Role of A-sites in pyrochlore lanthanide ruthenate for electrocatalysis of oxygen evolution reaction

Developing highly stable and efficient catalysts for oxygen evolution reaction(OER)is extremely important to sustainable energy conversion and storage,but improved efficiency is largely hindered by sluggish reaction kinetics.Dense and bimetal ruthenates have emerged as one of the promising substitutes to replace single-metal ruthenium or iridium oxides,but the fundamental understanding the role of A-site cations is still blurring.Herein,a family of lanthanides(Ln=all the lanthanides except Pm)are applied to synthesize pyrochlore lanthanide ruthenates(Ln_(2)Ru_(2)O_(7)),and only Ln_(2)Ru_(2)O_(7)(Ln=Sm,Eu,Gd,Tb,Dy,Ho,Er,Tm,Yb,or Lu)with pure phase can be obtained by the ambient-pressure calcination.Compared with the perovskite ruthenates(SrRuO_(3))and rutile RuO_(2),the[RuO_(6)]units in these Ln_(2)Ru_(2)O_(7) present the largely distorted configurations and different energy level splitting to prevent the excessive Ru oxidation and dissolution,which leads the primary improvement in the electrocatalytic OER performance.In the similar crystalline field split states,the charge transfer between[RuO6]units and Ln^(3+)cations also affect catalytic activities,even in the Ln_(2)Ru_(2)O_(7) surface reconstruction during the OER process.Consequently,Tb_(2)Ru_(2)O_(7) showed the highest OER performance among all the prepared Ln_(2)Ru_(2)O_(7) with similar morphologies and crystallization.This systematic work gives fundamental cognition to rational design of high-performance OER electrocatalysts in proper water electrolysis technologies.

Hydroxycalciopyrochlore, A New Mineral Species from Sichuan, China

Hydroxycalciopyrochlore,ideally （Ca,Na,U,□）2（Nb,Ti）2O6（OH）,cubic,is a new mineral species （IMA2011-026） within the pyrochlore supergroup that was found occurring at the Maoniuping mine,Mianning County,Xichang prefecture,Sichuan Province,southwest China.The mineral is found in an alkali feldspar granite rare-earth ore deposit （26-27 Ma）.Associated minerals include calcite,barite,celestine,albite,aegirine,aegirine-augite,fluorite,parasite-（Ce）,thorite,thorianite,zircon,galena,sphalerite,magnetite,and pyrite.Crystals occur mostly as octahedra,and less often as dodecahedra and tetrahexahedra or combinations thereof.Some occur with an allotriomorphic habit with a thick triangular tabular form.Crystals generally range from 0.1 to 1 mm in size.The mineral is brownishblack,greenish-black and black on fresh sections with a brown streak.The crystal is translucent,and has a greasy lustre on fresh sections.It is metamict without any observed parting or cleavage and with a conchoidal fracture.The Vickers microhardness is 572 kg/mm2 （5-6 on the Mohs hardness scale）.The density measured by hydrostatic weighing is 5.10（3） g/cm3.The strongest four reflections in the X-ray powder-diffraction pattern [d in（A） （Ⅰ） hkl] are：2.9657 （100） 2 2 2,1.8142 （34） 0 4 4,1.5463 （21） 2 2 6,2.5688 （18） 0 0 4.The unit-cell parameters are a =10.381（4） （A）,V=1118.7（7）（A）3,Z =8.The structure was solved and refined in the space group Fd3m with R =0.09.The empirical formula is （Ca0.74Na0.5sU0.40Ce0.05Fe0.02□0.21）2.00（Nb1.15Ti0.s0Ta0.03Al0.01Mg0.01）2.00O6.02 [（OH）1.01F0.09]1.10,on the basis of 2 atoms of B pfu; the simplified formula is （Ca,Na,U,□）2（Nb,Ti）2O6（OH）.Type material is deposited in the Geological Museum of China,Beijing,People＇s Republic of China,catalogue number M11800.

