Temporal evolution study of the plasma induced by CO2 pulsed laser on targets of titanium oxides

This paper reports studies on time-resolved laser induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) of plasmas induced by IR nanosecond laser pulses on the titanium oxides TiO and TiO₂ (anatase). LIBS excitation was performed using a CO₂ laser. The laser-induced plasma was found strongly ionized yielding Ti⁺, O⁺, Ti^2 +, O^2 +, Ti^3 +, and Ti^4 + species and rich in neutral titanium and oxygen atoms. The temporal behavior of specific emission lines of Ti, Ti⁺, Ti^2 + and Ti^3 + was characterized. The results show a faster decay of Ti^3 + and Ti^2 + ionic species than that of Ti⁺ and neutral Ti atoms. Spectroscopic diagnostics were used to determine the time-resolved electron density and excitation temperatures. Laser irradiation of TiO₂-anatase induces on the surface sample the polymorphic transformation to TiO₂-rutile. The dependence on fluence and number of irradiation pulses of this transformation was studied by micro-Raman spectroscopy.     

Synthesis,structure and solid state NMR analysis of a new templated titanium(III/IV) fluorophosphate

The title compound MIL-131 (MIL stands for Material from Institut Lavoisier) was prepared hydrothermally (4 days, 473 K, autogenous pressure) in the presence of an organic base (N((CH₂)₂NH₂)₃). The structure of MIL-131 or Ti^IIITi^IV(OH)F₄(HPO₄)·(PO₄)·(N((CH₂)₂NH₃)₃) has been determined ab initio from X-Ray synchrotron powder diffraction data using simulated annealing methods and was refined in the triclinic space group P-1 (no. 2). MIL-131 exhibits a one-dimensional structure built up from inorganic chains of corner sharing TiO₅(OH) titanium(III) octahedra and PO₄ and HPO₄ phosphate tetrahedra, related to TiO₂F₄ titanium octahedra. Protonated triamine cations are located between the inorganic motifs, and interact strongly with the mineral network through hydrogen bondings both with terminal fluorine atoms and hydroxo or oxo groups. Multinuclear solid state NMR has allowed a clear attribution of the protons, fluoride, and phosphate groups environment within the framework of MIL-131. The large values of chemical shift anisotropy together with the absence of any ¹³C NMR response confirmed the presence of paramagnetic titanium(III) species deduced from the crystal structure. Finally, 2D MAS ¹H-³¹P CP-HETCOR NMR correlation experiment gives some insight on the nature of the intra-framework hydrogen bonding.Crystal data for MIL-131: a = 14.109(1) Å, b = 8.462(3) Å, c = 7.179(1) Å, α = 93.772(1)°, β = 96.566(2)°, γ = 98.004(1)°, V = 840.36(2) ų, z = 2.     

Achieving high-rate capacitance of multi-layer titanium carbide (MXene) by liquid-phase exfoliation through Li-intercalation

The stacks of multi-layer Ti₃C₂T_x and other types of MXene materials limit their electrochemical performance. Herein, we report a facile exfoliation technique to improve the exfoliation efficiency through Li-intercalation into Ti₃C₂T_x interlayers in isopropyl alcohol (IPA) with LiOH as intercalant. This de-intercalation method presented here not only effectively delaminates the stacked Ti₃C₂T_x multi-layers into separate few-layer MXene sheets, but also achieves high-rate supercapacitive performance of Ti₃C₂T_x electrode. The as-produced delaminated Ti₃C₂T_x shows highly improved electrochemical capacitive properties from 47 to 115 F g^− 1 at 200 mV s^− 1. Even at extremely high scan rate of 1000 mV s^− 1, a specific capacitance of 82 F g^− 1 is still obtained. The high-rate capability can be attributed to improved ions accessibility into the few-layer structures. This study offers a new and simple exfoliation pathway for MXenes materials to exploit their full potential in energy storage applications.     

Synthesis of titanium dioxide nanocrystalline layers using hexaprismatic shaped μ-oxo Ti(IV) alkoxo carboxylates as precursors

The reaction between Ti(OR)₄ (R = ⁿBu, ⁱBu, SiMe₃) and 2,2-dimethylpropionic acid lead to the formation of hexanuclear μ-oxo titanium(IV) alkoxo carboxylato complexes of the general formula [Ti₆O₆(OR)₆(OOC^tBu)₆]. Thermal decomposition pathways of these compounds and their potential application in the preparation of TiO₂ nanolayers using chemical vapor deposition (CVD) methods have been discussed. The type of the alkoxide ligands causes differences in the thermolysis pathway, and the type of the volatile decomposition products. Among the examined complexes only [Ti₆O₆(OR)₆(OOC^tBu)₆] (R = ⁱBu, SiMe₃) show promising properties for their application as precursors in CVD methods. The TiO₂ films were grown in a wide range of substrate temperatures (653–873 °K), under the total reactor pressure 2.0–3.0 mbar. The crystallinity and the composition of layers were analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD). It was found that the formation of TiO₂ amorphous, anatase or rutile films depends on the deposition temperature and gas phase composition.     

