Nitrogen-doped carbon encapsulated in mesoporous TiO2 nanotubes for fast capacitive sodium storage

Controllable synthesis of insertion-type anode materials with beneficial micro-and nanostructures is a promising approach for the synthesis of sodium-ion storage devices with high-reactivity and excellent electrochemical performance.In this study,we developed a sacrificial-templating route to synthesize TiO_(2)@N-doped carbon nanotubes(TiO_(2)@NC-NTs)with excellent electrochemical performance.The asprepared mesoporous TiO_(2)@NC-NTs with tiny nanocrystals of anatase TiO_(2) wrapped in N-doped carbon layers showed a well-defined tube structure with a large specific surface area of 198 m^(2) g^(-1) and a large pore size of~5 nm.The TiO_(2)@NC-NTs delivered high reversible capacities of 158 m A h g^(-1) at 2 C(1 C=335 m A g^(-1))for 2200 cycles and 146 m A h g^(-1) at 5 C for 4000 cycles,as well as an ultrahigh rate capability of up to 40 C with a capacity of 98 m A h g^(-1).Even at a high current density of 10 C,a capacity of 138 m A h g^(-1) could be delivered over 10,000 cycles.Thus,the synthesis of mesoporous TiO_(2)@NC-NTs was demonstrated to be an efficient approach for developing electrode materials with high sodium storage and long cycle life.

Photocatalytic Oxidation of Low Molecular Weight Hydrocarbon Gases over Pt-TiO2 Nanotubes

Pt-TiO2 nanotubes with tube diameter of -120 nm and uniformly dispersed Pt particles（size of -2 nm） were successfully synthesized via a carbon nanotube（CNT） templating method followed by a photo-deposition processing of Pt nanoparticles. The as-obtained Pt-TiO2 NTs possess both enhanced visible light absorption and reduced recombination of photogenerated electrons and holes. These merits boost the Pt-TiO2 NTs an excellent photocatalytic material toward photooxidation of a variety of low molecular hydrocarbons under atmospheric environment.

Preparation and Characterization of TiO2 Nanotubes Decorated by CuO and CeO2 Particles

A novel catalyst,TiO2 nanotubes(TiO2 NTs)composite decorated by CuO and CeO2 particles,was prepared by a simple and cost-effective method.The TiO2 NTs were fabricated by the hydrothermal method,and CuO and CeO2 particles loaded onto TiO2 NTs(CuO/CeO2@TiO2 NTs)were prepared by the water bath heating method.The CuO/CeO2@TiO2 NTs were investigated and characterized by transmission electron microscope(TEM),energy dispersive spectrometer(EDS),photoluminescence(PL),X-ray diffractometer(XRD)and ultraviolet-visible light diffuse reflectance spectrum(UV-Vis DRS).Both the p-n heterojunction formed at the p-CuO and n-TiO2 interfaces and the highly induced electron transfer of CeO2 can greatly promote the separation of electrons-holes.Therefore,CuO/CeO2@TiO2 NTs show enhanced absorption and have potential applications in photocatalysis.

Synthesis of Bi-doped TiO2 Nanotubes and Enhanced Photo-catalytic Activity for Hydrogen Evolution from Glycerol Solution

Bi-doped TiO2 nanotubes with variable Bi/Ti ratios were synthesized by hydrothermal treatment in 10 mol·L^-1 NaOH （aq.） through using Bi-doped TiO2 particles derived from conventional sol-gel method as starting materials. The effects of Bi content on the morphology, textural properties, photo absorption and photocatalytic activity of TiO2 nanotubes were investigated. The scanning electron microscopy （SEM）, transmission electron microscopy （TEM）, X-ray diffraction （XRD） and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy （XPS） observations of the obtained samples revealed the formation of titanate nanotube structure doped with Bi, which exists as a higher oxidation state than Bi3＋. Bi-doping TiO2 nanotubes exhibited an extension of light absorption into the visible region and improved photocatalytic activities for hydrogen production from a glycerol/water mixed solution as compared with pure TiO2 nanotubes. There was an optimal Bi-doped content for the photocatalytic hydrogen production, and high content of Bi would retard the phase transition of titanate to anatase and result in morphology change from nanotube to nano- belt, which in turn decreases the photocatlytic activity for hydrogen evolution.

