Commercial indium-tin oxide glass:A catalyst electrode for efficient N_(2)reduction at ambient conditions

The typical Haber technical process for industrial NH_(3)production involves plenty of energy-consumption and large quantities of greenhouse gas emission.In contrast,electrochemical N_(2)reduction proffers environment-friendly and energy-efficient avenues to synthesize NH_(3)at mild conditions but demands efficient electrocatalysts for the N_(2)reduction reaction(NRR).Herein we report for the first time that commercial indium-tin oxide glass(ITO/G)can be used as a catalyst electrode toward artificial N_(2)fixation,as it demonstrates excellent selectivity at mild conditions.Such ITO/G delivers excellent NRR performance with a NH_(3)yield of 1.06×10^(-10) mol s^(-1) cm^(-2) and a faradaic efficiency of 6.17%at-0.40 V versus the reversible hydrogen electrode(RHE)in 0.5 M LiClO4.Furthermore,the ITO/G also possesses good electrochemical stability and durability.Finally,the possible reaction mechanism for the NRR on the ITO catalysts was explored using first-principles calculations.

Phase evolutions of two kinds of co-precipitated indium-tin oxide pre-cursors by heat-treatment

Two kinds of indium-tin oxide (ITO) precursors, cubic indium hydroxide(In(OH)_3) and orthorhombic indium oxide hydroxide (InOOH), were prepared by a co-precipitationmethod. With the help of X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermo-gravimetric analysis (TGA) and differentialthermal analysis (DTA), phase evolutions from cubic In(OH)_3 and orthorhombic InOOH to cubic ITOsolid solution and rhombohedral ITO solid solution by heat-treatment had been comprehensivelyinvestigated. The transformation from cubic In(OH)_3 to cubic ITO solid solution started as low as150 deg C and ended at about 300 degC, and it exhibited an endothermic behavior. The transformationfrom orthorhombic InOOH to rhombohedral ITO solid solution started at 220 deg C and ended at about430 deg C. Moreover, this transformation was composed of two processes: the one was the dehydrationof InOOH exhibiting an endothermic behavior and the other was the transformation from dehydrationproducts to rhombohedral ITO solid solution exhibiting a strong exothermic behavior. RhombohedralITO solid solution was metastable in air and it would transform to cubic ITO solid solution byheat-treatment. The transformation from rhombohedral ITO solid solution to cubic ITO solid solutionstarted at 578 deg C and ended below 800 deg C, and it exhibited a weak exothermic behavior.

Improvement of Open-Circuit Voltage in Organic Photovoltaic Cells with Chemically Modified Indium-Tin Oxide

The possibility of the increase in open-circuit voltage of organic photovoltaic cells based primarily indium-tin oxide (ITO)/rubrene/fullerene/Al structure by changing the work function of ITO anodes and Al cathodes was described in this work. To change built-in potential preferably in order to increase the open-circuit voltage, the work function of ITO should be increased and work function of Al should be decreased. The correlation between the change in work functions of electrodes and performance of the organic photovoltaic cells before and after surface modifications was examined in detail. The enhancement of open-circuit voltage depends on a function of work function change of both ITO and Al electrode. We could show that the built-in potential in the cells played an important role in open-circuit voltage.

Lowering the Operational Voltage of Single-Layer Polymer Electroluminescent Devices by Using CuO_x Modifying Indium-Tin Oxide Electrode

In this study it is demonstrated that oxygen-plasma-generated CuOx can enhance the holes injection from ITO anode into polymer layer in single-layer polymer EL devices. The possible reason for this enhancement is because the ITO anode modified with CuOx possesses much higher work function than pure ITO anode, which reduces the barrier for hole-injection and further lowers the operational voltage of the polymer EL devices. The work function shift is probable due to the oxygen-plasma-generated CuOx can store more releasable oxygen, and the releasable oxygen in turn changes the oxygen concentration just near ITO surface, which will shift the work function of ITO anode.

