Characterizations and Photocatalytic Activities of Nanocrystalline MTiO_3 (M=Sr, Pb, Co) Prepared via a General Self-propagating Combustion Method

Nanocrystalline MTiO3 （M = St, Pb, Co） were prepared by a general self-pro- pagating combustion method. The samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction （XRD） analysis, scanning electron microscopy （SEM）, transmission electron microscopy （TEM）, N2 adsorption and UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectra （DRS）. The photocatalytic activity of MTiO3 （M = Sr, Pb, Co） was evaluated by the photocatalytic degradation of methyl orange （MO）. MTiO3 （M = Sr, Pb, Co） having the same core element showed distinctly different photocatalytic activity due to the different coordinating atoms. Factors affecting the photocatalytic activity of MTiO3 （M = Sr, Pb, Co） were discussed. It was suggested that the structures of TiO6 octahedra and the electronic property were the predominant factors of the photocatalytic behavior for MTiO3 （M = Sr, Pb, Co）.

Preparation and properties of nanocrystal SmBO_3 by nitrate-citrate sol-gel combustion method

Nanocrystal SmBO3 powders were synthesized by nitrate-citrate sol-gel combustion method. The phase evolution, morphologies and absorbency of the synthesized powders were characterized by X-ray diffraction （XRD）, Field emission scanning electronic microscope （FESEM）, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy （FFIR） and UV-3101PC spectrophotometer （UVPC）, respectively. XRD and FESEM results showed that pure SmBO3 phase was obtained at 750 ℃, with an average original particle size of about 100 nm. FTIR showed that there were apparently concentrated absorbent peaks between 500 and 1400 cm^-1. Moreover, the reflectivity of the powders apparently decreased at the wavelength between 1.05 and 1.15 μm. Therefore, SmBO3 might be a kind of absorbent material for infrared laser.

Synthesis and Characterization of Cerium-Doped Lutetium Aluminum Garnet Phosphors by Nitrate-citrate Sol-Gel Combustion Process

Nanosized cerium-doped lutetium aluminum garnet （LuAG：Ce） phosphors were prepared by nitrate-citrate solgel combustion process using 1：1 ratio of the citrate：nitrate. The prepared LuAG：Ce phosphors were characterized by XRD, TEM, photoluminescence and radioluminescence spectra excited by UV and X-ray, respectively. The purified crystalline phase of LuAG：Ce was obtained at 900 ℃ by directly crystallizing from amorphous materials. The resultant Lu- AG：Ce phosphors were uniform and had good dispersivity with an average particle size of about 30 urn. Both photoluminescence and radioluminescence were well-known Ce^3＋ emissions located in the range of 470 -600 nm consisting of two emission bands because of the transition from the lowest 5d excited state （2D） to the 4f ground state of Ce^3＋, which matched well with the sensitivity curve of the Si-photodiode. There was a little red shift for the emission components from the UV-excited emission spectrum to the X-ray-excited emission spectrum. The fast scintillation decay component of 26 ns satisfies the requirements of fast scintillators.

Effect of Potassium on Sol-Gel Cerium and Lanthanum Oxide Catalysis for Soot Combustion

The catalytic activity in the soot combustion is reported for a series of potassium-promoter alumina supported catalysts prepared by the sol-gel method to be used in the catalytic combustion of soot. The studied systems correspond to CeO2-Al2O3 and La2O3-Al2O3 with charges of 3 and 5 wt% of CeO2 and La2O3. Potassium impregnation is performed to reach 3 atoms of K per nm2 of the mixed oxide. The effect of the potassium incorporation increases its reducibility, decreases the surface area and forms a new type of oxygen that is stronger than the oxygen in mixed oxides with similar chemical nature. The existence of potassium oxides, K2O and oxygen responsible for the vacancies and/or lattice defects (O2−) are related to good catalytic activity. Additionally, the presence of alkali affects the structural and textural characteristics of the catalyst, promoting the catalytic activity in soot combustion.

