Synthesis and characterization of LiFePO_4 coating with aluminum doped zinc oxide

Aluminum doped zinc oxide （AZO）, as an electrically conductive material, was applied to coating on the surface of olivine-type LiFePO4 synthesized by solid-state method. The charge-discharge test results show that the rate performance and low-temperature performance of LiFePO4 are greatly improved by the surface treatment. Even at 20C rate, the discharge specific capacity of 100.9 mA.h/g was obtained by the AZO-coated LiFePO4 at room temperature. At -20 ℃, the discharge specific capacity at 0.2C for un-coated LiFePO4 and the coated one are 50.3 mA.h/g and 119.4 mA.h/g, respectively. It should be attributed to the electrically conductive AZO-coating which increases the electronic conductivity of LiFePO4. Furthermore, the surface-coating increases the tap-density of LiFePO4. The results indicate that the AZO-coated LiFePO4 is a good candidate of cathode material for applying in lithium power batteries.

Effect of competing solutes on arsenic(Ⅴ) adsorption using iron and aluminum oxides

The study focused on the effect of several typical competing solutes on removal of arsenic with Fe2O3 and Al2O3. The test results indicate that chloride, nitrate and sulfate did not have detectable effects, and that selenium（Ⅳ） （Se（Ⅳ）） and vanadium（Ⅴ） （V（Ⅴ）） showed slight effects on the adsorption of As（Ⅴ） with Fe2O3. The results also showed that adsorption of As（Ⅴ） on A12O3 was not affected by chloride and nitrate anions, but slightly by Se（Ⅳ） and V（Ⅴ） ions. Unlike the adsorption of As（Ⅴ） with Fe2O3, that with Fe2O3 was affected by the presence of sulfate in water solutions. Both phosphate and silica have significant adverse effects on the adsorption of As（Ⅴ） adsorption with Fe2O3 and Al2O3. Compared to the other tested anions, phosphate anion was found to be the most prominent solute affecting the As（Ⅴ） adsorption with Fe2O3 and Al2O3. In general, Fe2O3 has a better performance than Al2O3 in removal of As（Ⅴ） within a water environment where multi competing solutes are present.

Enhanced photocatalytic activity of electrochemically synthesized aluminum oxide nanoparticles

In this study, aluminum oxide （Al2O3） nanoparticles （NPs） were synthesized via an electrochemical method. The effects of reac- tion parameters such as supporting electrolytes, solvent, current and electrolysis time on the shape and size of the resulting NPs were investi- gated. The Al2O3 NPs were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, thermogravimetric analysis/differential thermal analysis, energy-dispersive X-ray analysis, and ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy. Moreover, the Al2O3 NPs were explored for photocatalytic degradation of malachite green （MG） dye under sunlight irradiation via two processes： ad- sorption followed by photocatalysis; coupled adsorption and photocatalysis. The coupled process exhibited a higher photodegradation effi- ciency （45%） compared to adsorption followed by photocatalysis （32%）. The obtained kinetic data was well fitted using a pseudo-first-order model for MG degradation.

INTERACTION OF OXIDE FILM WITH MOLTEN FLUX DURING ALUMINUM BRAZING

The interaction of oxide film with molten flux during aluminum brazing has been studied by means of X-ray powder diffraction. The following conclusions have been deduced: The swell- ing of aluminum oxide film is caused by Li^+ inserting into the vacancies of octahedral or tetrahedral structure of 0 atom skeleton in у-Al_2O_3 . The strength of oxide film decreases as the crytallinity increases by the treating of flux containing LiF.