Low Temperature DC Sputtering Deposition on Indium-Tin Oxide Film and Its Application to Inverted Top-emitting Organic Light-emitting Diodes

Indium tin oxide （ITO） ultrathin films were prepared on glass substrate by DC （direct current） magnetron sputtering technique with the assistance of H2O vapor to avoid potential surface damage. The film properties were characterized by X-ray diffraction （XRD） technique, four-point probe method and spectrophotometer. The results show that the deposited ITO film with introduced H2O during sputtering process was almost amorphous. The average visible light transmission of 100 nm ITO film was around 85% and square resistivity was below 80 Ω/square. The film was used as the transparent anode to fabricate an inverted top-emitting organic light-emitting diodes （IT-OLEDs） with the structure of glass substrate/Alq3 （40 nm）/NPB （15 nm）/CuPc （x nm）/ITO anode （100 nm）, where the film thickness of CuPc was optimized. It was found that the luminance of this IT-OLEDs was improved from 25 cd/m^2 to more than 527 cd/m^2 by increasing the thickness of CuPc, and luminance efficiency of 0.24 lm/W at 100 cd/m^2 was obtained, which indicated that the optimized thickness of CuPc layer was around 15 nm.

The emerging role of nitric oxide in the synaptic dysfunction of vascular dementia

With an increase in global aging,the number of people affected by cerebrovascular diseases is also increasing,and the incidence of vascular dementia-closely related to cerebrovascular risk-is increasing at an epidemic rate.However,few therapeutic options exist that can markedly improve the cognitive impairment and prognosis of vascular dementia patients.Similarly in Alzheimer’s disease and other neurological disorders,synaptic dysfunction is recognized as the main reason for cognitive decline.Nitric oxide is one of the ubiquitous gaseous cellular messengers involved in multiple physiological and pathological processes of the central nervous system.Recently,nitric oxide has been implicated in regulating synaptic plasticity and plays an important role in the pathogenesis of vascular dementia.This review introduces in detail the emerging role of nitric oxide in physiological and pathological states of vascular dementia and summarizes the diverse effects of nitric oxide on different aspects of synaptic dysfunction,neuroinflammation,oxidative stress,and blood-brain barrier dysfunction that underlie the progress of vascular dementia.Additionally,we propose that targeting the nitric oxide-sGC-cGMP pathway using certain specific approaches may provide a novel therapeutic strategy for vascular dementia.

Role of nitric oxide in cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury:A biomolecular overview

Nitric oxide(NO)is a gaseous molecule produced by 3 different NO synthase(NOS)isoforms:Neural/brain NOS(nNOS/bNOS,type 1),endothelial NOS(eNOS,type 3)and inducible NOS(type 2).Type 1 and 3 NOS are constitutively expressed.NO can serve different purposes:As a vasoactive molecule,as a neurotransmitter or as an immunomodulator.It plays a key role in cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury(CIRI).Hypoxic episodes simulate the production of oxygen free radicals,leading to mitochondrial and phospholipid damage.Upon reperfusion,increased levels of oxygen trigger oxide synthases;whose products are associated with neuronal damage by promoting lipid peroxidation,nitrosylation and excitotoxicity.Molecular pathways in CIRI can be altered by NOS.Neuroprotective effects are observed with eNOS activity.While nNOS interplay is prone to endothelial inflammation,oxidative stress and apoptosis.Therefore,nNOS appears to be detrimental.The interaction between NO and other free radicals develops peroxynitrite;which is a cytotoxic agent.It plays a main role in the likelihood of hemorrhagic events by tissue plasminogen activator(t-PA).Peroxynitrite scavengers are currently being studied as potential targets to prevent hemorrhagic transformation in CIRI.