On oxoacidic properties and solubilities of beryllium and magnesium oxides in molten (CsCs + KCl + NaCl) eutectic at T = 783 K

Reactions of Be²⁺ and Mg²⁺ with O^2– in molten eutectic mixture (CsCs + KCl + NaCl) (0.455:0.245:0.30) at T = 783 K were studied by a potentiometric method using Pt(O₂)|ZrO₂(Y₂O₃) indicator electrode. Addition of O^2– ions to the melt containing Mg²⁺ results in precipitation of MgO (pK_s,MgO = 11.89 ± 0.3, molality) whereas interaction of Be²⁺ with O^2– is accompanied with sequential formation of Be₂O²⁺ (pK = 15.68 ± 0.5, molality) and precipitation of BeO (pK_s,BeO = 9.62 ± 0.3, molality). On the basis of the obtained and known data pK_s,MgO–T⁻¹ dependence in molten (CsCs + KCl + NaCl) eutectic is constructed. The slope of the said dependence in T/K = (from 583 to 1073) range is in good agreement with the value predicted by the Shreder equation, that extends the range of use of the Shreder equation for predictions of metal oxide solubilities in molten halides.     

Thermodynamic properties of calcium titanates: CaTiO3, Ca4Ti3O10, and Ca3Ti2O7

The chemical potentials of CaO in two-phase fields (TiO₂ + CaTiO₃), (CaTiO₃ + Ca₄Ti₃O₁₀), and (Ca₄Ti₃O₁₀ + Ca₃Ti₂O₇) of the pseudo-binary system (CaO + TiO₂) have been measured in the temperature range (900 to 1250) K, relative to pure CaO as the reference state, using solid-state galvanic cells incorporating single crystal CaF₂ as the solid electrolyte. The cells were operated under pure oxygen at ambient pressure. The standard Gibbs free energies of formation of calcium titanates, CaTiO₃, Ca₄Ti₃O₁₀, and Ca₃Ti₂O₇, from their component binary oxides were derived from the reversible e.m.f.s. The results can be summarised by the following equations: CaO(solid) + TiO₂(solid) → CaTiO₃(solid), ΔG° ± 85/(J · mol^?1) = ?80,140 ? 6.302(T/K); 4CaO(solid) + 3TiO₂(solid) → Ca₄Ti₃O₁₀(solid), ΔG° ± 275/(J · mol^?1) = ?243,473 ? 25.758(T/K); 3CaO(solid) + 2TiO₂(solid) → Ca₃Ti₂O₇(solid), ΔG° ± 185/(J · mol^?1) = ?164,217 ? 16.838(T/K).The reference state for solid TiO₂ is the rutile form. The results of this study are in good agreement with thermodynamic data for CaTiO₃ reported in the literature. For Ca₄Ti₃O₁₀ Gibbs free energy of formation obtained in this study differs significantly from that reported by Taylor and Schmalzried at T = 873 K. For Ca₃Ti₂O₇ experimental measurements are not available in the literature for direct comparison with the results obtained in this study. Nevertheless, the standard entropy for Ca₃Ti₂O₇ at T = 298.15 K estimated from the results of this study using the Neumann–Koop rule is in fair agreement with the value obtained from low-temperature heat capacity measurements.     

A novel approach for determining total titanium from titanium dioxide nanoparticles suspended in water and biosolids by digestion with ammonium persulfate

