Synergistic effect of lithiophilic Zn nanoparticles and N-doping for stable Li metal anodes

Li metal is the most ideal anode material for next-generation high energy lithium-ion batteries.The uncontrollable growth of Li dendrites,however,hinders its practical application.Herein,we propose the adoption of Zn nanoparticles uniformly embedded in N-doped carbon polyhedra homogeneously built on carbon cloth(Zn@NC@CC)to prevent the formation of Li dendrites.Based on theoretical calculation and experimental observation,lithiophilic Zn nanoparticles and N-doping inside of the assynthesized Zn@NC play a synergistic role in enhancing the adsorption capacity with Li,thus resulting in uniform Li deposition and complete suppression of Li dendrites.Moreover,the porous N-doped carbon polyhedras uniformly distributed on carbon cloth effectively relieves the volume change of Li upon repeated Li stripping/plating process,which contributes to preserving the structural integrity of the whole electrode and hence enhancing its long-term cycling stability.Benefiting from these synergistic effects,the Li-Zn@NC@CC electrode delivers a prolonged lifespan of over 1200 h at 1 mA cm^(-2) with an areal capacity of 1 mA h cm^(-2) in symmetric cells and high Coulombic efficiencies of 95.4%under an ultrahigh capacity of 12 mA h cm^(-2).Remarkably,Li-Zn@NC@CC//LiFePO_(4) full cells deliver a high reversible capacity of 110.2 mA h g^(-1) at 1 C over 200 cycles.

Defective ZnS nanoparticles anchored in situ on N-doped carbon as a superior oxygen reduction reaction catalyst

Defect engineering has been used to develop low-cost and effective catalysts to boost oxygen reduction reactions.However,the development of catalysts that use metal cation vacancies as the active sites for oxygen reduction reaction is lacking.In this study,ZnS nanoparticles on N-doped carbon serve as an oxygen reduction reaction catalyst.These catalysts were prepared via a one-step method at 900℃.Amazingly,the high-resolution transmission electron microscope image revealed obvious defects in the ZnS nanoparticles.These facilitated the catalyst synthesis,and the product displayed good electrocatalytic performance for the oxygen reduction reaction in an alkaline medium,including a lower onset potential,lower mid-wave potential,four electron transfer process,and better durability compared with 20 wt%Pt/C.More importantly,the density functional theory results indicated that using the Zn vacancies in the prepared catalyst as active sites required a lower reaction energy to produce OOH*from*OO toward oxygen reduction reaction.Therefore,the proposed catalyst with Zn vacancies can be used as a potential electrocatalyst and may be substitutes for Pt-based catalysts in fuel cells,given the novel catalyst’s resulting performance.

Delivering DNA into Plant Cell by Gene Carriers of ZnS Nanoparticles

The development of nanotechnology provides a new method for genetic engineering.However,the nanoparticles as gene carriers have been mainly used in the mammalian cells so far.We observed that ZnS nanoparticles modified with positively charged poly-L-lysine（PLL） successfully delivered GUS-encoding plasmid DNA into tobacco cells by means of ultrasound-assisted method.Polymerase chain reaction（PCR） detection,Southern blot analysis and GUS histochemical staining were carried out for the regenerated plants.The stable genetic modified plants mediated by ZnS nanoparticles can be obtained.This article demonstrates the great potential of nanoparticles as gene carrier in plant transformation and proves a novel approach for plant genetic decoration.

The Site Symmetry of Eu^(3+) in ZnS:Eu Nanoparticle

Nanosized ZnS doped with different concentrations of Eu3+ were prepared andanalyzed by x-ray diffraction technique. The experimental results show that ZnS belongs to thecubic structure. From the photoluminescence (PL) emission spectra, it can be seen that the ratioof the emission intensity of Eu3+ at 616 nm to that at 590 nm increases as the increasing of Eu3+.This phenomenon reveals that the site symmetry of Eu3+ reduces as the increasing of Eu3+.

Synthesis of ZnS nanoparticles by solid-liquid chemical reaction with ZnO and Na_2S under ultrasonic

A novel and simple solid-liquid chemical reaction route was proposed to synthesize ZnS nanoparticles.In the method,ZnS nanoparticles were prepared by reaction of ZnO and Na2S in water with ultrasonic radiation at low temperature.The effects of process parameters on the properties of ZnS particles were investigated.The products were characterized by X-ray diffraction(XRD), scanning electron microscopy(SEM),transmission electron microscopy(TEM),infrared spectroscopy(IR),thermogravimetrydifferential thermogravimetry(TG-DTG)and fluorescence emission spectroscopy.The results show that these particles are good crystalline zinc blende with average size of 35 nm,and possess good IR transmittance in the range of 400 to 4 000 cm1and good thermal stability in oxygen.

Enhanced Photoelectrochemical Property of Zn Loaded TiO2 Nanotube Arrays Electrode

TiO2 nanotube arrays （TNTs） electrode loaded with Zn nanoparticles was prepared by anodization and the size of Zn nanoparticle loaded on TNTs electrode was controlled by chronoamperometry deposition time. Results of SEM and XRD analysis show that Zn nanoparticles had a diameter of about 15-25 nm when the deposition time was 3-5 s. The UV-Vis diffuse reflectance spectra show the Zn loaded harvest light with 480-780 nm more effectively than the unloaded sample. The photocurrent response of Zn loaded TNTs electrodes were studied, the results showed that TNTs electrodes loaded with Zn nanoparti-cles has 50% increased photocurrent response under high-pressure mercury lamp irradiation compared with unloaded TNTs electrode.

Preparing Nano-ZnS by Solid State Reaction at Room Temperature

ZnS nanoparticles were prepared by using solid-state reaction method at room temperature in agate mortar for the first time. The average particle size was about 20nm. This reaction is affected by the structure of reactant, crystal water and defects.