Boosting high-performance in Zr-rich side protonic solid oxide electrolysis cells by optimizing functional interlayer

Protonic solid oxide electrolysis cells(P-SOECs)are a promising technology for water electrolysis to produce green hydrogen.However,there are still challenges related key materials and anode/electrolyte interface.P-SOECs with Zr-rich electrolyte,called Zr-rich side P-SOECs,possess high thermodynamically stability under high steam concentrations but the large reaction resistances and the current leakage,thus the inferior performances.In this study,an efficient functional interlayer Ba_(0.95)La_(0.05)Fe_(0.8)Zn_(0.2)O_(3-δ)(BLFZ)in-between the anode and the electrolyte is developed.The electrochemical performances of P-SOECs are greatly enhanced because the BLFZ can greatly increase the interface contact,boost anode reaction kinetics,and increase proton injection into electrolyte.As a result,the P-SOEC yields high current density of 0.83 A cm^(-2) at 600℃ in 1.3 Vamong all the reported Zr-rich side cells.This work not only offers an efficient functional interlayer for P-SOECs but also holds the potential to achieve P-SOECs with high performances and long-term stability.

Sc-doped strontium iron molybdenum cathode for high-efficiency CO_(2)electrolysis in solid oxide electrolysis cell

Solid oxide electrolysis cells(SOECs)can effectively convert CO_(2)into high value-added CO fuel.In this paper,Sc-doped Sr_(2)Fe_(1.5)Mo_(0.3)Sc_(0.2)O_(6−δ)(SFMSc)perovskite oxide material is synthesized via solid-phase method as the cathode for CO_(2)electrolysis by SOECs.XRD confirms that SFMSc exhibits a stable cubic phase crystal structure.The experimental results of TPD,TG,EPR,CO_(2)-TPD further demonstrate that Sc-doping increases the concentration of oxygen vacancy in the material and the chemical adsorption capacity of CO_(2)molecules.Electrochemical tests reveal that SFMSc single cell achieves a current density of 2.26 A/cm^(2) and a lower polarization impedance of 0.32Ω·cm^(2) at 800°C under the applied voltage of 1.8 V.And no significant performance attenuation or carbon deposition is observed after 80 h continuous long-term stability test.This study provides a favorable support for the development of SOEC cathode materials with good electro-catalytic performance and stability.

Advancements in chromium-tolerant air electrode for solid oxide cells:A mini-review

Solid oxide cells(SOCs)are emerging devices for efficient energy storage and conversion.However,during SOC operation,gaseous chromium(Cr)species released from Fe-Cr alloy interconnect can lead to Cr deposition and poisoning of air electrodes,causing substantial degradation in electrochemical performance and compromising the longterm stability of SOCs.This mini-review examines the mechanism of Cr deposition and poisoning in air electrodes under both fuel-cell and electrolysis modes.Furthermore,emphasis is placed on the recent advancements in strategies to mitigate Cr poisoning,offering insights into the rational design and development of active and Cr-tolerant air electrodes for SOCs.

A high entropy stabilized perovskite oxide La_(0.2)Pr_(0.2)Sm_(0.2)Gd_(0.2)Sr_(0.2)Co_(0.8)Fe_(0.2)O_(3−δ)as a promising air electrode for reversible solid oxide cells

Reversible solid oxide cell(RSOC)is a new energy conversion device with significant applications,especially for power grid peaking shaving.However,the reversible conversion process of power generation/energy storage poses challenges for the performance and stability of air electrodes.In this work,a novel high-entropy perovskite oxide La_(0.2)Pr_(0.2)Gd_(0.2)Sm_(0.2)Sr_(0.2)Co_(0.8)Fe_(0.2)O_(3−δ)(HE-LSCF)is proposed and investigated as an air electrode in RSOC.The electrochemical behavior of HE-LSCF was studied as an air electrode in both fuel cell and electrolysis modes.The polarization impedance(Rp)of the HE-LSCF electrode is only 0.25Ω·cm^(2) at 800℃ in an air atmosphere.Notably,at an electrolytic voltage of 2 V and a temperature of 800℃,the current density reaches up to 1.68 A/cm^(2).The HE-LSCF air electrode exhibited excellent reversibility and stability,and its electrochemical performance remains stable after 100 h of reversible operation.With these advantages,HE-LSCF is shown to be an excellent air electrode for RSOC.

