Electrochemical incineration of dimethyl phthalate by anodic oxidation with boron-doped diamond electrode

The anodic oxidation of aqueous solutions containing dimethyl phthalate （DMP） up to 125 mg/L with sodium sulfate （Na2SO4） as supporting electrolyte within the pH range 2.0-10.0 was studied using a one-compartment batch reactor employing a boron-doped diamond （BDD） as anode. Electrolyses were carded out at constant current density （1.5-4.5 mA/cm^2）. Complete mineralization was always achieved owing to the great concentration of hydroxyl radical （-OH） generated at the BDD surface. The effects of pH, apparent current density and initial DMP concentration on the degradation rate of DMP, the specific charge required for its total mineralization and mineralization current efficiency were investigated systematically. The mineralization rate of DMP was found to be pH-independent and to increase with increasing applied current density. Results indicated that this electrochemical process was subjected, at least partially, to the mass transfer of organics onto the BDD surface. Kinetic analysis of the temporal change of DMP concentration during electrolysis determined by High Performance Liquid Chromatography （HPLC） revealed that DMP decay under all tested conditions followed a pseudo first-order reaction. Aromatic intermediates and generated carboxylic acids were identified by Gas Chromatography- Mass Spectrometry （GC-MS） and a general pathway for the electrochemical incineration of DMP on BDD was proposed.

Synthesis and characterization of p-type boron-doped IIb diamond large single crystals

High-quality p-type boron-doped IIb diamond large single crystals are successfully synthesized by the temperature gradient method in a china-type cubic anvil high-pressure apparatus at about 5.5 GPa and 1600 K. The morphologies and surface textures of the synthetic diamond crystals with different boron additive quantities are characterized by using an optical microscope and a scanning electron microscope respectively. The impurities of nitrogen and boron in diamonds are detected by micro Fourier transform infrared technique. The electrical properties including resistivities, Hall coefficients, Hall mobilities and carrier densities of the synthesized samples are measured by a four-point probe and the Hall effect method. The results show that large p-type boron-doped diamond single crystals with few nitrogen impurities have been synthesized. With the increase of quantity of additive boron, some high-index crystal faces such as {113} gradually disappear, and some stripes and triangle pits occur on the crystal surface. This work is helpful for the further research and application of boron-doped semiconductor diamond.

Effect of substrate temperature on the growth and properties of boron-doped microcrystalline silicon films

Highly conductive boron-doped hydrogenated mieroerystalline silicon （μc-Si：H） films are prepared by very high frequency plasma enhanced chemical vapour deposition （VHF PECVD） at the substrate temperatures （Ts） ranging from 90℃ to 270℃. The effects of Ts on the growth and properties of the films are investigated. Results indicate that the growth rate, the electrical （dark conductivity, carrier concentration and Hall mobility） and structural （crystallinity and grain size） properties are all strongly dependent on Ts. As Ts increases, it is observed that 1） the growth rate initially increases and then arrives at a maximum value of 13.3 nm/min at Ts=210℃, 2） the crystalline volume fraction （Xc） and the grain size increase initially, then reach their maximum values at TS=140℃, and finally decrease, 3） the dark conductivity （σd）, carrier concentration and Hall mobility have a similar dependence on Ts and arrive at their maximum values at Ts-190℃. In addition, it is also observed that at a lower substrate temperature Ts, a higher dopant concentration is required in order to obtain a maximum σd.

Boron-doped Ketjenblack based high performances cathode for rechargeable Li–O2 batteries

Boron-doped Ketjenblack is attempted as cathode catalyst for non-aqueous rechargeable Li–O2 batteries. The boron-doped Ketjenblack delivers an extremely high discharge capacity of 7193 m Ah/g at a current density of 0.1 m A/cm2, and the capacity is about 2.3 times as that of the pristine KB. When the batteries are cycled with different restricted capacity, the boron-doped Ketjenblack based cathodes exhibits higher discharge platform and longer cycle life than Ketjenblack based cathodes. Additionally, the boron-doped Ketjenblack also shows a superior electrocatalytic activity for oxygen reduction in 0.1 mol/L KOH aqueous solution. The improvement in catalytic activity results from the defects and activation sites introduced by boron doping.

