Sol-gel-based porous Ti-doped tungsten oxide films for high-performance dual-band electrochromic smart windows

Dual-band electrochromic smart windows(DESWs)with independent control of the transmittance of near-infrared and visible light show great potential in the application of smart and energy-saving buildings.The current strategy for building DESWs is to screen materials for composite or prepare plasmonic nanocrystal films.These rigorous preparation processes seriously limit the further development of DESWs.Herein,we report a facile and effective sol-gel strategy using a foaming agent to achieve porous Ti-doped tungsten oxide film for the high performance of DESWs.The introduction of foaming agent polyvinylpyrrolidone during the film preparation can increase the specific surface area and free carrier concentration of the films and enhance their independent regulation ability of near-infrared electrochromism.As a result,the optimal film shows excellent dual-band electrochromic properties,including high optical modulation(84.9%at 633 nm and 90.3%at 1200 nm),high coloration efficiency(114.9 cm^(2) C^(-1) at 633 nm and 420.3 cm^(2) C^(-1) at 1200 nm),quick switching time,excellent bistability,and good cycle stability(the transmittance modulation losses at 633 and 1200 nm were 11%and 3.5%respectively after 1000 cycles).A demonstrated DESW fabricated by the sol-gel film showed effective management of heat and light of sunlight.This study represents a significant advance in the preparation of dual-band electrochromic films,which will shed new light on advancing electrochromic technology for future energy-saving smart buildings.

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.

Synthesis of bis(indolyl) methanes using aluminiumoxide(acidic) in dry media

Heterogeneous catalyst aluminium oxide(acidic) is found to be an effective catalyst for the solvent-free condensation reaction of indole with aldehydes in microwave irradiation with shorter reaction time and higher yields.

Electrochemical anodic oxidation assisted fabrication of memristors

Owing to the advantages of simple structure,low power consumption and high-density integration,memristors or memristive devices are attracting increasing attention in the fields such as next generation non-volatile memories,neuromorphic computation and data encryption.However,the deposition of memristive films often requires expensive equipment,strict vacuum conditions,high energy consumption,and extended processing times.In contrast,electrochemical anodizing can produce metal oxide films quickly(e.g.10 s) under ambient conditions.By means of the anodizing technique,oxide films,oxide nanotubes,nanowires and nanodots can be fabricated to prepare memristors.Oxide film thickness,nanostructures,defect concentrations,etc,can be varied to regulate device performances by adjusting oxidation parameters such as voltage,current and time.Thus memristors fabricated by the anodic oxidation technique can achieve high device consistency,low variation,and ultrahigh yield rate.This article provides a comprehensive review of the research progress in the field of anodic oxidation assisted fabrication of memristors.Firstly,the principle of anodic oxidation is introduced;then,different types of memristors produced by anodic oxidation and their applications are presented;finally,features and challenges of anodic oxidation for memristor production are elaborated.

Preparation of layered oxide Li(Co_(1/3)Ni_(1/3)Mn_(1/3))O_2 via the sol-gel process

To obtain homogenous layered oxide Li（Co1/3Ni1/3Mn1/3）O2 as a lithium insertion positive electrode material, the sol-gel process using citric acid as a chelating agent was applied. The material Li（Co1/3Ni1/3Mn1/3）O2 was synthesized at different calcination temperatures. XRD experiment indicated that the layered Li（Co1/3Ni1/3Mn1/3）O2 material could be synthesized at a lower temperature of 800℃, and the oxidation state of Co, Ni, and Mn in the cathode confirmed by XPS were ＋3, ＋2, and ＋4, respectively. SEM observations showed that the synthesized material could form homogenous particle morphology with the particle size of about 200 nm. In spite of different calcination temperatures, the charge-discharge curves of all the samples for the initial cycle were similar, and the cathode synthesized at 900℃ showed a small irreversible capacity loss of 11.24% and a high discharge capacity of 212.2 mAh·g^-1 in the voltage range of 2.9-4.6 V.

