Analysis of Antimony Doping in Tin Oxide Thin Films Obtained by the Sol-Gel Method

The antimony doping in SnO₂ thin films prepared by the sol-gel dip-coating method has been studied using two characterization techniques. In order to determine the actual doping level directly in the deposited layers, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) have been used. We found that this doping level is systematically lower than expected from the starting solutions composition, and that two oxidation states are present: Sb³⁺ and Sb⁵⁺. As the antimony content increases, there is a competition between Sb⁵⁺ and Sb³⁺ species.The SnO₂: Sb thin films have also been observed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), showing that the measured mean size of crystallites decreases as the Sb content increases in the oxide. No precipitates of either Sn or Sb oxides (other than SnO₂) could be detected.     

5<Emphasis Type="Italic">s</Emphasis>5<Emphasis Type="Italic">p</Emphasis> element dopant cations: Møssbauer probes for studying chemical reactions at the solid-gas interface

Annealing in reducing atmosphere allows stabilization of the Sn⁴⁺, Sb⁵⁺, or Te⁶⁺ dopant cations in a lower oxidation state. Due to its stereochemical activity, the lone electron pair of the resulting Sn²⁺, Sb³⁺, or Te⁴⁺ favors the location of these species in low-coordination sites, immediately on the surface of the substrate-compound crystallites. This allows ¹¹⁹Sn, ¹²¹Sb, or ¹²⁵Te Møssbauer spectroscopy to be applied for studying the processes occurring at the solid-gas interface. Results of such studies, mainly devoted to the Cr₂O₃ antiferromagnetic substrate, were discussed, along with the prospects of searching appropriate substrate-compounds of other types.     

Barium antimonide oxide,Ba3Sb2O

The antimonide oxide Ba₃Sb₂O consists of discrete [Sb₂]^4? and O^2? anions, and crystallizes with a new structure type. The Sb—Sb distances are comparable to those known from electron‐precise zintl phases and the tetrahedral coordination of the O^2? anion is also observed in some other Ba‐rich metallide oxides.     

Electrochemical Behavior of Irreversibly Adsorbed Sb on Au Electrode

The electrochemical processes of irreversibly adsorbed antimony (Sb_ad) on Au electrode were investigated by cyclic voltammetry (CV) and electrochemical quartz crystal microbalance (EQCM). CV data showed that Sb_ad on Au electrode yielded oxidation and reduction features at about 0.15 V (vs saturated calomel electrode, SCE). EQCM data indicated that Sb_ad species were stable on Au electrode in the potential region from −0.25 to 0.18 V (vs SCE); the adsorption of Sb inhibited the adsorption of water and anion on Au electrode at low electrode potentials. Sb₂O₃ species was suggested to form on the Au electrode at 0.18 V. At a potential higher than 0.20 V the Sb₂O₃ species could be further oxidized to Sb(V) oxidation state and then desorbed from Au electrode.     

Observation of Sb2O3 Nanocrystals in SiO2 after Sb Ion Implantation

 Antimony nanocrystals were formed in thin SiO₂ films using low-energy ion implantation of Sb followed by annealing. Using Fourier transform laser microprobe mass spectrometry (FT LMMS), we observed for the first time the presence of antimony oxide in the intermediate phase (as-implanted layer of Sb) by means of signals referring to the intact Sb₂O₃ molecules. Only SbO⁺ fragments, but no adduct ions of Sb₂O₃ could be detected in annealed samples. The size and the distribution of the nanocrystals formed around the initial depth of implantation were studied in the as-implanted samples by high-resolution electron microscopy (HREM). The crystalline structure of these nanocrystals was also studied and the presence of antimony trioxide Sb₂O₃ in the form of valentinite was proven. After the annealing step, the implanted material had spread into a wider band. The method introduced here, based on combining TEM (transmission electron microscopy) and FT LMMS results, offers the possibility of studying the evolution of the phases in Sb nanocrystal formation.     