Boron-Doped Diamond-Film-Based Two-Dimensional Electrode of Electrophoresis Tank

Chemically robust conductive p-type boron-doped diamond （BDD） films are an important electrode material and have been widely applied in electrochemistry. In this study, BDD films are taken as a two-dimensional （2D） electrode in a eleetrophoresis tank system instead of the conventional one-dimensional platinum wire electrode. The theoretical simulations by finite element numerical analysis reveal that the 2D BDD electrodes have relatively high intensity and uniformity of electric field in the tank. Experimentally, the 2D BDD electrodes with smaller size show excellent properties for the separation of DNA fragments. The advantages of the 2D BDD electrodes with chemical inertness, sustainability, high intensity and uniformity electronic field, as well as reduced small size of electrophoresis tank would open a possibility for realizing new generation, high-performance biological devices.

Synthesis of Boron-doped Diamond/Porous Ti Composite Materials——Effect of Carbon Concentration

Highly boron-doped diamond films were deposited on porous titanium substrates by hot filament chemical vapor deposition technique. The morphology variation of highly boron-doped diamond films grown on porous titanium substrates was investigated, and the effects of carbon concentration on nucleation density and diamond growth were also studied. The continuous change of surface morphology and structure of diamond film were characterized by scanning electron microscopy. The structures of diamond film and interlayer were analyzed by X-ray diffraction. The quality of boron-doped diamond film was confirmed by visible Raman spectroscopy. The experimental results reveal that surface morphology and quality of boron-doped diamond films are various due to the change of carbon concentration. The thickness of intermediate layer decreases with the carbon concentration increasing.

Ohmic and Schottky contacts of hydrogenated and oxygenated boron-doped single-crystal diamond with hill-like polycrystalline grains

Hill-like polycrystalline diamond grains(HPDGs)randomly emerged on a heavy boron-doped p+single-crystal diamond(SCD)film by prolonging the growth duration of the chemical vapor deposition process.The Raman spectral results confirm that a relatively higher boron concentration(~1.1×10^(21) cm^(-3))is detected on the HPDG with respect to the SCD region(~5.4×10^(20) cm^(-3)).It demonstrates that the Au/SCD interface can be modulated from ohmic to Schottky contact by varying the surface from hydrogen to oxygen termination.The current-voltage curve between two HPDGs is nearly linear with either oxygen or hydrogen termination,which means that the HPDGs provide a leakage path to form an ohmic contact.There are obvious rectification characteristics between oxygen-terminated HPDGs and SCD based on the difference in boron doping levels in those regions.The results reveal that the highly boron-doped HPDGs grown in SCD can be adopted as ohmic electrodes for Hall measurement and electronic devices.

Effects of deposition pressure and plasma power on the growth and properties of boron-doped microcrystalline silicon films

Using diborane as doping gas, p-doped μc-Si：H layers are deposited by using the plasma enhanced chemical vapour deposition （PECVD） technology. The effects of deposition pressure and plasma power on the growth and the properties of μc-Si：H layers are investigated. The results show that the deposition rate, the electrical and the structural properties are all strongly dependent on deposition pressure and plasma power. Boron-doped μc-Si：H films with a dark conductivity as high as 1.42 Ω^-1·cm^-1 and a crystallinity of above 50% are obtained. With this p-layer, μc-Si：H solar cells are fabricated. In addition, the mechanism for the effects of deposition pressure and plasma power on the growth and the properties of boron-doped μc-Si：H layers is discussed.

Electrochemical Detection of Clenbuterol in Pig Liver at Pyrrole DNA Modified Boron-doped Diamond Electrode

The direct detection of clenbuterol（CL） in pig liver without any extraction separation at a pyrrole-DNA modified boron-doped diamond（BDD） electrode is reported. The pyrrole-DNA modified BDD electrode has a strong electrocatalytic effect on the redox reaction of CL. One oxidization and two reduction peaks of CL appear at 340. 2, 299. 8 and 166. 6 mV（ versus SCE）, respectively. The pyrrole polymer alone cannot electrocatalyze the above reaction at a BDD electrode ; the electrocatalytic effect of a BDD electrode modified with DNA membrane is unsufficient for the analytical detection of CL; the replacement of boron-doped diamond by glass carbon makes the electrocatalytic reaction impossible ; the redox process is pH dependent. The influences of various experimental parameters on the pyrrole-DNA modified BDD electrode were investigated. A sensitive cyclic vohammetric response for CL was obtained in a linear range from 3.4 × 10^-6 to 5 × 10^ -4 mol/L with a detection limit of 8.5 × 10^-7 mol/L. A mean recovery of 102. 7% of CL in the pig liver sample solution and a reproducibility of 3.2% were obtained.