Titanium dioxide (i.e. TiO₂) in nano-form is a constituent of many nanomaterials that are used in sunscreens, cosmetics, industrial products and in biomedical applications. Quantification of TiO₂ nanoparticles in various matrixes is a topic of great interest for researchers studying the potential health and environmental impacts of nanoparticles. However, analysis of TiO₂ as Ti⁴⁺ is difficult because current digestion techniques require use of strong acids that may be a health and safety risk in the laboratory. To overcome this problem, we developed a new method to digest TiO₂ nanoparticles using ammonium persulfate as a fusing reagent. The digestion technique requires short times to completion and optimally requires only 1 g of fusing reagent. The fusion method showed >95% recovery of Ti⁴⁺ from 6 μg mL^?1 aqueous suspensions prepared from 10 μg mL^?1 suspension of different forms of TiO_2, including anatase, rutile and mixed nanosized crystals, and amorphous particles. These recoveries were greater than open hot-plate digestion with a tri-acid solution and comparable to microwave digestion with a tri-acid solution. Cations and anions commonly found in natural waters showed no significant interferences when added to samples in amounts of 10 ng to 110 mg, which is a much broader range of these ions than expected in environmental samples. Using ICP-MS for analysis, the method detection limit (MDL) was determined to be 0.06 ng mL^?1, and the limit of quantification (LOQ) was 0.20 ng mL^?1. Analysis of samples of untreated and treated wastewater and biosolids collected from wastewater treatment plants yielded concentrations of TiO₂ of 1.8 and 1.6 ng mL^?1 for the wastewater samples, respectively, and 317.4 ng mg^?1 dry weights for the biosolids. The reactions between persulfate ions and TiO₂ were evaluated using stoichiometric methods and FTIR and XRD analysis. A formula for the fusing reaction is proposed that involves the formation of sulfate radicals.     

Thermodynamic evaluation and optimization of the (NaF + AlF3 + CaF2 + BeF2 + Al2O3 + BeO) system

A complete critical evaluation of all available phase diagram and thermodynamic data has been performed for all condensed phases and relevant gaseous species of the (NaF + AlF₃ + CaF₂ + BeF₂ + Al₂O₃ + BeO) system, and optimized model parameters have been found. The (NaF + AlF₃ + CaF₂ + Al₂O₃) subsystem, which is the base electrolyte used for the electro-reduction of alumina in Hall–Héroult cells, has been critically evaluated in a previous article. The Modified Quasichemical Model in the Quadruplet Approximation for short-range ordering was used for the molten salt phase. The thermodynamic database developed is a first step towards a quantitative study of the beryllium mass balance in an electrolysis cell. In particular, the predominant Be-containing species in the gas phase evolved at the anode were identified; and, for a given beryllium content of the alumina, the beryllium content of the electrolytic bath at steady state was assessed under several approximations.     

A binder-free thin film anode composed of Co2 +-intercalated buserite grown on carbon cloth for oxygen evolution reaction

We present a binder-free catalytic anode for highly efficient and stable oxygen evolution reaction in alkaline media. The catalyst consists of a thin film of buserite-type layered manganese dioxide (MnO₂) intercalated with Co^2 + ions, resulting from electrodeposition of the layered MnO₂ film with tetrabutylammonium (Bu₄N⁺) ions on a carbon cloth, followed by ion-exchange of the initially incorporated Bu₄N⁺ with Co^2 + in solution. The electrode is capable to produce a current density of 10 mA cm^− 2 at an overpotential (η) of 377 mV with a Tafel slope of 48 mV dec^− 1, much superior to the layered MnO₂ without Co^2 +.     

Li4Ti5O12/reduced graphite oxide nano-hybrid material for high rate lithium-ion batteries

A spinel Li₄Ti₅O₁₂ nanoplatelet/reduced graphite oxide nano-hybrid was successfully synthesized by a two-step microwave-assisted solvothermal reaction and heat treatment. The Li₄Ti₅O₁₂ in the hybrid could deliver a discharge capacity of 154 mAhg^? 1 of Li₄Ti₅O₁₂ at 1 C-rate, 128 mAhg^-1 of Li₄Ti₅O₁₂ at 50 C-rate and 101 mAhg^-1 of Li₄Ti₅O₁₂ at 100 C-rate. It demonstrated promising potential as an anode material in a Li-ion battery with excellent rate capability and good cycling.     

Electrochemical and XPS studies of a Nb-containing Ti-based glass-forming alloy system in H2SO4 solution

The corrosion behaviors of Ti₄₀Zr₂₅Ni_12 -xNb_xCu₃Be₂₀ (x = 0, 4, 8, and 12 at.%) alloys in 0.5 mol/L H₂SO₄ solution were studied, aiming to establish the relationship between Nb content and corrosion resistance. The addition of Nb element gives rise to a clear microstructural evolution, from a completely amorphous structure for the alloys without Nb and with 4% Nb alloys to an amorphous/crystalline composite structure for the alloys with 8% and 12% Nb. The alloy with higher Nb content exhibits better corrosion resistance, which can be attributed to the formation of Ti^4 +-, Zr^4 +-, and Nb^5 +-enriched highly protective surface film in corrosive solutions.     