Study on antimony oxide self-assembled inside HZSM-5

Sb/ZSM-5 was obtained by solid-state reaction with the mixture of Sb₂O₃ and zeolite HZSM-5 under a dry nitrogen flow at 773 K. Characterization of the treated zeolite was undertaken with XRD, ²⁷Al MAS NMR, BET, TGA and FT-IR. The results revealed that part of the antimony oxides migrated into the channels of zeolite, and decreased the Brönsted acid sites in Sb/ZSM-5 remarkably. The other part of antimony oxides together with the amorphous alumino-silicate in the products distributed on the external surface of zeolite ZSM-5 and modified it, while the framework of ZSM-5 in crystal phase was retained. The structure of occluded antimony oxide inside the channels of ZSM-5 was studied by XRD Rietveld method. The result showed that their structure can be described as a chain of non-perfect [Sb₅O₅(H₂O)₂]_n⁵ⁿ⁺, which is parallel to the straight channel of ZSM-5. There is about 0.6 [Sb₅O₅(H₂O)₂]⁵⁺ unit in every cell of the ZSM-5 on an average.     

Mechanisms of molybdenum substitution in vanadium antimonate

The formation of a solid solution containing the three elements V, Sb and Mo, which are key-elements in the design of light alkane oxidation catalysts, has been studied by incorporating molybdenum into the pure VSbO₄ compound as obtained in air at 700°C (V³⁺_0.28V⁴⁺_0.64□_0.16Sb⁵⁺_0.92O₄). Monophasic compounds with a rutile-type structure have been obtained and characterized by X-ray diffraction, electron microscopy, Infrared Fourier transform, X-ray absorption and electron spin resonance spectroscopies. At low molybdenum content, Mo⁶⁺ substitute V⁴⁺ in the cationic-deficient structure. The charge balance is maintained by an increase of the cationic vacancy number. This leads to the formation of a solid solution corresponding to the formula V³⁺_0.28V⁴⁺_0.64−3xMo⁶⁺_2x□_0.16+xSb⁵⁺_0.92O₄ with 0<x<0.09. At higher molybdenum content, Mo⁵⁺ are stabilized and substitute Sb⁵⁺ in the rutile structure: V³⁺_0.28V⁴⁺_0.37Mo⁶⁺_0.18□_0.25Mo⁵⁺_ySb⁵⁺_0.9−yO₄ with 0<y<0.06. At higher molybdenum content the rutile phase is no longer stable and two new phases are formed: Sb₂O₄ and a new mixed vanadium molybdenum antimonate.     

Configurational Isomerism in Polyoxovanadates

A water‐soluble derivative of the polyoxovanadate {V₁₅E₆O₄₂} (E=semimetal) archetype enables the study of cluster shell rearrangements driven by supramolecular interactions. A reaction unique to E=Sb, induced exclusively by ligand metathesis in peripheral [Ni(ethylenediamine)₃]²⁺ counterions, results in the formation of the metastable α₁* configurational isomer of the {V₁₄Sb₈O₄₂} cluster type. Contrary to all other polyoxovanadate shell architectures, this isomer comprises an inward‐oriented vanadyl group and is ca. 50 and 12 kJ mol^?1 higher in energy than the previously isolated α and β isomers, respectively. We discuss this unexpected reaction in light of supramolecular Sb?O???V and Sb?O???Sb contacts manifested in {V₁₄Sb₈O₄₂}₂ dimers detected in the solid state. ESI MS experiments confirm the stability of these dimers also in solution and in the gas phase. DFT calculations indicate that other, as of yet elusive isomers of {V₁₄Sb₈}, might be accessible as well.     

KMo5O13 and KNb1.76Sb3.24O13

The title compounds, potassium pentamolybdenum oxide, KMo₅O₁₃, and potassium niobate antimonate or potassium niobium antimony oxide (1/1.76/3.24), KNb_1.76Sb_3.24O₁₃, were synthesized by solid‐state reactions and are isomorphous in space group Cmcm. The structure of the Mo complex has three unique Mo atoms and consists of MoO₆ octahedra sharing edges to form Mo₂O₆ pairs and Mo₃O₉ triplets, which, in turn, form layers by sharing corners. These layers are linked together in the [100] direction, yielding a three‐dimensional network similar to that of KSb₅O₁₃. This framework delimits interconnected tunnels, running approximately along the [110] and [10] directions, in which K⁺ ions are located. In the isomorphous KNb_1.76Sb_3.24O₁₃ structure, one of the Mo sites in KMo₅O₁₃ is replaced by Sb and the other two Mo sites have been replaced by Nb/Sb.     

