Ag doped urchin-like α-MnO2 toward efficient and bifunctional electrocatalysts for Li-02 batteries

Rechargeable Li-O2 batteries (LOBs) have been receiving intensive attention because of their ultra-high theoretical energy densityclose to the gasoline. Herein, Ag modified urchin-like α-MnO2 (Ag-MnO2) material with hierarchical porous structure is obtained bya facile one-step hydrothermal method. Ag-MnO2 possesses thick nanowires and presents hierarchical porous structure of mesoporesand macropores. The unique structure can expose more active sites, and provide continuous pathways for O2 and discharge productsas well. The doping of Ag leads to the change of electronic distribution in α-MnO2 (i.e., more oxygen vacancies), which playimportant roles in improving their intrinsic catalytic activity and conductivity. As a result, LOBs with Ag-MnO2 catalysts exhibit loweroverpotential, higher discharge specific capacity and much better cycle stability compared to pure a-MnO2. LOBs with Ag-MnO2catalysts exhibit a superior discharge specific capacity of 13,131 mA·h·g^-1 at a current density of 200 mA·h·g^-1, a good cycle stabilityof 500 cycles at the capacity of 500 mA·h·g^-1. When current density is increased to 400 mA·h·g^-1, LOBs still retain a long lifespan of170 cycles at a limited capacity of 1,000 mA·h·g^-1.

Theoretic and Experimental Studies on Titania Nanotube Doped with Ag Metal Ions

The electronic state density and energy bands of Ag-doped anatase TiO2 are studied by WIEN2k software package based on DFT. The calculation results show that the band-gap of anatase titania became bigger after doping with Ag metal ions. The band-gap transfers from 2.04 to 2.5 eV, but a new energy band appears among the forbidden band after the Ag atom substitution. The interband width of Ag-TiO2 is 0.17 eV, which is located at –0.07 eV; more excitation and jump routes are opened for the electrons. The lowest excitation energy can achieve 1.2 eV, which may allow the photons with lower energy （at longer wavelength, such as visible light） to be absorbed. Ag ions are implanted into the titania nanotube sample by MEVVA （Metal Vapor Vacuum Arc） implanter. The photo-electrochemical response and photo-degradation experiment of titania nanotube samples implanted with Ag ions are tested under UV and visible light; the results indicated that the performance of implanted titania naotubes is enhanced both under UV and visible light; it is worth mentioning that the photocurrent density can reach 0.145 mA/cm2 under visible light, which is 181 times higher than those of pure TiNT, and the k value of degradation methyl orange can obtain 0.30 h-1, which is 71 times higher than that of pure TiNT. All the experimental results are consistent well with the theoretic ones.

Decoupling of thermoelectric transport performance of Ag doped and Se alloyed tellurium induced by carrier mobility compensation

Alloying with Se is proved to be feasible to suppress the lattice thermal conductivity(κL)of tellurium by introducing multidimensional lattice defects.However,extra ionization impurity centers induced by Se alloying are harmful to the electric transport properties of the matrix.In this paper,we propose that the incorporation of Ag could successfully compensate the lost carrier mobility(μH)due to Se alloying through the regulation of microstructure,resulting in the higher power factor(PF)than that of samples without Ag.After composition optimization,theκLdecreased from 1.29 W m^(-1)K^(-1) of Te_(0.99)Sb_(0.01) to 1.05 W m^(-1)K^(-1) of Te_(0.94)Ag_(0.02)Se_(0.03)Sb_(0.01) at 350 K,while the PF remained unchanged or even slightly increased.Benefit from the synergistic effect of carrier mobility compensation and phonon scattering,a maximum z T of 0.91 at 573 K and an average z T of 0.57(between 298 and 573 K)are achieved in Te_(0.94)Ag_(0.02)Se_(0.03)Sb_(0.01).This work presents a new strategy for decoupling the thermal and electric parameters of Te-based thermoelectric materials.

Ag-doped ZnO nanorods synthesized by two-step method

A two-step method is adopted to synthesize Ag-doped ZnO nanorods. A ZnO seed layer is first prepared on a glass substrate by thermal decomposition of zinc acetate. Ag-doped ZnO nanorods are then assembled on the ZnO seed layer using the hydrothermal method. The influences of the molar percentage of Ag ions to Zn ions （RAg/zn） on the structural and optical properties of the ZnO nanorods obtained are carefully studied using X-ray diffractometry, scanning electron microscopy and spectrophotometry. Results indicate that Ag ions enter into the crystal lattice through the substitution of Zn ions. The （002） c-axis-preferred orientation of the ZnO nanorods decreases as RAg/Zn increases. At RAg/Zn 〉 1.0%, ZnO nanorods lose their c-axis-preferred orientation and generate Ag precipitates from the ZnO crystal lattice. The average transmissivity in the visible region first increases and then decreases as RAg/Zn increases. The absorption edge is first blue shifted and then red shifted. The influence of Ag doping on the average head face, and axial dimensions of the ZnO nanorods may be optimized to improve the average transmissivity at RAg/Zn 〈 1.0%.