Heat transfer intensification in hydromagnetic and radiative 3D unsteady flow regimes: A comparative theoretical investigation for aluminum and γ-aluminum oxides nanoparticles

This article investigates the colloidal study for water and ethylene glycol based nanofluids.The effects of Lorentz forces and thermal radiation are considered.The process of non-dimensionalities of governing equations is carried out successfully by means of similarity variables.Then,the resultant nonlinear nature of flow model is treated numerically via Runge-Kutta scheme.The characteristics of various pertinent flow parameters on the velocity,temperature,streamlines and isotherms are discussed graphically.It is inspected that the Lorentz forces favors the rotational velocity and rotational parameter opposes it.Intensification in the nanofluids temperature is observed for volumetric fraction and thermal radiation parameter and dominating trend is noted for γ-aluminum nanofluid.Furthermore,for higher rotational parameter,reverse flow is investigated.To provoke the validity of the present work,comparison between current and literature results is presented which shows an excellent agreement.It is examined that rotation favors the velocity of the fluid and more radiative fluid enhances the fluid temperature.Moreover,it is inspected that upturns in volumetric fraction improves the thermal and electrical conductivities.

Effects of the Annealing Heating Rate on Sputtered Aluminum Oxide Films

AlxOy films by DC reactive magnetron sputtering were annealed in air ambient at 500 ℃for 1 h with different heating rates of 5,15,and 25 ℃/min.Then heat treatments at 900 ℃ were carried out on these 500 ℃-annealed films to simulate the high-temperature application environment.Effects of the annealing heating rate on structure and properties of both 500 ℃-annealed and 900 ℃-heated films were investigated systematically.It was found that distinct γ-Al2O3 crystallization was observed in the 900 ℃-heated films only when the annealing heating rates are 15 and 25 ℃/min.The 500 ℃-annealed film possessed the most compact surface morphology in the case of 25 ℃/min.The highest microhardness of both 500 ℃-annealed and 900℃-heated films were obtained when the annealing heating rate was 15 ℃/min.

FePt nano-stripes fabricated on anodic aluminum oxide templates

A new Fe Pt nanostructure with stripe-like patterns has been prepared by direct current（DC） magnetron sputtering on anodic aluminum oxide（AAO） templates. AAO templates anodized under low voltages（7 V） demonstrate self-organized,maze-like patterns, different from the conventional porous structures obtained at high voltages. Fe Pt thin films deposited on such templates tend to replicate the morphology of the templates. Although there is no obvious spatial ordering, the dimensions of the Fe Pt nano-stripes are highly uniform, due to the constrained growth along the transverse direction of the AAO pattern. The magnetic properties are strongly influenced by this unique morphology. While continuous films demonstrate strong exchange coupling, the dominant interaction in Fe Pt nano-stripes with the same nominal thickness is magnetostatic. The morphology also dictates the magnetization reversal behaviors, with thin films dominated by domain nucleation; while nano-stripes incline to reverse their magnetization by spin rotation. Our work demonstrates that selforganized AAO templates can be used to control the morphology and magnetic behavior of Fe Pt materials.

Porous Spherical Cellulose Composites Coated by Aluminum (Ⅲ) Oxide and Silicone: Preparation, Characterization and Adsorption Behavior

Porous spherical cellulose composite (PSCA) coated by aluminum(Ⅲ) oxide was prepared and modified by organosilicone. SEM images of the surface morphology of the bead cellulose shows that it has spherical shape and abundant porous structure on its surface. The mapping images of aluminum and silicon of the composite (PSCAS) present aluminum(Ⅲ) oxide and silicone are uniformly dispersed on the surface. The adsorption behavior of PSCAS toward metal ions was determined.

Luminescence of Eu^(2+) in Strontium Aluminum Oxide System with Long Decay Property

A long decay luminescent powder based upon the strontium aluminum oxide system with Eu2+ as the activator was produced. It was found that the variation of the molar ratio of Al to Sr leads to a change in emission color. The two emission centers responsible for the color change have been identified.