Composition and Crystal Structure of SmSb2O4Cl Revisited – and the Analogy of Sm1.5Sb1.5O4Br

The quaternary halide‐containing samarium(III) oxidoantimonates(III) Sm_1.3Sb_1.7O₄Cl and Sm_1.5Sb_1.5O₄Br were synthesized through solid‐state reactions from the binary components (Sm₂O₃, Sb₂O₃ and SmX₃, X = Cl and Br) at 750 °C in evacuated fused silica ampoules. They crystallize tetragonally in the space group P4/mmm, like the basically isotypic bismuthate(III) compounds SmBi₂O₄Cl and SmBi₂O₄Br, but show larger molar volumes and therefore contradict an ideal composition of “SmSb₂O₄X” (X = Cl and Br). Both single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction and quantitative electron‐beam microprobe analysis revealed the actual compositions of the investigated antimony(III) compounds, which can be understood as heavily Sm³⁺‐doped derivatives of “SmSb₂O₄X” hosts at the Sb³⁺ site. (Sm1)³⁺ is coordinated eightfold by oxygen atoms in the shape of a cube. The mixed‐occupied (Sb/Sm2)³⁺ cation has four oxygen atoms and four halide anions as neighbors forming a square antiprism. The oxygen atoms and anions establish alternating layers parallel to the ab‐plane, which alternate when stacked along [001].     

Revealing the A‐Site Effect of Lead‐Free A3Sb2Br9 Perovskite in Photocatalytic C(sp3)−H Bond Activation

The lead‐free halide perovskite A₃Sb₂Br₉ is utilized as a photocatalyst for the first time for C(sp³)?H bond activation. A₃Sb₂Br₉ nanoparticles (A₃Sb₂Br₉ NPs) with different ratios of Cs and CH₃NH₃ (MA) show different photocatalytic activities for toluene oxidation and the photocatalytic performance is enhanced when increasing the amount of Cs. The octahedron distortion caused by A‐site cations can change the electronic properties of X‐site ions and further affect the electron transfer from toluene molecules to Br sites. After the regulation of A‐site cations, the photocatalytic activity is higher with A₃Sb₂Br₉ NPs than that with classic photocatalysts (TiO₂, WO₃, and CdS). The main active species involved in photocatalytic oxidation of toluene are photogenerated holes (h⁺) and superoxide anions (^.O₂^?). The octahedron distortion by A‐site cations affecting photocatalytic activity remains unique and is also a step forward for understanding more about halide‐perovskite‐based photocatalysis. The relationship between octahedron distortion and photocatalysis can also guide the design of new photocatalytic systems involving other halide perovskites.     

Processing and characterization of new passive and active oxysulfide glasses in the Ge-Ga-Sb-S-O system

New passive and active oxysulfide glasses have been prepared in the Ge-Ga-Sb-S-O system employing a two-step melting process which involves the processing of the chalcogenide glass (ChG) and its subsequent melting with amorphous GeO₂ or Sb₂O₃ powder. Optical characterization of the oxysulfide glasses has shown that the UV cut-off wavelength decreases with increasing oxygen content. Using Raman spectroscopy, correlations have been made between the formation of new Ge- and Sb-based oxysulfide structural units, the Sb content and the O/S ratio. We demonstrate the successful processing of active rare earth doped oxysulfide glasses by melting the chalcogenide glass with Er₂O₃ and Sb₂O₃ and also by melting the Er³⁺ doped chalcogenide glass with Sb₂O₃. Modification of the emission spectra at 1500 nm of Er³⁺ doped samples with the introduction of oxygen revealed that Er³⁺ most likely exists in dual O- and S-neighbor environments. Finally, the photo-response of these new glasses upon near-IR femtosecond laser irradiation has been investigated as a function of Sb content and O/S ratio and shows that the glasses are photo-sensitive to NIR fs laser light with the magnitude of the photo-sensitivity dependent on the glass’ Sb content and O/S ratio.     