Thermoelectric Properties of Ag-doped In_4Se_(2.95) Polycrystalline Compounds

In_4Se_3-based materials are noticeable n-type thermoelectric materials because of lead-free and intrinsically low lattice thermal conductivity,but the In4Se_3-δ crystals（with Se-deficiency,δ） suffer strong anisotropy and cleavage habit. Thus the researches on polycrystalline In_4Se_3-based materials are of great importance. Herein,we experimentally and theoretically investigated the thermoelectric properties of In_（4-x）Se_（2.95）Ag_x polycrystalline compounds. Ag occupying the intercalation or In4 site is energetically most favorable in light of the density functional theory calculation. The maximum solubility of Ag（x_m） is very low（xm 〈 0.03） and the experimental result indicates that the electrical transport behavior of In_（4-x）Se_（2.95）Ag_x compounds is not significantly optimized by Ag-dopant. Consequently,a maximum ZT of 0.92 at 723 K is obtained by In_（3.98）Se_（2.95）Ag_（0.02） compound that represents 15% enhancement over that of the un-doped one which benefits from the slightly enhanced power factor and the reduced total thermal conductivity.

Temperature stability of magnetoresistance (MR) and MR enhancement in La_(1-x)(Sr_(1-y)Ag_y)_x MnO_3 system

Polycrystalline samples of Lal-x（Srl-yAgy）x MnO3 （y = 0.0, 0.2, 0.4, 0.6, 1.0） were prepared by the solid-state reaction method. The temperature stability of magnetoresistance and magnetoresistance enhancement in Lal_x（Srl_yAgy）~MnO3 system with both univalent and bivalent elements doped at A site and with unchanged value of Mn~＋/Mn4＋ ratio were explored through the measurements of X-ray diffraction patterns, magnetiza- tion-temperature （M-T） curves, resistivity-temperature （p-T） curves and magnetoresistance-temperature （MR-T） curves. The results are as follows： there are two peaks in the p-T curves of the samples with Ag doping, one is caused by resistance change during the paramagnetism- ferromagnetism transition, and the other is from boundary- dependent scattering of conduction electrons on the boundaries of grains. The peak value of MR increases with increasing Ag doping content, and it increases from 8.2 % for y ---- 0.2 to 29.6 % for y ---- 1.0 under the magnetic field of B = 0.8 T; MR remains a constant of 12 % in the temperature range of 218-168 K for the sample with y = 1.0, and the temperature stability of MR is in favor of the practical application of MR.

Doping Effect of Co at Ag Sites in Antiperovskite Mn3AgN Compounds

Antiperovskite compounds Mn3Ag1-xCoxN （x =0.2, 0.5 and 0.8） are synthesized and the doping effect of the magnetic element Co at the Ag site is investigated. The crystal structure is not changed by the introduction of Co. However, with the increase of the content of Co, the spin reorientation gradually disappears and the antiferromagnetic transition changes to the ferromagnetic transition at the elevated temperature when x = 0.8. In addition, all of the magnetic phase transitions at the elevated temperature are always accompanied by the abnormal thermal expansion behaviors and an entropy change. Moreover, when x = 0.8, the coefficient of linear expansion is -1.89 × 10^-6 K^-1 （290-310K, △T =20 K）, which is generally considered as the low thermal expansion.

Heat treatment effects on the superconducting properties of Ag-doped SrKFeAs compounds

The superconducting properties of polycrystalline Sr0.6K0.4Fe2As2 were strongly influenced by Ag doping(Supercond.Sci.Technol.23(2010) 025027).Ag addition is mainly dominated by silver diffusing,so the annealing process is one of the essential factors to achieve high quality Ag doped Sr0.6K0.4Fe2As2.In this paper,the optimal annealing conditions were studied for Ag doped Sr0.6K0.4Fe2As2 bulks prepared by a one-step solid reaction method.It is found that the annealing temperature has a strong influence on the superconducting properties,especially on the critical current density Jc.As a result,higher heat treatment temperature(~900℃) is helpful in diffusing Ag and reducing the impurity phase gathered together to improve the grain connectivity.In contrast,low-temperature sintering is counterproductive for Ag doped samples.These results clearly suggest that annealing at ~900℃ is necessary for obtaining high Jc Ag-doped samples.