Effect of Aluminum Oxide on the Alteration Perceived Color ofDark Dental Substrates

The objective of the present research was to determine the degree of masking which occurs when 0.2 mm densely sintered aluminum oxide is placed over substrates of various colors. 20 lighter and 20 darker substrates were made from a mixture of dental amalgam and resin in an aluminum mold. The thin (0.2 mm) disks of densely sintered aluminum oxide were placed on the various substrates. The color changes after masking by these disks were recorded using a Minolta Chroma Meter Ⅱ. The results showed that the color (L *, a *, b *) changes after placing the disks over the substrates were obvious and lead to statistical significant differences (P<0.000 1) in ΔE, ΔL *, Δa *, Δb *. The masking ability was more pronounced with the aluminum oxide over the dark substrates than the light substrates.

Effects of soil organic matter components and iron aluminum oxides on aggregate stability during vegetation succession in granite red soil eroded areas

Soil aggregates determine the basic structure of soil,and their composition and stability are influenced by the various types of cementitious substances occurring in soil.To explore the main limiting factors of soil aggregation in the process of vegetation succession with granite as the parent material,five stages of vegetation succession in an eroded area were selected:bare land(BL),grassland(GL),grassland shrub transition land(GS),shrubland(SL)and secondary forest(SF).Soil samples were collected to determine the composition and stability of aggregates.The contents of organic and inorganic cementitious substances,including organic matter components and iron aluminum oxides,were determined at five soil aggregate grain levels.The results indicated that the stability of soil aggregates and the>0.25 mm water-stable aggregate content(WR_(0.25))increased with vegetation succession.Based on the Le Bissonnais(LB)method,the mean weight diameter(MWD)of soil aggregates increased,and the relative dissipation index(RSI)and relative mechanical crushing index(RMI)decreased.The humic acid(HA)and fulvic acid(FA)contents in soil aggregates increased with vegetation succession,and the soil humus content at the SF stage increased by more than 13.54%over the BL level.Upon different vegetation succession stage,the iron and aluminum oxides for the SL and the SF were at a high level,and the contents of free-form iron oxide(Fe_(d))and amorphous iron oxide(Fe_(o))for BL were high.Correlation analysis indicated that the soil humic degree(PQ)and the contents of amorphous alumina(Al_(o))were positively correlated with aggregate stability to varying degrees.Redundancy analysis(RDA)revealed that PQ values of 1-2 mm(PQ_(2))and 0.25-0.5 mm(PQ_(4))aggregates,the contents of Fe_(o) of bulk soil(Fe_(oB)),>2 mm(Fe_(o1)),1-2 mm(Fe_(o2)),and<0.25 mm(Fe_(o5))aggregates,and the contents of Al_(o) of>2 mm(Al_(o1))aggregates could explain 99.4%of the changes in soil aggregate stability at different vegetation succession stages.Al_(o1) had a contribution rate of 71.2%and is the key factor for improving the stability of soil aggregates.

Contribution of Iron and Aluminum Oxides to Electrokinetic Characteristics of Variable Charge Soils in Relation to Surface Charge

The contribution of iron and aluminum oxides to electrokinetic characteristics of variable charge soils was studied through determination of electrophoretic mobilities of the red soils treated with either removal of iron oxides or coating of aluminum oxides, and of those deferrated under natural conditions. After removal of the iron oxides, zeta potentials of the latosol and the red earth decreased obviously with a shift of IEP to a lower pH, from 6.4 to 5.3 and 4.1 to 2.4 for the former and the latter, respectively, and the electrokinetic change for the latosol was greater than for the red earth. Zeta potentials of the kaolinite sample increased markedly after coated with iron oxides. The striking effect of iron oxides on electrokinetic properties of the soils was also demonstrated by the electrokinetic differences between the samples from the red and white zones of a plinthitic horizon formed naturally, and between the samples from the gley and bottom horizons of a paddy soil derived from a red earth. The coatings of aluminum oxides on the latosol and the yellow earth made their zeta potentials rise pronouncedly and their IEPs move toward higher pHs, from 6.2 to 6.8 and 4.3 to 5.3 for the former and the latter, respectively. The samples with different particle sizes also exhibited some electrokinetic variation. The experiment showed that the effects of iron and aluminum oxides were closely related to the pH and type of the soils.

