Comparative structural and electrochemical properties of mixed P2/O′3-layered sodium nickel manganese oxide prepared by sol-gel and electrospinning methods:Effect of Na-excess content

The effect of Na-excess content in the precursor on the structural and electrochemical performances of sodium nickel manganese oxide(NNMO)prepared by sol-gel and electrospinning methods is investigated in this paper.X-ray diffraction results of the prepared NNMO without adding Na-excess content indicate sodium loss,while the mixed phase of P2/O′3-type layered NNMO presented after adding Na-excess content.Compared with the sol-gel method,the secondary phase of NiO is more suppressed by using the electrospinning method,which is further confirmed by field emission scanning electron microscope images.N_(2) adsorption-desorption isotherms show no remarkably difference in specific surface areas between different preparation methods and Na-excess contents.The analysis of X-ray absorption near edge structure indicates that the oxidation states of Ni and Mn are+2 and+4,respectively.For the electrochemical properties,superior electrochemical performance is observed in the NNMO electrode with a low Na-excess content of 5wt%.The highest specific capacitance is 36.07 F·g^(-1)at0.1 A·g^(-1)in the NNMO electrode prepared by using the sol-gel method.By contrast,the NNMO electrode prepared using the electrospinning method with decreased Na-excess content shows excellent cycling stability of 100%after charge-discharge measurements for 300 cycles.Therefore,controlling the Na excess in the precursor together with the preparation method is important for improving the electrochemical performance of Na-based electrode materials in supercapacitors.

The structural and magnetic properties of barium ferrite powders prepared by the sol-gel method

In this paper, M-type hexagonal barium ferrite powders are synthesized using the sol-gel method. A dried precursor heated in air is analyzed in the temperature range from 50 to 1200 ℃ using thermo-gravimetric analysis and differential scanning calorimetry. The effects of the additives and the cacinating temperature on the magnetic properties are investigated, and the results show that single-phase barium ferrite powders can be formed. After heat-treating at 950 ℃ for 4h with 3 wt% additive, the coercivity and saturation magnetization are found to be 440 Oe and 57.9 emu/g, respectively.

Structural, Optical and Luminescence Properties of ZnO Thin Films Prepared by Sol-Gel Spin-Coating Method： Effect of Precursor Concentration

Transparent zinc oxide（ZnO） thin films are fabricated by a simple sol-gel spin-coating technique on glass substrates with different solution concentrations（0.3-1.2 M） using zinc acetate dehydrate [Zn（CH_3COO）_2·2H_2O] as precursor and isopropanol and monoethanolamine（MEA） as solvent and stabilizer, respectively. The molar ratio of zinc acetate dehydrate to MEA is 1.0. X-ray diffraction, ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy and photoluminescence spectroscopy are employed to investigate the effect of solution concentration on the structural and optical properties of the ZnO thin films. The obtained results of all thin films are discussed in detail and are compared with other experimental data.

Preparation and Magnetic Properties of (Fe_7Co_3)_(0.15)(SiO_2)_(0.85)Granular Solids Using the Sol-Gel Method

(Fe7Co3)0.15(SiO2)0.85 granular alloy solid was prepared successfully using sol-gel method. The samples with different reducing temperatures were investigated by X-ray diffractometer(XRD),transmission electron micrography(TEM) and vibrating sample magnetometer(VSM). The av-erage particIe sizes of the samples were also calculated from Scherrer formula. The magnetic properties of (Fe7Co3 )o. 15 (SiO2)0.85 were studied in detail.

Synthesis of Long Afterglow Phosphor CaAl_2Si_2O_8∶Eu~ (2+), Dy^(3+) via Sol-Gel Technique and Its Optical Properties

The long afterglow phosphor CaAl2Si2O8：Eu^2＋ , Dy^3＋ was prepared by a sol-gel method. The sol-gel process and the structure of the phosphor were investigated by means of X-ray diffraction analysis （XRD）. It is found that the single anorthite phase formed at about 1000 %, which is 300 % lower than that required for the conventional solid state reaction. The obtained phosphor powders are easier to grind than those of solid state method and the partical size of phosphor has a relative narrow distribution of 200 to 500 nm. The photoluminescence and afterglow properties of the phosphor were also characterized. An obvious blue shift occurs in the excitation and emission spectra of phosphors obtained by sol-gel and solid state reaction methods. The change of the fluorescence spectra can be attributed to the sharp decrease of the crystalline grain size of the phosphor resulted from the sol-gel technique.