Preparation and Characterization of Pb(Zr_(0.52)Ti_ (0.48))O_3 Ultrafine Powders by a Sol-gel Combined with Combustion Process

A simple and rapid process for synthesizing lead zirconate titanate,Pb（Zr0.52Ti0.48）O3（PZT）,ferroclectric powders was developed.This process,combining the sol-gel and combustion process.offers several advantages over conventional methods.including rapid solution synthesis,use of commercially available materials lower synthesis temperature and ease of obtaining ultrafine powders.The precursor solution for synthesizing powders was prepared from lead nitrate.zireonium nitrate.titanium oxynitrate,citric acid and deionized water.The precarsor was investigated by DSC-TG,and the PZT powders were investigated by powder-XRD,IR spectra and TEM.XRD analysis shous that the powders possess a single phase perovskite type structure,no pyrochlore phase exists.and TEM image shows that the grain size of the powders is about 40nm.

Absorption Property of YAG∶Sm Phosphors Prepared using Sol-Gel Combustion Method

Samarium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet (YAG∶Sm3+) phosphors were synthesized by nitrate-citrate sol-gel combustion method. Phase evolution, morphology and absorbency of the obtained materials were characterized by XRD, FESEM, reflection spectrum, respectively. The experimental results showed that single-phase cubic YAG∶Sm3+ crystalline was directly obtained at 800 ℃ from amorphous precursor, and mostly developed at 900 ℃. The prepared powders were relatively agglomerated with an average particle size of 300 nm. The reflection spectrum showed that there were several apparent characteristic absorption peaks due to the 4f→4f inner shell electron transitions from the 6H5/2 ground state to 6FJ (J=9/2, 7/2 and 5/2) excited state of Sm3+. Moreover, the intensity of the characteristic peaks was enhanced with the increasing concentration of Sm3+ ions.

Effect of Bi3+ Ion Substitution on Magnetic Properties of Cobalt Nano Ferrites Prepared by Sol-Gel Combustion Method

Bismuth substituted cobalt nano ferrites with the chemical composition Co Bix Fe2-x O4 (x = 0.00, 0.05, 0.10, 0.15, 0.20 & 0.25) were prepared by sol-gel combustion method. The phase identification of prepared samples is characterised by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) method, which confirms the formation of a single phase fcc spinal structure. The mean crystallite sizes of all prepared samples were obtained within the range of 21 (±5) nm. Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) images also confirmed the crystallite size of all the synthesised samples was in nano range. With the effect of Bi3+ ion substitution on spinal cobalt ferrite, the magnetic properties were investigated by using Vibration Sample Magnetometer (VSM). The obtained hysteresis (M-H) curves of all the samples were analysed under the applied magnetic field of range ± 10 K Oe at 300 K. The magnetic properties such as saturation magnetisation (Ms), remnant magnetization (Mr) and coercivity (Hc) values are tabulated, which show a decrease in trend as the bismuth ion concentration increases. This is due to the addition of Bi3+ ion in the place of Fe3+ ion (octahedral site) and hence the Bi3+-Fe3+ ion interaction predominates as compared with the Fe2+-Fe3+ ion interaction. The data obtained from magnetic studies, the variation among the magnetic properties have been investigated for all the prepared samples.

Synthesis and Structural Properties of Bismuth Doped Cobalt Nanoferrites Prepared by Sol-Gel Combustion Method

A series of Bismuth doped Cobalt nanoferrites of chemical composition CoBixFe2-xO4 (where x = 0.00, 0.05, 0.10, 0.15, 0.20 & 0.25) were prepared by sol-gel combustion method and calcinated at 600℃. The structural and morphological studies were carried out by using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS) and Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) spectra showing the single phase spinal structure. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis confirmed a single phase fcc crystal. The crystallite size of all the compositions was calculated using Debye-Scherrer equation and found in the range of 17 to 26 nm. The lattice parameters were found to be decreased as Bi3+ ion doping increases. The surface morphology was studied by Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) and particle size was confirmed by Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM). The EDS plots revealed existence of no extra peaks other than constituents of the taken up composition. The Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) studies were made in the frequency range 350 - 900 cm-1 and observed two strong absorption peaks. The frequency band is found at 596 cm-1 where as the lower frequency band at 393 cm-1. It is clearly noticed that the two prominent absorption bands were slightly shifted towards higher frequency side with the increase of Bi3+ ion concentration.