First Principles Calculations of Hydrogen Storage on Calcium-Decorated, Boron-Doped Bilayer Graphene

In this paper, the adsorption and storage of hydrogen on calcium-decorated, boron-doped bilayer graphene was investigated using first principles calculation. The calcium-decorated bilayer graphene was investigated and it was shown that the binding energy of H2 molecule adsorbed on the calcium-decorated bilayer graphene is −0.02 eV and the energy does not belong to reversible usage range of −0.2 - −0.6 eV. Substitutional boron doping can improve the adsorption energy of Ca to bilayer graphene with the empty pz orbital of boron atoms. Our calculations show that calcium atoms can be solidly adsorbed on the interlayer (Ca/B/Graphene) and outerlayer (2Ca/B/Graphene and 3Ca/B/Graphene) of B-doped bilayer graphene. Hydrogen molecule binds with Ca/B/Graphene, 2Ca/B/Graphene and 3Ca/B/Graphene system with an energy that belongs to reversible usage range of −0.2 - −0.6 eV. The overlap between Ca 3d and H2σ orbitals just below the Fermi energy demonstrates the charge transfer between the Ca atom and the H atom and the role of hybridization of the 3d orbita of Ca with the σ orbitals of H2 in efficient adsorption of hydrogen molecules. The charge from hydrogen bonding orbital transfers to empty 3d orbitals of the Ca atom, and then from the 3d orbitals of the Ca atom donated to H2σ* antibonding orbital. Hydrogen moleculars can be adsorbed on the interlayer and outerlayer of Ca-decorated B-doped bilayer graphene.

Analytical Determination of Benzophenone-3 in Sunscreen Preparations Using Boron-Doped Diamond Electrodes

A new electroanalytical procedure was developed for the determination of Benzophenone-3 (BENZO) in commercial sunscreen as the active ingredient. The procedure is based on the use of electrochemical methods as cyclic and square-wave voltammetry, with boron-doped diamond (BDD) electrodes. The reduction of BENZO in Britton-Robinson buffer (0.1 mol●L–1) using this type of electrode gives rise to one irreversible peak in –1.30 V (versus Ag/AgCl) in presence of cationic surfactant cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTABr). The proposed electrochemical method was successfully applied to the analysis of commercially available pharmaceutical preparations.

Electroanalytical Investigation on Paracetamol on Boron-Doped Diamond Electrode by Voltammetry

An electroanalytical method was developed for the direct quantitative determination of paracetamol in tablets based on its oxidation behavior. The electrochemical oxidation and determination of paracetamol were easily carried out on born-doped diamond (BDD) electrode using two voltammetric techniques (CV and DPV). The electrochemical measurements performed by cyclic voltammetric (CV) and differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) techniques were carried out using a cathodically pretreated boron-doped diamond electrode in HClO4 and KClO4 electrolytes. HClO4 was then selected for analytical purposes and scan rate studies were also completed. The oxidation of the paracetamol is found to be irreversible and a diffusion-controlled nature of the paracetamol oxidation peak was established. A linear calibration curve for DPV analysis was constructed in the paracetamol concentration range from 0 μM to 13.87 μM, with 0.16 μM and 0.55 μM as the detection and quantification limit respectively.

Preparation and characterization of boron-doped corn straw biochar: Fe(Ⅱ) removal equilibrium and kinetics

Nowadays,iron ions as a ubiquitous heavy metal pollutant are gradually concerned and the convenient and quick removal of excessive iron ions in groundwater has become a major challenge for the safety of drinking water.In this study,boron-doped biochar(B-BC)was successfully prepared at various preparation conditions with the addition of boric acid.The as-prepared material has a more developed pore structure and a larger specific surface area(up to 897.97 m2/g).A series of characterization results shows that boric acid effectively activates biochar,and boron atoms are successfully doped on biochar.Compared with the ratio of raw materials,the pyrolysis temperature has a greater influence on the amount of boron doping.Based on Langmuir model,the maximum adsorption capacity of 800 B-BC1:2 at25℃,40℃,55℃ are 50.02 mg/g,95.09 mg/g,132.78 mg/g,respectively.Pseudo-second-order kinetic model can better describe the adsorption process,the adsorption process is mainly chemical adsorption.Chemical complexation,ions exchange,and co-precipitation may be the main mechanisms for Fe2+removal.

