Nanocomposite films consisting of carboxymethyl cellulose,polyethylene oxide(CMC/PEO),and anatase titanium diox-ide(TO)were produced by the use of sol-gel and solution casting techniques.TiO2 nanocrystals were effecti...Nanocomposite films consisting of carboxymethyl cellulose,polyethylene oxide(CMC/PEO),and anatase titanium diox-ide(TO)were produced by the use of sol-gel and solution casting techniques.TiO2 nanocrystals were effectively incorporated into CMC/PEO polymers,as shown by X-ray diffraction(XRD)and attenuated total reflectance fourier transform infrared(ATR-FTIR)analysis.The roughness growth is at high levels of TO nanocrystals(TO NCs),which means increasing active sites and defects in CMC/PEO.In differential scanning calorimetry(DSC)thermograms,the change in glass transition temperature(Tg)val-ues verifies that the polymer blend interacts with TO NCs.The increment proportions of TO NCs have a notable impact on the dielectric performances of the nanocomposites,as observed.The electrical properties of the CMC/PEO/TO nanocomposite undergo significant changes.The nanocomposite films exhibit a red alteration in the absorption edge as the concentration of TO NCs increases in the polymer blend.The decline in the energy gap is readily apparent as the weight percentage of TO NCs increases.The photoluminescence(PL)emission spectra indicate that the sites of the luminescence peak maximums show slight variation;peaks get wider,while their intensities decrease dramatically as the concentration of TO increases.These nanocomposite materials show potential for multifunctional applications including optoelectronics,antireflection coatings,pho-tocatalysis,light emitting diodes,and solid polymer electrolytes.展开更多
An efficient room-temperature self-powered,broadband(300 nm–1100 nm)photodetector based on a CuO–TiO_(2)/TiO_(2)/p-Si(100)heterostructure is demonstrated.The CuO–TiO_(2)nanocomposites were grown in a two-zone horiz...An efficient room-temperature self-powered,broadband(300 nm–1100 nm)photodetector based on a CuO–TiO_(2)/TiO_(2)/p-Si(100)heterostructure is demonstrated.The CuO–TiO_(2)nanocomposites were grown in a two-zone horizontal tube furnace on a 40 nm TiO_(2)thin film deposited on a p-type Si(100)substrate.The CuO–TiO_(2)/TiO_(2)/p-Si(100)devices exhibited excellent rectification characteristics under dark and individual photoillumination conditions.The devices showed remarkable photo-response under broadband(300–1100 nm)light illumination at zero bias voltage,indicating the achievement of highly sensitive self-powered photodetectors at visible and near-infrared light illuminations.The maximum response of the devices is observed at 300 nm for an illumination power of 10 W.The response and recovery times were calculated as 86 ms and 78 ms,respectively.Moreover,under a small bias,the devices showed a prompt binary response by altering the current from positive to negative under illumination conditions.The main reason behind this binary response is the low turn-on voltage and photovoltaic characteristics of the devices.Under illumination conditions,the generation of photocurrent is due to the separation of photogenerated electron-hole pairs within the built-in electric field at the CuO–TiO_(2)/TiO_(2)interface.These characteristics make the CuO–TiO_(2)/TiO_(2)broadband photodetectors suitable for applications that require high response speeds and self-sufficient functionality.展开更多
Surface-functionalized nitrogen/carbon co-doped polymorphic TiO_(2) phase junction nanoparticles uniformly distributed in porous carbon matrix were synthesized by a simple one-step pyrolysis of titanium based metal-or...Surface-functionalized nitrogen/carbon co-doped polymorphic TiO_(2) phase junction nanoparticles uniformly distributed in porous carbon matrix were synthesized by a simple one-step pyrolysis of titanium based metal-organic framework(MOF),NH_(2)-MIL^(-1)25(Ti) at 700℃ under water vapour atmosphere.Introducing water vapour during the pyrolysis of NH_(2)-MIL^(-1)25(Ti) not only functionalizes the derived porous carbon matrix with carboxyl groups but also forms additional oxygen-rich N like interstitial/intraband states lying above the valence band of TiO2 along with the self-doped carbo n,which further narrows the energy band gaps of polymorphic TiO2 nanoparticles that enhance photocatalytic charge transfer efficiency.Without