Surface charge tuning of ceria particles by titanium doping: Towards significantly improved polishing performance

Titanium-doped ceria Ce_1 ? x Ti_xO₂ (x = 0–0.3) powders were prepared and their material removal rate (MRR) values for polishing the ZF₇ optical glass were evaluated with respect to their particle sizes, surface charges, crystallinity as well as the suspension stability. Significantly increased MRR values with a particle zeta potential dependence were observed for all the Ti-doped ceria powders, indicating that ceria abrasives with high MRR can be designed and synthesized by tuning particle surface charge using the titanium doping method. The XRD and Raman spectroscopic analyses revealed that the large increase in MRR and the surface negative zeta potentials were attributed to lattice defects due to the formation of CeO₂–TiO₂ solid solutions and the CeTi₂O₆ phase. A maximum MRR value of 544 nm min^?1 was obtained using Ce_0.9Ti_0.1O₂ solid solution as a polishing powder for the ZF7 glass. This value is ca. 2.2 times of that obtained from using pure ceria. With the x value further increasing to 0.2 and 0.3, the MRR value decreased slightly with the CeTi₂O₆ phase content increasing. This fact reveals that the contribution of CeTi₂O₆ to the MRR increase is less than that of CeO₂–TiO₂ solid solution.     

Electrochemical and in-situ X-ray diffraction studies of Ti3C2Tx MXene in ionic liquid electrolyte

2D titanium carbide (Ti₃C₂T_x MXene) showed good capacitance in both organic and neat ionic liquid electrolytes, but its charge storage mechanism is still not fully understood. Here, electrochemical characteristics of Ti₃C₂T_x electrode were studied in neat EMI-TFSI electrolyte. A capacitive behavior was observed within a large electrochemical potential range (from − 1.5 to 1.5 V vs. Ag). Intercalation and de-intercalation of EMI⁺ cations and/or TFSI⁻ anions were investigated by in-situ X-ray diffraction. Interlayer spacing of Ti₃C₂T_x flakes decreases during positive polarization, which can be ascribed to either electrostatic attraction effect between intercalated TFSI⁻ anions and positively charged Ti₃C₂T_x nanosheets or steric effect caused by de-intercalation of EMI⁺ cations. The expansion of interlayer spacing when polarized to negative potentials is explained by steric effect of cation intercalation.     

Li(4−x)/3Ti(5−2x)/3CrxO4 (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.9) spinels: New negatives for lithium batteries

Members of the spinel solid solution between Li_4/3Ti_5/3O₄ and LiCrTiO₄, i.e., Li_(4−x)/3Ti_(5−2x)/3Cr_xO₄ (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.9), have been investigated as possible negative electrodes for future lithium-ion batteries. Electrochemical behaviour have been studied over the potential range 1–3.5 V vs Li⁺/Li. Results are promising with anodic capacities between 129 and 163 mA h/g with a flat operating voltage at about 1.5 V, which is attributed to the pair Ti⁴⁺/Ti³⁺. The inclusion of Cr³⁺ in the spinel structure enhances the specific capacity. In-situ X-ray diffraction experiments confirm that the reaction proceeds in a topotactic manner.     

Li2CuTi3O8–Li4Ti5O12 double spinel anode material with improved rate performance for Li-ion batteries

Ti-based anode materials with the nominal compositions Li₄Ti₅Cu_xO_12 + x (x = 0, 0.075, 0.15, 0.3, 0.6, 1.20 and 1.67) were synthesized at 800 °C by a solid-state reaction process. X-ray diffraction analysis indicated that the sintered samples were composed of intergrown spinel-type Li₄Ti₅O₁₂ and Li₂CuTi₃O₈, and a small amount of Li₂O. Scanning electron microscopy, electrical resistance measurement and galvanostatic cell cycling were also employed to characterize the structure and properties of the double spinel samples. It is proposed that the first lithiation of the component Li₂CuTi₃O₈ leads to the in situ production of Cu that can significantly improve the rate performance of Li₄Ti₅Cu_xO_12 + x. The optimal nominal composition is Li₄Ti₅Cu_0.15O_12.15.     

