Electrochemical Properties of Vanadium Oxide Aerogels and Aerogel Nanocomposites

The electrochemical properties of high surface area transition metal oxide aerogels are extremely interesting because aerogels serve to amplify surface effects. As a result, the electrochemical properties are dominated by surfaces rather than by bulk behavior. In the case of vanadium oxide aerogels this leads to extraordinary electrochemical properties, including an extremely high capacity for lithium and electrochemical responses that are both battery-like and capacitor-like. By exploiting sol-gel synthesis, it is possible to synthesize nanocomposite electrodes in which aerogels are in intimate contact with carbon nanotubes. The resulting nanocomposites exhibit superior electrochemical properties, especially at high discharge.     

Thin films of vanadium oxide grown on vanadium metal: oxidation conditions to produce V2O5 films for Li‐intercalation applications and characterisation by XPS,AFM, RBS/NRA

Thin films of vanadium oxide were grown on vanadium metal surfaces (i) in air at ambient conditions, (ii) in 5 mM H₂SO₄ (aq), pH 3, (iii) by thermal oxidation at low oxygen pressure (10^?5 mbar) at temperatures between 350 and 550 °C and (iv) at near‐atmospheric oxygen pressure (750 mbar) at 500 °C. The oxide films were investigated by atomic force microscopy (AFM), X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), X‐Ray diffraction (XRD) and Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (RBS) and nuclear reaction analysis (NRA). The lithium intercalation properties were studied by cyclic voltammetry (CV). The results show that the oxide films formed in air at room temperature (RT), in acidic aqueous solution, and at low oxygen pressure at elevated temperatures are composed of V₂O₃. In air and in aqueous solution at RT, the oxide films are ultra‐thin and hydroxylated. At 500 °C, nearly atmospheric oxygen pressure is required to form crystalline V₂O₅ films. The oxide films grown at pO₂ = 750 mbar for 5 min are about 260‐nm thick, and consist of a 115‐nm outer layer of crystalline V₂O₅. The inner oxide is mainly composed of VO₂. For all high temperature oxidations, the oxygen diffusion from the oxide film into the metal matrix was considerable. The oxygen saturation of the metal at 450 °C was found, by XPS, to be 27 at.% at the oxide/metal interface. The well‐crystallized V₂O₅ film, formed by oxidation for 5 min at 500 °C and 750 mbar O₂, was shown to have good lithium intercalation properties and is a promising candidate as electrode material in lithium batteries. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Preparation, Structure, and Properties of V2GeO4F2—Chains of VO4F2 Octahedra in the First V(III) Metallate Fluoride

Powder samples of the new oxide fluoride V₂GeO₄F₂ have been obtained by the reaction of appropriate amounts V₂O₃, VF₃, and GeO₂ at 700°C for 18 h in an argon-filled sealed platinum tube. V₂GeO₄F₂ crystallizes in the space group Pnma with a=9.336(1), b=8.898 (1), and c=4.912 (1) Å. The structure has been refined from X-ray powder diffraction data using the Rietveld method (R_int=5.5% and R_p=9.8%). The structure of V₂GeO₄F₂ exhibits close packed layers of the anions with an ordering of O and F. The characteristic building units are discrete GeO₄ tetrahedra with Ge-O distances of 1.75-1.80 Å. The V are coordinated by four O and two F to form VO₄F₂ octahedra connected via two common edges to give zigzag chains. These chains are linked via corners to form a three-dimensional network. The temperature dependence of the magnetic susceptibility of V₂GeO₄F₂ indicates antiferromagnetic correlations.     

二氧化钒和三氧化二钒研究进展

VO₂和V₂O₃是优异的光、电、磁热敏材料,在多种技术领域中具有广阔的应用前景,已成为国内外新颖功能材料研究的热点之一。本文综述了VO₂和V₂O₃的粉体、陶瓷和薄膜的研究进展,并对相关问题进行讨论。     

焙烧温度对ZnO粉体结晶及光学性能的影响

以草酸铵和醋酸锌为原料,采用直接沉淀法制备ZnO粉体,考察了焙烧温度对粉体结晶和光学性能的影响。 采用热重分析（TGA-DTA）、X射线衍射、紫外-可见漫反射（UV-Vis）、荧光分光光度计（FS）和扫描电子显微镜（SEM）等方法对样品进行了分析。 结果表明,制备的前驱物为C2O4Zn·2H2O,最低焙烧温度400 ℃,随着焙烧温度的提高,粉体结晶度提高,一次粒径增大;600 ℃焙烧后有较强紫外发光峰,粉体由200 nm的粒子排列成层叠状;900 ℃焙烧后有较强可见发光峰,粉体粒子大于500 nm,团聚严重;粉体有较强的紫外吸收,吸收峰有蓝移。     

Spin Coating of Titanium Ethoxide Solutions

Titanium oxide films are used in anti-reflection interference filters. These layers can be deposited by spinning titanium ethoxide (TEOTi) solutions. By thorough hydrolysis of the TEOTi precursor, optically acceptable coatings can be made even when cured at temperatures below 150°C. The use of acetylacetone to control the reactivity of a TEOTi solution is not suitable when curing the films at 150°C, because at this curing temperature the acetylacetone remains in the coating. A more suitable method to control the reactivity is by adjusting the H⁺ concentration of the solution. Besides the curing temperature the hydrolysis time of the TEOTi solution also has a major influence on the morphology of the final TiO₂ layer.     