Ferroelectric properties of sol-gel derived Nd-doped SrBi_4Ti_4O_(15) thin films

Neodymium-doped strontium bismuth titanate （SrBi4-xNdxTi4O15） ferroelectric thin films were fabricated using the sol-gel method on Pt/Ti/SiO2/Si substrates. The influence of Nd content on the microstructure and ferroelectric properties of SrBi4-xNdxTi4O15 thin films were systematically studied. The results indicated that the SrBi3.88Nd0.12Ti4O15 （SBNT0.12） thin films had better ferroelectric properties, with a remanent polarization of （2Pr） of 34.3 μC/cm^2 and a coercive field （2Ec） of 220 kV/cm. This could be attributed to the fact that SBNT0.12 ferroelectric thin films consisted of more and larger ball-like grains, approximately 150-200 nm, with structure distortion, which greatly contributed to the improvement of the ferroelectric properties of the films. Furthermore, the film exhibited a good fatigue resistant property. The value of 2Pr after 10^10 switching cycles did not change significantly. The SrBi3.88Nd0.12Ti4O15 films were promising candidates for the application of FeRAMs.

Structure distortion, optical and electrical properties of ZnO thin films co-doped with Al and Sb by sol-gel spin coating

ZnO thin films co-doped with A1 and Sb with different concentrations and a fixed molar ratio of AlCl3 to SbCl3 at 1：2, are prepared by a sol-gel spin-coating method on glass annealed at 550 ℃ for 2 h in air. The x-ray diffraction results confirm that the ZnO thin films co-doped with Al distortion, and the biaxial stresses are 1.03× 10^8. 3.26× 10^8 and Sb are of wurtzite hexagonal ZnO with a very small 5.23 × 10^8, and 6.97× 10^8 Pa, corresponding to those of the ZnO thin films co-doped with Al and Sb in concentrations of 1.5, 3.0, 4.5, 6.0 at% respectively. The optical properties reveal that the ZnO thin films co-doped with Al and Sb have obviously enhanced transmittance in the visible region. The electrical properties show that ZnO thin film co-doped with Al and Sb in a concentration of 1.5 at% has a lowest resistivity of 2.5 Ω·cm.

Effect of Annealing Temperature on the Ferroelectric Properties of BiFeO_3 Thin Films Prepared by Sol-gel Process

Sol-gel process was adopted to prepare BiFeO3 films.BiFeO3 films were deposited on LaNiO3 coated Si（100） substrates annealed at 500 and 550 ℃,respectively.The X-ray diffraction results reveal that BiFeO3 film has a rhombohedrally distorted perovskite structure with space group R3c.The film annealed at 500 ℃ has larger remnant polarization（Pr） of 35.3 μC/cm2.For the film annealed at 550 ℃,smaller remnant polarization of Pr=4.8 μC/cm^2 is observed for its low breakdown electric field.Lower leakage conduction is observed in the film annealed at 500 ℃ at low applied field.

Synthesis and Characterization of Nanocrystalline SrAl_2O_4∶Eu, Dy Long Afterglow Phosphors by Sol-Gel Method

Eu 2+, Dy 3+ co-doped nanocrystalline strontium aluminate phosphor powders with brightness and long afterglow were synthesized by the sol-gel method at 1200 ℃ for 2 h. The samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results of XRD show that the single crystalline phase is α-SrAl_2O_4. According to the observation of SEM, the particles of the samples are needle-like. Compared with the samples synthesized by solid state reaction, the grain size of the sol-gel method is to nanometer grade. A clear blue shift occurs in the excitation and emission spectra. The blue shift in nanocrystalline SrAl_2O_4∶Eu, Dy phosphor can be attributed to the quantum-size-effect of the luminescent particles.

Structural and electrical properties of Nd ion modified lead zirconate titanate nanopowders and ceramics

A modified sol-gel method is used for synthesizing Nd ion doped lead zirconate titanate nanopowders Pb1-3x/2^NdxZr0.52Ti0.48O3 （PNZT） in an ethylene glycol system with zirconium nitrate as zirconium source. The results show that it is critical to add lead acetate after the reaction of zirconium nitrate with tetrabutyl titanate in the ethylene glycol system for preparing PNZT with an exact fraction of titanium content. It has been observed that the dopant of excess Nd ions can effectively improve the sintered densification and activity of the PNZT ceramics. Piezoelectric, dielectric and ferroelectric properties of the PNZT ceramics are remarkably enhanced as compared with those of monolithic lead zirconate titanate （PZT）. Especially, the supreme values of piezoelectric constant （d33） and dielectric constant （ε） for the PNZT are both about two times that of the monolithic PZT and moreover, the remnant polarization （Pr） also increases by 30%. According to the analysis of the structures and properties, we attribute the improvement in electrical properties to the lead vacancies caused by the doping of Nd ions.