Hydrothermal Synthesis and Characterization of Pyrochlore Titanate R_2Ti_2O_7(R=Gd^(3+),Tb^(3+),Dy^(3+))

Pyrochlore titanate oxides, R2Ti2O7（R=Gd3＋, Tb3＋, Dy3＋）, were synthesized under mild hydrothermal conditions. The crystal growth of pyrochlore titanate oxides and taking place of chemical reaction in the hydrothermal processing were sensitive to the alkalinity, temperature, reaction time, the nature of the rare earth ion and the composition of initial reaction mixture. The as-prepared samples were characterized by powder X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, Raman spectrum and variable temperature dc magnetic susceptibility（Superconductivity quantum interference device, SQUIDS）. The magnetic studies gave 7.29×10-23 A·m2/Gd3＋ and -8.28 K, 8.75×10-23 A·m2/ Tb3＋ and -19.7 K, and 8.85×10-23 A·m2/Dy3＋ and 0.84 K effective moments and Weiss constants for Gd2Ti2O7, Tb2Ti2O7 and Dy2Ti2O7, respectively.

First-principles calculation of structural and electronic properties of pyrochlore Lu_2Sn_2O_7

A Density functional theory method within generalized gradient approximation has been performed to obtain the static lattice parameters, oxygen positional parameter, bond length and bond angle and electronic properties of ideal Lu2Sn207 pyrochlore. The results are in excellent agreement with available experimental measurements. Density of states （DOS） of this compound was presented and analysed. We also notice the presence of the hybridization between oxygen and Lu metal. The band structure calculations show that the compound has direct band gap of 2.67 eV at the F point in the Brillouin zone and this indicates that the material has a semi-conducting feature.

Stable CuO/La_(2)Sn_(2)O_(7) catalysts for soot combustion:Study on the monolayer dispersion behavior of CuO over a La_(2)Sn_(2)O_(7) pyrochlore support

To understand the dispersion behavior of metal oxides on composite oxide supports and with the expectation of developing more feasible catalysts for soot oxidation,CuO/La_(2)Sn_(2)O_(7)samples containing varied CuO loadings were fabricated and characterized by different techniques and density functional theory calculations.In these catalysts,a spontaneous dispersion of CuO on the La_(2)Sn_(2)O_(7)pyrochlore support formed,having a monolayer dispersion capacity of 1.90 mmol CuO/100 m^(2) La_(2)Sn_(2)O_(7)surface.When loaded below this capacity,CuO exists in a sub-monolayer or monolayer state.X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS),Raman spectroscopy,and Bader charge and density of states analyses indicate that there are strong interactions between the sub-monolayer/monolayer CuO and the La_(2)Sn_(2)O_(7)support,mainly through the donation of electrons from Cu to Sn at the B-sites of the structure.In contrast,Cu has negligible interactions with La at the A-sites.This suggests that,in composite oxide supports containing multiple metals,the supported metal oxide interacts preferentially with one kind of metal cation in the support.The Raman,in situ diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy,and XPS results confirmed the formation of both O2^(-)and O2^(2-)as the active sites on the surfaces of the CuO/La_(2)Sn_(2)O_(7)catalysts,and the concentration of these active species determines the soot combustion activity.The number of active oxygen anions increased with increase in CuO loading until the monolayer dispersion capacity was reached.Above the monolayer dispersion capacity,microsized CuO crystallites formed,and these had a negative effect on the generation of active surface oxygen sites.In summary,a highly active catalyst can be prepared by covering the surface of the La_(2)Sn_(2)O_(7)support with a CuO monolayer.