co-catalyst,sample N-C-TiO2/CArW demonstrates H_(2) evolution activity of 426 μmol gcat-1h^(-1),which remarkably outperforms commercial TiO_(2)(P-25) and N-C-TiO_(2)/CAr with a 5-fold and 3-fold H_(2) generation,respectively.This study clearly shows that water vapour atmosphere during the pyrolysis increases the hydrophilicity of the Ti-MOF derived composites by functionalizing porous carbon matrix with carboxylic groups,as well as enhancing the electrical conductivity and charge transfer efficiency due to the formation of additional localized oxygen-rich N like interstitial/intraband states.This work also demonstrates that by optimizing the anatase-rutile phase composition of the TiO2 polymorphs,tuning the energy band gaps by N/C co-doping and functionalizing the porous carbon matrix in the N-C-TiO2/C nanocomposites,the photocatalytic H_(2) generation activity can be further enhanced.展开更多
Ag/TiO2/freeze-dried graphene nanocomposites have been prepared via a facile one-step solvothermal method for the photocatalytic degradation of Rh B under visible light irradiation. During the solvothermal process, re...Ag/TiO2/freeze-dried graphene nanocomposites have been prepared via a facile one-step solvothermal method for the photocatalytic degradation of Rh B under visible light irradiation. During the solvothermal process, reduction of graphene oxide and loading of Ag/TiO2nanoparticles on graphene sheets were achieved. Investigation of chemical state of products showed that covering of Ag/TiO2surface with higher weight ratio of graphene resulting in that Ag metals in Ag/TiO2were oxidized to Ag2 O in nanocomposite structure after solvothermal process. Degree of photocatalytic activity enhancement strongly depends on the coverage of Ag/TiO2surface by porous graphene. The sample of 1 wt% porous graphene hybridized Ag/TiO2showed the highest photocatalytic activity, which is related to high migration efficiency of photoinduced of electrons and reduction of electron–hole recombination rate due to high electrical conductivity of graphene. Expanding of absorption to visible light region was ascribed to surface plasmon resonance effect of Ag metals and presence of graphene. Investigation of photocatalytic performance of formic acid as a dye-less organic pollutant showed that dye sensitization effect of Rh B molecules during evaluation of photocatalytic performance was negligible.展开更多
Reduced graphene oxide(rGO)has been widely used to fabricate electronics,sensors,photodetectors,and in other applications.However,the antibacterial performance of pristine rGO is relatively weak.The application of rGO...Reduced graphene oxide(rGO)has been widely used to fabricate electronics,sensors,photodetectors,and in other applications.However,the antibacterial performance of pristine rGO is relatively weak.The application of rGO in biomedical devices,smart food packaging,and water desalination membranes requires further improvement of rGO’s antibacterial abilities.Copper(I)oxide(Cu2O)is an effective antibacterial agent,which denatures protein and enhances the permeability of cell membranes.In this work,we report a simple method of synthesizing a highly antibacterial rGO/Cu2O nanocomposite from cellulose acetate,a derivative of abundant natural cellulose.The synthesized rGO/Cu2O nanocomposite was thoroughly characterized by Raman spectroscopy,X-ray powder diffraction(XRD),X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS),atomic force microscopy(AFM),scanning electron microscopy(SEM),high-resolution transmission electron microscopy(HRTEM),and scanning transmission electron microscopy(STEM).Then,the antibacterial abilities of rGO/Cu2O nanocomposite were evaluated and a bactericidal mechanism was revealed from the molecular biology perspective.Results indicate that our synthesized rGO/Cu2O nanocomposite owns strong antibacterial activity,mainly stemming from the uniformly incorporated Cu2O nanocrystals with a lateral size of 5–40 nm.展开更多
