Helium Plasma Damage of Low-k Carbon Doped Silica Film:the Effect of Si Dangling Bonds on the Dielectric Constant

The low-k carbon doped silica film has been modified by radio frequency helium plasma at 5 Pa pressure and 80 W power with subsequent XPS, FTIR and optical emission spec- troscopy analysis. XPS data indicate that helium ions have broken Si-C bonds, leading to Si-C scission with C（1s） lost seriously. The Si（2p）, O（ls）, peak obviously shifted to higher binding en- ergies, indicating an increasingly oxidized Si（2p）. FTIR data also show that the silanol formation increased with longer exposure time up to a week. Contrarily, the CHa stretch, Si-C stretching bond and the ratio of the Si-O-Si cage and Si-O-Si network peak sharply decreased upon exposure to helium plasma. The OES result indicates that monovalent helium ions in plasma play a key role in damaging carbon doped silica film. So it can be concluded that the monovalent helium ions besides VUV photons can break the weak Si-C bonds to create Si dangling bonds and free methyl radicals, and the latter easily reacts with O_2 from the atmosphere to generate CO_2 and H_2O. The bonds change is due to the Si dangling bonds combining with H_2O, thereby, increasing the dielectric constant k value.

Elucidating the role of embedding dispersed cobalt sites in nitrogen-doped carbon frameworks in Si-based anodes for stable and superior storage

Unsatisfactory conductivity and volume effects have hindered the commercial application of siliconbased materials as advanced anode materials for high-performance lithium-ion batteries. Herein, nitrogen doped carbon silicon matrix composite with atomically dispersed Co sites(Si/Co-N-C) is obtained via the design of the frame structure loaded with nano-components and the multi-element hybrid strategy. Co atoms are uniformly fixed to the N-C frame and tightly packed with nanoscale silicon particles as an activation and protection building block. The mechanism of the N-C framework of loaded metal Co in the Si alloying process is revealed by electrochemical kinetic analysis and ex situ characterization tests.Impressively, the nitrogen-doped Co site activates the intercalation of the outer carbon matrix to supplement the additional capacity. The Co nanoparticles with high conductivity and support enhance the conductivity and structural stability of the composite, accelerating the Li^(+)/Na^(+) diffusion kinetics. Density functional theory(DFT) calculation confirms that the hetero-structure Si/Co-N-C adjusts the electronic structure to obtain good lithium-ion adsorption energy, reduces the Li^(+)/Na^(+) migration energy barrier.This work provides meaningful guidance for the development of high-performance metal/non-metal modified anode materials.

Cu,N codoped carbon nanosheets encapsulating ultrasmall Cu nanoparticles for enhancing selective 1,2-propanediol oxidation

In the selective oxidation of biomass-based 1,2-propanediol(PDO)with oxygen as the terminal oxidant,it is challenging to improve the lactic acid(LA)selectivity for nonnoble metal nanoparticles(NPs)due to their limited oxygen reduction rate and easy C-C cleavage.Given the high economic feasibility of nonnoble metals,i.e.,Cu,in this work,copper and nitrogen codoped porous carbon nanosheets encapsulating ultrafine Cu nanoparticles(Cu@Cu-N-C)were developed to realize highly selective of PDO oxidation to LA.The carbon-encapsulated ultrasmall Cu^(0)NPs in Cu@Cu-N-C have high PDO dehydrogenation activity while N-coordinated Cu(Cu-N)sites are responsible for the high oxygen reduction efficacy.Therefore,the performance of catalytic PDO conversion to LA is optimized by a proposed pathway of PDO→hydroxylacetone→lactaldehyde→LA.Specifically,the enhanced LA selectivity is 88.5%,and the PDO conversion is up to 75.1%in an O_(2)-pressurized reaction system(1.0 MPa O_(2)),superior to other Cu-based catalysts,while in a milder nonpressurized system(O_(2)flow rate of 100 mL min-1),a remarkable LA selectivity(94.2%)is obtained with 39.8%PDO conversion,2.2 times higher than that of supported Au nanoparticles(1%Au/C).Moreover,carbon encapsulation offers Cu@Cu-N-C with strong leaching resistance for better recycling.

