Formation of anodic TiO2 nanotube or nanosponge morphology determined by the electrolyte hydrodynamic conditions

The present work studies the effect of hydrodynamic conditions on the growth of anodic TiO₂ nanostructures on Ti in a glycerol/water/NH₄F electrolyte. Parameter screening for fluoride content, anodization voltage and rotation rate (Reynolds number) of a rotating anode showed that two distinctly different TiO₂ morphologies could be obtained: the classic ordered nanotubes or a nanoscale sponge layer. We present conditions for TiO₂ sponge formation and growth to several micrometers of thickness, and show that in specific cases sponge layers can be superior to tube morphologies, as illustrated for photoelectrochemical water-splitting under standard AM 1.5 conditions.     

A first principles study of NO2 chemisorption on silicon carbide nanotubes

Using methods based on first principles, we find that an NO₂ molecules can be chemisorbed on silicon carbide nanotubes (SiCNTs) with an appreciable binding energy (∼−1.0 eV), and that this is not the case for either carbon nanotubes (CNTs) or boron nitride nanotubes (BNNTs). A detailed analysis of the energetics, geometry, and electronic structure of various isomers of the complexes was performed. The SiCNT–NO₂ complex can be metallic or nonmetallic depending on the type of adsorption site and the chirality of the tube. However, our analysis of the electronic structure predicts that a strong p-type effect of the adsorption turns semiconducting systems into metallic ones at room temperature, irrespective of the chirality of the tube.     

含氯离子电解液中二氧化钛纳米管的阳极氧化形成机理及应用

采用电化学阳极氧化的方法,以氯化铵(NH₄Cl)水溶液为电解液,在纯钛表面制备了二氧化钛(TiO₂)纳米管。考察了制备电压、氧化时间、Cl^-浓度和钛基体的退火处理对阳极氧化过程的影响规律,探讨了在含氯离子电解液中纳米管的形成机理,并基于上述含氯离子电解液中纳米管形成机制,通过两步阳极氧化法得到无支撑纳米管薄膜。     

Blue TiO2 nanotube arrays as semimetallic materials with enhanced photoelectrochemical activity towards water splitting

In the past years there has been a great interest in self-doped TiO₂ nanotubes (blue TiO₂ nanotubes) compared to undoped ones owing to their high carrier density and conductivity. In this study, blue TiO₂ nanotubes are investigated as photoanode materials for photoelectrochemical water splitting. Blue TiO₂ nanotubes were fabricated with enhanced photoresponse behavior through electrochemical cathodic polarization on undoped and annealed TiO₂ nanotubes. The annealing temperature of undoped TiO₂ nanotubes was tuned before cathodic polarization, revealing that annealing at 500 °C improved the photoresponse of the nanotubes significantly. Further optimization of the blue TiO₂ nanotubes was achieved by adjusting the cathodic polarization parameters. Blue TiO₂ nanotubes obtained at the potential of –1.4 V (vs. SCE) with a duration of 10 min exhibited twice more photocurrent response (0.39 mA cm^-2) compared to the undoped TiO₂ nanotube arrays (0.19 mA cm^-2). Oxygen vacancies formed through the cathodic polarization decreased charge recombination and enhanced charge transfer rate; therefore, a high photoelectrochemical activity under visible light irradiation could be achieved.     

Improved efficiency of TiO2 nanotubes in dye sensitized solar cells by decoration with TiO2 nanoparticles

In the present work we investigate the effect of TiCl₄ treatments on the photoconversion efficiency of TiO₂ arrays used in dye sensitized solar cell. The results clearly show that by an appropriate treatment the decoration of the TiO₂ nanotube arrays with TiO₂ nanocrystallites of a typical size of 3 nm can be achieved. These particles can be converted to mixture of anatase and rutile phase by annealing in air. This decoration of the TiO₂ nanotubes leads to a significantly higher specific dye loading and, for certain annealing treatments, to a doubling of the solar cell efficiency (in our case from 1.9% to 3.8% of AM 1.5 conditions) can be achieved.     

Photocatalytic Crystalline and Amorphous TiO2 Nanotubes Prepared by Electrospinning and Atomic Layer Deposition

In this work core/shell composite polymer/TiO₂ nanofibers and from those TiO₂ nanotubes were prepared. First, poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) and poly(vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP) fibers were synthetized by electrospinning. They were covered with a 100 nm thick amorphous TiO₂ layer by atomic layer deposition at 50 °C. Later the polymer core was removed by two different methods: dissolution and annealing. In the case of dissolution in water, the as-prepared TiO₂ nanotubes remained amorphous, while when annealing was used to remove the polymers, the TiO₂ crystallized in anatase form. Due to this, the properties of amorphous and crystalline TiO₂ nanotubes with exactly the same structure and morphology could be compared. The samples were investigated by SEM-EDX, ATR-IR, UV-Vis, XRD and TG/DTA-MS. Finally, the photocatalytic properties of the TiO₂ nanotubes were studied by decomposing methyl-orange dye under UV light. According to the results, crystalline anatase TiO₂ nanotubes reached the photocatalytic performance of P25, while amorphous TiO₂ nanotubes had observable photocatalytic activity.     