Antibacterial Surface Treatment of Aluminum Materials

Aluminum specimens were anodized in a sulfuric acid bath, thensilver was electrodeposited in pores of the anodized aluminum byusing alternating current. The anodized aluminum with depositedsilver was tested for its antibacterial performance. The results showthat the antibacterial rates of the specimens are above 95/100against the growth of E. coli, P. Aeruginasa, S. faecalis and S.aureus. The morphology of the silver in pores of anodized aluminum ischaracterized by transmission electron microscopy, and themicrographs indicate that silver is assembled in the form ofnanowires with a diameter of 10 nm or 25 nm. The nanowires have astructure of parallel bright stripes alternating with parallel darkstripes.

Dual-Wavelength Passively Q-Switched Ytterbium-Doped Fiber Laser Based on Aluminum Oxide Nanoparticle Saturable Absorbers

We report on generation of a dual-wavelength, all-fiber, passively Q-switched ytterbium-doped fiber laser using aluminum oxide nanoparticle （Al2O3-NP） thin film. A thin film of Al2O3 was prepared by embedding Al2O3-NPs into a polyvinyl alcohol （PVA） as a host polymer, and then inserted between two fiber ferrules to act as a saturable absorber （SA）. By incorporating the Al2O3-PVA SA into the laser cavity, a stable dual-wavelength pulse output centered at 1050 and 1060.7nm is observed at threshold pump power of 80mW. As the pump power is gradually increased from 80 to 300mW, the repetition rate of the generated pulse increases from 16.23 to 59 kHz, while the pulse width decreases from 19 to 6μs. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first demonstration for this type of SA operating in the 1 μm region.

Low-Frequency Noise in Amorphous Indium Zinc Oxide Thin Film Transistors with Aluminum Oxide Gate Insulator

Low-frequency noise（LFN） in all operation regions of amorphous indium zinc oxide（a-IZO） thin film transistors（TFTs） with an aluminum oxide gate insulator is investigated. Based on the LFN measured results, we extract the distribution of localized states in the band gap and the spatial distribution of border traps in the gate dielectric,and study the dependence of measured noise on the characteristic temperature of localized states for a-IZO TFTs with Al2 O3 gate dielectric. Further study on the LFN measured results shows that the gate voltage dependent noise data closely obey the mobility fluctuation model, and the average Hooge＇s parameter is about 1.18×10^-3.Considering the relationship between the free carrier number and the field effect mobility, we simulate the LFN using the △N-△μ model, and the total trap density near the IZO/oxide interface is about 1.23×10^18 cm^-3eV^-1.

Fabrication of Aluminum/Single-Walled Carbon Nanotube Oxidation Films through CNT-Added Surface Treatment

CNT-added surface treatment (CAST) is a newly developed technology that incorporates single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) into a metal surface through alternate current electrolysis using a dispersion of SWCNTs in an alkaline aqueous solution. We apply this method to Al-plates and characterize their surface morphology and components through scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and Raman spectroscopy. After CAST processing, protrusion structures of Al-oxide containing SWCNTs are formed on the surface of the Al-plate, and the surface morphology differs significantly from that of the surface of Al films treated through conventional anodic oxidation. The height and spacing of the protrusion structures formed on the surface of the CAST-treated Al-plates are 100 - 200 nm and 50 - 100 nm, respectively. In addition, we investigate the formation mechanism of the protrusion structure by applying a DC voltage between the working electrode (Al-plate) and a counter electrode immersed in a dispersion of SWCNTs in an alkaline aqueous solution. Comparing the Al-plate surface after treatment under both current directions, we propose a model for the formation process of protrusion structures containing SWCNTs based on catalyst surface etching.

