Preparation of BiVO4/MIL‐125(Ti) composite with enhanced visible‐light photocatalytic activity for dye degradation

Because of their desired features, including very specific surface areas and designable framework architecture together with their possibility to be functionalized, Metal Framework (MOF) is a promising platform for supporting varied materials in respect of catalytic applications in water treatment. In this work, a novel visible‐light‐responsive photocatalyst that comprised BiVO₄ together with MIL‐125(Ti), was synthesized by a two‐step hydrothermal approach. The characterization of as‐obtained samples as performed by X‐ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, high resolution transmission electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscope, X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy and ultraviolet‐visible diffuse reflection spectra. Rhodamine B was selected being a target for the evaluation of the photocatalytic function of as‐developed photocatalyst. The photocatalytic reaction parameters, for example, the content of BiVO₄ as well as initial concentration of Rhodamine B was researched. The composite photocatalyst possessing Bi:Ti molar ratio of 3:2 brought to light the fact that the greatest photocatalytic activity had the ability to degrade 92% of Rhodamine B in 180 min. In addition to that, the BiVO₄/MIL‐125(Ti) composite could keep its photocatalytic activity during the recycling test. The phenomenon of disintegration of the photo‐generated charges in the BiVO₄/MIL‐125(Ti) composite was brought to discussion as well.     

Cooperative effect of Fe and Ti species over Fe–Ti–Ox catalysts on the catalytic hydrolysis performance of hydrogen cyanide

FeO_x, TiO₂, and Fe–Ti–O_x catalysts were synthesized and used in the catalytic hydrolysis of hydrogen cyanide (HCN). Nearly 100% HCN conversion was achieved at 250 °C over the Fe–Ti–O_x catalyst. TiO₂ rutile was detected over TiO₂, but not over Fe–Ti–O_x, which suggested that the interaction between Fe and Ti species could inhibit the TiO₂ phase transition. Furthermore, the interaction between Fe and Ti species over Fe–Ti–O_x could promote the selectivity of NH₃ and CO. The mechanism of hydrolysis of HCN over FeO_x, TiO₂, and Fe–Ti–O_x can be given as follows: HCN + H₂O → methanamide → ammonium formate → formic acid → H₂O + CO.     

Dephosphatation under UV light of water by Ti-PILC with activation by secondary species (La,Se, and Rb)

Me/Ti-PILC catalysts (Me: La, Se, Rb) were prepared with 60% in weight of Ti-species and 3% in weight of Me-secondary species added under ultrasounds. All materials were characterized by XRF, XPS, XRD, BET, HR-TEM/EDS, FEG-SEM and UV-vis. Three kinds of Ti-oxide nanoparticles were identified: (1) Ti-pillars within the clay layers, (2) rutile nanoflowers, and (3) anatase. In UV-vis spectra, no significant change in the band-gap was observed. In La and Se samples, small variations of the anatase XRD lines are associated with cationic diffusion after deposition of secondary species and calcination. An O1s XPS-peak (533.5 eV) is attributed to oxygen vacancies generated by this diffusion. Phosphate photo-removal in water was studied using phosphoric acid solution (75.97 g L⁻¹). Dephosphatation is significantly improved in the presence of Me-species as La/Ti-PILC > Se/Ti-PILC > Rb/Ti-PILC > Ti-PILC. Partial dephosphatation by adsorption is possible in the dark but is strongly improved by UV irradiation. With a La catalyst and under UV irradiation, phosphates (6.6 × 10⁻³ mol L⁻¹) were recovered in less than 70 min. Therefore, Me/Ti-PILC have a great potential as photocatalysts for the treatment of wastewaters and the recovery of phosphates.     

Sol-gel Synthesis and Electrochemical Performance of Li4-xMgxTi5-xZrxO12 Anode Material for Lithium-ion Batteries

The anode materials Li_4?xMg_xTi_5?xZr_xO₁₂ (x=0, 0.05, 0.1) were successfully synthesized by sol‐gel method using Ti(OC₄H₉)₄, CH₃COOLi·2H₂O, MgCl₂·6H₂O and Zr(NO₃)₃·6H₂O as raw materials. The crystalline structure, morphology and electrochemical properties of the as‐prepared materials were characterized by XRD, SEM, cyclic voltammograms (CV), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and charge‐discharge cycling tests. The results show that the lattice parameters of the Mg‐Zr doped samples are slightly larger than that of the pure Li₄Ti₅O₁₂, and Mg‐Zr doping does not change the basic Li₄Ti₅O₁₂ structure. The rate capability of Li_4?xMg_xTi_5?xZr_xO₁₂ (x=0.05, 0.1) electrodes is significantly improved due to the expansile Li⁺ diffusion channel and reduced charge transfer resistance. In this study, Li_3.95Mg_0.05Ti_4.95Zr_0.05O₁₂ represented a relatively good rate capability and cycling stability, after 400 cycles at 10 C, the discharge capacity retained as 134.74 mAh·g^?1 with capacity retention close to 100%. The excellent rate capability and good cycling performance make Li_3.95Mg_0.05Ti_4.95Zr_0.05O₁₂ a promising anode material in lithium‐ion batteries.     