g-C3N4纳米管的制备及其光催化降解性能

以三聚氰胺和碳酸氢铵混合物为原料,采用简便热解法制备g-C₃N₄纳米管。热解过程中碳酸氢铵分解释放出大量的NH₃,能够诱导纳米管的形成。利用X射线衍射（XRD）、扫描电子显微镜（SEM）、红外光谱（IR）、N₂吸附-脱附、紫外-可见漫反射光谱以及紫外可见光谱（UV）等分析测试方法对该光催化剂的微观形貌结构和催化性能进行了表征。以罗丹明光催化降解为模型反应研究了g-C₃N₄纳米管的光催化活性。g-C₃N₄纳米管的表面积明显增大,且能够有效地促进光生电子转移,在可见光下具有较强的光催化性能,降解率在60和120 min时分别能达到95%和99.4%,且循环重复利用5次后降解率不低于92%。     

g-C3N4纳米管的制备及其光催化降解性能

以三聚氰胺和碳酸氢铵混合物为原料,采用简便热解法制备g-C_3N_4纳米管。热解过程中碳酸氢铵分解释放出大量的NH3,能够诱导纳米管的形成。利用X射线衍射(XRD)、扫描电子显微镜(SEM)、红外光谱(IR)、N_2吸附-脱附、紫外-可见漫反射光谱以及紫外可见光谱(UV)等分析测试方法对该光催化剂的微观形貌结构和催化性能进行了表征。以罗丹明光催化降解为模型反应研究了g-C_3N_4纳米管的光催化活性。g-C_3N_4纳米管的表面积明显增大,且能够有效地促进光生电子转移,在可见光下具有较强的光催化性能,降解率在60和120 min时分别能达到95%和99.4%,且循环重复利用5次后降解率不低于92%。     

Thermal degradation and flame retardancy of fumaric acid in thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer

In this paper, fumaric acid (FA) which was a new type of environmental and low‐cost flame retardant was applied for thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer (TPU). The flame‐retardant properties of TPU were tested using limiting oxygen index, cone calorimeter test, smoke density test, and thermogravimetric/Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. It has been proved that FA could improve the difficulty of the ignition of the sample; the limiting oxygen index value of the sample (FA‐4) increased by 29.7% when 2.0 wt% FA was added to TPU. The cone calorimeter test showed that FA can greatly reduce heat release and smoke production during the combustion process of TPU composites. For example, compared with the pure TPU, the peak heat release rate and total smoke release of the sample (FA‐4) with 2.0 wt% FA were decreased by 50.8% and 51.5% respectively. The results of smoke density test showed that the luminous flux of the samples contained 0.5 wt% FA was increased by 79.2% compared with the pure TPU. The TG results revealed that the sample of FA‐4 had higher char residue content compared with the sample of TPU. The results of thermogravimetric/Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy proved that FA could decrease the initial decomposition temperature for TPU composites and increase the release of CO₂ and H₂O. All results of test illustrated that FA had good flame‐retardant effect on TPU.     

Enhancing the Water Splitting Efficiency of Sn‐Doped Hematite Nanoflakes by Flame Annealing

The effect of flame annealing on the water‐splitting properties of Sn decorated hematite (α‐Fe₂O₃) nanoflakes has been investigated. It is shown that flame annealing can yield a considerable enhancement in the maximum photocurrent under AM 1.5 (100 mW cm^?2) conditions compared to classic furnace annealing treatments. Optimizing the annealing time (10 s at 1000 °C) leads to a photocurrent of 1.1 mA cm^?2 at 1.23 V (vs. RHE) with a maximum value 1.6 mA cm^?2 at 1.6 V (vs. RHE) in 1 M KOH. The improvement in photocurrent can be attributed to the fast direct heating that maintains the nanoscale morphology, leads to optimized Sn decoration, and minimizes detrimental substrate effects.     

Tuning the Composition and Structure of Ni@MoC Nanosheets for Highly Active and Stable Electrocatalysis in Water Splitting

The conventional electrolytic water-splitting process for hydrogen production is plagued by high energy consumption, low efficiency, and the requirement of expensive catalysts. Therefore, finding effective, affordable, and stable catalysts to drive this reaction is urgently needed. We report a nanosheet catalyst composed of carbon nanotubes encapsulated with MoC/Mo₂C, the Ni@MoC-700 nanosheet showcases low overpotentials of 275 mV for the oxygen evolution reaction and 173 mV for the hydrogen evolution reaction at a current density of 10 mA ⋅ cm⁻². Particularly noteworthy is its outstanding performance in a two-electrode system, where a cell potential of merely 1.64 V is sufficient to achieve the desired current density of 10 mA ⋅ cm⁻². Furthermore, the catalyst demonstrates exceptional durability, maintaining its activity over a continuous operation of 40 hours with only minimal attenuation in overpotential. These outstanding activity levels and long-term stability unequivocally highlight the promising potential of the Ni@MoC-700 catalyst for large-scale water-splitting applications.     