Structure,electronic,and nonlinear optical properties of superalkaline M_(3)O(M=Li,Na)doped cyclo[18]carbon

Cyclo[18]carbon has received considerable attention thanks to its novel geometric configuration and special electronic structure.Superalkalis have low ionization energy.Doping a superalkali in cyclo[18]carbon is an effective method to improve the optical properties of the system because considerable electron transfer occurs.In this paper,the geometry,bonding properties,electronic structure,absorption spectrum,and nonlinear optical(NLO)properties of superalkaline M_(3)O(M=Li,Na)-doped cyclo[18]carbon were studied by using density functional theory.M_(3)O and the C_(18) rings are not coplanar.The C_(18) ring still exhibits alternating long and short bonds.The charge transfer between M_(3)O and C_(18) forms stable[M_(3)O]+[C_(18)]-ionic complexes.C_(18)M_(3)O(M=Li,Na)shows striking optical nonlinearity,i.e.,their first-and second-order hyperpolarizability(βvec andγ||)increase considerably atλ=1907 nm and 1460 nm.

Template-free synthesis of carbon doped TiO2 mesoporous microplates for enhanced visible light photodegradation

Titanium dioxide （TiO2） is widely employed as a solid photocatalyst for solar energy conversion and envi- ronmental remediation. The ability to construct porous TiO2 with controlled particle size and narrowed bandgap is an essential requirement for the design of highly efficient and recyclable photocatalysts. Here, we report a template- free acetic acid induced method for the synthesis of visible- light responsive carbon-doped TiO2 microplates with high crystallinity and mesoporous structure. It is shown that the electron-withdrawing bidentate carboxylate ligands derived from acetic acid can narrow the bandgap of TiO2 （1.84 eV） substantially. Moreover, the resultant microplate photo- catalysts exhibit excellent photocatalytic efficiency and solid-liquid separation performance, which will be bene- ficial for future industrial applications.

Template-free synthesis of carbon doped TiO_2 mesoporous microplates for enhanced visible light photodegradation

Titanium dioxide(Ti O_2) is widely employed as a solid photocatalyst for solar energy conversion and environmental remediation. The ability to construct porous Ti O_2 with controlled particle size and narrowed bandgap is an essential requirement for the design of highly efficient and recyclable photocatalysts. Here, we report a templatefree acetic acid induced method for the synthesis of visiblelight responsive carbon-doped Ti O_2 microplates with high crystallinity and mesoporous structure. It is shown that the electron-withdrawing bidentate carboxylate ligands derived from acetic acid can narrow the bandgap of Ti O_2(1.84 e V)substantially. Moreover, the resultant microplate photocatalysts exhibit excellent photocatalytic efficiency and solid–liquid separation performance, which will be beneficial for future industrial applications.

Effect of Reduction Temperature on the Hydrodesulfurization Performance of Carbon-doped Alumina-supported Nickel Phosphide Catalyst

Nickel phosphide-carbon-doped alumina(Ni_(2)P/Al_(2)O_(3)-C)catalysts with 10 wt.%Ni_(2)P loading were successfully prepared via a hydrothermal reduction process and the effect of reduction temperature on the hydrodesulfurization(HDS)performance of the as-prepared Ni_(2)P/Al_(2)O_(3)-C catalysts was investigated.The properties of the support(Al_(2)O_(3)-C)and Ni_(2)P/Al_(2)O_(3)-C catalysts were characterized by transmission electron microscopy,scanning electron microscopy,Brunauer-Emmett-Teller measurements,X-ray diffractometry,and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy.The results indicated that the incorporation of carbon in the support aided the reduction of Ni_(2)P.With an increase in the reduction temperature,Ni and Ni_(12)P_(5) were first generated and then converted into crystalline Ni_(2)P.Furthermore,a higher reduction temperature enhanced the HDS performance of the catalyst by generating more well-dispersed active-phase crystalline Ni_(2)P.

Co_3O_4 supported on N,P-doped carbon as a bifunctional electrocatalyst for oxygen reduction and evolution reactions

