Effects of doping La and Cu on photoinduced charge properties of TiO_2 and its relationships with photocatalytic activity

In recent years, nanosized TiO2 materials have been widely studied in photocatalytic and photoelectric conversion fields because of their intrinsic characteris- tics, such as stable chemical property, strong oxidizing capability and nontoxicity[1,2]. And the preparation, characterization and modification of nanosized TiO2 are always crucial contents in semiconductor photo- electric chemistry and photocatalytic researches[3,4]. To further improve TiO2 performance, doping metal ion is consider…     

Application of Chromium-Containing Silica for Synthesising Functional Glasslike Materials by the Sol–Gel Method

A new variant of the sol–gel method for synthesising silica glasses and optical composites containing nanoparticles of chromium oxide has been designed. Monolithic gels are produced by mixing preformed silica modified with chromium oxide (Cr₂O₃/SiO₂), with a sol–gel solution containing Si(OC₂H₅)₄, and gelation catalyst ((CH₂)₆N₄ or NH₃). Highly dispersed Cr₂O₃/SiO₂ samples were synthesised through a step-by-step controlled adsorption of vapours of CrO₂Cl₂ and C₆H₁₄ on the surface of fumed silica (A-300) and a subsequent thermal decomposition. With increasing chromium concentration in samples from 0.9 to 5.1 wt.%, the size of chromium oxide nanoparticles increases from 10 to 46 nm. XRD, DTA, TG, IR-spectroscopy and measurements of specific surface area have been used to investigate structural and physico-chemical properties of Cr₂O₃/SiO₂ and xerogels during the course of their thermal transformations up to formation of glasses. A study has also been carried out of optical properties of transparent samples (distribution of refractive index values through cross section of a preform). The glasses synthesised with the aid of Cr₂O₃/SiO₂ have a more uniform distribution of doping constituents and exhibit a larger refractive index in comparison to glasses synthesised through impregnation of silica matrices with a solution of (NH₄)₂Cr₂O₇.     

The effect of the nature of the dopant on the sensor response of poly(3-methylthiophene) films

The effect of the nature of the dopant on the response of a sensor array based on films of poly(3-methylthiophene) under the influence of various organic solvents was studied. It was established that the electroconductivity of the polymer can both increase and decrease under the influence of the analytes. It was suggested that the main factors determining the magnitude of the response of poly(3-methylthiophene) are the ratio of the number of radical-cationic and dicationic states in the polymer, which depends on the nature of the dopant-anion, and also the polarity of the analyte. It was shown that the polymer has high sensitivity to chloroform vapor, which makes sensor arrays based on poly(3-methylthiophene) selective with respect to this analyte. __________ Translated from Teoreticheskaya i éksperimental’naya Khimiya, Vol. 42, No. 6, pp. 331–338, November–December, 2006.     

Electroactive Composite of FeCl3‐Doped P3HT/PLGA with Adjustable Electrical Conductivity for Potential Application in Neural Tissue Engineering

Conducting polymers (CPs) is one of intelligent biomaterials with the specific properties of reversible redox states, which have a significant effects on the cell behaviors and nerve tissue regeneration. However, the effects of CPs with different electrical conductivity on the behaviors of nerve cells are rarely reported. Therefore, a kind of Poly(3‐hexylthiophene) (P3HT) with certain molecular weight is synthesized by Kumada catalyst transfer polymerization (KCTP) method and employed to prepare bioabsorbable and electroactive intelligent composites of Poly(3‐hexylthiophene)/Poly(glycolide‐lactide) (P3HT/PLGA). FeCl₃ doping electroactive membranes with different electrical conductivities are prepared to investigate the cell behaviors. On the substrate with higher electrical conductivity, the proliferation of rat adrenal pheochromocytoma cells (PC12 cells) is significantly promoted and neurite length is increased obviously. In particular, the most significant improvements are the neuron gene expression of Synapsin 1 and microtubule‐associated protein 2 (MAP2) by the composites with high conductivity. These results suggest that P3HT/PLGA with suitable electrical conductivity have a positive role in promoting neural growth and differentiation, which is promising for advancing potential application of nerve repair and regeneration.     

The conductive mechanisms of a titanium oxide memristor with dopant drift and a tunnel barrier

Nano-scale titanium oxide memristors exhibit complex conductive characteristics, which have already been proved by existing research. One possible reason for this is that more than one mechanism exists, and together they codetermine the conductive behaviors of the memristor. In this paper, we first analyze the theoretical base and conductive process of a memristor, and then propose a compatible circuit model to discuss and simulate the coexistence of the dopant drift and tunnel barrier-based mechanisms. Simulation results are given and compared with the published experimental data to prove the possibility of the coexistence. This work provides a practical model and some suggestions for studying the conductive mechanisms of memristors.     

