Preparation and Performance of Si^4＋ -doping Rod-shaped TiO2 Powder by Nonhydrolytic Sol-gel Method

Titania（TiO2） nanorod powder was prepared by nonhydrolytic sol-gel method using titanic chloride（TiCl4） as titanium source, methylene dichloride（CH2Cl2） as solvent, absolute ethyl alcohol（CH（-3）CH2OH） as oxygen donor. The effects of Si^（4＋） doping on the TiO2 nanocrystalline phase transformation temperature were systematically researched. The results showed that when the molar ratio of Ti^（4＋） to Si^（4＋） is 1 to1.3, TiO2 prepared by calcination at 1 100 ℃ for 1 hour exhibits rod shape and has good photocatalytic activity. Doping of Si^（4＋） makes glass phase core-shell structure forming on the surface of anatase crystal particles, which can inhibit crystal phase transformation and raise the transformation temperature, making TiO2 stable in anatase phase at 1 200 ℃.

The effect of electronic orbital interactions on p-type doping tendency in ZnO series： First-principles calculations

The electronic structures and optical properties of B3 ZnO series of Zn4X4-yMy（X ：O, S, Se or Te; M = N, Sb, C1 or I; y = 0 or 1） are studied by first-principles calculations using a pseudopotential plane-wave method. The results show that Zn d-X p orbital interactions play an important role in the p-type doping tendency in zinc-based Ⅱ-Ⅵ semiconductors. In ZnX, with increasing atomic number of X, Zn d-X p orbital interactions decrease and Zn s-X p orbital interactions increase. Additionally, substituting group-V elements for X will reduce the Zn d-X p orbital interactions while substituting group-VII elements for X will increase the Zn d-X p orbital interactions. The results also show that group-V-doped ZnX and group-Ⅷ-doped ZnX exhibit different optical behaviours due to their different orbital interaction effects.

Synthesis of Hierarchical Porous Fe_(2)O_(3)/Al_(2)O_(3) Materials and Study on Catalytic Viscosity Reduction of Heavy Oil

Fe_(2)O_(3) nanoparticles were first dispersed in a sol solution containing an aluminum component introduced by an initial doping method.Composite catalyst Hierarchical Porous Fe_(2)O_(3)/Al_(2)O_(3) materials(HPFA)were then synthesized through a sol-gel method via phase separation.The performance of HPFA was compared with that of Fe_(2)O_(3) nanoparticle catalysts.The structure of the composite catalyst was characterized by scanning electron microscopy,X-ray diffraction,N_(2) adsorption/desorption,and crush strength testing.The results showed that the Fe_(2)O_(3) nanoparticles could be loaded into the porous skeletons of Hierarchical Porous Al_(2)O_(3) materials(HPA)to achieve a uniform dispersion while avoiding agglomeration,which improved the mechanical strength of the porous materials significantly.The HPFA was then used as a catalyst in the hydrothermal viscosity reduction process of Tuha heavy oil,and the viscosity reduction was investigated.The viscosity reduction rate of HPFA was 81%,which was better than that of the Fe_(2)O_(3) nanoparticles(56%)and HPA(47%).

Sol-Gel Synthesis and Luminescent Characteristic of Doped Eu~ 3+ Silicate-Silica Phosphor

Eu-doped silicate complex gel nano-particles was obtained by sol-gel process and characterized with TEM, XRD, PL, etc. The well dispersed particles have particle size about 60 - 70 nm with specific surface area 98.3 m^2· g^- 1 The complex gel phosphor gives a broad and strong luminescent emission originating from Eu^2＋ ions centered at 425 nm. The emission band shifts to shorter wavelengths with the increase of the ion radius of the alkali earth metals, but the band becomes red-shifted gradually with the increase of the ion radius of the alkali metals（except Li ^＋ ）. These divalent Eu^2＋ ions originate in inequivalent substitution of the alkaline earth ions. The presence of alkaline ions is favorable for the increasing emission intensity of the Eu^2 ＋ and lowering crystalline temperature of the silicate complex gel.