Review of rare earth oxide doping-modified laser cladding of Fe-based alloy coatings

Conventional Fe-C alloy parts used in mechanical transmission and braking systems exposed to the external environment often suffer from wear and corrosion failures.Surface coating strengthening technologies have been explored to improve the surface performance and prolong service life of these parts.Among these technologies,laser cladding has shown promise in producing Fe-based alloy coatings with superior interfacial bonding properties to the Fe-C alloy substrate.Additionally,the microstructure of the Fe-based alloy coating is more uniform and the grain size is finer than that of surfacing welding,thermal spraying,and plasma cladding,and the oxide film of alloying elements on the coating surface can improve the coating performance.However,Fe-based alloy coatings produced by laser cladding typically exhibit lower hardness,lower wear resistance,corrosion resistance,and oxidation resistance compared to coatings based on Co and Ni alloys.Moreover,these coatings are susceptible to defects such as pores and cracks.To address these limitations,the incorporation of rare-earth oxides through doping in the laser cladding process has garnered significant attention.This approach has demonstrated substantial improvements in the microstructure and properties of Fe-based alloy coatings.This paper reviewed recent research on the structure and properties of laser-cladded Fe-based alloy coatings doped with various rare earth oxides,including La_(2)O_(3),CeO_(2),and Y_(2)O_(3).Specifically,it discussed the effects of rare earth oxides and their concentrations on the structure,hardness,friction,wear,corrosion,and oxidation characteristics of these coatings.Furthermore,the mechanisms by which rare earth oxides influence the coating’s structure and properties were summarized.This review aimed to serve as a valuable reference for the application and advancement of laser cladding technology for rare earth modified Fe-based alloy coatings.

Organic fertilizer enhances soil aggregate stability by altering greenhouse soil content of iron oxide and organic carbon

Both soil organic carbon (SOC) and iron (Fe) oxide content, among other factors, drive the formation and stability of soil aggregates.However, the mechanism of these drivers in greenhouse soil fertilized with organic fertilizer is not well understood.In a 3-year field experiment, we aimed to investigate the factors which drive the stability of soil aggregates in greenhouse soil.To explore the impact of organic fertilizer on soil aggregates, we established four treatments:no fertilization (CK);inorganic fertilizer (CF);organic fertilizer (OF);and combined application of inorganic and organic fertilizers(COF).The application of organic fertilizer significantly enhanced the stability of aggregates, that is it enhanced the mean weight diameter, geometric mean diameter and aggregate content (%) of>0.25 mm aggregate fractions.OF and COF treatments increased the concentration of SOC, especially the aliphatic-C, aromatic-C and polysaccharide-C components of SOC, particularly in>0.25 mm aggregates.Organic fertilizer application significantly increased the content of free Fe(Fed), reactive Fe (Feo), and non-crystalline Fe in both bulk soil and aggregates.Furthermore, non-crystalline Fe showed a positive correlation with SOC content in both bulk soil and aggregates.Both non-crystalline Fe and SOC were significantly positively correlated with>2 mm mean weight diameter.Overall, we believe that the increase of SOC, aromatic-C, and non-crystal ine Fe concentrations in soil after the application of organic fertilizer is the reason for improving soil aggregate stability.

Direct ink writing of nickel oxide-based thin films for room temperature gas detection

The rapid industrial growth and increasing population have led to significant pollution and deterioration of the natural atmospheric environment.Major atmospheric pollutants include NO_(2)and CO_(2).Hence,it is imperative to develop NO_(2)and CO_(2)sensors for ambient conditions,that can be used in indoor air quality monitoring,breath analysis,food spoilage detection,etc.In the present study,two thin film nanocomposite(nickel oxide-graphene and nickel oxide-silver nanowires)gas sensors are fabricated using direct ink writing.The nano-composites are investigated for their structural,optical,and electrical properties.Later the nano-composite is deposited on the interdigitated electrode(IDE)pattern to form NO_(2)and CO_(2)sensors.The deposited films are then exposed to NO_(2)and CO_(2)gases separately and their response and recovery times are determined using a custom-built gas sensing setup.Nickel oxide-graphene provides a good response time and recovery time of 10 and 9 s,respectively for NO_(2),due to the higher electron affinity of graphene towards NO_(2).Nickel oxide-silver nanowire nano-composite is suited for CO_(2)gas because silver is an excellent electrocatalyst for CO_(2)by giving response and recovery times of 11 s each.This is the first report showcasing NiO nano-composites for NO_(2)and CO_(2)sensing at room temperature.

