Preparation and Characterization of Porous Spherical LiFePO_4/C by Spray Drying and Carbothermal Method

The porous spherical LiFePO4/C powders were prepared by spray drying and carbothermal method （SDCTM）. Cheaper trivalent iron ion was used as the precursor. The pure olivine phase can be prepared with the spray drying and subsequent heat-treatment. The average particle size is around 10μm, and the value of porosity is 63.04%. The results indicate that the initial discharge capacity decreases with increasing charge/ discharge rate and reduces from 138.8 mAh · g^-1 at C/20 rate to 98.3 mAh ·g^-1 at 2C rate, while the polarization between the charge and discharge plateaux is enlarged from 53 mv to 347 mv. However, the average discharge efficiency is up to 99.5% at 2C rate compared to 80.6% at C/20 rate from the second cycle.

Preparation of TiC powders by carbothermal reduction method in vacuum

The preparation of fine TiC powders by carbothermal reduction of TiO2 in vacuum was investigated by XRD,SEM,XRF and laser particle sizer.Thermodynamic analysis indicates that it is easy to prepare TiC in vacuum and the formation sequence of products are Ti4O7（Magneli phase）,Ti3O5,Ti2O3,TiCxO1-x and TiC with the increase of reaction temperature.Experimental results demonstrate that TiC powders with single phase are obtained with molar ratio of TiO2 to C ranging from 1：3.2 to 1：6 at 1 550 ℃ for 4 h when the system pressure is 50 Pa,and TiC1.0 is gained when the molar ratio of TiO2 to C is 1：4 and 1：5.In addition,fine TiC1.0 powders（D50 equals 3.04 μm） with single phase and low impurities are obtained when the molar ratio of TiO2 to C is 1：4.SEM observation shows that uniform shape,low agglomeration,and loose structure are observed on the surface of block product.

Investigation of β-Ga_(2)O_(3) thick films grown on c-plane sapphire via carbothermal reduction

We investigated the influence of the growth temperature, O_(2) flow, molar ratio between Ga_(2)O_(3) powder and graphite powder on the structure and morphology of the films grown on the c-plane sapphire(0001) substrates by a carbothermal reduction method. Experimental results for the heteroepitaxial growth of β-Ga_(2)O_(3) illustrate that β-Ga_(2)O_(3) growth by the carbothermal reduction method can be controlled. The optimal result was obtained at a growth temperature of 1050 °C. The fastest growth rate of β-Ga_(2)O_(3) films was produced when the O_(2) flow was 20 sccm. To guarantee that β-Ga_(2)O_(3) films with both high-quality crystal and morphology properties, the ideal molar ratio between graphite powder and Ga_(2)O_(3) powder should be set at 10 : 1.

Synthesis and electrochemical properties of Al-doped LiVPO_4F cathode materials for lithium-ion batteries

Al-doped LiVPO4F cathode materials LiAlxV1-xPO4F were prepared by two-step reactions based on a car-bothermal reduction （CTR） process. The properties of the Al-doped LiVPO4F were investigated by X-ray diffraction （XRD）,scanning electron microscopy （SEM）,and electrochemical measurements. XRD studies show that the Al-doped LiVPO4F has the same triclinic structure （space group p-↑1 ） as the undoped LiVPO4F. The SEM images exhibit that the particle size of Al-doped LiVPO4F is smaller than that of the undoped LiVPO4F and that the smallest particle size is only about 1 μm. The Al-doped LiVPO4F was evaluated as a cathode material for secondary lithium batteries,and exhibited an improved reversibility and cycleability,which may be attributed to the addition of Al^3＋ ion by stabilizing the triclinic structure.

Preparation and Electrochemical Studies of Y-doped LiVPO_4F Cathode Materials for Lithium-ion Batteries

Y-doped LiVPO4F cathode materials were prepared by a carbothermal reduction（CTR） process. The properties of the Y-doped LiVPOaF samples were investigated by X-ray diffraction （XRD） and electrochemical measurements. XRD studies show that the Y-doped LiVPOaF samples have the same triclinic structure as the undoped LiVPO4F. The Li extraction/insertion performances of Y-doped LiVPO4F samples were investigated through charge/discharge, cyclic voltammogram （CV） , and electrochemical impedance spectra（EIS）. The optimal doping content of Y is x=0.04 in LiYxV1-xPO4F system. The Y-doped LiVPO4F samples show a better cyclic ability. The electrode reaction reversibility is enhanced, and the charge transfer resistance is decreased through the Y-doping. The improved electrochemical performances of the Y-doped LiVF＇OaF cathode materials are atlributed to the addidon of Y^3＋ ion by stabilizing the Iriclinic structure.

Synthesis and Electrochemical Properties of Cr-doped Li_3V_2(PO_4)_3 Cathode Materials for Lithium-ion Batteries

Cr-doped Li3V2（PO4）3 cathode materials Li3V2-xCr（PO4）3 were prepared by a carbothermal reduction（CTR） process. The properties of the Cr-doped Li3V2（PO4）3 were investigated by X-ray diffraction （XRD）, scanning electron microscopic （SEM）, and electrochemical measurements Results show that the Cr-doped Li3V2（PO4）3 has the same monoclinic structure as the undoped Li3V2（PO4）3, and the particle size of Cr-doped Li3V2（PO4）3 is smaller than that of the undoped Li3V2（PO4）3 and the smallest particle size is only about 1 1μm. The Cr-doped Li3V2（PO4）3 samples were investigated on the Li extraction/insertion performances through charge/discharge, cyclic voltammogram （CV）, and electrochemical impedance spectra（EIS）. The optimal doping content of Cr was that x=0.04 in the Li3V2-xCrx（PO4）3 samples to achieve high discharge capacity and good cyclic stability. The electrode reaction reversibility was enhanced, and the charge transfer resistance was decreased through the Cr-doping. The improved electrochemical performances of the Cr-doped Li3V2（PO4）3 cathode materials are attributed to the addition of Cr^3＋ ion by stabilizing the monoclinic structure.

Epitaxial Growth of Multi-structure SnO_2 by Chemical Vapor Deposition

The nanowire and whisker heterostructures of tin dioxide were fabricated by the chemical vapor deposition technique.It was demonstrated that various structures of tin oxide can be obtained by controlling the thickness of gold layer and the partial pressure of source vapor at growing sites.12.5 and 25 nm thicknesses are preferable for the epitaxial growth of nanowires and heterostructure through vapor–liquid–solid mechanism,respectively.The tin dioxide whiskers with core-shell structure were fabricated by vapor–solid mechanism.Meanwhile,the influences of various factors on the tin dioxide growth are also discussed.