Noble metals, such as platinum, ruthenium and iridium‐group metals, are often used as oxygen reduction or evolution reaction （ORR/OER） electrocatalysts. To reduce the cost and provide an application of bifunctional catalysis, in this work, cobalt oxide supported on nitrogen and phospho‐rus co‐doped carbon （Co3O4/NPC） was fabricated and examined as a bifunctional electrocatalyst for OER and ORR. To prepare Co3O4/NPC, NPC was pyrolyzed from melamine and phytic acid support‐ed on carbon, followed by the solvothermal synthesis of Co3O4 on NPC. Linear sweep voltammetry was used to evaluate the activity for OER and ORR. For OER, Co3O4/NPC showed an onset potential of 0.54 V （versus the saturated calomel electrode） and a current density of 21.95 mA/cm2 at 0.80 V, which was better than both Co3O4/C and NPC. The high activity of Co3O4/NPC was attributed to a synergistic effect of the N, P co‐dopants and Co3O4. For ORR, Co3O4/NPC exhibited an activity close to commercial Pt/C in terms of the diffusion limited current density （–4.49 vs–4.76 mA/cm2 at–0.80 V）, and Co3O4 played the key role for the catalysis. Chronoamperometry （current versus time） was used to evaluate the stability, which showed that Co3O4/NPC maintained 46%current after the chronoamperometry test for OER and 95% current for ORR. Overall, Co3O4/NPC exhibited high activity and improved stability for both OER and ORR.

Enhanced visible-light photocatalytic oxidation capability of carbon-doped TiO_2 via coupling with fly ash

A carbon‐doped TiO2/fly ash support(C‐TiO2/FAS)composite photocatalyst was successfully synthesized through sol impregnation and subsequent carbonization.The carbon dopants were derived from the organic species generated during the synthesis of the C‐TiO2/FAS composite.A series of analytical techniques,such as scanning electron microscopy(SEM),attenuated total reflection‐Fourier transform infrared(ATR‐FTIR)spectroscopy,X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS),and ultraviolet‐visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy(UV‐Vis DRS),were used to characterize the properties of the prepared samples.The results indicated that C‐TiO2 was successfully coated on the FAS surface.Coupling between C‐TiO2 and FAS resulted in the formation of Si–O–C and Al–O–Ti bonds at their interface.The formation of Si–O–C and Al–O–Ti bonds gave rise to a positive shift of the valence band edge of C‐TiO2 and enhanced its oxidation capability of photogenerated holes as well as photodegradation efficiency of methyl orange.Moreover,the C‐TiO2/FAS photocatalyst exhibited favorable reusability and separability.This work may provide a new route for tuning the electronic band structure of TiO2.

Decomposition kinetics of carbon-doped FeCoCrNiMn high-entropy alloy at intermediate temperature

Phase decomposition kinetics and the corresponding mechanical properties of the severe cold-rolled(SCRed) carbon-doped(1.3 at.%) equimolar FeCoCrNiMn high-entropy alloy(HEA) after being annealed at 500 ℃ were investigated. This single face-centered cubic(FCC) solid-solution HEA decomposed to M23 C6+L10, B2, and σ in chronological order. The formation kinetics of the L10, B2, and σ phases followed the Johnson-Mehl-AvramiKolmogorov(JMAK) equation. The yield strength of the HEA was 1520 MPa and increased to 1920 MPa after being annealed at 500 ℃ for 1 h, as a result of the formation of nanosized M23 C6 and L10. Both strength and ductility decreased after 2 d of annealing due to the increase of volume fractions and the coarsening of the M23C6 and L10 precipitates. From 4 to 32 d, the hardness was found to increase, which is ascribed to the rapid formation of the B2 and σ phases. From 32 to 64 d, the hardness increased further to finally reach about HV 760, with the FCC matrix almost exhausted to form the M23 C6, L10, B2, and σ phases. The results of this work may serve as a guide for the heat-treatment of carbon-doped HEAs.

Nitrogen doped carbon catalyzing acetylene conversion to vinyl chloride

Commercial production of vinyl chloride from acetylene relies on the use of HgCla as the catalyst, which has caused severe environmental problem and threats to human health because of its toxicity. Therefore, it is vital to explore alternative catalysts without mercury. We report here that N-doped carbon can catalyze directly transformation of acetylene to vinyl chloride. Particularly, N-doped high surface area mesoporous carbon exhibits a rather high activity with the acetylene conversion reaching 77% and vinyl chloride selectivity above 98% at a space velocity of 1.0 mL.min-l.g-1 and 200 ~C. It delivers a stable performa℃nce within a test period of 100h and no obvious deactivation is observed, demonstrating potentials to substitute the notoriously toxic mercuric chloride catalyst.