Effect of size and crystalline phase of TiO2 nanotubes on cell behaviors: A high throughput study using gradient TiO2 nanotubes

The research of TiO2 nanotubes(TNTs)in the field of biomedicine has been increasingly active.However,given the diversity of the nanoscale dimension and controversial reports,our understanding of the structure-property relationships of TNTs is not yet complete.In this paper,gradient TNTs with a wide diameter range of 20-350 nm were achieved by bipolar electrochemistry and utilized for a thorough high-throughput study of the effect of nanotube dimension and crystalline phase on protein adsorption and cell behaviors.Results indicated that protein adsorption escalated with nanotube dimension whereas cell proliferation and differentiation are preferred on small diameter(<70 nm)nanotubes.Large diameter anatase nanotubes had higher adsorption of serum proteins than as-prepared ones.But only as-prepared small diameter nanotubes presented slightly higher cell proliferation than corresponding annealed nanotubes whereas there was no discernible difference between as-prepared and annealed nanotubes on cell differentiation for the entire gradient.Those findings replenish previous research about how cell responses to TNTs with a wide diameter range and provide scientific guidance for the optimal design of biomedical materials.

Improving the fretting biocorrosion of Ti6Al4V alloy bone screw by decorating structure optimised TiO2 nanotubes layer

TiO2 nanotubes(NT)has been demonstrated its potential in orthopaedic applications due to its enhanced surface wettability and bio-osteointegration.However,the fretting biocorrosion is the main concern that limited its successfully application in orthopaedic application.In this study,a structure optimised thin TiO2 nanotube(SONT)layer was successfully created on Ti6Al4V bone screw,and its fretting corrosion performance was investigated and compared to the pristine Ti6Al4V bone screws and NT decorated screw in a bone-screw fretting simulation rig.The results have shown that the debonding TiO2 nanotube from the bone screw reduced significantly,as a result of structure optimisation.The SONT layer also exhibited enhanced bio-corrosion resistance compared pristine bone screw and conventionally NT modified bone screw.It is postulated that interfacial layer between TiO2 nanotube and Ti6Al4V substrate,generated during structure optimisation process,enhanced bonding of TiO2 nanotube layer to the Ti6Al4V bone screws that leading to the improvement in fretting corrosion resistance.The results highlighted the potential SONT in orthopaedic application as bone fracture fixation devices.

Electro-Optics and Band Gap Energies of Nanosilver-Coated TiO2 Nanotubes on Titanium Metal

TiO2 nanotubes on Ti metal surface were prepared by the electrochemical anodization method. Then, nanosilver was deposited onto the nanotubes by the electroless dip coating and the anodization. The obtained TiO2 nanotubes were examined by using scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, cyclic voltammetry, and UV–Vis. The electrochemical band gap（Eg^CV） of the nanosilver-coated TiO2 nanotubes prepared by the anodization was found as 1.54 eV. Using the UV–Vis measurements, the optical band gap energy（Eg^op.） was calculated as 1.51 eV for the Ag/TiO2 nanotubes obtained by electroless dip coating. The electrical conductivity of the TiO2 nanotubes also increased from 3.0 × 10^-4 to 34.7 S/cm after nano Ag deposition by the anodization method.These Ag/TiO2 nanotubes with low band gap and high electrical conductivity are desirable for the applications in electronics, Li-ion batteries, and solar cells.

Direct Electrochemistry of Hemoglobin on Vertically Aligned Carbon Hybrid TiO2 Nanotubes and Its Highly Sensitive Biosensor Performance