Study of the Formation Conditions of Aluminum Oxide Nanoparticles in an Overstressed Nanosecond Discharge Between Aluminum Electrodes in a Mixture of Nitrogen and Oxygen

The results of the study of oscillograms of voltage,current,pulsed electric power and energy input into the plasma of an overstressed nanosecond discharge between aluminum electrodes in argon and mixtures of nitrogen with oxygen(100-1)at pressures in the range of 13.3-103.3 kPa are presented,the emission plasma spectra are studied.It is shown that in mixtures of nitrogen with oxygen at atmospheric pressure,nanoparticles of aluminum oxide(Al2O3)are formed,the luminescence of which manifests itself in the spectral range of 200-600 nm and which is associated with the formation of F-,F+-centers and more complex aggregate formations based on oxygen vacancies.Calculations of the electron-kinetic coefficients of plasma,transport characteristics,such as mean electron energies in the range 5.116-13.41 eV,are given.The electron concentration was 1.6∙10^(20)m^(-3)-1.1∙10^(20)m^(-3)at a current density of 5.1∙10^(6)A/m^(2)and l.02∙10^(7)A/m^(2)on the surface of the electrode of the radiation source(0.196·10^(-4)m^(2)).Also drift velocities,temperatures and concentrations of electrons,specific losses of the discharge power for elastic and inelastic processes of collisions of electrons per unit of the total concentration of the mixture from the reduced electric field strength(E/N)for a mixture of aluminum,nitrogen,oxygen,rate constants of collisions of electrons with aluminum atoms on the E/N parameter in plasma on a mixture of aluminum vapor,oxygen and nitrogen=30:1000:100000 Pa at a total mixture pressure of P=101030 Pa are given.

Effect of Annealing on Aluminum Oxide Passivation Layer for Crystalline Silicon Wafer

The surface of silicon was passivated by A1203 and acidify using nitric acid with SiOx as the bi-layer, it was expected that hydrogen bonding reduce interface states and negative field effect which yields maximum passivation. By optimizing the thickness of passivation layer and annealing condition, the minority carrier lifetime of p-type single crystalline Czochralski wafer could be improved from 10 μs to 190 μs. The formation and variation of hillock defect on passivation layer was founded to be affected by the thermal annealing temperature. For the purpose of obtaining high minority carrier lifetime and low hillock defect density simultaneously, using a lower heating and cooling speed in thermal annealing process is suggested.

Effect of Deposition Temperature on Optical Properties of Porous Amorphous SiC Film

To study the effect of different deposition temperatures on the optical properties of porous SiC films,single crystal Si was used as the substrate,a layer of anodic aluminum oxide(AAO)film was transferred on the Si substrate by chemical method,and then a layer of SiC was deposited on anodic aluminum oxide(AAO)template to prepare porous fluorescent SiC film by magnetron sputtering.The deposition temperature was ranged from 373 to 873 K.The thickness of the porous SiC film coated on the AAO surface was around 283 nm.It is found that the porous SiC with the deposition temperature of 873 K has the strongest photoluminescence(PL)intensity excited by 375 nm laser.The time-resolved PL spectra prove that the PL is mainly from intrinsic light emitting of SiC.With the optimized process,porous amorphous SiC film may have potential applications in the field of warm white LEDs.

Electroless Deposition of Nickel Nanowire and Nanotube Arrays as Supports for Pt-Pd Catalyst for Ethanol Electrooxidation

Nickel nanowire and nanotube arrays as supports for Pt-Pd catalyst were prepared by elec- troless deposition with anodic aluminum oxide template. Pt-Pd composite catalyst was de- posited on the arrays by displacement reaction. SEM images show that the nickel nanowires have an average diameter of I00 nm and the nickel nanotubes have an average inner diameter of 200 nm. EDS scanning reveals that elemental Pt and Pd disperse uniformly on the arrays. Cyclic voltammetry study indicates that the nickel nanotube array loaded with Pt-Pd pos- sesses a higher electrochemical activity for ethanol oxidation than the nickel nanowire array with Pt-Pd.