Preparation of Well Dispersed and Ultra-Fine Ce(Zr)O_2 Mixed Oxide by Mechanochemical Processing

Ultra-fine CeO_2-ZrO_2 mixed oxide was successfully synthesized by wet-solid phase mechanochemical processing, Ce_2(CO_3)_3·8H_2O, ZrOCl_2·xH_2O and ammonia were used as reactants. It is found that the crystalline Ce_2(CO_3)_3·8H_2O and ZrOCl_2·xH_2O are changed to amorphous cerium and zirconium hydroxide precursor after milling with ammonia, and Ce_(0.15)Zr_(0.85)O_2 mixed oxide with pure tetragonal phase structure and medium particle size(D_(50))less than 1μm is formed by calcining precursor over 673 K. The XRD patterns indicate that the crystal unite size increases with rising calcining temperature due to crystal growth. However, the particle size and BET surface area of the Ce(Zr)O_2 mixed oxide decreases with rising calcining temperature, which may be attributed to the contract of particles and the vanish of holes inside grains.

Characterization of carbon fibers recovered through mechanochemical-enhanced recycling of waste carbon fiber reinforced plastics

In this study,we present the characterization of the carbon fibers recovered from the mechanochemical-enhanced recycling of carbon fiber reinforced fibers.The objectives of the study were to investigate the effect of our modified recycling method on the interfacial properties of recovered fibers.The reinforced plastics were recycled;the recycling efficiency was determined and the recovered fibers were sized using 1 wt%and 3 wt%concentration of(3-aminopropyl)triethoxysilane.We characterized the morphologies utilizing the electron spectroscopy for chemical analysis(ESCA),atomic force microscopy(AFM),FTIR-attenuated total reflection(ATR)spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy(SEM).Although the surface of the fibers had no cracks,there was evidence of contaminations which affected the interfacial properties and the quality of the fibers.Results showed that the trends in the recovered and virgin fibers were similar with an increase in sizing concentration.The results highlighted the perspectives of increasing the quality of recovered fibers after the recycling process.

Doctor-bladed Cu_2ZnSnS_4 light absorption layer for low-cost solar cell application

The doctor-blade method is investigated for the preparation of Cu2ZnSnS4 films for low-cost solar cell application. Cu2ZnSnS4 precursor powder, the main raw material for the doctor-blade paste, is synthesized by a simple ball-milling process. The doctor-bladed Cu2ZnSnS4 films are annealed in N2 ambient under various conditions and characterized by X-ray diffraction, ultraviolent/vis spectrophotometry, scanning electron microscopy, and current-voltage （J-V） meansurement. Our experimental results indicate that （i） the X-ray diffraction peaks of the Cu2ZnSnS4 precursor powder each show a red shift of about 0.4°; （ii） the high-temperature annealing process can effectively improve the crystallinity of the doctor-bladed Cu2ZnSnS4, whereas an overlong annealing introduces defects; （iii） the band gap value of the doctor-bladed Cu2ZnSnS4 is around 1.41 eV; （iv） the short-circuit current density, the open-circuit voltage, the fill factor, and the efficiency of the best Cu2ZnSnS4 solar cell obtained with the superstrate structure of fluorine-doped tin oxide glass/TiO2/In2S3/Cu2ZnSnS4/Mo are 7.82 mA/cm2, 240 mV, 0.29, and 0.55%, respectively.