod (ICTOs) heterostructures have been prepared via electrospinning, followed by calcination. It is found that In2O3 can improve the carrier density and oxygen deficiency of SnO2. In particular, the 3ICTO (Sn : In atom ratio of 25 : 0.3) nanorods with special particle distributions show an excellent sensing response towards different concentrations of NOx at room temperature. The highest sensing response is up to 8.98 for 100 ppm NOx with a fast response time of 4.67 s, which is over 11 times higher than that of pristine SnO2 nanorods at room temperature and the lowest detection limit is down to 0.1 ppm. More significantly, it presents good stability after 30 days for NOx of low concentration (0.1 ppm and 0.5 ppm). In

  20. Synergistic effect of Fe2O3/Ho2O3 Co-modified 2D-titanate heterojunctions on enhanced photocatalytic degradation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhao, Xiaona; Liu, Xinzhao; Lu, Dingze; Wu, Pei; Yan, Qiuyang; Liu, Min; Fang, Pengfei

    2017-01-01

    TiO2-based nanosheets (TNSs) co-modified by Fe2O3 and Ho2O3 were synthesized by one-pot hydrothermal method using Fe(NO3)3 and Ho(NO3)3 as precursors compositing with TiO2. The Fe2O3/Ho2O3-TNSs heterojunctions possessed a thickness of approximately 3-4 nm, large specific surface area of 210-310 cm2/g, with Fe2O3 and Ho2O3 nanoparticles highly dispersed over the surface of the nanosheets. The crystallization of the samples gradually increased with the amount of Fe2O3 nanoparticles, which was confirmed by the XRD, BET and Raman spectra, indicating that Ho2O3 and Fe2O3 influenced the crystallinity and structure evolution of the TNSs, besides, led to an improved the visible-light absorption. Surface photocurrent and fluorescence spectral studies revealed that the photo-generated charge carrier separation efficiency could be efficiently improved by an appropriate amount of modification. The Fe2O3/Ho2O3-TNSs exhibited synergistic effect on photocatalytic degradation of RhB as well as MO under visible light. The highest efficiency was obtained by 0.05%-Fe2O3/Ho2O3-TNSs (Fe:Ho:Ti = 0.05:1:100), which was 8.86 and 6.72 times than that of individual 1.0%-Ho2O3-TNSs (Ho:Ti = 1:100) and 0.05%-Fe2O3-TNSs (Fe:Ti = 0.05:100), respectively. The possible mechanism for enhanced visible-light-induced photocatalytic activity was proposed. Ho2O3 introduced in the photocatalysts may act as the hole capture while Fe2O3 may share the same Fermi levels with TNSs and serve as the electron capture center in the n-n-p system, which reduced the recombination rate of photo-induced electron-hole pairs.

  1. Study on preparation of SnO2-TiO2/Nano-graphite composite anode and electro-catalytic degradation of ceftriaxone sodium.

    PubMed

    Guo, Xiaolei; Wan, Jiafeng; Yu, Xiujuan; Lin, Yuhui

    2016-12-01

    In order to improve the electro-catalytic activity and catalytic reaction rate of graphite-like material, Tin dioxide-Titanium dioxide/Nano-graphite (SnO 2 -TiO 2 /Nano-G) composite was synthesized by a sol-gel method and SnO 2 -TiO 2 /Nano-G electrode was prepared in hot-press approach. The composite was characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, fourier transform infrared, Raman, N 2 adsorption-desorption, scanning electrons microscopy, transmission electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction. The electrochemical performance of the SnO 2 -TiO 2 /Nano-G anode electrode was investigated via cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The electro-catalytic performance was evaluated by the degradation of ceftriaxone sodium and the yield of ·OH radicals in the reaction system. The results demonstrated that TiO 2 , SnO 2 and Nano-G were composited successfully, and TiO 2 and SnO 2 particles dispersed on the surface and interlamination of the Nano-G uniformly. The specific surface area of SnO 2 modified anode was higher than that of TiO 2 /Nano-G anode and the degradation rate of ceftriaxone sodium within 120 min on SnO 2 -TiO 2 /Nano-G electrode was 98.7% at applied bias of 2.0 V. The highly efficient electro-chemical property of SnO 2 -TiO 2 /Nano-G electrode was attributed to the admirable conductive property of the Nano-G and SnO 2 -TiO 2 /Nano-G electrode. Moreover, the contribution of reactive species ·OH was detected, indicating the considerable electro-catalytic activity of SnO 2 -TiO 2 /Nano-G electrode. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  2. Soft exfoliation of 2D SnO with size-dependent optical properties

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Singh, Mandeep; Della Gaspera, Enrico; Ahmed, Taimur; Walia, Sumeet; Ramanathan, Rajesh; van Embden, Joel; Mayes, Edwin; Bansal, Vipul

    2017-06-01

    Two-dimensional (2D) materials have recently gained unprecedented attention as potential candidates for next-generation (opto)electronic devices due to their fascinating optical and electrical properties. Tin monoxide, SnO, is an important p-type semiconductor with applications across photocatalysis (water splitting) and electronics (transistors). However, despite its potential in several important technological applications, SnO remains underexplored in its 2D form. Here we present a soft exfoliation strategy to produce 2D SnO nanosheets with tunable optical and electrical properties. Our approach involves the initial synthesis of layered SnO microspheres, which are readily exfoliated through a low-power sonication step to form high quality SnO nanosheets. We demonstrate that the properties of 2D SnO are strongly dependent on its dimensions. As verified through optical absorption and photoluminescence studies, a strong size-dependent quantum confinement effect in 2D SnO leads to substantial variation in its optical and electrical properties. This results in a remarkable (>1 eV) band gap widening in atomically thin SnO. Through photoconductivity measurements, we further validate a strong correlation between the quantum-confined properties of 2D SnO and the selective photoresponse of atomically thin sheets in the high energy UV light. Such tunable semiconducting properties of 2D SnO could be exploited for a variety of applications including photocatalysis, photovoltaics and optoelectronics in general.

  3. Ground and excited states of the [Fe(H2O)6]2+ and [Fe(H2O)6]3+ clusters: Insight into the electronic structure of the [Fe(H2O)6]2+ – [Fe(H2O)6]3+ complex

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Miliordos, Evangelos; Xantheas, Sotiris S.

    We report the ground and low lying electronically excited states of the [Fe(H2O)6]2+ and [Fe(H2O)6]3+ clusters using multi-configuration electronic structure theory. In particular, we have constructed the Potential Energy Curves (PECs) with respect to the iron-oxygen distance when removing all water ligands at the same time from the cluster minima and established their correlation to the long range dissociation channels. Due to the fact that both the second and third ionization potentials of iron are larger than the one for water, the ground state products asymptotically correlate with dissociation channels that are repulsive in nature at large separations as theymore » contain at least one H2O+ fragment and a positive metal center. The most stable equilibrium structures emanate – via intersections and/or avoided crossings – from the channels consisting of the lowest electronic states of Fe2+(5D; 3d6) or Fe3+(6S; 3d5) and six neutral water molecules. Upon hydration, the ground state of Fe2+(H2O)6 is a triply (5Tg) degenerate one with the doubly (5Eg) degenerate state lying slightly higher in energy. Similarly, Fe3+(H2O)6 has a ground state of 6Ag symmetry under Th symmetry. We furthermore examine a multitude of electronically excited states of many possible spin multiplicities, and report the optimized geometries for several selected states. The PECs for those cases are characterized by a high density of states. Focusing on the ground and the first few excited states of the [Fe(H2O)6]2+ and [Fe(H2O)6]3+ clusters, we studied their mutual interaction in the gas phase. We obtained the optimal geometries of the Fe2+(H2O)6 – Fe3+(H2O)6 gas phase complex for different Fe–Fe distances. For distances shorter than 6.0 Å, the water molecules in the respective first solvation shells located between the two metal centers were found to interact via weak hydrogen bonds. We examined a total of ten electronic states for this complex, including those corresponding to the

  4. Mössbauer study and magnetic properties of MgFe2O4 crystallized from the glass system B2O3/K2O/P2O5/MgO/Fe2O3

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Shabrawy, S. El; Bocker, C.; Miglierini, M.; Schaaf, P.; Tzankov, D.; Georgieva, M.; Harizanova, R.; Rüssel, C.

    2017-01-01

    An iron containing magnesium borate glass with the mol% composition 51.7 B2O3/9.3 K2O /1 P2O5/27.6MgO/10.4Fe2O3was prepared by the conventional melts quenching method followed by a thermal treatment process at temperatures in the range from 530 to 604 °C.The thermally treated samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning and transmission electron microscopy. It was shown that superparamagnetic MgFe2O4 nanoparticles were formed during thermal treatment. The size of the spinel type crystals was in the range from 6 to 15 nm. Mössbauer spectra of the powdered glass ceramic samples and the extracted nanoparticles after dissolving the glass matrix in diluted acid were recorded at room temperature. The deconvolution of the spectra revealed the crystallization of two spinel phases MgFe2O4 (as a dominant phase) and superparamagnetic maghemite, γ-Fe2O3 (as a secondary phase). Room temperature magnetic measurements showed that, increasing the crystallization temperature changed the superparamagnetic behavior of the samples to ferrimagnetic behavior. The Curie temperatures of the samples were measured and showed a higher value than that of the pure bulk MgFe2O4.

  5. Structure of the SnO2(110 ) -(4 ×1 ) Surface

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Merte, Lindsay R.; Jørgensen, Mathias S.; Pussi, Katariina; Gustafson, Johan; Shipilin, Mikhail; Schaefer, Andreas; Zhang, Chu; Rawle, Jonathan; Nicklin, Chris; Thornton, Geoff; Lindsay, Robert; Hammer, Bjørk; Lundgren, Edvin

    2017-09-01

    Using surface x-ray diffraction (SXRD), quantitative low-energy electron diffraction (LEED), and density-functional theory (DFT) calculations, we have determined the structure of the (4 ×1 ) reconstruction formed by sputtering and annealing of the SnO2(110 ) surface. We find that the reconstruction consists of an ordered arrangement of Sn3O3 clusters bound atop the bulk-terminated SnO2(110 ) surface. The model was found by application of a DFT-based evolutionary algorithm with surface compositions based on SXRD, and shows excellent agreement with LEED and with previously published scanning tunneling microscopy measurements. The model proposed previously consisting of in-plane oxygen vacancies is thus shown to be incorrect, and our result suggests instead that Sn(II) species in interstitial positions are the more relevant features of reduced SnO2(110 ) surfaces.

  6. A Synergistic Effect of Surfactant and ZrO2 Underlayer on Photocurrent Enhancement and Cathodic Shift of Nanoporous Fe2O3 Photoanode

    PubMed Central

    Shinde, Pravin S.; Lee, Su Yong; Choi, Sun Hee; Lee, Hyun Hwi; Ryu, Jungho; Jang, Jum Suk

    2016-01-01

    Augmenting the donor density and nanostructure engineering are the crucial points to improve solar water oxidation performance of hematite (α-Fe2O3). This work addresses the sluggish water oxidation reaction associated with hematite photoanode by tweaking its internal porosity. The porous hematite photoanodes are fabricated by a novel synthetic strategy via pulse reverse electrodeposition (PRED) method that involves incorporation of a cationic CTAB surfactant in a sulfate electrolyte and spin-coated ZrO2 underlayer (UL) on FTO. CTAB is found to be beneficial in promoting the film growth rate during PRED. Incorporation of Zr4+ ions from ZrO2 UL and Sn4+ ions from FTO into the Fe2O3 lattice via solid-state diffusion reaction during pertinent annihilation of surfactant molecules at 800 °C produced internally porous hematite films with improved carrier concentration. The porous hematite demonstrated a sustained photocurrent enhancement and a significant cathodic shift of 130 mV relative to the planar hematite under standard illumination conditions (AM 1.5G) in 1 M NaOH electrolyte. The absorption, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and Mott-Schottky analyses revealed that the ZrO2 UL and CTAB not only increased the carrier density and light harvesting but also accelerated the surface oxidation reaction kinetics, synergistically boosting the performance of internally porous hematite photoanodes. PMID:27577967

  7. A Synergistic Effect of Surfactant and ZrO2 Underlayer on Photocurrent Enhancement and Cathodic Shift of Nanoporous Fe2O3 Photoanode.

    PubMed

    Shinde, Pravin S; Lee, Su Yong; Choi, Sun Hee; Lee, Hyun Hwi; Ryu, Jungho; Jang, Jum Suk

    2016-08-31

    Augmenting the donor density and nanostructure engineering are the crucial points to improve solar water oxidation performance of hematite (α-Fe2O3). This work addresses the sluggish water oxidation reaction associated with hematite photoanode by tweaking its internal porosity. The porous hematite photoanodes are fabricated by a novel synthetic strategy via pulse reverse electrodeposition (PRED) method that involves incorporation of a cationic CTAB surfactant in a sulfate electrolyte and spin-coated ZrO2 underlayer (UL) on FTO. CTAB is found to be beneficial in promoting the film growth rate during PRED. Incorporation of Zr(4+) ions from ZrO2 UL and Sn(4+) ions from FTO into the Fe2O3 lattice via solid-state diffusion reaction during pertinent annihilation of surfactant molecules at 800 °C produced internally porous hematite films with improved carrier concentration. The porous hematite demonstrated a sustained photocurrent enhancement and a significant cathodic shift of 130 mV relative to the planar hematite under standard illumination conditions (AM 1.5G) in 1 M NaOH electrolyte. The absorption, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and Mott-Schottky analyses revealed that the ZrO2 UL and CTAB not only increased the carrier density and light harvesting but also accelerated the surface oxidation reaction kinetics, synergistically boosting the performance of internally porous hematite photoanodes.

  8. A Synergistic Effect of Surfactant and ZrO2 Underlayer on Photocurrent Enhancement and Cathodic Shift of Nanoporous Fe2O3 Photoanode

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Shinde, Pravin S.; Lee, Su Yong; Choi, Sun Hee; Lee, Hyun Hwi; Ryu, Jungho; Jang, Jum Suk

    2016-08-01

    Augmenting the donor density and nanostructure engineering are the crucial points to improve solar water oxidation performance of hematite (α-Fe2O3). This work addresses the sluggish water oxidation reaction associated with hematite photoanode by tweaking its internal porosity. The porous hematite photoanodes are fabricated by a novel synthetic strategy via pulse reverse electrodeposition (PRED) method that involves incorporation of a cationic CTAB surfactant in a sulfate electrolyte and spin-coated ZrO2 underlayer (UL) on FTO. CTAB is found to be beneficial in promoting the film growth rate during PRED. Incorporation of Zr4+ ions from ZrO2 UL and Sn4+ ions from FTO into the Fe2O3 lattice via solid-state diffusion reaction during pertinent annihilation of surfactant molecules at 800 °C produced internally porous hematite films with improved carrier concentration. The porous hematite demonstrated a sustained photocurrent enhancement and a significant cathodic shift of 130 mV relative to the planar hematite under standard illumination conditions (AM 1.5G) in 1 M NaOH electrolyte. The absorption, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and Mott-Schottky analyses revealed that the ZrO2 UL and CTAB not only increased the carrier density and light harvesting but also accelerated the surface oxidation reaction kinetics, synergistically boosting the performance of internally porous hematite photoanodes.

  9. Magnetic properties of mixed spinel BaTiO{sub 3}-NiFe{sub 2}O{sub 4} composites

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Sarkar, Babusona; Dalal, Biswajit; Dev Ashok, Vishal

    2014-03-28

    Solid solution of nickel ferrite (NiFe{sub 2}O{sub 4}) and barium titanate (BaTiO{sub 3}), (100-x)BaTiO{sub 3}–(x) NiFe{sub 2}O{sub 4} has been prepared by solid state reaction. Compressive strain is developed in NiFe{sub 2}O{sub 4} due to mutual structural interaction across the interface of NiFe{sub 2}O{sub 4} and BaTiO{sub 3} phases. Quantitative analysis of X-ray diffraction and X-ray photo electron spectrum suggest mixed spinel structure of NiFe{sub 2}O{sub 4}. A systematic study of composition dependence of composite indicates BaTiO{sub 3} causes a random distribution of Fe and Ni cations among octahedral and tetrahedral sites during non-equilibrium growth of NiFe{sub 2}O{sub 4}. Themore » degree of inversion decreases monotonically from 0.97 to 0.75 with increase of BaTiO{sub 3} content. Temperature dependence of magnetization has been analyzed by four sublattice model to describe complex magnetic exchange interactions in mixed spinel phase. Curie temperature and saturation magnetization decrease with increase of BaTiO{sub 3} concentration. Enhancement of strain and larger occupancy of Ni{sup 2+} at tetrahedral site increase coercivity up to 200 Oe. Magnetostructual coupling induced by BaTiO{sub 3} improves coercivity in NiFe{sub 2}O{sub 4}. An increase in the demagnetization and homogeneity in magnetization process in NiFe{sub 2}O{sub 4} is observed due to the interaction with diamagnetic BaTiO{sub 3}.« less

  10. Hydrothermal synthesis of nanostructured SnO particles through crystal growth in the presence of gelatin

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Uchiyama, Hiroaki, E-mail: h_uchi@kansai-u.ac.jp; Nakanishi, Shunsuke; Kozuka, Hiromitsu

    2014-09-15

    Crystalline SnO particles were obtained from Sn{sub 6}O{sub 4}(OH){sub 4} by the hydrothermal treatment in aqueous solutions containing gelatin at 150 °C for 24 h, where the morphologies of the SnO products changed from blocks to layered disks, stacked plates and unshaped aggregates with increasing amount of gelatin in the solutions. Such morphological changes of SnO particles were thought to be attributed to the suppression of the growth of SnO crystals by the adsorbed gelatin. - Graphical abstract: Nanostructured SnO particles were obtained from Sn{sub 6}O{sub 4}(OH){sub 4} by the hydrothermal treatment in gelatin solutions. - Highlights: • SnO particlesmore » were prepared from Sn{sub 6}O{sub 4}(OH){sub 4} by the hydrothermal treatment. • The adsorption of gelatin suppressed the growth of SnO crystals. • The shape of SnO particles depends on the amount of gelatin. • Blocks, disks, stacked plates and unshaped aggregates were obtained.« less

  11. Characterization of core/shell structures based on CdTe and GaAs nanocrystalline layers deposited on SnO2 microwires

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ghimpu, L.; Ursaki, V. V.; Pantazi, A.; Mesterca, R.; Brâncoveanu, O.; Shree, Sindu; Adelung, R.; Tiginyanu, I. M.; Enachescu, M.

    2018-04-01

    We report the fabrication and characterization of SnO2/CdTe and SnO2/GaAs core/shell microstructures. CdTe or GaAs shell layers were deposited by radio-frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering on core SnO2 microwires synthesized by a flame-based thermal oxidation method. The produced structures were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), high-resolution scanning transmission electron microscope (HR-STEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman scattering and FTIR spectroscopy. It was found that the SnO2 core is of the rutile type, while the shells are composed of CdTe or GaAs nanocrystallites of zincblende structure with the dimensions of crystallites in the range of 10-20 nm. The Raman scattering investigations demonstrated that the quality of the porous nanostructured shell is improved by annealing at temperatures of 420-450 °C. The prospects of implementing these microstructures in intrinsic type fiber optic sensors are discussed.

  12. Synthesis, characterization, and antibacterial activities of ZnLaFe2O4/NiTiO3 nanocomposite

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sobhani-Nasab, Ali; Zahraei, Zohreh; Akbari, Maryam; Maddahfar, Mahnaz; Hosseinpour-Mashkani, S. Mostafa

    2017-07-01

    In this research, for the first time, ZnLaFe2O4/NiTiO3 nanocomposites have been synthesized through a polyol assistant sol-gel method. To investigate the effect of different surfactants on the morphology and particle size of ZnLaFe2O4 nanostructure, cetrimonium bromide, sodium dodecyl sulfate, polyvinylpyrrolidone, polyvinyl alcohol, and oleic acid were used as surfactant agents. Based on the SEM results, it was found that morphology and particle size of the products could be affected by these surfactants. Furthermore, study on antibacterial effect of ZnLaFe2O4/NiTiO3 nanocomposites by colony forming unit (CFU) reduction assay showed that ZnLaFe2O4/NiTiO3 nanocomposites have antibacterial activity against Gram-negative Escherchia coli (ATCC 10536) and Gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 29737). Antibacterial results demonstrate that nanocomposite significantly reduced the growth rate of E. coli bacteria and S. aureus after 120 min. The structure and morphology of the resulting particles were characterized by XRD, FT-IR, EDX, and SEM analysis.

  13. Interplay between O2 and SnO2: oxygen ionosorption and spectroscopic evidence for adsorbed oxygen.

    PubMed

    Gurlo, Alexander

    2006-10-13

    Tin dioxide is the most commonly used material in commercial gas sensors based on semiconducting metal oxides. Despite intensive efforts, the mechanism responsible for gas-sensing effects on SnO(2) is not fully understood. The key step is the understanding of the electronic response of SnO(2) in the presence of background oxygen. For a long time, oxygen interaction with SnO(2) has been treated within the framework of the "ionosorption theory". The adsorbed oxygen species have been regarded as free oxygen ions electrostatically stabilized on the surface (with no local chemical bond formation). A contradiction, however, arises when connecting this scenario to spectroscopic findings. Despite trying for a long time, there has not been any convincing spectroscopic evidence for "ionosorbed" oxygen species. Neither superoxide ions O(2)(-), nor charged atomic oxygen O,(-) nor peroxide ions O(2)(2-) have been observed on SnO(2) under the real working conditions of sensors. Moreover, several findings show that the superoxide ion does not undergo transformations into charged atomic oxygen at the surface, and represents a dead-end form of low-temperature oxygen adsorption on reduced metal oxide.

  14. Chip-to-chip SnO2 nanowire network sensors for room temperature H2 detection

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Köck, A.; Brunet, E.; Mutinati, G. C.; Maier, T.; Steinhauer, S.

    2012-06-01

    The employment of nanowires is a very powerful strategy to improve gas sensor performance. We demonstrate a gas sensor device, which is based on silicon chip-to-chip synthesis of ultralong tin oxide (SnO2) nanowires. The sensor device employs an interconnected SnO2 nanowire network configuration, which exhibits a huge surface-to-volume ratio and provides full access of the target gas to the nanowires. The chip-to-chip SnO2 nanowire device is able to detect a H2 concentration of only 20 ppm in synthetic air with ~ 60% relative humidity at room temperature. At an operating temperature of 300°C a concentration of 50 ppm H2 results in a sensitivity of 5%. At this elevated temperature the sensor shows a linear response in a concentration range between 10 ppm and 100 ppm H2. The SnO2-nanowire fabrication procedure based on spray pyrolysis and subsequent annealing is performed at atmospheric pressure, requires no vacuum and allows upscale of the substrate to a wafer size. 3D-integration with CMOS chips is proposed as viable way for practical realization of smart nanowire based gas sensor devices for the consumer market.

  15. Oxygen binding by alpha(Fe2+)2beta(Ni2+)2 hemoglobin crystals.

    PubMed Central

    Bruno, S.; Bettati, S.; Manfredini, M.; Mozzarelli, A.; Bolognesi, M.; Deriu, D.; Rosano, C.; Tsuneshige, A.; Yonetani, T.; Henry, E. R.

    2000-01-01

    Oxygen binding by hemoglobin fixed in the T state either by crystallization or by encapsulation in silica gels is apparently noncooperative. However, cooperativity might be masked by different oxygen affinities of alpha and beta subunits. Metal hybrid hemoglobins, where the noniron metal does not bind oxygen, provide the opportunity to determine the oxygen affinities of alpha and beta hemes separately. Previous studies have characterized the oxygen binding by alpha(Ni2+)2beta(Fe2+)2 crystals. Here, we have determined the three-dimensional (3D) structure and oxygen binding of alpha(Fe2+)2beta(Ni2+)2 crystals grown from polyethylene glycol solutions. Polarized absorption spectra were recorded at different oxygen pressures with light polarized parallel either to the b or c crystal axis by single crystal microspectrophotometry. The oxygen pressures at 50% saturation (p50s) are 95 +/- 3 and 87 +/- 4 Torr along the b and c crystal axes, respectively, and the corresponding Hill coefficients are 0.96 +/- 0.06 and 0.90 +/- 0.03. Analysis of the binding curves, taking into account the different projections of the alpha hemes along the optical directions, indicates that the oxygen affinity of alpha1 hemes is 1.3-fold lower than alpha2 hemes. Inspection of the 3D structure suggests that this inequivalence may arise from packing interactions of the Hb tetramer within the monoclinic crystal lattice. A similar inequivalence was found for the beta subunits of alpha(Ni2+)2beta(Fe2+)2 crystals. The average oxygen affinity of the alpha subunits (p50 = 91 Torr) is about 1.2-fold higher than the beta subunits (p50 = 110 Torr). In the absence of cooperativity, this heterogeneity yields an oxygen binding curve of Hb A with a Hill coefficient of 0.999. Since the binding curves of Hb A crystals exhibit a Hill coefficient very close to unity, these findings indicate that oxygen binding by T-state hemoglobin is noncooperative, in keeping with the Monod, Wyman, and Changeux model. PMID

  16. SnO2/CNT nanocomposite supercapacitors fabricated using scanning atmospheric-pressure plasma jets

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Xu, Chang-Han; Chiu, Yi-Fan; Yeh, Po-Wei; Chen, Jian-Zhang

    2016-08-01

    SnO2/CNT electrodes for supercapacitors are fabricated by first screen-printing pastes containing SnO2 nanoparticles and CNTs on carbon cloth, following which nitrogen atmospheric pressure plasma jet (APPJ) sintering is performed at various APPJ scan rates. The APPJ scan rates change the time intervals for which the reactive plasma species and the heat of the nitrogen APPJs influence the designated sintering spot on the carbon cloth, resulting in APPJ-sintered SnO2/CNT nanocomposites with different properties. The water contact angle decreases with the APPJ scan rate. The improved wettability can facilitate the penetration of the electrolyte into the nanopores of the SnO2/CNT nanocomposites, thereby improving the charge storage and specific capacitance of the supercapacitors. Among the three tested APPJ scan rates, 1.5, 3, and 6 mm s-1, the SnO2/CNT supercapacitor sintered by APPJ under the lowest APPJ scan rate of 1.5 mm s-1 shows the best specific capacitance of ˜90 F g-1 as evaluated by cyclic voltammetry under a potential scan rate of 2 mV s-1. A high APPJ scan rate may result in low degree of materials activation and sintering, leading to poorer performance of SnO2/CNT supercapacitors. The results suggest the feasibility of an APPJ roll-to-roll process for the fabrication of SnO2/CNT nanocomposite supercapacitors.

  17. The role of Tin Oxide Concentration on The X-ray Diffraction, Morphology and Optical Properties of In2O3:SnO2 Thin Films

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hasan, Bushra A.; Abdallah, Rusul M.

    2018-05-01

    Alloys were performed from In2O3 doped SnO2 with different doping ratio by quenching from the melt technique. Pulsed Laser Deposition PLD was used to deposit thin films of different doping ratio In2O3 : SnO2 (0, 1, 3, 5, 7 and 9 % wt.) on glass substrate at ambient temperature under vacuum of 10-3 bar thickness of ∼100nm. The structural type,grain size and morphology of the prepared alloys compounds and thin films were examined using X-ray diffraction and atomic force microscopy. The results showed that all alloys have polycrystalline structures and the peaks belonged to the preferred plane for crystal growth were identical with the ITO (Indium – Tin –Oxide) standard cards also another peaks were observed belonged to SnO2 phase. The structures of thin films was also polycrystalline, and the predominate peaks are identical with standard cards ITO. On the other side the prepared thin films declared decrease a reduction of degree of crystallinity with the increase of doping ratio. Atomic Force Microscopy AFM measurements showed the average grain size and average surface roughness exhibit to change in systematic manner with the increase of doping ratio with tin oxide. The optical measurements show that the In2O3:SnO2 thin films have a direct energy gap Eg opt in the first stage decreases with the increase of doping ratio and then get to increase with further increase of doping ration, whereas reverse to that the optical constants such as refractive index (n), extinction coefficient (k) and dielectric constant (εr, εi) have a regular increase with the doping ratio by tin oxide and then decreases.

  18. Adsorption of proteins on γ-Fe2O3 and γ-Fe2O3/SiO2 magnetic materials

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Khokhlova, T. D.

    2017-10-01

    γ-Fe2O3-SiO2 composites are synthesized via the coprecipitation of a γ-Fe2O3 magnetic carrier (with specific surface S = 17 m2/g and pore volume V = 0.51 cm3/g) and silicon dioxide from an aqueous glass (sodium silicate) solution. The effect coagulation agent NaCl has on the coprecipitation process and structural characteristics of the composite is discussed. Adding NaCl to the aqueous glass solution prevents the formation of SiO2 macrogel making it possible to obtain highly porous composites with high adsorption capacity for proteins cytochrome C and hemoglobin. It is established that a composite that is 50% SiO2 and produced with the addition of 5% NaCl ( S = 150 m2/g and V = 0.87 cm3/g) has a sixfold and twofold higher capacity (280 and 175 mg/g) for cytochrome C and hemoglobin, respectively, than the initial ferric oxide (45 and 82 mg/g). The capacity for cytochrome C and hemoglobin of a composite synthesized without NaCl ( S = 50 m2/g and V = 0.45 cm3/g) is 19 and 20 mg/g, respectively, which is twofold and fourfold lower than those of the initial γ-Fe2O3. The dependence of protein adsorption on pH and the ionic strength of a solution is studied, and the conditions for the maximum adsorption and complete desorption of proteins are established. It is concluded that composites synthesized with additions of NaCl can be used as magnetocontrollable sorbents for the purification, concentration, and immobilization of proteins, and for the preparation of biocatalysts based on immobilized enzymes.

  19. Visible light-induced water oxidation on mesoscopic alpha-Fe2O3 films made by ultrasonic spray pyrolysis.

    PubMed

    Duret, Alexis; Grätzel, Michael

    2005-09-15

    Alpha-Fe(2)O(3) films having a mesoscopic leaflet type structure were produced for the first time by ultrasonic spray pyrolysis (USP) to explore their potential as oxygen-evolving photoanodes. The target of these studies is to use translucent hematite films deposited on conducting fluorine doped tin oxide (FTO) glass as top electrodes in a tandem cell that accomplishes the cleavage of water into hydrogen and oxygen by sunlight. The properties of layers made by USP were compared to those deposited by conventional spray pyrolysis (SP). Although both types of films show similar XRD and UV-visible and Raman spectra, they differ greatly in their morphology. The mesoscopic alpha-Fe(2)O(3) layers produced by USP consist mainly of 100 nm-sized platelets with a thickness of 5-10 nm. These nanosheets are oriented mainly perpendicularly to the FTO support, their flat surface exposing (001) facets. The mesoscopic leaflet structure has the advantage that it allows for efficient harvesting of visible light, while offering at the same time the very short distance required for the photogenerated holes to reach the electrolyte interface before recombining with conduction band electrons. This allows for water oxidation by the valence band holes even though their diffusion length is only a few nanometers. Distances are longer in the particles produced by SP favoring recombination of photoinduced charge carriers. Open-circuit photovoltage measurements indicate a lower surface state density for the nanoplatelets as compared to the round particles. These factors explain the much higher photoactivity of the USP compared to the SP deposited alpha-Fe(2)O(3) layers. Addition of hydrogen peroxide to the alkaline electrolyte further improves the photocurrent-voltage characteristics of films generated by USP indicating the hole transfer from the valence band of the semiconductor oxide to the adsorbed water to be the rate-limiting kinetic step in the oxygen generation reaction.

  20. Synthesis of methyl 2-O-alpha-D-mannopyranosyl-alpha-D-talopyranoside and methyl 2-O-alpha-D-talopyranosyl-alpha-D-talopyranoside.

    PubMed

    Jain, R K; Dubey, R; Abbas, S A; Matta, K L

    1987-03-15

    Treatment of methyl 3-O-benzyl-2-O-(2,3,4,6-tetra-O-acetyl-alpha-D-mannopyranosyl)-alpha-D- mannopyranoside (1) with tert-butyldiphenylsilyl chloride in N,N-dimethylformamide afforded methyl 3-O-benzyl-6-O-tert-butyldiphenylsilyl-2-O-(2,3,4,6-tetra-O-acetyl -alpha-D- mannopyranosyl)-alpha-D-mannopyranoside (2). Oxidation of 2 with pyridinium chlorochromate, followed by reduction of the carbonyl group, and subsequent O-deacetylation afforded methyl 3-O-benzyl-6-O-tert-butyldiphenylsilyl-2-O-alpha-D-mannopyranosyl- alpha-D- talopyranoside (5). Cleavage of the tert-butyldiphenylsilyl group of 5 with tetrabutylammonium fluoride in oxolane, followed by hydrogenolysis, gave methyl 2-O-alpha-D-mannopyranosyl-alpha-D-talopyranoside (7). O-Deacetylation of 1 gave methyl 3-O-benzyl-2-O-alpha-D-mannopyranosyl-alpha-D-mannopyranoside (8). Treatment of 8 with tert-butyldiphenylsilyl chloride afforded a 6,6'-disilyl derivative, which was converted into a 2',3'-O-isopropylidene derivative, and then further oxidized with pyridinium chlorochromate. The resulting diketone was reduced and removal of the protecting groups gave methyl 2-O-alpha-D-talopyranosyl-alpha-D-talopyranoside (15). The structures of both 7 and 15 were established by 13C-n.m.r. spectroscopy.

  1. Ultrafast Recombination Dynamics in Dye-Sensitized SnO2/TiO2 Core/Shell Films.

    PubMed

    Gish, Melissa K; Lapides, Alexander M; Brennaman, M Kyle; Templeton, Joseph L; Meyer, Thomas J; Papanikolas, John M

    2016-12-15

    Interfacial dynamics are investigated in SnO 2 /TiO 2 core/shell films derivatized with a Ru(II)-polypyridyl chromophore ([Ru II (bpy) 2 (4,4'-(PO 3 H 2 ) 2 bpy)] 2+ , RuP) using transient absorption methods. Electron injection from the chromophore into the TiO 2 shell occurs within a few picoseconds after photoexcitation. Loss of the oxidized dye through recombination occurs across time scales spanning 10 orders of magnitude. The majority (60%) of charge recombination events occur shortly after injection (τ = 220 ps), while a small fraction (≤20%) of the oxidized chromophores persists for milliseconds. The lifetime of long-lived charge-separated states (CSS) depends exponentially on shell thickness, suggesting that the injected electrons reside in the SnO 2 core and must tunnel through the TiO 2 shell to recombine with oxidized dyes. While the core/shell architecture extends the lifetime in a small fraction of the CSS, making water oxidation possible, the subnanosecond recombination process has profound implications for the overall efficiencies of dye-sensitized photoelectrosynthesis cells (DSPECs).

  2. Polyaniline assisted by TiO2:SnO2 nanoparticles as a hydrogen gas sensor at environmental conditions

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Nasirian, Shahruz; Milani Moghaddam, Hossain

    2015-02-01

    In the present research, polyaniline assisted by TiO2:SnO2 nanoparticles was synthesized and deposited onto an epoxy glass substrate with Cu-interdigited electrodes for gas sensing application. To examine the efficiency of the polyaniline/TiO2:SnO2 nanocomposite (PTS) as a hydrogen (H2) gas sensor, its nature, stability, response, recovery/response time have been studied with a special focus on its ability to work at environmental conditions. H2 gas sensing results demonstrated that a PTS sensor with 20 and 10 wt% of anatase-TiO2 and SnO2 nanoparticles, respectively, has the best response time (75 s) with a recovery time of 117 s at environmental conditions. The highest (lowest) response (recovery time) was 6.18 (46 s) in PTS sensor with 30 and 15 wt% of anatase- (rutile-)TiO2 and SnO2 nanoparticles, respectively, at 0.8 vol.% H2 gas. Further, the H2 gas sensing mechanism of PTS sensor has also been studied.

  3. In situ studies of ion irradiated inverse spinel compound magnesium stannate (Mg 2SnO 4)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Xu, P.; Tang, M.; Nino, J. C.

    2009-06-01

    Magnesium stannate spinel (Mg 2SnO 4) was synthesized through conventional solid state processing and then irradiated with 1.0 MeV Kr 2+ ions at low temperatures 50 and 150 K. Structural evolutions during irradiation were monitored and recorded through bright field images and selected-area electron diffraction patterns using in situ transmission electron microscopy. The amorphization of Mg 2SnO 4 was achieved at an ion dose of 5 × 10 19 Kr ions/m 2 at 50 K and 10 20 Kr ions/m 2 at 150 K, which is equivalent to an atomic displacement damage of 5.5 and 11.0 dpa, respectively. The spinel crystal structure was thermally recovered at room temperature from the amorphous phase caused by irradiation at 50 K. The calculated electronic and nuclear stopping powers suggest that the radiation damage caused by 1 MeV Kr 2+ ions in Mg 2SnO 4 is mainly due to atomic displacement induced defect accumulation. The radiation tolerance of Mg 2SnO 4 was finally compared with normal spinel MgAl 2O 4.

  4. Interfacial effect on the structural and optical properties of pure SnO2 and dual shells (ZnO; SiO2) coated SnO2 core-shell nanospheres for optoelectronic applications

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Selvi, N.; Sankar, S.; Dinakaran, K.

    2014-12-01

    Nanocrystallites of SnO2 core and dual shells (ZnO, SiO2) coated SnO2 core-shell nanospheres were successfully synthesized by co-precipitation method. The as prepared and annealed samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), High resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) and UV-Vis analysis. XRD pattern confirms the obtained SnO2 core with tetragonal rutile crystalline structure and the shell ZnO with hexagonal structure. FTIR result shows the functional groups present in the samples. The spherical morphology and the formation of the core-shell structures have been confirmed by HRTEM measurements. The UV-Vis showed that band gap is red shifted for as-prepared and the shells coated core-shell samples. From this investigation it can be concluded that the surface modification with different metal and insulating oxides strongly influences the optical properties of the core-shell materials which enhance their potential applications towards optical devices fabrication.

  5. Effect of MgO on Liquidus Temperatures in the ZnO-"FeO"-Al2O3-CaO-SiO2-MgO System in Equilibrium with Metallic Iron

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhao, Baojun; Hayes, Peter C.; Jak, Evgueni

    2011-06-01

    The phase equilibria in the ZnO-"FeO"-Al2O3-CaO-SiO2-MgO system have been determined experimentally in equilibrium with metallic iron. Synthetic slags were equilibrated at a high temperature, quenched, and then the compositions of the phases in equilibrium were measured using electron probe X-ray microanalysis. Pseudoternary sections of the form ZnO-"FeO"-(Al2O3 + CaO + SiO2) for CaO/SiO2 = 0.71, (CaO + SiO2)/Al2O3 = 5 and fixed MgO concentrations of 2, 4, and 6 wt pct have been constructed. Wustite (Fe2+,Mg,Zn)O and spinel (Fe2+,Mg,Zn)O·(Al,Fe3+)2O3 are the major primary phases in the temperature and composition ranges investigated. The liquidus temperatures are increased by 140 K in the wustite primary phase field and by 70 K in the spinel primary phase field with the addition of 6 wt pct MgO in the slag. The partitioning of MgO and ZnO between the solid and liquid phases has been discussed.

  6. Magnetically Separable Fe2O3/g-C3N4 Nanocomposites with Cocoon-Like Shape: Magnetic Properties and Photocatalytic Activities

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yu, Xiaojia; Yang, Xiaoyu; Li, Guang

    2018-01-01

    We report magnetically separable Fe2O3/g-C3N4 nanocomposites as a photocatalyst under visible-light irradiation in this study. The Fe2O3/g-C3N4 nanocomposites were synthesized through a two-step hydrothermal method. The Fe2O3 with cocoon-like shape was obviously dispersed on the surface of g-C3N4 with porous and layered nanostructure as seen from micrographs of the particles. Furthermore, the magnetic conversion of the samples was studied via vibrating sample magnetometer technology. It was found that the saturated magnetization Ms of the Fe2O3/g-C3N4 nanoparticles obviously decreased in the presence of g-C3N4, and the photocatalytic activity of the samples investigated by degrading Rhodamine B suggested that the Fe2O3/g-C3N4 photocatalyst was prior to the pure Fe2O3 and g-C3N4 samples. In addition, the magnetically separable ability of Fe2O3/g-C3N4 nanocomposites was efficiently exhibited by an external magnet.

  7. A Phase Separation Route to Synthesize α-Fe2O3 Porous Nanofibers via Electrospinning for Ultrafast Ethanol Sensing

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Dong, Shuwen; Yan, Shuang; Gao, Wenyuan; Liu, Guishan; Hao, Hongshun

    2018-07-01

    A facile and economic procedure was provided to synthesize α-Fe2O3 nanofibers. In this procedure, porous α-Fe2O3 nanofibers were obtained by a single-polymer/binary-solvent system, while solid α-Fe2O3 nanofibers were prepared by a single-polymer/single-solvent system. The crystal structure and morphology of both samples were characterized by x-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy and nitrogen adsorption/desorption isotherms. The formation mechanism of porous structure was based on solvent evaporation-induced phase separation by the use of mixed solvents with different volatility. Furthermore, ethanol-sensing performance of the porous α-Fe2O3 nanofibers was evaluated and compared with solid α-Fe2O3 nanofibers. Results from gas-sensing measurements reveal that porous α-Fe2O3 nanofibers exhibit higher sensitivity and slightly longer recovery time than solid α-Fe2O3 nanofibers. Over all, the gas sensor based on porous α-Fe2O3 nanofibers shows excellent ethanol-sensing capability with high sensitivity and ultrafast response/recovery behaviors, indicating its potential application as a real-time monitoring gas sensor.

  8. A Phase Separation Route to Synthesize α-Fe2O3 Porous Nanofibers via Electrospinning for Ultrafast Ethanol Sensing

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Dong, Shuwen; Yan, Shuang; Gao, Wenyuan; Liu, Guishan; Hao, Hongshun

    2018-04-01

    A facile and economic procedure was provided to synthesize α-Fe2O3 nanofibers. In this procedure, porous α-Fe2O3 nanofibers were obtained by a single-polymer/binary-solvent system, while solid α-Fe2O3 nanofibers were prepared by a single-polymer/single-solvent system. The crystal structure and morphology of both samples were characterized by x-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy and nitrogen adsorption/desorption isotherms. The formation mechanism of porous structure was based on solvent evaporation-induced phase separation by the use of mixed solvents with different volatility. Furthermore, ethanol-sensing performance of the porous α-Fe2O3 nanofibers was evaluated and compared with solid α-Fe2O3 nanofibers. Results from gas-sensing measurements reveal that porous α-Fe2O3 nanofibers exhibit higher sensitivity and slightly longer recovery time than solid α-Fe2O3 nanofibers. Over all, the gas sensor based on porous α-Fe2O3 nanofibers shows excellent ethanol-sensing capability with high sensitivity and ultrafast response/recovery behaviors, indicating its potential application as a real-time monitoring gas sensor.

  9. Removal of nitrate and phosphate using chitosan/Al2O3/Fe3O4 composite nanofibrous adsorbent: Comparison with chitosan/Al2O3/Fe3O4 beads.

    PubMed

    Bozorgpour, Farahnaz; Ramandi, Hossein Fasih; Jafari, Pooya; Samadi, Saman; Yazd, Shabnam Sharif; Aliabadi, Majid

    2016-12-01

    In the present study the chitosan/Al 2 O 3 /Fe 3 O 4 composite nanofibrous adsorbent was prepared by electrospinning process and its application for the removal of nitrate and phosphate were compared with chitosan/Al 2 O 3 /Fe 3 O 4 composite bead adsorbent. The influence of Al 2 O 3 /Fe 3 O 4 composite content, pH, contact time, nitrate and phosphate initial concentrations and temperature on the nitrate and phosphate sorption using synthesized bead and nanofibrous adsorbents was investigated in a single system. The reusability of chitosan/Al 2 O 3 /Fe 3 O 4 composite beads and nanofibers after five sorption-desorption cycles were carried out. The Box-Behnken design was used to investigate the interaction effects of adsorbent dosage, nitrate and phosphate initial concentrations on the nitrate and phosphate removal efficiency. The pseudo-second-order kinetic model and known Freundlich and Langmuir isotherm models were used to describe the kinetic and equilibrium data of nitrate and phosphate sorption using chitosan/Al 2 O 3 /Fe 3 O 4 composite beads and nanofibers. The influence of other anions including chloride, fluoride and sulphate on the sorption efficiency of nitrate and phosphate was examined. The obtained results revealed the higher potential of chitosan/Al 2 O 3 /Fe 3 O 4 composite nanofibers for nitrate and phosphate compared with chitosan/Al 2 O 3 /Fe 3 O 4 composite beads. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  10. Improved Li storage performance in SnO 2 nanocrystals by a synergetic doping

    DOE PAGES

    Wan, Ning; Lu, Xia; Wang, Yuesheng; ...

    2016-01-06

    Tin dioxide (SnO 2) is a widely investigated lithium (Li) storage material because of its easy preparation, two-step storage mechanism and high specific capacity for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). In this contribution, a phase-pure cobalt-doped SnO 2 (Co/SnO 2) and a cobalt and nitrogen co-doped SnO 2 (Co-N/SnO 2) nanocrystals are prepared to explore their Li storage behaviors. It is found that the morphology, specific surface area, and electrochemical properties could be largely modulated in the doped and co-doped SnO 2 nanocrystals. Gavalnostatic cycling results indicate that the Co-N/SnO 2 electrode delivers a specific capacity as high as 716 mAh gmore » –1 after 50 cycles, and the same outstanding rate performance can be observed in subsequent cycles due to the ionic/electronic conductivity enhancement by co-doping effect. Further, microstructure observation indicates the existence of intermediate phase of Li 3N with high ionic conductivity upon cycling, which probably accounts for the improvements of Co-N/SnO 2 electrodes. Furthermore, we find that the method of synergetic doping into SnO 2 with Co and N, with which the electrochemical performances is enhanced remarkably, undoubtedly, will have an important influence on the material itself and community of LIBs as well.« less

  11. In-Depth View of the Structure and Growth of SnO2 Nanowires and Nanobrushes.

    PubMed

    Stuckert, Erin P; Geiss, Roy H; Miller, Christopher J; Fisher, Ellen R

    2016-08-31

    Strategic application of an array of complementary imaging and diffraction techniques is critical to determine accurate structural information on nanomaterials, especially when also seeking to elucidate structure-property relationships and their effects on gas sensors. In this work, SnO2 nanowires and nanobrushes grown via chemical vapor deposition (CVD) displayed the same tetragonal SnO2 structure as revealed via powder X-ray diffraction bulk crystallinity data. Additional characterization using a range of electron microscopy imaging and diffraction techniques, however, revealed important structure and morphology distinctions between the nanomaterials. Tailoring scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) modes combined with transmission electron backscatter diffraction (t-EBSD) techniques afforded a more detailed view of the SnO2 nanostructures. Indeed, upon deeper analysis of individual wires and brushes, we discovered that, despite a similar bulk structure, wires and brushes grew with different crystal faces and lattice spacings. Had we not utilized multiple STEM diffraction modes in conjunction with t-EBSD, differences in orientation related to bristle density would have been overlooked. Thus, it is only through a methodical combination of several structural analysis techniques that precise structural information can be reliably obtained.

  12. Fe doped BaTiO3 sensitized by Fe3O4 nanoparticles for improved photoelectrochemical response

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Upadhyay, Rishibrind Kumar; Sharma, Dipika

    2018-01-01

    Nanostructured powders of pristine Fe3O4, BaTiO3, and Fe-BaTiO3 were synthesized using hydrothermal method and BaTiO3/Fe3O4 and Fe-BaTiO3/Fe3O4 composite sample were also prepared by mixing the appropriate amount of pristine powders. All samples were characterized using x-ray diffraction, SEM and UV-vis spectrometry. Photoelectrochemical properties were investigated in a three-electrode cell system. Maximum photocurrent density of 2.1 mA cm-2 at 0.95 V/SCE was observed for Fe-BaTiO3/Fe3O4 composite sample. Increased photocurrent density offered by composite may be attributed to improved conductivity and better separation of the photogenerated charge carriers at interface.

  13. Synthesis and evaluation of optical and antimicrobial properties of Ag-SnO2 nanocomposites

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kumar Nair, Kishore; Kumar, Promod; Kumar, Vinod; Harris, R. A.; Kroon, R. E.; Viljoen, Bennie; Shumbula, P. M.; Mlambo, M.; Swart, H. C.

    2018-04-01

    We report on the sol-gel based room temperature synthesis of undoped SnO2 and Ag-SnO2 nanostructures. The synthesized nanostructures were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, High-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM) and UV-visible spectroscopy. The XRD pattern confirmed that the obtained nanostructures have a tetragonally rutile structure. No extra phase changes were observed after Ag doping. UV-visible spectroscopy measurements indicated that the band gap of 3.59 eV for pure SnO2 nanostructures, decreased to 3.39 eV after doping. TEM analysis showed that no regular shape morphology existed and some rod-shaped particles were also detected in the nanostructures. The antibacterial activity of the nanostructures against E. coli was evaluated and a continuous decrease of microbial count was observed. The microbial population decreased from 6 × 105 cfu/ml to 7 × 104 cfu/ml and 5 × 104 cfu/ml on SnO2 and Ag-SnO2 treatments, respectively. Thus, the nanostructures can be used for the biorational management of E. coli for waste water treatment before discharge.

  14. Magnetism from Fe2O3 nanoparticles embedded in amorphous SiO2 matrix

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sendil Kumar, A.; Bhatnagar, Anil K.

    2018-02-01

    Fe2O3 nanoparticles are embedded in amorphous SiO2 matrix by coprecipitation method with varying concentrations. Conditions are optimized to get almost monodispersed Fe2O3 nanoparticles with high chemical stability. Microstructure of synthesized nanoparticles is well characterized and found that Fe2O3 is in nanocrystalline form and embedded uniformly in amorphous SiO2 matrix. Enhanced surface reactivity is found for nanoparticles which influences physical properties of the SiO2 supported Fe2O3 system due to adsorption. In oxide nanoparticles, significant number of defect sites at the surface is expected but when supported medium such as SiO2 it reduces this defect concentration. Field- and temperature-dependent magnetisation studies on these samples show superparamagnetic behaviour. Superparamagnetic behaviour is seen in all the concentration systems but the coercivity observed in the lower concentration systems is found to be anomalous compared to that of higher concentrations. The observed magnetic behaviour comes from either unsaturated bond existing due to the absence of anions at the surface of nanoparticles or reconstruction of atomic orbitals taking place at interface of Fe2O3-SiO2 system.

  15. Nanosized As2O3/Fe2O3 complexes combined with magnetic fluid hyperthermia selectively target liver cancer cells.

    PubMed

    Wang, Zi-Yu; Song, Jian; Zhang, Dong-Sheng

    2009-06-28

    To study the methods of preparing the magnetic nano-microspheres of Fe(2)O(3) and As(2)O(3)/Fe(2)O(3) complexes and their therapeutic effects with magnetic fluid hyperthermia (MFH). Nanospheres were prepared by chemical co-precipitation and their shape and diameter were observed. Hemolysis, micronucleus, cell viability, and LD(50) along with other in vivo tests were performed to evaluate the Fe(2)O(3) microsphere biocompatibility. The inhibition ratio of tumors after Fe(2)O(3) and As(2)O(3)/Fe(2)O(3) injections combined with induced hyperthermia in xenograft human hepatocarcinoma was calculated. Fe(2)O(3) and As(2)O(3)/Fe(2)O(3) particles were round with an average diameter of 20 nm and 100 nm as observed under transmission electron microscope. Upon exposure to an alternating magnetic field (AMF), the temperature of the suspension of magnetic particles increased to 41-51 degrees C, depending on different particle concentrations, and remained stable thereafter. Nanosized Fe(2)O(3) microspheres are a new kind of biomaterial without cytotoxic effects. The LD(50) of both Fe(2)O(3) and As(2)O(3)/Fe(2)O(3) in mice was higher than 5 g/kg. One to four weeks after Fe(2)O(3) and As(2)O(3)/Fe(2)O(3) complex injections into healthy pig livers, no significant differences were found in serum AST, ALT, BUN and Cr levels among the pigs of all groups (P > 0.05), and no obvious pathological alterations were observed. After exposure to alternating magnetic fields, the inhibition ratio of the tumors was significantly different from controls in the Fe(2)O(3) and As(2)O(3)/Fe(2)O(3) groups (68.74% and 82.79%, respectively; P < 0.01). Tumors of mice in treatment groups showed obvious necrosis, while normal tissues adjoining the tumor and internal organs did not. Fe(2)O(3) and As(2)O(3)/Fe(2)O(3) complexes exerted radiofrequency-induced hyperthermia and drug toxicity on tumors without any liver or kidney damage. Therefore, nanospheres are ideal carriers for tumor-targeted therapy.