Direct and Simultaneous Determination of Phenol, Hydroquinone and Nitrophenol at Boron-Doped Diamond Film Electrode

The electrochemical characteristics of multi-component phenolic pollutants, such as phenol （Ph）, hydroquinone （HQ） and 4-nitrophenol （4-NP）, were investigated on boron-doped diamond （BDD） film electrode by differential pulse voltammetry （DPV） technique. A simple and feasible platform was accordingly established for the direct and simultaneous determination of these three phenolic pollutants. Results showed that, Ph, HQ and 4-NP gave obvious oxidation peaks on BDD electrode at the potential of 1.24, 0.76 and 1.52 V, respectively. Each of them displayed good linear relationship between their oxidation peak currents and their corresponding concentrations in a rather wide range coexisting with one or two of the other phenolic pollutants. The detection limits of Ph, HQ and 4-NP were estimated to be as low as 1.82×10^-6, 1.67×10^-6 and 1.44×10^-6 mol·L^-1, respectively. Therefore, a promising direct and simultaneous electrochemical determination method of multi-component phenolic pollutants in wastewater samples was constructed successfully on BDD electrode with advantages being rapid, simple, convenient, sensitive, in situ and inexpensive.

Electrochemical decolorization of dye wastewater by surface-activated boron-doped nanocrystalline diamond electrode

Complex organics contained in dye wastewater are difficult to degrade and often require electrochemical advanced oxidation processes（EAOPs） to treat it. Surface activation of the electrode used in such treatment is an important factor determining the success of the process.The performance of boron-doped nanocrystalline diamond（BD-NCD） film electrode for decolorization of Acid Yellow（AY-36） azo dye with respect to the surface activation by electrochemical polarization was studied. Anodic polarization found to be more suitable as electrode pretreatment compared to cathodic one. After anodic polarization, the originally H-terminated surface of BD-NCD was changed into O-terminated, making it more hydrophilic.Due to the oxidation of surface functional groups and some portion of sp2 carbon in the BD-NCD film during anodic polarization, the electrode was successfully being activated showing lower background current, wider potential window and considerably less surface activity compared to the non-polarized one. Consequently, electrooxidation（EO） capability of the anodically-polarized BD-NCD to degrade AY-36 dye was significantly enhanced, capable of nearly total decolorization and chemical oxygen demand（COD） removal even after several times of re-using. The BD-NCD film electrode favored acidic condition for the dye degradation; and the presence of chloride ion in the solution was found to be more advantageous than sulfate active species.

Electrochemical reduction of CO_2 and degradation of KHP on boron-doped diamond electrodes in a simultaneous and enhanced process

In this research a novel electrochemical system using dual boron-doped diamond (BDD) electrodes as the anode and cathode, for the first time, has been developed for CO_2 conversion and wastewater treatment in a synergetic and simultaneous process. On the BDD cathode CO_2 is converted into formaldehyde while in the anodic side organic wastes are decomposed on the BDD anode. Interestingly, when potassium hydrogen phthalate (KHP) was used as the organic model to be degraded in the anodic side, a higher efficiency of formaldehyde generation from CO_2 was observed on the BDD cathode. The enhanced effect of formaldehyde formation in the presence of KHP oxidation suggests that this novel electrochemical system can combine conversion of CO_2 to the form of high-value chemicals and wastewater purification in a simultaneous and harmonious process.