Preparation and optical characteristics of ZnO films by chelating sol-gel method

The effect of different annealing temperatures on the structure, morphology,and optical properties of ZnO thin films prepared by the chelating sol-gel method was investigated.Zinc-oxide thin films were coated on quartz glass substrates by dip coating. Zinc nitrate, absoluteethanol, and citric acid were used as precursor, solvent, and chelating agent, respectively. Theresults show that ZnO films derived from zinc-citrate have lower crystallization temperature (below400℃), and that the crystal structure is wurtzite. The films, treated over 500℃, consist ofnano-particles and show to be porous at 600℃. The particle size of the film increases with theincrease of the annealing temperature. The largest particle size is 60 nm at 600℃. The opticaltransmittances related to the annealing temperatures become 90% higher in the visible range. Thefilm shows a starting absorption at 380 nm, and the optical band-gap of the thin film (fired at500℃) is 3.25 eV and close to the intrinsic band-gap of ZnO (3.2 eV).

Effect of Na Concentrations on Microstructure and Optical Properties of ZnO Films

Na-doped ZnO thin films were deposited on the glass substrates using sol-gel method. The effect of Na concentrations on the structural and optical properties of ZnO films was studied. As Na concentration increases from 0.0 at% to 16.0 at%, preferential c-axis orientation becomes more and more obvious, and the intensity of the diffraction peaks from （103） increases. The optical band gap Eg value increases from 3.261 to 3.286 eV first and then decreases as Na concentration increases from 0.0 to 2.0 at% and then beyond 2.0 at%. The intensity of all the emissions increases with increasing Na concentration and the origins of the violet emission （wavelength in the 400-407 nm） and the blue emission （wavelength at 473 nm） were discussed in detail.

Influence of Annealing Time on the Microstructure and Properties of Pb(Zr_(0.53)Ti_(0.47))O_3 Thin Films

The PZT thin films were prepared on （111）- Pt/Ti/SiO2/Si substrates by sol-gel method, and lead acetate [Pb（CH3COO）2], zirconium nitrate [Zr（NO3）4] were used as raw materials. The X-ray diffractometer （XRD） and scanning electron microscopy （SEM） were used to characterize the phase structure and surface morphology of the films annealed at 650 ~C but with different holding time. Ferroelectric and dielectric properties of the films were measured by the ferroelectric tester and the precision impedance analyzer, respectively. The PZT thin films were constructed with epoxy resin as a composite structure, and the damping properties of the composite were tested by dynamic mechanical analyzer （DMA）. The results show that the films annealed for 90 minutes present a dense and compact crystal arrangement on the surface; moreover, the films also achieve their best electric quality. At the same time, the largest damping loss factor of the composite constructed with the 90 mins-annealed film shows peak value of 0.9, hi^her than the pure epoxy resin.

Simple Preparation and Characterization of Nano-Crystalline Zinc Oxide Thin Films by Sol-Gel Method on Glass Substrate

Nanocrystalline ZnO thin films have been fabricated by a multi-step solgel method using spin coating technique. Zinc acetate dihydrate, 2-methoxyethanol and monoethanolamine were used as a starting material, solvent and stabilizer, respectively. X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) were employed to characterize structure and morphologies of the as-deposited samples. The results of XRD and SEM showed that the heat treatment conditions, final rotational (spinning) speed, fume exhaust and precise control of concentration of reactants (precursor and solvent used) strongly affect the crystallographic orientation and morphology of the resultant ZnO films. The XRD pattern showed that the ZnO films formed the preferred orientation along c-axis and the grain size is 16nm for the samples. Only one peak corresponding to the (002) plane at 2θ = 34.34 appears on the diffractograms. The as-deposited films had a transparency of greater than 80% in the visible-near IR region from 400 nm - 800 nm. The optical band gap energy and thickness were calculated to be 3.296 eV and 266 nm respectively.

Optical properties of CeO_2/Fe_3O_4 solar control glass coating

A cerium-iron oxide solar control coating on glass was prepared by citric acid sol-gel method, dip-coating techniques and proper heat treatment process. Results show that the cerium-iron glass coating is composed of nanocrystalline CeO2, Fe2O3, and nano holes. The cerium-iron glass coating has high transmittance in visible light, low UV and near IR transmittance. The wavelength of absorption edge for most glass coating has an obvious redshift to about 375 nm. There exist a wide absorption band at the range of 800-1600 nm and high transmittance at the wavelength from 400 nm to 800 nm, and the solar energy and visible transmittances are 50% and 65%, respectively. It ascribes to the high content of trivalence cerium and bivalence iron ions in the cerium/iron coating. It is indicated that this kind of glass coating has very good UV-sheering and heat-insulating property, can be used as an effective solar control glass in automobile and architecture.