Biomass derived porous nitrogen doped carbon for electrochemical devices

Biomass derived porous nanostructured nitrogen doped carbon(PNC) has been extensively investigated as the electrode material for electrochemical catalytic reactions and rechargeable batteries. Biomass with and without containing nitrogen could be designed and optimized to prepare PNC via hydrothermal carbonization, pyrolysis, and other methods. The presence of nitrogen in carbon can provide more active sites for ion absorption, improve the electronic conductivity, increase the bonding between carbon and sulfur, and enhance the electrochemical catalytic reaction. The synthetic methods of natural biomass derived PNC, heteroatomic co-or tri-doping into biomass derived carbon and the application of biomass derived PNC in rechargeable Li/Na batteries, high energy density Li-S batteries, supercapacitors, metal-air batteries and electrochemical catalytic reaction(oxygen reduction and evolution reactions, hydrogen evolution reaction) are summarized and discussed in this review. Biomass derived PNCs deliver high performance electrochemical storage properties for rechargeable batteries/supercapacitors and superior electrochemical catalytic performance toward hydrogen evolution, oxygen reduction and evolution, as promising electrodes for electrochemical devices including battery technologies, fuel cell and electrolyzer.

Wheat flour-derived N-doped mesoporous carbon extrudes as an efficient support for Au catalyst in acetylene hydrochlorination

We recently reported an N‐doped mesoporous carbon(N‐MC)extrudate,with major quaternary N species,prepared by a cheap and convenient method through direct carbonization of wheat flour with silica,which has excellent catalytic performance in acetylene hydrochlorination.Herein,we examined the activity of Au supported on N‐MC(Au/N‐MC)and compared it with that of Au supported on nitrogen‐free mesoporous carbon(Au/MC).The acetylene conversion of Au/N‐MC was 50%at 180°C with an acetylene space velocity of 600 h–1 and VHCl/VC2H2 of 1.1,which was double the activity of Au/MC(25%).The introduced nitrogen atoms acted as anchor sites that stabilized the Au3+species and inhibited the reduction of Au3+to Au0 during the preparation of Au/N‐MC catalysts.

Graphitic‐shell encapsulated FeNi alloy/nitride nanocrystals on biomass‐derived N‐doped carbon as an efficient electrocatalyst for rechargeable Zn‐air battery

Oxygen reduction/evolution reactions(ORR/OERs)catalysts play a key role in the metal‐air battery and water‐splitting process.Herein,we developed a facile template‐free method to fabricate a new type of non–noble metal‐based hybrid catalyst which consists of binary FeNi alloy/nitride nanocrystals with graphitic‐shell and biomass‐derived N‐doped carbon(NC)(FexNiyN@C/NC).This novel nanostructure exhibits superior performance for ORR/OER,which can be attributed to the strong interactions between the graphitic‐shell encapsulated FeNi alloy/nitride nanocrystals and the N‐doped porous carbon substrate.The X‐ray absorption spectroscopy technique was employed to reveal the underlying mechanisms for the excellent performance.The assembled Zn‐air battery device exhibits outstanding charging/discharging performance and cycling stability,indicating the great potential of this type of novel catalysts.

Highly dispersed few-layer MoS_2 nanosheets on S, N co-doped carbon for electrocatalytic H_2 production

Ultrathin small MoS2nanosheets exhibit a higher electrocatalytic activity for the hydrogen evolution reaction.However,strong interactions between MoS2layers may result in aggregation;together with the low conductivity of MoS2,this may lower its electrocatalytic activity.In this paper we present a method that we developed to directly produce solid S,N co‐doped carbon(SNC)with a graphite structure and multiple surface groups through a hydrothermal route.When Na2MoO4was added to the reaction,polymolybdate could be anchored into the carbon materials via a chemical interaction that helps polymolybdate disperse uniformly into the SNC.After a high temperature treatment,polymolybdate transformed into MoS2at800°C for6h in a N2atmosphere at a heating rate of5°C/min,owing to S2?being released from the SNC during the treatment(denoted as MoS2/SNC‐800‐6h).The SNC effectively prevents MoS2from aggregating into large particles,and we successfully prepared highly dispersed MoS2in the SNC matrix.Electrochemical characterizations indicate that MoS2/SNC‐900‐12h exhibits a low onset potential of115mV and a low overpotential of237mV at a current density of10mA/cm2.Furthermore,MoS2/SNC‐900‐12h also had an excellent stability with only^2.6%decay at a current density of10mA/cm2after5000test cycles.