Effect of oxygen terminated surface of boron-doped diamond thin-film electrode on seawater salinity sensing

Tremendous demands for highly sensitive and stable seawater salinometers have motivated intensive research on advanced electrode materials.Boron-doped diamond(BDD)is attractive in terms of its high mechanical stability and chemical inertness,but is usually hindered by its low double-layer capacitance(C_(dl))for seawater salinity detection.Here,inspired by the principle of oxygen-terminated BDD electrode endowing higher C_(dl)than hydrogen-terminated surface,we introduce the oxygen terminated surface by oxygen plasma or reactive ion etch(RIE),and the fabricated oxygen terminated BDD electrodes demonstrate high sensitivity and long-term stability in seawater salinity detection comparing with the hydrogen terminated BDD electrodes.Significantly,the as-fabricated O-BDD-RIE electrodes not only show remarkable enhanced response even better than the commercial platinum black electrodes but also display long-time stability which is weekly verified by continuous monitor for 90 days.The outstanding performance of the oxygen terminated BDD electrodes can be ascribed to the enhancement of C-O surface functional group on C_(dl).In addition,a comprehensive analysis of effective electroactive surface area(EASA)and C_(dl)proves that the surface oxygen is the major factor for the improved C_(dl).In summary,the excellent oxygen terminated BDD electrodes promise potential application in seawater salinity detection.

Integration of 3D interconnected porous microstructure and high electrochemical property for boron-doped diamond by facile strategy

Three-dimensional(3D)porous boron-doped diamond(BDD)flm is an attractive electrode material but tough to synthesize.Herein,the 3D porous BDD flms were constructed in a facile and template-free way.The BDD/non-diamond carbon(NDC)composite flms were frstly fabricated by hot flament chemical vapor deposition(HFCVD)technique,and then the porous BDD flms with 3D interconnected porous microstructure,different pore size and NDC-free diamond were achieved by selective removal of NDC.It is manifested that higher electrochemical response,large double layer capacitance(17.54 m F/cm^(2))in diamond electrodes,wide electrochemical window of 2.6 V and superior long-term stability were achieved for 3D porous BDD flm.This derives from the synergistic effect of microstructure and phase composition of the porous flms.3D interconnected structure possesses prominent improvement of effective surface area and accessible porous channel,signifcantly enhancing the species adsorption and mass transfer.The3D porous BDD flms,composed of NDC-free diamond,exhibit excellent structural stability and corrosion resistance,which favor the enhancement of long-term stability and water splitting overpotential.The facile fabricating approach and excellent structure/electrochemical character demonstrate the appealing application in many electrochemical felds for 3D porous BDD flms,such as energy storage and conversion,wastewater treatment and purifcation.

Boron-doped silicon film as a recombination layer in the tunnel junction of a tandem solar cell

Boron-doped hydrogenated silicon films with different gaseous doping ratios（B2H6/SiH4） were deposited in a plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition（PECVD） system.The microstructure of the films was investigated by atomic force microscopy（AFM） and Raman scattering spectroscopy.The electrical properties of the films were characterized by their room temperature electrical conductivity（σ） and the activation energy（Ea）.The results show that with an increasing gaseous doping ratio,the silicon films transfer from a microcrystalline to an amorphous phase,and corresponding changes in the electrical properties were observed.The thin boron-doped silicon layers were fabricated as recombination layers in tunnel junctions.The measurements of the I-V characteristics and the transparency spectra of the junctions indicate that the best gaseous doping ratio of the recombination layer is 0.04,and the film deposited under that condition is amorphous silicon with a small amount of crystallites embedded in it.The junction with such a recombination layer has a small resistance,a nearly ohmic contact,and a negligible optical absorption.

Boron-doped microporous nano carbon as cathode material for high-performance Li-S batteries

In this study, a boron-doped microporous carbon （BMC）/sulfur nanocomposite is synthesized and applied as a novel cathode material for advanced Li-S batteries. The cell with this cathode exhibits an ultrahigh cycling stability and rate capability. After activation, a capacity of 749.5 mAh/g was obtained on the 54t＂ cycle at a discharge current of 3.2 A/g. After 500 cycles, capacity of 561.8 mAh/g remained （74.96% retention）, with only a very small average capacity decay of 0.056%. The excellent reversibility and stability of the novel sulfur cathode can be attributed to the ability of the boron-doped microporous carbon host to both physically confine polysulfides and chemically bind these species on the host surface. Theoretical calculations confirm that boron-doped carbon is capable of significantly stronger interactions with the polysulfide species than undoped carbon, most likely as a result of the lower electronegativity of boron. We believe that this doping strategy can be extended to other metal-air batteries and fuel cells, and that it has promising potential for many different applications.