Hydrous Ruthenium Oxide with High Rate Pseudo-Capacitance Prepared by a New Sol-Gel Process

A kind of ruthenium oxide with smaller particles and higher porosity was prepared by a sol-gel process with RuCl3·xH2O and NaHCO3 solution. Several details concerning this new material, including crystal structure, particle size as functions of the temperature, and electrochemical properties were also reported. The optimal annealing temperature was 210 ℃ and the powder annealed at this temperature had a rate capacitance of 541 F/g. In addition, the rate capacitance of the composite electrode reached 802 F/g after 10% carbon black was added, much higher than any previously reported value. High energy density supercapacitors were built with the newly discovered electrode material. Energy densities as high as 67 J/g were obtained based on the RuO2·xH2O alone. By introducing the highly porous carbon black into the electrode, energy densities great than 100 J/g could be achieved. The power density of the capacitor was enhanced significantly.

Sol-Gel Processed Indium-Doped Zinc Oxide Thin Films and Their Electrical and Optical Properties

Transparent conducting films of zinc oxide and indium-doped zinc oxide have been prepared by a simple and economical sol-gel technique. This process is feasible for the fabrication of high quality TCO thin films when the processing parameters are optimized. It was found that the out-diffusion of oxygen during the vacuum annealing step was a crucial factor to prepare thin layer with superior properties. Annealing lowers the resistivity down to 4.7 10-3?Ω&#183cm for the 1 at.% doped films due to the liberation of high-valency In-dopants and the enhanced film density. At high indium concentrations, the free electron density stabilizes because an increasing number of dopant atoms form some kinds of neutral defects. The neutralized indium atoms do not contribute free electrons. The feasibility to deposit highly transparent ZnO thin films has been demonstrated.

Mechanical and Abrasive Wear Properties of Anodic Oxide Layers Formed on Aluminium

Aluminium oxide coatings were formed on aluminium substrates in oxalic acid-sulphuric acid bath. Abrasion tests of the obtained anodic layers were carried out on a pin-on-disc machine in accordance with the ISO/DP 825 specifications. The rickets microhardness, D （HV0.2）, and the abrasion weight loss, Wa （mg） were measured. Influence of oxalic acid concentration （Cox）, bath temperature （T） and anodic current density （J） on D and Wa has been examined, and the sulphuric acid concentration （Csul） was maintained at 100 g.L-1. It was found that high microhardness and abrasive wear resistance of oxide layers were produced under low temperatures and high current densities with the addition of oxalic acid. The morphology and the composition of the anodic oxide layer were examined by scanning electron microscopy （SEM）, atomic force microscopy （AFM）, optical microscopy and glow-discharge optical emission spectroscopy （GDOES）. It was found that the chemistry of the anodizing electrolyte, temperature, and current density are the controlling factors of the mechanical properties of the anodic oxide layer.

Deposition of Aluminium Oxide Films by Pulsed Reactive Sputtering

Pulsed reactive sputtering is a novel process used to deposit some compound films, which are not deposited by traditional D.C. reactive sputtering easily. In this paper some experimental results about the deposition of Al oxide films by pulsed reactive sputtering are presented. The hysteresis phenomenon of the sputtering voltage and deposition rate with the change of oxygen flow during sputtering process are discussed.

Ultraviolet Spectrum of Nanometer Zinc Oxide Prepared by Sol-Gel Process

Zinc oxide nanometer powders were prepared by the sol-gel process.The sol and the powders characteristic of absorbing ultraviolet light is detected by the ultraviolet spectrometer.The results indicate the concentration of zinc acetate dihydrate in isopropyl alcohol solution and the final pH value of the aqueous sol have effect on the UV absorption of the sol. The nanometer zinc oxide has strong absorption at 200 nm～360 nm,and over 90% ultraviolet in the range of 200 nm～360 nm wavelength are absorbed.The characteristic of absorbing ultraviolet light of zinc oxide increases as the particle size of zinc oxide decreases.

Preparation of Tin Oxide Nanoparticles Using a Sol-Gel Process Based on Tin Dichloride and Absolute Ethanol

Tin oxide nanoparticles with the average size of 17.4 nm (firing at 600℃for 2 h) have been successfully prepared through a sol-gel process starting with tin dichloride and absolute ethanol as precursors.The particles were characterized by TGA,XRD,SEM and TEM.And preliminary sensing properties were given.

