Insights into the dual-roles of alloying elements in the growth of Sn whiskers

The growth of Sn whiskers from Ti_(2)SnC/Sn-X(X=Sn,Bi,Pb,Ga)samples was studied in this work to understand the effect of alloying elements on whiskering behaviors.The mobility of source Sn atoms relating with the formation and migration of defects was found to be the critical factor dominating the growth rate,with the gathering of which to grow whiskers on the surface acts as an effective means to lower the enthalpy.As a result,the source Sn atoms would migrate to whisker root spontaneously,making the growth of whiskers the nature of materials,and external factors like compressive stress or oxidation are no more necessary but facilitate the whiskering process by promoting the mobility of source Sn atoms.

Atmospheric CO_(2) capture and photofixation to near-unity CO by Ti^(3+)-V_(o)-Ti^(3+) sites confined in TiO_(2) ultrathin layers

To realize efficient atmospheric CO_(2) chemisorption and activation,abundant Ti^(3+) sites and oxygen vacancies in TiO_(2) ultrathin layers were designed.Positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy and theoretical calculations first unveil each oxygen vacancy is associated with the formation of two Ti^(3+)sites,giving a Ti^(3+)-V_(o)-Ti^(3+) configuration.The Ti^(3+)-V_(o)-Ti^(3+) sites could bond with CO_(2) molecules to form a stable configuration,which converted the endoergic chemisorption step to an exoergic process,verified by in-situ Fourier-transform infrared spectra and theoretical calculations.Also,the adjacent Ti^(3+)sites not only favor CO_(2) activation into COOH*via forming a stable Ti^(3+)–C–O–Ti^(3+) configuration,but also facilitate the rate-limiting COOH^(*)scission to CO^(*)by reducing the energy barrier from 0.75 to 0.45 e V.Thus,the Ti^(3+)-V_(o)-TiO_(2) ultrathinlayers could directly capture and photofix atmospheric CO_(2) into near-unity CO,with the corresponding CO_(2)-to-CO conversion ratio of ca.20.2%.