Layered Potassium Titanium Niobate/Reduced Graphene Oxide Nanocomposite as a Potassium‑Ion Battery Anode

With graphite currently leading as the most viable anode for potassium-ion batteries(KIBs),other materials have been left relatively underexamined.Transition metal oxides are among these,with many positive attributes such as synthetic maturity,longterm cycling stability and fast redox kinetics.Therefore,to address this research deficiency we report herein a layered potassium titanium niobate KTiNbO5(KTNO)and its rGO nanocomposite(KTNO/rGO)synthesised via solvothermal methods as a high-performance anode for KIBs.Through effective distribution across the electrically conductive rGO,the electrochemical performance of the KTNO nanoparticles was enhanced.The potassium storage performance of the KTNO/rGO was demonstrated by its first charge capacity of 128.1 mAh g^(−1) and reversible capacity of 97.5 mAh g^(−1) after 500 cycles at 20 mA g^(−1),retaining 76.1%of the initial capacity,with an exceptional rate performance of 54.2 mAh g^(−1)at 1 A g^(−1).Furthermore,to investigate the attributes of KTNO in-situ XRD was performed,indicating a low-strain material.Ex-situ X-ray photoelectron spectra further investigated the mechanism of charge storage,with the titanium showing greater redox reversibility than the niobium.This work suggests this lowstrain nature is a highly advantageous property and well worth regarding KTNO as a promising anode for future high-performance KIBs.

High‑Entropy Layered Oxide Cathode Enabling High‑Rate for Solid‑State Sodium‑Ion Batteries

Na-ion O3-type layered oxides are prospective cathodes for Na-ion batteries due to high energy density and low-cost.Nevertheless,such cathodes usually suffer from phase transitions,sluggish kinetics and air instability,making it difficult to achieve high performance solid-state sodium-ion batteries.Herein,the high-entropy design and Li doping strategy alleviate lattice stress and enhance ionic conductivity,achieving high-rate performance,air stability and electrochemically thermal stability for Na_(0.95)Li_(0.06)Ni_(0.25)Cu_(0.05)Fe_(0.15)Mn_(0.49)O_(2).This cathode delivers a high reversible capacity(141 mAh g^(−1)at 0.2C),excellent rate capability(111 mAh g^(−1)at 8C,85 mAh g^(−1)even at 20C),and long-term stability(over 85%capacity retention after 1000 cycles),which is attributed to a rapid and reversible O3–P3 phase transition in regions of low voltage and suppresses phase transition.Moreover,the compound remains unchanged over seven days and keeps thermal stability until 279℃.Remarkably,the polymer solid-state sodium battery assembled by this cathode provides a capacity of 92 mAh g^(−1)at 5C and keeps retention of 96%after 400 cycles.This strategy inspires more rational designs and could be applied to a series of O3 cathodes to improve the performance of solid-state Na-ion batteries.