The present work is focused on developing a novel biomaterial platform to achieve enhanced direct electron transfer （DET） of hemoprotein and higher biosensor performance on vertically aligned carbon hybrid TiO2 nanotubes （C-TiO2 NTs）. Using a simple surfactant-assisted method, controllable hybridization of TiO2 NTs with conductive amorphous carbon species is realized. The obtained C-TiO2 NTs is ingeniously chosen to serve as an ideal ＂vessel＂ for protein immobilization and biosensor applications. Results show that the appropriate hybridization of C into TiO2 NTs leads to a much better conductivity of TiO2 NTs without destroying their preponderant tubular structures or damaging their excellent biocompatibility and hydrophilicity. When used in loading proteins, the C-TiO2 NTs can be used as a super vessel for rapid and substantive immobilization of hemoglobin （Hb）, with a large surface electroactive Hb coverage （I＊） of 3.3 × 10 9 mol·cm^-2. Enhanced DET of Hb is commendably observed on the constructed Hb/C-TiO2 NTs biosensor with a couple of well-defined redox peaks in a fast electron transfer process. The biosensor further exhibits fast response, high sensitivity and stability for the amperometric biosensing of H202 with the detection limit as low as 3.1 × 10^-8 mol/L.

Deciphering controversial results of cell proliferation on TiO2 nanotubes using machine learning

With the rapid development of biomedical sciences,contradictory results on the relationships between biological responses and material properties emerge continuously,adding to the challenge of interpreting the incomprehensible interfacial process.In the present paper,we use cell proliferation on titanium dioxide nanotubes(TNTs)as a case study and apply machine learning methodologies to decipher contradictory results in the literature.The gradient boosting decision tree model demonstrates that cell density has a higher impact on cell proliferation than other obtainable experimental features in most publications.Together with the variation of other essential features,the controversy of cell proliferation trends on various TNTs is understandable.By traversing all combinational experimental features and the corresponding forecast using an exhausted grid search strategy,we find that adjusting cell density and sterilization methods can simultaneously induce opposite cell proliferation trends on various TNTs diameter,which is further validated by experiments.This case study reveals that machine learning is a burgeoning tool in deciphering controversial results in biomedical researches,opening up an avenue to explore the structure-property relationships of biomaterials.

BiVO4/TiO2(N2) Nanotubes Heterojunction Photoanode for Highly Efficient Photoelectrocatalytic Applications

We report the development of a novel visible response BiVO_4/TiO_2(N_2) nanotubes photoanode for photoelectrocatalytic applications. The nitrogen-treated TiO_2 nanotube shows a high carrier concentration rate, thus resulting in a high efficient charge transportation and low electron–hole recombination in the TiO_2–BiVO_4. Therefore, the BiVO_4/TiO_2(N_2) NTs photoanode enabled with a significantly enhanced photocurrent of 2.73 mA cm^(-2)(at 1 V vs. Ag/Ag Cl) and a degradation efficiency in the oxidation of dyes under visible light. Field emission scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffractometry, energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometer, and UV–Vis absorption spectrum were conducted to characterize the photoanode and demonstrated the presence of both metal oxides as a junction composite.

TEM Study on the Formation Process of TiO_2 Nanotubes

The process, that the polycrystalline TiO2 powders were converted into TiO2 nanotubes, was observed with transmission electron microscope. The results obtained indicated that in concentrated NaOH aqueous solution, anisotropic swelling appears on the polycrystalline TiO2 granula at first, and then the nanotubes are formed.

Fabrication, annealing, and electrocatalytic properties of platinum nanoparticles supported on self-organized TiO_2 nanotubes

The platinum nanoparticles supported on self-organized TiO2 nanotubes （Pt-TiO2/Ti） were prepared using electrochemical anodic oxidation followed by cathodic reduction. The structure and chemical nature of the Pt-TiO2/Ti electrocatalyst were investigated by X-ray diffraction （XRD） and scanning electron microscopy （SEM）. Both XRD and SEM results indicate the presence of platinum on nanotubular TiO2. The stability of the Pt deposits was also investigated in 0.5 mol/L H2SO4 solution by cyclic voltammetry. The electrocatalytic activity of the Pt-TiO2/Ti catalyst exhibits enhancement effect during electro-oxidation of methanol when annealed to anatase. Successive cyclic voltam- mograms of methanol oxidation on the Pt-TiO2/Ti electrocatalyst shows unique electrocatalytic characteristics when compared to methanol oxidation on the bulk Pt catalyst. This is because of further quick oxidation of adsorbed CO by Pt （111） facets of Pt particles on self-organized TiO2 nanotubes when the formation of an electroactive film onto the working catalyst surface occurs.