Dissolution-precipitation mechanism of self-propagating high-temperature synthesis of TiC-Cu cermets

The mechanism of self-propagating high-temperature synthesis （SHS） of TiC-Cu cermets was studied using a combustion front quenching method. Microstructural evolution in the quenched sample was observed using scanning electron microscope （SEM） with energy dispersive X-ray （EDX） spectrometry, and the combustion temperature was measured. The results showed that the combustion reaction started with local formation of Ti-Cu melt and could be described with the dissolution-precipitation mechanism, namely, Ti, Cu, and C particles dissolved into the Ti-Cu solution and TiC particles precipitated in the saturated Ti-Cu-C liquid solution. The local formation of Ti-Cu melt resulted from the solid diffusion between Ti and Cu particles.

Effects of ultrasonic impregnation combined with calcination in N_2 atmosphere on the property of Co_3O_4/CeO_2 composites for catalytic methane combustion

CoO/CeOcomposites with high surface areas and ultrafine crystalline sizes for catalytic combustion of methane were firstly prepared by a new sol-gel method which combined ultrasonic impregnation treatment and calcination in Natmosphere. The samples were characterized by various means such as nitrogen adsorption/desorption, X-ray diffraction(XRD), Htemperature-programmed reduction(H-TPR),X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS) and transmission electron microscopy(TEM). Results showed that the modified catalyst had the mesoporous structure, comparatively higher amount of surface oxygen and larger oxygen vacancies than others. As a result of the structure and surface composition merits, a high methane combustion conversion(50%) could be obtained at a low temperature of 262 °C for the modified CoO/CeOcomposites catalysts. The experimental results demonstrated that ultrasonic impregnation treatment combined with the Nthermal treatment prior to calcination in air had a promising application for preparation of CoO/CeOcomposites catalysts for low-temperature catalytic combustion of methane.

Effect of Complex Agents on Structure and Activity of Fe-Substituted Rare Earth Hexaaluminate Catalysts for Methane Combustion

A series of catalysts were prepared by using complex sol-gel methods.Experimental results confirm the effect of different agents on structure and activity of Fe-substituted rare earth hexaaluminate catalyst (LaFeAl11 O19 ) for methane combustion.The catalyst is yielded by complex sol-gel, respectively using three different complex agents (maltose, glucose and citric acid).XRD demonstrated that haxaaluminate is the major phase of catalyst prepared by maltose,while LaAlO3 is the major one of the catalyst by glucose and citric acid.At the same time, there is a little LaFeO3 and surface areas as well as 29.5 nm particle diameter when the complex agent is maltose.However, T10 ( temperature for 10% conversion of methane) and T100 ( temperature for 100% conversion of methane) for catalyst by glucose is 543 and 758 ℃, which is the best among the three complex agents for methane combustion.

Preparation of β-SiC by combustion synthesis in a large-scale reactor

The feasibility of 5 kg β-SiC synthesized in one batch was demonstrated through igniting the mixture of Si, C-black and polytetrafluoroethylene （PTFE） under different nitrogen pressures. The effect of experimental parameters, including the contents of PTFE, nitrogen pressure, preheating, and raw materials distribution forms were investigated. The results show that the products are β-SiC with equiaxed grains. The average grain size is less than 200 nm. The powders loaded loosely promote reaction heat dispersing, resulting in small grains. High purity β-SiC powders are obtained when the PTFE content is as low as 5wt%, which simplifies the process and decreases the cost effectively. The ceramic sintered from the obtained β-SiC powders presents the hardness of 22.20 GPa, the bending strength as high as 715.15 MPa and the fracture toughness of 8.179 MPa·m^1/2, which are higher than those of ceramics fabricated with α-SiC produced by combustion synthesis.

Enhanced saturation magnetization in La^(3+) doped NiCo ferrites prepared by sol-gel auto-combustion method

Lanthanum doped nickel-cobalt nano ferrites with chemical formula Ni_(0.5)Co_(0.5)LaxFe_(2-x)O_(4)(x=0.05,0,10,0.15 and 0,20) were prepared using a simple sol-gel auto combustion method.The basic structural properties were determined by X-ray diffraction method and the formation of single phased spinel ferrite was confirmed.The crystalline size decreased from 25 to 11 nm and lattice parameter a increases with increase of La doping.The surface morphology of these ferrites was observed by field-emission scanning electron microscopy(FESEM) and agglomerated irregular grains are observed with increase of the rare earth element La doping.Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy(EDX) result confirms the presence of the required elements.The Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy(FTIR) spectrum indicates the formation of the spinel ferrite structure with M-O bonds.Optical direct band measurements from ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy(UV-Vis) spectroscopy indicate that the direct band gap decreases from 1.39 to 1.19 eV for x=0.05 to x=0.15,then increases to 1.28 eV for x=0.20.The room temperature magnetic properties of these ferrites were studied by a vibrating sample magnetometer(VSM).The enhanced saturation magnetization of 49.73 emu/g is observed for x=0.10 and then saturation magnetizations are gradually decreased for x=0.15 and x=0.20.Interestingly the remanent magnetization and coercivity also follow the same trend.

