Dielectric Properties of B_2O_3 Doped MgTiO_3-CaTiO_3 System Ceramics

The dielectric ceramics with a main crystal phase of MgTiO 3 and additional crystal phase of CaTiO 3 were prepared by the conventional electronic ceramics technology. The structures of MgTiO 3 are ilmenite-type, and belong to hexagonal syngony. The ratio of MgTiO 3 to CaTiO 3 can be adjusted to gain a zero temperature coefficient of ε r and a higher ε r for the system. The effects of B 2O 3 doping on the dielectric properties of MgTiO 3-CaTiO 3 (MCT) ceramics were investigated. The addition of B 2O 3 decreases the sintering temperature and results in rapid densification without obvious negative effect on the Q values of the system (Q=1/tan δ). B 2O 3 exists as liquid phase in the sintering process, promoting the reactions as a sintering agent.

Boron/nitrogen pairs Co-doping in metallic carbon nanotubes:a first-principle study

By using the first-principles calculations, the electronic Structure and quantum transport properties of metallic carbon nanotubes with B/N pairs co-doping have been investigated. It is shown that the total energies of metallic carbon nanotubes are sensitive to the doping sites of the B/N pairs. The energy gaps of the doped metallic carbon nanotubes decrease with decreasing the concentration of the B/N pair not only along the tube axis but also around the tube. Moreover, the I-V characteristics and transmissions of the doped tubes are studied. Our results reveal that the conducting ability of the doped tube decreases with increasing the concentrations of the B/N pairs due to symmetry breaking of the system. This fact opens a new way to modulate band structures of metallic carbon nanotubes by doping B/N pair with suitable concentration and the novel characteristics are potentially useful in future applications.

Regulating surface electron structure of PtNi nanoalloy via boron doping for high‐current‐density Li‐O2 batteries with low overpotential and long‐life cyclability

The realization of high‐efficiency,reversible,stable,and safe Li‐O2 batteries is severely hindered by the large overpotential and side reactions,especially at high rate conditions.Therefore,rational design of cathode catalysts with high activity and stability is crucial to overcome the terrible issues at high current density.Herein,we report a surface engineering strategy to adjust the surface electron structure of boron(B)‐doped PtNi nanoalloy on carbon nanotubes(PtNiB@CNTs)as an efficient bifunctional cathodic catalyst for high‐rate and long‐life Li‐O2 batteries.Notably,the Li‐O2 batteries assembled with as‐prepared PtNiB@CNT catalyst exhibit ultrahigh discharge capacity of 20510 mA·h/g and extremely low overpotential of 0.48 V at a high current density of 1000 mA/g,both of which outperform the most reported Pt‐based catalysts recently.Meanwhile,our Li‐O2 batteries offer excellent rate capability and ultra‐long cycling life of up to 210 cycles at 1000 mA/g under a fixed capacity of 1000 mA·h/g,which is two times longer than those of Pt@CNTs and PtNi@CNTs.Furthermore,it is revealed that surface engineering of PtNi nanoalloy via B doping can efficiently tailor the electron structure of nanoalloy and optimize the adsorption of oxygen species,consequently delivering excellent Li‐O2 battery performance.Therefore,this strategy of regulating the nanoalloy by doping nonmetallic elements will pave an avenue for the design of high‐performance catalysts for metal‐oxygen batteries.

Influence of tension-twisting deformations and defects on optical and electrical properties of B,N doped carbon nanotube superlattices

As the era of nanoelectronics is dawning,CNT（carbon nanotube）,a one-dimensional nano material with outstanding properties and performances,has aroused wide attention.In order to study its optical and electrical properties,this paper has researched the influence of tension-twisting deformation,defects,and mixed type on the electronic structure and optical properties of the armchair carbon nanotube superlattices doped cyclic alternately with B and N by using the first-principle method.Our findings show that if tension-twisting deformation is conducted,then the geometric structure,bond length,binding energy,band gap and optical properties of B,N doped carbon nanotube superlattices with defects and mixed type will be influenced.As the degree of exerted tension-twisting deformation increases,B,N doped carbon nanotube superlattices become less stable,and B,N doped carbon nanotube superlattices with defects are more stable than that with exerted tension-twisting deformations.Proper tension-twisting deformation can adjust the energy gap of the system;defects can only reduce the energy gap,enhancing the system metallicity;while the mixed type of 5%tension,twisting angle of 15° and atomic defects will significantly increase the energy gap of the system.From the perspective of optical properties,doped carbon nanotubes may transform the system from metallicity into semi-conductivity.

Photocatalytic properties of P25-doped TiO_2 composite film synthesized via sol–gel method on cement substrate

TiO2 films have received increasing attention for the removal of organic pollutants via photocatalysis. To develop a simple and effective method for improving the photodegradation efficiency of pollutants in surface water, we herein examined the preparation of a P25-TiO2 composite film on a cement substrate via a sol–gel method. In this case, Rhodamine B（Rh B）was employed as the target organic pollutant. The self-generated TiO2 film and the P25-TiO2 composite film were characterized by X-ray diffraction（XRD）, N2 adsorption/desorption measurements, scanning electron microscopy（SEM）, transmission electron microscopy（TEM）, and diffuse reflectance spectroscopy（DRS）. The photodegradation efficiencies of the two films were studied by Rh B removal in water under UV（ultraviolet） irradiation. Over 4 day exposure, the P25-TiO2 composite film exhibited higher photocatalytic performance than the self-generated TiO2 film. The photodegradation rate indicated that the efficiency of the P25-TiO2 composite film was enhanced by the addition of the rutile phase Degussa P25 powder. As such, cooperation between the anatase TiO2 and rutile P25 nanoparticles was beneficial for separation of the photo-induced electrons and holes. In addition, the influence of P25 doping on the P25-TiO2 composite films was evaluated. We found that up to a certain saturation point, increased doping enhanced the photodegradation ability of the composite film. Thus, we herein demonstrated that the doping of P25 powders is a simple but effective strategy to prepare a P25-TiO2 composite film on a cement substrate, and the resulting film exhibits excellent removal efficiency in the degradation of organic pollutants.

Boosting the electrochemical performance of LiNi_(0.6)Mn_(0.2)Co_(0.2)O_2 through a trace amount of Mg-B co-doping

The extended cycle life of cells is often sacrificed at the expense of high specific energy for high-nickel materials.Cation doping is a promising method to build high-nickel cathode with high energy density and long cycle life.Herein,a trace amount of Mg-B co-doping in LiNi_(0.6)Mn_(0.2)Co_(0.2)O_2(NMC622)is investigated in this work,which shows improved structural and electrochemical stability of 1%Mg-0.5%B co-doped material at both 30 and 55℃in coin-cell.Comprehensive chemical composition,structural,and surface analysis are carried out in this paper.It was found that all the selected materials have a similar composition to the target.Moreover,Mg and B doping have different effects on the crystal structural change of NMC622,to be more specific,the c-lattice parameter increases with Mg doping,while the Li^(+)/Ni^(2+)mixing content increases when B was incorporated into the lattice.Furthermore,the microstructure of primary particles was changed by B doping significantly as confirmed by the SEM images.There were marginal benefits in terms of structural and electrochemical stability of materials introduced by Mg or B sole doping.In comparison,incorporating a suitable amount of both Mg and B into NMC622,we found the capacity retention of cells was noticeably improved by reducing the impedance growth and preventing cation mixing during cycling.This study demonstrates the importance of co-incorporation of Mg,B,and optimizing the co-dopant content to stabilize NMC622 as cathode for lithium-ion batteries.