Inverted polymer solar cells with employing of electrochemical-anodizing synthesized TiO_2 nanotubes

An inverted structure of polymer solar cells based on Poly（3-hexylthiophene）（P3HT）：[6-6] Phenyl-（6） butyric acid methyl ester （PCBM） with using thin films of TiO2 nanotubes and nanoparticles as an efficient cathode buffer layer is developed. A total of three cells employing TiO2 thin films with different thickness values are fabricated. Two cells use layers of TiO2 nanotubes prepared via self-organized electrochemical-anodizing leading to thickness values of 203 and 423.7 nm, while the other cell uses only a simple sol-gel synthesized TiO2 thin film of nanoparticles with a thickness of 100 nm as electron transport layer. Experimental results demonstrate that TiO2 nanotubes with these thickness values are inefficient as the power conversion efficiency of the cell using 100-nm TiO2 thin film is 1.55%, which is more than the best power conversion efficiency of other cells. This can be a result of the weakness of the electrochemical anodizing method to grow nanotubes with lower thickness values. In fact as the TiO2 nanotubes grow in length the series resistance （Rs） between the active polymer layer and electron transport layer increases, meanwhile the fill factor of cells falls dramatically which finally downgrades the power conversion efficiency of the cells as the fill factor falls.

TiO_2 nanotubes:A novel solid phase extraction adsorbent for the sensitive determination of nickel in environmental water samples

A novel method was developed for the sensitive determination of nickel in environmental water samples by using TiO2 nanotubes, a new nanomaterial, as solid phase extraction absorbent. In general, TiO2 nanomaterials were often used for catalytic degradation of pollutants in environmental field, and only a very few application in environmental analytic chemistry. In present work, TiO2 nanotubes was firstly used for the enrichment of nickel and the factors would influence the preconcentration performance were optimized. Under the optimal conditions, TiO2 nanotubes exhibited its good enrichment capacity for nickel and the detection limit of the proposed method was 1 ng· mL^-1. The proposed method was validated with real water samples, and excellent results were obtained with the spiked recoveries in the range of 94.4-99.2%, respectively.

Analysis of the factors controlling performances of Au-modified TiO2 nanotube array based photoanode in photo-electrocatalytic(PECa)cells

The efficiency of photo-electrocatalytic（PECa） devices for the production of solar fuels depends on several limiting factors such as light harvesting, charge recombination and mass transport diffusion. We analyse here how they influence the performances in PECa cells having a photo-anode based on Au-modified TiOnanotube（TNT） arrays, with the aim of developing design criteria to optimize the photo-anode and the PECa cell configuration for water photo-electrolysis（splitting） and ethanol photo-reforming processes.The TNT samples were prepared by controlled anodic oxidation of Ti foils and then decorated with gold nanoparticles using different techniques to enhance the visible light response through heterojunction and plasmonic effects. The activity tests were made in a gas-phase reactor, as well as in a PECa cell without applied bias. Results were analysed in terms of photo-generated current, Hproduction rate and photoconversion efficiency. Particularly, a solar-to-hydrogen efficiency of 0.83% and a Faradaic efficiency of 91%were obtained without adding sacrificial reagents.

Enhanced hydrogen production activity over BiOX–TiO2 under solar irradiation:Improved charge transfer through bismuth oxide clusters

A series of titania nanoparticles and nanotubes deposited with various quantities of bismuth（Bi） were prepared via sol-gel and hydrothermal methods, respectively. They were then characterized using X-ray diffraction spectroscopy（XRD）, X-ray photo electron spectroscopy（XPS）, UV–Vis diffused reflectance spectra（DRS）, photoluminescence spectra（PLS）, transmission electron microscopy（TEM）, energy dispersive analysis of X-rays（EDAX）, and BET surface analysis. These catalysts were employed for the photocatalytic production of hydrogen from a mixture of pure water and glycerol under solar light irradiation. The presence of the Bispecies was found to play a vital role in enhancing activity while minimizing electron hole recombination（relative to bare TiO）. The nanotubes exhibited better activity than the nanoparticles of Bi-deposited TiO, showing the significance of the morphology; however, photocatalytic activity is predominantly dependent on the deposition of bismuth. The activity increased by approximately an order of magnitude at the optimum concentration of Bi deposited over TiO（2 wt%）. The presence of the Bispecies played a vital role in minimizing electron hole recombination, resulting in higher activity compared to bare TiO.