Effect of Ce doping into V_(2)O_(5)-WO_(3)/TiO_(2) catalysts on the selective catalytic reduction of NO_(x) by NH_(3)

In this work, the effectiveness of V2O5-WO3/TiO2 catalysts modified with different CeO2 contents by impregnation and co-precipitation methods on the selective catalytic reduction of NOxby NH3 have been studied comparatively by various experimental techniques. The results showed that the NO conversion of V2O5-WO3/CeO2-TiO2 catalysts modified by co-precipitation method obviously increased with the Ce doping contents in the studied range below 20%（All Ce contents are in mass fractions）, but the NO conversion of V2O5-WO3/CeO2/TiO2 catalysts modified by impregnation methods was lower than V2O5-WO3/CeO2-TiO2 catalysts especially beyond 2.5% Ce doping contents. The V2O5-WO3/CeO2-TiO2 catalysts showed better SCR activity, wider reaction window, and higher sulfur and water resistance. The characterization results elucidated that the modified catalysts by co-precipitation method exhibited higher specific surface area, much better dispersity of Ce component, more Ce^（3＋）species and more Br？nsted acid sites than that by impregnation. The vacancies caused by more Ce^（3＋）species were favorable for more NO oxidation to NO2, and the interaction between Ce species and WOxspecies generated more Br？nsted acid sites. It could be supposed that dispersed Ce Oxspecies and WOxspecies offered more second active centers respectively to adsorb oxygen and activate ammonia as co-catalysis to the primary active center of V ions, thus facilitated the better SCR activity of modified V2O5-WO3/CeO2-TiO2 catalysts by coprecipitation methods. The co-precipitation methods with Ce component were more suitable for production of modified commercial V2O5-WO3/TiO2 catalysts.

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.

Crystal characterization and optical spectroscopy of Eu^(3+)-doped CaGdAlO_4 single crystal fabricated by the floating zone method

A highly transparent Eu3＋-doped CaGdA104 （CGA） single crystal is grown by the floating zone method. The segregation coefficient, x ray diffraction, and x ray rocking curve are detected, and the results reveal that the single crystal is of high quality. The f-f transitions of Eu3＋ in the host lattice are discussed. The 5D0-7F2 emis- sion transition at 621 nm （red light） is dominant over the 5D0-7F1 emission transitions at 591 and 599 nm （orange light）, agreeing well with the random crystal environment of Eu3＋ ions in a CGA crystal. The decay time of Eu：5D0 is measured to be 1.02 ms. All the results show that the Eu：CGA crystal has good optical char- acterization and promises to be an excellent red- fluorescence material.

p-/n-Type modulation of 2D transition metal dichalcogenides for electronic and optoelectronic devices

Two-dimensional layered transition metal dichalcogenides(TMDCs)have demonstrated a huge potential in the broad fields of optoelectronic devices,logic electronics,electronic integration,as well as neural networks.To take full advantage of TMDC characteristics and efficiently design the device structures,one of the most key processes is to control their p-/n-type modulation.In this review,we summarize the p-/n-type modulation of TMDCs based on diverse strategies consisting of intrinsic defect tailoring,substitutional doping,surface charge transfer,chemical intercalation,electrostatic modulation,and dielectric interface engineering.The modulation mechanisms and comparisons of these strategies are analyzed together with a discussion of their corresponding device applications in electronics and optoelectronics.Finally,challenges and outlooks for p-/n-type modulation of TMDCs are presented to provide references for future studies.

Heteroatom-Doped Black Phosphorus and Its Application:A Review

Few-layer black phosphorus(BP)is a promising semiconductor with excellent optoelectronic properties.However,the poor stabilization and strong asymmetry between electron and hole transports hinder the application of BP.Doping of heteroatoms is an effective strategy to regulate the electronic structure and stability of BP without sacrificing its unique 2D structure,which is a promising way to tune the physico-chemical properties of BP for various applications.In this review,the recent advances in doping engineer-ing of BP are summarized,involving the theoretical prediction of new characteristic for doped BP and the corresponding experimental synthesis methods.The effects of dopant atoms on the structure and perfor-mance of BP and its related applications,such as the field-effect transistors,optoelectronic devices,in-verter devices,and catalysis,are also summarized.