Effect of nano powder(Al2O3-CaO)addition on the mechanical properties of the polymer blend matrix composite

This work describes the preparation and study of the properties of composite nanoparticles prepared by the sol-gel method which consists of two materials(Al2 O3-CaO),and study the effect of these nanoparticles on the mechanical behavior of a polymer blend(EP 4%+96%UPE).The powder was evaluated by X-ray diffraction analysis,scanning electron microscopy analysis(SEM),particle size analysis,and energy dispersive X-ray analysis(EDX).The mechanical behavior of the co mposite material was assessed by tensile test,bending test and hardness test.The evaluation results of the composite nanoparticles showed good distribution of the chemical composition between aluminum oxide and calcium oxide,smoothness in particles’size at calcination in high and low temperatures,formation of different shapes of nanoparticles and different(kappa and gamma)phases of the Al2 O particles.The results of mechanical behavior tests showed marked improvement in the mechanical properties of the resulted composite material,especially at 1.5%,compared with polymer blend material without nano powder addition.The tensile properties improved about(24 and 14.9)%and bending resistance about(23.5 and16.8)%and hardness by(25 and 22)%when adding particles of size(63.8 and 68.6)respectively.Therefore,this reflects the efficiency of the proposed method to manufacture the nanoco mposite powder and the possibility of using this powder as a strengthening material for the composite materials and using these composite materials in bio applications,especially in the fabrication of artificial limbs.

Effects of Samarium Doping on Optical Properties of Zn_(0.9)(Co_(1-x)Sm_x )_(0.1)O Diluted Magnetic Semiconductor

Transparent ZnO and Zn0.9(Co1-xSmx)0.1O (x=0.0, 0.10, 0.20, 0.30, 0.40, 0.50, 0.60, 0.70, 0.80, 0.90, 1.0) films were prepared by sol-gel method. For the prepared Zn0.9(Co1-xSmx)0.1O systems, the influences of dopant concentration of Sm on the structural and optical properties were investigated. Three additional absorption peaks around 570, 620, and 660 nm wavelengths were observed in low Sm content films, which is attributed to the d-d transitions of Co2+ ions in tetrahedral crystalline. The redshift of band gap in doped samples was discussed in detail.

Synthesis and Soft Magnetic Properties of Mg-doped Ni Nanoparticles

Mg-doped Ni nanoparticles with good soft magnetic properties were prepared with the sol-gel method and were sintered at 400, 500, 600, and 900℃ in argon atmosphere, respectively. The structure and magnetic properties of the samples were studied by means of X-ray diffraction, TEM, and VSM magnetometers. X-Ray powder diffraction results show that Ni-Mg solid solution was formed with the single phase of face-centered cubic（fcc） structure. The particle size became larger with the increase of temperature. When the sintering temperature was 400 °C, the particle size was 6.3 nm, whereas it was 46.2 nm at 900 °C. Both the saturation magnetization（Ms） and the coercivity were enhanced with the increase of the particle size. The Ms values of the samples ranged from 18.965 to 46.766 emu/g and the coercivity ranged from 1051.3568 to 9145.0848 A/m.

Thermoelectric Properties of Ca_3Co_4O_9 Ceramics

Ca3Co4O9 ceramics were prepared using the sol-gel process with ordinary pressing sintering and their thermoelectric properties were measured from room temperature to 673 K. The experimental results show that single phase Ca3Co4O9 can be fabricated at 750-900 ℃ in different citrate acid molar proportions for 0.2-1.0. For all the oxides, both the Seebeck coefficients S and the electrical conductivitiesκincrease with the increasing temperature. The Seebeck coefficients S are all positive. The thermal conductivities κ increase with the increasing temperature also and the lattice thermal conductivityκl plays an important role to the thermal conductivity κ. The citrate acid molar proportions have a large influence on the particle sizes, which influences the thermoelectric properties of the ceramics. The figure of merit increases with the increasing temperature and reaches 4.5×10^-5 K^-1 at 573 K for the sample in the citrate acid molar proportion of 0.46.

Preparation of Ni/PZT Core-shell Nanoparticles and Their Electromagnetic Properties

The Ni nanoparticles coated with Pb（Zr,Ti）O3（PZT） were synthesized by a sol-gel method and in situ reaction. And their structure, oxidation resistance, and electromagnetic properties were investigated. The X-ray diffraction patterns（XRD） exhibited that a small amount of impure phase characterized to Ni（OH）2 was detected from the ammonia-treated Ni nanoparticles and the ammonia-treated Ni nanoparticles coated with PZT. After being pre-treated with aqueous ammonia, the PZT coating layer was more uniform and about 10 nm in thickness. The oxidation resistance of the ammonia-treated Ni nanoparticles coated with PZT, compared with that of the non-treated ones, was improved by about 66 ℃. The PZT shell layer prepared by in-situ reaction can greatly reduce the dielectric constant and improve the natural resonance loss at high frequency, so as to obtain the optimal impedance matching performance of the electromagnetic wave transmission.