Metallic nanoparticles and carbon nanomaterials have been extensively studied in enhanced oil recovery.Carbon nanotube(CNT)/TiO_(2) nanocomposite is synthesized and investigated in terms of contact angle,interfacial t...Metallic nanoparticles and carbon nanomaterials have been extensively studied in enhanced oil recovery.Carbon nanotube(CNT)/TiO_(2) nanocomposite is synthesized and investigated in terms of contact angle,interfacial tension(IFT),emulsion stability,etc.Its performance in oil displacement in porous media is evaluated through glass micromodel experiment.The synthesized CNT/TiO_(2) is composed of TiO_(2)-based nanocomposites and CNTs as reinforcement phase.TiO_(2) is the dominant crystalline phase,and TiO_(2) nanoparticles cover on the CNTs.CNT/TiO_(2) nanocomposite is able to alter the wetting conditions of the rock from strong oil-wet to hydrophilic conditions and effectively reduce the interfacial tension.CNT/TiO_(2) nanocomposite plays an effective role in stabilizing the Pickering emulsions,and even forms stable emulsions at high temperature as 90℃.For NaCl concentration of up to 2%,a stable emulsion can be formed even after 7 days.It is observed from glass micromodel experiments that the CNT/TiO_(2) nanofluid provides a higher recovery factor denoting its promising performance in enhanced oil recovery.展开更多
TiO_(2)-ZnO nanocomposites were synthesized by varying Ti:Zn molar ratio from 1:0.1(TZ-1:0.1)to 1:1(TZ-1:1).With increase in Zn content,from TZ-1:0.1 to TZ-1:0.2,anatase transformed to rutile phase.TZ-1:0.3,which cont...TiO_(2)-ZnO nanocomposites were synthesized by varying Ti:Zn molar ratio from 1:0.1(TZ-1:0.1)to 1:1(TZ-1:1).With increase in Zn content,from TZ-1:0.1 to TZ-1:0.2,anatase transformed to rutile phase.TZ-1:0.3,which contained a blend of phases,including rutile and anatase TiO_(2),ZnO,and zinc titanates,exhibited the narrowest bandgap(2.5±0.1 e V),and showed the highest photocatalytic activity.TZ-1:1 was predominated by zinc titanates.All the nanocomposites exhibited narrower bandgaps compared to pure TiO_(2)nanoparticles,facilitating visible light activity.This study was designed to explore whether a method targeting the removal of a specific crystalline phase(anatase)influenced the properties and photocatalytic activity of the nanocomposite.Selective dissolution not only removed anatase phase,but also led to significant loss of crystallinity,widened the bandgap,and adversely affected photocatalytic performance,in nanocomposites that contained>80%anatase phase(TZ-1:0.1 and TZ-1:0.2).However,in nanocomposites that contained less of anatase phase(TZ-1:0.3and TZ-1:1),the morphology,bandgap,crystallinity,and the extent of photocatalytic activity at the end of 240 min remained largely unaffected.Photocatalytic activity in TZ-1:0.3 and TZ-1:1 originated from a blend of phases comprising of less photocatalytically active phases,such as rutile TiO_(2),Zn TiO3,and Zn2TiO4,rather than from the anatase phase.The Ti:Zn molar ratio controlled the phases present in TiO_(2)-ZnO nanocomposites,which,in turn,controlled the physicochemical properties and visible light activity.Thus,in nanocomposites that contained a mix of several phases,the properties and photocatalytic activity were not dependent on anatase phase.展开更多
文摘Nanocomposite films consisting of carboxymethyl cellulose,polyethylene oxide(CMC/PEO),and anatase titanium diox-ide(TO)were produced by the use of sol-gel and solution casting techniques.TiO2 nanocrystals were effectively incorporated into CMC/PEO polymers,as shown by X-ray diffraction(XRD)and attenuated total reflectance fourier transform infrared(ATR-FTIR)analysis.The roughness growth is at high levels of TO nanocrystals(TO NCs),which means increasing active sites and defects in CMC/PEO.In differential scanning calorimetry(DSC)thermograms,the change in glass transition temperature(Tg)val-ues verifies that the polymer blend interacts with TO NCs.The increment proportions of TO NCs have a notable impact on the dielectric performances of the nanocomposites,as observed.The electrical properties of the CMC/PEO/TO nanocomposite undergo significant changes.The nanocomposite films exhibit a red alteration in the absorption edge as the concentration of TO NCs increases in the polymer blend.The decline in the energy gap is readily apparent as the weight percentage of TO NCs increases.The photoluminescence(PL)emission spectra indicate that the sites of the luminescence peak maximums show slight variation;peaks get wider,while their intensities decrease dramatically as the concentration of TO increases.These nanocomposite materials show potential for multifunctional applications including optoelectronics,antireflection coatings,pho-tocatalysis,light emitting diodes,and solid polymer electrolytes.