  16. Enhanced photoelectrochemical response of plasmonic Au embedded BiVO4/Fe2O3 heterojunction.

    PubMed

    Verma, Anuradha; Srivastav, Anupam; Khan, Saif A; Rani Satsangi, Vibha; Shrivastav, Rohit; Kumar Avasthi, Devesh; Dass, Sahab

    2017-06-14

    The effect of embedding Au nanoparticles (NPs) in a BiVO 4 /Fe 2 O 3 heterojunction for photoelectrochemical water splitting is studied here for the first time. The present nanostructured heterojunction offers three major advantages over pristine BiVO 4 and Fe 2 O 3 : (i) the formation of a heterojunction between BiVO 4 and Fe 2 O 3 enhances the charge carrier separation and transfer, (ii) the layer of Fe 2 O 3 provides protection to BiVO 4 from photocorrosion and, (iii) the Au NPs possessing surface plasmon resonance (SPR) enhance the photoelectrochemical response by transferring energy to metal oxides by hot electron transfer (HET) and plasmon resonant energy transfer (PRET). The present study reveals that the heterojunction ITO/BiVO 4 /Fe 2 O 3 (with 32% v/v Au solution in both layers) gives the best performance and mitigates the limitations of both pristine Fe 2 O 3 and BiVO 4 . A thirteen-fold increment in applied bias photon-to-current conversion efficiency (ABPE) was observed at 1.24 V vs. RHE under the condition of 1 Sun illumination. Monochromatic incident photon-to-current conversion efficiency (IPCE) measurements indicated that an Au embedded heterojunction is more effective in harvesting visible light in comparison to a heterojunction without Au NPs.

  17. An insight into the origin of room-temperature ferromagnetism in SnO2 and Mn-doped SnO2 quantum dots: an experimental and DFT approach.

    PubMed

    Manikandan, Dhamodaran; Boukhvalov, D W; Amirthapandian, S; Zhidkov, I S; Kukharenko, A I; Cholakh, S O; Kurmaev, E Z; Murugan, Ramaswamy

    2018-02-28

    SnO 2 and Mn-doped SnO 2 single-phase tetragonal crystal structure quantum dots (QDs) of uniform size with control over dopant composition and microstructure were synthesized using the high pressure microwave synthesis technique. On a broader vision, we systematically investigated the influence of dilute Mn ions in SnO 2 under the strong quantum confinement regime through various experimental techniques and density functional theoretical (DFT) calculations to disclose the physical mechanism governing the observed ferromagnetism. DFT calculations revealed that the formation of the stable (001) surface was much more energetically favorable than that of the (100) surface, and the formation energy of the oxygen vacancies in the stable (001) surface was comparatively higher in the undoped SnO 2 QDs. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and first-principles modeling of doped QDs revealed that the lower doping concentration of Mn favored the formation of MnO-like (Mn 2+ ) structures in defect-rich areas and the higher doping concentration of Mn led to the formation of multiple configurations of Mn (Mn 2+ and Mn 3+ ) in the stable surfaces of SnO 2 QDs. Electronic absorption spectra indicated the characteristic spin allowed ligand field transitions of Mn 2+ and Mn 3+ and the red shift in the band gap. DFT calculations clearly indicated that only the substitutional dopant antiferromagnetic configurations were more energetically favorable. The gradual increase of magnetization at a low level of Mn-doping could be explained by the prevalence of antiferromagnetic manganese-vacancy pairs. Higher concentrations of Mn led to the appearance of ferromagnetic interactions between manganese and oxygen vacancies. The increase in the concentration of metallic dopants caused not just an increase in the total magnetic moment of the system but also changed the magnetic interactions between the magnetic moments on the metal ions and oxygen. The present study provides new insight into the

  18. Modulated exchange bias in NiFe/CoO/α-Fe2O3 trilayers and NiFe/CoO bilayers

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Li, X.; Lin, K.-W.; Yeh, W.-C.; Desautels, R. D.; van Lierop, J.; Pong, Philip W. T.

    2017-02-01

    While the exchange bias in ferromagnetic/antiferromagnetic (FM/AF) bilayer and FM1/AF/FM2 trilayer configurations has been widely investigated, the role of an AF2 layer in FM/AF1/AF2 trilayer configurations is still not well understood. In this work, the magnetic properties of NiFe/CoO, NiFe/α-Fe2O3 bilayers, and NiFe/CoO/α-Fe2O3 trilayer were studied comparatively. The microstructure and chemical composition were characterized. Temperature dependent magnetometry reveals increased irreversibility temperature in NiFe/CoO/α-Fe2O3 trilayer compared with NiFe/CoO bilayer. The magnetic hysteresis loops show that the exchange bias (Hex) and coercivity (Hc) depend strongly on the anisotropy of AF layer (CoO, α-Fe2O3 and CoO/α-Fe2O3). Our work shows that the AF1/AF2 interfacial interactions can be used effectively for tuning the exchange bias in FM/AF1/AF2 trilayers.

  19. Thermally-induced solid state transformation of β‐Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3} nanoparticles in various atmospheres

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Malina, Ondrej, E-mail: ondrej.malina@upol.cz; Kaslik, Josef, E-mail: ondrej.malina@upol.cz; Tucek, Jiri, E-mail: ondrej.malina@upol.cz

    2014-10-27

    To date, iron oxides have become one of the most studied nanomaterials due to their interesting and aaplication appealing physical, chemical, and biological properties in comparison with their bulk counterparts. In general, four forms of iron(III) oxide can be distinguished depending on their crystallographic and magnetic properties. In this work, one of the rare phases of iron(III) oxide, β‐Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3}, prepared by the solid state reaction was explored for the thermal transformations in various ambient atmospheres, including O{sub 2}, N{sub 2}, and CO{sub 2} atmospheres. The thermally treated products were investigated employing X-ray powder diffraction and {sup 57}Fe Mössbauermore » spectroscopy.« less

  20. Microstructural, Optical and Dielectric Properties of Al-Incorporated SnO2 Nanoparticles

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ahmed, Ateeq; Tripathi, P.; Naseem Siddique, M.; Ali, Tinku

    2017-08-01

    In this work, Pure SnO2 and Al doped SnO2 nanoparticles with the composition Sn1-xAlxO2 (x = 0, and 0.05) have been successfully prepared using sol-gel technique. The effect of Al dopant on microstructural, optical and dielectric properties has been investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Ultraviolet (UV-Visible) absorption spectroscopy andImpedance spectroscopy (LCR meter)respectively. The XRD patterns indicated tetragonal rutile structure with single phase without any detectable impurity for all samples and incorporation of Al ions into the SnO2 lattice. Crystalline size decreased with aluminum content. The results of SEM confirm nanoparticles size decreases with Al dopant. UV-Visible results showed that optical band also decreases when Al is doped into pure SnO2 lattice. Frequency dependent dielectric properties of pure and doped SnO2 nanoparticles have been also studied.

  1. Substitutional and Interstitial Diffusion in alpha2-Ti3Al(O)

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Copland, Evan; Young, David J.; Gleeson, Brian; Jacobson, Nathan

    2007-01-01

    The reaction between Al2O3 and alpha2-Ti3Al was studied with a series of Al2O3/alpha2-Ti3Al multiphase diffusion couples annealed at 900, 1000 and 1100 C. The diffusion-paths were found to strongly depend on alpha2- Ti3Al(O) composition. For alloys with low oxygen concentrations the reaction involved the reduction of Al2O3, the formation of a gamma-TiAl reaction-layer and diffusion of Al and O into the alpha2-Ti3Al substrate. Measured concentration profiles across the interaction-zone showed "up-hill" diffusion of O in alpha2-Ti3Al(O) indicating a significant thermodynamic interaction between O and Al, Ti or both. Diffusion coefficients for the interstitial O in alpha2-Ti3Al(O) were determined independently from the interdiffusion of Ti and Al on the substitutional lattice. Diffusion coefficients are reported for alpha2-Ti3Al(O) as well as gamma-TiAl. Interpretation of the results were aided with the subsequent measurement of the activities of Al, Ti and O in alpha 2-Ti3Al(O) by Knudsen effusion-cell mass spectrometry.

  2. Magnetocrystalline anisotropy of ɛ-Fe2O3

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ahamed, Imran; Pathak, Rohit; Skomski, Ralph; Kashyap, Arti

    2018-05-01

    The epsilon Fe2O3 phase of iron oxide has been studied to understand the spin structure and the magnetocrystalline anisotropy in the bulk and in thin films of ɛ-Fe2O3 and Co-doped ɛ-Fe2O3. The preferential magnetization direction in the nanoparticles of ɛ-Fe2O3 is along the a-axis [M. Gich et al., Chem. Mater. 18, 3889 (2006)]. Compared to the bulk band gap of 1.9 eV, the thin-film band gap is reduced to 1.3 eV in the Co-free films and to 0.7 eV in the film with partial Co substitution. The easy magnetization direction of the bulk and Co-free ɛ-Fe2O3 is along the c-axis, but it switches to the a-axis on Co substitution. All three systems exhibit in-plane anisotropies associated with the orthorhombic crystal structure of the oxide.

  3. Preparation of surface plasmon resonance biosensor based on magnetic core/shell Fe3O4/SiO2 and Fe3O4/Ag/SiO2 nanoparticles.

    PubMed

    Wang, Liying; Sun, Ying; Wang, Jing; Wang, Jian; Yu, Aimin; Zhang, Hanqi; Song, Daqian

    2011-06-01

    In this paper, surface plasmon resonance biosensors based on magnetic core/shell Fe(3)O(4)/SiO(2) and Fe(3)O(4)/Ag/SiO(2) nanoparticles were developed for immunoassay. With Fe(3)O(4) and Fe(3)O(4)/Ag nanoparticles being used as seeding materials, Fe(3)O(4)/SiO(2) and Fe(3)O(4)/Ag/SiO(2) nanoparticles were formed by hydrolysis of tetraethyl orthosilicate. The aldehyde group functionalized magnetic nanoparticles provide organic functionality for bioconjugation. The products were characterized by scanning electronic microscopy (SEM), transmission electronic microscopy (TEM), FTIR and UV-vis absorption spectrometry. The magnetic nanoparticles possess the unique superparamagnetism property, exceptional optical properties and good compatibilities, and could be used as immobilization matrix for goat anti-rabbit IgG. The magnetic nanoparticles can be easily immobilized on the surface of SPR biosensor chip by a magnetic pillar. The effects of Fe(3)O(4)/SiO(2) and Fe(3)O(4)/Ag/SiO(2) nanoparticles on the sensitivity of SPR biosensors were also investigated. As a result, the SPR biosensors based on Fe(3)O(4)/SiO(2) nanoparticles and Fe(3)O(4)/Ag/SiO(2) nanoparticles exhibit a response for rabbit IgG in the concentration range of 1.25-20.00 μg ml(-1) and 0.30-20.00 μg ml(-1), respectively. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  4. Nonstoichiometric Zn Ferrite and ZnFe2O4/Fe2O3 Composite Spheres: Preparation, Magnetic Properties, and Chromium Removal

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hang, Chun-Liang; Yang, Li-Xia; Sun, Chang-Mei; Liang, Ying

    2018-03-01

    Monodisperse and porous nonstoichiometric Zn ferrite can be prepared by a solvothermal method. Such non-Zn ferrite was used to be the precursor for synthesis of ZnFe2O4/Fe2O3 composite via calcination at 600°C for 3 h in air. X-ray powder diffractometer (XRD) and Energy Dispersive Spectrometer (EDS) proved the nonstoichiometry of Zn ferrite synthesized by solvothermal method and the formation of ZnFe2O4/Fe2O3 composite via calcination. TEM image showed that non-Zn ferrite spheres with wormlike nanopore structure were made of primary nanocrystals. BET surface area of non-Zn ferrite was much higher than that of ZnFe2O4/Fe2O3 composite. Saturation magnetization of non-Zn ferrites was significantly higher than that of ZnFe2O4/Fe2O3 composites. Calcination of non-Zn ferrite resulted in the formation of large amount of non-magnetic Fe2O3,which caused a low magnetization of composite. Because of higher BET surface area and higher saturation magnetization, non-Zn ferrite presented better Cr6+ adsorption property than ZnFe2O4/Fe2O3 composites.

  5. Exchange-coupled Fe3O4/CoFe2O4 nanoparticles for advanced magnetic hyperthermia

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Glassell, M.; Robles, J.; Das, R.; Phan, M. H.; Srikanth, H.

    Iron oxide nanoparticles especially Fe3O4, γ-Fe2O3 have been extensively studied for magnetic hyperthermia because of their tunable magnetic properties and stable suspension in superparamagnetic regime. However, their relatively low heating capacity hindered practical application. Recently, a large improvement in heating efficiency has been reported in exchange-coupled nanoparticles with exchange coupling between soft and hard magnetic phases. Here, we systematically studied the effect of core and shell size on the heating efficiency of the Fe3O4/CoFe2O4 core/shell nanoparticles. The nanoparticles were synthesized using thermal decomposition of organometallic precursors. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) showed formation of spherical shaped Fe3O4 and Fe3O-/CoFe2O4 nanoparticles. Magnetic measurements showed high magnetization (≅70 emu/g) and superparamagnetic behavior for the nanoparticles at room temperature. Magnetic hyperthermia results showed a large increase in specific absorption rate (SAR) for 8nm Fe3O4/CoFe2O4 compared to Fe3O4 nanoparticles of the same size. The heating efficiency of the Fe3O4/CoFe2O4 with 1 nm CoFe2O4 (shell) increased from 207 to 220 W/g (for 800 Oe) with increase in core size from 6 to 8 nm. The heating efficiency of the Fe3O4/CoFe2O4 with 2 nm CoFe2O4 (shell) and core size of 8 nm increased from 220 to 460 W/g (for 800 Oe). These exchange-coupled Fe3O4/CoFe2O4 core/shell nanoparticles can be a good candidate for advanced hyperthermia application.

  6. High-loading Fe2O3/SWNT composite films for lithium-ion battery applications

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wang, Ying; Guo, Jiahui; Li, Li; Ge, Yali; Li, Baojun; Zhang, Yingjiu; Shang, Yuanyuan; Cao, Anyuan

    2017-08-01

    Single-walled carbon nanotube (SWNT) films are a potential candidate as porous conductive electrodes for energy conversion and storage; tailoring the loading and distribution of active materials grafted on SWNTs is critical for achieving maximum performance. Here, we show that as-synthesized SWNT samples containing residual Fe catalyst can be directly converted to Fe2O3/SWNT composite films by thermal annealing in air. The mass loading of Fe2O3 nanoparticles is tunable from 63 wt% up to 96 wt%, depending on the annealing temperature (from 450 °C to 600 °C), while maintaining the porous network structure. Interconnected SWNT networks containing high-loading active oxides lead to synergistic effect as an anode material for lithium ion batteries. The performance is improved consistently with increasing Fe2O3 loading. As a result, our Fe2O3/SWNT composite films exhibit a high reversible capacity (1007.1 mA h g-1 at a current density of 200 mA g-1), excellent rate capability (384.9 mA h g-1 at 5 A g-1) and stable cycling performance with the discharge capacity up to 567.1 mA h g-1 after 600 cycles at 2 A g-1. The high-loading Fe2O3/SWNT composite films have potential applications as nanostructured electrodes for various energy devices such as supercapacitors and Li-ion batteries.

  7. Synthesis and Structural Characterization of CdFe2O4 Nanostructures

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kalpanadevi, K.; Sinduja, C. R.; Manimekalai, R.

    The synthesis of CdFe2O4 nanoparticles has been achieved by a simple thermal decomposition method from the inorganic precursor, [CdFe2(cin)3(N2H4)3], which was obtained by a simple precipitation method from the corresponding metal salts, cinnamic acid and hydrazine hydrate. The precursor was characterized by hydrazine and metal analyses, infrared spectral analysis and thermo gravimetric analysis. On appropriate annealing, [CdFe2(cin)3(N2H4)3] yielded CdFe2O4 nanoparticles. The XRD studies showed that the crystallite size of the particles was 13nm. The results of HRTEM studies also agreed well with those of XRD. SAED pattern of the sample established the polycrystalline nature of the nanoparticles. SEM images displayed a random distribution of grains in the sample.

  8. Electrochemical capacitance of nanostructured ruthenium-doped tin oxide Sn1- x Ru x O2 by the microemulsion method

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Saraswathy, Ramanathan

    2017-12-01

    Synthesis of nanostructured Ru-doped SnO2 was successfully carried out using the reverse microemulsion method. The phase purity and the crystallite size were analyzed by XRD. The surface morphology and the microstructure of synthesized nanoparticles were analyzed by SEM and TEM. The vibration mode of nanoparticles was investigated using FTIR and Raman studies. The electrochemical behavior of the Ru-doped SnO2 electrode was evaluated in a 0.1 mol/L Na2SO4 solution using cyclic voltammetry. The 5% Ru-doped SnO2 electrode exhibited a high specific capacitance of 535.6 F/g at a scan rate 20 mV/s, possessing good conductivity as well as the electrocycling stability. The Ru-doped SnO2 composite shows excellent electrochemical properties, suggesting that this composite is a promising material for supercapacitors.

  9. Catalyst-free growth of Al-doped SnO2 zigzag-nanobelts for low ppm detection of organic vapours

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sinha, Sudip Kumar; Ghosh, Saptarshi

    2016-10-01

    In this effort, we report on development of specific sensors dedicated for detection of two of these volatiles, namely ethanol and acetone, below the prescribed statutory limits. Single crystalline Al-doped SnO2 zigzag nanobelt structures were deposited on Si substrate by a catalyst-free thermal evaporation method. The Al-doped SnO2 zigzag nanostructures exhibit high sensitivity and repeatability together with coveted features like fast response and excellent stability. Structural attributes involving the crystal quality and morphology of Al-doped SnO2 zigzag nanobelts were analyzed using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The microscopic images revealed formation of randomly oriented 'zigzag-like' nanobelts with characteristic width between 60 nm and 200 nm and length of 50-300 μm. The Al-doping was observed to have a discerning effect in enhancing the sensitivity in comparison to the pristine nanowires by creating excess oxygen vacancies in the crystal lattice, confirmed through XPS and PL spectra.

  10. High-performing visible-blind photodetectors based on SnO2/CuO nanoheterojunctions

    PubMed Central

    Xie, Ting; Hasan, Md Rezaul; Qiu, Botong; Arinze, Ebuka S.; Nguyen, Nhan V.; Motayed, Abhishek; Thon, Susanna M.; Debnath, Ratan

    2017-01-01

    We report on the significant performance enhancement of SnO2 thin film ultraviolet (UV) photodetectors (PDs) through incorporation of CuO/SnO2 p-n nanoscale heterojunctions. The nanoheterojunctions are self-assembled by sputtering Cu clusters that oxidize in ambient to form CuO. We attribute the performance improvements to enhanced UV absorption, demonstrated both experimentally and using optical simulations, and electron transfer facilitated by the nanoheterojunctions. The peak responsivity of the PDs at a bias of 0.2 V improved from 1.9 A/W in a SnO2-only device to 10.3 A/W after CuO deposition. The wavelength-dependent photocurrent-to-dark current ratio was estimated to be ~ 592 for the CuO/SnO2 PD at 290 nm. The morphology, distribution of nanoparticles, and optical properties of the CuO/SnO2 heterostructured thin films are also investigated. PMID:28729741

  11. Selective Improvement of NO2 Gas Sensing Behavior in SnO2 Nanowires by Ion-Beam Irradiation.

    PubMed

    Kwon, Yong Jung; Kang, Sung Yong; Wu, Ping; Peng, Yuan; Kim, Sang Sub; Kim, Hyoun Woo

    2016-06-01

    We irradiated SnO2 nanowires with He ions (45 MeV) with different ion fluences. Structure and morphology of the SnO2 nanowires did not undergo noticeable changes upon ion-beam irradiation. Chemical equilibrium in SnO2/gas systems was calculated from thermodynamic principles, which were used to study the sensing selectivity of the tested gases, demonstrating the selective sensitivity of the SnO2 surface to NO2 gas. Being different from other gases, including H2, ethanol, acetone, SO2, and NH3, the sensor response to NO2 gas significantly increases as the ion fluence increases, showing a maximum under an ion fluence of 1 × 10(16) ions/cm(2). Photoluminescence analysis shows that the relative intensity of the peak at 2.1 eV to the peak at 2.5 eV increases upon ion-beam irradiation, suggesting that structural defects and/or tin interstitials have been generated. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy indicated that the ionic ratio of Sn(2+/)Sn(4+) increases by the ion-beam irradiation, supporting the formation of surface Sn interstitials. Using thermodynamic calculations, we explained the observed selective sensing behavior. A molecular level model was also established for the adsorption of NO2 on ion-irradiated SnO2 (110) surfaces. We propose that the adsorption of NO2-related species is considerably enhanced by the generation of surface defects that are comprised of Sn interstitials.

  12. Cathodoluminescence of rare earth implanted Ga2O3 and GeO2 nanostructures.

    PubMed

    Nogales, E; Hidalgo, P; Lorenz, K; Méndez, B; Piqueras, J; Alves, E

    2011-07-15

    Rare earth (RE) doped gallium oxide and germanium oxide micro- and nanostructures, mostly nanowires, have been obtained and their morphological and optical properties have been characterized. Undoped oxide micro- and nanostructures were grown by a thermal evaporation method and were subsequently doped with gadolinium or europium ions by ion implantation. No significant changes in the morphologies of the nanostructures were observed after ion implantation and thermal annealing. The luminescence emission properties have been studied with cathodoluminescence (CL) in a scanning electron microscope (SEM). Both β-Ga(2)O(3) and GeO(2) structures implanted with Eu show the characteristic red luminescence peak centered at around 610 nm, due to the (5)D(0)-(7)F(2) Eu(3+) intraionic transition. Sharpening of the luminescence peaks after thermal annealing is observed in Eu implanted β-Ga(2)O(3), which is assigned to the lattice recovery. Gd(3+) as-implanted samples do not show rare earth related luminescence. After annealing, optical activation of Gd(3+) is obtained in both matrices and a sharp ultraviolet peak centered at around 315 nm, associated with the Gd(3+) (6)P(7/2)-(8)S(7/2) intraionic transition, is observed. The influence of the Gd ion implantation and the annealing temperature on the gallium oxide broad intrinsic defect band has been analyzed.

  13. Self-assembly and hierarchical organization of Ga2O3/In2O3 nanostructures.

    PubMed

    Xu, Liang; Su, Yong; Li, Sen; Chen, Yiqing; Zhou, Qingtao; Yin, Song; Feng, Yi

    2007-02-01

    We report on the realization of novel 3-D hierarchical heterostructures with 6-and 4-fold symmetries by a transport and condensation technique. It was found that the major core nanowires or nanobelts are single-crystalline In2O3, and the secondary nanorods are single-crystalline monoclinic beta-Ga2O3 and grow either perpendicular on or slanted to all the facets of the core In2O3 nanobelts. Depending on the diameter of the core In2O3 nanostructures, the secondary Ga2O3 nanorods grow either as a single row or multiple rows. The one-step growth of the unique Ga2O3/In2O3 heteronanostructures is a spontaneous and self-organized process. The simultaneous control of nanocrystal size and shape together with the possibility of growing heterostructures on certain nanocrystal facets opens up novel routes to the synthesis of more sophisticated heterostructures as building blocks for opto- and nanoelectronics.

  14. Assembly of flexible CoMoO4@NiMoO4·xH2O and Fe2O3 electrodes for solid-state asymmetric supercapacitors

    PubMed Central

    Wang, Jing; Zhang, Leipeng; Liu, Xusong; Zhang, Xiang; Tian, Yanlong; Liu, Xiaoxu; Zhao, Jiupeng; Li, Yao

    2017-01-01

    In this work, CoMoO4@NiMoO4·xH2O core-shell heterostructure electrode is directly grown on carbon fabric (CF) via a feasible hydrothermal procedure with CoMoO4 nanowires (NWs) as the core and NiMoO4 nanosheets (NSs) as the shell. This core-shell heterostructure could provide fast ion and electron transfer, a large number of active sites, and good strain accommodation. As a result, the CoMoO4@NiMoO4·xH2O electrode yields high-capacitance performance with a high specific capacitance of 1582 F g−1, good cycling stability with the capacitance retention of 97.1% after 3000 cycles and good rate capability. The electrode also shows excellent mechanical flexibility. Also, a flexible Fe2O3 nanorods/CF electrode with enhanced electrochemical performance was prepared. A solid-state asymmetric supercapacitor device is successfully fabricated by using flexible CoMoO4@NiMoO4·xH2O as the positive electrode and Fe2O3 as the negative electrode. The asymmetric supercapacitor with a maximum voltage of 1.6 V demonstrates high specific energy (41.8 Wh kg−1 at 700 W kg−1), high power density (12000 W kg−1 at 26.7 Wh kg−1), and excellent cycle ability with the capacitance retention of 89.3% after 5000 cycles (at the current density of 3A g−1). PMID:28106170

  15. Synthesis and Gas Sensing Properties of Single La-Doped SnO2 Nanobelts

    PubMed Central

    Wu, Yuemei; Zhang, Heng; Liu, Yingkai; Chen, Weiwu; Ma, Jiang; Li, Shuanghui; Qin, Zhaojun

    2015-01-01

    Single crystal SnO2 nanobelts (SnO2 NBs) and La-SnO2 nanobelts (La-SnO2 NBs) were synthesized by thermal evaporation. Both a single SnO2 NB sensor and a single La-SnO2 NB sensor were developed and their sensing properties were investigated. It is found that the single La-SnO2 NB sensor had a high sensitivity of 8.76 to ethanediol at a concentration of 100 ppm at 230 °C, which is the highest sensitivity of a single SnO2 NB to ethanediol among three kinds of volatile organic (VOC) liquids studied, including ethanediol, ethanol, and acetone. The La-SnO2 NBs sensor also exhibits a high sensitivity, good selectivity and long-term stability with prompt response time to ethanediol. The mechanism behind the enhanced sensing performance of La-doped SnO2 nanobelts is discussed. PMID:26087374

  16. Thermodynamic Properties of α-Fe 2O 3 and Fe 3O 4 Nanoparticles

    DOE PAGES

    Spencer, Elinor C.; Ross, Nancy L.; Olsen, Rebecca E.; ...

    2015-04-21

    Here we comprehansively assessed the thermodynamic properties of hydrated α-Fe 2O 3 (hematite) and Fe 3O 4 (magnetite) nanoparticles. In addition to 9 nm Fe 3O 4, three α-e 2O 3nanoparticles samples of different sizes (11, 14, and 25 nm) and bulk α-e 2O 3 have been evaluated by inelastic neutron scattering methods. The contribution of the two-level magnetic spin flip transition to the heat capacity of the α-e 2O 3 particles has been determined. The isochoric heat capacity of the water confined on the surface of these two types of iron oxide particles have been calculated from their INSmore » spectra, and is affected by the chemical composition of the underlying particle. Furthermore, the heat capacity and dynamics of the particle hydration layers appear to be influenced by a complex array of factors including particle size, water coverage, and possibly the magnetic state of the particle itself.« less

  17. Interaction-induced partitioning and magnetization jumps in the mixed-spin oxide FeTiO3-Fe2O3.

    PubMed

    Charilaou, M; Sahu, K K; Zhao, S; Löffler, J F; Gehring, A U

    2011-07-29

    In this study we report on jumps in the magnetic moment of the hemo-ilmenite solid solution (x)FeTiO(3)-(1-x)Fe(2)O(3) above Fe(III) percolation at low temperature (T<3 K). The first jumps appear at 2.5 K, one at each side of the magnetization loop, and their number increases with decreasing temperature and reaches 5 at T=0.5 K. The jumps occur after field reversal from a saturated state and are symmetrical in the trigger field and intensity with respect to the field axis. Moreover, an increase of the sample temperature by 2.8% at T=2.0 K indicates the energy released after the ignition of the magnetization jump, as the spin-currents generated by the event are dissipated in the lattice. The magnetization jumps are further investigated by Monte Carlo simulations, which show that these effects are a result of magnetic interaction-induced partitioning on a sublattice level. © 2011 American Physical Society

  18. Structural and electrical characterisation of Li(2)O : TiO(2) : SnO(2) : P(2)O(5) electrolyte glass.

    PubMed

    Abrahams, Isaac; Hadzifejzovic, Emina; Dygas, Jozef R

    2004-10-07

    Glasses of general formula 50Li(2)O : xSnO(2) : (10 -x)TiO(2) : 40P(2)O(5)(0.0 < or = x < or = 10) were investigated by differential scanning calorimetry, X-ray diffraction and ac impedance, (31)P solid-state NMR and IR spectroscopies. Three isotropic resonances can be identified in the (31)P NMR spectra, which have been assigned to various phosphate species. Analysis of the ratios of integrated intensities in the (31)P spectra leads to models for the Ti and Sn coordination environments. Both TiO(2) and SnO(2) are found to be predominantly network forming with Ti and Sn proposed to be in five- and four-coordinate environments respectively. Analysis of ac impedance spectra collected at low temperatures reveals two forms of permittivity dispersion, viz: high frequency conductivity dispersion and Cole-Cole type relaxation of permittivity. The activation energy of the relaxation frequency of the permittivity dispersion is equal to that of the dc conductivity, which is consistent with cooperative motion of lithium ions. The results also suggest that the observed increase in conductivity with temperature appears to be mainly due to an increase in mobility rather than increase in carrier concentration.

  19. Nanostructure investigation of magnetic nanomaterial Ni{sub 0.5}Zn{sub 0.3}Cu{sub 0.2}Fe{sub 2}O{sub 4} synthesized by sol-gel method

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Pransisco, Prengki, E-mail: prengkipransisco@gmail.com; Badan Lingkungan Hidup Derah Kabupaten Empat Lawang South of Sumatera; Shafie, Afza, E-mail: afza@petronas.com.my

    2015-07-22

    Magnetic nanomaterial Ni{sub 0.5}Zn{sub 0.3}Cu{sub 0.2}Fe{sub 2}O{sub 4} was successfully prepared by using sol-gel method. Heat treatment on material is always giving defect on properties of material. This paper investigates the effect of heat treatment on nanostructure of magnetic nanomaterial Ni{sub 0.5}Zn{sub 0.3}Cu{sub 0.2}Fe{sub 2}O{sub 4}. According to thermo gravimetric analysis (TGA) that after 600°C there is no more weight loss detected and it was decided as minimum calcination temperature. Intensity, crystallite size, structure, lattice parameter and d-spacing of the material were investigated by using X-ray diffraction (XRD). High resolution transmission electron microscope (HRTEM) was used to examine nanostructure, nanosize,more » shape and distribution particle of magnetic material Ni{sub 0.5}Zn{sub 0.3}Cu{sub 0.2}Fe{sub 2}O{sub 4} and variable pressure field emission scanning electron microscope (VP-FESEM) was used to investigate the surface morphology and topography of the material. The XRD result shows single-phase cubic spinel structure with average crystallite size in the range of 25.6-95.9 nm, the value of the intensity of the material was increased with increasing temperature, and followed by lattice parameter was increased with increasing calcination temperature, value of d-spacing was relatively decreased with accompanied increasing temperature. From HRTEM result the distribution of particles was tend to be agglomerates with particle size of 7.8-17.68 nm. VP-FESEM result shows that grain size of the material increases with increasing calcination temperature and the surface morphology shows that the material is in hexagonal shape and it was also proved by mapping result which showing the presence each of constituents inside the compound.« less

  20. Comparison of the solar photocatalytic activity of ZnO-Fe2O3 and ZnO-Fe(0) on 2,4-D degradation in a CPC reactor.

    PubMed

    Maya-Treviño, M L; Villanueva-Rodríguez, M; Guzmán-Mar, J L; Hinojosa-Reyes, L; Hernández-Ramírez, A

    2015-03-01

    In this work a comparative study of the catalytic activity of ZnO-Fe2O3 and ZnO-Fe(0) 0.5 wt% materials was carried out in the degradation of 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) as a commercial formulation Hierbamina®, using a compound parabolic collector (CPC) reactor. The catalysts were synthesized by the sol-gel method and characterized by X-ray diffraction, UV-Vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and scanning electron microscopy. The textural properties of solids were determined from N2 adsorption isotherms using the Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) method. The incorporation of Fe(0) onto ZnO was demonstrated by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis. The photocatalytic tests were performed at pH 7, using 10 mg L(-1) of herbicide and 0.5 g L(-1) of catalyst loading. The decay in herbicide concentration was followed by reversed-phase chromatography. A complete degradation of 2,4-D was achieved using ZnO-Fe(0) while 47% of herbicide removal was attained with ZnO-Fe2O3 mixed oxide for an accumulated energy QUV ≈ 2 kJ L(-1). The removal percentage of total organic carbon (TOC) during the solar photocatalytic process was superior using ZnO-Fe(0), achieving 45% compared to the 15% obtained with the mixed oxide catalyst.

  1. Hierachical Ni@Fe2O3 superparticles through epitaxial growth of γ-Fe2O3 nanorods on in situ formed Ni nanoplates

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tahir, Muhammad Nawaz; Herzberger, Jana; Natalio, Filipe; Köhler, Oskar; Branscheid, Robert; Mugnaioli, Enrico; Ksenofontov, Vadim; Panthöfer, Martin; Kolb, Ute; Frey, Holger; Tremel, Wolfgang

    2016-05-01

    One endeavour of nanochemistry is the bottom-up synthesis of functional mesoscale structures from basic building blocks. We report a one-pot wet chemical synthesis of Ni@γ-Fe2O3 superparticles containing Ni cores densely covered with highly oriented γ-Fe2O3 (maghemite) nanorods (NRs) by controlled reduction/decomposition of nickel acetate (Ni(ac)2) and Fe(CO)5. Automated diffraction tomography (ADT) of the Ni-Fe2O3 interface in combination with Mössbauer spectroscopy showed that selective and oriented growth of the γ-Fe2O3 nanorods on the Ni core is facilitated through the formation of a Fe0.05Ni0.95 alloy and the appearance of superstructure features that may reduce strain at the Ni-Fe2O3 interface. The common orientation of the maghemite nanorods on the Ni core of the superparticles leads to a greatly enhanced magnetization. After functionalization with a catechol-functional polyethylene glycol (C-PEG) ligand the Ni@γ-Fe2O3 superparticles were dispersible in water.One endeavour of nanochemistry is the bottom-up synthesis of functional mesoscale structures from basic building blocks. We report a one-pot wet chemical synthesis of Ni@γ-Fe2O3 superparticles containing Ni cores densely covered with highly oriented γ-Fe2O3 (maghemite) nanorods (NRs) by controlled reduction/decomposition of nickel acetate (Ni(ac)2) and Fe(CO)5. Automated diffraction tomography (ADT) of the Ni-Fe2O3 interface in combination with Mössbauer spectroscopy showed that selective and oriented growth of the γ-Fe2O3 nanorods on the Ni core is facilitated through the formation of a Fe0.05Ni0.95 alloy and the appearance of superstructure features that may reduce strain at the Ni-Fe2O3 interface. The common orientation of the maghemite nanorods on the Ni core of the superparticles leads to a greatly enhanced magnetization. After functionalization with a catechol-functional polyethylene glycol (C-PEG) ligand the Ni@γ-Fe2O3 superparticles were dispersible in water. Electronic supplementary

  2. Exchange-coupled Fe3O4/CoFe2O4 nanoparticles for advanced magnetic hyperthermia

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Robles, J.; Das, R.; Glassell, M.; Phan, M. H.; Srikanth, H.

    2018-05-01

    We report a systematic study of the effects of core and shell size on the magnetic properties and heating efficiency of exchange-coupled Fe3O4/CoFe2O4 core/shell nanoparticles. The nanoparticles were synthesized using thermal decomposition of organometallic precursors. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) confirmed the formation of spherical Fe3O4 and Fe3O4/CoFe2O4 nanoparticles. Magnetic measurements showed high saturation magnetization for the nanoparticles at room temperature. Increasing core diameter (6.4±0.7, 7.8±0.1, 9.6±1.2 nm) and/or shell thickness (˜1, 2, 4 nm) increased the coercive field (HC), while an optimal value of saturation magnetization (MS) was achieved for the Fe3O4 (7.8±0.1nm)/CoFe2O4 (2.1±0.1nm) nanoparticles. Magnetic hyperthermia measurements indicated a large increase in specific absorption rate (SAR) for 8.2±1.1 nm Fe3O4/CoFe2O4 compared to Fe3O4 nanoparticles of same size. The SAR of the Fe3O4/CoFe2O4 nanoparticles increased from 199 to 461 W/g for 800 Oe as the thickness of the CoFe2O4 shell was increased from 0.9±0.5 to 2.1±0.1 nm. The SAR enhancement is attributed to a combination of the large MS and the large HC. Therefore, these Fe3O4/CoFe2O4 core/shell nanoparticles can be a good candidate for advanced hyperthermia application.

  3. Ac Conduction in Mixed Oxides Al-In2O3-SnO2-Al Structure Deposited by Co-Evaporation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Anwar, M.; Siddiqi, S. A.; Ghauri, I. M.

    Conductivity-frequency and capacitance-frequency characteristics of mixed oxides Al-In2O3-SnO2-Al structure are examined to elicit any correlation with the conduction mechanisms most often observed in thin film work. The existence of Schottky barriers is believed to be due to a strong donor band in the insulator established during the vacuum evaporation when a layer of mixed oxides In2O3-SnO2 system is sandwiched between two metal electrodes. Low values of activation energy at low temperatures indicate that the transport of the carriers between localized states is mainly due to electronic hopping over the barrier separating the two nearest neighbor sites. The increase in the formation of ionized donors with increase in temperature during electrical measurements indicates that electronic part of the conductivity is higher than the ionic part. The initial increase in conductivity with increase in Sn content in In2O3 lattice is caused by the Sn atom substitution of In atom, giving out one extra electron. The decrease in electrical conductivity above the critical Sn content (10 mol% SnO2) is caused by the defects formed by Sn atoms, which act as carrier traps rather than electron donors. The increase in electrical conductivity with film thickness is caused by the increase in free carriers density, which is generated by oxygen vacancy acting as two electron donor. The increase in conductivity with substrate and annealing temperatures is due to either the severe deficiency of oxygen, which deteriorates the film properties and reduces the mobility of the carriers or to the diffusion of Sn atoms from interstitial locations into the In cation sites and formation of indium species of lower oxidation state (In2+). Calculations of C and σac from tan δ measurements suggest that there is some kind of space-charge polarization in the material, caused by the storage of carriers at the electrodes. Capacitance decreases not only with the rise of frequency but also with the

  4. Design of WO3-SnO2 core-shell nanofibers and their enhanced gas sensing performance based on different work function

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Li, Feng; Gao, Xing; Wang, Rui; Zhang, Tong

    2018-06-01

    In this work, core-shell WO3-SnO2 (CS-WS) nanofibers (NFs) have been successfully synthesized via a coaxial electrospinning approach. The structure and morphology characteristics of the resultant products were investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and X-ray photoelectron spectra (XPS). To investigate the sensing mechanism of the CS-WS NFs, sensors based on SnO2 NFs, WO3 NFs, and SnO2-WO3 composite NFs were fabricated respectively, and their gas sensing properties were investigated by using CO, ethanol, toluene, acetone, and ammonia as the test gas. The results indicated that the CS-WS NFs exhibited a good response to ethanol (5.09 at 10 ppm) and short response/recovery time (18.5 s and 282 s) compared with the other test gases. The enhanced ethanol sensing properties of CS-WS NFs compared with those of SnO2 NFs were closely associated with the CS structure and its derivative effect due to the different work function of SnO2 and WO3. The approach proposed in this study may contribute to the realization of more sensitive metal oxide semiconductor (MOS) core-shell heterostructure sensors.

  5. Perovskites Bi0.8La0.2FeO3 and Bi0.8La0.2Fe0.95Cr0.05O3: Crystal structure and magnetic and charge states of iron ions

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sigov, A. S.; Pokatilov, V. S.; Makarova, A. O.; Pokatilov, V. V.

    2014-06-01

    Perovskites of the Bi0.8La0.2Fe1 - x Cr x O3 system ( x = 0, 0.05) were investigated by Mössbauer spectroscopy in the temperature range of 298-800 K. The samples were fabricated by solid-state synthesis and had a rhombic structure. Iron ions in Bi0.8La0.2FeO3 and Bi0.8La0.2Fe0.95Cr0.05O3 are situated in trivalent states. The magnetic transition temperatures (the Néel temperatures T N ) T N = 677.5 ± 2.5 K for Bi0.8La0.2FeO3 and T N = 647.6 ± 2.5 K for Bi0.8La0.2Fe0.95Cr0.05O3 are measured. The substitution of trivalent iron ions from trivalent chromium ions in the amount x = 0.05 in Bi0.8La0.2Fe0.95Cr0.05O3 perovskite decreases the hyperfine magnetic field at nuclei 57Fe in Fe+3-O-Cr+3 chains by 30 kOe.

  6. Self-cleaning antimicrobial surfaces by bio-enabled growth of SnO2 coatings on glass

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    André, Rute; Natalio, Filipe; Tahir, Muhammad Nawaz; Berger, Rüdiger; Tremel, Wolfgang

    2013-03-01

    photoactivity - creates a self-cleaning surface. The intrinsic self-cleaning properties could lead to the development of new protective, antifouling coatings on various substrates. Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available: (1) QCM measurement of SnO2 deposition on spermine functionalized silica-based sensors, (2) scheme of the surface functionalization procedure, (3) FTIR-ATR analysis of polyamine (spermine) functionalized glass surfaces, (4) FITC staining of amine groups on glass surfaces, (5) AFM height analysis of bare, spermine coated and SnO2 coated glass slides, (6) SEM micrograph of a spermine functionalized SnO2 coated glass slide, (7) XPS analysis of SnO2 coated surfaces, (8) kinetic profile of rhodamine B degradation with spermine/SnO2, (9) control experiments for the photodegradation of rhodamine B, (10) comparison with commercial SnO2 catalyst, (11) incubation of non-functionalized glass surfaces with E. coli, and (12) incubation of SnO2 coated glass surfaces with E. coli. See DOI: 10.1039/c3nr00007a

  7. Structural anisotropy in amorphous SnO2 film probed by X-ray absorption spectroscopy

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhu, Q.; Ma, Q.; Buchholz, D. B.; Chang, R. P. H.; Bedzyk, M. J.; Mason, T. O.

    2013-07-01

    Polarization-dependent X-ray absorption measurements reveal the existence of structural anisotropy in amorphous (a-) SnO2 film. The anisotropy is readily seen for the second neighbor interaction whose magnitude differs along three measured directions. The differences can be well accounted for by 10%-20% variation in the Debye-Waller factor. Instead of a single Gaussian distribution found in crystalline SnO2, the Sn-O bond distribution is bimodal in a-SnO2 whose separation shows a weak angular dependence. The oxygen vacancies, existing in the a-SnO2 film in the order of 1021 cm-3, distribute preferentially along the film surface direction.

  8. Mixed-valent [FeIV(mu-O)(mu-carboxylato)2FeIII]3+ core.

    PubMed

    Slep, Leonardo D; Mijovilovich, Ana; Meyer-Klaucke, Wolfram; Weyhermüller, Thomas; Bill, Eckhard; Bothe, Eberhard; Neese, Frank; Wieghardt, Karl

    2003-12-17

    The symmetrically ligated complexes 1, 2, and 3 with a (mu-oxo)bis(mu-acetato)diferric core can be one-electron oxidized electrochemically or chemically with aminyl radical cations [*NR3][SbCl6] in acetonitrile yielding complexes which contain the mixed-valent [(mu-oxo)bis(mu-acetato)iron(IV)iron(III)]3+ core: [([9]aneN3)(2FeIII2)(mu-O)(mu-CH3CO2)2](ClO4)2 (1(ClO4)2), [(Me3[9]aneN3)(2FeIII2)(mu-O)(mu-CH3CO2)2](PF6)2 (2(PF6)(2)), and [(tpb)(2FeIII2)(mu-O)(mu-CH3CO2)2] (3) where ([9]aneN3) is the neutral triamine 1,4,7-triazacyclononane and (Me3[9]aneN3) is its tris-N-methylated derivative, and (tpb)(-) is the monoanion trispyrazolylborate. The asymmetrically ligated complex [(Me3[9]aneN3)FeIII(mu-O)(mu-CH3CO2)2FeIII(tpb)](PF6) (4(PF6)) and its one-electron oxidized form [4ox]2+ have also been prepared. Finally, the known heterodinuclear species [(Me3[9]aneN3)CrIII(mu-O)(mu-CH3CO2)2Fe([9]aneN3)](PF6)2 (5(PF6)(2)) can also be one-electron oxidized yielding [5ox]3+ containing an iron(IV) ion. The structure of 4(PF6).0.5CH3CN.0.25(C2H5)2O has been determined by X-ray crystallography and that of [5ox]2+ by Fe K-edge EXAFS-spectroscopy (Fe(IV)-O(oxo): 1.69(1) A; Fe(IV)-O(carboxylato) 1.93(3) A, Fe(IV)-N 2.00(2) A) contrasting the data for 5 (Fe(III)-O(oxo) 1.80 A; Fe(III)-O(carboxylato) 2.05 A, Fe-N 2.20 A). [5ox]2+ has an St = 1/2 ground state whereas all complexes containing the mixed-valent [FeIV(mu-O)(mu-CH3CO2)2FeIII]3+ core have an St = 3/2 ground state. Mössbauer spectra of the oxidized forms of complexes clearly show the presence of low spin FeIV ions (isomer shift approximately 0.02 mm s(-1), quadrupole splitting approximately 1.4 mm s(-1) at 80 K), whereas the high spin FeIII ion exhibits delta approximately 0.46 mm s(-1) and DeltaE(Q) approximately 0.5 mm s(-1). Mössbauer, EPR spectral and structural parameters have been calculated by density functional theoretical methods at the BP86 and B3LYP levels. The exchange coupling constant, J, for diiron complexes

  9. SnO2 epitaxial films with varying thickness on c-sapphire: Structure evolution and optical band gap modulation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhang, Mi; Xu, Maji; Li, Mingkai; Zhang, Qingfeng; Lu, Yinmei; Chen, Jingwen; Li, Ming; Dai, Jiangnan; Chen, Changqing; He, Yunbin

    2017-11-01

    A series of a-plane SnO2 films with thickness between 2.5 nm and 1436 nm were grown epitaxially on c-sapphire by pulsed laser deposition (PLD), to allow a detailed probe into the structure evolution and optical band gap modulation of SnO2 with growing thickness. All films exhibit excellent out-of-plane ordering (lowest (200) rocking-curve half width ∼0.01°) with an orientation of SnO2(100) || Al2O3(0001), while three equivalent domains that are rotated by 120° with one another coexist in-plane with SnO2[010] || Al2O3 [11-20]. Initially the SnO2(100) film assumes a two-dimensional (2D) layer-by-layer growth mode with atomically smooth surface (minimum root-mean-square roughness of 0.183 nm), and endures compressive strain along both c and a axes as well as mild tensile strain along the b-axis. With increasing thickness, transition from the 2D to 3D island growth mode takes place, leading to formation of various defects to allow relief of the stress and thus relaxation of the film towards bulk SnO2. More interestingly, with increasing thickness from nm to μm, the SnO2 films present a non-monotonic V-shaped variation in the optical band gap energy. While the band gap of SnO2 films thinner than 6.1 nm increases rapidly with decreasing film thickness due to the quantum size effect, the band gap of thicker SnO2 films broadens almost linearly with increasing film thickness up to 374 nm, as a result of the strain effect. The present work sheds light on future design of SnO2 films with desired band gap for particular applications by thickness control and strain engineering.

  10. Profound Interfacial Effects in CoFe2O4/Fe3O4 and Fe3O4/CoFe2O4 Core/Shell Nanoparticles

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Polishchuk, Dmytro; Nedelko, Natalia; Solopan, Sergii; Ślawska-Waniewska, Anna; Zamorskyi, Vladyslav; Tovstolytkin, Alexandr; Belous, Anatolii

    2018-03-01

    Two sets of core/shell magnetic nanoparticles, CoFe2O4/Fe3O4 and Fe3O4/CoFe2O4, with a fixed diameter of the core ( 4.1 and 6.3 nm for the former and latter sets, respectively) and thickness of shells up to 2.5 nm were synthesized from metal chlorides in a diethylene glycol solution. The nanoparticles were characterized by X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, and magnetic measurements. The analysis of the results of magnetic measurements shows that coating of magnetic nanoparticles with the shells results in two simultaneous effects: first, it modifies the parameters of the core-shell interface, and second, it makes the particles acquire combined features of the core and the shell. The first effect becomes especially prominent when the parameters of core and shell strongly differ from each other. The results obtained are useful for optimizing and tailoring the parameters of core/shell spinel ferrite magnetic nanoparticles for their use in various technological and biomedical applications.

  11. Enhanced room temperature ferromagnetism in Ni doped SnO2 nanoparticles: A comprehensive study

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ahmed, Ateeq; Ali, T.; Naseem Siddique, M.; Ahmad, Abid; Tripathi, P.

    2017-08-01

    We emphasized on a detailed investigation of the structural, optical, and magnetic properties of pure and Ni-doped SnO2 nanoparticles (NPs) synthesized by a sol-gel process. An extensive structural study has been carried out using various characterization techniques. The X-ray Diffraction (XRD) spectra show the formation of the single phase tetragonal structure of pure and Ni-doped SnO2 NPs without any noticeable impurity phase such as NiO. XRD results indicate that the crystallite size of SnO2 is found to be decreased with Ni doping, which has also been confirmed by the Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy study. X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) measurements displayed a clear sign for Ni2+ ions occupying the lattice sites of Sn4+ in the SnO2 host which also gives clear evidence for the formation of single phase Sn1-xNixO2 NPs. The optical analysis shows a significant decrease in the energy gap of SnO2, i.e., (from 3.71 eV to 3.28 eV) as Ni concentration increases which may be correlated with the core level valence band XPS analysis. Photoluminescence studies show that Ni doping creates oxygen vacancies due to dissimilar ionic radii of Ni2+ and Sn4+. Superconducting quantum interference device measurements revealed that the Ni doped SnO2 NPs exhibit strong ferromagnetic behavior at room temperature and this analysis has been well fitted with a simple relationship to find out magnetic parameters proposed by Stearns and Cheng et al. Hence, our results demonstrate that Ni-doping has strong impact on the structural, optical, and magnetic properties.

  12. EPR spectroscopic investigations in 15BaO-25Li2O-(60-x) B2O3-xFe2O3 glass system

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bhogi, Ashok; Kumar, R. Vijaya; Kistaiah, P.

    2018-05-01

    Glasses with composition 15BaO-25Li2O-(60-x) B2O3 -xFe2O3 (x = 0, 0.2, 0.4, 0.6, 0.8 and 1 mol %) were prepared by the conventional melt quenching technique. These glasses were characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD). Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) investigations have been carried out as a function of iron ion concentration. The observed EPR spectra of Fe3+ ion exhibits resonance signals at g= 2.0, 4.3 and 8.0. The resonance signal at g= 4.3 is due to isolated Fe3+ ions in site with rhombic symmetry where as the g= 2.0 resonance signal is attributed to the Fe3+ ions coupled by exchange interaction in a distorted octahedral environment and the signal at g= 8.0 arises from axially distorted sites. The number of spins participating in resonance (N) and its paramagnetic susceptibilities (χ) have also been evaluated. The peak-to-peak line width ΔB for the resonance lines at g ≈ 4.3 and at g ≈ 2.0 is increasing as function of the iron ion content. The line intensity of the resonance centered at g ≈ 4.3 and at g ≈ 2.0 increases up to 0.8 mol% of Fe2O3 and for 1 mol% of Fe2O3 its value is found to decrease. The analysis of these results indicated that the conversion some of Fe3+ cations to Fe2+ ions beyond 0.8 mol%.