Ultra-fast synthesis and thermodynamic analysis of MoAlB by self-propagating high-temperature combustion synthesis

MoAlB as a typical member of MAB phases has attracted much-growing attention due to its unique properties.However,the low production of MoAlB powders limits its further development and potential applications.In the present work,the ultra-fast preparation of high-purity MoAlB powders in a few seconds is achieved by self-propagating high-temperature synthesis(SHS)using a raw powder mixture at an atomic ratio of Mo:Al:B=1:1.3:1.SHS reaction mechanism is obtained by analyzing the corresponding composition changes of starting materials.Furthermore,the thermodynamic prediction for the SHS reaction is consistent with the present experiments,where the preparation of MoAlB also conforms to two common self-propagating conditions of the SHS.The enthalpy vs.temperature curve shows that the adiabatic temperature of the reaction decreases with the amount of excuse Al increasing but increases when pre-heating the reactants.Also,this thermodynamic calculation provides a new idea for the preparation of other MAB phases by the SHS.

Citrate sol-gel combustion preparation and photoluminescence properties of YAG:Ce phosphors

Yellow-emitting YAG：Ce3＋ nanocrystalline phosphors were prepared by citrate sol-gel combustion method using citric acid as the fuel and chelating agent. The influence of mole ratio of citric acid to metallic ions （MRCM）, pH value of the solution, calcination temperature and Ce-doped concentration on the structures and properties of as-prepared powders were investigated in detail. Higher crystallinity and better luminescence performance powders were obtained at MRCM=2, pH=3 and the calcination temperature of 1200 ℃. The phosphors exhibited the charactefistc broadband visible luminescence of YAG：Ce. The optimum concentration of Ce3＋ was 1.0 tool.%, and the concentration quenching was derived from the reciprocity between electric dipole and electric quadrupole （d-q）. Especially, the pH value of the solution was a key factor to obtain a stable sol-gel system and then obtain pure and homogeneous rare earth ions doped YAG phosphors at a lower tem- perature. The Y3Al5O12：Ce0.03 phosphor with optimized synthesis-condition and composition had a similar luminescence intensity with the commercial phosphor YAG：Ce.

CaTiO_(3)-Sm_(0.9)Nd_(0.1)AlO_(3) ceramics with a moderate dielectric constant and a high quality factor prepared by sol-gel auto combustion method

CaTiO_(3)-LnAlO_(3)(Ln=La,Nd,Sm) is a perovskite-type microwave material system characterized by a moderate dielectric constant εr,a high quality factor Q×f,and a small temperature coefficient of resonant frequency τf,making this system promising for microwave devices.However,its high synthesis temperature and sintering temperature limit its industrial applications.In our work,single phase0.7 CaTiO_(3)-0.3 Sm_(0.9)Nd_(0.1)AlO_(3)(7 CT-3 SNA) was synthesized via the sol-gel auto combustion method using citric acid as fuel at a relatively low temperature.After being calcined at 600℃ for 2 h,wellcrystallized 7 CT-3 SNA powders with 30-50 nm average particle size were achieved,suggesting good sintering activity.The new and narrow order band at about 800 cm^(-1) in the Raman spectra indicates a high ordering degree in the B site of 7 CT-3 SNA solid solution.Compared with the solid-state reaction method and co-precipitation method,the 0.7 CT-0.3 SNA ceramics fabricated by the current method possess a much lower calcination temperature,a similar εr value,and an improved Q × f value.The optimum microwave dielectric properties of εr=43.54,Q×f=54375 GHz,and τf=-6.3 ×10^(-6)/℃ are obtained for the CTSA ceramics derived from the sol-gel auto combustion process.Therefore,the 7 CT-3 SNA ceramics prepared in this study are potential dielectric materials for microwave applications,indicating that the sol-gel auto combustion method is a good alternative strategy for the fabrication of CaTiO_(3)-LnAlO_(3) ceramics.