Electrical conductivity of g-Bi2O3-V2O5 solid solution

The total conductivity (σ_T) in bcc γ-Bi₂O₃ doped with V₂O₅ system has been measured in the composition range between 1 and 7 mol% V₂O₅ at different temperatures. Phase transitions for different addition amounts depending on the temperature were investigated by quenching the samples. According to the XRD and DTA/TG results, this bcc type solid solution was stable up to about 720°C and the solubility limit was found at ˜7 mol% V₂O₅ in γ-phase. This system showed predominantly an oxide ionic conduction. As the V₂O₅ addition increased, the ionic conduction increased up to 5 mol% V₂O₅ at which the highest conductivity was found to be 8.318·10^-2 Ω^-1 cm^-1 at 700°C and then decreased. It has been proposed that γ-Bi₂O₃ phase contains a large number of oxide anion vacancies and incorporated vanadium cations at tetrahedral sites which affect the oxygen sublattice of the crystal structure. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

热致变色化合物TiO[VO(SO_4)_2(H_2O)_3]·2H_2O的合成及其性能

热致变色示温材料具有操作方便,测温范围广和不需要复杂仪器等优点,因而广泛用于宇航事业、热记录材料及传感器等。钒为我国丰产元素,钒化合物的热致变色研究报导不多。本文报导氧钒(Ⅳ)化合物作为热致变色材料的探索。     

Is graphene formed on WC surface under glycerol lubrication? Yes

Recently, most of the researchers focused on investigating the superlubricity of glycerol or glycerin/water solutions, yet all of them have no attempt to follow with performance about their lubricity under high load and fast rotational speed. In this article, the lubricity of glycerol was systematically investigated under 98 N and 1,450 rpm using a four-ball wear machine. Interestingly, results showed that friction-induced graphene layers were first discovered during sliding, meanwhile, friction-induced graphene layers were closely related to the high flush temperature rise and catalysts. The synergy of graphene and glycerol elastohydrodynamic film on wear scar played an important role in obtaining low friction and wear-less.     

两种一维纳米结构钒氧化物的合成与表征

在水热条件下,分别利用十六胺和十六烷基三甲基溴化铵为模板,合成了两种一维纳米结构的钒氧化物：纳米管和纳米棒,采用XRD、TEM、HRTEM、FT-IR、TG/DTA对产物的形貌和结构进行了表征。研究表明,纳米管的长度主要分布在1～10 μm,外径50～100 nm,内径10～30 nm;纳米棒长1～2 μm,径向尺寸50～200 nm。     

Optical properties of zinc oxide nanoparticles and nanorods synthesized using an organometallic method.

The emission properties of nanocrystalline ZnO particles prepared following an organometallic synthetic method are investigated. Spherical particles and nanorods are studied. The shape of the particles and the ligands used are shown to influence the luminescence properties in the visible domain. Two different emissions are observed at 440 nm (approximately 2.82 eV) and at 580 nm (approximately 2.14 eV) that are associated with the presence of surface defects on the particles. The first emission corresponds to the well-known yellow emission located at 580 nm (approximately 2.14 eV) with a lifetime of 1850 ns for 4.0 nm size ZnO nanoparticles. The second emission at 440 nm (approximately 2.82 eV) is observed when amine functions are present. This strong blue emission is associated with an excitation energy less than that associated with the yellow emission displaying a lifetime of nine nanoseconds. A possible hole trapping effect by the amine groups on the surface of the ZnO particles is discussed as the origin of this emission. The modification of the intensities between the two visible emissions for different particle shapes is proposed to be related to a specific location of the amine ligands on the surface of the particles.     

Structural and Optical Properties of Sol-Gel Deposited Proton Conducting Ta2O5 Films

Proton conducting tantalum oxide films were deposited on ITO (Indium Tin Oxide) coated glass, fused silica and soda-lime glass substrates by spin coating using a sol-gel process. The coating solutions were prepared using Ta(OC₂H₅)₅ as a precursor. X-ray diffraction studies determined that the sol-gel films, heat treated at temperatures below 400°C, were amorphous. Films heat treated at higher temperatures were crystalline with the hexagonal δ-Ta₂O₅ structure. The solar transmission values (T _s ) of tantala films on glass generally range from 0.8–0.9, depending on thickness. The refractive index and the extinction coefficient were evaluated from transmittance characteristics in the UV-VIS-NIR regions. The refractive index values calculated at λ=550 nm increased fromn=1.78 to 1.97 with increasing heat treatment from 150 to 450°C. The films heat treated at different temperatures showed low absorption, with extinction coefficients of smaller thank=1×10⁻³ in the visible range. Impedance spectroscopic investigations performed on Ta₂O₅ films revealed that these films have a protonic conductivity of 3.2×10⁻⁴S/m. The films are suitable for proton conducting layers in electrochromic (EC) devices.     

Thermal Analysis,EPR and XPS Study of Vanadyl(IV) Oxalate Behavior on the Ceria Surface

The thermal decomposition of vanadyl oxalatesupported on CeO₂ solid in a flow of dried air was analysed by thermogravimetry (TG) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) from room temperature up to 350°C. TG and DSC results have demonstrated that after the impregnation of CeO₂ solid by a vanadyl oxalate solution, cerium and vanadium(V) oxalates were evidenced. This latter compound seems attached to cerium(III) of the partial reduced CeO₂ phase. This result was confirmed with the electron paramagnetic resonance(EPR) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) techniques. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Sol-Gel Deposited Sb-Doped Tin Oxide Films

The structural, electrical and optical properties of single sol-gel derived antimony-doped tin oxide (ATO) films sintered at 550°C have been measured. The reproducibility of both the preparation and the characterization procedures have been tested by a round-robin test involving eight laboratories within a Concerted European Action (CEA) project. The resistivity measured as a function of Sb content has been obtained by electric and reflectance and transmission measurements. Their differences are discussed in terms of structural and grain boundary effects. An increase of Sb content results in a decrease of the crystallite size (7.0 to 5.4 nm) and a greater influence of the grain boundary.