  13. Epitaxial Fe/Y2O3 interfaces as a model system for oxide-dispersion-strengthened ferritic alloys

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Kaspar, Tiffany C.; Bowden, Mark E.; Wang, Chong M.

    2015-02-01

    The fundamental mechanisms underlying the superior radiation tolerance properties of oxide-dispersion-strengthened ferritic steels and nanostructured ferritic alloys are poorly understood. Thin film heterostructures of Fe/Y2O3 can serve as a model system for fundamental studies of radiation damage. Epitaxial thin films of Y2O3 were deposited by pulsed laser deposition on 8% Y:ZrO2 (YSZ) substrates with (100), (110), and (111) orientation. Metallic Fe was subsequently deposited by molecular beam epitaxy. Characterization by x-ray diffraction and Rutherford backscattering spectrometry in the channeling geometry revealed a degree of epitaxial or axiotaxial ntation for Fe(211) deposited on Y2O3(110)/YSZ(110). In contrast, Fe on Y2O3(111)/YSZ(111) was fullymore » polycrystalline, and Fe on Y2O3(100)/YSZ(100) exhibited out-of-plane texture in the [110] direction with little or no preferential in-plane orientation. Scanning transmission electron microscopy imaging of Fe(211)/Y2O3(110)/YSZ(110) revealed a strongly islanded morphology for the Fe film, with no epitaxial grains visible in the cross-sectional sample. Well-ordered Fe grains with no orientation to the underlying Y2O3 were observed. Well-ordered crystallites of Fe with both epitaxial and non-epitaxial orientations on Y2O3 are a promising model system for fundamental studies of radiation damage phenomena. This is illustrated with preliminary results of He bubble formation following implantation with a helium ion microscope. He bubble formation is shown to preferentially occur at the Fe/Y2O3 interface.« less

  14. In situ synthesized SnO2 nanorod/reduced graphene oxide low-dimensional structure for enhanced lithium storage

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhang, Wei; Xiao, Xuezhang; Zhang, Yiwen; Li, Junpeng; Zhong, Jiayi; Li, Meng; Fan, Xiulin; Wang, Chuntao; Chen, Lixin

    2018-03-01

    A unique SnO2 nanorod (NR)/reduced graphene oxide (RGO) composite morphology has been synthesized using the in situ hydrothermal method, for use as an anode material in lithium-ion batteries. The SnO2 NR adhering to the RGO exhibits a length of 250-400 nm and a diameter of 60-80 nm without any obvious aggregation. The initial discharge/charge capacities of the SnO2 NR/RGO composite are 1761.3 mAh g-1 and 1233.1 mAh g-1, with a coulombic efficiency (CE) of 70% under a current density of 200 mA g-1, and a final capacity of 1101 mAh g-1 after 50 cycles. The rate capability of the SnO2 NR/RGO is also improved compared to that of bare SnO2 NR. The superior electrochemical performance is ascribed to the special morphology of the SnO2 NRs—which plays a role in shorting the transmission path—and the sheet-like 2D graphene, which prevents the agglomeration of SnO2 and enhances conductivity during the electrochemical reaction of SnO2 NR/RGO.

  15. Electric-field control of magnetic properties for α-Fe2O3/Al2O3 films

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cheng, Bin; Qin, Hongwei; Liu, Liang; Xie, Jihao; Zhou, Guangjun; Chen, Lubin; Hu, Jifan

    2018-06-01

    α-Fe2O3/Al2O3 films can exhibit weak ferromagnetism at room temperature. The saturation magnetization of the thinner film is larger than that of the thick one deposited at the same temperature of 500 °C, which implies that the weak ferromagnetism at room temperature comes not only from the intrinsic canted magnetic structure, but also from the effects of interface between α-Fe2O3/Al2O3, such as the effect of Al diffusion into α-Fe2O3 film. Perpendicular electric field upon α-Fe2O3/Al2O3 film at room temperature could adjust the magnetic properties (saturation magnetization, magnetic remanence, coercivity and saturation magnetizing field). The positive electric field can enhance the magnetism of α-Fe2O3/Al2O3 thin film, while negative electric field can reduce it. The change induced by electric field may be connected with the migration effects of Al3+ ions. The steps of curve for saturation magnetization versus the electric field may reflect these complicated processes. The magnetization of the film deposited at a higher temperature can be changed by electric field more easily. This study may inspire more in-depth research and lead to an alternative approach to future magneto-electronic devices.

  16. High-Potential Porphyrins Supported on SnO 2 and TiO 2 Surfaces for Photoelectrochemical Applications

    DOE PAGES

    Jiang, Jianbing; Swierk, John R.; Materna, Kelly L.; ...

    2016-12-03

    Here, we report CF 3-substituted porphyrins and evaluate their use as photosensitizers in water-splitting dye-sensitized photoelectrochemical cells (WS-DSPECs) by characterizing interfacial electron transfer on metal oxide surfaces. Furthermore, by using (CF 3) 2C 6H 3 instead of C 6F 5 substituents at the meso positions, we obtain the desired high potentials while avoiding the sensitivity of C 6F 5 substituents to nucleophilic substitution, a process that limits the types of synthetic reactions that can be used. Both the number of CF 3 groups and the central metal tune the ground and excited-state potentials. A pair of porphyrins bearing carboxylic acidsmore » as anchoring groups were deposited on SnO 2 and TiO 2 surfaces and the interfacial charge-injection and charge-recombination kinetics were characterized by using a combination of computational modeling, terahertz measurements, and transient absorption spectroscopy. We also found that both free-base and metallated porphyrins inject into SnO 2, and that recombination is slower for the latter case. Our findings demonstrate that (CF 3) 2C 6H 3-substituted porphyrins are promising photosensitizers for use in WS-DSPECs.« less

  17. Effect of annealing on morphology and photoluminescence of beta-Ga2O3 nanostructures.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Shiying; Zhuang, Huizhao; Xue, Chengshan; Li, Baoli

    2008-07-01

    A novel method was applied to prepare one-dimensional beta-Ga2O3 nanostructure films. In this method, beta-Ga2O3 nanostructures have been successfully synthesized on Si(111) substrates through annealing sputtered Ga22O3/Mo films for differernt time under flowing ammonia. The as-synthesized beta-Ga2O3 nanostructures were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and photoluminescence (PL) spectrum. The results show that the formed nanostructures are single-crystalline Ga2O3 with monoclinic structure. The annealing time of the samples has an evident influence on the morphology and optical property of the nanostructured beta-Ga2O3 synthesized. The representative photoluminescence spectrum at room temperature exhibits a strong and broad emission band centered at 411.5 nm and a relatively weak emission peak located at 437.6 nm. The growth mechanism of the beta-Ga2O3 nanostructured materials is also discussed briefly.

  18. Gas Sensors Based on One Dimensional Nanostructured Metal-Oxides: A Review

    PubMed Central

    Arafat, M. M.; Dinan, B.; Akbar, Sheikh A.; Haseeb, A. S. M. A.

    2012-01-01

    Recently one dimensional (1-D) nanostructured metal-oxides have attracted much attention because of their potential applications in gas sensors. 1-D nanostructured metal-oxides provide high surface to volume ratio, while maintaining good chemical and thermal stabilities with minimal power consumption and low weight. In recent years, various processing routes have been developed for the synthesis of 1-D nanostructured metal-oxides such as hydrothermal, ultrasonic irradiation, electrospinning, anodization, sol-gel, molten-salt, carbothermal reduction, solid-state chemical reaction, thermal evaporation, vapor-phase transport, aerosol, RF sputtering, molecular beam epitaxy, chemical vapor deposition, gas-phase assisted nanocarving, UV lithography and dry plasma etching. A variety of sensor fabrication processing routes have also been developed. Depending on the materials, morphology and fabrication process the performance of the sensor towards a specific gas shows a varying degree of success. This article reviews and evaluates the performance of 1-D nanostructured metal-oxide gas sensors based on ZnO, SnO2, TiO2, In2O3, WOx, AgVO3, CdO, MoO3, CuO, TeO2 and Fe2O3. Advantages and disadvantages of each sensor are summarized, along with the associated sensing mechanism. Finally, the article concludes with some future directions of research. PMID:22969344

  19. Microwave-Hydrothermal Synthesis of SnO2-CNTs Hybrid Nanocomposites with Visible Light Photocatalytic Activity.

    PubMed

    Wu, Shuisheng; Dai, Weili

    2017-03-03

    SnO2 nanoparticles coated on carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were prepared via a simple microwave-hydrothermal route. The as-obtained SnO2-CNTs composites were characterized using X-ray powder diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. The photocatalytic activity of as-prepared SnO2-CNTs for degradation of Rhodamine B under visible light irradiation was investigated. The results show that SnO2-CNTs nanocomposites have a higher photocatalytic activity than pure SnO2 due to the rapid transferring of electrons and the effective separation of holes and electrons on SnO2-CNTs.

  20. Microwave-Hydrothermal Synthesis of SnO2-CNTs Hybrid Nanocomposites with Visible Light Photocatalytic Activity

    PubMed Central

    Wu, Shuisheng; Dai, Weili

    2017-01-01

    SnO2 nanoparticles coated on carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were prepared via a simple microwave-hydrothermal route. The as-obtained SnO2-CNTs composites were characterized using X-ray powder diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. The photocatalytic activity of as-prepared SnO2-CNTs for degradation of Rhodamine B under visible light irradiation was investigated. The results show that SnO2-CNTs nanocomposites have a higher photocatalytic activity than pure SnO2 due to the rapid transferring of electrons and the effective separation of holes and electrons on SnO2-CNTs. PMID:28336888

  1. Synthesis and application of Fe3O4@SiO2@TiO2 for photocatalytic decomposition of organic matrix simultaneously with magnetic solid phase extraction of heavy metals prior to ICP-MS analysis.

    PubMed

    Habila, Mohamed A; ALOthman, Zeid A; El-Toni, Ahmed Mohamed; Labis, Joselito Puzon; Soylak, Mustafa

    2016-07-01

    Interference of organic compounds in the matrix of heavy metal solution could suppress their pre-concentration and detection processes. Therefore, this work aimed to develop simple and facile methods for separation of heavy metals before ICP-MS analysis. Fe3O4@SiO2@TiO2 core-double shell magnetic adsorbent was prepared and characterized by TEM, SEM, FTIR, XRD and surface area, and tested for Magnetic Solid Phase Extraction (MSPE) of Cu(II), Zn(II), Cd(II) and Pb(II). TEM micrograph of Fe3O4@SiO2@TiO2 reveals the uniform coating of TiO2 layer of about 20nm onto the Fe3O4@SiO2 nanoparticles and indicates that all nanoparticles are monodispersed and uniform. The saturation magnetization from the room-temperature hysteresis loops of Fe3O4 and Fe3O4@SiO2@TiO2 was found to be 72 and 40emug(-1), respectively, suggesting good separability of the nanoparticles. The Fe3O4@SiO2@TiO2 showed maximum adsorption capacity of 125, 137, 148 and 160mgg(-1) for Cu(II), Zn(II), Cd(II) and Pb(II) respectively, and the process was found to fit with the second order kinetic model and Langmuir isotherm. Fe3O4@SiO2@TiO2 showed efficient photocatalytic decomposition for tartrazine and sunset yellow (consider as Interfering organic compounds) in aqueous solution under the irradiation of UV light. The maximum recovery% was achieved at pH 5, by elution with 10mL of 2M nitric acid solution. The LODs were found to be 0.066, 0.049, 0.041 and 0.082µgL(-1) for Cu(II), Zn(II), Cd(II) and Pb(II), respectively while the LOQs were found to be 0.20, 0.15, 0.12 and 0.25µgL(-1) for Cu(II), Zn(II), Cd(II) and Pb(II), respectively. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  2. Double-shell Fe2O3 hollow box-like structure for enhanced photo-Fenton degradation of malachite green dye

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jiang, De Bin; Liu, Xiaoying; Xu, Xuan; Zhang, Yu Xin

    2018-01-01

    In this work we demonstrate the synthesis of novel Fe2O3 nanosheets with double-shell hollow morphology by replica molding from diatomite framework. The nanostructures of Fe2O3 nanosheets were examined by focused-ion-beam scanning electron microscopy (FIB/SEM), X-ray diffraction spectroscopy (XRD), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) specific surface area measurements and Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy. The results reveal that (1) Pure Fe2O3 nanosheets were successfully obtained; (2) The double-shell Fe2O3 hollow structure achieved via the NaOH etching silica method was observed; (3) Fe2O3 nanosheets possessed uniformly distributed porous nanosheets. Such structural features enlarged the specific surface area of Fe2O3 nanosheets and led to more catalytic active sites. In the heterogeneous photo-Fenton reaction, the double-shell Fe2O3 hollow morphology exhibited excellent catalytic capability for the degradation of malachite green (MG) at circumneutral pH condition. Under optimum condition, MG solution was almost completely decolorized in 60 min (99.9%). The Fe2O3 nanosheets also showed good stability and recyclability, demonstrating great potential as a promising photo-Fenton catalyst for the effective degradation of MG dye in wastewater.

  3. Interlinked multiphase Fe-doped MnO2 nanostructures: a novel design for enhanced pseudocapacitive performance

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wang, Ziya; Wang, Fengping; Li, Yan; Hu, Jianlin; Lu, Yanzhen; Xu, Mei

    2016-03-01

    Structure designing and morphology control can lead to high performance pseudocapacitive materials for supercapacitors. In this work, we have designed interlinked multiphase Fe-doped MnO2 nanostructures (α-MnO2/R-MnO2/ε-MnO2) to enhance the electrochemical properties by a facile method. These hierarchical hollow microspheres assembled by interconnected nanoflakes, and with plenty of porous nanorods radiating from the spherical shells were hydrothermally obtained. The supercapacitor electrode prepared from the unique construction exhibits outstanding specific capacitance of 267.0 F g-1 even under a high mass loading (~5 mg cm-2). Obviously improved performances compared to pure MnO2 are also demonstrated with a good rate capability, high energy density (1.30 mW h cm-3) and excellent cycling stability of 100% capacitance retention after 2000 cycles at 2 A g-1. The synergistic effects of alternative crystal structures, appropriate crystallinity and optimal morphology are identified to be responsible for the observations. This rational multiphase composite strategy provides a promising idea for materials scientists to design and prepare scalable electrode materials for energy storage devices.Structure designing and morphology control can lead to high performance pseudocapacitive materials for supercapacitors. In this work, we have designed interlinked multiphase Fe-doped MnO2 nanostructures (α-MnO2/R-MnO2/ε-MnO2) to enhance the electrochemical properties by a facile method. These hierarchical hollow microspheres assembled by interconnected nanoflakes, and with plenty of porous nanorods radiating from the spherical shells were hydrothermally obtained. The supercapacitor electrode prepared from the unique construction exhibits outstanding specific capacitance of 267.0 F g-1 even under a high mass loading (~5 mg cm-2). Obviously improved performances compared to pure MnO2 are also demonstrated with a good rate capability, high energy density (1.30 mW h cm-3) and

  4. Label-free SnO2 nanowire FET biosensor for protein detection

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jakob, Markus H.; Dong, Bo; Gutsch, Sebastian; Chatelle, Claire; Krishnaraja, Abinaya; Weber, Wilfried; Zacharias, Margit

    2017-06-01

    Novel tin oxide field-effect-transistors (SnO2 NW-FET) for pH and protein detection applicable in the healthcare sector are reported. With a SnO2 NW-FET the proof-of-concept of a bio-sensing device is demonstrated using the carrier transport control of the FET channel by a (bio-) liquid modulated gate. Ultra-thin Al2O3 fabricated by a low temperature atomic layer deposition (ALD) process represents a sensitive layer to H+ ions safeguarding the nanowire at the same time. Successful pH sensitivity is demonstrated for pH ranging from 3 to 10. For protein detection, the SnO2 NW-FET is functionalized with a receptor molecule which specifically interacts with the protein of interest to be detected. The feasibility of this approach is demonstrated via the detection of a biotinylated protein using a NW-FET functionalized with streptavidin. An immediate label-free electronic read-out of the signal is shown. The well-established Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) method is used to determine the optimal experimental procedure which would enable molecular binding events to occur while being compatible with a final label-free electronic read-out on a NW-FET. Integration of the bottom-up fabricated SnO2 NW-FET pH- and biosensor into a microfluidic system (lab-on-a-chip) allows the automated analysis of small volumes in the 400 μl range as would be desired in portable on-site point-of-care (POC) devices for medical diagnosis.

  5. Thermal stability enhancement of modified carboxymethyl cellulose films using SnO2 nanoparticles.

    PubMed

    Baniasad, Arezou; Ghorbani, Mohsen

    2016-05-01

    In this study, in-situ and ex-situ hydrothermal synthesis procedures were applied to synthesize novel CMC/porous SnO2 nanocomposites from rice husk extracted carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) biopolymer. In addition, the effects of SnO2 nanoparticles on thermal stability of the prepared nanocomposite were specifically studied. Products were investigated in terms of morphology, particle size, chemical structure, crystallinity and thermal stability by using field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), respectively. Presence of characteristic bands in the FTIR spectra of samples confirmed the successful formation of CMC and CMC/SnO2 nanocomposites. In addition, FESEM images revealed four different morphologies of porous SnO2 nanoparticles including nanospheres, microcubes, nanoflowers and olive-like nanoparticles with hollow cores which were formed on CMC. These nanoparticles possessed d-spacing values of 3.35Å. Thermal stability measurements revealed that introduction of SnO2 nanoparticles in the structure of CMC enhanced stability of CMC to 85%. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  6. Magnetic diatomite(Kieselguhr)/Fe2O3/TiO2 composite as an efficient photo-Fenton system for dye degradation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Barbosa, Isaltino A.; Zanatta, Lucas D.; Espimpolo, Daniela M.; da Silva, Douglas L.; Nascimento, Leandro F.; Zanardi, Fabrício B.; de Sousa Filho, Paulo C.; Serra, Osvaldo A.; Iamamoto, Yassuko

    2017-10-01

    We explored the potential use of diatomite/Fe2O3/TiO2 composites as catalysts for heterogeneous photo-Fenton degradation of methylene blue under neutral pH. Such system consists in magnetic solids synthesized by co-precipitation with Fe2+/Fe3+ in the presence of diatomite, followed by impregnation of TiO2. The results showed that the optimal amount of the catalyst was 2.0 g L-1, since aggregation phenomena become significant above this concentration, which decreases the photodegradation activity. The catalyst is highly efficient in the degradation of methylene blue and shows an easy recovery by an external magnetic field. This allows for an effective catalyst reuse without significant loss of activity in catalytic cycles, which is a highly interesting prospect for recyclable dye degradation systems.

  7. The solubility and site preference of Fe3+ in Li7−3xFexLa3Zr2O12 garnets

    PubMed Central

    Rettenwander, D.; Geiger, C.A.; Tribus, M.; Tropper, P.; Wagner, R.; Tippelt, G.; Lottermoser, W.; Amthauer, G.

    2015-01-01

    A series of Fe3+-bearing Li7La3Zr2O12 (LLZO) garnets was synthesized using solid-state synthesis methods. The synthetic products were characterized compositionally using electron microprobe analysis and inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES) and structurally using X-ray powder diffraction and 57Fe Mössbauer spectroscopy. A maximum of about 0.25 Fe3+ pfu could be incorporated in Li7−3xFexLa3Zr2O12 garnet solid solutions. At Fe3+ concentrations lower than about 0.16 pfu, both tetragonal and cubic garnets were obtained in the synthesis experiments. X-ray powder diffraction analysis showed only a garnet phase for syntheses with starting materials having intended Fe3+ contents lower than 0.52 Fe3+ pfu. Back-scattered electron images made with an electron microprobe also showed no phase other than garnet for these compositions. The lattice parameter, a0, for all solid-solution garnets is similar with a value of a0≈12.98 Å regardless of the amount of Fe3+. 57Fe Mössbauer spectroscopic measurements indicate the presence of poorly- or nano-crystalline FeLaO3 in syntheses with Fe3+ contents greater than 0.16 Fe3+ pfu. The composition of different phase pure Li7−3xFexLa3Zr2O12 garnets, as determined by electron microprobe (Fe, La, Zr) and ICP-OES (Li) measurements, give Li6.89Fe0.03La3.05Zr2.01O12, Li6.66Fe0.06La3.06Zr2.01O12, Li6.54Fe0.12La3.01Zr1.98O12, and Li6.19Fe0.19La3.02Zr2.04O12. The 57Fe Mössbauer spectrum of cubic Li6.54Fe0.12La3.01Zr1.98O12 garnet indicates that most Fe3+ occurs at the special crystallographic 24d position, which is the standard tetrahedrally coordinated site in garnet. Fe3+ in smaller amounts occurs at a general 96h site, which is only present for certain Li-oxide garnets, and in Li6.54Fe0.12La3.01Zr1.98O12 this Fe3+ has a distorted 4-fold coordination. PMID:26435549

  8. Strain effect in epitaxial VO2 thin films grown on sapphire substrates using SnO2 buffer layers

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kim, Heungsoo; Bingham, Nicholas S.; Charipar, Nicholas A.; Piqué, Alberto

    2017-10-01

    Epitaxial VO2/SnO2 thin film heterostructures were deposited on m-cut sapphire substrates via pulsed laser deposition. By adjusting SnO2 (150 nm) growth conditions, we are able to control the interfacial strain between the VO2 film and SnO2 buffer layer such that the semiconductor-to-metal transition temperature (TC) of VO2 films can be tuned without diminishing the magnitude of the transition. It is shown that in-plane tensile strain and out-of-plane compressive strain of the VO2 film leads to a decrease of Tc. Interestingly, VO2 films on SnO2 buffer layers exhibit a structural phase transition from tetragonal-like VO2 to tetragonal-VO2 during the semiconductor-to-metal transition. These results suggest that the strain generated by SnO2 buffer provides an effective way for tuning the TC of VO2 films.

  9. X-ray and optical crystallographic parameters investigations of high frequency induction melted Al-(alpha-Al(2)O(3)) alloys.

    PubMed

    Bourbia, A; Draissia, M; Bedboudi, H; Boulkhessaim, S; Debili, M Y

    2010-01-01

    This article deals with the microstructural strengthening mechanisms of aluminium by means of hard alpha-Al(2)O(3) alumina fine particles. A broad of understanding views covering materials preparations, elaboration process, characterization techniques and associated microstructural characteristic parameters measurements is given. In order to investigate the microstructural characteristic parameters and the mechanical strengthening mechanisms of pure aluminium by hard fine particles, a set of Al-(alpha-Al(2)O(3)) alloys samples were made under vacuum by high fusion temperature melting, the high frequency (HF) process, and rapidly solidified under ambient temperature from a mixture of cold-compacted high-pure fine Al and alpha-Al(2)O(3) powders. The as-solidified Al-(alpha-Al(2)O(3)) alloys were characterized by means of X-ray diffraction (XRD) analyses, optical microscopy observations and Vickers microhardness tests in both brut and heat-treated states. It was found that the as-solidified HF Al-(alpha-Al(2)O(3)) alloys with compositions below 4 wt.% (alpha-Al(2)O(3)) are single-phase microstructures of the solid solution FCC Al phase and over two-phase microstructures of the solid solution FCC Al and the Rhombohedral alpha-Al(2)O(3) phases. The optical micrographs reveal the presence of a grain size refinement in these alloys. Vickers microhardness of the as-solidified Al-(alpha-Al(2)O(3)) is increased by means of pure fine alpha-Al(2)O(3) alumina particles. These combined effects of strengthening and grain size refinement observed in the as-solidified Al-(alpha-Al(2)O(3)) alloys are essentially due to a strengthening of Al by the alpha-Al(2)O(3) alumina particles insertion in the (HF) melted and rapidly solidified alloys.

  10. Dependence of catalytic properties of Al/Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3} thermites on morphology of Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3} particles in combustion reactions

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Zhao, Ningning; He, Cuicui; Liu, Jianbing

    2014-11-15

    Three Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3} particle samples with the same crystal structure but different morphologies were prepared by the hydrothermal method and then combined with Al nanoparticles to produce Al/Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3} thermites using ultrasonic mixing. The properties of Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3} and Al/Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3} were studied using a combination of experimental techniques including scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The influences of the three Al/Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3} thermites on the combustion properties of the AP/HTPB (ammonium perchlorate/hydroxyl-terminated polybutadiene) composite propellant were investigated in comparisonmore » to those of Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3}. The results show that the Al/Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3} thermites are better than Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3} in enhancing the combustion performance of AP/HTPB. Furthermore, the surface area, which depends on size and mophology, of Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3} particles was found to play a vital role in improving the burning rate of the thermites-containing propellant formulation, with the smallest particles with the largest surface-to-volume (S/V) ratio performing the best. The enhanced catalytic property of the granular-shape Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3} and the corresponding thermite is attributed to the large specific surface area of Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3}. The different thermal behaviors of these three superthemites were supposed to be attributed to the surface site of Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3} particles. This work provides a better understanding on the catalytic properties of thermites that are important for combustion applications. - Graphical abstract: Effects of Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3} and Al/Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3} have been compared for the first time by analyzing combustion properties of formulations containing them, suggesting their potential application in AP/HTPB composite propellant systems. - Highlights

  11. LiFePO4 Nanostructures Fabricated from Iron(III) Phosphate (FePO4 x 2H2O) by Hydrothermal Method.

    PubMed

    Saji, Viswanathan S; Song, Hyun-Kon

    2015-01-01

    Electrode materials having nanometer scale dimensions are expected to have property enhancements due to enhanced surface area and mass/charge transport kinetics. This is particularly relevant to intrinsically low electronically conductive materials such as lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4), which is of recent research interest as a high performance intercalation electrode material for Li-ion batteries. Many of the reported works on LiFePO4 synthesis are unattractive either due to the high cost of raw materials or due to the complex synthesis technique. In this direction, synthesis of LiFePO4 directly from inexpensive FePO4 shows promise.The present study reports LiFePO4 nanostructures prepared from iron (III) phosphate (FePO4 x 2H2O) by precipitation-hydrothermal method. The sintered powder was characterized by X-ray diffractometry (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Inductive coupled plasma-optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES), and Electron microscopy (SEM and TEM). Two synthesis methods, viz. bulk synthesis and anodized aluminum oxide (AAO) template-assisted synthesis are reported. By bulk synthesis, micro-sized particles having peculiar surface nanostructuring were formed at precipitation pH of 6.0 to 7.5 whereas typical nanosized LiFePO4 resulted at pH ≥ 8.0. An in-situ precipitation strategy inside the pores of AAO utilizing the spin coating was utilized for the AAO-template-assisted synthesis. The template with pores filled with the precipitate was subsequently subjected to hydrothermal process and high temperature sintering to fabricate compact rod-like structures.

  12. Preparation and development of FeS2 Quantum Dots on SiO2 nanostructures immobilized in biopolymers and synthetic polymers as nanoparticles and nanofibers catalyst for antibiotic degradation.

    PubMed

    Gao, Wei; Razavi, Razieh; Fakhri, Ali

    2018-07-15

    The FeS 2 Quantum Dots (QDs) decorated SiO 2 nanostructure were prepared by hydrothermal synthesis method. Chitosan and polypyrrole as polymers were used for the immobilization process. The characteristic structure of prepared samples was analyzed using several techniques such as X-ray diffraction, scanning and transmittance electron microscopy, photoluminescence and UV-vis spectroscopy. The mean crystallite sizes of FeS 2 QDs/SiO 2 nanocomposites, FeS 2 QDs/SiO 2 -chitosan nanocomposites and FeS 2 QDs/SiO 2 -polypyrrole nanohybrids are 56.12, 76.38, and 83.24nm, respectively. The band gap energy of FeS 2 QDs/SiO 2 nanocomposites, FeS 2 QDs/SiO 2 -chitosan nanocomposites and FeS 2 QDs/SiO 2 -polypyrrole nanohybrids were found out to be 3.0, 2.8, and 2.7eV, respectively. The photocatalysis properties were investigated by degradation of ampicillin under UV light illumination. The effect of experimental variables, such as, pH and time, on photo-degradation efficiency was studied. The results show that the three prepared samples nanopowders under UV light was in pH3 at 60min. As it could be seen that the amount of ampicillin degradation was increased with the loading of FeS 2 QDs on SiO 2 and FeS 2 QDs/SiO 2 on chitosan nanoparticles and polypyrrole nanofiber. The antibacterial experiment was investigated under visible light illumination and the FeS 2 QDs/SiO 2 -chitosan nanocomposites and FeS 2 QDs/SiO 2 -polypyrrole nanohybrids demonstrate good antibacterial compared to FeS 2 QDs/SiO 2 nanocomposites. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  13. Crossed Ga2O3/SnO2 multiwire architecture: a local structure study with nanometer resolution.

    PubMed

    Martínez-Criado, Gema; Segura-Ruiz, Jaime; Chu, Manh-Hung; Tucoulou, Remi; López, Iñaki; Nogales, Emilio; Mendez, Bianchi; Piqueras, Javier

    2014-10-08

    Crossed nanowire structures are the basis for high-density integration of a variety of nanodevices. Owing to the critical role of nanowires intersections in creating hybrid architectures, it has become a challenge to investigate the local structure in crossing points in metal oxide nanowires. Thus, if intentionally grown crossed nanowires are well-patterned, an ideal model to study the junction is formed. By combining electron and synchrotron beam nanoprobes, we show here experimental evidence of the role of impurities in the coupling formation, structural modifications, and atomic site configuration based on crossed Ga2O3/SnO2 nanowires. Our experiment opens new avenues for further local structure studies with both nanometer resolution and elemental sensitivity.

  14. Nano-sized Fe2O3/Fe3O4 facilitate anaerobic transformation of hexavalent chromium in soil-water systems.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Yaxian; Li, Hua; Gong, Libo; Dong, Guowen; Shen, Liang; Wang, Yuanpeng; Li, Qingbiao

    2017-07-01

    The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of nano-sized or submicro Fe 2 O 3 /Fe 3 O 4 on the bioreduction of hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)) and to evaluate the effects of nano-sized Fe 2 O 3 /Fe 3 O 4 on the microbial communities from the anaerobic flooding soil. The results indicated that the net decreases upon Cr(VI) concentration from biotic soil samples amended with nano-sized Fe 2 O 3 (317.1±2.1mg/L) and Fe 3 O 4 (324.0±22.2mg/L) within 21days, which were approximately 2-fold of Cr(VI) concentration released from blank control assays (117.1±5.6mg/L). Furthermore, the results of denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) and high-throughput sequencing indicated a greater variety of microbes within the microbial community in amendments with nano-sized Fe 2 O 3 /Fe 3 O 4 than the control assays. Especially, Proteobacteria occupied a predominant status on the phylum level within the indigenous microbial communities from chromium-contaminated soils. Besides, some partial decrease of soluble Cr(VI) in abiotic nano-sized Fe 2 O 3 /Fe 3 O 4 amendments was responsible for the adsorption of nano-sized Fe 2 O 3 /Fe 3 O 4 to soluble Cr(VI). Hence, the presence of nano-sized Fe 2 O 3 /Fe 3 O 4 could largely facilitate the mobilization and biotransformation of Cr(VI) from flooding soils by adsorption and bio-mediated processes. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  15. Fabrication of nanostructured electrodes and interfaces using combustion CVD

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Liu, Ying

    Reducing fabrication and operation costs while maintaining high performance is a major consideration for the design of a new generation of solid-state ionic devices such as fuel cells, batteries, and sensors. The objective of this research is to fabricate nanostructured materials for energy storage and conversion, particularly porous electrodes with nanostructured features for solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) and high surface area films for gas sensing using a combustion CVD process. This research started with the evaluation of the most important deposition parameters: deposition temperature, deposition time, precursor concentration, and substrate. With the optimum deposition parameters, highly porous and nanostructured electrodes for low-temperature SOFCs have been then fabricated. Further, nanostructured and functionally graded La0.8Sr0.2MnO2-La 0.8SrCoO3-Gd0.1Ce0.9O2 composite cathodes were fabricated on YSZ electrolyte supports. Extremely low interfacial polarization resistances (i.e. 0.43 Ocm2 at 700°C) and high power densities (i.e. 481 mW/cm2 at 800°C) were generated at operating temperature range of 600°C--850°C. The original combustion CVD process is modified to directly employ solid ceramic powder instead of clear solution for fabrication of porous electrodes for solid oxide fuel cells. Solid particles of SOFC electrode materials suspended in an organic solvent were burned in a combustion flame, depositing a porous cathode on an anode supported electrolyte. Combustion CVD was also employed to fabricate highly porous and nanostructured SnO2 thin film gas sensors with Pt interdigitated electrodes. The as-prepared SnO2 gas sensors were tested for ethanol vapor sensing behavior in the temperature range of 200--500°C and showed excellent sensitivity, selectivity, and speed of response. Moreover, several novel nanostructures were synthesized using a combustion CVD process, including SnO2 nanotubes with square-shaped or rectangular cross sections, well

  16. Fe2O3/Reduced Graphene Oxide/Fe3O4 Composite in Situ Grown on Fe Foil for High-Performance Supercapacitors.

    PubMed

    Zhao, Chongjun; Shao, Xiaoxiao; Zhang, Yuxiao; Qian, Xiuzhen

    2016-11-09

    A Fe 2 O 3 /reduced graphene oxide (RGO)/Fe 3 O 4 nanocomposite in situ grown on Fe foil was synthesized via a simple one-step hydrothermal growth process, where the iron foil served as support, reductant of graphene oxide, Fe source of Fe 3 O 4 , and also the current collector of the electrode. When it directly acted as the electrode of a supercapacitor, as-synthesized Fe 2 O 3 /RGO/Fe 3 O 4 @Fe exhibited excellent electrochemical performance with a high capability of 337.5 mF/cm 2 at 20 mA/cm 2 and a superior cyclability with 2.3% capacity loss from the 600th to the 2000th cycle.

  17. Fully patterned p-channel SnO TFTs using transparent Al2O3 gate insulator and ITO as source and drain contacts

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Guzmán-Caballero, D. E.; Quevedo-López, M. A.; De la Cruz, W.; Ramírez-Bon, R.

    2018-03-01

    SnO p-type was used as active layer to fabricate thin film transistors (TFTs) through photolithography and dry etching processes. The SnO p-type thin films (25 nm) were deposited by DC reactive sputtering with variable oxygen (O2) flow rate to then be annealed in air at 250 ◦C. Al2O3 gate dielectric (15 nm) was deposited by atomic layer deposition. Hall measurements showed p-type carrier concentration (N h ) of around 1 × 1018 cm-3 and Hall mobilities (μ Hall) between 0.35 and 2.64 cm2 V-1 s-1, depending on the O2 flow rate during deposition. The hole transport was dominated by variable-range hopping conduction. A change in the preferred crystalline orientation in the SnO films from (101) to (110) was associated with the increase in μ Hall. In addition, Raman vibrational modes at 110 and 209 cm-1 of polycrystalline SnO films showed certain dependence with the grain orientation. The SnO-based TFTs showed p-type behavior with low threshold voltages (V T ) and low sub threshold swing (SS) in the range from 1.76 to 3.50 V and 1.63 to 3.24 V/dec., respectively. The TFTs mobilities in the saturation regime (μ sat) were in the range of 0.12 and 1.32 cm2 V-1 s-1. The current on/off ratio (I ON/I OFF) was in the order of 102, approximately. The large values of the interface trap density (D IT) contributed to the high I OFF and the low I ON/I OFF of the TFTs.

  18. Novel ZrO2 based ceramics stabilized by Fe2O3, SiO2 and Y2O3

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rada, S.; Culea, E.; Rada, M.

    2018-03-01

    Samples in the 5Fe2O3·10SiO2·xY2O3·(85-x)ZrO2 composition where x = 5, 10 and 15 mol% Y2O3 were synthesized and investigated by XRD, SEM, density measurements, FTIR, UV-Vis, EPR and PL spectroscopies. X-ray diffraction patterns confirm the presence of the tetragonal and cubic ZrO2 crystalline phases in all samples. The IR data show the overlaps of absorption bands assigned to Zrsbnd Osbnd Zr and Sisbnd Osbnd linkages in samples. UV-Vis and PL data indicate higher concentrations of intrinsic defects by doping with Y2O3 concentrations. The EPR spectra are characterized by two resonance lines situated at about g ∼ 4.3 and g ∼ 2 for lower Y2O3 contents.

  19. Ultrasonic-assisted pyrolyzation fabrication of reduced SnO2–x /g-C3N4 heterojunctions: Enhance photoelectrochemical and photocatalytic activity under visible LED light irradiation

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Li, Kai; Zeng, Xiaoqiao; Gao, Shanmin

    Novel SnO 2–x/g-C 3N 4 heterojunction nanocomposites composed of reduced SnO 2–x nanoparticles and exfoliated g-C 3N 4 nanosheets were prepared by a convenient one-step pyrolysis method. The structural, morphological, and optical properties of the as-prepared nanocomposites were characterized in detail, indicating that the aggregation of g-C 3N 4 nanosheets was prevented by small, well-dispersed SnO 2–x nanoparticles. The ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy absorption bands of the nanocomposites were shifted to a longer wavelength region than those exhibited by pure SnO 2 or g-C 3N 4. The charge transfer and recombination processes occurring in the nanocomposites were investigated using linear scan voltammetrymore » and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. Under 30-W visible-light-emitting diode irradiation, the heterojunction containing 27.4 wt.% SnO 2–x exhibited the highest photocurrent density of 0.0468 mA·cm–2, which is 33.43 and 5.64 times larger than that of pure SnO 2 and g-C 3N 4, respectively. The photocatalytic activity of the heterojunction material was investigated by degrading rhodamine B under irradiation from the same light source. Kinetic study revealed a promising degradation rate constant of 0.0226 min-1 for the heterojunction containing 27.4 wt.% SnO 2–x, which is 32.28 and 5.79 times higher than that of pure SnO 2 and g-C 3N 4, respectively. The enhanced photoelectrochemical and photocatalytic performances of the nanocomposite may be due to its appropriate SnO 2–x content and the compact structure of the junction between the SnO 2–x nanoparticles and the g-C 3N 4 nanosheets, which inhibits the recombination of photogenerated electrons and holes.« less

  20. Ti/IrO2/SnO2 anode for electrochemical degradation of chlorpyrifos in water: optimization and degradation performances

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pathiraja, G. C.; Wijesingha, M. S.; Nanayakkara, N.

    2017-05-01

    Chlorpyrifos, a widely used organophosphate pesticide which can be found in surface water bodies, is harmful for human body. Thus, treating water contaminated with chlorpyrifos is important. In our previous studies, novel Ti/IrO2-SnO2 anode was successfully developed for electrochemical degradation of chlorpyrifos in chloride free water. In this study, optimization of previously developed Ti/IrO2-SnO2 anode for mineralization of chlorpyrifos was successfully performed through response surface methodology. During the optimization study, two-level factorial design was used to determine the optimal coating solutions concentration for developing the Ti/IrO2-SnO2 anode. Cyclic voltammetry and open circuit potential were performed to investigate the electrochemically active surface area and stability of these anodes. The response surface and contour plots show that 0.3 M of [Ir] and 7.5 mM of [Sn] coated electrode has both highest anodic charge and stability. Scanning Electron Microscopic (SEM) images show the evidence of having both compact and porous regions in the surface of the thin film, resulting larger surface area. Within 6 h, the best result for mineralization (55.56%) of chlorpyrifos was obtained with 0.3 M of [Ir] and 7.5 mM of [Sn] coated anode using Total organic Carbon (TOC) analyzer. Therefore, the optimum coating concentration was found as 0.3 M of [Ir] and 7.5 mM of [Sn]. It would require an energy consumption of 6 kWhm-3.

  1. A comparative study of the magnetization in transition metal ion doped CeO2, TiO2 and SnO2 nanoparticles

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Apostolov, A. T.; Apostolova, I. N.; Wesselinowa, J. M.

    2018-05-01

    Using the microscopic s-d model taking into account anharmonic spin-phonon interactions we have studied the magnetic properties of Co and Cu ion doped CeO2 and TiO2 nanoparticles and compared them with those of SnO2. By Co-doping there is a maximum in the magnetization M(x) curve for all nanoparticles observed in the most transition metal doped ones. The s-d interaction plays an important role by the decrease of M at higher dopant concentration. We have discussed the magnetization in dependence of different model parameters. By small Cu-ion doping there are some differences. In CeO2M decreases with the Cu-concentration, whereas in TiO2 and SnO2M increases. For higher Cu dopant concentrations M(X) decreases in TiO2 nanoparticles. We obtain room temperature ferromagnetism also in Zn doped CeO2, TiO2 and SnO2 nanoparticles, i.e. in non-transition metal ion doped ones. The different behavior of M in Co and Cu doped nanoparticles is due to a combination effect of multivalent metal ions, oxygen vacancies, different radius of cation dopants, connection between lattice and magnetism, as well as competition between the s-d and d-d ferromagnetic or antiferromagnetic interactions.

  2. Controlled Growth of Parallel Oriented ZnO Nanostructural Arrays on Ga2O3 Nanowires

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2008-11-01

    Controlled Growth of Parallel Oriented ZnO Nanostructural Arrays on Ga2O3 Nanowires Lena Mazeina,* Yoosuf N. Picard, and Sharka M. Prokes Electronics...Manuscript ReceiVed NoVember 6, 2008 ABSTRACT: Novel hierarchical ZnO- Ga2O3 nanostructures were fabricated via a two stage growth process. Nanowires of Ga2O3 ...nanobrushes (NBs) with Ga2O3 as the core and ZnO as the branches self-assembling symmetrically in six equiangular directions around the core

  3. Built-In Potential in Fe 2 O 3 -Cr 2 O 3 Superlattices for Improved Photoexcited Carrier Separation

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Kaspar, Tiffany C.; Schreiber, Daniel K.; Spurgeon, Steven R.

    2015-12-17

    We demonstrate that the different surface terminations exhibited by α-Fe2O3 (hematite) and α-Cr2O3 (eskolaite) in superlattices (SL) of these materials, synthesized with exquisite control by molecular beam epitaxy, determine the heterojunction interface structure and result in controllable, non-commutative band offset values. Precise atomic control of the interface structure allowed us to vary the valence band offset from 0.35 eV to 0.79 eV. This controllable band alignment can be harnessed to generate a built-in potential in Fe2O3-Cr2O3 SLs. For instance, in a 2.5-period SL, a built-in potential of 0.8 eV was realized as measured by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy of Ti dopantsmore » as probe species. The high quality of the SL structure was confirmed by atom probe tomography and scanning transmission electron microscopy. Enhanced photocurrents were measured for a thick Fe2O3 epitaxial film capped with an (Fe2O3)3-(Cr2O3)3 SL; this enhancement was attributed to efficient electron-hole separation in the SL as a result of the band alignment. The Fe-O-Cr bonds at the SL interfaces also red-shifted the onset of photoconductivity to ~1.6 eV. Exploiting the band alignment and photoabsorption properties of Fe2O3-Cr2O3 SLs has the potential to increase the efficiency of hematite-based photoelectrochemical water splitting.« less

  4. The rational designed graphene oxide-Fe2O3 composites with low cytotoxicity.

    PubMed

    Yan, Dong; Zhao, Haiyan; Pei, Jiayun; Wu, Xin; Liu, Yue

    2017-03-01

    Novel two-dimensional materials with a layered structure are of special interest for a variety of promising applications. In current research, the nanostructured graphene oxide-Fe 2 O 3 composite (GO-Fe 2 O 3 ) was firstly obtained via a carefully elaborated approach of vacuum freeze-drying. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscope (TEM) images revealed that α-Fe 2 O 3 nanoparticles loaded well on the surfaces of graphene. A series of characterization were performed to further elucidate the as-obtained nanomaterial's physicochemical properties. These results suggested the current route could be further extended to obtain the other kinds of two-dimensional materials based composites. For the sake of extending the potential application of herein achieved graphene composites, its cytotoxicity assessment on HeLa cells was systematically investigated. CCK-8 assay in HeLa cells treated by GO-Fe 2 O 3 showed dose- (1-100μg/ml) and time- (24-48h) dependent cytotoxicity, which was comparable to that of GO. The excess generation of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) induced by these nanomaterials was responsible for the cytotoxicity. TEM analysis vividly illustrated GO-Fe 2 O 3 internalized by HeLa cells in endomembrane compartments such as lysosomes, and degraded through autophagic pathway. The detrimental biological consequence accompanied by cell internalization was limited. Based on the above results, it expected to render useful information for the development of new and popular strategies to design graphene-based composites, as well as deep insights into the mechanism of graphene-based composites cytotoxicity for further potential application. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  5. Multiferroic properties in NdFeO3-PbTiO3 solid solutions

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kumar, Sunil; Pal, Jaswinder; Kaur, Shubhpreet; Agrawal, P.; Singh, Mandeep; Singh, Anupinder

    2018-05-01

    The x(NdFeO3) - 1-x(PbTiO3) where x = 0.2 solid solution was prepared using solid state reaction route. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) data reveals the single phase formation. The microstructure shows grain growth with lesser porosity. The energy dispersive analysis confirms the presence of elements in stochiometric proportion. The polarization vs. Electric field loop estabilished a ferroelectric type behavior but lossy in nature. This lossy nature may be due to the presence of large leakage current in solid solution. The Magnetization vs. Magnetic field plot exhibits a unsaturated hysteriss loop indicates that the sample is not purely ferromagnetic.

  6. SERS active Ag encapsulated Fe@SiO2 nanorods in electromagnetic wave absorption and crystal violet detection.

    PubMed

    Senapati, Samarpita; Srivastava, Suneel Kumar; Singh, Shiv Brat; Kulkarni, Ajit R

    2014-11-01

    The present work is focused on the preparation of Fe nanorods by the chemical reduction of FeCl3 (aq) using NaBH4 in the presence of glycerol as template followed by annealing of the product at 500°C in the presence of H2 gas flow. Subsequently, its surface has been modified by silica followed by silver nanoparticles to form silica coated Fe (Fe@SiO2) and Ag encapsulated Fe@SiO2 nanostructure employing the Stöber method and silver mirror reaction respectively. XRD pattern of the products confirmed the formation of bcc phase of iron and fcc phase of silver, though silica remained amorphous. FESEM images established the growth of iron nanorods from the annealed product and also formation of silica and silver coating on its surface. The appearance of the characteristics bands in FTIR confirmed the presence of SiO2 on the Fe surface. Magnetic measurements at room temperature indicated the ferromagnetic behavior of as prepared iron nanorods, Fe@SiO2 and silver encapsulated Fe@SiO2 nanostructures. All the samples exhibited strong microwave absorption property in the high frequency range (10GHz), though it is superior for Ag encapsulated Fe@SiO2 (-14.7dB) compared with Fe@SiO2 (-9.7dB) nanostructures of the same thickness. The synthesized Ag encapsulated Fe@SiO2 nanostructure also exhibited the SERS phenomena, which is useful in the detection of the carcinogenic dye crystal violet (CV) upto the concentration of 10(-10)M. All these findings clearly demonstrate that the Ag encapsulated Fe@SiO2 nanostructure could efficiently be used in the environmental remediation. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  7. Selective Metal Exsolution in BaFe 2-yMy(PO 4) 2 (M = Co 2+, Ni 2+) Solid Solutions

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Alcover, Ignacio Blazquez; Daviero-Minaud, Sylvie; David, Rénald

    2015-08-19

    The 2D-Ising ferromagnetic phase BaFe 2+ 2(PO 4) 2 shows exsolution of up to one-third of its iron content (giving BaFe 3+ 1.33(PO 4) 2) under mild oxidation conditions, leading to nanosized Fe 2O 3 exsolved clusters. Here we have prepared BaFe 2–yMy(PO 4) 2 (M = Co 2+, Ni 2+; y = 0, 0.5, 1, 1.5) solid solutions to investigate the feasibility and selectivity of metal exsolution in these mixed metallic systems. For all the compounds, after 600 °C thermal treatment in air, a complete oxidation of Fe 2+ to Fe 3+ leaves stable M 2+ ions, as verifiedmore » by 57Fe Mössbauer spectroscopy, TGA, TEM, microprobe, and XANES. Furthermore, the size of the nanometric α-Fe 2O 3clusters coating the main phase strongly depends on the y M metal concentration. For M-rich phases the iron diffusion is hampered so that a significant fraction of superparamagnetic α-Fe2O3 particles (100% for BaFe 0.5–xCo 1.5(PO 4) 2) was detected even at 78 K. Although Ni 2+and Co 2+ ions tend to block Fe diffusion, the crystal structure of BaFe 0.67Co 1(PO 4) 2demonstrates a fully ordered rearrangement of Fe 3+ and Co 2+ ions after Fe exsolution. We found that the magnetic behaviors of the Fe-depleted materials are mostly dominated by antiferromagnetic exchange, while Co 2+-rich compounds show metamagnetic transitions reminiscent of the BaCo 2(PO 4) 2 soft helicoidal magnet.« less

  8. Experimental Study of Acid Treatment Toward Characterization of Structural, Optical, and Morphological Properties of TiO2-SnO2 Composite Thin Film

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Fajar, M. N.; Hidayat, R.; Triwikantoro; Endarko

    2018-04-01

    The TiO2-SnO2 thin film with single and double-layer structure has successfully synthesized on FTO (Fluorine-doped Tin Oxide) substrate using the screen printing technique. The structural, optical, and morphological properties of the film were investigated by XRD, UV-Vis, and SEM, respectively. The results showed that the single and double-layer structure of TiO2-SnO2 thin film has mixed phase with a strong formation of casseritte phase. The acid treatment effect on TiO2-SnO2 thin film decreases the peak intensity of anatase phase formation and thin film’s absorbance values. The morphological study is also revealed that the single layer TiO2-SnO2 thin film had a more porous nature and decreased particle size distribution after acid treatment, while the double-layer TiO2-SnO2 thin film Eroded due to acid treatment.

  9. Characterization of Fe3O4/SiO2/Gd2O(CO3)2 core/shell/shell nanoparticles as T1 and T2 dual mode MRI contrast agent.

    PubMed

    Yang, Meicheng; Gao, Lipeng; Liu, Kai; Luo, Chunhua; Wang, Yiting; Yu, Lei; Peng, Hui; Zhang, Wen

    2015-01-01

    Core/shell/shell structured Fe3O4/SiO2/Gd2O(CO3)2 nanoparticles were successfully synthesized. Their properties as a new type of T1-T2 dual model contrast agent for magnetic resonance imaging were investigated. Due to the introduce of a separating SiO2 layer, the magnetic coupling between Gd2O(CO3)2 and Fe3O4 could be modulated by the thickness of SiO2 layer and produce appropriate T1 and T2 signal. Additionally, the existence of Gd(3+) enhances the transverse relaxivity of Fe3O4 possibly because of the magnetic coupling between Gd(3+) and Fe3O4. The Fe3O4/SiO2/Gd2O(CO3)2 nanoparticles exhibit good biocompatibility, showing great potential for biomedical applications. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  10. Hierarchically porous MnO2 microspheres doped with homogeneously distributed Fe3O4 nanoparticles for supercapacitors.

