Microspheres of graphene oxide coupled to N-doped Bi_2O_2CO_3 for visible light photocatalysis

Hierarchical microspheres of a graphene oxide（GO） coupled to N‐doped（BiO）2CO3 composite（N‐BOC‐GO） was synthesized by a simple hydrothermal approach. The N‐BOC‐GO composite gave enhancement in photocatalytic activity compared to the pure BOC and N‐BOC samples. With 1.0wt% GO, 62% NO removal was obtained with N‐BOC‐GO. The factors enhancing the photocatalytic performance were the high electron‐withdrawing ability and high conductivity of GO and improved visible light‐harvesting ability of N‐BOC‐GO with a 3D hierarchical architecture due to the surface scattering and reflecting（SSR） effect. An effective charge transfer from N‐BOC to GO was demonstrated by the much weakened photoluminescene intensity of the N‐BOC‐GO composite. This work highlights the potential application of GO‐based photocatalysts in air purification.

Dark Color ZnO Quasi-One-Dimensional Nanostructures Grown by Hydrothermal Method and Modulation of their Optical Properties

Zinc oxide has a large energy gap and thus it has potential application in the field of solar cells by tuning the absorption of sunlight. In order to enhance its absorption of sunlight,dark color zinc oxides have been prepared by traditional hydrothermal method directly using a zinc foil as both source and substrate. We found that we could tune the optical properties of ZnO samples by changing the temperature. In particular, increasing temperature could significantly reduce the reflectivity of solar energy in the visible range. We speculate that the phenomenon is relevant to the sharp cone morphology of the ZnO nanorods grown on the surface of Zn foils, which furthermore enhance refraction and reflection of light in the nanorods. The capacity to improve the light absorption of ZnO may have a bright application in raising the efficiency of solar cells.

Giant magnetic enhancement across a ferroelectricantiferroelectric phase boundary in Bi_(1-x)Y_xFeO_3

The structural,vibrational,and magnetic properties of well prepared Bi 1 x Y x FeO 3(x=0-0.1) powders are investigated by combining the X-ray diffraction,Raman scattering,differential scanning calorimetry,and magnetometry measurements.A structural symmetric breaking from the rhombohedral R3c to orthorhombic Pnma between x=0.07 and 0.1 is identified from the X-ray and Raman measurements,accompanying a ferroelectric-antiferroelectric phase transition.The remnant magnetization of Bi 0.9 Y 0.1 FeO 3 is about 15 times higher in magnitude compared to the pure BiFeO 3.Such a giant enhancement is suggested to result from the destruction of the spin cycloid accompanied with the structured transition.

Effects of pulse flow and leading edge sweep on mixed flow turbines for engine exhaust heat recovery

Recovery of heat energy from internal combustion engine exhaust will achieve significant road transportation CO2 reduction. Turbocharging and turbogenerating are most commonly used technologies to recover engine exhaust heat energy.Engine exhaust pulse flow can significantly affect the turbine performance of turbocharging and turbogenerating systems,and it is necessary to consider the pulse flow effects in turbine design and performance analysis.An investigation was carried out by numerical simulation on the mixed flow turbine pulse flow performance and flow fields.Results showed that the variations of the turbine efficiency and flowfiled under pulsating flow conditions demonstrate significant unsteady effects.The effect of blade leading edge sweep on turbine pulse flow performance was studied.It is shown that increasing of the leading edge sweep angle can improve the turbine average instantaneous efficiency by about 2 percent under pulsating flow conditions.