The Complex Magnetism in the Breathing Pyrochlore LiIn(Cr_(1-x)Rh_x)_4O_8

We perform a detailed investigation of the new ＇breathing＇ pyrochlore compound LiInCr4O8 through Rh substi- tution with measurements of magnetic susceptibility, specific heat, and x-ray powder diffraction. The antiferro- magnetic phase of LiInCr4O8 is found to be slowly suppressed with increasing Rh, up to the critical concentration of x = 0.1 where the antiferromagnetic phase is still observed with the peak in specific heat Tp = 12.5 K, slightly lower than Tp =14.3 K for the x = 0 compound. From tile measurements of magnetization we also uncover evidence that substitution increases the amount of frustration. Comparisons are made with the LiGayIn1-yCr4O8 system as well as other frustrated pyrochlore-related materials and comparable amounts of frustration are found. The results of this work show that the engineered breathing pyrochlores present an important method to further understand the complex magnetism in frustrated systems.

Phase and Rietveld Refinement of Pyrochlore Gd_2Zr_2O_7 Used for Immobilization of Pu(Ⅳ)

The phase of pyrochlore Gd_2Zr_2O_7 used for immobilization of Pu （Ⅳ） was investigated, tetravalent cerium was used as the simulacrum for plutonium with tetravalence, and the compounds in the system Gd_2Zr_2-_xCe_xO_7 （0.0≤x≤2.0） were synthesized via a high temperature solid reaction method with Gd_2O_3 and ZrO_2 powders being used as the starting materials. Based on the collected XRD data of the gained samples, the phase and microstructural change of compounds were calculated by means of rietveld structural refinement method. The experimental results indicated that the phases of compounds were changed from pyrochlore to fluorite-type phase with the increasing x. The linear relation between a and x was discovered in the range of fluorite-type phase, which accorded with a = 0.52748 ＋ 0.00825 x （0.2≤x≤2.0）, while V= 0.14668 ＋ 0.00711 x （0.2≤x≤2.0） was also achieved.

Self-propagating High-temperature Synthesis of Sm and Zr Co-doped Gd2Ti2O7 Pyrochlore Ceramics as Nuclear Waste Forms

We reported a rapid synthesis of Sm^(3+)/Zr^(4+)co-doped Gd2Ti2O7 pyrochlore simulated nuclear wastes solidification by self-propagation plus quick pressing technique.With increment excess contents of Sm2O3 and ZrO2 from 0 to 10wt%,the phase composition of the products is a mixed phase of pyrochlore structure and defective fluorite structure by X-ray diffraction(XRD)analysis and Raman spectrum.In addition,the SEM results demonstrate the fracture surface and microstructure of Gd2Ti2O7-based pyrochlore.The densified pyrochlore waste form exhibits high bulk density of 5.56 g·cm^(-3) and vickers hardness of 11.20±0.2 GPa.The leaching tests show that the elemental leaching rates of Gd,Sm,and Cu after 42 days are 1.92×10^(-4),1.51×10^(-4),and 3.90×10^(-3) g·m^(-2)·d^(-1),respectively.

Study of High-Temperature Stability of Pyrochlore Zirconates

Based on defect chemistry theory and molecular dynamics,the defect formation energy and its relationship with the mechanism of pyrochlore-fluorite phase change were investigated,so as to reveal the underlying mechanism of high-temperature stability of pyrochlore zirconates.Results showed that with the rise of the atom mass of A,the defect formation energies decreased that meant the crystal structure tended to become more disordered.Noticeably,the first nearest cation antisite dominated the pyrochlore disorder transformation process.In addition,it was found that the diffusion of oxygen atoms was far higher than that of cations,and was increased with the temperature,thus also promoting the pyrochlore-fluorite transformation process.