    PubMed

    Zhu, Jian; Tang, Shaochun; Xie, Hao; Dai, Yuming; Meng, Xiangkang

    2014-10-22

    Hierarchically porous yet densely packed MnO2 microspheres doped with Fe3O4 nanoparticles are synthesized via a one-step and low-cost ultrasound assisted method. The scalable synthesis is based on Fe(2+) and ultrasound assisted nucleation and growth at a constant temperature in a range of 25-70 °C. Single-crystalline Fe3O4 particles of 3-5 nm in diameter are homogeneously distributed throughout the spheres and none are on the surface. A systematic optimization of reaction parameters results in isolated, porous, and uniform Fe3O4-MnO2 composite spheres. The spheres' average diameter is dependent on the temperature, and thus is controllable in a range of 0.7-1.28 μm. The involved growth mechanism is discussed. The specific capacitance is optimized at an Fe/Mn atomic ratio of r = 0.075 to be 448 F/g at a scan rate of 5 mV/s, which is nearly 1.5 times that of the extremely high reported value for MnO2 nanostructures (309 F/g). Especially, such a structure allows significantly improved stability at high charging rates. The composite has a capacitance of 367.4 F/g at a high scan rate of 100 mV/s, which is 82% of that at 5 mV/s. Also, it has an excellent cycling performance with a capacitance retention of 76% after 5000 charge/discharge cycles at 5 A/g.

  11. Effects of Fe2O3 on the properties of ceramics from steel slag

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Li, Yu; Zhao, Li-hua; Wang, Ya-kun; Cang, Da-qiang

    2018-04-01

    Ferric oxide is one of the key factors affecting both the microstructure and the properties of CaO-MgO-SiO2-based ceramics. Research on this effect is significant in the utilization of iron-rich solid wastes in ceramics. Ceramic samples with various Fe2O3 contents (0wt%, 5wt%, and 10wt%) were prepared and the corresponding physical properties and microstructure were studied. The results indicated that Fe2O3 not only played a fluxing role, but also promoted the formation of crystals. Ceramics with 5wt% of Fe2O3 addition attained the best mechanical properties with a flexural strength of 132.9 MPa. Iron ions were dissolved into diopside, consequently causing phase transformation from diopside and protoenstatite to augite, thereby contributing to the enhancement of its properties. An excess amount of Fe2O3 addition (10wt% or more) resulted in deteriorated properties due to the generation of an excess volume of liquid and the formation of high-porosity structures within ceramics.

  12. Synthesis of magnetic Bi2O2CO3/ZnFe2O4 composite with improved photocatalytic activity and easy recyclability

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Liu, Yumin; Ren, Hao; Lv, Hua; Guang, Jing; Cao, Yafei

    2018-03-01

    Magnetic Bi2O2CO3/ZnFe2O4 heterojunction photocatalysts with varying content of ZnFe2O4 were constructed by modifying Bi2O2CO3 nanosheets with mesoporous ZnFe2O4 nanoparticles. The photoactivity of the products was investigated by decomposing RhodamineB (RhB) and it was found that the photoactivity of Bi2O2CO3/ZnFe2O4 composite was closely related to the loading amount of ZnFe2O4. Under simulant sunlight irradiation, the optimum photoactivity of Bi2O2CO3/ZnFe2O4 composite was almost 2.3 and 2.1 times higher than that by bare ZnFe2O4 and Bi2O2CO3, respectively. The improved photoactivity resulted from the synergistic effect of Bi2O2CO3 and ZnFe2O4, which not only extended the photoabsorption region but also significantly facilitated the interfacial charge transfer. Besides the high photocatalytic performance, Bi2O2CO3/ZnFe2O4 composite also exhibited excellent stable and recycling properties, which enabled it have great potential in a long-term practical use.

  13. Selectivity shifting behavior of Pd nanoparticles loaded zinc stannate/zinc oxide (Zn2SnO4/ZnO) nanowires sensors

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Arafat, M. M.; Ong, J. Y.; Haseeb, A. S. M. A.

    2018-03-01

    In this research, the gas sensing behavior of Pd nanoparticles loaded zinc stannate/zinc oxide (Zn2SnO4/ZnO) nanowires were investigated. The Zn2SnO4/ZnO nanowires were grown on Au interdigitated alumina substrate by carbon assisted thermal evaporation process. Pd nanoparticles were loaded on the Zn2SnO4/ZnO nanowires by wet reduction process. The nanowires were characterized by X-ray diffractometer, field emission scanning electron microscope and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscope. The Zn2SnO4/ZnO and Pd nanoparticles loaded Zn2SnO4/ZnO nanowires were investigated for detecting H2, H2S and C2H5OH gases in N2 background. Results revealed that the average diameter and length of as-grown Zn2SnO4/ZnO nanowires were 74 nm and 30 μm, respectively. During wet reduction process,Pd particles having size of 20-60 nm were evenly distributed on the Zn2SnO4/ZnO nanowires. The Zn2SnO4/ZnO nanowires based sensors showed selective response towards C2H5OH whereas Pd nanoparticles loaded Zn2SnO4/ZnO nanowires showed selective response towards H2. The recovery time of the sensors reduced with Pd loading on Zn2SnO4/ZnO nanowires. A mechanism is proposed to elucidate the gas sensing mechanism of Pd nanoparticles loaded Zn2SnO4/ZnO nanowires.

  14. High photocatalytic activity of Fe2O3/TiO2 nanocomposites prepared by photodeposition for degradation of 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid.

    PubMed

    Lee, Shu Chin; Lintang, Hendrik O; Yuliati, Leny

    2017-01-01

    Two series of Fe 2 O 3 /TiO 2 samples were prepared via impregnation and photodeposition methods. The effect of preparation method on the properties and performance of Fe 2 O 3 /TiO 2 for photocatalytic degradation of 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) under UV light irradiation was examined. The Fe 2 O 3 /TiO 2 nanocomposites prepared by impregnation showed lower activity than the unmodified TiO 2 , mainly due to lower specific surface area caused by heat treatment. On the other hand, the Fe 2 O 3 /TiO 2 nanocomposites prepared by photodeposition showed higher photocatalytic activity than the unmodified TiO 2 . Three times higher photocatalytic activity was obtained on the best photocatalyst, Fe 2 O 3 (0.5)/TiO 2 . The improved activity of TiO 2 after photodeposition of Fe 2 O 3 was contributed to the formation of a heterojunction between the Fe 2 O 3 and TiO 2 nanoparticles that improved charge transfer and suppressed electron-hole recombination. A further investigation on the role of the active species on Fe 2 O 3 /TiO 2 confirmed that the crucial active species were both holes and superoxide radicals. The Fe 2 O 3 (0.5)/TiO 2 sample also showed good stability and reusability, suggesting its potential for water purification applications.

  15. Investigations on the Synthesis and Properties of Fe2O3/Bi2O2CO3 in the Photocatalytic and Fenton-like Process

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sun, Dongxue; Shen, Tingting; Sun, Jing; Wang, Chen; Wang, Xikui

    2018-01-01

    Catalyst of Bi2O2CO3 and Fe2O3 modified Bi2O2CO3 (Fe2O3/Bi2O2CO3) were prepared by hydrothermal method and characterized by X-ray diffractions (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscope (TEM) and UV-vis DRS. The catalytic activity of Bi2O2CO3 and Fe2O3/Bi2O2CO3 were comparatively investigated in the photodegradation and Fento-like process. Rhodamine B(RhB) was selected as the target pollutant under the irradiation of 300 W xenon lamp. The results indicated that Fe2O3 plays a great role in the enhancing the treatment efficiency and the and the maximum reaction rate was achieved at the Fe2O3 loading of 1.5%. The Fenton-like degradation rate constant of RhB with bare Bi2O2CO3 in dark is 0.4 min-1, while that with 1.5 Fe2O3/Bi2O2CO3 increases to 28.4 min-1 under visible light irradiation, a 71-fold improvement. It is expected to shed a new light for the constructing novel composite photocatalyst and also provide a potential method for the removal of dyes in the aqueous system.

  16. Nanostructure ZnFe2O4 with Bacillus subtilis for Detection of LPG at Low Temperature

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Goutham, Solleti; Kumar, Devarai Santhosh; Sadasivuni, Kishor Kumar; Cabibihan, John-John; Rao, Kalagadda Venkateswara

    2017-04-01

    The present study deals with the development of a chemical sensor for the detection of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) at a low operating temperature using Zinc ferrite (ZnFe2O4)/ Bacillus subtilis ( B. subtilis) hybrid nanostructures. The nanostructure ZnFe2O4 and B. subtilis powder, taken in equal proportion was made into films using the spin coating technique. X-ray diffraction, thermal analysis, scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy were used to study morphology, structure and crystallite size. The sensing properties of the hybrid structure were studied and excellent response was observed in the temperature range of 50-55°C for 400 ppm LPG, when compared to the individual components of the hybrid. The signal output of the proposed sensor were extremely stable for more than 30 days. This method proposes the usage of the biomolecule/metal oxide composites in electronics and helps to reduce the metal oxide usage.

  17. Nitrogen-Doped Carbon-Encapsulated SnO2@Sn Nanoparticles Uniformly Grafted on Three-Dimensional Graphene-like Networks as Anode for High-Performance Lithium-Ion Batteries.

    PubMed

    Li, Yunyong; Zhang, Haiyan; Chen, Yiming; Shi, Zhicong; Cao, Xiaoguo; Guo, Zaiping; Shen, Pei Kang

    2016-01-13

    A peculiar nanostructure consisting of nitrogen-doped, carbon-encapsulated (N-C) SnO2@Sn nanoparticles grafted on three-dimensional (3D) graphene-like networks (designated as N-C@SnO2@Sn/3D-GNs) has been fabricated via a low-cost and scalable method, namely an in situ hydrolysis of Sn salts and immobilization of SnO2 nanoparticles on the surface of 3D-GNs, followed by an in situ polymerization of dopamine on the surface of the SnO2/3D-GNs, and finally a carbonization. In the composites, three-layer core-shell N-C@SnO2@Sn nanoparticles were uniformly grafted onto the surfaces of 3D-GNs, which promotes highly efficient insertion/extraction of Li(+). In addition, the outermost N-C layer with graphene-like structure of the N-C@SnO2@Sn nanoparticles can effectively buffer the large volume changes, enhance electronic conductivity, and prevent SnO2/Sn aggregation and pulverization during discharge/charge. The middle SnO2 layer can be changed into active Sn and nano-Li2O during discharge, as described by SnO2 + Li(+) → Sn + Li2O, whereas the thus-formed nano-Li2O can provide a facile environment for the alloying process and facilitate good cycling behavior, so as to further improve the cycling performance of the composite. The inner Sn layer with large theoretical capacity can guarantee high lithium storage in the composite. The 3D-GNs, with high electrical conductivity (1.50 × 10(3) S m(-1)), large surface area (1143 m(2) g(-1)), and high mechanical flexibility, tightly pin the core-shell structure of the N-C@SnO2@Sn nanoparticles and thus lead to remarkably enhanced electrical conductivity and structural integrity of the overall electrode. Consequently, this novel hybrid anode exhibits highly stable capacity of up to 901 mAh g(-1), with ∼89.3% capacity retention after 200 cycles at 0.1 A g(-1) and superior high rate performance, as well as a long lifetime of 500 cycles with 84.0% retention at 1.0 A g(-1). Importantly, this unique hybrid design is expected to be

  18. Investigation of temperature, catalyst thickness and substrate effects in In2O3 nanostructures

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tuzluca, Fatma Nur; Yesilbag, Yasar Ozkan; Ertugrul, Mehmet

    2017-12-01

    This study successfully synthesized In2O3 nanotowers (NTs), nanowires (NWs), nanochains (NChs) and nanocrystals (NCs) on n-type Si(100) and quartz substrates at temperature of 900-1000 °C by using Au catalysts via the Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) technique. The analyses of experimental results revealed that In2O3 nanostructures (NSs) grew in different morphologies due to variable parameters, such as temperature, thickness of catalyst and substrate type. This was because these In2O3 NSs were formed by both the Vapor-Liquid-Solid (VLS) and the Vapor-Solid (VS) growth mechanisms. For instance, In2O3 NTs and NChs were formed by the VLS growth mechanism; In2O3 NCs were formed by the VS growth mechanism and In2O3 NWs were formed by both the VLS and VS growth mechanisms. Morphology and crystal structures were identified through X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), High Resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy (HRTEM), Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM) and Energy Dispersive X-Ray Spectroscopy (EDS). Moreover, photoluminescence (PL) peaks of In2O3 NSs were measured to be 367 nm, 470 nm, and 630 nm at room temperature (RT). These measurement results indicated that structural, morphological, compositional and optical properties of synthesized In2O3 NSs correlated with growth parameters.

  19. Magnetism mediated by a majority of [Fe3+ + \\mathbf{V}_{\\mathbf{O}}^{\\mathbf{2-}} ] complexes in Fe-doped CeO2 nanoparticles

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Paidi, V. K.; Ferreira, N. S.; Goltz, D.; van Lierop, J.

    2015-08-01

    We examine the role of Fe3+ and vacancies ({{V}\\text{O}} ) on the magnetism of Fe-doped CeO2 nanoparticles. Magnetic nanoparticles of Ce100-xFexO2 (x  =  0, 0.26, 1.82, 2.64, 5.26, 6.91, and 7.22) were prepared by a co-precipitation method, and their structural, compositional and magnetic properties were investigated. The CeO2 nanoparticles had a mixed valance of Ce4+ and Ce3+ ions, and doping introduced Fe3+ ions. The decrease in Ce3+ and increase in Fe3+ concentrations indicated the presence of more [Fe3+ +V\\text{O}2- ] complexes with Fe loading in the particles. Charge neutralization, Fe3+ + V\\text{O}2- + 2Ce4+ ≤ftrightarrow 2Ce3+ + Fe3+, identified the impact of {{V}\\text{O}} on the magnetism, where our results suggest that the Fe-doped CeO2 nanoparticle magnetism is mediated by a majority of [Fe3+ +V\\text{O}2- ]—Ce3+ —[Fe3+ +V\\text{O}2- ] complexes.

  20. Synthesis of nanodimensional orthorhombic SnO2 thin films

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kondkar, V.; Rukade, D.; Kanjilal, D.; Bhattacharyya, V.

    2018-04-01

    Amorphous thin films of SnO2 are irradiated by swift heavy ions at two different fluences. Unirradiated as well as irradiated films are characterized by glancing angle X-ray diffraction (GAXRD), UV-Vis spectroscopy and atomic force microscopy (AFM). GAXRD study reveals formation of orthorhombic nanophases of SnO2. Nanophase formation is also confirmed by the quantum size effect manifested by blue shift in terms of increase in band gap energy. The size and shape of the irradiation induced surface structures depend on ion fluence.

  1. Investigation of the structure and stability of SnO2 nanocrystal and its surface-bound water

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wang, H.; Wesolowski, D. J.; Proffen, T. E.; Kolesnikov, A. I.; Vlcek, L.; Wang, W.; Feygenson, M.; Sofo, J. O.; Anovitz, L.

    2012-12-01

    Driven partly by a myriad use of engineered metal oxide nanoparticles, understanding their stabilities and interactions with environmental matrix during and after applications are desired. SnO2 (cassiterite) is one of the frequently used oxides in solid-state gas sensors and oxidation catalysts. A close relationship between the gas sensitivity and catalysis of oxides with their surface chemistry ensures continuous interests in the study of SnO2-water interfacial complexity (unavoidable "contamination" in which water can potentially participate in reactions and change SnO2 conductivity). Such information is important, as the existence of hydration layers on the surface of SnO2 nanoparticles not only play a critical role in stabilizing the nanoparticle but also affect its selectivity/sensitivity, as a nanosensor. SnO2 nanoparticles (2-5 nm) synthesized by a wet chemical route are dominated by {110} faces and are capped with H2O or D2O water molecules (after purification), depending on isotopic composition of water used for syntheses. When water is in direct contact with terminal Sn and O atoms, there is a controversial argument as to whether or not dissociative adsorption occurs (i.e., formation of hydroxyl groups). Although theoretical studies point toward a tendency for dissociative configuration in the direct contact layer, experimental studies have not unambiguously confirmed this conclusion. We present combined investigations using neutron total scattering (NPDF at the NOMAD beamline, SNS) and inelastic neutron scattering (INS at the SEQUOIA beamline, SNS) techniques as static and dynamic probes to reveal structure and dynamics of water and SnO2 nanocrystalline stability upon dehydration. The NPDF results (measured with deuterated samples) suggest layered water configurations with G(r) signals dominated by O-D bonds at 0.98 Å, and the second hydration layer that gives a broad peak at 2.5-4 Å. There is no evidence of a third hydration layer at 5-7 Å as shown

  2. MgO Nanoparticle Modified Anode for Highly Efficient SnO2-Based Planar Perovskite Solar Cells.

    PubMed

    Ma, Junjie; Yang, Guang; Qin, Minchao; Zheng, Xiaolu; Lei, Hongwei; Chen, Cong; Chen, Zhiliang; Guo, Yaxiong; Han, Hongwei; Zhao, Xingzhong; Fang, Guojia

    2017-09-01

    Reducing the energy loss and retarding the carrier recombination at the interface are crucial to improve the performance of the perovskite solar cell (PSCs). However, little is known about the recombination mechanism at the interface of anode and SnO 2 electron transfer layer (ETL). In this work, an ultrathin wide bandgap dielectric MgO nanolayer is incorporated between SnO 2 :F (FTO) electrode and SnO 2 ETL of planar PSCs, realizing enhanced electron transporting and hole blocking properties. With the use of this electrode modifier, a power conversion efficiency of 18.23% is demonstrated, an 11% increment compared with that without MgO modifier. These improvements are attributed to the better properties of MgO-modified FTO/SnO 2 as compared to FTO/SnO 2 , such as smoother surface, less FTO surface defects due to MgO passivation, and suppressed electron-hole recombinations. Also, MgO nanolayer with lower valance band minimum level played a better role in hole blocking. When FTO is replaced with Sn-doped In 2 O 3 (ITO), a higher power conversion efficiency of 18.82% is demonstrated. As a result, the device with the MgO hole-blocking layer exhibits a remarkable improvement of all J-V parameters. This work presents a new direction to improve the performance of the PSCs based on SnO 2 ETL by transparent conductive electrode surface modification.

  3. Metal organic frameworks-derived sensing material of SnO2/NiO composites for detection of triethylamine

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bai, Shouli; Liu, Chengyao; Luo, Ruixian; Chen, Aifan

    2018-04-01

    The SnO2/NiO composites were synthesized by hydrothermal followed by calcination using metal-organic framework (MOF) consisting of the ligand of p-benzene-dicarboxylic acid (PTA) and the Sn and Ni center ions as sacrificial templates. The structure and morphology of Sn/Ni-based MOF and SnO2/NiO composites were characterized by XRD, SEM, TEM, FT-IR, TG, XPS and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller analysis. Sensing experiments reveal that the SnO2/NiO composite with the molar ratio of 9:1 not only exhibits the highest response of 14.03 that is 3 times higher than pristine SnO2 to triethylamine at 70 °C, but also shows good selectivity. Such excellent performance is attributed to the MOF-driven strategy and the formation of p-n heterojunctions, because the metal ions can be highly dispersed and separated in the MOFs and can prevent the metal ions aggregation during the MOF decomposition process. The work is a novel route for synthesis of gas sensing material.

  4. Synthesis of Co2+-doped Fe2O3 photocatalyst for degradation of pararosaniline dye

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Suresh, R.; Giribabu, K.; Manigandan, R.; Mangalaraja, R. V.; Solorza, Jorge Yanez; Stephen, A.; Narayanan, V.

    2017-06-01

    In this paper, x (=2, 5, 7 and 10mol%) Co2+-doped Fe2O3 (xCo:Fe2O3) nanoparticles with enhanced photocatalytic activity have been reported. xCo:Fe2O3 nanoparticles were successfully prepared by co-precipitation followed thermal decomposition method. The structural, optical and morphological properties of the prepared samples were studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), diffuse reflectance (DR) UV-visible absorption spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The obtained results revealed that Co2+ ions were well doped within the lattices of Fe2O3. Also, Co2+ ions suppress the formation of the most stable α- Fe2O3 and stabilize less stable γ-Fe2O3 at 450 °C. The photocatalytic activity of xCo:Fe2O3 was examined by using pararosaniline (PR) dye. It was found that photocatalytic degradation of PR depends on dopant concentration (Co2+ ions). Relatively, the highest photocatalytic activity was observed for 5%Co:Fe2O3 nanoparticles. The plausible photocatalytic degradation pathway of PR at xCo:Fe2O3 surface has also been proposed.

  5. Highly sensitive SnO2 sensor via reactive laser-induced transfer

    PubMed Central

    Palla Papavlu, Alexandra; Mattle, Thomas; Temmel, Sandra; Lehmann, Ulrike; Hintennach, Andreas; Grisel, Alain; Wokaun, Alexander; Lippert, Thomas

    2016-01-01

    Gas sensors based on tin oxide (SnO2) and palladium doped SnO2 (Pd:SnO2) active materials are fabricated by a laser printing method, i.e. reactive laser-induced forward transfer (rLIFT). Thin films from tin based metal-complex precursors are prepared by spin coating and then laser transferred with high resolution onto sensor structures. The devices fabricated by rLIFT exhibit low ppm sensitivity towards ethanol and methane as well as good stability with respect to air, moisture, and time. Promising results are obtained by applying rLIFT to transfer metal-complex precursors onto uncoated commercial gas sensors. We could show that rLIFT onto commercial sensors is possible if the sensor structures are reinforced prior to printing. The rLIFT fabricated sensors show up to 4 times higher sensitivities then the commercial sensors (with inkjet printed SnO2). In addition, the selectivity towards CH4 of the Pd:SnO2 sensors is significantly enhanced compared to the pure SnO2 sensors. Our results indicate that the reactive laser transfer technique applied here represents an important technical step for the realization of improved gas detection systems with wide-ranging applications in environmental and health monitoring control. PMID:27118531

  6. Fabrication of Fe3O4@mSiO2 Core-Shell Composite Nanoparticles for Drug Delivery Applications

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Uribe Madrid, Sergio I.; Pal, Umapada; Kang, Young Soo; Kim, Junghoon; Kwon, Hyungjin; Kim, Jungho

    2015-05-01

    We report the synthesis of Fe3O4@mSiO2 nanostructures of different meso-silica (mSiO2) shell thickness, their biocompatibility and behaviors for loading and release of a model drug ibuprofen. The composite nanostructures have superparamagnetic magnetite cores of 208 nm average size and meso-silica shells of 15 to 40 nm thickness. A modified Stöber method was used to grow the meso-silica shells over the hydrothermally grown monodispersed magnetite particles. The composite nanoparticles show very promising drug holding and releasing behaviors, which depend on the thickness of meso-silica shell. The biocompatibility of the meso-silica-coated and uncoated magnetite nanoparticles was tested through cytotoxicity assay on breast cancer (MCF-7), ovarian cancer (SKOV3), normal human lung fibroblasts MRC-5, and IMR-90 cells. The high drug holding capacity and reasonable biocompatibility of the nanostructures make them ideal agents for targeted drug delivery applications in human body.

  7. One pot synthesis of exchange coupled Nd2Fe14B/alpha-Fe by pechini type sol-gel method.

    PubMed

    Hussain, Abid; Jadhav, Abhijit P; Baek, Yeon Kyung; Choi, Hul Jin; Lee, Jaeho; Kang, Young Soo

    2013-11-01

    In this work, a combination of nanoparticles of Nd2Fe14B hard magnetic phase and alpha-Fe soft magnetic phase were synthesized by one pot chemical synthesis technique using sol-gel method. A gel of Nd-Fe-B was prepared using NdCl3 x 6H2O, FeCl3 x 6H2O, H3BO3, citric acid, and ethylene glycol by pechini type sol-gel method. The gel was subsequently calcined and annealed to obtain the mixed oxide powders. The produced metal oxide particles were identified with XRD, SEM, TEM to obtain the crystal structure, shape and domain structure of them. The nanoparticles of mixed phase of Nd2Fe14B/alpha-Fe were obtained from these oxides by a process of reduction-diffusion in vacuum by employing CaH2 as reducing agent. During this process it was optimized by controlling temperature, reaction time and concentration of the reducing agent (CaH2). The phase formation of Nd2Fe14B was resulted by the direct diffusion of NdH2, Fe and B. The magnetic property of produced hard and soft phases was successfully identified with vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM). The mixed domains of the hard and soft phases were identified with selected area electron diffraction method (SAED) patterns.

  8. Optimized spherical manganese oxide-ferroferric oxide-tin oxide ternary composites as advanced electrode materials for supercapacitors.

    PubMed

    Zhu, Jian; Tang, Shaochun; Vongehr, Sascha; Xie, Hao; Meng, Xiangkang

    2015-09-18

    Inexpensive MnO2 is a promising material for supercapacitors (SCs), but its application is limited by poor electrical conductivity and low specific surface area. We design and fabricate hierarchical MnO2-based ternary composite nanostructures showing superior electrochemical performance via doping with electrochemically active Fe3O4 in the interior and electrically conductive SnO2 nanoparticles in the surface layer. Optimization composition results in a MnO2-Fe3O4-SnO2 composite electrode material with 5.9 wt.% Fe3O4 and 5.3 wt.% SnO2, leading to a high specific areal capacitance of 1.12 F cm(-2) at a scan rate of 5 mV s(-1). This is two to three times the values for MnO2-based binary nanostructures at the same scan rate. The low amount of SnO2 almost doubles the capacitance of porous MnO2-Fe3O4 (before SnO2 addition), which is attributed to an improved conductivity and remaining porosity. In addition, the optimal ternary composite has a good rate capability and an excellent cycling performance with stable capacitance retention of ~90% after 5000 charge/discharge cycles at 7.5 mA cm(-2). All-solid-state SCs are assembled with such electrodes using polyvinyl alcohol/Na2SO4 electrolyte. An integrated device made by connecting two identical SCs in series can power a light-emitting diode indicator for more than 10 min.

  9. Optimized spherical manganese oxide-ferroferric oxide-tin oxide ternary composites as advanced electrode materials for supercapacitors

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhu, Jian; Tang, Shaochun; Vongehr, Sascha; Xie, Hao; Meng, Xiangkang

    2015-09-01

    Inexpensive MnO2 is a promising material for supercapacitors (SCs), but its application is limited by poor electrical conductivity and low specific surface area. We design and fabricate hierarchical MnO2-based ternary composite nanostructures showing superior electrochemical performance via doping with electrochemically active Fe3O4 in the interior and electrically conductive SnO2 nanoparticles in the surface layer. Optimization composition results in a MnO2-Fe3O4-SnO2 composite electrode material with 5.9 wt.% Fe3O4 and 5.3 wt.% SnO2, leading to a high specific areal capacitance of 1.12 F cm-2 at a scan rate of 5 mV s-1. This is two to three times the values for MnO2-based binary nanostructures at the same scan rate. The low amount of SnO2 almost doubles the capacitance of porous MnO2-Fe3O4 (before SnO2 addition), which is attributed to an improved conductivity and remaining porosity. In addition, the optimal ternary composite has a good rate capability and an excellent cycling performance with stable capacitance retention of ˜90% after 5000 charge/discharge cycles at 7.5 mA cm-2. All-solid-state SCs are assembled with such electrodes using polyvinyl alcohol/Na2SO4 electrolyte. An integrated device made by connecting two identical SCs in series can power a light-emitting diode indicator for more than 10 min.

  10. Fabrication of CNT@void@SnO2@C with tube-in-tube nanostructure as high-performance anode for lithium-ion batteries

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tian, Qinghua; Tian, Yang; Zhang, Zhengxi; Yang, Li; Hirano, Shin-ichi

    2015-09-01

    Tin dioxide/carbon composites is an important class of promising candidates for anode materials with superior electrochemical performance and thus have attracted extensive attention. Herein, a tube-in-tube nanostructure, denoted as CNT@void@SnO2@C, has been fabricated by a facile and novel strategy. The possible formation mechanism is also discussed and determined by TEM, XRD and XPS characterizations. As a promising anode material for lithium-ion batteries, the CNT@void@SnO2@C exhibits superior lithium storage properties, delivering a reversible capacity of 702.5 mAh g-1 at 200 mA g-1 even after 350 cycles. The excellent performances should be benefited from the peculiar tube-in-tube nanostructure, in which SnO2 located between CNT and outermost carbon coating layers can sure the structural integrity and high conductivity during long-term cycling, and one-dimensional void space formed between the inner CNT and outer SnO2@C nanotubes, in particular, can provide larger free space for alleviating the huge volume variation of SnO2 and accommodating the stress formed during repeated discharge/charge process.

  11. Construction of 1D SnO2-coated ZnO nanowire heterojunction for their improved n-butylamine sensing performances

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wang, Liwei; Li, Jintao; Wang, Yinghui; Yu, Kefu; Tang, Xingying; Zhang, Yuanyuan; Wang, Shaopeng; Wei, Chaoshuai

    2016-10-01

    One-dimensional (1D) SnO2-coated ZnO nanowire (SnO2/ZnO NW) N-N heterojunctions were successfully constructed by an effective solvothermal treatment followed with calcination at 400 °C. The obtained samples were characterized by means of XRD, SEM, TEM, Scanning TEM coupled with EDS and XPS analysis, which confirmed that the outer layers of N-type SnO2 nanoparticles (avg. 4 nm) were uniformly distributed onto our pre-synthesized n-type ZnO nanowire supports (diameter 80~100 nm, length 12~16 μm). Comparisons of the gas sensing performances among pure SnO2, pure ZnO NW and the as-fabricated SnO2/ZnO NW heterojunctions revealed that after modification, SnO2/ZnO NW based sensor exhibited remarkably improved response, fast response and recovery speeds, good selectivity and excellent reproducibility to n-butylamine gas, indicating it can be used as promising candidates for high-performance organic amine sensors. The enhanced gas-sensing behavior should be attributed to the unique 1D wire-like morphology of ZnO support, the small size effect of SnO2 nanoparticles, and the semiconductor depletion layer model induced by the strong interfacial interaction between SnO2 and ZnO of the heterojunctions. The as-prepared SnO2/ZnO NW heterojunctions may also supply other novel applications in the fields like photocatalysis, lithium-ion batteries, waste water purification, and so on.

  12. Fe 2O 3–TiO 2 core–shell nanorod arrays for visible light photocatalytic applications

    DOE PAGES

    Yao, Kun; Basnet, Pradip; Sessions, Henry; ...

    2015-11-11

    By using the glancing angle deposition technique and post-deposition annealing, Fe 2O 3–TiO 2 core-shell nanorod arrays with specific crystalline states can be designed and fabricated. The Fe 2O 3–TiO 2 core-shell samples annealed at temperatures greater than 450°C formed α-Fe 2O 3 and anatase TiO 2, and showed higher catalytic efficiency for the degradation of methylene blue (MB) under visible light illumination when compared with pure anatase TiO 2 or α-Fe 2O 3 nanorod arrays. Solar conversion of carbon dioxide and water vapor in the presence of Fe 2O 3–TiO 2 core-shell nanorod arrays was also investigated. Carbon monoxide,more » hydrogen, methane, and methanol along with other hydrocarbons were produced after only several hours’ exposure under ambient sunlight. It was determined that the core-shell structure showed greater efficiency for solar CO 2 conversion than the pure TiO 2 nanorod arrays.« less

  13. Monodisperse Fe3O4 and γ-Fe2O3 magnetic mesoporous microspheres as anode materials for lithium-ion batteries.

    PubMed

    Xu, Jing-San; Zhu, Ying-Jie

    2012-09-26

    Monodisperse Fe(3)O(4) and γ-Fe(2)O(3) magnetic mesoporous microspheres are prepared via a surfactant-free solvothermal combined with precursor thermal transformation method. The as-prepared Fe(3)O(4) and γ-Fe(2)O(3) magnetic mesoporous microspheres have a relatively high specific surface area of 122.3 and 138.6 m(2)/g, respectively. The Fe(3)O(4) and γ-Fe(2)O(3) magnetic mesoporous microspheres are explored as the anode materials for lithium-ion batteries, and they have a high initial discharge capacity of 1307 and 1453 mA h/g, respectively, and a good reversible performance (450 mA h/g for Fe(3)O(4) and 697 mA h/g for γ-Fe(2)O(3) after 110 cycles) at the current density of 0.2C.

  14. Accurate solid solution range of BiMnxFe3-xO6 and low temperature magnetism

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jiang, Pengfei; Yue, Mufei; Cong, Rihong; Gao, Wenliang; Yang, Tao

    2017-11-01

    BiMnxFe3-xO6 (x = 1) represents a new type of oxide structure containing Bi3+ and competing magnetic super-exchanges. In literature, multiple magnetic states were realized at low temperatures in BiMnFe2O6, and the hypothetical parent compounds (BiMn3O6, BiFe3O6) were predicted to be different in magnetism. Herein, we performed a careful study on the syntheses of BiMnxFe3-xO6 at ambient pressure, and the solid solution range was determined to be 0.9 ≤ x ≤ 1.3 by Rietveld refinements on high-quality powder X-ray diffraction data. Due to the very similar cationic size of Mn3+ and Fe3+, and possibly the structural rigidity, there was no significant structure change in the whole range of solid solution. The magnetic behavior of BiMnxFe3-xO6 (x = 1.2, 1.22, 1.26, 1.28 and 1.3) was generally similar to BiMnFe2O6, while the relative higher concentration of Mn3+ led to the decreasing of the antiferromagnetic ordering temperature.

  15. Derivation of force field parameters for SnO2-H2O surface systems from plane-wave density functional theory calculations.

    PubMed

    Bandura, A V; Sofo, J O; Kubicki, J D

    2006-04-27

    Plane-wave density functional theory (DFT-PW) calculations were performed on bulk SnO2 (cassiterite) and the (100), (110), (001), and (101) surfaces with and without H2O present. A classical interatomic force field has been developed to describe bulk SnO2 and SnO2-H2O surface interactions. Periodic density functional theory calculations using the program VASP (Kresse et al., 1996) and molecular cluster calculations using Gaussian 03 (Frisch et al., 2003) were used to derive the parametrization of the force field. The program GULP (Gale, 1997) was used to optimize parameters to reproduce experimental and ab initio results. The experimental crystal structure and elastic constants of SnO2 are reproduced reasonably well with the force field. Furthermore, surface atom relaxations and structures of adsorbed H2O molecules agree well between the ab initio and force field predictions. H2O addition above that required to form a monolayer results in consistent structures between the DFT-PW and classical force field results as well.

  16. Effect of the CaO/SiO2 mass ratio and FeO content on the viscosity of CaO-SiO2-"FeO"-12wt%ZnO-3wt%Al2O3 slags

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lü, Jian-fang; Jin, Zhe-nan; Yang, Hong-ying; Tong, Lin-lin; Chen, Guo-bao; Xiao, Fa-xin

    2017-07-01

    An effective process for recycling lead from hazardous waste cathode ray tubes (CRTs) funnel glass through traditional lead smelting has been presented previously. The viscous behavior of the molten high lead slag, which is affected by the addition of funnel glass, plays a critical role in determining the production efficiency. Therefore, the viscosities of the CaO-SiO2-"FeO"-12wt%ZnO-3wt%Al2O3 slags were measured in the current study using the rotating spindle method. The slag viscosity decreases as the CaO/SiO2 mass ratio is increased from 0.8 to 1.2 and also as the FeO content is increased from 8wt% to 20wt%. The breaking temperature of the slag is lowered substantially by the addition of FeO, whereas the influence of the CaO/SiO2 mass ratio on the breaking temperature is complex. The structural analysis of quenched slags using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy reveals that the silicate network structure is depolymerized with increasing CaO/SiO2 mass ratio or increasing FeO content. The [FeO6]-octahedra in the slag melt increase as the CaO/SiO2 mass ratio or the FeO content increases. This increase can further decrease the degree of polymerization (DOP) of the slag. Furthermore, the activation energy for viscous flow decreases both with increasing CaO/SiO2 mass ratio and increasing FeO content.

  17. Synthesis of SnO2 pillared carbon using long chain alkylamine grafted graphene oxide: an efficient anode material for lithium ion batteries.

    PubMed

    Reddy, M Jeevan Kumar; Ryu, Sung Hun; Shanmugharaj, A M

    2016-01-07

    With the objective of developing new advanced composite materials that can be used as anodes for lithium ion batteries (LIBs), herein we describe the synthesis of SnO2 pillared carbon using various alkylamine (hexylamine; dodecylamine and octadecylamine) grafted graphene oxides and butyl trichlorotin precursors followed by its calcination at 500 °C for 2 h. While the grafted alkylamine induces crystalline growth of SnO2 pillars, thermal annealing of alkylamine grafted graphene oxide results in the formation of amorphous carbon coated graphene. Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) results reveal the successful formation of SnO2 pillared carbon on the graphene surface. X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and Raman spectroscopy characterization corroborates the formation of rutile SnO2 crystals on the graphene surface. A significant rise in the BET surface area is observed for SnO2 pillared carbon, when compared to pristine GO. Electrochemical characterization studies of SnO2 pillared carbon based anode materials showed an enhanced lithium storage capacity and fine cyclic performance in comparison with pristine GO. The initial specific capacities of SnO2 pillared carbon are observed to be 1379 mA h g(-1), 1255 mA h g(-1) and 1360 mA h g(-1) that decrease to 750 mA h g(-1), 643 mA h g(-1) and 560 mA h g(-1) depending upon the chain length of grafted alkylamine on the graphene surface respectively. Electrochemical impedance spectral analysis reveals that the exchange current density of SnO2 pillared carbon based electrodes is higher, corroborating its enhanced electrochemical activity in comparison with GO based electrodes.

  18. Identification of vacancy defect complexes in transparent semiconducting oxides ZnO, In2O3 and SnO2.

    PubMed

    Makkonen, Ilja; Korhonen, Esa; Prozheeva, Vera; Tuomisto, Filip

    2016-06-08

    Positron annihilation spectroscopy, when combined with supporting high-quality modeling of positron states and annihilation in matter, is a powerful tool for detailed defect identification of vacancy-type defects in semiconductors and oxides. Here we demonstrate that the Doppler broadening of the positron annihilation radiation is a very sensitive means for observing the oxygen environment around cation vacancies, the main open-volume defects trapping positrons in measurements made for transparent semiconducting oxides. Changes in the positron annihilation signal due to external manipulation such as irradiation and annealing can be correlated with the associated changes in the sizes of the detected vacancy clusters. Our examples for ZnO, In2O3 and SnO2 demonstrate that oxygen vacancies in oxides can be detected directly using positron annihilation spectroscopy when they are complexed with cation vacancies.

  19. Identification of vacancy defect complexes in transparent semiconducting oxides ZnO, In2O3 and SnO2

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Makkonen, Ilja; Korhonen, Esa; Prozheeva, Vera; Tuomisto, Filip

    2016-06-01

    Positron annihilation spectroscopy, when combined with supporting high-quality modeling of positron states and annihilation in matter, is a powerful tool for detailed defect identification of vacancy-type defects in semiconductors and oxides. Here we demonstrate that the Doppler broadening of the positron annihilation radiation is a very sensitive means for observing the oxygen environment around cation vacancies, the main open-volume defects trapping positrons in measurements made for transparent semiconducting oxides. Changes in the positron annihilation signal due to external manipulation such as irradiation and annealing can be correlated with the associated changes in the sizes of the detected vacancy clusters. Our examples for ZnO, In2O3 and SnO2 demonstrate that oxygen vacancies in oxides can be detected directly using positron annihilation spectroscopy when they are complexed with cation vacancies.

  20. Effect of annealing temperature on optical and electrical properties of ZrO2-SnO2 based nanocomposite thin films

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Anitha, V. S.; Lekshmy, S. Sujatha; Berlin, I. John; Joy, K.

    2014-01-01

    Transparent nanocomposite ZrO2-SnO2 thin films were prepared by sol-gel dip-coating technique. Films were annealed at 500°C, 800°C and 1200°C respectively. X-ray diffraction(XRD) spectra showed a mixture of three phases: tetragonal ZrO2 and SnO2 and orthorhombic ZrSnO4. The grain size of all the three phases' increased with annealing temperature. An average transmittance greater than 85%(in UV-Visible region) is observed for all the films. The band gap for the films decreased from 4.79 eV to 4.62 eV with increase in annealing temperature from 500 to 1200 °C. The electrical resistivity increased with increase in annealing temperature. Such composite ZrO2-SnO2 films can be used in many applications and in optoelectronic devices.

  1. Nanocrystalline Fe-Fe2O3 particle-deposited N-doped graphene as an activity-modulated Pt-free electrocatalyst for oxygen reduction reaction

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Dhavale, Vishal M.; Singh, Santosh K.; Nadeema, Ayasha; Gaikwad, Sachin S.; Kurungot, Sreekumar

    2015-11-01

    The size-controlled growth of nanocrystalline Fe-Fe2O3 particles (2-3 nm) and their concomitant dispersion on N-doped graphene (Fe-Fe2O3/NGr) could be attained when the mutually assisted redox reaction between NGr and Fe3+ ions could be controlled within the aqueous droplets of a water-in-oil emulsion. The synergistic interaction existing between Fe-Fe2O3 and NGr helped the system to narrow down the overpotential for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) by bringing a significant positive shift to the reduction onset potential, which is just 15 mV higher than its Pt-counterpart. In addition, the half-wave potential (E1/2) of Fe-Fe2O3/NGr is found to be improved by a considerable amount of 135 mV in comparison to the system formed by dispersing Fe-Fe2O3 nanoparticles on reduced graphene oxide (Fe-Fe2O3/RGO), which indicates the presence of a higher number of active sites in Fe-Fe2O3/NGr. Despite this, the ORR kinetics of Fe-Fe2O3/NGr are found to be shifted significantly to the preferred 4-electron-transfer pathway compared to NGr and Fe-Fe2O3/RGO. Consequently, the H2O2% was found to be reduced by 78.3% for Fe-Fe2O3/NGr (13.0%) in comparison to Fe-Fe2O3/RGO (51.2%) and NGr (41.0%) at -0.30 V (vs. Hg/HgO). This difference in the yield of H2O2 formed between the systems along with the improvements observed in terms of the oxygen reduction onset and E1/2 in the case of Fe-Fe2O3/NGr reveals the activity modulation achieved for the latter is due to the coexistence of factors such as the presence of the mixed valancies of iron nanoparticles, small size and homogeneous distribution of Fe-Fe2O3 nanoparticles and the electronic modifications induced by the doped nitrogen in NGr. A controlled interplay of these factors looks like worked favorably in the case of Fe-Fe2O3/NGr. As a realistic system level validation, Fe-Fe2O3/NGr was employed as the cathode electrode of a single cell in a solid alkaline electrolyte membrane fuel cell (AEMFC). The system could display an open

  2. Nanocrystalline SnO2:F thin films for liquid petroleum gas sensors.

    PubMed

    Chaisitsak, Sutichai

    2011-01-01

    This paper reports the improvement in the sensing performance of nanocrystalline SnO(2)-based liquid petroleum gas (LPG) sensors by doping with fluorine (F). Un-doped and F-doped tin oxide films were prepared on glass substrates by the dip-coating technique using a layer-by-layer deposition cycle (alternating between dip-coating a thin layer followed by a drying in air after each new layer). The results showed that this technique is superior to the conventional technique for both improving the film thickness uniformity and film transparency. The effect of F concentration on the structural, surface morphological and LPG sensing properties of the SnO(2) films was investigated. Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) and X-ray diffraction pattern measurements showed that the obtained thin films are nanocrystalline SnO(2) with nanoscale-textured surfaces. Gas sensing characteristics (sensor response and response/recovery time) of the SnO(2):F sensors based on a planar interdigital structure were investigated at different operating temperatures and at different LPG concentrations. The addition of fluorine to SnO(2) was found to be advantageous for efficient detection of LPG gases, e.g., F-doped sensors are more stable at a low operating temperature (300 °C) with higher sensor response and faster response/recovery time, compared to un-doped sensor materials. The sensors based on SnO(2):F films could detect LPG even at a low level of 25% LEL, showing the possibility of using this transparent material for LPG leak detection.

  3. Nanocrystalline SnO2:F Thin Films for Liquid Petroleum Gas Sensors

    PubMed Central

    Chaisitsak, Sutichai

    2011-01-01

    This paper reports the improvement in the sensing performance of nanocrystalline SnO2-based liquid petroleum gas (LPG) sensors by doping with fluorine (F). Un-doped and F-doped tin oxide films were prepared on glass substrates by the dip-coating technique using a layer-by-layer deposition cycle (alternating between dip-coating a thin layer followed by a drying in air after each new layer). The results showed that this technique is superior to the conventional technique for both improving the film thickness uniformity and film transparency. The effect of F concentration on the structural, surface morphological and LPG sensing properties of the SnO2 films was investigated. Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) and X-ray diffraction pattern measurements showed that the obtained thin films are nanocrystalline SnO2 with nanoscale-textured surfaces. Gas sensing characteristics (sensor response and response/recovery time) of the SnO2:F sensors based on a planar interdigital structure were investigated at different operating temperatures and at different LPG concentrations. The addition of fluorine to SnO2 was found to be advantageous for efficient detection of LPG gases, e.g., F-doped sensors are more stable at a low operating temperature (300 °C) with higher sensor response and faster response/recovery time, compared to un-doped sensor materials. The sensors based on SnO2:F films could detect LPG even at a low level of 25% LEL, showing the possibility of using this transparent material for LPG leak detection. PMID:22164007

  4. Properties and rapid low-temperature consolidation of nanocrystalline Fe-ZrO2 composite by pulsed current activated sintering

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kang, Hyun-Su; Ko, In-Yong; Yoon, Jin-Kook; Doh, Jung-Mann; Hong, Kyung-Tae; Shon, In-Jin

    2011-02-01

    Nanopowders of Fe and ZrO2 were synthesized from Fe2O3 and Zr by high-energy ball milling. The powder sizes of Fe and ZrO2 were 70 nm and 12 nm, respectively. Highly dense nanostructured 4/3Fe-ZrO2 composite was consolidated by a pulsed current activated sintering method within 1 minute from the mechanically synthesized powders (Fe-ZrO2) and horizontal milled Fe2O3+Zr powders under the 1 GPa pressure. The grain sizes of Fe and ZrO2 in the composite were calculated. The average hardness and fracture toughness values of nanostuctured 4/3Fe-ZrO2 composite were investigated.

  5. Synthesis and properties of γ-Ga2O3-Al2O3 solid solutions

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Afonasenko, T. N.; Leont'eva, N. N.; Talzi, V. P.; Smirnova, N. S.; Savel'eva, G. G.; Shilova, A. V.; Tsyrul'nikov, P. G.

    2017-10-01

    The textural and structural properties of mixed oxides Ga2O3-Al2O3, obtained via impregnating γ-Al2O3 with a solution of Ga(NO3)3 and subsequent heat treatment, are studied. According to the results from X-ray powder diffraction, gallium ions are incorporated into the structure of aluminum oxide to form a solid solution of spinel-type γ-Ga2O3-Al2O3 up to a Ga2O3 content of 50 wt % of the total weight of the sample, accompanied by a reduction in the specific surface area, volume, and average pore diameter. It is concluded that when the Ga2O3 content exceeds 50 wt %, the β-Ga2O3 phase is observed along with γ-Ga2O3-Al2O3 solid solution. 71Ga and 27Al NMR spectroscopy shows that gallium replaces aluminum atoms from the tetrahedral position to the octahedral coordination in the structure of γ-Ga2O3-Al2O3.

  6. CsFe3(SeO3)2F6 with S = 5/2 Cube Tile Lattice.

    PubMed

    Lu, Hongcheng; Kageyama, Hiroshi

    2018-05-21

    A layered iron selenite fluoride CsFe 3 (SeO 3 ) 2 F 6 1 was hydrothermally synthesized. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction studies show that 1 has a trigonal ( P3̅ m1) lattice, where [Fe 3 (SeO 3 ) 2 F 6 ] - blocks of three iron sublayers are separated by Cs cations. Within the block, only Fe(2)F 6 and Fe(1)O 3 F 3 octahedra are magnetically connected via superexchange Fe(1) -F -Fe(2) pathways, giving an S = 5/2 cube tile (dice) lattice. At low magnetic field, 1 exhibits an antiferromagnetic transition at ∼130 K, where ferrimagnetic cube tile layers are arranged in a staggered manner. At low temperatures, we observed a field-induced transition to a ferrimagnetic state with a one-third magnetization plateau.

  7. Interlinked multiphase Fe-doped MnO2 nanostructures: a novel design for enhanced pseudocapacitive performance.

    PubMed

    Wang, Ziya; Wang, Fengping; Li, Yan; Hu, Jianlin; Lu, Yanzhen; Xu, Mei

    2016-04-07

    Structure designing and morphology control can lead to high performance pseudocapacitive materials for supercapacitors. In this work, we have designed interlinked multiphase Fe-doped MnO2 nanostructures (α-MnO2/R-MnO2/ε-MnO2) to enhance the electrochemical properties by a facile method. These hierarchical hollow microspheres assembled by interconnected nanoflakes, and with plenty of porous nanorods radiating from the spherical shells were hydrothermally obtained. The supercapacitor electrode prepared from the unique construction exhibits outstanding specific capacitance of 267.0 F g(-1) even under a high mass loading (∼5 mg cm(-2)). Obviously improved performances compared to pure MnO2 are also demonstrated with a good rate capability, high energy density (1.30 mW h cm(-3)) and excellent cycling stability of 100% capacitance retention after 2000 cycles at 2 A g(-1). The synergistic effects of alternative crystal structures, appropriate crystallinity and optimal morphology are identified to be responsible for the observations. This rational multiphase composite strategy provides a promising idea for materials scientists to design and prepare scalable electrode materials for energy storage devices.

  8. Preparation of Ru-doped SnO2-supported Pt catalysts and their electrocatalytic properties for methanol oxidation.

    PubMed

    Pang, H L; Zhang, X H; Zhong, X X; Liu, B; Wei, X G; Kuang, Y F; Chen, J H

    2008-03-01

    Ru-doped SnO2 nanoparticles were prepared by chemical precipitation and calcinations at 823 K. Due to high stability in diluted acidic solution, Ru-doped SnO2 nanoparticles were selected as the catalyst support and second catalyst for methanol electrooxidation. The micrograph, elemental composition, and structure of the Ru-doped SnO2 nanoparticles were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction, respectively. The electrocatalytic properties of the Ru-doped SnO2-supported Pt catalyst (Pt/Ru-doped SnO2) for methanol oxidation have been investigated by cyclic voltammetry. Under the same loading mass of Pt, the Pt/Ru-doped SnO2 catalyst shows better electrocatalytic performance than the Pt/SnO2 catalyst and the best atomic ratio of Ru to Sn in Ru-doped SnO2 is 1/75. Additionally, the Pt/Ru-doped SnO2 catalyst possesses good long-term cycle stability.

  9. New SnO2/MgAl-layered double hydroxide composites as photocatalysts for cationic dyes bleaching.

    PubMed

    Dvininov, E; Ignat, M; Barvinschi, P; Smithers, M A; Popovici, E

    2010-05-15

    A new type of nanocomposite containing SnO(2) has been obtained by wet impregnation of dehydrated Mg/Al-hydrotalcite-type compounds with ethanolic solutions of SnCl(4).2H(2)O. Tin chloride hydrolysis was achieved using NaOH or NH(4)OH aqueous solutions, at pH around 9, followed by the conversion into corresponding hydroxides through calcinations. The powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) and UV-Vis diffuse reflectance (UV-DR) methods confirmed the structure of as-synthesized solids. The chemical composition and morphology of the synthesized materials were investigated by energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The as-synthesized materials were used for photocatalytic studies showing a good activity for methylene blue decolourization, which varies with SnO(2) content and used as a hydrolysing agent. The proposed mechanism is based on the shifting of flat band potential of SnO(2) due to the interaction with Mg/Al-LDH, this being energetically favourable to the formation of hydroxyl radicals responsible for methylene blue degradation. Copyright (c) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  10. One-dimensional fossil-like γ-Fe2O3@carbon nanostructure: preparation, structural characterization and application as adsorbent for fast and selective recovery of gold ions from aqueous solution

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gunawan, Poernomo; Xiao, Wen; Hao Chua, Marcus Wen; Poh-Choo Tan, Cheryl; Ding, Jun; Zhong, Ziyi

    2016-10-01

    One-dimensional (1D) magnetic nanostructures with high thermal stability have important industrial applications, but their fabrication remains a big challenge. Herein we demonstrate a scalable approach for the preparation of stable 1D γ-Fe2O3@carbon, which is also applicable for other metal oxide-core and carbon-shell nanostructures, such as 1D TiO2@carbon. One-dimensional ferric oxyhydroxide (α-FeO(OH)) was initially prepared by a hydrothermal method, followed by carbon coating through hydrothermal treatment of the resulting metal oxide in glucose solution. After calcination in N2 gas at 500 °C and subsequent exposure to air, the initial carbon-coated 1D α-Fe2O3 was converted to 1D γ-Fe2O3@carbon, which was very stable without any observed changes even after 1.5 years of storage under ambient conditions. The materials were then used as adsorbents and found to be highly selective towards Au (III) adsorption, of which the maximum adsorption capacity is about 600 mg Au/g sorbent (1132 mg Au/g carbon). The spent sorbent containing Au after adsorption can be readily collected by applying a magnetic field due to the presence of the magnetic core, and the adsorbed Au particles are subsequently recovered after the combustion and dissolution of the sorbent. This work demonstrates not only a facile approach to the fabrication of robust 1D magnetic materials with a stable carbon shell, but also a possible cyanide-free process for the fast and selective recovery of gold from electronic waste and industrial water.