Multifractal analysis for Cu/Ti bilayer thin films

Two bilayer thin films with different stacking sequences, Cu/Ti/Si and Ti/Cu/Si, were deposited by DC magnetron sputtering technique. X‐ray diffraction technique was used to measure the crystallization structures, and scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy were used to measured surface morphology. The multifractal spectra f(α)‐α was used to characterize the surface morphology. The result of |q|_max ≤ 53 is obtained by multifractal analysis. The shape of the multifractal spectra f(α) ? α is hook‐like for Cu/Ti/Si and bell jar‐like for Ti/Cu/Si. The spectrum width Δα = α_max ? α_min and Δf(=f(α_min) ? f(α_max)) of the multifractal spectra is able to quantitatively analyze the growth and surface roughness of the Cu/Ti bilayer thin films. The surface of Ti/Cu/Si thin film is more uniform and smoother than the film of Cu/Ti/Si. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Zr/Ti摩尔比对锶锆钛复合氧化物在可见光下光催化性能的影响

通过分步沉积法制备了不同Zr/Ti 摩尔比的锶锆钛(SZT)复合氧化物催化剂, 以X射线衍射(XRD)、扫描电镜(SEM)、透射电镜(TEM)、紫外-可见(UV-Vis)漫反射光谱等表征手段考察不同Zr/Ti 摩尔比下SZT催化剂的结构形态, 以可见光下光催化降解亚甲基蓝为模型反应考察样品的光催化活性. 结果表明: Zr/Ti 摩尔比<1 时SZT催化剂发生Zr⁴⁺与Ti⁴⁺同质替换, 引起晶格缺陷, 光催化活性小幅提高; Zr/Ti 摩尔比≥1 时SZT催化剂产生SrZrO₃/Ti_nO_2n-1 (n=4, 9)的新晶相, Ti_nO_2n-1 (n=4, 9)的存在有利于光生电子-空穴的传导与分离, 可大幅提高催化剂光催化活性. 其中, SZT-5/5 表现出最高的光催化活性, 其一级反应速率常数达到0.2133 min^-1, 是同等光照条件下纯SrTiO₃样品(0.0158 min^-1)的13.5倍.     

Electrochemical behavior in simulated body fluid of TiO2 nanotubes on TiAlNb alloy elaborated in various anodizing electrolyte

The present study is focused on tailoring the morphology of TiO₂ nanotubes obtained on Ti6Al7Nb alloy and evaluating their electrochemical behavior in simulated body fluid. The presence of the α and β phases on the Ti6Al7Nb alloy leads to a two‐scale organization of the nanotubes on the samples – which in turn affects the electrochemical stability. Furthermore, five different types of TiO₂ nanotubes were obtained in various electrolytes (e.g. Generation I, a mixture of Generation II and Generation III, Generation III). Electrochemical behavior analysis of all obtained nanotubes morphologies was composed of Tafel plots, cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and was correlated with morphology data obtained from SEM (nanotubes diameters from top‐view and nanotube length from cross‐section view). The electrochemical results showed that morphological modifications of the Ti6Al7Nb alloy's surface by electrochemical anodizing have induced changes to the electrochemical behavior of the material, evident in the corrosion rates. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The synthesis and properties of CaCu3Ti4O12 thin films

The CaCu₃Ti₄O₁₂ (CCTO) thin films were synthesized via a metal‐organic solution containing stoichiometric amounts of the metal cations at 700 °C for 1 h. The stable metal‐organic solution was prepared by dissolving calcium nitrate, copper nitrate, and tetrabuty titanate in grain alcohol. The phases, microstructures, and electric properties of CCTO thin films were characterized by X‐ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscope, and electric measurements. The results show that the CCTO thin films have homogeneous microstructure, smooth surface, low leakage current, and high values of dielectric constant. The low leakage current can be attributed to the small surface roughness. The high value of dielectric constant can be attributed to the internal barrier layer capacitor mechanism and metal‐insulator‐semiconductor junction of CCTO thin films. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A Ti3C2TX/Pt–Pd based amperometric biosensor for sensitive cancer biomarker detection

The detection of cancer biomarkers is of great significance for the early screening of cancer. Detecting the content of sarcosine in blood or urine has been considered to provide a basis for the diagnosis of prostate cancer. However, it still lacks simple, high-precision and wide-ranging sarcosine detection methods. In this work, a Ti₃C₂T_X/Pt–Pd nanocomposite with high stability and excellent electrochemical performance has been synthesized by a facile one-step alcohol reduction and then used on a glassy carbon electrode (GCE) with sarcosine oxidase (SO_x) to form a sarcosine biosensor (GCE/Ti₃C₂T_X/Pt–Pd/SO_x). The prominent electrocatalytic activity and biocompatibility of Ti₃C₂T_X/Pt–Pd enable the SO_x to be highly active and sensitive to sarcosine. Under the optimized conditions, the prepared biosensor has a wide linear detection range to sarcosine from 1 to 1000 µM with a low limit of detection of 0.16 µM (S/N = 3) and a sensitivity of 84.1 µA/mM cm². Besides, the reliable response in serum samples shows its potential in the early diagnosis of prostate cancer. More importantly, the successful construction and application of the amperometric biosensor based on Ti₃C₂T_X/Pt–Pd will provide a meaningful reference for detecting other cancer biomarkers.     

Atomic Layer Deposited Ti2O3 Thin Films

Ti₂O₃ thin films have been prepared through atomic layer deposition and subjected to electrical resistivity measurements as a function of temperature. The as-prepared films were stable for up to three weeks. In Ti₂O₃ thin films, the insulator-metal transition is observed at ∼80 K, with nearly 3–4 orders of magnitude change in resistivity. The anomalous increase in electrical resistivity in the films is in accordance with the two-band model. However, the energy interval between the bands depending on the crystallographic c/a ratio leads to a change in electrical resistivity as a function of temperature.