Effect of the support calcination temperature on selective hydrodesulfurization of TiO_2 nanotubes supported CoMo catalysts

TiOz nanotubes （TiO2-NTs） were synthesized by the hydrothermal method. Co and Mo active components were supported on a series of the as-prepared TiO2-NTs samples which were calcined at different temperatures. The effects of support calcination temperature of CoMo/TiOz- NTs catalysts on their catalytic performance were investigated for selective hydrodesulfurization （HDS）. The samples were characterized by means of the scanning electron microscopy （SEM）, the transmission electron microscopy （TEM）, N2 adsorption-desorption, X-ray diffraction （XRD）, Raman spectroscopy and H2 temperature-programmed reduction （Hz-TPR）. The experimental results revealed that TiOz-NTs support calcined under 500℃ can maintain the nanotubular structure with higher surface area and pore volume. Meanwhile, the obtained supported CoMo/TiO2-NTs catalysts exhibited weak metal-support interaction, more octahedral Mo6＋ species and high catalytic performance in selective HDS.

Carbon Nanotube Coating on Titanium Substrate Modified with TiO_2 Nanotubes

A combination of carbon nanotubes （CNTs） and titanium （Ti） modified with TiO2 nanotubes （TiO2 NTs） was fulfilled with the aim of improving bioactivity of Ti implant.First,well-ordered TiO2 NTs were prepared by the electrochemical anodization of Ti in an ethylene glycol electrolyte containing 1 wt% NH4F and 10 wt% H2O at 20 V for 50 min,followed by annealing.Then,the carboxylated CNTs were coated onto the TiO2 NTs using electrophoretic deposition （EPD） technique.The growth of hydroxyapatite （HA） on the samples was investigated by soaking them in simulated body fluid （SBF）.The result showed the CNTs-coated Ti with the modification of TiO2 NTs （CNTs-TiO2 NTs） was more efficient to induce HA formation than the CNTs-coated smooth Ti （CNTs-Ti）.The vitro cell response was evaluated using osteoblast cells （MC3T3-E1）.The good cell proliferation and strong cell adhesion could be obtained on the CNTs-TiO2 NTs.These results indicated that CNT coating on the Ti modified with TiO2 NTs could be potentially useful for the periodontal ligament combination on dental implants.

Nickel sulfide modified TiO_2 nanotubes with highly efficient photocatalytic H_2 evolution activity

TiO2 nanotubes（TNTs） with nickel sulfide（NiS） co-catalyst were prepared by a simple solvothermal method and characterized by X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscope, N2-physisorption, UV–vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy and photoluminescence spectroscopy. Loading NiS nano-clusters can significantly enhance the photocatalytic H2 evolution performance of TNTs. The optimum NiS loading content was found to be 8 wt% and the corresponding hydrogen production rate is ca. 7486 μmol/h/g, being about 79 times higher than that of pure TNTs. This enhancement of photocatalytic H2 evolution was attributed to the synergistic effect between NiS and TNTs.

Photo-degradation of Acid-red 3B dye catalyzed by TiO_2 nanotubes

TiO2 nanotube precursor was synthesized by the hydrothermal reaction of TiO2 powders with NaOH solution and the properties of the nanotube materials were tuned using different post-treatments. Transmission electron microscopic （TEM） observation revealed that the nanotube could be obtained by either a direct rinse with acid solution or rinse with distilled water followed by acid solution. The results of X-ray diffraction （XRD） and inductively coupled plasma （ICP） analysis indicated that the nanotube material was composed of H2Ti2O5·H2O. In addition, the photocatalytic activities of the resulting catalysts were found to be strongly dependent on the post-treatment. The results of the photocatalytic reaction showed that the degradation of Acid-red 3B dye fitted pseudo-zero-order kinetics and TiO2 nanotube prepared under direct rinse with acid solution exhibited a higher catalytic efficiency compared to other catalysts.