  11. Size effect of SnO2 nanoparticles on bacteria toxicity and their membrane damage.

    PubMed

    Chávez-Calderón, Adriana; Paraguay-Delgado, Francisco; Orrantia-Borunda, Erasmo; Luna-Velasco, Antonia

    2016-12-01

    Semiconductor SnO 2 nanoparticles (NPs) are being exploited for various applications, including those in the environmental context. However, toxicity studies of SnO 2 NPs are very limited. This study evaluated the toxic effect of two sizes of spherical SnO 2 NPs (2 and 40 nm) and one size of flower-like SnO 2 NPs (800 nm) towards the environmental bacteria E. coli and B. subtilis. SnO 2 NPs were synthesized using a hydrothermal or calcination method and they were well characterized prior to toxicity assessment. To evaluate toxicity, cell viability and membrane damage were determined in cells (1 × 10 9  CFU mL -1 ) exposed to up to 1000 mg L -1 of NPs, using the plate counting method and confocal laser scanning microscopy. Spherical NPs of smaller primary size (E2) had the lowest hydrodynamic size (226 ± 96 nm) and highest negative charge (-30.3 ± 10.1 mV). Smaller spherical NPs also showed greatest effect on viability (IC 50  > 500 mg L -1 ) and membrane damage of B. subtilis, whereas E. coli was unaffected. Scanning electron microscopy confirmed the membrane damage of exposed B. subtilis and also exhibited the attachment of E2 NPs to the cell surface, as well as the elongation of cells. It was also apparent that toxicity was caused solely by NPs, as released Sn 4+ was not toxic to B. subtilis. Thus, surface charge interaction between negatively charged SnO 2 NPs and positively charged molecules on the membrane of the Gram positive B. subtilis was indicated as the key mechanism related to toxicity of NPs. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  12. A facile thermal decomposition route to synthesise CoFe2O4 nanostructures

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kalpanadevi, K.; Sinduja, C. R.; Manimekalai, R.

    2014-01-01

    The synthesis of CoFe2O4 nanoparticles has been achieved by a simple thermal decomposition method from an inorganic precursor, cobalt ferrous cinnamate hydrazinate (CoFe2(cin)3(N2H4)3) which was obtained by a novel precipitation method from the corresponding metal salts, cinnamic acid and hydrazine hydrate. The precursor was characterized by hydrazine and metal analyses, infrared spectral analysis and thermo gravimetric analysis. Under appropriate annealing, CoFe2(cin)3(N2H4)3 yielded CoFe2O4 nanoparticles, which were characterized for their size and structure using X-Ray diffraction (XRD), high resolution transmission electron microscopic (HRTEM), selected area electron diffraction (SAED) and scanning electron microscopic (SEM) techniques.

  13. Synthesis of GO supported Fe2O3-TiO2 nanocomposites for enhanced visible-light photocatalytic applications.

    PubMed

    Jo, Wan-Kuen; Selvam, N Clament Sagaya

    2015-09-28

    This article reports novel ternary composites consisting of Fe2O3 nanorods, TiO2 nanoparticles, and graphene oxide (GO) flakes that provide enhanced photocatalytic performance and stability. Fe2O3 nanorods grow evenly and embed themselves on the agglomerated TiO2/GO surface, which facilitate the formation of heterojunctions for effective migration of charge carriers at the interface of Fe2O3/TiO2 in the ternary composites. The formation of heterostructured Fe2O3-TiO2/GO composites and the effect of GO addition on the photophysical properties of the composites were systematically investigated using various spectroscopic techniques. The photocatalytic performance of Fe2O3 was improved by coupling with TiO2 in the presence of GO, suggesting uncommon electron transfer from the conduction band of Fe2O3 to that of TiO2via GO under visible-light irradiation. An improved charge separation in the composite materials compared with that in bare Fe2O3 was confirmed by drastic fluorescence quenching and stronger absorption in the visible range. The optimum content of GO in the ternary composite was 1.0 wt%, which exhibited enhanced photocatalytic activity. The synergistic effect, heterostructured composite and role of GO, as an electron transporter, in the ternary composites account for the enhanced photocatalytic activity.

  14. CoFe2O4-TiO2 and CoFe2O4-ZnO thin film nanostructures elaborated from colloidal chemistry and atomic layer deposition.

    PubMed

    Clavel, Guylhaine; Marichy, Catherine; Willinger, Marc-Georg; Ravaine, Serge; Zitoun, David; Pinna, Nicola

    2010-12-07

    CoFe(2)O(4)-TiO(2) and CoFe(2)O(4)-ZnO nanoparticles/film composites were prepared from directed assembly of colloidal CoFe(2)O(4) in a Langmuir-Blodgett monolayer and atomic layer deposition (ALD) of an oxide (TiO(2) or ZnO). The combination of these two methods permits the use of well-defined nanoparticles from colloidal chemistry, their assembly on a large scale, and the control over the interface between a ferrimagnetic material (CoFe(2)O(4)) and a semiconductor (TiO(2) or ZnO). Using this approach, architectures can be assembled with a precise control from the Angstrom scale (ALD) to the micrometer scale (Langmuir-Blodgett film). The resulting heterostructures present well-calibrated thicknesses. Electron microscopy and magnetic measurement studies give evidence that the size of the nanoparticles and their intrinsic magnetic properties are not altered by the various steps involved in the synthesis process. Therefore, the approach is suitable to obtain a layered composite with a quasi-monodisperse layer of ferrimagnetic nanoparticles embedded in an ultrathin film of semiconducting material.

  15. An eco-friendly route of γ-Fe2O3 nanoparticles formation and investigation of the mechanical properties of the HPMC-γ-Fe2O3 nanocomposites.

    PubMed

    Sarkar, Joy; Mollick, Md Masud Rahaman; Chattopadhyay, Dipankar; Acharya, Krishnendu

    2017-03-01

    In recent times, biosynthetic approaches toward the synthesis of nanoparticles have been shown to have several advantages over physical and chemical methods. Here, we report the extracellular mycosynthesis of γ-Fe 2 O 3 nanoparticles by Alternaria alternata. The fungal biomass when exposed to aqueous iron(III) chloride solution led to the formation of highly stable γ-Fe 2 O 3 nanoparticles extracellularly. The influence of these biosynthesized γ-Fe 2 O 3 nanoparticles on the properties of hydroxyl propyl methyl cellulose was also investigated. Characterization of the biosynthesized γ-Fe 2 O 3 nanoparticles and HPMC-γ-Fe 2 O 3 nanocomposite films were done by the different types of spectral and electron microscopic analysis. The size of the γ-Fe 2 O 3 nanoparticles ranges from 75 to 650 nm. The mechanical effect of the agglomerated γ-Fe 2 O 3 nanoparticles into the HPMC polymer matrix was also investigated.

  16. SnO2-gated AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistors based oxygen sensors

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Hung, S.T.; Chung, Chi-Jung; Chen, Chin Ching

    2012-01-01

    Hydrothermally grown SnO2 was integrated with AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistor (HEMT) sensor as the gate electrode for oxygen detection. The crystalline of the SnO2 was improved after annealing at 400 C. The grain growth kinetics of the SnO2 nanomaterials, together with the O2 gas sensing properties and sensing mechanism of the SnO2 gated HEMT sensors were investigated. Detection of 1% oxygen in nitrogen at 100 C was possible. A low operation temperature and low power consumption oxygen sensor can be achieved by combining the SnO2 films with the AlGaN/GaN HEMT structure

  17. Raman spectroscopic features of Al- Fe3+- poor magnesiochromite and Fe2+- Fe3+- rich ferrian chromite solid solutions

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kharbish, Sherif

    2018-04-01

    Naturally occurring Al- Fe3 +- poor magnesiochromite and Fe2+- Fe3 +- rich ferrian chromite solid solutions have been analyzed by micro-Raman spectroscopy. The results reflect a strong positive correlation between the Fe3 + # [Fe3+/(Fe3 ++Cr + Al)] and the positions of all Raman bands. A positive correlation of the Raman band positions with Mg# [Mg/(Mg + Fe2 +)] is less stringent. Raman spectra of magnesiochromite and ferrian chromite show seven and six bands, respectively, in the spectral region of 800 - 100 cm- 1. The most intense band in both minerals is identified as symmetric stretching vibrational mode, ν 1( A 1 g ). In the intermediate Raman-shift region (400-600 cm- 1), the significant bands are attributed to the ν 3( F 2 g ) > ν 4( F 2 g ) > ν 2( E g ) modes. The bands with the lowest Raman shifts (< 200 cm- 1) are assigned to F 2 g ( trans) translatory lattice modes. Extra bands in magnesiochromite (two bands) and in ferrian chromite (one weak band) are attributed to lowering in local symmetry and order/disorder effects.

  18. Probing the Failure Mechanism of SnO2 Nanowires for Sodium-ion Batteries

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Gu, Meng; Kushima, Akihiro; Shao, Yuyan

    2013-09-30

    Non-lithium metals such as sodium have attracted wide attention as a potential charge carrying ion for rechargeable batteries, performing the same role as lithium in lithium- ion batteries. As sodium and lithium have the same +1 charge, it is assumed that what has been learnt about the operation of lithium ion batteries can be transferred directly to sodium batteries. Using in-situ TEM, in combination with DFT calculations, we probed the structural and chemical evolution of SnO2 nanowire anodes in Na-ion batteries and compared them quantitatively with results from Li-ion batteries [Science 330 (2010) 1515]. Upon Na insertion into SnO2, amore » displacement reaction occurs, leading to the formation of amorphous NaxSn nanoparticles covered by crystalline Na2O shell. With further Na insertion, the NaxSn core crystallized into Na15Sn4 (x=3.75). Upon extraction of Na (desodiation), the NaxSn core transforms to Sn nanoparticles. Associated with a volume shrinkage, nanopores appear and metallic Sn particles are confined in hollow shells of Na2O, mimicking a peapod structure. These pores greatly increase electrical impedance, therefore naturally accounting for the poor cyclability of SnO2. DFT calculations indicate that Na+ diffuses 30 times slower than Li+ in SnO2, in agreement with in-situ TEM measurement. Insertion of Na can chemo-mechanically soften the reaction product to greater extent than in lithiation. Therefore, in contrast to the lithiation of SnO2, no dislocation plasticity was seen ahead of the sodiation front. This direct comparison of the results from Na and Li highlights the critical role of ionic size and electronic structure of different ionic species on the charge/discharge rate and failure mechanisms in these batteries.« less

  19. A kinetic study of the reactions FeO+ + O, Fe+.N2 + O, Fe+.O2 + O and FeO+ + CO: implications for sporadic E layers in the upper atmosphere.

    PubMed

    Woodcock, K R S; Vondrak, T; Meech, S R; Plane, J M C

    2006-04-21

    These gas-phase reactions were studied by pulsed laser ablation of an iron target to produce Fe(+) in a fast flow tube, with detection of the ions by quadrupole mass spectrometry. Fe(+).N(2) and Fe(+).O(2) were produced by injecting N(2) and O(2), respectively, into the flow tube. FeO(+) was produced from Fe(+) by addition of N(2)O, or by ligand-switching from Fe(+).N(2) following the addition of atomic O. The following rate coefficients were measured: k(FeO(+) + O --> Fe(+) + O(2), 186-294 K) = (3.2 +/- 1.5) x 10(-11); k(Fe(+).N(2) + O --> FeO(+)+ N(2), 294 K) = (4.6 +/- 2.5) x 10(-10); k(Fe(+).O(2) + O --> FeO(+) + O(2), 294 K) = (6.3 +/- 2.7) x 10(-11); and k(FeO(+) + CO --> Fe(+) + CO(2), 294 K) = (1.59 +/- 0.34) x 10(-10) cm(3) molecule(-1) s(-1), where the quoted uncertainties are a combination of the 1sigma standard errors in the kinetic data and the systematic experimental errors. The surprisingly slow reaction between FeO(+) and O is examined using ab initio quantum calculations of the relevant potential energy surfaces. The importance of this reaction for controlling the lifetime of sporadic E layers is then demonstrated using a model of the upper mesosphere and lower thermosphere.

  20. Controllable construction of flower-like FeS/Fe2O3 composite for lithium storage

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wang, Jie; He, Huan; Wu, Zexing; Liang, Jianing; Han, Lili; Xin, Huolin L.; Guo, Xuyun; Zhu, Ye; Wang, Deli

    2018-07-01

    Transitions metal sulfides/oxides have been considered as promising anode candidates for next generation lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) due to high theoretical capacities. However, the large volume change during lithiation/delithiation process and poor electronic conductivity often result in a poor charging/discharging performance. Herein, we design a flower-like FeS/Fe2O3 composite via a simple "solvothermal-oxidation" method, in which the Fe2O3 is most distributed on the surface of the flower. The unique porous structure and synergistic effect between FeS and Fe2O3 not only accommodate the large volume expansion, but also facilitate Li ion and electron transport. The Fe2O3 shell effectively reduce the dissolution of Li2Sx during discharge/charge process. When serving as the anode material in lithium ion battery, FeS/Fe2O3 exhibits superior specific capacity, rate capacity and cycling stability compared with pure FeS and Fe2O3.

  1. A novel snowflake-like SnO2 hierarchical architecture with superior gas sensing properties

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Li, Yanqiong

    2018-02-01

    Snowflake-like SnO2 hierarchical architecture has been synthesized via a facile hydrothermal method and followed by calcination. The SnO2 hierarchical structures are assembled with thin nanoflakes blocks, which look like snowflake shape. A possible mechanism for the formation of the SnO2 hierarchical structures is speculated. Moreover, gas sensing tests show that the sensor based on snowflake-like SnO2 architectures exhibited excellent gas sensing properties. The enhancement may be attributed to its unique structures, in which the porous feature on the snowflake surface could further increase the active surface area of the materials and provide facile pathways for the target gas.

  2. Fabrication of textured SnO2 transparent conductive films using self-assembled Sn nanospheres

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Fukumoto, Michitaka; Nakao, Shoichiro; Hirose, Yasushi; Hasegawa, Tetsuya

    2018-06-01

    We present a novel method to fabricate textured surfaces on transparent conductive SnO2 films by processing substrates through a bottom-up technique with potential for industrially scalable production. The substrate processing consists of three steps: deposition of precursor Sn films on glass substrates, formation of a self-assembled Sn nanosphere layer with reductive annealing, and conversion of Sn to SnO2 by oxidative annealing. Ta-doped SnO2 films conformally deposited on the self-assembled nanospherical SnO2 templates exhibited attractive optical and electrical properties, namely, enhanced haze values and low sheet resistances, for applications as transparent electrodes in photovoltaics.

  3. Neutron diffraction study of the inverse spinels Co2TiO4 and Co2SnO4

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Thota, S.; Reehuis, M.; Maljuk, A.; Hoser, A.; Hoffmann, J.-U.; Weise, B.; Waske, A.; Krautz, M.; Joshi, D. C.; Nayak, S.; Ghosh, S.; Suresh, P.; Dasari, K.; Wurmehl, S.; Prokhnenko, O.; Büchner, B.

    2017-10-01

    We report a detailed single-crystal and powder neutron diffraction study of Co2TiO4 and Co2SnO4 between the temperature 1.6 and 80 K to probe the spin structure in the ground state. For both compounds the strongest magnetic intensity was observed for the (111)M reflection due to ferrimagnetic ordering, which sets in below TN=48.6 and 41 K for Co2TiO4 and Co2SnO4 , respectively. An additional low intensity magnetic reflection (200)M was noticed in Co2TiO4 due to the presence of an additional weak antiferromagnetic component. Interestingly, from both the powder and single-crystal neutron data of Co2TiO4 , we noticed a significant broadening of the magnetic (111)M reflection, which possibly results from the disordered character of the Ti and Co atoms on the B site. Practically, the same peak broadening was found for the neutron powder data of Co2SnO4 . On the other hand, from our single-crystal neutron diffraction data of Co2TiO4 , we found a spontaneous increase of particular nuclear Bragg reflections below the magnetic ordering temperature. Our data analysis showed that this unusual effect can be ascribed to the presence of anisotropic extinction, which is associated to a change of the mosaicity of the crystal. In this case, it can be expected that competing Jahn-Teller effects acting along different crystallographic axes can induce anisotropic local strain. In fact, for both ions Ti3 + and Co3 +, the 2 tg levels split into a lower dx y level yielding a higher twofold degenerate dx z/dy z level. As a consequence, one can expect a tetragonal distortion in Co2TiO4 with c /a <1 , which we could not significantly detect in the present work.

  4. Fe3O4/γ-Fe2O3 nanoparticle multilayers deposited by the Langmuir-Blodgett technique for gas sensors application.

    PubMed

    Capone, S; Manera, M G; Taurino, A; Siciliano, P; Rella, R; Luby, S; Benkovicova, M; Siffalovic, P; Majkova, E

    2014-02-04

    Fe3O4/γ-Fe2O3 nanoparticles (NPs) based thin films were used as active layers in solid state resistive chemical sensors. NPs were synthesized by high temperature solution phase reaction. Sensing NP monolayers (ML) were deposited by Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) techniques onto chemoresistive transduction platforms. The sensing ML were UV treated to remove NP insulating capping. Sensors surface was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Systematic gas sensing tests in controlled atmosphere were carried out toward NO2, CO, and acetone at different concentrations and working temperatures of the sensing layers. The best sensing performance results were obtained for sensors with higher NPs coverage (10 ML), mainly for NO2 gas showing interesting selectivity toward nitrogen oxides. Electrical properties and conduction mechanisms are discussed.

  5. Structural transformation in antiferroelectric PbZrO3-relaxor ferroelectric Pb(Ni1/3Nb2/3)O3 solid solution system

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wirunchit, S.; Vittayakorn, N.

    2008-07-01

    The solid solution between the antiferroelectric (AFE) PbZrO3 (PZ) and the relaxor ferroelectric (FE) Pb(Ni1/3Nb2/3)O3 (PNN) was synthesized by the columbite precursor method. The crystal structure, phase transformations, and dielectric and thermal properties of (1-x )PZ-xPNN where x =0.00-0.30 were investigated. With these data, the FE phase diagram between PZ and PNN has been established. The crystal structure data obtained from X-ray diffraction indicate that the solid solution PZ-PNN, where x =0.00-0.30, successively transforms from orthorhombic to rhombohedral symmetry with an increase in the PNN concentration. The AFE phase→FE phase transition occurs in compositions of 0.00⩽x⩽0.08. The AFE →FE phase transition shifts to lower temperatures with higher compositions of x. The FE phase temperature range width increases with increased PNN. Apparently the replacement of the Zr4+ ion by Ni2+/Nb5+ ions decreases the driving force for an antiparallel shift of Pb2+ ions because they interrupt the translational symmetry and facilitates the appearance of a rhombohedral FE phase when the amount of PNN is higher than 8mol%.

  6. Double-perovskites A 2FeMoO 6- δ (A = Ca, Sr, Ba) as anodes for solid oxide fuel cells

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhang, Leilei; Zhou, Qingjun; He, Qiang; He, Tianmin

    Double-perovskites A 2FeMoO 6- δ (A = Ca, Sr, Ba) have been investigated as potential anode materials for solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs). At room temperature, A 2FeMoO 6- δ compounds crystallize in monoclinic, tetragonal, and cubic structures for A = Ca, Sr, and Ba, respectively. A weak peak observed at around 880 cm -1 in the Raman spectra can be attributed to traces of AMoO 4. XPS has confirmed the coexistence of Fe 2+-Mo 6+ and Fe 3+-Mo 5+ electronic configurations. Moreover, a systematic shift from Fe 2+/3+-Mo 6+/5+ to Fe 2+-Mo 6+ configuration is seen with increasing A-site cation size. A 2FeMoO 6- δ samples display distinct electrical properties in H 2, which can be attributed to different degrees of degeneracy of the Fe 2+-Mo 6+ and Fe 3+-Mo 5+ configurations. Ca 2FeMoO 6- δ is unstable in a nitrogen atmosphere, while Sr 2FeMoO 6- δ and Ba 2FeMoO 6- δ are stable up to 1200 °C. The thermal expansion coefficients of Sr 2FeMoO 6- δ and Ba 2FeMoO 6- δ are very close to that of La 0.9Sr 0.1Ga 0.8Mg 0.2O 3- δ (LSGM). The performances of cells with 300 μm thick LSGM electrolyte, double-perovskite SmBaCo 2O 5+ x cathodes, and A 2FeMoO 6- δ anodes follow the sequence Ca 2FeMoO 6- δ < Ba 2FeMoO 6- δ < Sr 2FeMoO 6- δ. The maximum power densities of a cell with an Sr 2FeMoO 6- δ anode reach 831 mW cm -2 in dry H 2 and 735 mW cm -2 in commercial city gas at 850 °C, respectively.

  7. Modelling Equilibrium and Fractional Crystallization in the System MgO-FeO-CaO-Al2O3-SiO2

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Herbert, F.

    1985-01-01

    A mathematical modelling technique for use in petrogenesis calculations in the system MgO-FeO-CaO-Al2O3-SiO2 is reported. Semiempirical phase boundary and elemental distribution information was combined with mass balance to compute approximate equilibrium crystallization paths for arbitrary system compositions. The calculation is applicable to a range of system compositions and fractionation calculations are possible. The goal of the calculation is the computation of the composition and quantity of each phase present as a function of the degree of solidification. The degree of solidification is parameterized by the heat released by the solidifying phases. The mathematical requirement for the solution of this problem is: (1) An equation constraining the composition of the magma for each solid phase in equilibrium with the liquidus phase, and (2) an equation for each solid phase and each component giving the distribution of that element between that phase and the magma.

  8. 2:1 Charge disproportionation in perovskite-structure oxide La{sub 1/3}Ca{sub 2/3}FeO{sub 3} with unusually-high-valence Fe{sup 3.67+}

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Guo, Haichuan; Hosaka, Yoshiteru; Seki, Hayato

    La{sub 1/3}Ca{sub 2/3}FeO{sub 3} with unusually-high-valence Fe{sup 3.67+} was synthesized at a high pressure and high temperature. The compound crystallizes in a √22a×√2a perovskite cell in which the La and Ca ions at the A site are disordered. At 217 K the Fe{sup 3.67+} shows charge disproportionation to Fe{sup 3+} and Fe{sup 5+} in a ratio of 2:1, and this disproportionation is accompanied by transitions in magnetic and transport properties. The charge-disproportionated Fe{sup 3+} and Fe{sup 5+} are arranged along the <111> direction of the cubic perovskite cell. The local electronic and magnetic environments of Fe in La{sub 1/3}Ca{sub 2/3}FeO{submore » 3} are quite similar to those of Fe in La{sub 1/3}Sr{sub 2/3}FeO{sub 3}, and the 2:1 charge disproportionation pattern of Fe{sup 3+} and Fe{sup 5+} in La{sub 1/3}Ca{sub 2/3}FeO{sub 3} is also the same as that in La{sub 1/3}Sr{sub 2/3}FeO{sub 3}. - Graphical abstract: The perovskite-structure oxide La{sub 1/3}Ca{sub 2/3}FeO{sub 3} with unusually-high-valence Fe{sup 3.67+} shows charge disproportionation to Fe{sup 3+} and Fe{sup 5+} in a ratio of 2:1, and the charge-disproportionated Fe{sup 3+} and Fe{sup 5+} are arranged along the <111> direction of the cubic perovskite cell. - Highlights: • La{sub 1/3}Ca{sub 2/3}FeO{sub 3} with unusually-high-valence Fe{sup 3.67+} was synthesized at a high pressure and high temperature. • At 217 K the Fe{sup 3.67+} shows charge disproportionation (CD) to Fe{sup 3+} and Fe{sup 5+} in a ratio of 2:1. • The charge-disproportionated Fe{sup 3+} and Fe{sup 5+} are arranged along the <111> direction of the cubic perovskite cell. • The disproportionation is accompanied by transitions in magnetic and transport properties.« less

  9. Ascorbic acid/Fe@Fe2O3: A highly efficient combined Fenton reagent to remove organic contaminants.

    PubMed

    Hou, Xiaojing; Huang, Xiaopeng; Ai, Zhihui; Zhao, Jincai; Zhang, Lizhi

    2016-06-05

    In this study, we demonstrate that the combination of ascorbic acid and Fe@Fe2O3 core-shell nanowires (AA/Fe@Fe2O3) offers a highly efficient Fenton reagent. This combined Fenton reagent exhibited extremely high activity on the decomposition of H2O2 to produce OH for the degradation of various organic contaminants, including rhodamine B, methylene blue, alachlor, atrazine, siduron, lincomycin, and chloroamphenicol. The contaminant degradation constants in the AA/Fe@Fe2O3/H2O2 Fenton systems were 38-53 times higher than those in the conventional homogeneous Fenton system (Fe(II)/H2O2) at pH 3.8. Moreover, the OH generation rate constant in the AA/Fe@Fe2O3/H2O2 Fenton system was 1-3 orders of magnitudes greater than those of heterogeneous Fenton systems developed with other iron-containing materials (α-FeOOH, α-Fe2O3, FeOCl, and so on). The high activity of AA/Fe@Fe2O3 was attributed to the effective Fe(III)/Fe(II) cycle and the iron-ascorbate complex formation to stabilize ferrous ions with desirable and steady concentrations. During the AA/Fe@Fe2O3/H2O2 Fenton process, ascorbic acid served as a reducing and complexing reagent, enabling the reuse of Fe@Fe2O3 nanowires. We systematically investigated the alachlor and ascorbic acid degradation and found that they could be effectively degraded in the AA/Fe@Fe2O3/H2O2 system, accompanying with 100% of dechlorination and 92% of denitrification. This study sheds light on the importance of Fe(III)/Fe(II) cycle for the design of high efficient Fenton system and provides an alternative pathway for the organic contaminants removal. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  10. Semiconductor Ceramic Mn0.5Fe1.5O3-Fe2O3 from Natural Minerals as Ethanol Gas Sensors

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Aliah, H.; Syarif, D. G.; Iman, R. N.; Sawitri, A.; Sanjaya WS, M.; Nurul Subkhi, M.; Pitriana, P.

    2018-05-01

    In this research, Mn and Fe-based ceramic gas sensing were fabricated and characterized. This research used natural mineral which is widely available in Indonesia and intended to observe the characteristics of Mn and Fe-based semiconducting material. Fabricating process of the thick films started by synthesizing the ceramic powder of Fe(OH)3 and Mn oxide material using the precipitation method. The deposition from precipitation method previously was calcined at a temperature of 800 °C to produce nanoparticle powder. Nanoparticle powder that contains Mn and Fe oxide was mixed with an organic vehicle (OV) to produce a paste. Then, the paste was layered on the alumina substrate by using the screen printing method. XRD method was utilized to characterize the thick film crystal structure that has been produced. XRD spectra showed that the ceramic layer was formed from the solid Mn0.5Fe1.5O3 (bixbyite) and Fe2O3. In addition, the electrical properties (resistance) examination was held in the room that contains air and ethanol to determine the sensor sensitivity of ethanol gas. The sensor resistance decreases as the ethanol gas was added, showing that the sensor was sensitive to ethanol gas and an n-type semiconductor. Gas sensor exhibit sensitive characterization of ethanol gas on the concentration of (100 to 300) ppm at a temperature of (150 to 200) °C. This showed that the Mn0.5Fe1.5O3-Fe2O3 ceramic semiconductor could be utilized as the ethanol gas detector.

  11. Magneto-optical properties of α-Fe2O3@ZnO nanocomposites prepared by the high energy ball-milling technique

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chaudhury, Chandana Roy; Roychowdhury, Anirban; Das, Anusree; Das, Dipankar

    2016-05-01

    Magnetic-fluorescent nanocomposites (NCs) with 10 wt% of α-Fe2O3 in ZnO have been prepared by the high energy ball-milling. The crystallite sizes of α-Fe2O3 and ZnO in the NCs are found to vary from 65 nm to 20 nm and 47 nm to 15 nm respectively as milling time is increased from 2 to 30 h. XRD analysis confirms presence of α-Fe2O3 and ZnO in pure form in all the NCs. UV-vis study of the NCs shows a continuous blue-shift of the absorption peak and a steady increase of band gap of ZnO with increasing milling duration that are assigned to decreasing particle size of ZnO in the NCs. Photoluminescence (PL) spectra of the NCs reveal three weak emission bands in the visible region at 421, 445 and 485 nm along with the strong near band edge emission at 391 nm. These weak emission bands are attributed to different defect - related energy levels e.g. Zn-vacancy, Zn interstitial and oxygen vacancy. Dc and ac magnetization measurements show presence of weakly interacting superparamagnetic (SPM) α-Fe2O3 particles in the NCs. 57Fe-Mössbauer study confirms presence of SPM hematite in the sample milled for 30 h. Positron annihilation lifetime measurements indicate presence of cation vacancies in ZnO nanostructures confirming results of PL studies.

  12. Roles of cobalt doping on ethanol-sensing mechanisms of flame-spray-made SnO2 nanoparticles-electrolytically exfoliated graphene interfaces

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Punginsang, Matawee; Wisitsoraat, Anurat; Sriprachuabwong, Chakrit; Phokharatkul, Ditsayut; Tuantranont, Adisorn; Phanichphant, Sukon; Liewhiran, Chaikarn

    2017-12-01

    In this work, the roles of cobalt (Co) and electrolytically exfoliated graphene additives on ethanol gas-sensing properties of flame-spray-made SnO2 nanoparticles were systematically studied. Structural characterizations indicated that Co dopants formed solid solution with SnO2 nanoparticles while multilayer graphene sheets were well dispersed within the Co-doped SnO2 matrix at low graphene loading contents. The sensing films were fabricated by a spin coating process and tested towards 50-1000 ppm ethanol at 150-400 °C. It was found that the response to 1000 ppm ethanol at the optimal working temperature of 350 °C was enhanced from 91 to 292 and to 803 by 0.5 wt% graphene loading and 0.5 wt% Co-doping, respectively. The combination of Co-doping and graphene loading with the same concentration of 0.5 wt% led to a synergistic enhancement of ethanol response to 2147 at 1000 ppm with a short response time of ∼0.9 s and fast recovery stabilization at 350 °C, proving the significance of dopant on the gas-sensing performances of graphene/SnO2 composites. Furthermore, the optimal sensor exhibited high ethanol selectivity against C3H6O, NO2, H2S, H2, CH4 and humidity. The mechanisms for the ethanol response enhancement were proposed on the basis of combinative effects of catalytic substitutional p-type Co dopants and active graphene-Co-doped SnO2 M-S junctions with highly accessible surface area of micropores and mesopores in the composites. Therefore, the graphene loaded Co-doped SnO2 sensor is highly potential for responsive and selective detection of ethanol vapor at ppm levels and may be practically useful for drunken driving applications.

  13. Effect of Ga incorporation on morphology and defect structures evolution in VLS grown 1D In2O3 nanostructures

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ramos-Ramón, Jesús Alberto; Pal, Umapada; Cremades, Ana; Maestre, David

    2018-05-01

    Fabrication of 1D metal oxide nanostructures of controlled morphology and defect structure is of immense importance for their application in optoelectronics. While the morphology of these nanostructures depends primarily on growth parameters utilized in physical deposition processes, incorporation of foreign elements or dopants not only affects their morphology, but also affects their crystallinity and defect structure, which are the most important parameters for their device applications. Herein we report on the growth of highly crystalline 1D In2O3 nanostructures through vapor-liquid-solid process at relatively low temperature, and the effect of Ga incorporation on their morphology and defect structures. Through electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy and cathodoluminescence spectroscopy techniques, we demonstrate that incorporation of Ga in In2O3 nanostructures not only strongly affects their morphology, but also generates new defect levels in the band gap of In2O3, shifting the overall emission of the nanostructures towards visible spectral range.

  14. Biomineralization associated with microbial reduction of Fe3+ and oxidation of Fe2+ in solid minerals

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Zhang, G.; Dong, H.; Jiang, H.; Kukkadapu, R.K.; Kim, J.; Eberl, D.; Xu, Z.

    2009-01-01

    Iron-reducing and oxidizing microorganisms gain energy through reduction or oxidation of iron, and by doing so play an important role in the geochemical cycling of iron. This study was undertaken to investigate mineral transformations associated with microbial reduction of Fe3+ and oxidation of Fe2+ in solid minerals. A fluid sample from the 2450 m depth of the Chinese Continental Scientific Drilling project was collected, and Fe3+-reducing and Fe2+-oxidizing microorganisms were enriched. The enrichment cultures displayed reduction of Fe3+ in nontronite and ferric citrate, and oxidation of Fe2+ in vivianite, siderite, and monosulfide (FeS). Additional experiments verified that the iron reduction and oxidation was biological. Oxidation of FeS resulted in the formation of goethite, lepidocrocite, and ferrihydrite as products. Although our molecular microbiological analyses detected Thermoan-aerobacter ethanolicus as a predominant organism in the enrichment culture, Fe3+ reduction and Fe2+ oxidation may be accomplished by a consortia of organisms. Our results have important environmental and ecological implications for iron redox cycling in solid minerals in natural environments, where iron mineral transformations may be related to the mobility and solubility of inorganic and organic contaminants.

  15. Highly patterned growth of SnO2 nanowires using a sub-atmospheric vapor-liquid-solid deposition

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Akbari, M.; Mohajerzadeh, S.

    2017-08-01

    We report the realization of tin-oxide nanowires on patterned structures using a vapor-liquid-solid (VLS) process. While gold acts as the catalyst for the growth of wires, a tin-oxide containing sol-gel solution is spin coated on silicon substrate to act as the source for SnO vapor. The growth of tin-oxide nano-structures occurs mostly at the vicinity of the pre-deposited solution. By patterning the gold as the catalyst material, one is able to observe the growth at desired places. The growth of nanowires is highly dense within 100 µm away from such in situ source and their length is of the order of 5 µm. By further distancing from the source, the growth becomes more limited and nanowires become shorter and more sparsely distributed. The growth of nanowires has been studied using scanning and transmission electron microscopy tools while their composition has been investigated using XRD and EDS analyses. As a novel application, we have employed the grown nanowires as electron detection elements to measure the emitted electrons from electron sources. This configuration can be further used as electron detectors for scanning electron microscopes.

  16. BaFe2As2/Fe Bilayers with [001]-tilt Grain Boundary on MgO and SrTiO3 Bicrystal Substrates

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Iida, K.; Haindl, S.; Kurth, F.; Hänisch, J.; Schulz, L.; Holzapfel, B.

    Co-doped BaFe2As2 (Ba-122) can be realized on both MgO and SrTiO3 bicrystal substrates with [001]-tilt grain boundary by employing Fe buffer layers. However, an additional spinel (i.e. MgAl2O4) buffer between Fe and SrTiO3 is necessary since an epitaxial, smooth surface of Fe layer can not be grown on bare SrTiO3. Both types of bicrystal films show good crystalline quality.

  17. Preparation of Fe2O3-TiO2 composite from Sukabumi iron sand through magnetic separation, pyrometallurgy, and hydrometallurgy

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wahyuningsih, S.; Ramelan, A. H.; Pranata, H. P.; Hanif, Q. A.; Ismoyo, Y. A.; Ichsan, K. F.

    2016-11-01

    Preparation of Fe2O3/TiO2 composite from Sukabumi iron sand by magnetic separation, roasting, leaching and precipitation treatment has been carried out. Magnetic separation can separate magnetic particles and non-magnetic particles of iron sand content, while the non-magnetic particles (wustite (FeO), hematite (α-Fe2O3), maghemite (γ-Fe2O3) and magnetite (Fe3O4)) was washing with oxalic acid 1 M. The result product then was roasted at 800 °C treated by sodium carbonate (Na2CO3) addition of 1:1; 2:1 and 1:2 (w/w) of iron sand to Na2CO3 weight ratio, respectively. The X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) analysis result shown that Sukabumi iron sand have hematite (Fe2O3) and titanium dioxide (TiO2) content about 72.17% dan 14.42%. XRD analysis of roasted iron sand shown the rutile (TiO2), Hematite (Fe2O3), NaFeO2, FeO, and Na2TiO3. Leaching of roasted iron sand using sulphuric acid (H2SO4) have influenced by concentrations of the H2SO4 solution. The optimum iron sand dissolution occurred in H2SO4 9 M, which condensation product of the leachant have a weight ratio of Fe:Ti = 1:1 (w/w). Meanwhile, the settling back-filtrate result of second condensation was obtained a ratio of Fe2O3: TiO2 of 3: 1 (w/w).

  18. Ultrafast recombination dynamics in dye-sensitized SnO 2/TiO 2 core/shell films

    DOE PAGES

    Gish, Melissa K.; Lapides, Alexander M.; Brennaman, M. Kyle; ...

    2016-12-02

    In dye-sensitized photoelectrosynthesis cells (DSPECs), molecular chromophores and catalysts are integrated on a semiconductor surface to perform water oxidation or CO 2 reduction after a series of light-induced electron transfer events. Unfortunately, recombination of the charge separated state (CSS) is competitive with productive catalysis. To overcome this major obstacle, implementation of photoanodic core/shell films within these devices improve electrochemical behavior and slow recombination through the introduction of an energetic barrier between the semiconductor core and oxidized species on the surface. In this study, interfacial dynamics are investigated in SnO 2/TiO 2 core/shell films derivatized with a Ru(II)-polypyridyl chromophore ([RuII(bpy)2(4,4'-(PO 3Hmore » 2) 2bpy)] 2+, RuP) using transient absorption methods. Electron injection from the chromophore into the TiO 2 shell occurs within a few picoseconds after photoexcitation. Loss of the oxidized dye through recombination occurs across time scales spanning 10 orders of magnitude. The majority (60%) of charge recombination events occur shortly after injection (τ = 220 ps), while a small fraction (≤20%) of the oxidized chromophores persists for milliseconds. The lifetime of long-lived CSS depends exponentially on shell thickness, suggesting that the injected electrons reside in the SnO 2 core and must tunnel through the TiO 2 shell to recombine with oxidized dyes. While the core/shell architecture extends the lifetime in a small fraction of the CSS, making water oxidation possible, the subnanosecond recombination process has profound implications for the overall efficiencies of DSPECs.« less

  19. Characterization of SnO2/Ni/SiO2-MCP anode in three-dimensional lithium-ion battery

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lou, Xuefeng; Xu, Shaohui; Zhu, Yiping; Wang, Lianwei; Chu, Paul K.

    2013-12-01

    By combining a SnO2 thin film with silicon dioxide microchannel plate (SiO2-MCP), a three-dimensional (3D) structure with enough space to accommodate the volume change of SnO2 during charging-discharging is produced by MEMS and electroless deposition. Owing to the special structure of the MCP, the battery is able to deliver a reversible Li storage capacity of 408 mAhg-1 after 100 cycles. If the current density is reduced to 200 mAg-1 at a constant current during charging and discharging, the battery exhibits reversible capacities of 1575 and 996 mAhg-1 in the first discharging and charging cycle, respectively. However, a reversible Li-storage capacity of only 298 mAhg-1 is obtained after 50 cycles of deep charging at a current of 200 mAg-1. It is found that silicon is involved in the charging-discharging process at a low current.

  20. Fabrication of hydrogen peroxide biosensor based on Ni doped SnO2 nanoparticles.

    PubMed

    Lavanya, N; Radhakrishnan, S; Sekar, C

    2012-01-01

    Ni doped SnO(2) nanoparticles (0-5 wt%) have been prepared by a simple microwave irradiation (2.45 GHz) method. Powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) studies confirmed the formation of rutile structure with space group (P(42)/mnm) and nanocrystalline nature of the products with spherical morphology. Direct electrochemistry of horseradish peroxidase (HRP)/nano-SnO(2) composite has been studied. The immobilized enzyme retained its bioactivity, exhibited a surface confined, reversible one-proton and one-electron transfer reaction, and had good stability, activity and a fast heterogeneous electron transfer rate. A significant enzyme loading (3.374×10(-10) mol cm(-2)) has been obtained on nano-Ni doped SnO(2) as compared to the bare glassy carbon (GC) and nano-SnO(2) modified surfaces. This HRP/nano-Ni-SnO(2) film has been used for sensitive detection of H(2)O(2) by differential pulse voltammetry (DPV), which exhibited a wider linearity range from 1.0×10(-7) to 3.0×10(-4)M (R=0.9897) with a detection limit of 43 nM. The apparent Michaelis-Menten constant (K(M)(app)) of HRP on the nano-Ni-SnO(2) was estimated as 0.221 mM. This excellent performance of the fabricated biosensor is attributed to large surface-to-volume ratio and Ni doping into SnO(2) which facilitate the direct electron transfer between the redox enzyme and the surface of electrode. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  1. Ti(IV)-doped γ-Fe2O3 nanoparticles possessing unique textural and chemical properties: Enhanced suppression of phase transformation and promising catalytic activity

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Khaleel, Abbas; Parvin, Maliha; AlTabaji, Moahmmed; Al-zamly, Ahmed

    2018-03-01

    Nanostructured Ti(IV)-doped γ-Fe2O3 was prepared via a sol-gel method, and the effect of doping on the phase stability, textural properties, and catalytic activity was investigated. Well-dispersed 10% Ti in γ-Fe2O3 structure was found to significantly suppress its conversion to α-Fe2O3. While undoped product contained both phases, γ- and α-Fe2O3, at 400 °C, its doped counterpart contained γ-Fe2O3 as the sole phase at temperatures as high as 500 °C and partial conversion started only at 550 °C. Doping also resulted in modified textural properties, including smaller particles, larger surface areas, and higher mesoporosity, as well as enhanced reducibility and catalytic activity.

  2. Solid phase extraction of magnetic carbon doped Fe3O4 nanoparticles.

    PubMed

    Yang, Jing; Li, Jia-yuan; Qiao, Jun-qin; Lian, Hong-zhen; Chen, Hong-yuan

    2014-01-17

    Carbon decorated Fe3O4 nanoparticles (Fe3O4/C) are promising magnetic solid-phase extraction (MSPE) sorbents in environmental and biological analysis. Fe3O4/C based MSPE method shows advantages of easy operation, rapidness, high sensitivity, and environmental friendliness. In this paper, the MSPE mechanism of Fe3O4/C nanoparticles has been comprehensively investigated, for the first time, through the following three efforts: (1) the comparison of extraction efficiency for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) between the Fe3O4/C sorbents and activated carbon; (2) the chromatographic retention behaviors of hydrophobic and hydrophilic compounds on Fe3O4/C nanoparticles as stationary phase; (3) related MSPE experiments for several typical compounds such as pyrene, naphthalene, benzene, phenol, resorcinol, anisole and thioanisole. It can be concluded that there are hybrid hydrophobic interaction and hydrogen bonding interaction or dipole-dipole attraction between Fe3O4/C sorbents and analytes. It is the existence of carbon and oxygen-containing functional groups coated on the surface of Fe3O4/C nanoparticles that is responsible for the effective extraction process. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  3. Magnetic characteristics and nanostructures of FePt granular films with GeO2 segregant

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ono, Takuya; Moriya, Tomohiro; Hatayama, Masatoshi; Tsumura, Kaoru; Kikuchi, Nobuaki; Okamoto, Satoshi; Kitakami, Osamu; Shimatsu, Takehito

    2017-01-01

    To realize a granular film composed of L10-FePt grains with high uniaxial magnetic anisotropy energy, Ku, and segregants for energy-assisted magnetic recording, a FePt-GeO2/FePt-C stacked film was investigated in the engineering process. The FePt-GeO2/FePt-C stacked film fabricated at a substrate temperature of 450 °C realized uniaxial magnetic anisotropy, Kugrain , of about 2.5 × 107 erg/cm3, which is normalized by the volume fraction of FePt grains, and a granular structure with an averaged grain size of 7.7 nm. As the thickness of the FePt-GeO2 upper layer was increased to 9 nm, the Ku values were almost constant. That result differs absolutely from the thickness dependences of the other oxide segregant materials such as SiO2 and TiO2. Such differences on the oxide segregant are attributed to their chemical bond. The strong covalent bond of GeO2 is expected to result in high Ku of the FePt-GeO2/FePt-C stacked films.

  4. Zr-doped SnO2 thin films synthesized by spray pyrolysis technique for barrier layers in solar cells

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Reddy, N. Nanda Kumar; Akkera, Harish Sharma; Sekhar, M. Chandra; Park, Si-Hyun

    2017-12-01

    In the present work, we investigated the effect of Zr doping (0-6 at%) on the structural, electrical, and optical properties of tin oxide (SnO2) thin films deposited onto glass substrates using a spray pyrolysis technique. The room-temperature X-ray diffraction pattern shows that all deposited films exhibit polycrystalline tetragonal structure. The pure SnO2 film is grown along a preferred (200) direction, whereas Zr-doped SnO2 (Zr:SnO2) films started growing along the (220) orientation along with a high intensity peak of (200). Scanning electron microscope (SEM) and atomic force microscope (AFM) images showed that the grains of the films are spherical in structure, and the grain size decreased with increasing of Zr concentration. The optical transmission spectra of deposited films as a function of wavelength confirm that the average optical transmittance is > 85% for Zr:SnO2 films. The value of the optical bandgap is significantly decreased from 3.94 to 3.68 eV with increasing Zr concentration. Furthermore, the electrical measurements found that the sheet resistance ( R sh) and resistivity ( ρ) values are decreased with increasing of Zr doping. The lowest values of R sh = 6.82 Ω and ρ = 0.4 × 10- 3 Ω cm are found in 6-at% Zr-doped SnO2 film. In addition, a good efficiency value of the figure of merit ( ɸ = 3.35 × 10- 3 Ω-1) is observed in 6-at% Zr-doped SnO2 film. These outstanding properties of Zr-doped SnO2 films make them useful for several optoelectronic device applications.

  5. Facile synthesis of low-dimensional SnO2 nanostructures: An investigation of their performance and mechanism of action as anode materials for lithium-ion batteries

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Usman Hameed, Muhammad; Ullah Dar, Sami; Ali, Shafqat; Liu, Sitong; Akram, Raheel; Wu, Zhanpeng; Butler, Ian S.

    2017-07-01

    Owing to high-energy density of rechargeable lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), they have been investigated as an efficient electrochemical power sources for various energy applications. High theoretical capacities of tin oxide (SnO2) anodes have led us a path to meet the ever-growing demands in the development of high-performance electrode materials for LIBs. In this paper, a facile approach is described for the synthesis of porous low-dimensional nanoparticles and nanorods of SnO2 for application in LIBs with the help of Tween-80 as a surfactant. The SnO2 samples synthesized at different reaction temperatures produced porous nanoparticles and nanorods with average diameters of 7-10 nm and 70-110 nm, respectively. The SnO2 nanoparticle electrodes exhibit a high reversible charge capacity of 641.1 mAh/g at 200 mA/g after 50 cycles, and a capacity of 340 mAh/g even at a high current density of 1000 mA/g during the rate tests, whereas the porous nanorod electrodes delivers only 526.3 mAh/g at 200 mA/g after 50 cycles and 309.4 mAh/g at 1000 mA/g. It is believed that finer sized SnO2 nanoparticles are much more favorable to trap more Li+ ion during electrochemical cycling, resulting in a large irreversible capacity. In contrast, rapid capacity fading was observed for the porous nanorods, which is the result of their pulverization resulting from repeated cycling.

  6. Manipulating Conduction in Metal Oxide Semiconductors: Mechanism Investigation and Conductance Tuning in Doped Fe2O3 Hematite and Metal/Ga2O3/Metal Heterostructure

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhao, Bo

    This study aims at understanding the fundamental mechanisms of conduction in several metal oxide semiconductors, namely alpha-Fe2O 3 and beta-Ga2O3, and how it could be tuned to desired values/states to enable a wide range of application. In the first effort, by adding Ti dopant, we successfully turned Fe2O3 from insulating to conductive by fabricated compositionally and structurally well-defined epitaxial alpha-(TixFe1-x)2 O3(0001) films for x ≤ 0.09. All films were grown by oxygen plasma assisted molecular beam epitaxy on Al2O3(0001) sapphire substrate with a buffer layer of Cr2O3 to relax the strain from lattice mismatch. Van der Pauw resistivity and Hall effect measurements reveal carrier concentrations between 1019 and 1020 cm-3 at room temperature and mobilities in the range of 0.1 to 0.6 cm2/V˙s. Such low mobility, unlike conventional band-conduction semiconductor, was attributed to hopping mechanism due to strong electron-phonon interaction in the lattice. More interestingly, conduction mechanism transitions from small-polaron hopping at higher temperatures to variable range hopping at lower temperatures with a transition temperature between 180 to 140 K. Consequently, by adding Ti dopant, conductive Fe 2O3 hematite thin films were achieved with a well-understood conducting mechanism that could guide further device application such as spin transistor and water splitting. In the case of Ga2O3, while having a band gap as high as 5 eV, they are usually conductive for commercially available samples due to unintentional Si doping. However, we discovered the conductance could be repeatedly switched between high resistance state and low resistance state when made into metal/Ga2O3 /metal heterostructure. However, to obtain well controlled switching process with consistent switching voltages and resistances, understanding switching mechanism is the key. In this study, we fabricated resistive switching devices utilizing a Ni/Ga2O3/Ir heterostructure. Bipolar

  7. Crystal Phases Formed in a CaO-Fe2O3 System Under a High Cooling Rate in Air

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kashiwaya, Yoshiaki

    2017-12-01

    A CaO-Fe2O3 system is a fundamental binary system for the iron ore sintering process. Although the basic reactions have been investigated since the 1960s, melting and solidification caused by the combustion of coke results in an unstable state owing to extreme temperature variations. In this study, using a hot thermocouple method, samples of 10 pct CaO-90 pct Fe2O3 and 20 pct CaO-80 pct Fe2O3 were melted on a thermocouple and quenched with several techniques. The obtained samples were precisely examined by XRD. It was found that the sample containing 10 pct CaO-90 pct Fe2O3 changed to 10 pct CaO-13 pct FeO-77 pct Fe2O3 under an oxygen partial pressure ( P_{{{O}2 }} ) of 0.21 during melting. For the 10 pct CaO sample, the crystal phases found at a low cooling rate (509 K/s) were WFss, C4WF8 (C: CaO, W: FeO, F: Fe2O3), and C2W4F9. When the sample composition was 20 pct CaO, the precipitated crystal phases were C4WF4, C4F7, and C4WF8. On the other hand, the crystal phases for high cooling rates (1590 and 7900 K/s) with 10 pct CaO were WFss (solid solution of WF and F), F, and C2W4F9. The formation of the equilibrium phases WFss, F, C4WF4, and C4WF8 can be understood by examining the isothermal section of the phase diagrams, while the unstable phases C2W4F9 and C4F7 are discussed on the basis of the reactions under an equilibrium state.