基金CSIR-09/0973(11599)/2021-EMR-I and SERB(Project no:CRG/2021/000255),Department of Science and Technology,Govt.of India。
文摘An efficient room-temperature self-powered,broadband(300 nm–1100 nm)photodetector based on a CuO–TiO_(2)/TiO_(2)/p-Si(100)heterostructure is demonstrated.The CuO–TiO_(2)nanocomposites were grown in a two-zone horizontal tube furnace on a 40 nm TiO_(2)thin film deposited on a p-type Si(100)substrate.The CuO–TiO_(2)/TiO_(2)/p-Si(100)devices exhibited excellent rectification characteristics under dark and individual photoillumination conditions.The devices showed remarkable photo-response under broadband(300–1100 nm)light illumination at zero bias voltage,indicating the achievement of highly sensitive self-powered photodetectors at visible and near-infrared light illuminations.The maximum response of the devices is observed at 300 nm for an illumination power of 10 W.The response and recovery times were calculated as 86 ms and 78 ms,respectively.Moreover,under a small bias,the devices showed a prompt binary response by altering the current from positive to negative under illumination conditions.The main reason behind this binary response is the low turn-on voltage and photovoltaic characteristics of the devices.Under illumination conditions,the generation of photocurrent is due to the separation of photogenerated electron-hole pairs within the built-in electric field at the CuO–TiO_(2)/TiO_(2)interface.These characteristics make the CuO–TiO_(2)/TiO_(2)broadband photodetectors suitable for applications that require high response speeds and self-sufficient functionality.
基金EPSRC CDT in Metamaterials at University of Exeter and Leverhulme Trust(RPG-2018-320) for financial support。
文摘Surface-functionalized nitrogen/carbon co-doped polymorphic TiO_(2) phase junction nanoparticles uniformly distributed in porous carbon matrix were synthesized by a simple one-step pyrolysis of titanium based metal-organic framework(MOF),NH_(2)-MIL^(-1)25(Ti) at 700℃ under water vapour atmosphere.Introducing water vapour during the pyrolysis of NH_(2)-MIL^(-1)25(Ti) not only functionalizes the derived porous carbon matrix with carboxyl groups but also forms additional oxygen-rich N like interstitial/intraband states lying above the valence band of TiO2 along with the self-doped carbo n,which further narrows the energy band gaps of polymorphic TiO2 nanoparticles that enhance photocatalytic charge transfer efficiency.Without co-catalyst,sample N-C-TiO2/CArW demonstrates H_(2) evolution activity of 426 μmol gcat-1h^(-1),which remarkably outperforms commercial TiO_(2)(P-25) and N-C-TiO_(2)/CAr with a 5-fold and 3-fold H_(2) generation,respectively.This study clearly shows that water vapour atmosphere during the pyrolysis increases the hydrophilicity of the Ti-MOF derived composites by functionalizing porous carbon matrix with carboxylic groups,as well as enhancing the electrical conductivity and charge transfer efficiency due to the formation of additional localized oxygen-rich N like interstitial/intraband states.This work also demonstrates that by optimizing the anatase-rutile phase composition of the TiO2 polymorphs,tuning the energy band gaps by N/C co-doping and functionalizing the porous carbon matrix in the N-C-TiO2/C nanocomposites,the photocatalytic H_(2) generation activity can be further enhanced.
文摘Ag/TiO2/freeze-dried graphene nanocomposites have been prepared via a facile one-step solvothermal method for the photocatalytic degradation of Rh B under visible light irradiation. During the solvothermal process, reduction of graphene oxide and loading of Ag/TiO2nanoparticles on graphene sheets were achieved. Investigation of chemical state of products showed that covering of Ag/TiO2surface with higher weight ratio of graphene resulting in that Ag metals in Ag/TiO2were oxidized to Ag2 O in nanocomposite structure after solvothermal process. Degree of photocatalytic activity enhancement strongly depends on the coverage of Ag/TiO2surface by porous graphene. The sample of 1 wt% porous graphene hybridized Ag/TiO2showed the highest photocatalytic activity, which is related to high migration efficiency of photoinduced of electrons and reduction of electron–hole recombination rate due to high electrical conductivity of graphene. Expanding of absorption to visible light region was ascribed to surface plasmon resonance effect of Ag metals and presence of graphene. Investigation of photocatalytic performance of formic acid as a dye-less organic pollutant showed that dye sensitization effect of Rh B molecules during evaluation of photocatalytic performance was negligible.