Study on the Tin Oxide Sol-Gel Membrane as a pH Sensing Electrode

In this study,tin oxide sensing membrane was derived by sol-gel method and was coated onto indium tin oxide (ITO) glass substrate by spin-coating technique to fabricate a pH sensing electrode.Besides,the morphology of the tin oxide membrane has been discussed through the instrumental analysis.Furthermore,the sensing characteristics of the pH electrode was measured by commercial instrumental amplifier as the readout circuit.Owing to the sol-gel method has many advantages such as easy fabrication of gel solution,ability to dope other materials without any expensive fabricating equipment.Hence,it is suitable for the mass production of a disposable sensor.

Electrospark Coatings Based on WC-Co Alloys with Aluminium Oxide and Carbon Additives

The structure and properties of coatings based on WC-Co alloys containing additives of 1% - 5% aluminium oxide and 2.5% - 4.5% carbon were investigated. The coatings had a nanocrystalline structure. Depending on the duration and frequency of the discharge pulses, the ratio between WC and W2C in the coatings was different. The additives in the hard alloy allowed us increase the microhardness and wear resistance of the coatings by a factor of 2 - 3 in comparison to coatings created using a conventional WC-10%Co alloy.

Fluorine-Doped Tin Oxide Thin Films Deposition by Sol-Gel Technique

In the present work, undoped (SnO2) and fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) thin films were prepared by sol-gel process using a solution composed of (SnCl2, H2O), (NH4F), and ethanol mixture. The fluorine concentration effect on structural, optical and electrical properties of SnO2 films is investigated. The electrical properties of FTO films prepared by sol gel remain relatively lower than the ones deposited by other techniques. In present paper, we try to elucidate this difference. Films composition and the FTIR analysis, of films and formed precipitate during film growth, indicate that few amounts of fluorine are incorporated in SnO2 network, most of fluorine atoms remain in the solution. The films resistivity is reduced from 1.1 Ω·cm for undoped films to 3 × 10-2 Ω·cm for 50 wt.% doped FTO, but remains higher than the reported ones in the literature. This high resistivity is explained in terms of fluorine bonding affinity in the solution.

Characteristics of Magnesium-iron-aluminium Composite Oxides and Their Influence on Properties of Magnesia-based Bricks

The composition,structure and micro-morphology of magnesium- iron- aluminum composite oxides were investigated using various methods such as XRF,SEM,EDS,XRD and KMn O4-titration. Compared to hercynite,the composite oxides have completely different phases including solid solution（ Mg O）0. 77（ Fe O）0. 23,composite spinel Mg Fe0. 2Al1. 8O4 and a small amount of Mg Fe2O4. The composite oxides exhibit excellent corrosion resistance to cement clinker and potassium salts.The products produced by magnesite and the composite oxides show better performance than magnesia- hercynite bricks,especially the corrosion resistance and thermal shock resistance.

Microstructure and mechanical properties of ceramic coatings formed on 6063 aluminium alloy by micro-arc oxidation

The microstructure and mechanical properties of ceramic coatings formed on 6063 aluminium alloy obtained in silicate-,borate- and aluminate-based electrolyte without and with nanoadditive Al2O3 and TiO2 by micro-arc oxidation（MAO） were studied by scanning electron microscopy（SEM）,energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy（EDS）,X-ray diffraction（XRD）,microhardness and friction-abrasion tests,respectively.SEM results show that coatings with nanoadditive have less porosities than those without nanoadditive.XRD results reveal that nanoadditive-containing coatings contain more oxides compared with nanoadditive-free coatings in all cases,which are consistent with the EDS analysis.Mechanical properties tests show that nanoadditive Al2O3-containing coatings have higher microhardness values compared with the other coatings obtained in silicate-,borate- and aluminate-based electrolyte.On the other hand,nanoadditive has a positive effect on improving the wearing-resistance of MAO coatings in all cases.Furthermore,the borate-MAO coatings present an inferior anti-wearing property compared with the silicate- and aluminate-MAO coatings for both the nanoadditive-free and nanoadditive-containing coatings.