Structural Performance and Characterization of Polyimide Doped Activated Carbon Fibers for Mercury Adsorption

Structure characteristics about activated carbon fibers (ACF) and polyimide (P84) doped ACF modified by HNO3 solution were studied to apply in mercury removal in coal-fired flue gases. The P84, which was always used in the non-woven fabric for bag filter, was intermingled with polyacrylonitrile-based ACF (PAN-ACF) in the weight ratio of 1∶1 in order to make the doped ACF with P84 (doped-ACF-P84). Then the doped-ACF-P84 fibers were modified by HNO3 solution. The structure and morphology of doped-ACF-P84 were characterized and compared with those of ACF and doped-ACF-P84 modified by HNO3solution. The results show that the modified doped-ACF-P84 fibers have almost the same pore structure and specific surface area comparing with the original one. However, contrasted with the original PAN-ACF, the doped-ACF-P84 fibers modified by HNO3 solution have more oxygen-containing groups used for mercury removal. In particular, they have more lactone and carboxyl groups.

Fe,N,S-doped porous carbon as oxygen reduction reaction catalyst in acidic medium with high activity and durability synthesized using CaCl_2 as template

Proton exchange membrane fuel cells suffer from the sluggish kinetics of the oxygen reduction reaction(ORR)and the high cost of Pt catalysts.In the present work,a high‐performance ORR catalystbased on Fe,N,S‐doped porous carbon(FeNS‐PC)was synthesized using melamine formaldehyderesin as C and N precursors,Fe(SCN)3as Fe and S precursors,and CaCl2as a template via a two‐stepheat treatment without a harsh template removal step.The results show that the catalyst treated at900℃(FeNS‐PC‐900)had a high surface area of775m2/g,a high mass activity of10.2A/g in anacidic medium,and excellent durability;the half‐wave potential decreased by only20mV after10000potential cycles.The FeNS‐PC‐900catalyst was used as the cathode in a proton exchangemembrane fuel cell and delivered a peak power density of0.49W/cm2.FeNS‐PC‐900therefore hasgood potential for use in practical applications.

Interaction of hydrogen molecules on Ni-doped single-walled carbon nanotube

Adsorption of hydrogen molecules on an Ni-doped （8,0） single-walled carbon nanotube （SWNT） is investigated by using first-principles density functional calculations. The result shows that a single Ni atom adsorbed on the bridge site of the tube could cannot dissociate the H2, however it can chemisorb three H2 at most, with the average binding energy per H2 suitable for the hydrogen storage at the room temperature. More H2 would physisorb around an Ni atom weakly. As for the SWNT with an Ni dimer adsorbed, we find that when the H2 approaches the Ni Ni bond, it dissociates without overcoming any barrier and makes bonds with Ni atom.

Structure and Mechanical Performance of Nitrogen Doped Diamond-like Carbon Films

Nitrogen doped diamond-like carbon （DLC：N） films were prepared by electron cyclotron resonance chemical vapor deposition （ECR-CVD） on polycrystalline Si chips. Film thickness is about 50 nm. Auger electron spectroscopy （AES） was used to evaluate nitrogen content, and increasing N2 flow improved N content from 0 to 7.6%. Raman and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy （XPS） analysis results reveal CN-sp^3C and N-sp^2C structure. With increasing the N2 flow, sp^3C decreases from 73.74% down to 42.66%, and so does N-sp^3C from 68.04% down to 20.23%. The hardness decreases from 29.18 GPa down to 19.74 GPa, and the Young＇s modulus from 193.03 GPa down to 144.52 GPa.

Synergetic effect of nitrogen‐doped carbon catalysts for high‐efficiency electrochemical CO_(2) reduction

The use of carbon‐based materials is an appealing strategy to solve the issue of excessive CO_(2) emis‐sions.In particular,metal‐free nitrogen‐doped carbon materials(mf‐NCs)have the advantages of convenient synthesis,cost‐effectiveness,and high conductivity and are ideal electrocatalysts for the CO_(2) reduction reaction(CO_(2)RR).However,the unclear identification of the active N sites and the low intrinsic activity of mf‐NCs hinder the further development of high‐performance CO_(2)RR electrocat‐alysts.Achieving precise control over the synthesis of mf‐NC catalysts with well‐defined active N‐species sites is still challenging.To this end,we adopted a facile synthesis method to construct a set of mf‐NCs as robust catalysts for CO_(2)RR.The resulting best‐performing catalyst obtained a Far‐adaic efficiency of CO of approximately 90%at−0.55 V(vs.reversible hydrogen electrode)and good stability.The electrocatalytic performance and in situ attenuated total reflectance surface‐enhanced infrared absorption spectroscopy measurements collectively revealed that graphitic and pyridinic N can synergistically adsorb CO_(2) and H_(2)O and thus promote CO_(2) activation and protonation.