Mass spectrometric monitoring of oxidation of aliphatic C6–C8 hydrocarbons and ethanol in low pressure oxygen and air plasmas

Experimental and theoretical studies on the oxidation of saturated hydrocarbons (n‐hexane, cyclohexane, n‐heptane, n‐octane and isooctane) and ethanol in 28 Torr O₂ or air plasma generated by a hollow cathode discharge ion source were made. Ions corresponding to [M + 15]⁺ and [M + 13]⁺ in addition to [M ? H]⁺ and [M ? 3H]⁺ were detected as major ions where M is the sample molecule. The ions [M + 15]⁺ and [M + 13]⁺ were assigned as oxidation products, [M ? H + O]⁺ and [M ? 3H + O]⁺, respectively. By the tandem mass spectrometry analysis of [M ? H + O]⁺ and [M ? 3H + O]⁺, H₂O, olefins (and/or cycloalkanes) and oxygen‐containing compounds were eliminated from these ions. Ozone as one of the terminal products in the O₂ plasma was postulated as the oxidizing reagent. As an example, the reactions of C₆H₁₄^+? with O₂ and of C₆H₁₃⁺ (CH₃CH₂CH⁺CH₂CH₂CH₃) with ozone were examined by density functional theory calculations. Nucleophilic interaction of ozone with C₆H₁₃⁺ leads to the formation of protonated ketone, CH₃CH₂C(=OH⁺)CH₂CH₂CH₃. In air plasma, [M ? H + O]⁺ became predominant over carbocations, [M ? H]⁺ and [M ? 3H]⁺. For ethanol, the protonated acetic acid CH₃C(OH)₂⁺ (m/z 61.03) was formed as the oxidation product. The peaks at m/z 75.04 and 75.08 are assigned as protonated ethyl formate and protonated diethyl ether, respectively, and that at m/z 89.06 as protonated ethyl acetate. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

自掺杂型锑氧化物材料的制备、表征及其对Sr(Ⅱ)的吸附性能

⁹⁰Sr 是核电站放射性废液中需要重点去除的核素之一,水合锑氧化物Sb₂O₅·mH₂O可以在酸性条件下选择性吸附脱除⁹⁰Sr. 本文在以醇为溶剂的无水体系中,以化学性能较稳定且毒性低的SbCl₃为原料,以紫外线照射辅助双氧水氧化及控制水解两步法制备出自掺杂型锑氧化物Sb（Ⅲ）/Sb₂O₅. 文中采用X射线光电子能谱（XPS）、X射线衍射（XRD）和傅里叶变换红外（FTIR）光谱对材料结构进行结构表征,并采用批量实验方法研究不同Sb（Ⅲ）/Sb（total）比例与Sr（Ⅱ）吸附性能的相关性,以及溶液pH 值对Sr（Ⅱ）吸附性能的影响. 实验结果表明：Sb（Ⅲ）可在较大的比例范围内共存于立方烧绿石型Sb₂O₅晶格内,形成良好的固溶体Sb（Ⅲ）/Sb₂O₅;制备过程中通过控制醇溶剂的类型、氧化剂的添加方式以及两步反应温度,可以获得具有不同氧化率,即不同Sb（Ⅲ）/Sb（total）比例的Sb（Ⅲ）/Sb₂O₅材料;其中Sb（Ⅲ）/Sb（total）比例为49.8%的锑氧化物材料吸附性能最好,在纯水体系下对Sr（Ⅱ）的分配系数为6.6×107 mL·g^-1,在pH=3-13 范围内对Sr（Ⅱ）具有良好的吸附性能,并且在本文实验条件下,Sr（Ⅱ）在锑氧化物材料上的吸附更好地符合Langmuir吸附模型.     