  8. New Insight into the Reaction Mechanism for Exceptional Capacity of Ordered Mesoporous SnO2 Electrodes via Synchrotron-Based X-ray Analysis

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Kim, Hyunchul; Park, Gwi Ok; Kim, Yunok

    2014-11-25

    Tin oxide-based materials, operating via irreversible conversion and reversible alloying reaction, are promising lithium storage materials due to their higher capacity. Recent studies reported that nanostructured SnO2 anode provides higher capacity beyond theoretical capacity based on the alloying reaction mechanism; however, their exact mechanism remains still unclear. Here, we report the detailed lithium storage mechanism of an ordered mesoporous SnO2 electrode material. Synchrotron X-ray diffraction and absorption spectroscopy reveal that some portion of Li2O decomposes upon delithiation and the resulting oxygen reacts with Sn to form the SnOx phase along with dealloying of LixSn, which are the main reasons formore » unexpected high capacity of an ordered mesoporous SnO2 material. This finding will not only be helpful in a more complete understanding of the reaction mechanism of Sn-based oxide anode materials but also will offer valuable guidance for developing new anode materials with abnormal high capacity for next generation rechargeable batteries« less

  9. Magnetically engineered SnO2 quantum dots as a bimodal agent for optical and magnetic resonance imaging

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Dutta, Dipa; Gupta, Jagriti; Thakur, Dinbandhu; Bahadur, Dhirendra

    2017-12-01

    Combining more than one imaging technique into a single system can outweigh the limitations of conventional imaging techniques. Pairing optically active quantum dots (QDs) with superparamagnetic MRI agent is an adorable way to develop probes for bimodal imaging. Tiny SnO2 quantum dot embedded iron oxide (IO) nanocomposite (SQD-IO) is synthesized. This combines the superparamagnetic property of IO nanoparticles (NPs) and special optical properties of SnO2 QDs, and is explored as a bimodal imaging agent. Morphological studies of the nanocomposite reveal that 3 nm tiny SnO2 QDs are embedded in ~30 nm γ-Fe2O3 NPs. The SQD-IO preserves the intrinsic superparamagnetic behaviour of its constituent IO NPs with a magnetization ~21.4 emu g-1 measured at an applied field of 20k Oe. The emission colour of the nanocomposite is tuned by simply varying the excitation wavelength. The centre of the emission band shifts from 570 to 600 nm as the excitation alters from 488 to 535 nm. The cytotoxicity assessment indicates that the nanocomposite is suitable for its in vitro use. Transverse proton relaxivity (141 mM-1 s-1) of the nanocomposite is higher than the widely used negative contrast agent Feridex (R2  =  98.3 mM-1 s-1). The confocal laser scanning microscope images give evidence of the cellular uptake behaviour of SQD-IO in HeLa cells and it is seen that QDs retain their optical properties within the intracellular environment. The high R2 value for MRI and the tunable florescence images of HeLa cells essentially establish SQD-IO as a potential probe for bimodal imaging.

  10. The solubility and site preference of Fe{sup 3+} in Li{sub 7−3x}Fe{sub x}La{sub 3}Zr{sub 2}O{sub 12} garnets

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Rettenwander, D., E-mail: daniel.rettenwander@sbg.ac.at; Geiger, C.A.; Tribus, M.

    2015-10-15

    A series of Fe{sup 3+}-bearing Li{sub 7}La{sub 3}Zr{sub 2}O{sub 12} (LLZO) garnets was synthesized using solid-state synthesis methods. The synthetic products were characterized compositionally using electron microprobe analysis and inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES) and structurally using X-ray powder diffraction and {sup 57}Fe Mössbauer spectroscopy. A maximum of about 0.25 Fe{sup 3+} pfu could be incorporated in Li{sub 7−3x}Fe{sub x}La{sub 3}Zr{sub 2}O{sub 12} garnet solid solutions. At Fe{sup 3+} concentrations lower than about 0.16 pfu, both tetragonal and cubic garnets were obtained in the synthesis experiments. X-ray powder diffraction analysis showed only a garnet phase for syntheses withmore » starting materials having intended Fe{sup 3+} contents lower than 0.52 Fe{sup 3+} pfu. Back-scattered electron images made with an electron microprobe also showed no phase other than garnet for these compositions. The lattice parameter, a{sub 0}, for all solid-solution garnets is similar with a value of a{sub 0}≈12.98 Å regardless of the amount of Fe{sup 3+}. {sup 57}Fe Mössbauer spectroscopic measurements indicate the presence of poorly- or nano-crystalline FeLaO{sub 3} in syntheses with Fe{sup 3+} contents greater than 0.16 Fe{sup 3+} pfu. The composition of different phase pure Li{sub 7−3x}Fe{sub x}La{sub 3}Zr{sub 2}O{sub 12} garnets, as determined by electron microprobe (Fe, La, Zr) and ICP-OES (Li) measurements, give Li{sub 6.89}Fe{sub 0.03}La{sub 3.05}Zr{sub 2.01}O{sub 12}, Li{sub 6.66}Fe{sub 0.06}La{sub 3.06}Zr{sub 2.01}O{sub 12}, Li{sub 6.54}Fe{sub 0.12}La{sub 3.01}Zr{sub 1.98}O{sub 12}, and Li{sub 6.19}Fe{sub 0.19}La{sub 3.02}Zr{sub 2.04}O{sub 12}. The {sup 57}Fe Mössbauer spectrum of cubic Li{sub 6.54}Fe{sub 0.12}La{sub 3.01}Zr{sub 1.98}O{sub 12} garnet indicates that most Fe{sup 3+} occurs at the special crystallographic 24d position, which is the standard tetrahedrally coordinated site in garnet. Fe{sup 3+} in

  11. Acetone sensors based on microsheet-assembled hierarchical Fe2O3 with different Fe3+ concentrations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wang, Han; Yan, Lei; Li, Shuo; Li, Yu; Liu, Li; Du, Liting; Duan, Haojie; Cheng, Yali

    2018-02-01

    Several different morphologies of microsheet-assembled Fe2O3 have been fabricated by hydrothermal method using diverse concentrations of Fe3+ precursor solutions (0.025, 0.020, 0.015, 0.010 mol/L Fe3+). The as-synthesized materials have been characterized by scanning electron microscope (SEM), X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), and energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometry (EDS). The SEM images reflect that the morphologies of as-synthesized materials are affected by the concentrations of Fe3+ in precursor solutions. The less concentration of Fe3+, the more porous of Fe2O3 microflowers, and thinner of slices distributed on the surface. Furthermore, gas sensors based on these Fe2O3 microflowers manufactured and tested to various common gases. The optimum response value to 100 ppm acetone is 52 at the working temperature of 220 °C. Meanwhile, the Fe2O3 microflower sensors possess ultrafast response-recovery speed, which are 8 and 19 s, respectively. The possible sensing mechanism was mainly attributed to the high surface area, three-dimensional porous structure.

  12. Facile fabrication of hollow mesosphere of crystalline SnO2 nanoparticles and synthesis of SnO2@SWCNTs@Reduced Graphene Oxide nanocomposite as efficient Pt-Free counter electrode for dye-sensitized solar cells

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Khan, Muhammad Wasim; Yao, Jixin; Zhang, Kang; Zuo, Xueqin; Yang, Qun; Tang, Huaibao; Ur Rehman, Khalid Mehmood; Li, Guang; Wu, Mingzai; Zhu, Kerong; Zhang, Haijun

    2018-06-01

    In this research, SnO2@SWCNTs@Reduced Graphene Oxide based nanocomposite was synthesized by a one step hydrothermal method and reported new cost effective platinum-free counter-electrodes (CEs) in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). The CEs were formed by using the nanocomposites with the help of a pipette using a doctor-blade technique. The efficiency of this nanocomposite revealed significant elctrocatalytic properties upon falling the triiodide, possessing to synergistic effect of SnO2 nano particles and improved conductivity when SWCNTs dispersed on graphene sheet. Therefore, the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of prepared SnO2@SWCNTs@RGO nanocomposite CE attained of (6.1%) in DSSCs which is equivalent to the value (6.2%) which attained to the value (6.2%) with pure Pt CE as a reference. SnO2@SWCNTs@RGO nanocomposite CEs give more stable catalytic activities for triiodide reduction than SnO2 and SWCNTs CEs in the cyclic voltammetry (CV) analysis. Furthermore, to the subsistence of graphene oxide, the nanocomposite acquired both higher stability and efficiency in the nanocomposite.

  13. Electronic structure and magnetic properties of Ni-doped SnO2 thin films

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sharma, Mayuri; Kumar, Shalendra; Alvi, P. A.

    2018-05-01

    This paper reports the electronic structure and magnetic properties of Ni-doped SnO2 thin film which were grown on Si (100) substrate by PLD (pulse laser deposition) technique under oxygen partial pressure (PO2). For getting electronic structure and magnetic behavior, the films were characterized using near edge X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy (NEXAFS) and DC magnetization measurements. The NEXAFS study at Ni L3,2 edge has been done to understand the local environment of Ni and Sn ions within SnO2 lattice. DC magnetization measurement shows that the saturation magnetization increases with the increase in substitution of Ni2+ ions in the system.

  14. The Influence of Fe2O3 Addition on the Tio2 Structure and Photoactivity Properties

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wahyuningsih, S.; Ramelan, A. H.; Prasetyawati, L.; Saputri, L. N. M. Z.; Ichsan, S.; Kristiawan, Y. R.

    2018-03-01

    The influence of Fe2O3 addition on the TiO2 structure and photoactivity properties have been studied. The addition of Fe2O3 on the TiO2 done by TiO2-Fe2O3 synthesized with variation of annealing temperature. The result showed that peak of anatase TiO2 at 2θ = 25.35° and Fe2O3 at 2θ = 54.20°. The XRD of TiO2 show annealing temperature at 400°C is anatase phase and the composite with annealing at temperature 150°C, 300°C, 400°C and 500°C is crystalline anatase phase, due to the addition of Fe2O3. Photodegradation of Rhodamin B with TiO2 at 400°C annealing temperature showed optimum degradation 36.2 %, and the composite with annealing at 400°C showed optimum degradation 44.3% for 300 minutes irradiation.

  15. Double enzymatic cascade reactions within FeSe-Pt@SiO2 nanospheres: synthesis and application toward colorimetric biosensing of H2O2 and glucose.

    PubMed

    Qiao, Fengmin; Wang, Zhenzhen; Xu, Ke; Ai, Shiyun

    2015-10-07

    A facile process was developed for the synthesis of FeSe-Pt@SiO2 nanospheres based on the hydrothermal treatment of FeCl3·6H2O, selenium and NaBH4 in ethanolamine solvent, followed by reducing HPtCl4 with NaBH4 in the presence of FeSe particles to obtain FeSe coated with Pt NPs (FeSe-Pt), ending with a surfactant assembled sol-gel process to obtain FeSe-Pt@SiO2. The morphology and composition of FeSe-Pt@SiO2 were characterized by transmission electron microscopy, high resolution TEM, X-ray diffraction and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Structural analyses revealed that FeSe-Pt@SiO2 nanospheres were of regular spherical shape with smooth surfaces due to the SiO2 shells, compared with FeSe particles with 150 nm lateral diameter. The prepared FeSe-Pt@SiO2 nanospheres possessed both intrinsic glucose oxidase (GOx-) and peroxidase-mimic activities, and we engineered an artificial enzymatic cascade system with high activity and stability based on this nanostructure. The good catalytic performance of the composites could be attributed to the synergy between the functions of FeSe particles and Pt NPs. Significantly, the FeSe-Pt@SiO2 nanospheres as robust nanoreactors can catalyze a self-organized cascade reaction, which includes oxidation of glucose by oxygen to yield gluconic acid and H2O2, and then oxidation of 3,3,5,5-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) by H2O2 to produce a colour change. Colorimetric detection of H2O2 and glucose using the FeSe-Pt@SiO2 nanospheres was conducted with high detection sensitivities, 0.227 nM and 1.136 nM, respectively, demonstrating the feasibility of practical sensing applications. It is therefore believed that our findings in this study could open up the possibility of utilizing FeSe-Pt@SiO2 nanospheres as enzymatic mimics in diagnostic and biotechnology fields.

  16. Biogenic synthesis of SnO2 nanoparticles: Evaluation of antibacterial and antioxidant activities

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Vidhu, V. K.; Philip, Daizy

    2015-01-01

    Nanostructured semiconductors have been of special interest to scientific community due to their peculiar properties. The quantum size effect results in spectacular variation in the optical and vibrational characteristics of nanostructured materials compared to their bulk counterparts. The present work emphasizes an unexploited, cost effective, and environmentally benign method of synthesizing bioactive tin oxide nanoparticles of size from 2.1 nm to 4.1 nm using Saraca indica flower. The XRD pattern and HRTEM images of the samples revealed an increase in particle size with annealing temperature. Fine tuning band gap could be attained as evidenced by the shift of absorption band edge and photoluminescence emission. It is found that oxygen vacancies play an important role on PL emission. The synthesized nanoparticles exhibit antibacterial activity against gram negative bacteria Escherichia coli. The antioxidant activity is evaluated by scavenging free radicals of 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl hydrate (DPPH). The efficiency of biogenic SnO2 nanoparticles as a promising antibacterial agent as well as an antioxidant for pharmaceutical applications is suggested.

  17. Highly Efficient Gas Sensor Using a Hollow SnO2 Microfiber for Triethylamine Detection.

    PubMed

    Zou, Yihui; Chen, Shuai; Sun, Jin; Liu, Jingquan; Che, Yanke; Liu, Xianghong; Zhang, Jun; Yang, Dongjiang

    2017-07-28

    Triethylamine (TEA) gas sensors having excellent response and selectivity are in great demand to monitor the real environment. In this work, we have successfully prepared a hollow SnO 2 microfiber by a unique sustainable biomass conversion strategy and shown that the microfiber can be used in a high-performance gas sensor. The sensor based on the hollow SnO 2 microfiber shows a quick response/recovery toward triethylamine. The response of the hollow SnO 2 microfiber is up to 49.5 when the concentration of TEA gas is 100 ppm. The limit of detection is as low as 2 ppm. Furthermore, the sensor has a relatively low optimal operation temperature of 270 °C, which is lower than those of many other reported sensors. The excellent sensing properties are largely attributed to the high sensitivity provided by SnO 2 and the good permeability and conductivity of the one-dimensional hollow structure. Thus, the hollow SnO 2 microfiber using sustainable biomass as a template is a significant strategy for a unique TEA gas sensor.

  18. 18O/16O in CO2 evolved from goethite during some unusually rapid solid state α-FeOOH to α-Fe2O3 phase transitions: Test of an exchange model for possible use in oxygen isotope analyses of goethite

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yapp, Crayton J.

    2015-12-01

    The initial ∼60% of an isothermal vacuum dehydration of goethite can commonly be approximated by first order kinetics. Also, natural goethites contain small amounts of an Fe(CO3)OH component in apparent solid solution. The 18O/16O of CO2 evolved from the Fe(CO3)OH during isothermal vacuum dehydrations is related to the 18O/16O of the goethite by an apparent fractionation factor (αapp) that is, in turn, correlated with a first order rate constant, |m|. A kinetic exchange model predicts that αapp should decrease as |m| increases for a range of |m| that corresponds to relatively slow rates of dehydration. This pattern has been observed in published results. In contrast, for rapid rates of dehydration, αapp is predicted to increase with increasing |m|. Isothermal vacuum dehydrations of two natural goethites had unusually large values of |m| and provided serendipitous tests of this rapid-rate prediction. For these experiments, the measured values of αapp were consistent with patterns of variation predicted by the model. This allowed an estimate of the activation energy (E2) of a model parameter, K2, which is the rate constant for oxygen isotope exchange between CO2 and H2O during the solid-state goethite to hematite phase transition. The estimated value of E2 is only ∼9 kJ/mol. Heterogeneous catalysis tends to decrease the activation energies of gas reactions. Consequently, the inferred value of E2 suggests that goethite and/or hematite catalyze oxygen isotope exchange between CO2 and H2O during the solid-state phase change. Yield, δ13C, and δ18O values are routinely measured for increments of CO2 evolved from the Fe(CO3)OH component during isothermal vacuum dehydration of goethite. Model-predicted values of αapp can be combined with plateau δ18O values of the evolved CO2 to estimate the δ18O of the goethite with a less than optimal, but potentially useful, precision of about ±0.8‰. Therefore, a single analytical procedure (incremental dehydration

  19. The CaGeO3 Ca3Fe2Ge3O12 garnet join: an experimental study

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Iezzi, Gianluca; Boffa-Ballaran, Tiziana; McCammon, Catherine; Langenhorst, Falko

    2005-06-01

    Germanate garnets are often used as isostructural analogues of silicate garnets to provide insight into the crystal chemistry and symmetry of the less accessible natural garnet solid solutions. We synthesised two series of germanate garnets at 3 GPa along the joinVIIICa3VI(CaGe)IVGe3O12 VIIICa3VIFe2IVGe3O12 at 900 °C and 1,100 °C. Samples with compositions close to the CaGeO3 end-member consist of tetragonal garnet with a small amount of triclinic CaGe2O5. Samples with nominal compositions between XFe=0.4 and 1.0 consist of a mixture of tetragonal and cubic garnets; whereas, single-phase cubic garnets were obtained for compositions with XFe>1.2 (XFe gives the iron content expressed in atoms per formula unit, and varies between 0 and 2 along the join). Run products which were primarily single-phase garnet were investigated using Mössbauer spectroscopy. Spectra from samples synthesised at 1,100°C consist of one well-resolved doublet that can be assigned to Fe3+ in the octahedral site of the garnet structure. A second doublet, present primarily in samples synthesised at 900°C, can be assigned to Fe2+ at the octahedral sites of the garnet structure. The relative abundance of Fe2+ decreases with increasing iron content. Transmission electron microscopy analyses confirm this tendency and show that the garnets are essentially defect-free. The unit-cell parameters of tetragonal VIIICa3VI(CaGe)IVGe3O3 garnet decrease with increasing synthesis temperature, and the deviation from cubic symmetry becomes smaller. Cubic garnets show a linear decrease of unit-cell parameter with increasing iron content. The results are discussed in the context of iron incorporation into VIIIMg3VI(MgSi)IVSi3O3 majorite.

  20. Inorganic Photocatalytic Enhancement: Activated RhB Photodegradation by Surface Modification of SnO2 Nanocrystals with V2O5-like species

    PubMed Central

    Epifani, Mauro; Kaciulis, Saulius; Mezzi, Alessio; Altamura, Davide; Giannini, Cinzia; Díaz, Raül; Force, Carmen; Genç, Aziz; Arbiol, Jordi; Siciliano, Pietro; Comini, Elisabetta; Concina, Isabella

    2017-01-01

    SnO2 nanocrystals were prepared by precipitation in dodecylamine at 100 °C, then they were reacted with vanadium chloromethoxide in oleic acid at 250 °C. The resulting materials were heat-treated at various temperatures up to 650 °C for thermal stabilization, chemical purification and for studying the overall structural transformations. From the crossed use of various characterization techniques, it emerged that the as-prepared materials were constituted by cassiterite SnO2 nanocrystals with a surface modified by isolated V(IV) oxide species. After heat-treatment at 400 °C, the SnO2 nanocrystals were wrapped by layers composed of vanadium oxide (IV-V mixed oxidation state) and carbon residuals. After heating at 500 °C, only SnO2 cassiterite nanocrystals were obtained, with a mean size of 2.8 nm and wrapped by only V2O5-like species. The samples heat-treated at 500 °C were tested as RhB photodegradation catalysts. At 10−7 M concentration, all RhB was degraded within 1 h of reaction, at a much faster rate than all pure SnO2 materials reported until now. PMID:28300185

  1. Nature of ferroelectric to paraelectric phase transition in multiferroic 0.8BiFeO3-0.2Pb(Fe1/2Nb1/2)O3 ceramics

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Patel, Jay Prakash; Singh, Anar; Pandey, Dhananjai

    2010-05-01

    We present here the results of high temperature powder x-ray diffraction study on 0.8BiFeO3-0.2Pb(Fe1/2Nb1/2)O3, which is isostructural with the well known multiferroic BiFeO3 (BF). It is shown that the room temperature ferroelectric phase of 0.8BF-0.2PFN in the R3c space group transforms to the paraelectric/paraelastic cubic (Pm3¯m) phase directly without any intermediate "β" phase reported in the literature for pure BF. This transition is of first order type as confirmed by the coexistence of R3c and Pm3¯m phases over a 100 K range and discontinuous change in the unit cell volume.

  2. Post-magmatic solid solutions of CaCeAl2(Fe3+ 2/3□1/3)[Si2O7][SiO4]O(OH), allanite-(Ce) and REE-bearing epidote in miarolitic pegmatites of Permian Baveno granite (Verbania, central-southern alps, Italy)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Guastoni, Alessandro; Nestola, Fabrizio; Schiazza, Mariangela

    2017-06-01

    CaCeAl2(Fe3+ 2/3□1/3)[Si2O7][SiO4]O(OH), allanite-(Ce) and rare earth element (REE)-bearing epidote occur as globular aggregates and platy prismatic crystals in miarolitic cavities in a niobium, yttrium, fluorine (NYF) granitic pegmatite at Baveno, Verbania, Southern Alps, Italy. These samples were investigated by means of an electron probe micro-analyser (EPMA) and single-crystal X-ray diffraction. Our EPMA results show that the globular aggregates have the highest REE content in the core portion and decreases to REE-bearing epidote towards the rim whereas the prismatic crystals are characterized by marked oscillatory zoning that have the highest REE contents at the rim of the crystal. The unit-cell parameters of "allanites" have an intermediate unit-cell between CaCeAl2(Fe3+ 2/3□1/3)[Si2O7][SiO4]O(OH), allanite-(Ce) and REE-free epidote, because reflect the strong chemical heterogeneity of the samples which form complete solid solutions. Hydrothermal fluids control the activity and precipitation of incompatible elements like high field strength elements (HFSE), Sc and REE by hydrous F-rich fluids below the critical temperature which allow to deposit accessory minerals in the cavities with decreasing temperature. The source of REE and Y are the sheet and REE-silicates like siderophyllite-annite, and gadolinite-(Y) which underwent partial to complete decomposition by the activity of aggressive F-rich hydrothermal fluids.

  3. Junction Quality of SnO2-Based Perovskite Solar Cells Investigated by Nanometer-Scale Electrical Potential Profiling.

    PubMed

    Xiao, Chuanxiao; Wang, Changlei; Ke, Weijun; Gorman, Brian P; Ye, Jichun; Jiang, Chun-Sheng; Yan, Yanfa; Al-Jassim, Mowafak M

    2017-11-08

    Electron-selective layers (ESLs) and hole-selective layers (HSLs) are critical in high-efficiency organic-inorganic lead halide perovskite (PS) solar cells for charge-carrier transport, separation, and collection. We developed a procedure to assess the quality of the ESL/PS junction by measuring potential distribution on the cross section of SnO 2 -based PS solar cells using Kelvin probe force microscopy. Using the potential profiling, we compared three types of cells made of different ESLs but otherwise having an identical device structure: (1) cells with PS deposited directly on bare fluorine-doped SnO 2 (FTO)-coated glass; (2) cells with an intrinsic SnO 2 thin layer on the top of FTO as an effective ESL; and (3) cells with the SnO 2 ESL and adding a self-assembled monolayer (SAM) of fullerene. The results reveal two major potential drops or electric fields at the ESL/PS and PS/HSL interfaces. The electric-field ratio between the ESL/PS and PS/HSL interfaces increased in devices as follows: FTO < SnO 2 -ESL < SnO 2 + SAM; this sequence explains the improvements of the fill factor (FF) and open-circuit voltage (V oc ). The improvement of the FF from the FTO to SnO 2 -ESL cells may result from the reduction in voltage loss at the PS/HSL back interface and the improvement of V oc from the prevention of hole recombination at the ESL/PS front interface. The further improvements with adding an SAM is caused by the defect passivation at the ESL/PS interface, and hence, improvement of the junction quality. These nanoelectrical findings suggest possibilities for improving the device performance by further optimizing the SnO 2 -based ESL material quality and the ESL/PS interface.

  4. A room temperature ethanol sensor made from p-type Sb-doped SnO2 nanowires.

    PubMed

    Wu, Jyh Ming

    2010-06-11

    A p-type ethanol sensor with a response time of approximately 8.3 s at room temperature was produced by SnO(2):Sb nanowires. The electrical properties of p-type SnO(2) nanowires are stable with a hole concentration of 1.544 x 10(17) cm(-3) and a field-effect mobility of 22 cm(2) V(-2) S(-1). X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Hall measurement revealed that as-synthesized nanowires exhibit p-type behavior. A comprehensive investigation of the p-type sensing mechanism is reported.

  5. Piper Ornatum and Piper Betle as Organic Dyes for TiO2 and SnO2 Dye Sensitized Solar Cells

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hayat, Azwar; Putra, A. Erwin E.; Amaliyah, Novriany; Hayase, Shuzi; Pandey, Shyam. S.

    2018-03-01

    Dye sensitized solar cell (DSSC) mimics the principle of natural photosynthesis are now currently investigated due to low manufacturing cost as compared to silicon based solar cells. In this report, we utilized Piper ornatum (PO) and Piper betle (PB) as sensitizer to fabricate low cost DSSCs. We compared the photovoltaic performance of both sensitizers with Titanium dioxide (TiO2) and Tin dioxide (SnO2) semiconductors. The results show that PO and PB dyes have higher Short circuit current (Jsc) when applied in SnO2 compared to standard TiO2 photo-anode film even though the Open circuit voltage (Voc) was hampered on SnO2 device. In conclusion, from the result, higher electron injections can be achieved by choosing appropriate semiconductors with band gap that match with dyes energy level as one of strategy for further low cost solar cell.

  6. Magnetic solid base catalyst CaO/CoFe2O4 for biodiesel production: Influence of basicity and wettability of the catalyst in catalytic performance

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhang, Pingbo; Han, Qiuju; Fan, Mingming; Jiang, Pingping

    2014-10-01

    A novel magnetic solid base catalyst CaO/CoFe2O4 was successfully prepared with CoFe2O4 synthesized by hydrothermal method as the magnetic core and applied to the transesterification of soybean oil for the production of biodiesel. The magnetic solid base catalysts were characterized by a series of techniques including CO2-TPD, powder XRD, TGA, TEM and the contact angle measurement of the water droplet. It was demonstrated that CaO/CoFe2O4 has stronger magnetic strength indicating perfect utility for repeated use and better basic strength. Compared with CaO/ZnFe2O4 and CaO/MnFe2O4, solid base catalyst CaO/CoFe2O4 has better catalytic performance, weaker hydroscopicity and stronger wettability, demonstrating that catalytic performance was relative to both basicity of catalyst and the full contact between the catalyst and the reactants, but the latter was a main factor in the catalytic system.

  7. High Mass Loading MnO2 with Hierarchical Nanostructures for Supercapacitors.

    PubMed

    Huang, Zi-Hang; Song, Yu; Feng, Dong-Yang; Sun, Zhen; Sun, Xiaoqi; Liu, Xiao-Xia

    2018-04-24

    Metal oxides have attracted renewed interest as promising electrode materials for high energy density supercapacitors. However, the electrochemical performance of metal oxide materials deteriorates significantly with the increase of mass loading due to their moderate electronic and ionic conductivities. This limits their practical energy. Herein, we perform a morphology and phase-controlled electrodeposition of MnO 2 with ultrahigh mass loading of 10 mg cm -2 on a carbon cloth substrate to achieve high overall capacitance without sacrificing the electrochemical performance. Under optimum conditions, a hierarchical nanostructured architecture was constructed by interconnection of primary two-dimensional ε-MnO 2 nanosheets and secondary one-dimensional α-MnO 2 nanorod arrays. The specific hetero-nanostructures ensure facile ionic and electric transport in the entire electrode and maintain the structure stability during cycling. The hierarchically structured MnO 2 electrode with high mass loading yields an outstanding areal capacitance of 3.04 F cm -2 (or a specific capacitance of 304 F g -1 ) at 3 mA cm -2 and an excellent rate capability comparable to those of low mass loading MnO 2 electrodes. Finally, the aqueous and all-solid asymmetric supercapacitors (ASCs) assembled with our MnO 2 cathode exhibit extremely high volumetric energy densities (8.3 mWh cm -3 at the power density of 0.28 W cm -3 for aqueous ASC and 8.0 mWh cm -3 at 0.65 W cm -3 for all-solid ASC), superior to most state-of-the-art supercapacitors.

  8. Effect of various SnO2 pH on ZnO/SnO2-composite film via immersion technique

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Malek, M. F.; Mohamed, R.; Mamat, M. H.; Ismail, A. S.; Yusoff, M. M.; Rusop, M.

    2018-05-01

    ZnO/SnO2-composite film has been synthesized via immersion technique with various pH of SnO2. The pH of SnO2 were varied between 4.5 and 6.5. The optical measurements of the samples were carried out using Varian Cary 5000 UV-Vis spectrophotometer within the range from 350 nm to 800 nm at room temperature in air with a data interval of 1 nm. On the other hand, the optical photoluminescence properties were measured by a photoluminescence spectrometer (PL, model: Horiba Jobin Yvon - 79 DU420A-OE-325) using a He-Cd laser as the excitation source at 325 nm. These highly oriented ZnO/SnO2-composite film are potential for the creation of functional materials, such as the sensors, solar cells and etc.

  9. CdS Nanoparticle-Modified α-Fe2O3/TiO2 Nanorod Array Photoanode for Efficient Photoelectrochemical Water Oxidation.

    PubMed

    Yin, Ruiyang; Liu, Mingyang; Tang, Rui; Yin, Longwei

    2017-09-02

    In this work, we demonstrate a facile successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction process accompanied by hydrothermal method to synthesize CdS nanoparticle-modified α-Fe 2 O 3 /TiO 2 nanorod array for efficient photoelectrochemical (PEC) water oxidation. By integrating CdS/α-Fe 2 O 3 /TiO 2 ternary system, light absorption ability of the photoanode can be effectively improved with an obviously broadened optical-response to visible light region, greatly facilitates the separation of photogenerated carriers, giving rise to the enhancement of PEC water oxidation performance. Importantly, for the designed abnormal type-II heterostructure between Fe 2 O 3 /TiO 2 , the conduction band position of Fe 2 O 3 is higher than that of TiO 2 , the photogenerated electrons from Fe 2 O 3 will rapidly recombine with the photogenerated holes from TiO 2 , thus leads to an efficient separation of photogenerated electrons from Fe 2 O 3 /holes from TiO 2 at the Fe 2 O 3 /TiO 2 interface, greatly improving the separation efficiency of photogenerated holes within Fe 2 O 3 and enhances the photogenerated electron injection efficiency in TiO 2 . Working as the photoanodes of PEC water oxidation, CdS/α-Fe 2 O 3 /TiO 2 heterostucture electrode exhibits improved photocurrent density of 0.62 mA cm - 2 at 1.23 V vs. reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE) in alkaline electrolyte, with an obviously negatively shifted onset potential of 80 mV. This work provides promising methods to enhance the PEC water oxidation performance of the TiO 2 -based heterostructure photoanodes.

  10. Spectral and ion emission features of laser-produced Sn and SnO2 plasmas

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hui, Lan; Xin-Bing, Wang; Du-Luo, Zuo

    2016-03-01

    We have made a detailed comparison of the atomic and ionic debris, as well as the emission features of Sn and SnO2 plasmas under identical experimental conditions. Planar slabs of pure metal Sn and ceramic SnO2 are irradiated with 1.06 μm, 8 ns Nd:YAG laser pulses. Fast photography employing an intensified charge coupled device (ICCD), optical emission spectroscopy (OES), and optical time of flight emission spectroscopy are used as diagnostic tools. Our results show that the Sn plasma provides a higher extreme ultraviolet (EUV) conversion efficiency (CE) than the SnO2 plasma. However, the kinetic energies of Sn ions are relatively low compared with those of SnO2. OES studies show that the Sn plasma parameters (electron temperature and density) are lower compared to those of the SnO2 plasma. Furthermore, we also give the effects of the vacuum degree and the laser pulse energy on the plasma parameters. Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 11304235) and the Director Fund of WNLO, China.

  11. Photocatalytic performance of Ag doped SnO2 nanoparticles modified with curcumin

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Vignesh, K.; Hariharan, R.; Rajarajan, M.; Suganthi, A.

    2013-07-01

    Visible light active Ag doped SnO2 nanoparticles modified with curcumin (Cur-Ag-SnO2) have been prepared by a combined precipitation and chemical impregnation route. The optical properties, phase structures and morphologies of the as-prepared nanoparticles were characterized using UV-visible diffuse reflectance spectra (UV-vis-DRS), X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The surface area was measured by Brunauer. Emmett. Teller (B.E.T) analysis. Compared to bare SnO2, the surface modified photocatalysts (Ag-SnO2 and Cur-Ag-SnO2) showed a red shift in the visible region. The photocatalytic activity was monitored via the degradation of rose bengal (RB) dye and the results revealed that Cur-Ag-SnO2 shows better photocatalytic activity than that of Ag-SnO2 and SnO2. The superior photocatalytic activity of Cur-Ag-SnO2 could be attributed to the effective electron-hole separation by surface modification. The effect of photocatalyst concentration, initial dye concentration and electron scavenger on the photocatalytic activity was examined in detail. Furthermore, the antifungal activity of the photocatalysts and the reusability of Cur-Ag-SnO2 were tested.

  12. Structural and physical properties of transparent conducting, amorphous Zn-doped SnO2 films

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhu, Q.; Ma, Q.; Buchholz, D. B.; Chang, R. P. H.; Bedzyk, M. J.; Mason, T. O.

    2014-01-01

    The structural and physical properties of conducting amorphous Zn-doped SnO2 (a-ZTO) films, prepared by pulsed laser deposition, were investigated as functions of oxygen deposition pressure (pO2), composition, and thermal annealing. X-ray scattering and X-ray absorption spectroscopy measurements reveal that at higher pO2, the a-ZTO films are highly transparent and have a structural framework similar to that found in crystalline (c-), rutile SnO2 in which the Sn4+ ion is octahedrally coordinated by 6 O2- ions. The Sn4+ ion in these films however has a coordination number (CN) smaller by 2%-3% than that in c-SnO2, indicating the presence of oxygen vacancies, which are the likely source of charge carriers. At lower pO2, the a-ZTO films show a brownish tint and contain some 4-fold coordinated Sn2+ ions. Under no circumstances is the CN around the Zn2+ ion larger than 4, and the Zn-O bond is shorter than the Sn-O bond by 0.07 Å. The addition of Zn has no impact on the electroneutrality but improves significantly the thermal stability of the films. Structural changes due to pO2, composition, and thermal annealing account well for the changes in the physical properties of a-ZTO films.

  13. Photocatalysis applications of some hybrid polymeric composites incorporating TiO2 nanoparticles and their combinations with SiO2/Fe2O3

    PubMed Central

    Buruiana, Tinca; Melinte, Violeta; Buruiana, Emil C

    2017-01-01

    Polymer nanocomposites containing titanium oxide nanoparticles (TiO2 NPs) combined with other inorganic components (Si–O–Si or/and γ-Fe2O3) were prepared by the dispersion of premade NPs (nanocrystalline TiO2, TiO2/SiO2, TiO2/Fe2O3, TiO2/SiO2/Fe2O3) within a photopolymerizable urethane dimethacrylate (polytetrahydrofuran-urethane dimethacrylate, PTHF-UDMA). The physicochemical characterization of nanoparticles and hybrid polymeric composites with 10 wt % NPs (S1–S4) was realized through XRD, TEM and FTIR analyses. The mean size (10–30 nm) and the crystallinity of the NPs varied as a function of the inorganic constituent. The catalytic activity of these hybrid films was tested for the photodegradation of phenol, hydroquinone and dopamine in aqueous solution under UV or visible-light irradiation. The best results were obtained for the films with TiO2/Fe2O3 or TiO2/SiO2/Fe2O3 NPs. The degradation of the mentioned model pollutants varied between 71% and 100% (after 250 min of irradiation) depending on the composition of the hybrid film tested and the light applied (UV–visible light). Also, it was established that such hybrid films can be reused at least for five cycles, without losing too much of the photocatalytic efficiency (ca. 7%). These findings could have implications in the development of new nanocatalysts. PMID:28243566

  14. Study on Preparing Al2O3 Particles Reinforced ZL109 Composite by in Situ Reaction of Fe2O3/Al System

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhang, Jing; Yu, Huashun; Zhao, Qi; Wang, Haitao; Min, Guanghui

    Al2O3 particles reinforced ZL109 composite was prepared by in situ reaction between Fe2O3 and Al. The phases were identified by XRD and the microstructures were observed by SEM and TEM. The Al2O3 particles in sub-micron size distribute uniformly in the matrix and Fe displaced from the in situ reaction forms net-like alloy phases with Cu, Ni, Al, Mn ect. The hardness and the tensile strength at room temperature of the composites have a small increase compared with the matrix. However, the tensile strength at 350°C can reach 92.18 MPa, which is 18.87 MPa higher than that of the matrix. The mechanism of the reaction in the Fe2O3/Al system was studied by DSC. The reaction between Fe2O3 and Al involves two steps. The first step in which Fe2O3 reacts with Al to form FeO and Al2O3 takes place at the matrix alloy melting temperature. The second step in which FeO reacts with Al to form Fe and Al2O3 takes place at a higher temperature.

  15. Thermoelectric properties of antiperovskite calcium oxides Ca{sub 3}PbO and Ca{sub 3}SnO

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Okamoto, Y., E-mail: yokamoto@nuap.nagoya-u.ac.jp; Institute for Advanced Research, Nagoya University, Nagoya 464-8601; Sakamaki, A.

    We report the thermoelectric properties of polycrystalline samples of Ca{sub 3}Pb{sub 1−x}Bi{sub x}O (x = 0, 0.1, 0.2) and Ca{sub 3}SnO, both crystallizing in a cubic antiperovskite-type structure. The Ca{sub 3}SnO sample shows metallic resistivity and its thermoelectric power approaches 100 μV K{sup −1} at room temperature, resulting in the thermoelectric power factor of Ca{sub 3}SnO being larger than that of Ca{sub 3}Pb{sub 1−x}Bi{sub x}O. On the basis of Hall and Sommerfeld coefficients, the Ca{sub 3}SnO sample is found to be a p-type metal with a carrier density of ∼10{sup 19 }cm{sup −3}, a mobility of ∼80 cm{sup 2} V{sup −1} s{sup −1}, both comparablemore » to those in degenerated semiconductors, and a moderately large hole carrier effective mass. The coexistence of moderately high mobility and large effective mass observed in Ca{sub 3}SnO, as well as possible emergence of a multivalley electronic structure with a small band gap at low-symmetry points in k-space, suggests that the antiperovskite Ca oxides have strong potential as a thermoelectric material.« less

  16. Bioaccumulation of Fe2O3(magnetic) nanoparticles in Ceriodaphnia dubia.

    PubMed

    Hu, Ji; Wang, Demin; Wang, Jiangtao; Wang, Jianmin

    2012-03-01

    While nano-Fe(2)O(3)(magnetic) is generally considered non-toxic, it could serve as a carrier of other toxic chemicals such as As(V) and enhance their toxicity. The bioaccumulation of nano-Fe(2)O(3)(m) with different exposure times, NP concentrations, and pH conditions was investigated using Ceriodaphnia dubia (C. dubia) as the model organism. Under natural pH conditions, C. dubia significantly accumulated nano-Fe(2)O(3)(m) in the gut, with the maximum accumulation being achieved after 6 h of exposure. The concentration of nano-Fe(2)O(3) also impacted its accumulation, with the maximum uptake occurring at 20 mg/L or more. In addition, the highest bioaccumulation occurred in a pH range of 7-8 where the highest feeding rate was reported, confirming that the ingestion of NPs is the main route of nano-Fe(2)O(3)(m) bioaccumulation. In a clean environment without NPs, depuration of nano-Fe(2)O(3)(m) occurred, and food addition accelerated the depuration process. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  17. Laser induced forward transfer of SnO2 for sensing applications using different precursors systems

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mattle, Thomas; Hintennach, Andreas; Lippert, Thomas; Wokaun, Alexander

    2013-02-01

    This paper presents the transfer of SnO2 by laser induced forward transfer (LIFT) for gas sensor applications. Different donor substrates of SnO2 with and without triazene polymer (TP) as a dynamic release layer were prepared. Transferring these films under different conditions were evaluated by optical microscopy and functionality. Transfers of sputtered SnO2 films do not lead to satisfactory results and transfers of SnO2 nanoparticles are difficult. Transfers of SnO2 nanoparticles can only be achieved when applying a second laser pulse to the already transferred material, which improves the adhesion resulting in a complete pixel. A new approach of decomposing the transfer material during LIFT transfer was developed. Donor films based on UV absorbing metal complex precursors namely, SnCl2(acac)2 were prepared and transferred using the LIFT technique. Transfer conditions were optimized for the different systems, which were deposited onto sensor-like microstructures. The conductivity of the transferred material at temperatures of about 400 ∘C are in a range usable for SnO2 gas sensors. First sensing tests were carried out and the transferred material proved to change conductivity when exposed to ethanol, acetone, and methane.

  18. Anionic ordering and thermal properties of FeF3·3H2O.

    PubMed

    Burbano, Mario; Duttine, Mathieu; Borkiewicz, Olaf; Wattiaux, Alain; Demourgues, Alain; Salanne, Mathieu; Groult, Henri; Dambournet, Damien

    2015-10-05

    Iron fluoride trihydrate can be used to prepare iron hydroxyfluoride with the hexagonal-tungsten-bronze (HTB) type structure, a potential cathode material for batteries. To understand this phase transformation, a structural description of β-FeF3·3H2O is first performed by means of DFT calculations and Mössbauer spectroscopy. The structure of this compound consists of infinite chains of [FeF6]n and [FeF2(H2O)4]n. The decomposition of FeF3·3H2O induces a collapse and condensation of these chains, which lead to the stabilization, under specific conditions, of a hydroxyfluoride network FeF3-x(OH)x with the HTB structure. The release of H2O and HF was monitored by thermal analysis and physical characterizations during the decomposition of FeF3·3H2O. An average distribution of FeF4(OH)2 distorted octahedra in HTB-FeF3-x(OH)x was obtained subsequent to the thermal hydrolysis/olation of equatorial anionic positions involving F(-) and H2O. This study provides a clear understanding of the structure and thermal properties of FeF3·3H2O, a material that can potentially bridge the recycling of pickling sludge from the steel industry by preparing battery electrodes.

  19. SrZnO nanostructures grown on templated <0001> Al2O3 substrates by pulsed laser deposition

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Labis, Joselito P.; Alanazi, Anwar Q.; Albrithen, Hamad A.; El-Toni, Ahmed Mohamed; Hezam, Mahmoud; Elafifi, Hussein Elsayed; Abaza, Osama M.

    2017-09-01

    The parameters of pulsed laser deposition (PLD) have been optimized to design different nanostructures of Strontium-alloyed zinc oxide (SrZnO). In this work, SrZnO nanostructures are grown on <0001>Al2O3 substrates via two-step templating/seeding approach. In the temperature range between 300 - 750 oC and O2 background pressures between 0.01 and 10 Torr, the growth conditions have been tailored to grow unique pointed leaf-like- and pitted olive-like nanostructures. Prior to the growth of the nanostructures, a thin SrZnO layer that serves as seed layer/template is first deposited on the Al2O3 substrates at ˜300oC and background oxygen pressure of 10 mTorr. The optical properties of the nanostructures were examined by UV/Vis spectroscopy and photoluminescence (PL), while the structures/morphologies were examined by SEM, TEM, and XRD. The alloyed SrZnO nanostructures, grown by ablating ZnO targets with 5, 10, 25% SrO contents, have in common a single-crystal hexagonal nanostructure with (0002) preferential orientation and have shown remarkable changes in the morphological and optical properties of the materials. To date, this is the only reported work on optimization of laser ablation parameters to design novel SrZnO nanostructures in the 5-25% alloying range, as most related Sr-doped ZnO studies were done below 7% doping. Although the physical properties of ZnO are modified via Sr doping, the mechanism remains unclear. The PLD-grown SrZnO nanostructures were directly grown onto the Al2O3 substrates; thus making these nanomaterials very promising for potential applications in biosensors, love-wave filters, solar cells, and ultrasonic oscillators.

  20. Phase Equilibria in the System "FeO"-CaO-SiO2-Al2O3-MgO at Different CaO/SiO2 Ratios

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jang, Kyoung-oh; Ma, Xiaodong; Zhu, Jinming; Xu, Haifa; Wang, Geoff; Zhao, Baojun

    2017-06-01

    The "FeO"-containing slags play an important role in the operation of an ironmaking blast furnace (BF), in particular the primary slags such as the system "FeO"-CaO-SiO2-Al2O3-2 mass pct MgO with CaO/SiO2 weight ratios of 1.3, 1.5, and 1.8 saturated with metallic iron. To investigate the characteristics of such a slag system and its behavior in BF, the phase equilibria and liquidus temperatures in the slag system have been experimentally determined using the high-temperature equilibration and quenching technique followed by an electron probe X-ray microanalysis (EPMA). Isotherms between 1553 K and 1603 K (1280 °C and 1330 °C) were determined in the primary phase fields of dicalcium silicate, melilite, spinel, and monoxide [(Mg,Fe2+)O]. Pseudo-ternary phase diagrams of (CaO + SiO2)-Al2O3-"FeO" with a fixed MgO concentration at 2 mass pct and at CaO/SiO2 ratios of 1.3, 1.5, and 1.8 have been discussed, respectively, simplifying the complexity of the slag system for easy understanding and applying in BF operation. It was found that the liquidus temperatures increase in melilite and spinel primary phase fields, but decrease in dicalcium silicate and monoxide primary phase fields with increasing Al2O3/(CaO + SiO2) ratio. In addition, the liquidus temperatures decrease with increasing "FeO" concentration in dicalcium silicate and melilite primary phase fields, while showing an increasing trend in the spinel and monoxide primary phase fields. The data resulted from this study can be used to improve and optimize currently available database of thermodynamic models used in FactSage.

  1. Stability of the high pressure phase Fe3S2 up to Earth's core pressures in the Fe-S-O and the Fe-S-Si systems

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zurkowski, C. C.; Chidester, B.; Davis, A.; Brauser, N.; Greenberg, E.; Prakapenka, V. B.; Campbell, A.

    2017-12-01

    Earth's core is comprised of an iron-nickel alloy that contains 5-15% of a light element component. The abundance and alloying capability of sulfur, silicon and oxygen in the bulk Earth make them important core alloy candidates; therefore, the high-pressure phase equilibria of the Fe-S-O and Fe-S-Si systems are relevant for understanding the possible chemistry of Earth's core. Previously, a Fe3S2 phase was recognized as a low-pressure intermediate phase in the Fe-FeS system that is stable from 14-21 GPa, but the structure of this phase has not been resolved. We report in-situ XRD and chemical analysis of recovered samples to further examine the stability and structure of Fe3S2 as it coexists with other phases in the Fe-S-O and Fe-S-Si systems. In situ high P-T synchrotron XRD experiments were conducted in the laser-heated diamond anvil cell to determine the equilibrium phases in Fe75S7O18 and Fe80S5Si15 compositions between 30 and 174 GPa and up to 3000 K. In the S,O-rich samples, an orthorhombic Fe3S2 phase coexists with hcp-Fe, Fe3S and FeO and undergoes two monoclinic distortions between 60 and 174 GPa. In the S,Si-rich samples, the orthorhombic Fe3S2 phase was observed up to 115 GPa. With increasing pressure, the Fe3S2 phase becomes stable to higher temperatures in both compositions, suggesting possible Fe3(S,O)2 or Fe3(S,Si)2 solid solutions. SEM analysis of a laser heated Fe75S7O18 sample recovered from 40 GPa and 1450 K confirms a Fe3(S,O)2 phase with O dissolved into the structure. Based on the current melting data in the Fe-S-O and Fe-S-Si systems, the Fe3(S,O)2 stability field intersects the solidus in the outer core and could be a possible liquidus phase in Fe,S,O-rich planetary cores, whereas Fe3S is the stable sulfide at outer core pressures in Fe,S,Si-rich systems.

  2. Pair distribution function (PDF) analysis of mesoporous α-Fe2O3 and Cr2O3.

    PubMed

    Hill, Adrian H; Allieta, Mattia

    2013-06-14

    We have measured atomic pair distribution functions of novel mesoporous metal oxides, α-Fe2O3 and Cr2O3. These have an ordered pore mosaic as well as crystalline structure within the pore walls, making them an interesting class of materials to characterise. Comparison of "bulk" and mesoporous data sets has allowed an estimate of long range structural coherence to be derived; ≈125 Å and ≈290 Å for α-Fe2O3 and Cr2O3 respectively. Further "box-car" analysis has shown that above ≈40 Å both mesoporous samples deviate greatly from their bulk counterparts. This is attributed to the pores of the mesoporous structure creating voids in the pair-correlations, disrupting long range order.

  3. Experimental determination of activities in FeTiO3-MnTiO3 ilmenite solid solution by redox reversals

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Feenstra, A.; Peters, Tjerk

    1996-12-01

    Solid solutions of (Fe,Mn)TiO3 were synthesized, mostly at 0.10 XMn intervals, at 1 bar, 900°C and log f O 2 = 17.50. Analysis by EMP indicate an ideal stoichiometry for the Fe-Mn ilmenites with (Fe+Mn) = Ti = 1.000 when normalized to 3 oxygens. Their unit cell volume increases linearly with XMn. The composition of Fe-Mn ilmenite coexisting with metallic Fe and rutile was reversed at 1 bar, 700 900°C and fixed f O 2 in a gas-mixing furnace. Oxygen fugacity was controlled by mixing CO2 and H2 gas and was continuously monitored with an yttrium-stabilized zirconia electrolyte. Solution properties of Fe-Mn ilmenite were derived from the experimental data by mathematical programming (Engi and Feenstra, in preparation) including notably the results of Fe-Mn exchange experiments between ilmenite and garnet (Feenstra and Engi, submitted) and anchoring the standard state properties to the updated thermodynamic dataset of Berman and Aranovich (1996). The thermodynamic analysis resulted in positive deviations from ideality for (Fe,Mn)TiO3 ilmenite, which is well described by an asymmetric Margules model with WH FeFeMn = 9.703 and WH FeMnMn = 23.234 kJ/mol, WS FeFeMn = 19.65 and WS FeMnMn = 22.06 J/(K·mol). The excess free energy for Fe-Mn ilmenite derived from the redox reversals is larger than in the symmetric ilmenite model (WG FeMn = +2.2 kJ/mol) determined by O'Neill et al. from emf measurements on the assemblage iron-rutile-(Fe,Mn)ilmenite.

  4. Effect of Initial FeO Content and CaO:SiO2 Ratio on the Reduction Smelting Kinetics of the CaO-SiO2-MgOsatd.-FeO Slag System

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kim, Jong Bae; Sohn, Il

    2018-02-01

    The effect of the initial FeO content and CaO:SiO2 ratio (CaO mass pct/SiO2 mass pct) on the reduction smelting of FeO with carbon flake addition is investigated in the CaO-MgOsatd.-SiO2-FeO slag system at 1823 K (1550 °C). Carbon rapidly reacted with FeO in the molten slag, causing both foaming and compositional changes in the slag. As FeO is reduced, the MgO saturation is modified, and solid precipitants, including MgO and other complex oxides, were observed, which significantly affected the slag properties, including the viscosity and foaming behavior. The solid-phase fraction and viscosity were estimated from changes in the measured FeO content over time using the thermochemical software FactSage. The iron recovery, which is distinguished from the amount of reduced Fe droplets, showed opposite behavior to the measured maximum foaming height and modified foaming index. According to the FeO mass transfer coefficient considering slag foaming at various initial FeO contents and CaO:SiO2 ratios, the reduction rate was optimal at higher initial FeO contents and a CaO:SiO2 ratio of 2.0, which did not correspond to the optimal iron recovery at an initial FeO content of 44 mass pct and above and a CaO:SiO2 ratio of 1.2. The results showed that slag foaming may increase the reduction kinetics, but the slag composition needs to be optimized for greater iron recovery.