Effects of silver-doping on properties of Cu(In,Ga)Se_(2) films prepared by Cu In Ga precursors

The AgCuInGa alloy precursors with different Ag concentrations are fabricated by sputtering an Ag target and a CuInGa target.The precursors are selenized in the H_(2)Se-containing atmosphere to prepare(Ag,Cu)(In,Ga)Se_(2)(ACIGS)absorbers.The beneficial effects of Ag doping are demonstrated and their mechanism is explained.It is found that Ag doping significantly improves the films crystallinity.This is believed to be due to the lower melting point of chalcopyrite phase obtained by the Ag doping.This leads to a higher migration ability of the atoms that in turn promotes grain boundary migration and improves the film crystallinity.The Ga enrichment at the interface between the absorber and the back electrode is also alleviated during the selenization annealing.It is found that Ag doping within a specific range can passivate the band tail and improve the quality of the films.Therefore,carrier recombination is reduced and carrier transport is improved.The negative effects of excessive Ag are also demonstrated and their origin is revealed.Because the atomic size of Ag is different from that of Cu,for the Ag/(Ag+Cu)ratio(AAC)≥0.030,lattice distortion is aggravated,and significant micro-strain appears.The atomic radius of Ag is close to those of In and Ga,so that the continued increase in AAC will give rise to the Ag;or Ag;defects.Both the structural and compositional defects degrade the quality of the absorbers and the device performance.An excellent absorber can be obtained at AAC of 0.015.

Single-electron charging and ultrafast dynamics of bimetallic Au_(144−x)Agx(PET)_(60) nanoclusters

Alloying is an important strategy in tailoring the functionality of materials.In metal nanoclusters(NCs),the introduction of a heterometal leads to alloy nanoclusters that often outperform the homometal ones in terms of the physical and chemical properties.In this work,a series of four M_(144)(PET)60 alloy NCs(where,M=Au/Ag,PET=–SCH_(2)CH_(2)Ph)are synthesized and characterized.The silver doping into the homogold template(Au_(144))leads to more prominent optical absorption features in the steady-state spectrum in the visible range.Femtosecond transient absorption spectroscopy reveals the effect of Ag doping on the electronic relaxation dynamics compared to Au_(144)and the pump fluence independent dynamics.Electrochemical results reflect a narrowing of HOMO–LUMO gap(E_(g))induced by Ag doping.A temperature dependence of the single-electron charging is also observed for the series of alloy NCs,in which the E_(g)values of the alloy NCs enlarge as the temperature decreases,which is characteristic of semiconducting behavior.

Incorporation of Ag into Cu(In,Ga)Se_(2) films in low-temperature process

Chalcopyrite Cu(In,Ga)Se_(2)(CIGS) thin films deposited in a low-temperature process(450℃) usually produce fine grains and poor crystallinity. Herein, different Ag treatment processes, which can decrease the melting temperature and enlarge band gap of the CIGS films, were employed to enhance the quality of thin films in a low-temperature deposition process. It is demonstrated that both the Ag precursor and Ag surface treatment process can heighten the crystallinity of CIGS films and the device efficiency. The former is more obvious than the latter. Furthermore, the Urbach energy is also reduced with Ag doping. This work aims to provide a feasible Ag-doping process for the high-quality CIGS films in a low-temperature process.

Influence of Ag substitution on thermoelectric properties of the quaternary diamond-like compound Zn_(2)Cu_(3)In_(3)Te_(8)

The quaternary diamond-like compounds,A_(2)Cu_(3)In_(3)Te_(8)(A=Cd,Zn,Mn,Mg),are a new class of thermoelectric materials recently proposed by complex structure design.Among them,the Zn_(2)Cu_(3)In_(3)Te_(8) compound possesses reasonable electrical transport properties but relatively high lattice thermal conductivity.Herein,the effects of Ag substitution on the phase stability and thermoelectric properties of Zn_(2)Cu_(3)In_(3)Te_(8) compound are reported.It is revealed that only the In sites show an appreciable tolerance for Ag doping.Ag substitution at the In sites introduces extra holes and thus results in improved electrical transport properties.Furthermore,the introducing of Ag lowers the sound velocities and enhances the phonon scattering of the Zn_(2)Cu_(3)In_(3)Te_(8) compound,which leads to a substantially reduction in lattice thermal conductivity.Finally,in virtue of the optimization in both electrical and thermal transport properties,the maximal zT value of Zn_(2)Cu_(3)In_(2.8)Ag_(0.2)Te_(8) sample reaches 0.62 at 823 K,which is 43%higher than the pristine sample.

Synergistically electronic tuning of metalloid CdSe nanorods for enhanced electrochemical CO_(2) reduction

Engineering the electronic properties of catalysts to target intermediate adsorption energy as well as harvest high selectivity represents a promising strategy to design advanced electrocatalysts for efficient CO_(2) electroreduction.Herein,a synergistical tuning on the electronic structure of the Cd Se nanorods is proposed for boosting electrochemical reduction of CO_(2) .The synergy of Ag doping coupled with Se vacancies tuned the electronic structure of the CdSe nanorods,which shows the metalloid characterization and thereby the accelerated electron transfer of CO_(2) electroreduction.Operando synchrotron radiation Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and theoretical simulation revealed that the Ag doping and Se vacancies accelerated the CO_(2) activation process and lowered the energy barrier for the conversion from CO_(2) to;COOH;as a result,the performance of CO_(2) electroreduction was enhanced.The as-obtained metalloid Ag-doped CdSe nanorods exhibited a 2.7-fold increment in current density and 1.9-fold Faradaic efficiency of CO compared with the pristine CdSe nanorod.