Influence of Rinse on Self-Activated Luminescence in ZnS Nanocrystallite

The self-activated (SA) luminescence in ZnS nanoparticles was studied by comparing the UV-light irradiation induced spectral change, Raman spectra, and EPR spectra of the un-rinsed and rinsed samples. The results show that the SA centers prefer to occupy the sites near the surface and that the donor of SA emission may be related to organic functional groups such as -OH, -CH 3, and -COO. The EPR signals are enhanced remarkably in the rinsed nanoparticles comparing with that in the un-rinsed ones. It is believed that organic functional groups physically combine with the surface dangling bonds of ZnS nanoparticles, leading the nonradiative transition channels to decrease, and thus the SA emission to increase.

Study of Photocatalytic Activity of a Nanostructured Composite of ZnS and Carbon Dots

Environmental pollution jeopardizes our existence. For this purpose, research is moving more and more towards the search for economic means and green chemistry to curb this phenomenon. In this context, the photocatalytic activity of zinc sulfide nanoparticles (ZnS NPs) and nanostructured composite ZnS/carbon dots (ZnS/CDs) was evaluated after their synthesis. The results of X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis indicate that the crystal structure of ZnS/CDs is identical to that of the cubic phase structure of ZnS, revealing that the cubic phase structure of ZnS was not altered in the presence of CDs. Indeed, there is no additional peak in the crystal structure of ZnS/CDs, revealing that the crystalline structure of ZnS is not responsible for the difference in photocatalytic activity between ZnS/CDs and ZnS NPs. Moreover, analysis performed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) shows aggregation of the synthesized ZnS and ZnS/CDs nanoparticles with an average size estimated around 10 nm and 12 nm, respectively. In addition, the reflectance study in the visible range shows a reduction in the sunlight reflection intensity using ZnS/CDs compared to the capability of ZnS NPs. Photocatalytic degradation tests reveal that ZnS/CDs have the best methylene blue (MB) degradation rate. Indeed, under the optimal conditions, the photocatalytic activity can reach 100% efficiency within 100 min and 240 min of sunlight exposure for the degradation of 7.5 mg/L MB using ZnS/CDs and ZnS, respectively. This improvement in photocatalytic activity of ZnS/CDs may be due to the presence of CDs which can permit to undergo a reduction of reflection properties of ZnS NPs in the visible range. These results show that CDs can play a key role in enhancing the photocatalytic activity of ZnS, and suggest that ZnS/CDs could be used as eco-friendly composite materials for the degradation of organic pollutants of similar structures in the aquatic environment under solar irradiation.

Fabrication of Schiff base coordinated ZnS nanoparticles for enhanced photocatalytic degradation of chlorpyrifos pesticide and detection of heavy metal ions

We report the simple synthesis of zinc sulfide nanoparticles(ZnS NPs)by a co-precipitation method using Schiff base,(2-[(4-methoxy-phenylimino)-methyl]-4-nitrophenol)as a capping agent.The formation of ZnS NPs and their optical,structural,thermal properties and morphologies were studied by means of UVevis DRS,PL,FTIR,XRD,SEM,TEM,and TGA.The optical properties and quantum confinement effect of the products were confirmed by means of spectroscopic measurements.We have accessed the photocatalytic ability of the prepared ZnS and Schiff base capped ZnS NPs in the degradation of chlorpyrifos under UV light irradiation for the prevention of environmental pollution.The prepared ZnS NPs exhibited a selective probe detection of Fe^(3+),Cr^(2+) and Cd^(2+) ions by fluorometrically and the emission band which disappears in the presence of increasing concentrations of Fe^(3+),Cr^(2+) and Cd^(2+) ions.Our work suggested that the synthesized Schiff base capped ZnS NPs could be a potential selective photocatalyst for the degradation of toxic pollutants and a selective probe sensor for the detection of heavy metal ions.

Zn and Ag Co-doped Anti-microbial TiO_2 Coatings on Ti by Micro-arc Oxidation

Micro-porous TiO2 coatings co-doped with Zn^2＋ and Ag nanoparticles were fabricated on Ti by microarc oxidation （MAO） for 0.5, 1.5, 2 and 4 min, respectively. The evolutions of morphology and phase component of the coating as a function of processing time were investigated. The microstructure of the 2 min treated coating was further observed by transmission electron microscopy to explore the coating formation mechanism. The amounts of Ag and Zn released from the 2 min treated coating were measured and the antibacterial properties of the coatings against Staphylococcus aureus （S. aureus） were also investigated. The obtained results showed that with prolonged MAO time, the contents of Ag and Zn on the coating surfaces increased. All the coatings were micro-porous with pore diameters of 1 -4μm; however, some pores were blocked by deposits on the 4 min treated coating. The 2 rain treated coating was composed of amorphous TiO2, anatase, futile, ZnO, Zn2TiO4 and homogenously distributed Ag nanoparticles. After immersion, Zn^2＋, Ag^＋, Ti^2＋ and Ca^2＋ were released from the coating and with the immersion time prolonged, the accumulated concentrations of these ions increased. After immersion for 36 weeks, the accumulated Zn2. and Ag^＋ concentrations were 6.88 and 0.684 ppm, respectively, which are higher than the minimal inhibitory concentration but much lower than the cytotoxic concentration. Compared with polished Ti control, the coatings co-doped with Zn^2＋ and Ag nanoparticles significantly inhibited the ad- hesions of S. uureus and reduced the amounts of planktonic bacteria in culture medium, indicating that the Zn and Ag co-doped TiO2 could be a bio-adaptable coating for long-lasting anti-microbial performance.