Selective extraction of traffic-related antimony compounds for speciation analysis by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry

Most traffic-related antimony air pollutants are derived from brake dust. Brake dust contains Sb₂S₃, used as a friction material in brake pads, and its high-temperature oxidation products, Sb₂O₃ or Sb₂O₄. Systematic investigations were carried out to find the most selective leaching conditions for these substances. First, solubility experiments of the pure potential compounds mentioned above were carried out. Then, the leaching of these compounds from home-made artificial dusts previously spiked with these compounds at the trace level was investigated. A 0.5 mol L^?1 citric acid solution proved to leach the whole Sb₂O₃ content while extracting less than 10% Sb₂S₃ and no Sb₂O₄ at all. It was found that Sb₂O₃ and Sb₂S₃ traces were soluble in a 6 mol L^?1 HCl solution, quantitatively and selectively. Graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry and hydride generation graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry methods were developed to determine the Sb content of the extracts. The proposed method proved to be applicable to settled dust containing traffic-related Sb compounds. The detection limits were 1.2 and 0.3 μg g^?1 for leaching by citric acid and HCl solution, respectively, which were adequate for Sb content determination in the urban dust studied. The reproducibility of the method expressed as relative standard deviation was about 7%. The results showed that the concentration of leachable Sb was 40 μg g^?1 in the settled dust of Budapest, about half of which corresponded to Sb₂O₃. The Sb₂O₄ content calculated as the difference of total and leachable fraction was about 10% with high uncertainty.     

Mixed‐Valence Ruthenium Complexes Rotating through a Conformational Robin–Day Continuum

The conformational energy landscape and the associated electronic structure and spectroscopic properties (UV/Vis/near‐infrared (NIR) and IR) of three formally d⁵/d⁶ mixed‐valence diruthenium complex cations, [{Ru(dppe)Cp*}₂(μ‐C≡CC₆H₄C≡C)]⁺, [ 1 ]⁺, [trans‐{RuCl(dppe)₂}₂(μ‐C≡CC₆H₄C≡C)]⁺, [ 2 ]⁺, and the Creutz–Taube ion, [{Ru(NH₃)₅}₂(μ‐pz)]⁵⁺, [ 3 ]⁵⁺ (Cp=cyclopentadienyl; dppe=1,2‐bis(diphenylphosphino)ethane; pz=pyrazine), have been studied using a nonstandard hybrid density functional BLYP35 with 35 % exact exchange and continuum solvent models. For the closely related monocations [ 1 ]⁺ and [ 2 ]⁺, the calculations indicated that the lowest‐energy conformers exhibited delocalized electronic structures (or class III mixed‐valence character). However, these minima alone explained neither the presence of shoulder(s) in the NIR absorption envelope nor the presence of features in the observed vibrational spectra characteristic of both delocalized and valence‐trapped electronic structures. A series of computational models have been used to demonstrate that the mutual conformation of the metal fragments—and even more importantly the orientation of the bridging ligand relative to those metal centers—influences the electronic coupling sufficiently to afford valence‐trapped conformations, which are of sufficiently low energy to be thermally populated. Areas in the conformational phase space with variable degrees of symmetry breaking of structures and spin‐density distributions are shown to be responsible for the characteristic spectroscopic features of these two complexes. The Creutz–Taube ion [ 3 ]⁵⁺ also exhibits low‐lying valence‐trapped conformational areas, but the electronic transitions that characterize these conformations with valence‐localized electronic structures have low intensities and do not influence the observed spectroscopic characteristics to any notable extent.     

Cation Effect on Formation of Preyssler‐type 30‐Tungsto‐5‐phosphate: Enhanced Yield of Na‐encapsulated Derivative and Direct Synthesis of Ca‐ and Bi‐Encapsulated Derivatives