  5. Photoelectrochemical enhancement of ZnO/BiVO4/ZnFe2O4/rare earth oxide hetero-nanostructures

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    She, Xuefeng; Zhang, Zhuo; Baek, Minki; Yong, Kijung

    2018-01-01

    Over the decades, researchers have made great efforts to turn the world into a cleaner place through efficient recycling of industrial waste and developing of green energy. Here we demonstrate a prototype heterostructure photoelectrochemical (PEC) cell fabricated using recycled industrial waste. ZnFe2O4 (ZFO) nanorod (NR) clusters were synthesized on the BiVO4@ZnO hetero-nanostructures using recycled rare earth oxide (REO) slags as Fe source. The NR-based PEC cell exhibited a significantly enhanced photon to hydrogen conversion efficiency over the entire UV and visible spectrum. Further study demonstrates that the photo-carrier separation and migration processes can be facilitated by the cascade band alignment of the heterostructure and the clustered nanostructure network. In addition, the life-time of the photo-carriers can be enhanced by the REO passivation layer, leading to a further increased PEC performance. Our results present a novel approach for high efficiency PEC cells, and offer great promises to the efficient recycling of industrial waste for clean renewable energy applications.

  6. Adsorption of methyl orange on mesoporous γ-Fe2O3/SiO2 nanocomposites

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Deligeer, W.; Gao, Y. W.; Asuha, S.

    2011-02-01

    Mesoporous γ-Fe2O3/SiO2 nanocomposite containing 30 mol% of γ-Fe2O3 was prepared by a template-free sol-gel method, and its removal ability for methyl orange (MO) was investigated. The nanocomposite was characterized using X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscope (SEM), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) absorption measurements, nitrogen adsorption-desorption measurements, and magnetic measurements. The synthesized γ-Fe2O3/SiO2 nanocomposite has a mesoporous structure with an average pore size of 3.5 nm and a specific surface area of 245 m2/g, and it exhibits ferrimagnetic characteristics with the maximum saturation magnetization of 20.9 emu/g. The adsorption of MO on the nanocomposite reaches the maximum adsorbed percentage of ca. 80% within a few minutes, showing that most of MO can be removed in a short time. The MO adsorption data fit well with both Langmuir and Freundlich adsorption isotherms. The maximum adsorption capacity of MO is estimated to be 476 mg/g.

  7. Flexible Asymmetric Solid-State Supercapacitors by Highly Efficient 3D Nanostructured α-MnO2 and h-CuS Electrodes.

    PubMed

    Patil, Amar M; Lokhande, Abhishek C; Shinde, Pragati A; Lokhande, Chandrakant D

    2018-05-16

    A simplistic and economical chemical way has been used to prepare highly efficient nanostructured, manganese oxide (α-MnO 2 ) and hexagonal copper sulfide (h-CuS) electrodes directly on cheap and flexible stainless steel sheets. Flexible solid-state α-MnO 2 /flexible stainless steel (FSS)/polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)-LiClO 4 /h-CuS/FSS asymmetric supercapacitor (ASC) devices have been fabricated using PVA-LiClO 4 gel electrolyte. Highly active surface areas of α-MnO 2 (75 m 2 g -1 ) and h-CuS (83 m 2 g -1 ) electrodes contribute to more electrochemical reactions at the electrode and electrolyte interface. The ASC device has a prolonged working potential of +1.8 V and accomplishes a capacitance of 109.12 F g -1 at 5 mV s -1 , energy density of 18.9 Wh kg -1 , and long-term electrochemical cycling with a capacity retention of 93.3% after 5000 cycles. Additionally, ASC devices were successful in glowing seven white-light-emitting diodes for more than 7 min after 30 s of charging. Outstandingly, real practical demonstration suggests "ready-to-sell" products for industries.

  8. Structure refinements of members in the brownmillerite solid solution series Ca{sub 2}Al{sub x}(Fe{sub 0.5}Mn{sub 0.5}){sub 2-x}O{sub 5+{delta}} with 1/2{<=}x{<=}4/3

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Stoeber, Stefan, E-mail: stefan.stoeber@geo.uni-halle.de; Redhammer, Guenther; Schorr, Susan

    2013-01-15

    Four different brownmillerite solid solutions Ca{sub 2}Al{sub x}(Fe{sub 0.5}Mn{sub 0.5}){sub 2-x}O{sub 5+{delta}} with 1/2{<=}x{<=}4/3 were synthesized by a solid oxide ceramic method. The phases crystallize either in a primitive centered orthorhombic cell with space group Pnma or in a body centered cell with space group I2mb dependent on the aluminum concentration present in the solid solution. Mn{sup 3+} ions occupy exclusively site 4a coordinated by six oxygen anions. Increasing Mn{sup 3+} concentrations cause a remarkable distortion of the octahedron and indirectly of the tetrahedron, resulting in twisted and tilted octahedral layers as well as buckled tetrahedral chains. The influences aremore » discussed on the site 4a of trivalent manganese due to its Jahn-Teller activity, with regard to the occupation of octahedron and tetrahedron with different sized iron and aluminum ions. - Graphical Abstract: The coupled substitution Fe{sup 3+}>Mn{sup 3+}+Fe{sup 3+} <=>2 Al{sup 3+} in brownmillerite phases (Ca{sub 2}(Fe{sub 0.5}Mn{sub 0.5}){sub 2-x}Al{sub x}O{sub 5+{delta}}) changes predominantly their structural properties, which is essential for the hydration performance of the calcium aluminate cement, where brownmillerites occur as clinker phases. Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer We present structural data of four Ca-Al-Fe-Mn-brownmillerites. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Mn{sup 3+}-ions occupy exclusively the octahedrally coordinated site 0,0,0. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Bonds and angles of the octahedrally coordinated site are distorted strongly. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Mn{sup 3+}-ions influence indirectly the shape of the tetrahedron. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Mn{sup 3+}-ions stabilize Pnma instead of I2mb in Ca-Al-Fe-Mn-brownmillerites.« less

  9. Effect of Growth Parameters on SnO2 Nanowires Growth by Electron Beam Evaporation Method

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rakesh Kumar, R.; Manjula, Y.; Narasimha Rao, K.

    2018-02-01

    Tin oxide (SnO2) nanowires were synthesized via catalyst assisted VLS growth mechanism by the electron beam evaporation method at a growth temperature of 450 °C. The effects of growth parameters such as evaporation rate of Tin, catalyst film thickness, and different types of substrates on the growth of SnO2 nanowires were studied. Nanowires (NWs) growth was completely seized at higher tin evaporation rates due to the inability of the catalyst particle to initiate the NWs growth. Nanowires diameters were able to tune with catalyst film thickness. Nanowires growth was completely absent at higher catalyst film thickness due to agglomeration of the catalyst film. Optimum growth parameters for SnO2 NWs were presented. Nanocomposites such as Zinc oxide - SnO2, Graphene oxide sheets- SnO2 and Graphene nanosheets-SnO2 were able to synthesize at a lower substrate temperature of 450 °C. These nanocompsoites will be useful in enhancing the capacity of Li-ion batteries, the gas sensing response and also useful in increasing the photo catalytic activity.

  10. Developing the photovoltaic performance of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) using a SnO2-doped graphene oxide hybrid nanocomposite as a photo-anode

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sasikumar, Ragu; Chen, Tse-Wei; Chen, Shen-Ming; Rwei, Syang-Peng; Ramaraj, Sayee Kannan

    2018-05-01

    Tin(IV) oxide nanoparticles (SnO2 NPs) doped on the surface of graphene oxide (GO) sheets for application in Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells (DSSCs). The effective incorporation of SnO2 on the surface of GO sheets were confirmed by powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), Fourier transform infra-red spectroscopy (FT-IR), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), and Raman spectroscopy. The morphology of the GO/SnO2 hybrid nanocomposite was confirmed by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) analysis. This current study involvement with the effect of different photo-anodes such as GO, SnO2, and GO/SnO2 hybrid nanocomposite on the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of the triiodide electrolyte based DSSCs. Remarkably, GO/SnO2 hybrid nanocomposite based photo-anode for DSSC observed PCE of 8.3% and it is about 12% higher than that of un-doped TiO2 photo-anode. The equivalent short-circuit photocurrent density (Jsc) of 16.67 mA cm-2, open circuit voltage (Voc) of 0.77 V, and fill factor (FF) of 0.65 respectively. The achieved results propose that the hybrid nanocomposite is an appropriate photo-anodic material for DSSCs applications.

  11. Field emission from in situ-grown vertically aligned SnO2 nanowire arrays

    PubMed Central

    2012-01-01

    Vertically aligned SnO2 nanowire arrays have been in situ fabricated on a silicon substrate via thermal evaporation method in the presence of a Pt catalyst. The field emission properties of the SnO2 nanowire arrays have been investigated. Low turn-on fields of 1.6 to 2.8 V/μm were obtained at anode-cathode separations of 100 to 200 μm. The current density fluctuation was lower than 5% during a 120-min stability test measured at a fixed applied electric field of 5 V/μm. The favorable field-emission performance indicates that the fabricated SnO2 nanowire arrays are promising candidates as field emitters. PMID:22330800

  12. Synthesis and characterization of Cr doped CoFe2O4

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Verma, Kavita; Patel, K. R.; Ram, Sahi; Barbar, S. K.

    2016-05-01

    Polycrystalline samples of pure and Cr-doped cobalt ferrite (CoFe2O4 and CoCrFeO4) were prepared by solid state reaction route method. X-ray diffraction pattern infers that both the samples are in single phase with Fd3m space group. Slight reduction in the lattice parameter of CoCrFeO4 has been observed as compared to CoFe2O4. The dielectric dispersion has been explained on the basis of Fe2+ ↔ Fe3+ hopping mechanism. The polarizations at lower frequencies are mainly attributed to electronic exchange between Fe2+ ↔ Fe3+ ions on the octahedral site in the ferrite lattice. In the present system a part from n-type charge carrier (Fe3+/Fe2+), the presence of (Co3+/Co2+) ions give rise to p-type charge carrier. Therefore in addition to n-type charge carrier, the local displacement of p-type charge carrier in direction of external electric field also contributes to net polarization. However, the dielectric constant and loss tangent of CoCrFeO4 are found to be lower than CoFe2O4 and is attributed to the availability of ferrous ion. CoCrFeO4 have less amount of ferrous ion available for polarization as compared to that of CoFe2O4. The impedance spectra reveal a grain interior contribution to the conduction process.

  13. Preparation and thermal stability of the spindle α-Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3}@SiO{sub 2} core–shell nanoparticles

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Zhang, Xin; Niu, Yongan; Li, Yang

    2014-03-15

    The spindle α-Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3}@SiO{sub 2} core–shell nanoparticles (NPs) are prepared via hydrothermal synthesis and modified Stöber method. During these processes, shell thicknesses could be easily adjusted by the amount of tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS), and the formation of core-free SiO{sub 2} could be effectively avoided. The structures and compositions of α-Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3}@SiO{sub 2} NPs are investigated by transmission electron microscope (TEM), X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and ultraviolet–visible (UV–vis) absorption spectroscopy. These results reveal that the α-Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3}@SiO{sub 2} NPs with certain sizes are monodisperse and homogeneous. To estimate the thermal stability, the α-Fe{sub 2}O{submore » 3}, α-Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3}@SiO{sub 2} and SiO{sub 2} NPs are annealed at 600, 800 and 1000 °C for 1 h under air atmosphere, respectively. Furthermore, the stabilities of these NPs are confirmed by thermal analysis methods. The structure and shape stabilities of these as-prepared α-Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3}@SiO{sub 2} NPs are investigated by XRD and scanning electron microscope (SEM). -- Graphical abstract: Schematic of preparation of the monodisperse spindle α-Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3}@SiO{sub 2} nanoparticles (NPs). Highlights: • The spindle α-Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3}@SiO{sub 2} nanoparticles (NPs) are successfully prepared by hydrothermal synthesis and modified Stöber method. • Optical properties are estimated and calculated by UV vis absorption spectrum. • Thermal stability of the α-Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3}, α-Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3}@SiO{sub 2} and SiO{sub 2} NPs are compared and analyzed by the SEM technique. • The structural changes of α-Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3}@SiO{sub 2} NPs are measured by XRD measurement.« less

  14. Single-crystalline MFe(2)O(4) nanotubes/nanorings synthesized by thermal transformation process for biological applications.

    PubMed

    Fan, Hai-Ming; Yi, Jia-Bao; Yang, Yi; Kho, Kiang-Wei; Tan, Hui-Ru; Shen, Ze-Xiang; Ding, Jun; Sun, Xiao-Wei; Olivo, Malini Carolene; Feng, Yuan-Ping

    2009-09-22

    We report a general thermal transformation approach to synthesize single-crystalline magnetic transition metal oxides nanotubes/nanorings including magnetite Fe(3)O(4), maghematite gamma-Fe(2)O(3), and ferrites MFe(2)O(4) (M = Co, Mn, Ni, Cu) using hematite alpha-Fe(2)O(3) nanotubes/nanorings template. While the straightforward reduction or reduction-oxides process was employed to produce Fe(3)O(4) and gamma-Fe(2)O(3), the alpha-Fe(2)O(3)/M(OH)(2) core/shell nanostructure was used as precursor to prepare MFe(2)O(4) nanotubes via MFe(2)O(4-x) (0 < x < 1) intermediate. The transformed ferrites nanocrystals retain the hollow structure and single-crystalline nature of the original templates. However, the crystallographic orientation-relationships of cubic spinel ferrites and trigonal hematite show strong correlation with their morpologies. The hollow-structured MFe(2)O(4) nanocrystals with tunable size, shape, and composition have exhibited unique magnetic properties. Moreover, they have been demonstrated as a highly effective peroxidase mimic catalysts for laboratory immunoassays or as a universal nanocapsules hybridized with luminescent QDs for magnetic separation and optical probe of lung cancer cells, suggesting that these biocompatible magnetic nanotubes/nanorings have great potential in biomedicine and biomagnetic applications.

  15. Anionic ordering and thermal properties of FeF 3·3H 2O

    DOE PAGES

    Burbano, Mario; Duttine, Mathieu; Borkiewicz, Olaf; ...

    2015-09-17

    In this study, iron fluoride tri-hydrate can be used to prepare iron hydroxyfluoride with the Hexagonal-Tungsten-Bronze (HTB) type structure, a potential cathode material for batteries. To understand this phase transformation, a structural description of β-FeF 3·3H 2O is first performed by means of DFT calculations and Mössbauer spectroscopy. The structure of this compound consists of infinite chains of [FeF 6]n and [FeF 2(H2O) 4] n. The decomposition of FeF 3·3H 2O induces a collapse and condensation of these chains, which lead to the stabilization, under specific conditions, of a hydroxyfluoride network FeF 3-x(OH) x with the HTB structure. The releasemore » of H 2O and HF was monitored by thermal analysis and physical characterizations during the decomposition of FeF 3·3H 2O. An average distribution of FeF 4(OH) 2 distorted octahedra in HTB-FeF 3-x(OH) x was obtained subsequent to the thermal hydrolysis/olation of equatorial anionic positions involving F- and H 2O. This study provides a clear understanding of the structure and thermal properties of FeF 3·3H 2O, a material that can potentially bridge the recycling of pickling sludge from the steel industry by preparing battery electrodes.« less

  16. Carbon-Coated Hierarchical SnO2 Hollow Spheres for Lithium Ion Batteries.

    PubMed

    Liu, Qiannan; Dou, Yuhai; Ruan, Boyang; Sun, Ziqi; Chou, Shu-Lei; Dou, Shi Xue

    2016-04-18

    Hierarchical SnO2 hollow spheres self-assembled from nanosheets were prepared with and without carbon coating. The combination of nanosized architecture, hollow structure, and a conductive carbon layer endows the SnO2 -based anode with improved specific capacity and cycling stability, making it more promising for use in lithium ion batteries. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  17. Preparation of Hollow Fe2O3 Nanorods and Nanospheres by Nanoscale Kirkendall Diffusion, and Their Electrochemical Properties for Use in Lithium-Ion Batteries.

    PubMed

    Cho, Jung Sang; Park, Jin-Sung; Kang, Yun Chan

    2016-12-13

    A novel process for the preparation of aggregate-free metal oxide nanopowders with spherical (0D) and non-spherical (1D) hollow nanostructures was introduced. Carbon nanofibers embedded with iron selenide (FeSe) nanopowders with various nanostructures are prepared via the selenization of electrospun nanofibers. Ostwald ripening occurs during the selenization process, resulting in the formation of a FeSe-C composite nanofiber exhibiting a hierarchical structure. These nanofibers transform into aggregate-free hollow Fe 2 O 3 powders via the complete oxidation of FeSe and combustion of carbon. Indeed, the zero- (0D) and one-dimensional (1D) FeSe nanocrystals transform into the hollow-structured Fe 2 O 3 nanopowders via a nanoscale Kirkendall diffusion process, thus conserving their overall morphology. The discharge capacities for the 1000 th cycle of the hollow-structured Fe 2 O 3 nanopowders obtained from the FeSe-C composite nanofibers prepared at selenization temperatures of 500, 800, and 1000 °C at a current density of 1 A g -1 are 932, 767, and 544 mA h g -1 , respectively; and their capacity retentions from the second cycle are 88, 92, and 78%, respectively. The high structural stabilities of these hollow Fe 2 O 3 nanopowders during repeated lithium insertion/desertion processes result in superior lithium-ion storage performances.

  18. Surface plasmon resonance study on the optical sensing properties of tin oxide (SnO2) films to NH3 gas

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Paliwal, Ayushi; Sharma, Anjali; Tomar, Monika; Gupta, Vinay

    2016-04-01

    Surface plasmon resonance (SPR) technique is an easy and reliable method for detecting very low concentration of toxic gases at room temperature using a gas sensitive thin film layer. In the present work, a room temperature operated NH3 gas sensor has been developed using a laboratory assembled SPR measurement setup utilising a p-polarized He-Ne laser and prism coupling technique. A semiconducting gas sensitive tin oxide (SnO2) layer has been deposited under varying growth conditions (i.e., by varying deposition pressure) over the gold coated prism (BK-7) to excite the surface plasmon modes in Kretschmann configuration. The SPR reflectance curves for prism/Au/SnO2/air system for SnO2 thin films prepared at different sputtering pressure were measured, and the SnO2 film deposited at 10 mT pressure is found to exhibit a sharp SPR reflectance curve with minimum reflectance (0.32) at the resonance angle of 44.7° which is further used for sensing NH3 gas of different concentration at room temperature. The SPR reflectance curve shows a significant shift in resonance angle from 45.05° to 58.55° on interacting with NH3. The prepared sensor is found to give high sensing response (0.11) with high selectivity towards very low concentration of NH3 (0.5 ppm) and quick response time at room temperature.

  19. Adsorption of Cd2+ ions on plant mediated SnO2 nanoparticles

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Haq, Sirajul; Rehman, Wajid; Waseem, Muhammad; Shahid, Muhammad; Mahfooz-ur-Rehman; Hussain Shah, Khizar; Nawaz, Mohsan

    2016-10-01

    Plant mediated SnO2 nanoparticles were synthesized by using SnCl4.5H2O as a precursor material. The nanoparticles were then characterized for BET surface area measurements, energy dispersive x-rays (EDX), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), UV-vis diffuse reflectance (DRS) spectra and x-rays diffraction (XRD) analysis. The successful synthesis of SnO2 nanoparticles was confirmed by EDX analysis. The particle sizes were in the range 19-27 nm whereas the crystallite size computed from XRD measurement was found to be 19.9 nm. Batch adsorption technique was employed for the removal of Cd2+ ions from aqueous solution. The sorption studies of Cd2+ ions were performed at pHs 4 and 6. The equilibrium concentration of Cd2+ ions was determined by atomic absorption spectrometer (flame mode). The uptake of Cd2+ ions was affected by initial concentration, pH and temperature of the electrolytic solution. It was observed that the adsorption of Cd2+ ions enhanced with increase in the initial concentration of Cd2+ ions whereas a decrease in the percent adsorption was detected. From the thermodynamic parameters, the adsorption process was found spontaneous and endothermic in nature. The n values confirmed 2:1 exchange mechanism between surface protons and Cd2+ ions.

  20. Silicate liquid immiscibility in magmas and in the system K2O-FeO-AI2O3-SiO2: an example of serendipity

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Roedder, E.

    1978-01-01

    The concept of silicate liquid immiscibility was invoked early in the history of petrology to explain certain pairs of compositionally divergent rocks, but. as a result of papers by Greig (Am. J. Sci. 13, 1-44, 133-154) and Bowen (The Evolution of the Igneous Rocks), it fell into disfavor for many years. The discovery of immiscibility in geologically reasonable temperature ranges and compositions in experimental work on the system K2O-FeO-Al2O3-SiO2, and of evidence for immiscibility in a variety of lunar and terrestrial rocks, has reinstated the process. Phase equilibria in the high-silica corner of the tetrahedron representing the system K2O- FeO-Al2O3-SiO2 are presented, in the form of constant FeO sections through the tetrahedron, at 10% increments. Those sections, showing the tentative relationships of the primary phase volumes, are based on 5631 quenching runs on 519 compositions, made in metallic iron containers in pure nitrogen. Thirteen crystalline compounds are involved, of which at least six show two or more crystal modifica-tions. Two separate phase volumes, in each of which two immiscible liquids, one iron-rich and the other iron-poor, are present at the liquidus. One of these volumes is entirely within the quaternary system, astride the 1:1 K2O:Al2O3 plane. No quaternary compounds as such have been found, but evidence does point toward at least partial quaternary solid solution, with rapidly lowering liquidus temperatures, from K2O??Al2O3?? 2SiO2 ('potash nepheline', kalsilite. kaliophilite) to the isostructural compound K2O??FeO??3SiO2, and from K2O??Al2O3??4SiO2 (leucite) to the isostructural compound K2O??FeO??5SiO2, Both of these series apparently involve substitution, in tetrahedral coordination. of a ferrous iron and a silicon ion for two aluminum ions. Some of the 'impurities' found in analyses of the natural phases may reflect these substitutions. As a result of the geometry of the immiscibility volume located entirely within the quaternary

  1. SnO2/Reduced Graphene Oxide Interlayer Mitigating the Shuttle Effect of Li-S Batteries.

    PubMed

    Hu, Nana; Lv, Xingshuai; Dai, Ying; Fan, Linlin; Xiong, Dongbin; Li, Xifei

    2018-06-06

    The short cycle life of lithium-sulfur batteries (LSBs) plagues its practical application. In this study, a uniform SnO 2 /reduced graphene oxide (denoted as SnO 2 /rGO) composite is successfully designed onto the commercial polypropylene separator for use of interlayer of LSBs to decrease the charge-transfer resistance and trap the soluble lithium polysulfides (LPSs). As a result, the assembled devices using the separator modified with the functional interlayer (SnO 2 /rGO) exhibit improved cycle performance; for instance, over 200 cycles at 1C, the discharge capacity of the cells reaches 734 mAh g -1 . The cells also display high rate capability, with the average discharge capacity of 541.9 mAh g -1 at 5C. Additionally, the mechanism of anchoring behavior of the SnO 2 /rGO interlayer was systematically investigated using density functional theory calculations. The results demonstrate that the improved performance is related to the ability of SnO 2 /rGO to effectively absorb S 8 cluster and LPS. The strong Li-O/Sn-S/O-S bonds and tight chemical adsorption between LPS and SnO 2 mitigate the shuttle effect of LSBs. This study demonstrates that engineering the functional interlayer of metal oxide and carbon materials in LSBs may be an easy way to improve their rate capacity and cycling life.

  2. Electrochemical and fluorescence properties of SnO2 thin films and its antibacterial activity

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Henry, J.; Mohanraj, K.; Sivakumar, G.; Umamaheswari, S.

    2015-05-01

    Nanocrystalline SnO2 thin films were deposited by a simple and inexpensive sol-gel spin coating technique and the films were annealed at two different temperatures (350 °C and 450 °C). Structural, vibrational, optical and electrochemical properties of the films were analyzed using XRD, FTIR, UV-Visible, fluorescence and cyclic voltammetry techniques respectively and their results are discussed in detail. The antimicrobial properties of SnO2 thin films were investigated by agar agar method and the results confirm the antibacterial activity of SnO2 against Escherichia coli and Bacillus.

  3. Environment dependent enhanced photoluminescence and Boolean logic gates like behavior of Bi2O3 and Ag:Bi2O3 nanostructures

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hariharan, S.; Karthikeyan, B.

    2018-03-01

    In the evolution of nanotechnology research for smart and precise sensor fabrication, here we report the implementation of simple logic gate operations performing by luminescent nanostructures in biomolecule environment based on photoluminescence (PL) technique. This present work deals with the luminescence property of α-Bi2O3 and Ag modified α-Bi2O3 nanostructures for D-glucose and Bovine serum albumin (BSA) sensing applications. These nanostructures are prepared by simple co-precipitation method and their morphology are examined using transmission electron microscope (TEM). We explore the PL characteristics of the prepared nanostructures and observe their change in PL intensity in the presence of D-glucose and BSA molecules. Enhancement in PL intensity is observed in the presence of D-glucose and BSA. Based on the PL response of prepared nanostructures in the biomolecule environment, we demonstrate biophotonic logic gates including YES, PASS 0, OR and INHIBIT gates.

  4. Effect of capping and particle size on Raman laser-induced degradation of {gamma}-Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3} nanoparticles

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Varadwaj, K.S.K.; Panigrahi, M.K.; Ghose, J.

    2004-11-01

    Diol capped {gamma}-Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3} nanoparticles are prepared from ferric nitrate by refluxing in 1,4-butanediol (9.5nm) and 1,5-pentanediol (15nm) and uncapped particles are prepared by refluxing in 1,2-propanediol followed by sintering the alkoxide formed. X-ray diffraction (XRD) shows that all the samples have the spinel phase. Raman spectroscopy shows that the samples prepared in 1,4-butanediol and 1,5-pentanediol and 1,2-propanediol (sintered at 573 and 673K) are {gamma}-Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3} and the 773K-sintered sample is Fe{sub 3}O{sub 4}. Raman laser studies carried out at various laser powers show that all the samples undergo laser-induced degradation to {alpha}-Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3} at higher lasermore » power. The capped samples are however, found more stable to degradation than the uncapped samples. The stability of {gamma}-Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3} sample with large particle size (15.4nm) is more than the sample with small particle size (10.2nm). Fe{sub 3}O{sub 4} having a particle size of 48nm is however less stable than the smaller {gamma}-Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3} nanoparticles.« less

  5. The effect of annealing on structural and optical properties of α-Fe2O3/CdS/α-Fe2O3 multilayer heterostructures

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Saleem, M.; Durrani, S. M. A.; Saheb, N.; Al-Kuhaili, M. F.; Bakhtiari, I. A.

    2014-11-01

    Multilayered thin film heterostructures of α-Fe2O3/CdS/α-Fe2O3 were prepared through physical vapor deposition. Each α-Fe2O3 layer was deposited by e-beam evaporation of iron in an oxygen atmosphere. The CdS layer was deposited by thermal evaporation in a vacuum. The effect of post annealing of multilayered thin films in air in the temperature range 250 °C to 450 °C was investigated. Structural characterization indicated the growth of the α-Fe2O3 phase with a polycrystalline structure without any CdS crystalline phase. As-deposited multilayer heterostructures were amorphous and transformed into polycrystalline upon annealing. The surface modification of the films during annealing was revealed by scanning electron microscopy. Spectrophotometric measurements were used to determine the optical properties, including the transmittance, absorbance, and band gap. All the films had both direct as well as indirect band gaps.

  6. Temperature-dependent electrochemical capacitive performance of the α-Fe2O3 hollow nanoshuttles as supercapacitor electrodes.

    PubMed

    Zheng, Xin; Yan, Xiaoqin; Sun, Yihui; Yu, Yinsheng; Zhang, Guangjie; Shen, Yanwei; Liang, Qijie; Liao, Qingliang; Zhang, Yue

    2016-03-15

    The design and optimization of supercapacitors electrodes nanostructures are critically important since the properties of supercapacitors can be dramatically enhanced by tunable ion transport channels. Herein, we demonstrate high-performance supercapacitor electrodes materials based on α-Fe2O3 by rationally designing the electrode microstructure. The large solid-liquid reaction interfaces induced by hollow nanoshuttle-like structures not only provide more active sites for faradic reactions but also facilitate the diffusion of the electrolyte into electrodes. These result in the optimized electrodes with high capacitance of 249 F g(-1) at a discharging current density of 0.5 A g(-1) as well as good cycle stability. In addition, the relationship between charge storage and the operating temperature has been researched. The specific capacitance has no significant change when the working temperature increased from 20 °C to 60 °C (e.g. 203 F g(-1) and 234 F g(-1) at 20 °C and 60 °C, respectively), manifesting the electrodes can work stably in a wide temperature range. These findings here elucidate the α-Fe2O3 hollow nanoshuttles can be applied as a promising supercapacitor electrode material for the efficient energy storage at various potential temperatures. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  7. Controllable synthesis of Au@SnO2 core-shell nanohybrids with enhanced photocatalytic activities

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhang, Shaofeng; Hao, Jinggang; Ren, Feng; Wu, Wei; Xiao, Xiangheng

    2017-05-01

    Combination of semiconductors with plasmonic nanostructures is an effective route to promote the solar light harvesting as well as the efficiency of photocatalysis. In the present work, the Au@SnO2 hybrid nanostructures with Au nanorods as the cores and highly crystallized SnO2 nanoparticles as the shells were fabricated by a facile hydrothermal method. A critical factor, which influences the coating state of the SnO2 shells over Au NRs, was found to be the concentration of CTAB agent in the system and the corresponding mechanism was also proposed. The photocatalytic activities of the Au@SnO2 nanohybrids were examined by degradation of rhodamine B (RhB) dyes at room temperature. The Au@SnO2 nanohybrids exhibited much higher catalytic activities than that of the commercial SnO2 NPs, which could be attributed to the localized electric field enhancement effect of Au nanorods plasmon and charges transfer between the Au nanorods and SnO2.

  8. Modification of Pseudobrookite Fe2-XMnxTiO5 with Solid State Reaction Method using a Mechanical Milling

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sarwanto, Y.; Adi, W. A.

    2017-05-01

    Modification of pseudobrookite Fe2-xMnxTiO5 with solid state reaction method using a mechanical milling has been synthesized. Raw materials used to prepare these samples were Fe2O3, MnCO3, and TiO2. Fe2O3 and TiO2 powders (ratio of 1:1) were mixed with MnCO3 powder at various composition of x = 0; 0.1; 0.2; 0.3; 0.4; 0.5; and 1, which each composition was added with 50 ml ethanol and then milled for 5 hours through high energy milling, after that sintered at 1000 °C for 5 hours by using box furnace. The phases of Fe2-xMnxTiO5 were measured by using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and then identified by using Match program. The crystal structure was analyzed by using the program of General Structure Analysis System (GSAS). Quality fitting of Rwp and χ2 (chi-squared) are relatively good because based on the curve of normalized error distribution looks just left background and its normal probability plot shows the value of comparable between observation and expectation. The refinement analyses of X-ray diffraction patterns showed that the samples formed single phase for x ≤ 0.3. However, the samples of x > 0.3 were multi-phases. The single phase of sample had composition of pseudobrookite Fe2TiO5 with orthorhombic structure, space group of C m c m (63), the lattice parameters of a = 3.7390 Å, b = 9.7790 Å, and c = 9.9780 Å, α = β = γ = 90°, V = 364.83 Å3, and ρ = 4.360 g.cm-3. Meanwhile, the other phase analysis for the composition of x > 0.3 is bixbyite (FeMnO3). The bixbyite has a cubic structure, under the space group of I a - 3 (206), the lattice parameters of a = b = c = 9.40 Å, α = β = γ = 90°, V = 830.58 Å3, and ρ = 5.078 g.cm-3.

  9. Porous Fe2O3 Microspheres as Anode for Lithium-Ion Batteries

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Noerochim, L.; Indra, M. A. T.; Purwaningsih, H.; Subhan, A.

    2018-05-01

    In this work, Fe2O3 was successfully synthesized by the hydrothermal process at low temperature. FeCl3.6H2O as precursor and variation of lysine as hydrolyzing agent were used to preparing Fe2O3. SEM images show that the morphology of Fe2O3 is porous microsphere with sizes in the range of (1 to 5) µm in diameter. The as-prepared Fe2O3 with the 2 M of lysine exhibits excellent cycling performance when used as the anode for lithium ion batteries, obtaining reversible discharge capacity of 172.33 mA·h·g‑1 at 0.5 C after 50 cycles. It is attributed to the unique structure of porous microspheres providing a large surface area which maintains good electronic contact between particles during charge-discharge process. This result demonstrates that Fe2O3 porous microsphere has a high potential as anode material for application of lithium-ion battery.

  10. Animal Bone Supported SnO2 as Recyclable Photocatalyst for Degradation of Rhodamine B Dye.

    PubMed

    Wu, Yun; Wang, Hui; Cao, Mengdie; Zhang, Yichi; Cao, Feifei; Zheng, Xinsheng; Hu, Jinfei; Dong, Jiangshan; Xiao, Zhidong

    2015-09-01

    SnO2 nanoparticles supported on an animal bone which serves as inexpensive and environment-friendly natural products were developed by a facile hydrothermal approach. As a promising photocatalyst, the novel SnO2/porcine bone material exhibited high photocatalytic activity towards the degradation of rhodamine B (RhB) dye under UV-Vis irradiation. About 97.3% of RhB can be effectively decomposed by the catalysis with the SnO2/porcine bone in 90 min, while only 51.5% of RhB can be degraded by pure SnO2 nanoparticles. Moreover, the photocatalytic activity was incremental with the increase of cycle times in previous five cycles. It is mainly because the photocatalyst which has been used for several times possesses a stronger ability of light absorption and utilization compared to the fresh catalyst according to the results of the characterization and relative experiments. It is noteworthy that the animal bone support can improve the activity for the photocatalyst, which would provide further impetus to alternate synthesis strategies for photocatalysts and make the photocatalysis process faster, less expensive, and more environmentally friendly.

  11. Metal-Organic Frameworks Derived Okra-like SnO2 Encapsulated in Nitrogen-Doped Graphene for Lithium Ion Battery.

    PubMed

    Zhou, Xiangyang; Chen, Sanmei; Yang, Juan; Bai, Tao; Ren, Yongpeng; Tian, Hangyu

    2017-04-26

    A facile process is developed to prepare SnO 2 -based composites through using metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) as precursors. The nitrogen-doped graphene wrapped okra-like SnO 2 composites (SnO 2 @N-RGO) are successfully synthesized for the first time by using Sn-based metal-organic frameworks (Sn-MOF) as precursors. When utilized as an anode material for lithium-ion batteries, the SnO 2 @N-RGO composites possess a remarkably superior reversible capacity of 1041 mA h g -1 at a constant current of 200 mA g -1 after 180 charge-discharge processes and excellent rate capability. The excellent performance can be primarily ascribed to the unique structure of 1D okra-like SnO 2 in SnO 2 @N-RGO which are actually composed of a great number of SnO 2 primary crystallites and numerous well-defined internal voids, can effectively alleviate the huge volume change of SnO 2 , and facilitate the transport and storage of lithium ions. Besides, the structural stability acquires further improvement when the okra-like SnO 2 are wrapped by N-doped graphene. Similarly, this synthetic strategy can be employed to synthesize other high-capacity metal-oxide-based composites starting from various metal-organic frameworks, exhibiting promising application in novel electrode material field of lithium-ion batteries.

  12. Controlled synthesis of magnetic iron oxides@SnO2 quasi-hollow core-shell heterostructures: formation mechanism, and enhanced photocatalytic activity

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wu, Wei; Zhang, Shaofeng; Ren, Feng; Xiao, Xiangheng; Zhou, Juan; Jiang, Changzhong

    2011-11-01

    Iron oxide/SnO2 magnetic semiconductor core-shell heterostructures with high purity were synthesized by a low-cost, surfactant-free and environmentally friendly hydrothermal strategy via a seed-mediated method. The morphology and structure of the hybrid nanostructures were characterized by means of high-resolution transmission electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction. The morphology evolution investigations reveal that the Kirkendall effect directs the diffusion and causes the formation of iron oxide/SnO2 quasi-hollow particles. Significantly, the as-obtained iron oxides/SnO2 core-shell heterostructures exhibited enhanced visible light or UV photocatalytic abilities, remarkably superior to as-used α-Fe2O3 seeds and commercial SnO2 products, mainly owing to the effective electron hole separation at the iron oxides/SnO2 interfaces.Iron oxide/SnO2 magnetic semiconductor core-shell heterostructures with high purity were synthesized by a low-cost, surfactant-free and environmentally friendly hydrothermal strategy via a seed-mediated method. The morphology and structure of the hybrid nanostructures were characterized by means of high-resolution transmission electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction. The morphology evolution investigations reveal that the Kirkendall effect directs the diffusion and causes the formation of iron oxide/SnO2 quasi-hollow particles. Significantly, the as-obtained iron oxides/SnO2 core-shell heterostructures exhibited enhanced visible light or UV photocatalytic abilities, remarkably superior to as-used α-Fe2O3 seeds and commercial SnO2 products, mainly owing to the effective electron hole separation at the iron oxides/SnO2 interfaces. Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available: TEM and HRTEM images of hematite seeds and iron oxide/SnO2 (12 h and 36 h). See DOI: 10.1039/c1nr10728c

  13. Two-stage epitaxial growth of vertically-aligned SnO 2 nano-rods on(001) ceria

    DOE PAGES

    Solovyov, Vyacheslav F.; Wu, Li-jun; Rupich, Martin W.; ...

    2014-09-20

    Growth of high-aspect ratio oriented tin oxide, SnO 2, nano-rods is complicated by a limited choice of matching substrates. We show that a (001) cerium oxide, CeO 2, surface uniquely enables epitaxial growth of tin-oxide nano-rods via a two-stage process. First, (100) oriented nano-wires coat the ceria surface by lateral growth, forming a uniaxially-textured SnO 2 deposit. Second, vertical SnO 2nano-rods nucleate on the deposit by homoepitaxy. We demonstrate growth of vertically oriented 1-2 μm long nano-rods with an average diameter of ≈20 nm.

  14. The continuous and persistent periodical growth induced by substrate accommodation in In2O3 nanostructure chains and their photoluminescence properties

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Shariati, Mohsen

    2015-03-01

    The growth of pyramidal and triangular beaded In2O3 nanocrystal chains by using oxygen-assisted thermal evaporation, substrate accommodation and condensation method has been articulated. Self-assembled In2O3 nanocrystal chains have been synthesized by the vapor-solid (VS) and vapor-liquid-solid (VLS) growth mechanism and also through controlling the kinetics factors (saturation ratio). A periodical one-dimensional (1-D) and persistent (0-D) growth was proposed to explain the formation of lateral nanostructures, and this formation aspect was ascribed to the alternate 1-D and 0-D growth. Preparing the needed growth factor, the In2O3 nanocrystal chains extended to several micrometers. The growth mechanism analysis was useful to realize the relation between the kinetics factors and the complex nanostructure. The morphology and size of nanocrystals intensively were changed by oxygen concentration and led to interesting photoluminescence property.

  15. A Fast Humidity Sensor Based on Li+-Doped SnO2 One-Dimensional Porous Nanofibers

    PubMed Central

    Yin, Min; Yang, Fang; Wang, Zhaojie; Zhu, Miao; Liu, Ming; Xu, Xiuru; Li, Zhenyu

    2017-01-01

    One-dimensional SnO2- and Li+-doped SnO2 porous nanofibers were easily fabricated via electrospinning and a subsequent calcination procedure for ultrafast humidity sensing. Different Li dopant concentrations were introduced to investigate the dopant’s role in sensing performance. The response properties were studied under different relative humidity levels by both statistic and dynamic tests. The best response was obtained with respect to the optimal doping of Li+ into SnO2 porous nanofibers with a maximum 15 times higher response than that of pristine SnO2 porous nanofibers, at a relative humidity level of 85%. Most importantly, the ultrafast response and recovery time within 1 s was also obtained with the 1.0 wt % doping of Li+ into SnO2 porous nanofibers at 5 V and at room temperature, benefiting from the co-contributions of Li-doping and the one-dimensional porous structure. This work provides an effective method of developing ultrafast sensors for practical applications—especially fast breathing sensors. PMID:28772895

  16. Fabrication and characterization of SnO2/ZnO gas sensors for detecting toluene gas.

    PubMed

    Min, Byung-Sam; Park, Young-Ho; Lee, Chang-Seop

    2014-11-01

    This study investigates the use of SnO2, ZnO, Ag, Au, Cu, In, Pd, Ru and carbon black to improve the sensitivity of a gas sensor for detecting toluene gas. Metal-SnO2/ZnO thick films were screen-printed onto Al2O3 substrates with platinum electrodes. The physico-chemical properties of the sensor materials were characterized using SEM/EDS, XRD, and BET analyses. Measuring the electrical resistance of each sensor as a function of the gas concentration determined the sensing characteristics. The sensors were tested using toluene, benzene, xylene, ethanol, methanol, ammonia and trimethylamine vapors with concentrations of 1-2000 ppm. The gas sensing properties of metal-SnO2/ZnO thick films depended on the content and variety of metals and the content of carbon black. The optimum condition of sensor material for toluene gas detection is operation temperature 300 degrees C and when metal catalyst Cu and carbon black were added. The best sensitivity and selectivity for toluene gas at 300 degrees C resulted from doping with 5 wt.% carbon black, 1 wt.% Cu and 20 wt.% ZnO to SnO2.

  17. Fabrication, characterization, and photocatalytic property of α-Fe2O3/graphene oxide composite

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Li, Hong; Zhao, Qidong; Li, Xinyong; Zhu, Zhengru; Tade, Moses; Liu, Shaomin

    2013-06-01

    Spindle-shaped microstructure of α-Fe2O3 was successfully synthesized by a simple hydrothermal method. The α-Fe2O3/graphene oxide (GO) composites was prepared using a modified Hummers' strategy. The properties of the samples were systematically investigated by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), UV-Vis diffuse reflectance spectrophotometer, transmission electron microscope, atomic force microscope, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and Raman spectroscopy (Raman) techniques. GO nanosheets act as supporting materials for anchoring the α-Fe2O3 particles. The average crystallite sizes of the α-Fe2O3 and α-Fe2O3/GO samples are ca. 27 and 24 nm, respectively. The possible growth of α-Fe2O3 onto GO layers led to a higher absorbance capacity for visible light by α-Fe2O3/GO than α-Fe2O3 composite. The photocatalytic degradation of toluene over the α-Fe2O3 and α-Fe2O3/GO samples under xenon-lamp irradiation was comparatively studied by in situ FTIR technique. The results indicate that the α-Fe2O3/GO sample synthesized exhibited a higher capacity for the degradation of toluene. The composite of α-Fe2O3/GO could be promisingly applied in photo-driven air purification.

  18. The improvement of gas-sensing properties of SnO2/zeolite-assembled composite

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sun, Yanhui; Wang, Jing; Li, Xiaogan; Du, Haiying; Huang, Qingpan

    2018-05-01

    SnO2-impregnated zeolite composites were used as gas-sensing materials to improve the sensitivity and selectivity of the metal oxide-based resistive-type gas sensors. Nanocrystalline MFI type zeolite (ZSM-5) was prepared by hydrothermal synthesis. Highly dispersive SnO2 nanoparticles were then successfully assembled on the surface of the ZSM-5 nanoparticles by using the impregnation methods. The SnO2 nanoparticles are nearly spherical with the particle size of 10 nm. An enhanced formaldehyde sensing of as-synthesized SnO2-ZSM-5-based sensor was observed whereas a suppression on the sensor response to other volatile organic vapors (VOCs) such as acetone, ethanol, and methanol was noticed. The possible reasons for this contrary observation were proposed to be related to the amount of the produced water vapor during the sensing reactions assisted by the ZSM-5 nanoparticles. This provides a possible new strategy to improve the selectivity of the gas sensors. The effect of the humidity on the sensor response to formaldehyde was investigated and it was found the higher humidity would decrease the sensor response. A coating layer of the ZSM-5 nanoparticles on top of the SnO2-ZSM-5-sensing film was thus applied to further improve the sensitivity and selectivity of the sensor through the strong adsorption ability to polar gases and the "filtering effect" by the pores of ZSM-5.

  19. Preparation and characterization of epitaxial Fe{sub 2-x}Ti{sub x}O{sub 3} films with various Ti concentrations (0.5

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Takada, Y.; Nakanishi, M.; Fujii, T.

    2008-08-01

    An ilmenite-hematite solid solution (Fe{sub 2-x}Ti{sub x}O{sub 3}) is one of the candidates for practical magnetic semiconductors with a high Curie temperature. We have prepared well-crystallized epitaxial Fe{sub 2-x}Ti{sub x}O{sub 3} films with a wide range of Ti concentrations--x=0.50, 0.60, 0.65, 0.76, 0.87, and 0.94--on {alpha}-Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}(001) substrates. The films are prepared by a reactive helicon plasma sputtering technique to evaporate Fe and TiO targets simultaneously under optimized oxygen pressure conditions. The structural characterizations of the films reveal that all films have a single phase of the ordered structure with R3 symmetry, where Ti-rich and Fe-rich layers are stackedmore » alternately along the c axis. All films have large ferrimagnetic moments at low temperature, and room temperature magnetization is clearly observed at x<0.7. The inverse temperature dependence of the resistivities of the films indicates their semiconducting behavior. The film resistivities decrease with decreasing Ti concentration.« less

  20. Synthesis of methyl 3-O-alpha-D-mannopyranosyl-alpha-D-talopyranoside and methyl 3-O-alpha-D-talopyranosyl-alpha-D-talopyranoside.

    PubMed

    Dubey, R; Jain, R K; Abbas, S A; Matta, K L

    1987-08-01

    Methyl 2-O-benzyl-3-O-(2,3,4,6-tetra-O-acetyl-alpha-D-mannopyranosyl)-alpha- D-mannopyranoside (4) and methyl 2-O-benzyl-3-O-alpha-D-mannopyranosyl-alpha-D-mannopyranoside (6) were prepared from a common intermediate, namely, methyl 2-O-benzyl-4,6-O-benzylidene-3-O-(2,3,4,6-tetra-O-acetyl-alpha-D- mannopyranosyl)-alpha-D-mannopyranoside. On treatment with tert-butylchlorodiphenylsilane, in N,N-dimethylformamide in the presence of imidazole, 4 and 6 afforded methyl 2-O-benzyl-6-O-tert-butyldiphenylsilyl-3-O-(2,3,4,6-tetra-O-acetyl -alpha-D- mannopyranosyl)-alpha-D-mannopyranoside (7), and methyl 2-O-benzyl-6-O-tert-butyldiphenylsilyl-3-O-(6-O-tert- butyldiphenylsilyl-alpha-D-mannopyranosyl)-alpha-D-mannopyranoside (8), respectively. Compound 8 was converted into its 2,3-O-isopropylidene derivative (9), and oxidation of 7 and 9 with pyridinium chlorochromate, and reduction of the resulting carbonyl intermediates gave methyl 2-O-benzyl-6-O-tert-butyldiphenylsilyl-3-O-(2,3,4,6-tetra-O-acetyl -alpha-D- mannopyranosyl)-alpha-D-talopyranoside and methyl 2-O-benzyl-6-O-tert-butyldiphenylsilyl-3-O-(6-O-tert-butyldiphe nylsilyl- 2,3-O-isopropylidene-alpha-D-talopyranosyl)-alpha-D-talopyranoside , respectively. Removal of the protecting groups furnished the title disaccharides.

  1. The selective catalytic reduction of NO with NH3 over a novel Ce-Sn-Ti mixed oxides catalyst: Promotional effect of SnO2

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yu, Ming'e.; Li, Caiting; Zeng, Guangming; Zhou, Yang; Zhang, Xunan; Xie, Yin'e.

    2015-07-01

    A series of novel catalysts (CexSny) for the selective catalytic reduction of NO by NH3 were prepared by the inverse co-precipitation method. The aim of this novel design was to improve the NO removal efficiency of CeTi by the introduction of SnO2. It was found that the Ce-Sn-Ti catalyst was much more active than Ce-Ti and the best Ce:Sn molar ratio was 2:1. Ce2Sn1 possessed a satisfied NO removal efficiency at low temperature (160-280 °C), while over 90% NO removal efficiency maintained in the temperature range of 280-400 °C at the gas hourly space velocity (GHSV) of 50,000 h-1. Besides, Ce2Sn1 kept a stable NO removal efficiency within a wide range of GHSV and a long period of reacting time. Meanwhile, Ce2Sn1 exhibited remarkable resistance to both respectively and simultaneously H2O and SO2 poisoning due to the introduction of SnO2. The promotional effect of SnO2 was studied by N2 adsorption-desorption, X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectra, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and H2 temperature programmed reduction (H2-TPR) for detail information. The characterization results revealed that the excellent catalytic performance of Ce2Sn1 was associated with the higher specific surface area, larger pore volume and poorer crystallization. Besides, the introduction of SnO2 could result in not only greater conversion of Ce4+ to Ce3+ but also the increase amount of chemisorbed oxygen, which are beneficial to improve the SCR activity. More importantly, a novel peak appearing at lower temperatures through the new redox equilibrium of 2Ce4+ + Sn2+ ↔ 2Ce3+ + Sn4+ and higher total H2 consumption can be obtained by the addition of SnO2. Finally, the possible reaction mechanism of the selective catalytic reduction over Ce2Sn1 was also proposed.

  2. Copper-promoted circumneutral activation of H2O2 by magnetic CuFe2O4 spinel nanoparticles: Mechanism, stoichiometric efficiency, and pathway of degrading sulfanilamide.

    PubMed

    Feng, Yong; Liao, Changzhong; Shih, Kaimin

    2016-07-01

    To evaluate the heterogeneous degradation of sulfanilamide by external energy-free Fenton-like reactions, magnetic CuFe2O4 spinel nanoparticles (NPs) were synthesized and used as catalysts for activation of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). The physicochemical properties of the CuFe2O4 NPs were characterized with several techniques, including X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and magnetometry. In the catalytic experiments, CuFe2O4 NPs/H2O2 oxidation showed the best degradation performance in the circumneutral conditions that resulted from the presence of Cu(II) on the surface of the CuFe2O4 NPs. The surface area-normalized pseudo-first-order rate constants were calculated as 2.60 × 10(-2) L m(-1) min(-1), 2.58 × 10(-3) L m(-1) min(-1), 1.92 × 10(-3) L m(-1) min(-1), and 7.30 × 10(-4) L m(-1) min(-1) for CuO, CuFe2O4 NPs, Fe3O4, and α-Fe2O3 catalysts, respectively. Thus, solid state Cu(II) was more reactive and efficient than Fe(III) in the circumneutral activation of H2O2; this finding was further supported by the results regarding the stoichiometric efficiency of H2O2. The effects of experimental parameters such as the oxidant dosage and catalyst loading were investigated. The mechanism for H2O2 activation on the spinel surface was explored and could be explained by the solid redox cycles of Fe(II)/Fe(III) and Cu(II)/Cu(I). Based on the products detected, a degradation pathway via the CS bond cleavage is proposed for the degradation of sulfanilamide. The findings of this study suggest that copper can be used as a doping metal to improve the reactivity and expand the effective pH range of iron oxides. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  3. Superparamagnetic Fe3 O4 @SiO2 core-shell composite nanoparticles for the mixed hemimicelle solid-phase extraction of benzodiazepines from hair and wastewater samples before high-performance liquid chromatography analysis.