Vibrational modes in La2Zr2O7 pyrochlore irradiated with disparate electrical energy losses

Polycrystalline samples of La2Zr2O7 pyrochlore are irradiated by different energetic heavy ions to investigate the dependence of the vibrational mode variations on the irradiation parameters. The applied electronic energy loss(d E/dx)e increases from about 5.2 keV/nm to 39.6 keV/nm. The ion fluence ranges from 1× 10^11 ions/cm^2 to 6× 10^15 ions/cm^2.Vibrational modes of irradiated pyrochlore are analyzed by using Raman spectrum. Infrared active modes F1 uat 192, 308,and 651 cm^-1 appear in Raman spectra, and the F2 gband at 265 cm-1 rises up due to the irradiation by 200-MeV Kr ions with(d E/dx)e of 16.0 keV/nm. Differently, for the pyrochlore irradiated by 1750-MeV Bi ions with(d E/dx)e of 39.6 keV/nm, in spite of the appearance of infrared active mode F1 u651 cm^-1, the amorphous structure occurs according to the vibrational mode variations of pyrochlore irradiated at higher ion fluences. Amorphous tracks are observed in the samples, which confirm the occurrence of pyrochlore–amorphous transition in pyrochlore irradiated with(d E/dx)e of 39.6 keV/nm.

Enrichment of Nb and Ti from carbonatite pyrochlore ore via calcining-slaking followed by gravity separation

In this work,a novel process consisting of calcining-slaking followed by gravity separation for the enrichment of niobium(Nb)and titanium(Ti)from carbonatite pyrochlore ore was proposed,validated and compared with the current mainstream flotation method.During calcining of the pyrochlore ore,within which the carbonates were transformed into lime.Subsequently,when the calcined ore was slaked,lime was transformed into hydroxide with fine particles which were amenable to gravity separation.After calcining at 900℃for 60 min,slaking at 90℃for 10 min with a liquid–solid ratio of 3:1(mL/g),approximately 40%of tailings can be removed by gravity separation,the recoveries of Nb and Ti were 94.7%and 91.0%,and the enrichment ratios of Nb and Ti were 1.61 and 1.43,respectively.The new approach exhibits high separation efficiency of carbonate gangue minerals and valuable minerals,satisfactory recoveries of niobium as well as titanium can be achieved.

High pressure synthesis and characterization of the pyrochlore Dy2Pt2O7:A new spin ice material

The cubic pyrochlore Dy2Pt2O7 was synthesized under 4 GPa and 1000℃ and its magnetic and thermodynamic properties were characterized by DC and AC magnetic susceptibility and specific heat down to 0.1 K.We found that Dy2Pt2O7 does not form long-range magnetic order,but displays characteristics of canonical spin ice such as Dy2Pt2O7,including(1)a large effective moment 9.64μB close to the theoretical value and a small positive Curie-Weiss temperatureθCW=+0.77 K signaling a dominant ferromagnetic interaction among the Ising spins;(2)a saturation moment ~4.5μB being half of the total moment due to the local<111>Ising anisotropy;(3)thermally activated spin relaxation behaviors in the low(~1 K)and high(~20 K)temperature regions with different energy barriers and characteristic relaxation time;and most importantly,(4)the presence of a residual entropy close to Pauling’s estimation for water ice.

High-entropy pyrochlores with low thermal conductivity for thermal barrier coating materials

High-entropy pyrochlore-type structures based on rare-earth zirconates are successfully produced by conventional solid-state reaction method. Six rare-earth oxides(La2O3, Nd2O3, Sm2O3, Eu2O3, Gd2O3, and Y2O3) and ZrO2 are used as the raw powders. Five out of the six rare-earth oxides with equimolar ratio and ZrO2 are mixed and sintered at different temperatures for investigating the reaction process. The results demonstrate that the high-entropy pyrochlores(5RE1/5)2 Zr2O7 have been formed after heated at 1000 ℃. The(5RE1/5)2Zr2O7 are highly sintering resistant and possess excellent thermal stability. The thermal conductivities of the(5RE1/5)2Zr2O7 high-entropy ceramics are below 1 W·m–1·K–1 in the temperature range of 300–1200 ℃. The(5RE1/5)2Zr2O7 can be potential thermal barrier coating materials.