The effect of cations in a reaction mixture for the preparation of the Preyssler‐Jeannin‐Pope type 30‐tungsto‐5‐phosphate [P₅W₃₀O₁₁₀Na]^14– is investigated. Reaction of phosphate and tungstate with a P/W ratio of ca. 3.9 in an acidic aqueous solution without cations selectively leads to the Dawson‐type 18‐tungsto‐2‐phosphate, [P₂W₁₈O₆₂]^6–. Amongst all the alkali cations, only Na⁺ allows formation of the Preyssler‐type polyanion [P₅W₃₀O₁₁₀Na]^14–, with an encapsulated Na⁺ ion, and the product yield can be improved by increasing Na⁺ amount. The presence of Li⁺ ions instead results in the Dawson‐type polyanion [P₂W₁₈O₆₂]^6–, whereas K⁺, Rb⁺, and Cs⁺ selectively result in the Keggin‐type polyanion [PW₁₂O₄₀]^3–. An improved synthetic procedure for the Na⁺‐encapsulated Preyssler‐ion leading to a higher isolated yield is presented. Furthermore, addition of Ca²⁺ and Bi³⁺ compounds allows formation of the Ca²⁺‐ and Bi³⁺‐encapsulated Preyssler‐type polyanions, [P₅W₃₀O₁₁₀Ca]^13– and [P₅W₃₀O₁₁₀Bi]^12–, respectively. Furthermore, single‐crystal XRD structure of the Bi³⁺‐encapsulated Preyssler‐type polyanions, [P₅W₃₀O₁₁₀Bi]^12–, is presented for the first time.     

All‐Inorganic Lead‐Free 0D Perovskites by a Doping Strategy to Achieve a PLQY Boost from <2 % to 90 %

Zero‐dimensional (0D) lead‐free perovskites have unique structures and optoelectronic properties. Undoped and Sb‐doped all inorganic, lead‐free, 0D perovskite single crystals A₂InCl₅(H₂O) (A=Rb, Cs) are presented that exhibit greatly enhanced yellow emission. To study the effect of coordination H₂O, Sb‐doped A₃InCl₆ (A=Rb, Cs) are also synthesized and further studied. The photoluminescence (PL) color changes from yellow to green emission. Interestingly, the photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY) realizes a great boost from <2 % to 85–95 % through doping Sb³⁺. We further explore the effect of Sb³⁺ dopants and the origin of bright emission by ultrafast transient absorption techniques. Furthermore, Sb‐doped 0D rubidium indium chloride perovskites show excellent stability. These findings not only provide a way to design a set of new high‐performance 0D lead‐free perovskites, but also reveal the relationship between structure and PL properties.     

Pentavalent Lanthanide Compounds: Formation and Characterization of Praseodymium(V) Oxides

The chemistry of lanthanides (Ln=La–Lu) is dominated by the low‐valent +3 or +2 oxidation state because of the chemical inertness of the valence 4f electrons. The highest known oxidation state of the whole lanthanide series is +4 for Ce, Pr, Nd, Tb, and Dy. We report the formation of the lanthanide oxide species PrO₄ and PrO₂⁺ complexes in the gas phase and in a solid noble‐gas matrix. Combined infrared spectroscopic and advanced quantum chemistry studies show that these species have the unprecedented Pr^V oxidation state, thus demonstrating that the pentavalent state is viable for lanthanide elements in a suitable coordination environment.     

Crystal chemistry of Co-doped Zn7Sb2O12

Zn₇Sb₂O₁₂ forms a full range of Co-containing α solid solutions, Zn_7−xCo_xSb₂O₁₂, with an inverse-spinel structure at high temperature. At low temperatures for x<2, the solid solutions transform into the low temperature β-polymorph. For x=0, the β→α transition occurs at 1225±25 °C; the transition temperature decreases with increasing x. At high x and low temperatures, α solid solutions are formed but are non-stoichiometric; the (Zn+Co):Sb ratio is >7:2 and the compensation for the deficiency in Sb is attributed to the partial oxidation of Co²⁺ to Co³⁺. From Rietveld refinements using ND data, Co occupies both octahedral and tetrahedral sites at intermediate values of x, but an octahedral preference attributed to crystal field stabilisation, causes the lattice parameter plot to deviate negatively from the Vegard's law. Sub-solidus compatibility relations in the ternary system ZnO-Sb₂O₅-CoO have been determined at 1100 °C for the compositions containing ?50% Sb₂O₅.