Laser‑Induced and MOF‑Derived Metal Oxide/Carbon Composite for Synergistically Improved Ethanol Sensing at Room temperature

Advancements in sensor technology have significantly enhanced atmospheric monitoring.Notably,metal oxide and carbon(MO_(x)/C)hybrids have gained attention for their exceptional sensitivity and room-temperature sensing performance.However,previous methods of synthesizing MO_(x)/C composites suffer from problems,including inhomogeneity,aggregation,and challenges in micropatterning.Herein,we introduce a refined method that employs a metal–organic framework(MOF)as a precursor combined with direct laser writing.The inherent structure of MOFs ensures a uniform distribution of metal ions and organic linkers,yielding homogeneous MO_(x)/C structures.The laser processing facilitates precise micropatterning(<2μm,comparable to typical photolithography)of the MO_(x)/C crystals.The optimized MOF-derived MO_(x)/C sensor rapidly detected ethanol gas even at room temperature(105 and 18 s for response and recovery,respectively),with a broad range of sensing performance from 170 to 3,400 ppm and a high response value of up to 3,500%.Additionally,this sensor exhibited enhanced stability and thermal resilience compared to previous MOF-based counterparts.This research opens up promising avenues for practical applications in MOF-derived sensing devices.

Effects of iron oxide on crystallization behavior and spatial distribution of spinel in stainless steel slag

Chromium plays a vital role in stainless steel due to its ability to improve the corrosion resistance of the latter.However,the re-lease of chromium from stainless steel slag(SSS)during SSS stockpiling causes detrimental environmental issues.To prevent chromium pollution,the effects of iron oxide on crystallization behavior and spatial distribution of spinel were investigated in this work.The results revealed that FeO was more conducive to the growth of spinels compared with Fe2O3 and Fe3O4.Spinels were found to be mainly distrib-uted at the top and bottom of slag.The amount of spinel phase at the bottom decreased with the increasing FeO content,while that at the top increased.The average particle size of spinel in the slag with 18wt%FeO content was 12.8μm.Meanwhile,no notable structural changes were observed with a further increase in FeO content.In other words,the spatial distribution of spinel changed when the content of iron oxide varied in the range of 8wt%to 18wt%.Finally,less spinel was found at the bottom of slag with a FeO content of 23wt%.

Recent progresses in the development of tubular segmented-in-series solid oxide fuel cells:Experimental and numerical study

Solid oxide fuel cells(SOFCs)have attracted a great deal of interest because they have the highest efficiency without using any noble metal as catalysts among all the fuel cell technologies.However,traditional SOFCs suffer from having a higher volume,current leakage,complex connections,and difficulty in gas sealing.To solve these problems,Rolls-Royce has fabricated a simple design by stacking cells in series on an insulating porous support,resulting in the tubular segmented-in-series solid oxide fuel cells(SIS-SOFCs),which achieved higher output voltage.This work systematically reviews recent advances in the structures,preparation methods,perform-ances,and stability of tubular SIS-SOFCs in experimental and numerical studies.Finally,the challenges and future development of tubular SIS-SOFCs are also discussed.The findings of this work can help guide the direction and inspire innovation of future development in this field.

A Facile Li_(2)TiO_(3) Surface Modification to Improve the Structure Stability and Electrochemical Performance of Full Concentration Gradient Li-Rich Oxides

Full concentration gradient lithium-rich layered oxides are catching lots of interest as the next generation cathode for lithium-ion batteries due to their high discharge voltage,reduced voltage decay and enhanced rate performance,whereas the high lithium residues on its surface impairs the structure stability and long-term cycle performance.Herein,a facile multifunctional surface modification method is implemented to eliminate surface lithium residues of full concentration gradient lithium-rich layered oxides by a wet chemistry reaction with tetrabutyl titanate and the post-annealing process.It realizes not only a stable Li_(2)TiO_(3)coating layer with 3D diffusion channels for fast Li^(+)ions transfer,but also dopes partial Ti^(4+)ions into the sub-surface region of full concentration gradient lithium-rich layered oxides to further strengthen its crystal structure.Consequently,the modified full concentration gradient lithium-rich layered oxides exhibit improved structure stability,elevated thermal stability with decomposition temperature from 289.57℃to 321.72℃,and enhanced cycle performance(205.1 mAh g^(-1)after 150 cycles)with slowed voltage drop(1.67 mV per cycle).This work proposes a facile and integrated modification method to enhance the comprehensive performance of full concentration gradient lithium-rich layered oxides,which can facilitate its practical application for developing higher energy density lithium-ion batteries.