文摘Reduced graphene oxide(rGO)has been widely used to fabricate electronics,sensors,photodetectors,and in other applications.However,the antibacterial performance of pristine rGO is relatively weak.The application of rGO in biomedical devices,smart food packaging,and water desalination membranes requires further improvement of rGO’s antibacterial abilities.Copper(I)oxide(Cu2O)is an effective antibacterial agent,which denatures protein and enhances the permeability of cell membranes.In this work,we report a simple method of synthesizing a highly antibacterial rGO/Cu2O nanocomposite from cellulose acetate,a derivative of abundant natural cellulose.The synthesized rGO/Cu2O nanocomposite was thoroughly characterized by Raman spectroscopy,X-ray powder diffraction(XRD),X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS),atomic force microscopy(AFM),scanning electron microscopy(SEM),high-resolution transmission electron microscopy(HRTEM),and scanning transmission electron microscopy(STEM).Then,the antibacterial abilities of rGO/Cu2O nanocomposite were evaluated and a bactericidal mechanism was revealed from the molecular biology perspective.Results indicate that our synthesized rGO/Cu2O nanocomposite owns strong antibacterial activity,mainly stemming from the uniformly incorporated Cu2O nanocrystals with a lateral size of 5–40 nm.
文摘Metallic nanoparticles and carbon nanomaterials have been extensively studied in enhanced oil recovery.Carbon nanotube(CNT)/TiO_(2) nanocomposite is synthesized and investigated in terms of contact angle,interfacial tension(IFT),emulsion stability,etc.Its performance in oil displacement in porous media is evaluated through glass micromodel experiment.The synthesized CNT/TiO_(2) is composed of TiO_(2)-based nanocomposites and CNTs as reinforcement phase.TiO_(2) is the dominant crystalline phase,and TiO_(2) nanoparticles cover on the CNTs.CNT/TiO_(2) nanocomposite is able to alter the wetting conditions of the rock from strong oil-wet to hydrophilic conditions and effectively reduce the interfacial tension.CNT/TiO_(2) nanocomposite plays an effective role in stabilizing the Pickering emulsions,and even forms stable emulsions at high temperature as 90℃.For NaCl concentration of up to 2%,a stable emulsion can be formed even after 7 days.It is observed from glass micromodel experiments that the CNT/TiO_(2) nanofluid provides a higher recovery factor denoting its promising performance in enhanced oil recovery.
基金provided by Department of Science and Technology,New Delhi,India,under the Water Technology Initiative(WTI)scheme(Project code:DST/TM/WTI/2K15/101(G)).
文摘TiO_(2)-ZnO nanocomposites were synthesized by varying Ti:Zn molar ratio from 1:0.1(TZ-1:0.1)to 1:1(TZ-1:1).With increase in Zn content,from TZ-1:0.1 to TZ-1:0.2,anatase transformed to rutile phase.TZ-1:0.3,which contained a blend of phases,including rutile and anatase TiO_(2),ZnO,and zinc titanates,exhibited the narrowest bandgap(2.5±0.1 e V),and showed the highest photocatalytic activity.TZ-1:1 was predominated by zinc titanates.All the nanocomposites exhibited narrower bandgaps compared to pure TiO_(2)nanoparticles,facilitating visible light activity.This study was designed to explore whether a method targeting the removal of a specific crystalline phase(anatase)influenced the properties and photocatalytic activity of the nanocomposite.Selective dissolution not only removed anatase phase,but also led to significant loss of crystallinity,widened the bandgap,and adversely affected photocatalytic performance,in nanocomposites that contained>80%anatase phase(TZ-1:0.1 and TZ-1:0.2).However,in nanocomposites that contained less of anatase phase(TZ-1:0.3and TZ-1:1),the morphology,bandgap,crystallinity,and the extent of photocatalytic activity at the end of 240 min remained largely unaffected.Photocatalytic activity in TZ-1:0.3 and TZ-1:1 originated from a blend of phases comprising of less photocatalytically active phases,such as rutile TiO_(2),Zn TiO3,and Zn2TiO4,rather than from the anatase phase.The Ti:Zn molar ratio controlled the phases present in TiO_(2)-ZnO nanocomposites,which,in turn,controlled the physicochemical properties and visible light activity.Thus,in nanocomposites that contained a mix of several phases,the properties and photocatalytic activity were not dependent on anatase phase.