Pyrochlore-based high-entropy ceramics for capacitive energy storage

High-performance dielectrics are widely used in high-power systems,electric vehicles,and aerospace,as key materials for capacitor devices.Such application scenarios under these extreme conditions require ultra-high stability and reliability of the dielectrics.Herein,a novel pyrochlore component with high-entropy design of Bi1.5Zn_(0.75)Mg_(0.25)Nb_(0.75)Ta_(0.75)O_(7)(BZMNT)bulk endows an excellent energy storage performance of Wrec≈2.72 J/cm3 together with an ultra-high energy efficiency of 91%at a significant enhanced electric field Eb of 650 kV/cm.Meanwhile,the temperature coefficient(TCC)of BZMNT(~−220 ppm/℃)is also found to be greatly improved compared with that of the pure Bi1.5ZnNb1.5O7(BZN)(~−300 ppm/℃),demonstrating its potential application in temperature-reliable conditions.The high-entropy design results in lattice distortion that contributes to the polarization,while the retardation effect results in a reduction of grain size to submicron scale which enhances the Eb.The high-entropy design provides a new strategy for improving the high energy storage performance of ceramic materials.

Self-propagating high-temperature synthesis of ZrO_2 incorporated Gd_2Ti_2O_7 pyrochlore

In this research, Zr-doped Gd_2Ti_2O_7 pyrochlores, with the composition of Gd_2(Ti_(1-x)Zr_x)_2O_7, were firstly synthesized by self-propagating high-temperature synthesis plus quick pressing(SHS/QP) using CuO as the oxidant and Ti as the reductant. To improve the radiation resistance of titanate–pyrochlore, up to 35 at% Zr was incorporated to substitute the Ti site of Gd_2Ti_2O_7 pyrochlore(Gd_2(Ti_(0.75)Zr_(0.35))_2O_7). XRD and SEM microstructural characterizations showed the formation of a composite ceramic with the major pyrochlore phase and the minor Cu phase. The generated temperature of samples decreased from 1702to 1011 ℃ with increasing Zr content. The effects of sintering temperature and pressure time on phase composition and microstructure were systematically studied. Besides, the influence of thermal transmission on the whole combustion process was also explored. The pyrochlore-based waste form possessed high bulk density of 6.25 g/cm^3 and Vickers hardness of 10.81 GPa. The MCC-1 leaching test showed the normalized elemental leaching rates(42d) of Cu, Gd, and Zr are 1.27×10^(-2), 1.33×10^(-3), and 8.44×10^(-7)g·m^(-2)·d^(-1), respectively.

Hydrothermal synthesis and characterization of rare-earth ruthenate pyrochlore compounds R_2Ru_2O_7(R=Pr_(3+),Sm(3+)-Ho(3+))

A series of pyrochlore oxides, R2Ru2O7 (R=Pr3+, Sm3+–Ho3+) were synthesized under mild hydrothermal conditions. All the samples crystallize in uniform octahedron characteristically. The products were characterized by powder X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, energy-disperse X-ray spectroscopy, and dc susceptibility, and the factors that affected the crystallization were discussed. It was found that the purity of products depends strongly on the raw materials and the amount of alkalinity in the initial reaction mixtures. The ZFC and FC susceptibilities of all of the compounds R2Ru2O7 at low temperature were also measured and discussed.

A2B2O7 pyrochlore compounds:A category of potential materials for clean energy and environment protection catalysis

A2B2O7 pyrochlore is a kind of important functional materials for different purposes,which has been investigated extensively by crystallographers and material scientists.However,the catalytic chemistry of this type of special compounds has rarely been documented,though a few researchers have tried to synthesize some pyrochlore compounds with different chemical compositions for a variety of green energy production and air pollution control reactions in the history.With the expectation to help catalysis scientists to get better acquaintance with,and gain deeper understanding on this type of compounds as heterogeneous catalysts,the major publications over the past several decades have been screened and reviewed in this paper,based also on our own experience of studying on this type of catalytic materials.The crystalline phase transformations of the compounds with the change of the A and B site cations,the phase change’s influences on the surface and bulk properties,and their subsequent impact on the catalytic performance for different reactions have been summarized.Furthermore,the future work which needs to be performed to perceive in depth this kind of important materials as catalysts has been proposed and suggested.We trust that this short review contains valuable information,which will provide great help for people to get better cognition for A2 B2 O7 pyrochlore compounds,and assist them to develop better catalysts for various reactions.