    PubMed

    Esmaeili-Shahri, Effat; Es'haghi, Zarrin

    2015-12-01

    Magnetic Fe3 O4 /SiO2 composite core-shell nanoparticles were synthesized, characterized, and applied for the surfactant-assisted solid-phase extraction of five benzodiazepines diazepam, oxazepam, clonazepam, alprazolam, and midazolam, from human hair and wastewater samples before high-performance liquid chromatography with diode array detection. The nanocomposite was synthesized in two steps. First, Fe3 O4 nanoparticles were prepared by the chemical co-precipitation method of Fe(III) and Fe(II) as reaction substrates and NH3 /H2 O as precipitant. Second, the surface of Fe3 O4 nanoparticles was modified with shell silica by Stober method using tetraethylorthosilicate. The Fe3 O4 /SiO2 composite were characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and vibrating sample magnetometry. To enhance their adsorptive tendency toward benzodiazepines, cetyltrimethylammonium bromide was added, which was adsorbed on the surface of the Fe3 O4 /SiO2 nanoparticles and formed mixed hemimicelles. The main parameters affecting the efficiency of the method were thoroughly investigated. Under optimum conditions, the calibration curves were linear in the range of 0.10-15 μgmL(-1) . The relative standard deviations ranged from 2.73 to 7.07%. The correlation coefficients varied from 0.9930 to 0.9996. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  4. Effects of SnO2 on spectroscopic properties of borosilicate glasses before and after plasma treatment and its mechanical properties

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Abdel Wahab, E. A.; Shaaban, Kh S.

    2018-02-01

    B2O3-SiO2-Na2O-Al2O3-TiO2 glasses modified by SnO2 have prepared and characterized by UV-spectroscopy before and after plasma treatment and by ultrasonic techniques. Makishima-Mackenzie Model has been applied to determine the elastic moduli of glasses. The density and the elastic moduli either determined from the ultrasonic or that computed according to the Makishima-Mackenzie model increase as the SnO2 concentration increases. The values of the optical band gap E g before and after plasma treatment, and refractive index have been determined. It was found that these parameters are sensitive to the increase of SnO2 content. The vibration temperature of nitrogen glow discharge has been calculated using Boltzmann plots of second positive system N2 (C3Πu) → (B3 Πg). The obtained results of vibration temperature decrease with increasing of gas pressure at different discharge currents.

  5. NiFe2O4 Spinel Protection Coating for High-Temperature Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Interconnect Application

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Irankhah, Reza; Raissi, Babak; Maghsoudipour, Amir; Irankhah, Abdullah; Ghashghai, Sasan

    2016-04-01

    In the present study, Ni-Fe spinel powder was synthesized via a solid state reaction. In the next step, the electrophoretic deposition (EPD) method was used to apply the NiFe2O4 spinel, as an oxidation-resistant layer, on a commercially available stainless steel (SUS 430) in a potential range of 100 to 300 V. Microscopic studies of the deposited layers showed that crack-free NiFe2O4 films were obtained at 100 V. The coated and uncoated samples were then pre-sintered in air and 5% H2 bal Ar atmospheres at 900 °C for 3 h followed by cyclic oxidation at 800 °C for 500 h. The investigation of the oxidation resistance of the samples using Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS) revealed that the NiFe2O4 coating acted as an effective barrier against chromium migration into the coating. The oxidation resistance of 5% H2 bal Ar pre-sintered sample was enhanced with an oxidation rate constant ( K P) of 8.9 × 10-15 g2 cm-4 s-1.

  6. Concurrent growth of InSe wires and In2O3 tulip-like structures in the Au-catalytic vapour-liquid-solid process

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Taurino, A.; Signore, M. A.

    2015-06-01

    In this work, the concurrent growth of InSe and In2O3 nanostructures, obtained by thermal evaporation of InSe powders on Au-covered Si substrates, has been investigated by scanning and transmission electron microscopy techniques. The vapour-solid and Au catalytic vapour-liquid-solid growth mechanisms, responsible of the simultaneous development of the two different types of nanostructures, i.e. InSe wires and In2O3 tulip-like structures respectively, are discussed in detail. The thermodynamic processes giving rise to the obtained morphologies and materials are explained.

  7. A Sequential Method to Prepare Polymorphs and Solvatomorphs of [Fe(1,3-bpp)2 ](ClO4 )2 ⋅nH2 O (n=0, 1, 2) with Varying Spin-Crossover Behaviour.

    PubMed

    Bartual-Murgui, Carlos; Codina, Carlota; Roubeau, Olivier; Aromí, Guillem

    2016-08-26

    Two polymorphs of the spin crossover (SCO) compound [Fe(1,3-bpp)2 ](ClO4 )2 (1 and 2; 1,3-bpp=2-(pyrazol-1-yl)-6-(pyrazol-3-yl)pyridine) were prepared using a novel, stepwise procedure. Crystals of 1 deposit from dry solvents, while 2 is obtained from a solid-state procedure, by sequentially removing lattice H2 O molecules from the solvatomorph [Fe(1,3-bpp)2 ](ClO4 )22 H2 O (22 H2 O), using single-crystal-to-single-crystal (SCSC) transformations. Hydrate 22 H2 O is obtained through the same reaction as 1, now with 2.5 % of water added. Compounds 2 and 22 H2 O are unstable in the atmosphere and absorb or lose one equivalent of water, respectively, to both yield the stable solvatomorph [Fe(1,3-bpp)2 ](ClO4 )2 ⋅H2 O (2⋅H2 O), also following SCSC processes. The four derivatives have been characterised by single-crystal X-ray diffraction (SCXRD). Furthermore, the homogeneity of the various compounds as well as their SCSC interconversions have been confirmed by powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD). Polymorphs 1 and 2 exhibit abrupt SCO behaviour near room temperature with T1/2↑ =279/316 K and T1/2↓ =276/314 K (near 40 K of shift) and different cooperativity. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  8. Two-stage epitaxial growth of vertically-aligned SnO2 nano-rods on (001) ceria

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Solovyov, VF; Wu, LJ; Rupich, MW

    2014-12-15

    Growth of high-aspect ratio oriented tin oxide, SnO2, nano-rods is complicated by a limited choice of matching substrates. We show that a (001) cerium oxide, CeO2, surface uniquely enables epitaxial growth of tin-oxide nano-rods via a two-stage process. First, (100) oriented nano-wires coat the ceria surface by lateral growth, forming a uniaxially-textured SnO2 deposit. Second, vertical SnO2 nano-rods nucleate on the deposit by homoepitaxy. We demonstrate growth of vertically oriented 1-2 mu m long nano-rods with an average diameter of approximate to 20 nm. 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  9. Promotion of acceptor formation in SnO2 nanowires by e-beam bombardment and impacts to sensor application

    PubMed Central

    Sub Kim, Sang; Gil Na, Han; Woo Kim, Hyoun; Kulish, Vadym; Wu, Ping

    2015-01-01

    We have realized a p-type-like conduction in initially n-type SnO2 nanowires grown using a vapor-liquid-solid method. The transition was achieved by irradiating n-type SnO2 nanowires with a high-energy electron beam, without intentional chemical doping. The nanowires were irradiated at doses of 50 and 150 kGy, and were then used to fabricate NO2 gas sensors, which exhibited n-type and p-type conductivities, respectively. The tuneability of the conduction behavior is assumed to be governed by the formation of tin vacancies (under high-energy electron beam irradiation), because it is the only possible acceptor, excluding all possible defects via density functional theory (DFT) calculations. The effect of external electric fields on the defect stability was studied using DFT calculations. The measured NO2 sensing dynamics, including response and recovery times, were well represented by the electron-hole compensation mechanism from standard electron-hole gas equilibrium statistics. This study elucidates the charge-transport characteristics of bipolar semiconductors that underlie surface chemical reactions. The principles derived will guide the development of future SnO2-based electronic and electrochemical devices. PMID:26030815

  10. Synthesis of Stable Interfaces on SnO2 Surfaces for Charge-Transfer Applications

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Benson, Michelle C.

    The commercial market for solar harvesting devices as an alternative energy source requires them to be both low-cost and efficient to replace or reduce the dependence on fossil fuel burning. Over the last few decades there has been promising efforts towards improving solar devices by using abundant and non-toxic metal oxide nanomaterials. One particular metal oxide of interest has been SnO2 due to its high electron mobility, wide-band gap, and aqueous stability. However SnO2 based solar cells have yet to reach efficiency values of other metal oxides, like TiO2. The advancement of SnO2 based devices is dependent on many factors, including improved methods of surface functionalization that can yield stable interfaces. This work explores the use of a versatile functionalization method through the use of the Cu(I)-catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition (CuAAC) reaction. The CuAAC reaction is capable of producing electrochemically, photochemically, and electrocatalytically active surfaces on a variety of SnO2 materials. The resulting charge-transfer characteristics were investigated as well as an emphasis on understanding the stability of the resulting molecular linkage. We determined the CuAAC reaction is able to proceed through both azide-modified and alkyne-modified surfaces. The resulting charge-transfer properties showed that the molecular tether was capable of supporting charge separation at the interface. We also investigated the enhancement of electron injection upon the introduction of an ultra-thin ZrO2 coating on SnO2. Several complexes were used to fully understand the charge-transfer capabilities, including model systems of ferrocene and a ruthenium coordination complex, a ruthenium mononuclear water oxidation catalyst, and a commercial ruthenium based dye.

  11. Ethanol chemiresistor with enhanced discriminative ability from acetone based on Sr-doped SnO2 nanofibers.

    PubMed

    Jiang, Ziqiao; Jiang, Tingting; Wang, Jinfeng; Wang, Zhaojie; Xu, Xiuru; Wang, Zongxin; Zhao, Rui; Li, Zhenyu; Wang, Ce

    2015-01-01

    We demonstrated a new metal oxides based chemiresistor (MOC), which exhibits fast response/recovery behavior, large sensitivity, and good selectivity to ethanol, enabled by Sr-doped SnO2 nanofibers via simple electrospinning and followed by calcination. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and X-ray photoelectron spectra (XPS) were carefully used to characterize their morphology, structure, and composition. The ethanol sensing performances based on Sr-doped SnO2 nanofibers were investigated. Comparing with the pristine SnO2 nanofibers, enhanced ethanol sensing performances (more rapid response/recovery behavior and larger response values) have been achieved owing to the basic SnO2 surface caused by Sr-doping, whereas the acetone sensing performances have been weakened. Thus, good discriminative ability to ethanol from acetone has been realized. Additionally, Sr-doped SnO2 nanofibers also exhibit good selectivity. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  12. LaCrO3/CuFe2O4 Composite-Coated Crofer 22 APU Stainless Steel Interconnect of Solid Oxide Fuel Cells

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hosseini, Seyedeh Narjes; Enayati, Mohammad Hossein; Karimzadeh, Fathallah; Dayaghi, Amir Masoud

    2017-07-01

    Rapidly rising contact resistance and cathode Cr poisoning are the major problems associated with unavoidable chromia scale growth on ferritic stainless steel (FSS) interconnects of solid oxide fuel cells. This work investigates the performance of the novel screen-printed composite coatings consisting of dispersed conductive LaCrO3 particles in a CuFe2O4 spinel matrix for Crofer 22 APU FSS, with emphasis on the oxidation behavior and electrical conductivity of these coatings. The results show that the presence of protective spinel coating, accompanied by the effective role of LaCrO3 particle incorporation, prevents the Cr2O3 subscale growth as well as chromium migration into the coating surface at the end of 400 hours of oxidation at 1073 K (800 °C) in air. In addition, the composite coatings decreased the area specific resistance (ASR) from 51.7 and 13.8 mΩ cm2 for uncoated and spinel-coated samples, respectively, to a maximum of 7.7 mΩ cm2 for composite-coated samples after 400 hours of oxidation.

  13. Thermoelectric transport properties of nanostructured FeSb 2 and Ce-based heavy-fermions CeCu and CeAl 3

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pokharel, Mani R.

    Thermoelectric (TE) energy conversion is an all-solid-state technology which can convert waste thermal energy into useful electric power and cool ambience without using harmful gases like CFC. Due to their several advantages over traditional energy conversion technologies, thermoelectric generators (TEG) and coolers (TEC) have drawn enormous research efforts. The objective of this work is to find promising materials for thermoelectric cooling applications and optimize their thermoelectric performances. Finding a material with a good value for the thermoelectric figure-of-merit (ZT) at cryogenic temperatures, specifically below 77 K, has been of great interest. This work demonstrates that FeSb2 1, CeCu6 2 and CeAl3 3, all belonging to a class of materials with strongly correlated electron behavior; exhibit promising thermoelectric properties below 77 K. In general, ZT of a TE material can be increased using two basic approaches: lattice thermal conductivity reduction and power factor (PF) enhancement. The results of this study indicate that nanostructuring effectively decreases the thermal conductivity of FeSb2, CeCu6 and CeAl 3 leading to improved ZT. The approach of introducing point-defect scattering to further reduce the thermal conductivity is successfully implemented for Te-substituted FeSb2 nanostructured samples 4. A semiconductor/metal interface has long been proposed to exhibit enhanced thermoelectric properties. We use this technique by introducing Ag-nanoparticles in the host FeSb2 which further increases ZT by 70% 5. Additionally, a detailed investigation is made on the phonon-drag effect as a possible mechanism responsible for the large value of the Seebeck coefficient of FeSb2 6. We show that the phonon-drag mechanism contributes significantly to the large Seebeck effect in FeSb2 and hence this effect cannot be minor as was proposed in literatures previously. A model based on Kapitza-resistance and effective medium approach (EMA) is used to analyze

  14. Controllable synthesis of SnO2@carbon hollow sphere based on bi-functional metallo-organic molecule for high-performance anode in Li-ion batteries

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhang, Haiyan; Li, Liuqing; Li, Zhaopeng; Zhong, Weihao; Liao, Haiyang; Li, Zhenghui

    2018-06-01

    Constructing hollow structure and nano-sized SnO2 particles are two normal strategies to improve lithium storage performance of SnO2-based electrode. But it is still challengeable to fabricate ultrasmall SnO2 embedded in carbon hollow sphere in a controllable way. Herein, we have synthesized a kind of SnO2@carbon hollow sphere via a confined Friedel-Crafts crosslinking of a novel metal-organic compound (triphenyltin chloride, named Sn-Ph) on the surface of SiO2 template. The as-prepared SnO2@carbon hollow sphere has 10 nm-sized SnO2 particles embedded in amorphous carbon wall. Furthermore, 100, 200 and 400 nm-sized SnO2@carbon hollow spheres can be obtained by regulating the size of SiO2 template. When they are applied in lithium-ion batteries, the carbon structure can act as barriers to protect SnO2 particles from pulverization, and hollow core stores electrolyte and very small SnO2 particles of 10 nm shorten the diffusion distance of lithium ions. Thus, SnO2@carbon hollow sphere presents superior electrochemical performance. The first discharge and charge capacities reach 1378.5 and 507.3 mAh g-1 respectively, and 100 cycles later, its capacity remains 501.2 mAh g-1, indicating a capacity retention of 98.8% (C100th/C2nd).

  15. 3D nanostructured N-doped TiO2 photocatalysts with enhanced visible absorption.

    PubMed

    Cho, Sumin; Ahn, Changui; Park, Junyong; Jeon, Seokwoo

    2018-05-24

    Considering the environmental issues, it is essential to develop highly efficient and recyclable photocatalysts in purification systems. Conventional TiO2 nanoparticles have strong intrinsic oxidizing power and high surface area, but are difficult to collect after use and rarely absorb visible light, resulting in low photocatalytic efficiency under sunlight. Here we develop a new type of highly efficient and recyclable photocatalyst made of a three-dimensional (3D) nanostructured N-doped TiO2 monolith with enhanced visible light absorption. To prepare the sample, an ultrathin TiN layer (∼10 nm) was conformally coated using atomic layer deposition (ALD) on 3D nanostructured TiO2. Subsequent thermal annealing at low temperature (550 °C) converted TiN to anatase phase N-doped TiO2. The resulting 3D N-doped TiO2 showed ∼33% enhanced photocatalytic performance compared to pure 3D TiO2 of equivalent thickness under sunlight due to the reduced bandgap, from 3.2 eV to 2.75 eV through N-doping. The 3D N-doped TiO2 monolith could be easily collected and reused at least 5 times without any degradation in photocatalytic performance.

  16. Significantly enhanced energy output from 3D ordered macroporous structured Fe2O3/Al nanothermite film.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Wenchao; Yin, Baoqing; Shen, Ruiqi; Ye, Jiahai; Thomas, Jason A; Chao, Yimin

    2013-01-23

    A three-dimensionally ordered macroporous Fe(2)O(3)/Al nanothermite membrane has been prepared with a polystyrene spheres template. The nanothermite, with an enhanced interfacial contact between fuel and oxidizer, outputs 2.83 kJ g(-1) of energy. This is significantly more than has been reported before. This approach, fully compatible with MEMS technology, provides an efficient way to produce micrometer thick three-dimensionally ordered nanostructured thermite films with overall spatial uniformity. These exciting achievements will greatly facilitate potential for the future development of applications of nanothermites.

  17. Raman spectrum, quantum mechanical calculations and vibrational assignments of (95% alpha-TeO2/5% Sm2O3) glass.

    PubMed

    Shaltout, I; Mohamed, Tarek A

    2007-06-01

    Chozen system of tellurite glasses doped with rare earth oxides (95% alpha-TeO(2)+5% Sm2O3) was prepared by melt quenching. Consequently, the Raman spectrum (150-1250 cm(-1)) of the modified tellurite have been recorded. As a continuation to our normal coordinate analysis, force constants and quantum mechanical (QM) calculations for tbp TeO4(4-) (triagonal bipyramid, C(2v)) and TeO(3+1); Te2O7(6-) (bridged tetrahedral), we have carried out ab initio frequency calculations for tpy TeO3(2-) (triagonal pyramidal, C(3v) and C(s)) and tp TeO3(2-) (triagonal planar, D(3h)) ions. The quantum mechanical calculations at the levels of RHF, B3LYP and MP2 allow confident vibrational assignments and structural identification in the binary oxide glass (95% alpha-TeO2 +5% Sm2O3). The dominant three-dimensional network structures in the modified glass are triagonal pyramidal TeO3 with minor features of short range distorted tbp TeO4 and bridged tetrahedral unit of TeO(3+1), leading to a structure of infinite chain. Therefore, alpha-TeO2/Sm2O3 (95/5%) glass experience structural changes from TeO4 (tbp); Te2O7 (TeO(3+1))-->TeO3 (tpy).

  18. Strain-induced optical band gap variation of SnO 2 films

    DOE PAGES

    Rus, Stefania Florina; Ward, Thomas Zac; Herklotz, Andreas

    2016-06-29

    In this paper, thickness dependent strain relaxation effects are utilized to study the impact of crystal anisotropy on the optical band gap of epitaxial SnO 2 films grown by pulsed laser deposition on (0001)-oriented sapphire substrates. An X-ray diffraction analysis reveals that all films are under tensile biaxial in-plane strain and that strain relaxation occurs with increasing thickness. Variable angle spectroscopic ellipsometry shows that the optical band gap of the SnO 2 films continuously increases with increasing film thickness. This increase in the band gap is linearly related to the strain state of the films, which indicates that the mainmore » origin of the band gap change is strain relaxation. The experimental observation is in excellent agreement with results from density functional theory for biaxial in-plane strain. Our research demonstrates that strain is an effective way to tune the band gap of SnO 2 films and suggests that strain engineering is an appealing route to tailor the optical properties of oxide semiconductors.« less

  19. Melt densities in the CaO-FeO-Fe 2O 3-SiO 2 system and the compositional dependence of the partial molar volume of ferric iron in silicate melts

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Dingwell, Donald B.; Brearley, Mark

    1988-12-01

    The densities of 10 melts in the CaO-FeO-Fe 2O 3-SiO 2 system were determined in equilibrium with air, in the temperature range of 1200 to 1550°C, using the double-bob Archimedean technique. Melt compositions range from 6 to 58 wt% SiO 2, 14 to 76 wt% Fe 2O 3 and 10 to 46 wt% CaO. The ferric-ferrous ratios of glasses drop-quenched from loop fusion equilibration experiments were determined by 57Fe Mössbauer spectroscopy. Melt densities range from 2.689 to 3.618 gm/cm 3 with a mean standard deviation from replicate experiments of 0.15%. Least-squares regressions of molar volume versus molar composition have been performed and the root mean squared deviation shows that a linear combination of partial molar volumes for the oxide components (CaO, FeO, Fe 2O 3 and SiO 2) cannot describe the data set within experimental error. Instead, the inclusion of excess terms in CaFe 3+ and CaSi (product terms using the oxides) is required to yield a fit that describes the experimental data within error. The nonlinear compositional-dependence of the molar volumes of melts in this system can be explained by structural considerations of the roles of Ca and Fe 3+. The volume behavior of melts in this system is significantly different from that in the Na 2O-FeO-Fe 2O 3-SiO 2 system, consistent with the proposal that a proportion of Fe 3+ in melts in the CaO-FeO-Fe 2O 3-SiO 2 system is not tetrahedrally-coordinated by oxygen, which is supported by differences in 57Fe Mössbauer spectra of glasses. Specifically, this study confirms that the 57Fe Mössbauer spectra exhibit an area asymmetry and higher values of isomer shift of the ferric doublet that vary systematically with composition and temperature (this study; Dingwell and Virgo, 1987, 1988). These observations are consistent with a number of other lines of evidence ( e.g., homogeneous redox equilibria, Dickenson and Hess, 1986; viscosity, Dingwell and Virgo, 1987,1988). Two species of ferric iron, varying in proportions with

  20. Vacancy-Induced Ferromagnetism in SnO2 Nanocrystals: A Positron Annihilation Study

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chen, Zhi-Yuan; Chen, Zhi-Quan; Pan, Rui-Kun; Wang, Shao-Jie

    2013-02-01

    SnO2 nanopowders were pressed into pellets and annealed in air from 100 to 1400°C. Both XRD and Raman spectroscopy confirm that all annealed samples were single phase with a tetragonal rutile structure. Annealing induces an increase in the SnO2 grain size from 30 to 83 nm. Positron annihilation measurements reveal vacancy defects in the grain boundary region, and the interfacial defects remain stable after annealing below 400°C, then they are gradually recovered with increasing annealing temperature up to 1200°C. Room temperature ferromagnetism was observed for SnO2 nanocrystals annealed below 1200°C, and the magnetization decreases continuously with increasing annealing temperature. However, the ferromagnetism disappears at 1200°C annealing. This shows good coincidence with the recovery of interfacial defects in the nanocrystals, suggesting that the ferromagnetism is probably induced by vacancy defects in the interface region.

  1. Enhanced photovoltaic properties in dye sensitized solar cells by surface treatment of SnO2 photoanodes

    PubMed Central

    Basu, Kaustubh; Benetti, Daniele; Zhao, Haiguang; Jin, Lei; Vetrone, Fiorenzo; Vomiero, Alberto; Rosei, Federico

    2016-01-01

    We report the fabrication and testing of dye sensitized solar cells (DSSC) based on tin oxide (SnO2) particles of average size ~20 nm. Fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) conducting glass substrates were treated with TiOx or TiCl4 precursor solutions to create a blocking layer before tape casting the SnO2 mesoporous anode. In addition, SnO2 photoelectrodes were treated with the same precursor solutions to deposit a TiO2 passivating layer covering the SnO2 particles. We found that the modification enhances the short circuit current, open-circuit voltage and fill factor, leading to nearly 2-fold increase in power conversion efficiency, from 1.48% without any treatment, to 2.85% achieved with TiCl4 treatment. The superior photovoltaic performance of the DSSCs assembled with modified photoanode is attributed to enhanced electron lifetime and suppression of electron recombination to the electrolyte, as confirmed by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) carried out under dark condition. These results indicate that modification of the FTO and SnO2 anode by titania can play a major role in maximizing the photo conversion efficiency. PMID:26988622

  2. Enhanced photo-, sono- and sonophotocatalysis of methylene blue via SnO2 nanoparticle supported on nanographene platelets (NGP)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Paramarta, V.; Taufik, A.; Saleh, R.

    2017-07-01

    In our previous study, we have reported the catalytic (photo- and sono-) performance of SnO2 nanoparticles in methylene blue (MB) removal from aqueous solution. In this study, SnO2/nanographene platelets (NGP) composites were fabricated by depositing SnO2 nanoparticle onto nanographene platelets surface to develop photo-, sono-, and sonophotocatalysts, SnO2 nanoparticle, and SnO2/NGP composites were successfully synthesized using the sol-gel and coprecipitation method, respectively. The nanographene platelets (NGP) content was varied from 5, 10, and 15 weight percentages (wt.%). The optical properties and thermal stability of the samples were characterized using X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR), and Thermal Gravimetric Analysis (TGA). The catalytic ability of the samples was investigated using photo-, sono-, and sonophoto degradation of MB which was observed when nanographene platelets (NGP) were added into SnO2 nanocomposite. The photo-, sono- and sonophotocatalytic activities of SnO2/NGP composites on dyes were analyzed by measuring the change in absorbance of dyes under UV-spectrophotometer. The degradation of the organic dyes has been calculated by monitoring the degradation in concentration of the dyes before and after irradiation of UV light, ultrasound, and both of them respectively. The influence of other parameters such as catalyst dosage, pH, and scavenger have also been investigated. The results showed that SnO2/NGP composite with 10 weight percent (wt.%) has better catalytic performance than pure SnO2 nanoparticle. The reusability tests have also been done to ensure the stability of the used catalysts.

  3. Controllable synthesis and enhanced microwave absorbing properties of Fe3O4/NiFe2O4/Ni heterostructure porous rods

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Li, Yana; Wu, Tong; Jin, Keying; Qian, Yao; Qian, Naxin; Jiang, Kedan; Wu, Wenhua; Tong, Guoxiu

    2016-11-01

    We developed a coordinated self-assembly/precipitate transfer/sintering method that allows the controllable synthesis of Fe3O4/NiFe2O4/Ni heterostructure porous rods (HPRs). A series of characterizations confirms that changing [Ni2+] can effectively control the crystal size, internal strain, composition, textural characteristics, and properties of HPRs. Molar percentages of Ni and NiFe2O4 in HPRs increase with [Ni2+] in various Boltzmann function modes. Saturation magnetization Ms and coercivity Hc show U-shaped change trends because of crystal size, composition, and interface magnetic coupling. High magnetic loss is maintained after decorating NiFe2O4 and Ni on the surface of Fe3O4 PRs. Controlling the NiFe2O4 interface layers and Ni content can improve impedance matching and dielectric losses, thereby leading to lighter weight, stronger absorption, and broader absorption band of Fe3O4/NiFe2O4/Ni HPRs than Fe3O4 PRs. An optimum EM wave absorbing property was exhibited by Fe3O4/NiFe2O4/Ni HPRs formed at [Ni2+] = 0.05 M. The maximum reflection loss (RL) reaches -58.4 dB at 13.68 GHz, which corresponds to a 2.1 mm matching thickness. The absorbing bandwidth (RL ≤ -20 dB) reaches 14.4 GHz with the sample thickness at 1.6-2.4 and 2.8-10.0 mm. These excellent properties verify that Fe3O4/NiFe2O4/Ni HPRs are promising candidates for new and effective absorptive materials.

  4. Design and syntheses of hybrid metal-organic materials based on K3[M(C2O4)33H2O [M(III)=Fe, Al, Cr] metallotectons

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sun, Yayong; Zong, Yingxia; Ma, Haoran; Zhang, Ao; Liu, Kang; Wang, Debao; Wang, Wenqiang; Wang, Lei

    2016-05-01

    By using K3[M(C2O4)33H2O [M(III)=Fe, Al, Cr] (C2O42-=oxalate) metallotectons as the starting material, we have synthesized eight novel complexes with formulas [{Fe(C2O4)2(H2O)2}2]·(H-L1)2·H2O 1, [Fe(C2O4)Cl2]·(H2-L2)0.5·(L2)0.5·H2O 2, [{Fe(C2O4)1.5Cl2}2]·(H-L3)43, [Fe2(C2O4)Cl8]·(H2-L4)2·2H2O 4, K[Al(C2O4)3]·(H2-L5)·2H2O 5, K[Al(C2O4)3]·(H-L6)2·2H2O 6, K[Cr(C2O4)32H2O 7, Na[Fe(C2O4)3]·(H-L6)2·2H2O 8 (with L1=4-dimethylaminopyridine, L2=2,3,5,6-tetramethylpyrazine, L3=2-aminobenzimidazole, L4=1,4-bis-(1H-imidazol-1-yl)benzene, L5=1,4-bis((2-methylimidazol-1-yl)methyl)benzene, L6=2-methylbenzimidazole). Their structures have been determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction analyses, elemental analyses, IR spectra and thermogravimetric analyses. Compound 3 is a 2D H-bonded supramolecular architecture. Others are 3D supramolecular structures. Compound 1 shows a [Fe(C2O4)2(H2O)2]- unit and 3D antionic H-bonded framework. Compound 2 features a [Fe(C2O4)Cl2]- anion and 1D iron-oxalate-iron chain. Compound 3 features a [Fe2(C2O4)3Cl4]4- unit. Compound 4 features distinct [Fe2(C2O4)Cl8]4- units, which are mutual linked by water molecules to generated a 2D H-bonded network. Compound 5 features infinite ladder-like chains constructed by [Al(C2O4)3]3- units and K+ cations. The 1D chains are further extended into 3D antionic H-bonded framework through O-H···O H-bonds. Compounds 6-8 show 2D [KAl(C2O4)3]2- layer, [KCr(C2O4)3]2- layer and [NaFe(C2O4)3]2- layer, respectively.

  5. Magnetic domain interactions of Fe3O4 nanoparticles embedded in a SiO2 matrix.

    PubMed

    Fuentes-García, J A; Diaz-Cano, A I; Guillen-Cervantes, A; Santoyo-Salazar, J

    2018-03-23

    Currently, superparamagnetic functionalized systems of magnetite (Fe 3 O 4 ) nanoparticles (NPs) are promising options for applications in hyperthermia therapy, drug delivery and diagnosis. Fe 3 O 4 NPs below 20 nm have stable single domains (SSD), which can be oriented by magnetic field application. Dispersion of Fe 3 O 4 NPs in silicon dioxide (SiO 2 ) matrix allows local SSD response with uniaxial anisotropy and orientation to easy axis, 90° <001> or 180° <111>. A successful, easy methodology to produce Fe 3 O 4 NPs (6-17 nm) has been used with the Stöber modification. NPs were embedded in amorphous and biocompatible SiO 2 matrix by mechanical stirring in citrate and tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS). Fe 3 O 4 NPs dispersion was sampled in the range of 2-12 h to observe the SiO 2 matrix formation as time function. TEM characterization identified optimal conditions at 4 h stirring for separation of SSD Fe 3 O 4 in SiO 2 matrix. Low magnetization (M s ) of 0.001 emu and a coercivity (H c ) of 24.75 Oe indicate that the embedded SSD Fe 3 O 4 in amorphous SiO 2 reduces the M s by a diamagnetic barrier. Magnetic force microscopy (MFM) showed SSD Fe 3 O 4 of 1.2 nm on average embedded in SiO 2 matrix with uniaxial anisotropy response according to Fe 3+ and Fe 2+ electron spin coupling and rotation by intrinsic Neél contribution.

  6. Dynamics of CrO 3Fe 2 O 3 Catalysts during the High-Temperature Water-Gas Shift Reaction: Molecular Structures and Reactivity

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Keturakis, Christopher J.; Zhu, Minghui; Gibson, Emma K.

    2016-06-13

    A series of supported CrO 3/Fe 2O 3 catalysts were investigated for the high-temperature water-gas shift (WGS) and reverse-WGS reactions and extensively characterized using in situ and operando IR, Raman, and XAS spectroscopy during the high-temperature WGS/RWGS reactions. The in situ spectroscopy examinations reveal that the initial oxidized catalysts contain surface dioxo (O=) 2Cr 6+O 2 species and a bulk Fe 2O 3 phase containing some Cr 3+ substituted into the iron oxide bulk lattice. Operando spectroscopy studies during the high-temperature WGS/RWGS reactions show that the catalyst transforms during the reaction. The crystalline Fe 2O 3 bulk phase becomes Femore » 3O 4 ,and surface dioxo (O=) 2Cr 6+O 2 species are reduced and mostly dissolve into the iron oxide bulk lattice. Consequently, the chromium–iron oxide catalyst surface is dominated by FeO x sites, but some minor reduced surface chromia sites are also retained. The Fe 3–-xCr xO 4 solid solution stabilizes the iron oxide phase from reducing to metallic Fe0 and imparts an enhanced surface area to the catalyst. Isotopic exchange studies with C 16O 2/H 2 → C 18O 2/H 2 isotopic switch directly show that the RWGS reaction proceeds via the redox mechanism and only O* sites from the surface region of the chromium–iron oxide catalysts are involved in the RWGS reaction. The number of redox O* sites was quantitatively determined with the isotope exchange measurements under appropriate WGS conditions and demonstrated that previous methods have undercounted the number of sites by nearly 1 order of magnitude. The TOF values suggest that only the redox O* sites affiliated with iron oxide are catalytic active sites for WGS/RWGS, though a carbonate oxygen exchange mechanism was demonstrated to exist, and that chromia is only a textural promoter that increases the number of catalytic active sites without any chemical promotion effect.« less

  7. CuO, MnO2 and Fe2O3 doped biomass ash as silica source for glass production in Thailand

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Srisittipokakun, N.; Ruangtaweep, Y.; Rachniyom, W.; Boonin, K.; Kaewkhao, J.

    In this research, glass productions from rice husk ash (RHA) and the effect of BaO, CuO, MnO2 and Fe2O3 on physical and optical properties were investigated. All properties were compared with glass made from SiO2 using same preparations. The results show that a higher density and refractive index of BaO, CuO, MnO2 and Fe2O3 doped in RHA glasses were obtained, compared with SiO2 glasses. The optical spectra show no significant difference between both glasses. The color of CuO glasses show blue from the absorption band near 800 nm (2B1g → 2B2g) due to Cu2+ ion in octahedral coordination with a strong tetragonal distortion. The color of MnO2 glasses shows brown from broad band absorption at around 500 nm. This absorption band is assigned to a single allowed 5Eg → 5T2g transition which arises from the Mn3+ ions (3d4 configuration) in octahedral symmetry. The yellow color derives from F2O3 glass due to the homogeneous distribution of Fe3+ (460 nm) and Fe2+ (1050 nm) ions in the glass matrices. Glass production from RHA is possible and is a new option for recycling waste from biomass power plant systems and air pollution reduction.

  8. Oxygen-Vacancy-Induced Polar Behavior in (LaFeO 3) 2/(SrFeO 3) Superlattices

    DOE PAGES

    Mishra, Rohan; Kim, Young-Min; Salafranca, Juan; ...

    2014-04-15

    Complex oxides displaying ferroelectric and/or multiferroic behavior are of high fundamental and applied interest. In this work, for the first time, we show that it is possible to achieve polar order in a superlattice made up of two nonpolar oxides by means of oxygen vacancy ordering. Using scanning transmission electron microscopy imaging, we show the polar displacement of magnetic Fe ions in a superlattice of (LaFeO 3) 2/(SrFeO 3) grown on a SrTiO 3 substrate. Using density functional theory calculations, we systematically study the effect of epitaxial strain, octahedral rotations, and surface terminations in the superlattice and find them tomore » have a negligible effect on the antipolar displacements of the Fe ions lying in between SrO and LaO layers of the superlattice (i.e., within La 0.5Sr 0.5FeO 3 unit cells). The introduction of oxygen vacancies, on the other hand, triggers a polar displacement of the Fe ions. We confirm this important result using electron energy loss spectroscopy, which shows partial oxygen vacancy ordering in the region where polar displacements are observed and an absence of vacancy ordering outside of that area.« less

  9. Synthesis of Nano-Ilmenite (FeTiO3) doped TiO2/Ti Electrode for Photoelectrocatalytic System

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hikmawati; Watoni, A. H.; Wibowo, D.; Maulidiyah; Nurdin, M.

    2017-11-01

    Ilmenite (FeTiO3) doped on Ti and TiO2/Ti electrodes were successfully prepared by using the sol-gel method. The structure, morphology, and optical properties of FeTiO3 are characterized by XRD, UV-Vis DRS, and SEM. The FeTiO3 and TiO2 greatly affect the photoelectrocatalysis performance characterized by Linear Sweep Voltammetry (LSV) and Cyclic Voltammetry (CV). The characterization result shows a band gap of FeTiO3 is 2.94 eV. XRD data showed that FeTiO3 formed at 2θ were 35.1° (110), 49.9° (024), and 61.2° (214). The morphology of FeTiO3/Ti and FeTiO3.TiO2/Ti using SEM shows that the formation of FeTiO3 thin layer signifies the Liquid Phase Deposition method effectively in the coating process. Photoelectrochemical (PEC) test showed that FeTiO3.TiO2/Ti electrode was highly oxidation responsive under visible light compared to the FeTiO3/Ti electrodes i.e. 7.87×10-4 A and 9.87×10-5 A. Degradation test of FeTiO3/Ti and FeTiO3.TiO2/Ti electrodes on titan yellow showed that the percentages of degradation with photoelectrocatalysis at 0.5 mg/L were 41% and 43%, respectively.

  10. TiO2 nanotubes with different spacing, Fe2O3 decoration and their evaluation for Li-ion battery application

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ozkan, Selda; Cha, Gihoon; Mazare, Anca; Schmuki, Patrik

    2018-05-01

    In the present work, we report on the use of organized TiO2 nanotube (NT) layers with a regular intertube spacing for the growth of highly defined α-Fe2O3 nano-needles in the interspace. These α-Fe2O3 decorated TiO2 NTs are then explored for Li-ion battery applications and compared to classic close-packed (CP) NTs that are decorated with various amounts of nanoscale α-Fe2O3. We show that NTs with tube-to-tube spacing allow uniform decoration of individual NTs with regular arrangements of hematite nano-needles. The tube spacing also facilitates the electrolyte penetration as well as yielding better ion diffusion. While bare CP NTs show a higher capacitance of 71 μAh cm-2 compared to bare spaced NTs with a capacitance of 54 μAh cm-2, the hierarchical decoration with secondary metal oxide, α-Fe2O3, remarkably enhances the Li-ion battery performance. Namely, spaced NTs with α-Fe2O3 decoration have an areal capacitance of 477 μAh cm-2, i.e. they have nearly ˜8 times higher capacitance. However, the areal capacitance of CP NTs with α-Fe2O3 decoration saturates at 208 μAh cm-2, i.e. is limited to ˜3 times increase.

  11. TiO2 nanotubes with different spacing, Fe2O3 decoration and their evaluation for Li-ion battery application.

    PubMed

    Ozkan, Selda; Cha, Gihoon; Mazare, Anca; Schmuki, Patrik

    2018-05-11

    In the present work, we report on the use of organized TiO 2 nanotube (NT) layers with a regular intertube spacing for the growth of highly defined α-Fe 2 O 3 nano-needles in the interspace. These α-Fe 2 O 3 decorated TiO 2 NTs are then explored for Li-ion battery applications and compared to classic close-packed (CP) NTs that are decorated with various amounts of nanoscale α-Fe 2 O 3 . We show that NTs with tube-to-tube spacing allow uniform decoration of individual NTs with regular arrangements of hematite nano-needles. The tube spacing also facilitates the electrolyte penetration as well as yielding better ion diffusion. While bare CP NTs show a higher capacitance of 71 μAh cm -2 compared to bare spaced NTs with a capacitance of 54 μAh cm -2 , the hierarchical decoration with secondary metal oxide, α-Fe 2 O 3 , remarkably enhances the Li-ion battery performance. Namely, spaced NTs with α-Fe 2 O 3 decoration have an areal capacitance of 477 μAh cm -2 , i.e. they have nearly ∼8 times higher capacitance. However, the areal capacitance of CP NTs with α-Fe 2 O 3 decoration saturates at 208 μAh cm -2 , i.e. is limited to ∼3 times increase.

  12. Comparison of Fe2O3 and Fe2CoO4 core-shell plasmonic nanoparticles for aptamer mediated SERS assays

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Marks, Haley; Mabbott, Samuel; Huang, Po-Jung; Jackson, George W.; Kameoka, Jun; Graham, Duncan; Coté, Gerard L.

    2016-03-01

    Conjugation of oligonucleotides or aptamers and their corresponding analytes onto plasmonic nanoparticles mediates the formation of nanoparticle assemblies: molecularly bound bundles of nanoparticles which cause a measurable change in the colloid's optical properties. Here, we present further optimization of a "SERS off" competitive binding assay utilizing plasmonic and magnetic nanoparticles for the detection of the toxin bisphenol A (BPA). The assay involves 1) a `target' silver nanoparticle functionalized with a Raman reporter dye and PEGylated BPA-binding DNA aptamers, and 2) a version of the toxin BPA, bisphenol A diglycidyl ether (BADGE), PEGylated and immobilized onto a silver coated magnetic 'probe' nanoparticle. When mixed, these target and probe nanoparticles cluster into magnetic dimers and trimers and an enhancement in their SERS spectra is observed. Upon introduction of free BPA in its native form, target AgNPs are competitively freed; reversing the nanoparticle assembly and causing the SERS signal to "turn-off" and decrease in response to the competitive binding event. The assay particles were housed inside two types of optofluidic chips containing magnetically active nickel pads, in either a straight or spotted pattern, and both Fe2O3 and Fe2CoO4 were compared as magnetic cores for the silver coated probe nanoparticle. We found that the Ag@ Fe2O3 particles were, on average, more uniform in size and more stable than Ag@ Fe2CoO4, while the addition of cobalt significantly improved the collection time of particles within the magnetic chips. Using 3D Raman mapping, we found that the straight channel design with the Ag@ Fe2O3 particles provided the most uniform nanoparticle organization, while the spotted channel design with Ag@ Fe2CoO4 demonstrated a larger SERS enhancement, and thus a lower limit of detection.

  13. Different recycle behavior of Cu2+ and Fe3+ ions for phenol photodegradation over TiO2 and WO3.

    PubMed

    Wan, Lianghui; Sheng, Jiayi; Chen, Haihang; Xu, Yiming

    2013-11-15

    Photocatalytic degradation of organic pollutants on TiO2 and WO3 have been widely studied, but the effects of Cu(2+) and Fe(3+) ions still remain unclear. In this work, we have found that the recycle behavior of Cu(2+) and Fe(3+) are greatly dependent on the photocatalytic activity of metal oxide used. With TiO2 (P25, anatase, and rutile), all the time profiles of phenol degradation in water under UV light well fitted to the apparent first-order rate equation. On the addition of Cu(2+), phenol degradation on anatase, rutile and WO3 also followed the first-order kinetics. On the addition of Fe(3+), the initial rate of phenol degradation on each oxide was increased, but only the reactions on three TiO2 became to follow the first order kinetics after half an hour. The relevant rate constants for phenol degradation in the presence of Cu(2+) or Fe(3+) were larger than those in the absence of metal ions. Under visible light, phenol degradation on WO3 was also accelerated on the addition of Fe(3+) or Cu(2+). Moreover, several influencing factors were examined, including the metal ion photolysis in solution. It becomes clear that as electron scavengers of TiO2 and WO3, Fe(3+) is better than Cu(2+), while they are better than O2. We propose that Fe(3+) recycle occurs through H2O2, photogenerated from TiO2, not from WO3, while Cu(2+) regeneration on a moderate photocatalyst is through the dissolved O2 in water. Copyright © 2013. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  14. Magnetic properties of Sn-substituted Ni-Zn ferrites synthesized from nano-sized powders of NiO, ZnO, Fe2O3, and SnO2

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ali, MA; Uddin, MM; Khan, MNI; Chowdhury, FUZ; Hoque, SM; Liba, SI

    2017-06-01

    A series of Ni0.6-x/2Zn0.4-x/2Sn x Fe2O4 (x = 0.0, 0.05, 0.1, 0.15, 0.2, and 0.3) (NZSFO) ferrite composities have been synthesized from nano powders using a standard solid state reaction technique. The spinel cubic structure of the investigated samples has been confirmed by x-ray diffraction (XRD). The magnetic properties such as saturation magnetization ({M}{{s}}), remanent magnetization ({M}{{r}}), coercive field ({H}{{c}}), and Bohr magneton (μ) are calculated from the hysteresis loops. The value of {M}{{s}} is found to decrease with increasing Sn content in the samples. This change is successfully explained by the variation of A-B interaction strength due to Sn substitution in different sites. The compositional stability and quality of the prepared ferrite composites have also been endorsed by the fairly constant initial permeability ({μ }^{\\prime }) over a wide range of frequency. The decreasing trend of {μ }^{\\prime } with increasing Sn content has been observed. Curie temperature {T}{{C}} has been found to increase with the increase in Sn content. A wide spread frequency utility zone indicates that the NZSFO can be considered as a good candidate for use in broadband pulse transformers and wide band read-write heads for video recording. The composition of x = 0.05 shows unusual results and the possible reason is also mentioned with the established formalism.

  15. Tin doped PrBaFe 2O 5+δ anode material for solid oxide fuel cells

    DOE PAGES

    Dong, Guohui; Yang, Chunyang; He, Fei; ...

    2017-04-25

    Ceramic anodes have many advantages over cermet anodes for solid oxide fuel cells. We report the synthesis and characterization of Sn doped double perovskite PrBaFe (2-x)Sn xO 5+δ (x = 0–0.3) anode materials. Different crystal structures were observed depending on the Sn doping level and gas atmosphere. The materials demonstrated excellent stability in both reducing and redox atmospheres at elevated temperatures. The oxygen content in the as-prepared PrBaFe (2-x)Sn xO 5+δ was nonlinearly correlated to the Sn doping level and reached maximum values around x = 0.1. After the reducing treatment, the oxygen content linearly decreased with increasing Sn dopingmore » level. The electrical conductivity of bulk PrBaFe (2-x)Sn xO 5+δ (x = 0.1) reached 63.6 S cm -1 at 800 °C in humidified hydrogen. At 750 °C, the surface exchange coefficient and bulk diffusivity of PrBaFe (2-x)Sn xO 5+δ reached the maximum values of 4.42 × 10 -6 m s -1 and 6.04 × 10 -7 m 2 s -1, respectively, in the reducing process when the Sn doping level was x = 0.1. The activation energies of surface exchange coefficient and bulk diffusivity of PrBaFe (2-x)Sn xO 5+δ (x = 0.1) were 0.22 eV and 0.16 eV, respectively, in the reducing process. The area specific resistance of the PrBaFe (2-x)Sn xO 5+δ (x = 0.1) anode was 0.095–0.285 Ω cm 2 from 850–750 °C in humidified hydrogen, better than or comparable to the best ceramic anodes in the literature.« less

  16. Structural, Optical and Ethanol Sensing Properties of Dy-Doped SnO2 Nanoparticles

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Shaikh, F. I.; Chikhale, L. P.; Nadargi, D. Y.; Mulla, I. S.; Suryavanshi, S. S.

    2018-04-01

    We report a facile co-precipitation synthesis of dysprosium (Dy3+) doped tin oxide (SnO2) thick films and their use as gas sensors. The doping percentage (Dy3+) was varied from 1 mol.% to 4 mol.% with the step of 1 mol.%. As-produced material with varying doping levels were sintered in air; and by using a screen printing technique, their thick films were developed. Prior to sensing performance investigations, the films were examined for structural, morphological and compositional properties using x-ray diffraction, a field emission scanning electron microscope, a transmission electron microscope, selected area electron diffraction, energy dispersive analysis by x-rays, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopic techniques. The structural analyses revealed formation of single phase nanocrystalline material with tetragonal rutile structure of SnO2. The morphological analyses confirmed the nanocrystalline porous morphology of as-developed material. Elemental analysis defined the composition of material in accordance with the doping concentration. The produced sensor material exhibited good response towards different reducing gases (acetone, ethanol, LPG, and ammonia) at different operating temperatures. The present study confirms that the Dy3+ doping in SnO2 enhances the response towards ethanol with reduction in operating temperature. Particularly, 3 mol.% Dy3+ doped sensor exhibited the highest response (˜ 92%) at an operating temperature of 300°C with better selectivity, fast response (˜ 13 s) and recovery (˜ 22 s) towards ethanol.

  17. Structural and magnetic properties of nanostructured composites (SrFe12O19)x(CaCu3Ti4O12)1-x

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gavrilova, T. P.; Deeva, J. A.; Yatsyk, I. V.; Yagfarova, A. R.; Gilmutdinov, I. F.; Lyadov, N. M.; Milovich, F. O.; Chupakhina, T. I.; Eremina, R. M.

    2018-05-01

    (SrFe12O19)x(CaCu3Ti4O12)1-x (x = 0.01, 0.03, 0.07, 0.1) composites were synthesized using a solid state method, while the pre-synthesized strontium hexaferrite SrFe12O19 (SFO) was added to the stoichiometric amount of CaO, CuO and TiO oxides to form the CaCu3Ti4O12 (CCTO) structure around SFO microinclusions. The structural and microstructural properties of obtained composites were studied by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy techniques. The magnetic properties were studied by electron spin resonance and magnetometry methods. Based on all experimental data we can conclude, that SFOxCCTO1-x nanostructured composites were formed only for concentrations x = 0.03 and x = 0.07, where SFO nanoinclusions are inside CCTO matrix, that leads to the strong mutual influence of the magnetic properties of both component.

  18. Statistical modeling of the reactions Fe(+) + N2OFeO(+) + N2 and FeO(+) + CO → Fe(+) + CO2.

    PubMed

    Ushakov, Vladimir G; Troe, Jürgen; Johnson, Ryan S; Guo, Hua; Ard, Shaun G; Melko, Joshua J; Shuman, Nicholas S; Viggiano, Albert A

    2015-08-14

    The rates of the reactions Fe(+) + N2OFeO(+) + N2 and FeO(+) + CO → Fe(+) + CO2 are modeled by statistical rate theory accounting for energy- and angular momentum-specific rate constants for formation of the primary and secondary cationic adducts and their backward and forward reactions. The reactions are both suggested to proceed on sextet and quartet potential energy surfaces with efficient, but probably not complete, equilibration by spin-inversion of the populations of the sextet and quartet adducts. The influence of spin-inversion on the overall reaction rate is investigated. The differences of the two reaction rates mostly are due to different numbers of entrance states (atom + linear rotor or linear rotor + linear rotor, respectively). The reaction Fe(+) + N2O was studied either with (6)Fe(+) or with (4)Fe(+) reactants. Differences in the rate constants of (6)Fe(+) and (4)Fe(+) reacting with N2O are attributed to different contributions from electronically excited potential energy surfaces, such as they originate from the open-electronic shell reactants.

  19. Self-assembled NiFe2O4/carbon nanotubes sponge for enhanced glucose biosensing application

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Li, Yingchun; Zhao, Minggang; Chen, Jing; Fan, Sisi; Liang, Jingjing; Ding, Longjiang; Chen, Shougang

    2016-01-01

    In this work, self-assembled NiFe2O4/carbon nanotubes (CNTs) sponge was prepared by ice-templating method. The device synergized the advantageous features of both the 3D porous nanostructure and the catalytic properties of CNTs with GOx and NiFe2O4 nanoparticles. The porous network construction of the NiFe2O4/CNTs sheets offered enlarged specific surface for GOx immobilization and opened channels for facilitating the electrons transport and reactants diffusion. With the help of the abnormal-valence elements Ni and Fe, double catalysis has happened and the enhanced glucose biosensing performance has been achieved. The fabricated glucose biosensor exhibited two large linear ranges (0-3.0 and 3.2-12.4 mM) and distinct sensitivities (84.1 and 24.6 μA mM-1 cm-2).

  20. High Curie temperature and coercivity performance of Fe3-xCrxSe4 nanostructures.

    PubMed

    Li, Shao-jie; Li, Da; Liu, Wei; Zhang, Zhidong

    2015-03-12

    Monoclinic Fe3-xCrxSe4 nanostructures (0≤x≤2.5) were synthesized using a high-temperature solution chemical method. With increasing the Cr doping, the peak positions in the X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns of Fe3-xCrxSe4 nanostructures slightly shifted to lower 2θ values due to the changes in lattice parameters. Expansions in the unit cell volumes of Fe3-xCrxSe4 nanostructures (x>0.3) may have been responsible for enhancing the ferromagnetic (FM) interaction between magnetic ions, which resulted in a significant increase in the Curie temperature (TC) from 331 K for Fe3Se4 to 429 K for FeCr2Se4, distinctly differing from the magnetic properties of the corresponding bulk materials. A room-temperature coercivity (HC) analysis showed an obvious increase from 3.2 kOe for Fe3Se4 to 12 kOe for Fe2.3Cr0.7Se4 nanostructure, but gradually decreased upon further increasing the Cr content.