Effect of glycine-starch mixing ratio on the structural characteristics of MgAl2O4 nano-particles synthesized by sol-gel combustion

Sol-gel auto-ignition was used to prepare nano-scale magnesium aluminate spinel, using nitrate salts as an oxidizer and glycine-starch mixtures as the fuel. The glycine-starch mixture was varied to understand the effect of fuel mixing ratio on the structural characteristics of the resulting magnesium aluminate. The products were characterized by thermogravimetric-differential thermal analyses, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller surface area measurements, and trans- mission electron microscopy. The phase purity and crystallite size of the powder products depended on the fuel mixing ratio. The presence of starch in the fuel facilitated the preparation of pure nano-particles. To prepare nano-particles of uniform spherical morphology and diameter of 〈 13 nm, the starch content should be Ol^timized to avoid agglomeration.

Effects of calcination temperature and time on the Ca3Co4O9 purity when synthesized using starch-assisted sol-gel combustion method

Ca3Co4O9 is a p-type semiconducting material that is well-known for its thermoelectric(TE),magnetic,electronic,and electro-optic properties.In this study,sol–gel autoignition was used to prepare Ca3Co4O9 at different calcination temperatures(773,873,973,and 1073 K)and time(4,6,8,10,12,and 14 h)using starch as a fuel.The phase and microstructure of the prepared Ca3Co4O9 powder were investigated.Thermogravimetry–differential thermal analysis(TGA)confirms that the final weight loss occurred at 1073 K to form Ca3Co4O9 stable powder.The variable-pressure scanning electron microscopy(VP-SEM)images show that the size of powder particles increases from 1.15 to 1.47μm as calcination time increases from 4 to 12 h,and the size remains almost constant thereafter.A similar pattern is also observed on the increment of the crystallite size and percentage of crystallinity with X-ray diffraction(XRD)analysis.The highest crystallinity is found about 92.9%when the powder was calcinated at 1073 K for 12 and 14 h with 458 and 460Åcrystallite size,respectively.Energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy(EDS)analysis demonstrates that the calcinated powder has a high intensity of Ca,Co,and O with uniform distribution.High-resolution transmission electron microscopy(HRTEM)images prove that there is no distinct lattice distortion defect on the crystal structure.

Surface structure and catalytic performance of Sr-doped La_2NiAlO_6 double perovskite catalysts for methane combustion

A species of novel St-doped rare earth double perovskite catalysts （La2 xSrxNiA106, x=0, 0.1） were prepared by the sol-gel method using citric acid as a complexing agent and calcined at 1100 ℃ for 3 h, then investigated for methane catalytic combustion. The as-prepared catalysts were characterized by X-ray diffraction patterns （XRD）, H2-temperature-programmed reduction （H2-TPR）, specific surface area （BET）, magnetic property measurement technology （M-H）, scanning electron microscopy （SEM）, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy （XPS）. Experimental results showed that Lal.9Sr0.1NiA106 catalyst exhibited significantly improved catalytic activity （T10=378.7 ℃, T90=602.9 ℃） compared with that of La2NiAIO6, whose T10 decreased by 74.4 ℃ and T90 decreased by 66.8 ℃, respectively. The excellent catalytic activity of Lal.9Sr0.tNiA106 caused by Sr-doping could be explained by the larger number of adsorption oxygen on the catalyst surface, which could be proven by XPS analysis.

Yttrium aluminum garnet (Y_3A_(l5)O_(12)) nanopowders synthesized by the chemical method

The homogeneously dispersed, less agglomerated YAG nanopowders are synthesized by the citrate-gel method followed by low-temperature self-propagating combustion reaction, using Y2O3, Al(NO3)3?9H2O and citric acid as starting materials. This method effectively solves the problems caused by solid-state reaction at high temperature and the hard ag-glomerates brought by the chemical precipitation method. The powders are characterized by TG-DTA, XRD, FT-IR and TEM respectively. The experiments show that the forming temperature of YAG crystal phase is 850°C and the pseudo-YAG crystalline appears during the calcination and transforms to pure YAG at 1050°C. The powders with sizes less than 50 nm are observed by TEM micrography, which is consistent with the result calculated by Scherrer's formula. The powders consist of single grains.