Effect of inorganic anions on the titanium dioxide-based photocatalytic oxidation of aqueous ammonia and nitrite

In this study, we investigated the effects of four inorganic anions (Cl⁻, SO₄²⁻, H₂PO₄⁻/HPO₄²⁻, and HCO₃⁻/CO₃²⁻) on titanium dioxide (TiO₂)-based photocatalytic oxidation of aqueous ammonia (NH₄⁺/NH₃) at pH ∼ 9 and ∼10 and nitrite (NO₂⁻) over the pH range of 4–11. The initial rates of NH₄⁺/NH₃ and NO₂⁻ photocatalytic oxidation are dependent on both the pH and the anion species. Our results indicate that, except for CO₃²⁻, which decreased the homogeneous oxidation rate of NH₄⁺/NH₃ by UV-illuminated hydrogen peroxide, OH scavenging by anions and/or direct oxidation of NH₄⁺/NH₃ and NO₂⁻ by anion radicals did not affect rates of TiO₂ photocatalytic oxidation. While HPO₄²⁻ enhanced NH₄⁺/NH₃ photocatalytic oxidation at pH ∼ 9 and ∼10, H₂PO₄⁻/HPO₄²⁻ inhibited NO₂⁻ oxidation at low to neutral pH values. The presence of Cl⁻, SO₄²⁻, and HCO₃⁻ had no effect on NH₄⁺/NH₃ and NO₂⁻ photocatalytic oxidation at pH ∼ 9 and ∼10, whereas CO₃²⁻ slowed NH₄⁺/NH₃ but not NO₂⁻ photocatalytic oxidation at pH ∼ 11. Photocatalytic oxidation of NH₄⁺/NH₃ to NO₂⁻ is the rate-limiting step in the complete oxidation of NH₄⁺/NH₃ to NO₃⁻ in the presence of common wastewater anions. Therefore, in photocatalytic oxidation treatment, we should choose conditions such as alkaline pH that will maximize the NH₄⁺/NH₃ oxidation rate.     

Determination of As in tobacco by using electrochemical hydride generation at a Nafion® solid polymer electrolyte cell hyphenated with atomic fluorescence spectrometry

In the present work, a novel solid polymer electrolyte hydride generation (SPE-HG) cell was developed. The home-made SPE-HG cell, mainly composed of three components (Nafion®117 membrane for separating and H⁺ exchanging, a soft graphite felt cathode and a Ti mesh modified by Ir anode), was employed for detecting As by coupling to atomic fluorescence spectrometry (AFS). The H⁺ generated by electrolysis of pure water in anode chamber transferred to cathode chamber through SPE, and immediately reacted with As^3 + to generate AsH₃. The relative mechanisms and operation conditions for hydride generation of As were investigated in detail. The developed cell employed water as an alternative of acid anolyte, with virtues of low-cost, more than 6 months lifetime and environment friendly compared with the conventional cell. Under the optimized conditions, the limit of determination of As^3 + for sample blank solution was 0.12 μg L^? 1, the RSD was 2.9% for 10 consecutive measurements of 5 μg L^? 1 As^3 + standard solution. The accuracy of the method was verified by the determination of As in the reference Tea (GBW07605) and the developed method was successfully applied to determine trace amounts of As in tobacco samples with recovery from 97% to 103%.     

Thermodynamic evaluation and optimization of the (MgCl2 + CaCl2 + MnCl2 + FeCl2 + CoCl2 + NiCl2) system

A complete critical evaluation of all available phase diagram and thermodynamic data has been performed for all condensed phases of the (MgCl₂ + CaCl₂ + MnCl₂ + FeCl₂ + CoCl₂ + NiCl₂) system, and optimized model parameters have been found. The model parameters obtained for the binary subsystems can be used to predict thermodynamic properties and phase equilibria for the multicomponent system. The Modified Quasichemical Model was used for the molten salt phase, and the (MgCl₂ + MnCl₂ + FeCl₂ + CoCl₂ + NiCl₂) solid solution was modeled using a cationic substitutional model with an ideal entropy and an excess Gibbs free energy expressed as a polynomial in the component mole fractions. This is the first of two articles on the optimization of the (NaCl + KCl + MgCl₂ + CaCl₂ + MnCl₂ + FeCl₂ + CoCl₂ + NiCl₂) system.     

Radiotracer and analytical evidences proving the reduction of ClO4− ions at the cobalt/electrolyte solution interface

The occurrence of the reduction of ClO₄⁻ ions in the course of the dissolution (corrosion) of Co was indicated through the study of the adsorption of radio labelled (³⁶Cl) Cl⁻ ions. A detailed analytical study determining the Co²⁺ and Cl⁻ content of the solution phase furnished firm evidences that under suitable chosen experimental conditions the 4Co + ClO₄⁻ + 8H⁺=4Co²⁺ + Cl⁻ + 4H₂O reaction could be as important as the Co + 2H⁺=Co²⁺ + H₂ reaction considered in the literature as the only reaction path.