Dehydrogenation characteristics of ZrC-doped LiAlH4 with different mixing conditions

The catalytic effects of ZrC powder on the dehydrogenation properties of LiAlH4 prepared by designed mixing processes were systematically investigated.The onset dehydrogenation temperatures for the 10 mol% ZrC-doped sample are 85.3 and 148.4℃for the first two dehydrogenation stages,decreasing by 90.7 and 57.8℃,respectively,compared with those of the as-received LiAIH4.The isothermal volumetric measurement indicates that adding ZrC powder could significantly enhance the desorption kinetics of LiAlH4.The reaction constant and Avrami index show that the first dehydrogenation stage is controlled by diffusion mechanism with nucleation rate gradually decreasing and the second stage is a freedom nucleation and subsequent growth process.The microstructures and phase transformation characterized by scanning electron microscopy(SEM),X-ray diffraction(XRD),X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy(FTIR) reveal that the improved desorption behavior of LiAlH4 is primarily due to the high density of surface defects and embedded catalyst particles on the surface of LiAlH4 particles during the high-energy mixing process.

Electro-catalytic degradation properties of Ti/SnO_2–Sb electrodes doped with different rare earths

Ti/SnO2–Sb electrode has a good effect on the removal of organic pollutants. But its short service life limits its large-scale application in industry. Electro-catalytic degradation performances and service life of the electrode can be significantly improved by doping rare earth（RE） ions into the oxide coating of Ti/SnO2–Sb electrode. Ti/SnO2–Sb electrodes doped with different RE elements（Ce, Dy, La, and Eu） were prepared by the thermal decomposition method at 550 ℃. Electro-catalytic degradation performances of electrodes doped with different RE elements were evaluated by linear sweep voltammetry（LSV） and Tafel curves. During the electrolysis,the conversion of p-nitrophenol was performed with these electrodes as anodes under galvanostatic control. The structures and morphologies of the surface coating of the electrodes were characterized by scanning electron microscope（SEM）. The results demonstrate that the electro-catalytic degradation performances of Ti/SnO2–Sb electrodes are improved to different levels by doping different RE ions. Improved Ti/SnO2–Sb electrodes by the introduction of different RE have higher oxygen evolution potential, better electro-catalysis ability, better coverage,and longer electrode life.

Facile Synthesis as well as Structural, Raman, Dielectric and Antibacterial Characteristics of Cu Doped ZnO Nanoparticles

Here, undoped and Cu doped ZnO nanoparticles(NPs) have been prepared by chemical co-precipitation technique. X-ray diffraction(XRD) results reveal that Cu ions are successfully doped into ZnO matrix without altering its wurtzite phase. The single wurtzite phase of ZnO is retained even for 10 wt% Cu doped ZnO sample. It is observed from the electron microscopy results that higher level of Cu doping varies the morphology of ZnO NPs from spherical to flat NPs. Moreover, the particle size is found to increase with the increase in Cu doping level. Raman spectroscopy results further confirm that Cu dopant has not altered the wurtzite structure of ZnO. Impedance spectroscopy results reveal that the dielectric constant and dielectric loss have increasing trend with Cu doping. Cu doping has been found to slightly decrease the bactericidal potency of ZnO nanoparticles.

Synthesis,Crystal Structural and Electrical Conductivity Properties of Fe-Doped Zinc Oxide Powders at High Temperatures

The synthesis,crystal structure and electrical conductivity properties of Fe-doped ZnO powders（in the range of 0.25-15 mol%） were reported in this paper.I-phase samples,which were indexed as single phase with a hexagonal（wurtzite） structure in the Fe-doped ZnO binary system,were determined by X-ray diffraction（XRD）.The solubility limit of Fe in the ZnO lattice is 3 mol% at 950℃.The above mixed phase was observed.And the impurity phase was determined as the cubic-ZnFe 2 O 4 phase when compared with standard XRD data using the PDF program.This study focused on single I-phase ZnO samples which were synthesized at 950℃ because the limit of the solubility range is the widest at this temperature.The lattice parameters a and c of the I-phase decreased with Fe-doping concentration.The morphology of the I-phase samples was analyzed with a scanning electron microscope.The grain size of the I-phase samples increased with heat treatment and doping concentration.The electrical conductivity of the pure ZnO and single I-phase samples was investigated using the four-probe dc method at 100-950℃ in air atmosphere.The electrical conductivity values of pure ZnO,0.25 and 3 mol% Fe-doped ZnO samples at 100℃ were 2×10-6,1.7×10-3 and 6.3×10-4 S.cm-1,and at 950℃ they were 3.4,8.5 and 4 S.cm-1,respectively.