21-Component compositionally complex ceramics: Discovery of ultrahigh-entropy weberite and fergusonite phases and a pyrochlore–weberite transition

Two new high-entropy ceramics(HECs)in the weberite and fergusonite structures,along with the unexpected formation of ordered pyrochlore phases with ultrahigh-entropy compositions and an abrupt pyrochlore–weberite transition,are discovered in a 21-component oxide system.While the Gibbs phase rule allows 21 equilibrium phases,9 out of the 13 compositions examined possess single HEC phases(with ultrahigh ideal configurational entropies:~2.7kB per cation or higher on one sublattice in most cases).Notably,(15RE_(1/15))(Nb_(1/2)Ta_(1/2))O_(4) possess a single monoclinic fergusonite(C2/c)phase,and(15RE_(1/15))_(3)(Nb_(1/2)Ta_(1/2))_(1)O_(7) form a single orthorhombic(C222_(1))weberite phase,where 15RE_(1/15) represents Sc_(1/15)Y_(1/15)La_(1/15)Pr_(1/15)Nd_(1/15)Sm_(1/15)Eu_(1/15)Gd_(1/15)Tb_(1/15)Dy_(1/15)Ho_(1/15)Er_(1/15)Tm_(1/15) Yb_(1/15)Lu_(1/15).Moreover,a series of eight(15RE_(1/15))_(2+x)(Ti_(1/4)Zr_(1/4)Ce_(1/4)Hf_(1/4))_(2−2x)(Nb_(1/2)Ta_(1/2))_(x)O_(7) specimens all exhibit single phases,where a pyrochlore–weberite transition occurs within 0.75<x<0.8125.This cubic-to-orthorhombic transition does not change the temperature-dependent thermal conductivity appreciably,as the amorphous limit may have already been achieved in the ultrahigh-entropy 21-component oxides.These discoveries expand the diversity and complexity of HECs,towards many-component compositionally complex ceramics(CCCs)and ultrahigh-entropy ceramics.

Phase evolution and mechanical properties of novel nanocrystalline Y_(2)(TiZrHfMoV)_(2)O_(7) high entropy pyrochlore

High entropy pyrochlores(HEP)are potential candidates as dispersoids in the oxide dispersed strengthened steels or alloys,which can be used in nuclear reactors and supercritical boilers.For the first time,HEP oxides Y_(2)(TiZrHfMoV)_(2)O_(7) were synthesized with Y_(2)Ti_(2)O_(7) as a base structure with the B site(Ti)substituted with five cations through reverse co-precipitation technique in the nanocrystalline form at lowest synthesis temperature.The synthesis parameters for Y_(2)(TiZrHfMoV)_(2)O_(7)(5C)and other derived compositions(five compositions of four cationic systems with each cation eliminated at B site from 5 C)are optimised to obtain lower crystallite and particle sizes.5C has a smaller crystallite size(27 nm)than other single-phase compositions.The cation’s influence,oxidation state,and oxygen vacancy in the phase formation were analysed through XPS.The single-phase HEPs are consolidated through spark plasma sintering.Y_(2)(TiZrHfMo)_(2)O_(7)(4 C-V)shows the highest hardness among the compositions reported so far due to its finer grain size,and Y_(2)(TiHfMoV)_(2)O_(7)(4 C-Zr)has a higher Young’s modulus compared to other single-phase composition due to its higher degree of order in the structure.