Effects of dopants in the imaging of mouse brain by desorption electrospray ionization/post-photoionization mass spectrometry

Desorption electrospray ionization/post-photoionization (DESI/PI) is a newly developed ionization method by the combination of DESI and post-photoionization for the simultaneous imaging of polar and nonpolar compounds in biological tissues. Dopants are of great importance in DESI/PI for the enhancement of signal intensities through ion–molecule reactions. In this work, to evaluate the performance of dopants in DESI/PI, an efficient homogenate model was developed, and four kinds of dopants (toluene, chlorobenzene, bromobenzene, and anisole) were tested using homogenate of mouse brain tissue as target sample. The influences of the dopants on the signal enhancements of different compounds were explained reasonably by the ionization mechanism. Then, the dopants with their optimum volume contents were applied to the mass spectrometry imaging (MSI). For a comprehensive imaging of various compounds with different polarities, methanol/toluene/formic acid (7:3:0.1) was chosen as the best choice. Finally, the stronger quantitative ability of DESI/PI with toluene as dopant for a few compounds in mouse brain tissue was demonstrated.     

Design of CuCs-doped Ag-based Catalyst for Ethylene Epoxidation

Our recent theoretical studies have screened out CuCs-doped Ag-based promising catalysts for ethylene epoxidation [ACS Catal. 11 , 3371 (2021)]. The theoretical results were based on surface modeling, while in the actual reaction process Ag catalysts are particle shaped. In this work, we combine density functional theory (DFT), Wulff construction theory, and micro kinetic analysis to study the catalytic performance of Ag catalysts at the particle model. It demonstrates that the CuCs-doped Ag catalysts are superior to pure Ag catalysts in terms of selectivity and activity, which is further proved by experimental validation. The characterization analysis finds that both Cu and Cs dopant promote particle growth as well as particle dispersion, resulting in a grain boundary-rich Ag particle. Besides, CuCs also facilitate electrophilic atomic oxygen formation on catalyst surface, which is benefitial for ethylene oxide formation and desorption. Our work provides a case study for catalyst design by combining theory and experiment.     

Improved surface‐enhanced Raman scattering properties of TiO2 nanoparticles by Zn dopant

In this paper, pure and Zn‐doped TiO₂ nanoparticles (NPs) with various content of Zn were prepared by a sol–hydrothermal method and were employed as active substrates for surface‐enhanced Raman scattering (SERS). On the 3% Zn‐doped TiO₂ substrate, 4‐mercaptobenzoic acid(4‐MBA) molecules exhibit a higher SERS intensity by a factor of 6, as compared with the native enhancement of 4‐MBA adsorbed on undoped TiO₂ NPs. Moreover, the higher SERS activity was still observed on the 3% Zn‐doped TiO₂ NPs at temperature even up to 125 °C. These results indicate that an appropriate amount of Zn doping can improve the SERS performances of TiO₂ SERS‐active substrates. The introduction of Zn dopant can enrich the surface states (defects) of TiO₂ and improve the separation efficiency of photo‐generated charge carriers (electrons and holes) in TiO₂, according to measurements of X‐ray diffraction, UV‐visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, and photoluminescence, which are responsible for the influence of Zn dopant on the improved SERS performances of TiO₂ NPs. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Synthesis and characterization of LiCo<Subscript>1−<Emphasis Type="Italic">x</Emphasis></Subscript>Fe<Subscript><Emphasis Type="Italic">x</Emphasis></Subscript>VO<Subscript>4</Subscript> prepared by a citric acid complex method

For the first time, a method involving a citric acid complex has been used to prepare Fe-doped LiCoVO₄. LiCoVO₄ has the inverse spinel structure and posses a high voltage of 4.3 V vs. metallic Li. A disadvantage of LiCoVO₄ is its poor electronic conductivity, which is enhanced by using an Fe dopant. The doping levels were between 2 and 10 mol% to increase the electrical conductivity of the material. The citric acid complex method enabled us to make small particles in the range 0.3–0.6 m. The structure and the electrochemical properties of these materials were studied using X-ray diffraction, thermal gravimetric analysis, scanning electron microscopy, cyclic voltammetry, and cycle tests.Presented at the 3rd International Meeting on Advanced Batteries and Accumulators, 16–20 June 2002, Brno, Czech Republic     

Optical characterisation of sol-gel optical composites

Sol-gel optical composites doped with optically active materials prepared by the post-doping method have been characterised in relation to their optical and structural properties. The dopants of interest have been found to be homogeneously distributed throughout the gel matrix. The in-situ impregnation of an index-matching polymer such as PMMA within the porous structure improves both the optical and mechanical properties of the composites significantly. The as-prepared materials have a non-porous feature and show a low optical loss.