Optimizing the micro-arc oxidation (MAO) parameters to attain coatings with minimum porosity and maximum hardness on the friction stir welded AA6061 aluminium alloy welds

Micro-arc oxidation(MAO) technique is capable of producing dense oxide films on the aluminium alloy surface. This oxide film protects the aluminium alloy from the corrosion attack for longer duration.Empirical relationships were derived to evaluate the MAO coating properties(porosity and hardness) by incorporating very important MAO parameters(current density, inter-electrode distance and oxidation time). MAO parameters were also optimized to achieve coatings with minimum porosity and maximum hardness. Further, the effect of MAO parameters on coating characteristics was analysed. From the results, it is found that the current density has greater influence on the responses than the other two parameters.

Effect of Doping Cerium in the Support of Catalyst Pd-Co/Cu-Co-Mn Mixed Oxides on the Oxidative Carbonylation of Phenol

Effect of doping cerium in the support on the catalytic activity and side product of the reaction in the oxidative carbonylation of phenol to diphenyl carbonate (DPC) over the catalyst Pd-Co/Cu-Co-Mn mixed oxides was studied. The specific surface areas, crystal phase, valency, and content of the element on the surface of the catalysts were determined, and the products were detected by gas chromatograph/mass spectrometry (GC-MS). It is found that the catalyst without Ce shows higher activity than that with Ce, and the yields of DPC for the two cata-lysts can reach 30% and 23%, respectively. However, doping cerium can prevent the formation of 2-hydroxyphenyl benzoate and p-bromophenyl phenyl carbonate.

The Effect of Fabrication Conditions for GDC Buffer Layer on Electrochemical Performance of Solid Oxide Fuel Cells

A Gd-doped ceria（GDC） buffer layer is required between a conventional yttria-stabilized zirconia（YSZ） electrolyte and a La-Sr-Co-Fe-O3（LSCF） cathode to prevent their chemical reaction. In this study,the effect of varying the conditions for fabricating the GDC buffer layer, such as sintering temperature and amount of sintering aid, on the solid oxide fuel cell（SOFC） performance was investigated. A finer GDC powder（i.e., ultra-high surface area）, a higher sintering temperature（1290℃）, and a larger amount of sintering aid（12%） resulted in improved densification of the buffer layer; however, the electrochemical performance of an anode-supported cell containing this GDC buffer layer was poor. These conflicting results are attributed to the formation of（Zr, Ce）O2 and/or excess cobalt grain boundaries（GBs） at higher sintering temperatures with a large amount of sintering aid（i.e., cobalt oxide）. A cell comprising of a cobalt-free GDC buffer layer, which was fabricated using a low-temperature process, had lower cell resistance and higher stability. The results indicate that electrochemical performance and stability of SOFCs strongly depend on fabrication conditions for the GDC buffer layer.

Comparison Study on the Microstructure of Nanocrystalline TiO_2 in Different Ti-Si Binary Oxides

Three different Ti-Si oxide structuares, silica supported titania, silica coated titania and intimately mixed silicatitania, containing 10%-40% SiO2, were made by sol-gel process. The variations of microstructure parameters of nanocrystalline （nc） TiO2-anatase in the three kirds of binary oxides, including in-plane spacing d, cell constants （ao, co）, cell volume V, cell axial ratio co/ao and crystal grain size, were comparatively investigated by high resolution transmission electron microscopy （HRTEM） and X-ray diffraction （XRD）. It is found that the microstructure parameters vary remarkably with increasing SiO2 content and annealing temperature. Different structured Ti-Si binary oxides lead to different variation tendencies of microstructure parameters. The more SiO2 the binary oxide contains, the more lattice defects of nc TiO2-anatase appear; diffusion or migration of Si cations could be an important influential factor in the variations of microstructure. The grain size of nc TiO2 in the three kinds of binary oxides not only depends on SiO2 content and annealing temperature but also on the degree of lattice microstrain and distortion of nc TiO2-anatase. Both grain size and phase transformation of nc TiO2-anatase are effectively inhibited with increasing SiO2 content.