Facile Fabrication of Ce/V‐Modified Multi‐Channel TiO2 Nanotubes and Their Enhanced Selective Catalytic Reduction Performance

To optimize one‐dimensional (1D) TiO₂ nanofibers, tailor‐made multi‐channel TiO₂ nanotubes have been successfully fabricated by electrospinning technology. After loading with Ce and V, the CeVTi‐tube catalyst exhibited a broad working temperature window and acceptable resistance to H₂O and SO₂ for elimination of NO_x. The corresponding analysis revealed that the multi‐channel structure provided more surface adsorbed oxygen species and that the wall of nanotubes anchored active components efficiently, which was beneficial to improve the stability as well as dispersion of the active components. Besides, a synergistic effect between Ce and V easily occurred at the CeVTi‐tube catalyst, and its reducibility was significantly improved since the electron transformation between Ce and V was dramatically enhanced. Consequently, the tailor‐made multi‐channel CeVTi‐tube catalyst exhibited satisfied de‐NO_x efficiency at the temperature range of 220–460 °C. It seemed that the multi‐channel TiO₂ nanotubes hold great potential as an excellent carrier for SCR catalysts.     

Preconcentration of nickel and cadmium by TiO2 nanotubes as solid-phase extraction adsorbents coupled with flame atomic absorption spectrometry

TiO₂ nanotubes, a new nanomaterial, are often used in the photocatalysis. Due to its relatively large specific surface areas it should have a higher enrichment capacity. However, very few applications in the enrichment of pollutants were found. This paper described a new procedure to investigate the trapping power of TiO₂ nanotubes with cadmium and nickel in water samples as the model analytes and flame atomic absorption spectrometry for the analysis. The possible parameters influencing the enrichment were optimized. Under the optimal SPE conditions, the method detection limits and precisions (R.S.D., n = 6) were 0.25 ng mL⁻¹ and 2.2% for cadmium, 1 ng mL⁻¹ and 2.6% for nickel, respectively. The established method has been successfully applied to analyze four realworld water samples, and satisfactory results were obtained. The spiked recoveries were in the range of 90.2-99.2% for them. All these indicated that TiO₂ nanotubes had great potential in environmental field.     

Synthesis and photocatalytic activity for water-splitting reaction of nanocrystalline mesoporous titania prepared by hydrothermal method

Nanocrystalline mesoporous TiO₂ was synthesized by hydrothermal method using titanium butoxide as starting material. XRD, SEM, and TEM analyses revealed that the synthesized TiO₂ had anatase structure with crystalline size of about 8 nm. Moreover, the synthesized titania possessed a narrow pore size distribution with average pore diameter and high specific surface area of 215 m²/g. The photocatalytic activity of synthesized TiO₂ was evaluated with photocatalytic H₂ production from water-splitting reaction. The photocatalytic activity of synthesized TiO₂ treated with appropriate calcination temperature was considerably higher than that of commercial TiO₂ (Ishihara ST-01). The utilization of mesoporous TiO₂ photocatalyst with high crystallinity of anatase phase promoted great H₂ production. Furthermore, the reaction temperature significantly influences the water-splitting reaction.     

The Effects of CO2 Additional on Flame Characteristics in the CH4/N2/O2 Counterflow Diffusion Flame

The effects (chemical, thermal, transport, and radiative) of CO₂ added to the fuel side and oxidizer side on the flame temperature and the position of the flame front in a one-dimensional laminar counterflow diffusion flame of methane/N₂/O₂ were studied. Overall CO₂ resulted in a decrease in flame temperature whether on the fuel side or on the oxidizer side, with the negative effect being more obvious on the latter side. The prominent effects of CO₂ on the flame temperature were derived from its thermal properties on the fuel side and its radiative properties on the oxidizer side. The results also highlighted the differences in the four effects of CO₂ on the position of the flame front on different sides. In addition, an analysis of OH and H radicals and the heat release rate of the main reactions illustrated how CO₂ affects the flame temperature.     

Rapid Determination of Cadmium and Lead in Maca (Lepidium meyenii) by Magnetic Solid-Phase Extraction and Flame Atomic Absorption Spectrometry

Multiwalled carbon nanotubes were modified by Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles with application for the preconcentration of metals. The modified materials were characterized by infrared spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and X-ray diffraction. The Fe₃O₄ nanoparticle modified multiwalled carbon nanotubes were used as sorbents for the extraction of cadmium and lead from maca prior to analysis by flame atomic absorption spectrometry. The amount of nanoparticles, pH, adsorption time, coexisting ions, eluent solution, and reuse of the material were characterized to optimize the recoveries of the analytes. Under the optimum conditions, the calibration curves were linear from 0.05 to 20 milligrams per liter for cadmium and from 0.05 to 25 milligrams per liter for lead. The limits of detection were 0.32 and 0.57 micrograms per liter while the relative standard deviations were 2.1 and 1.9 percent, respectively. The method was employed for the determination of cadmium and lead in maca and recoveries between 94.8 and 105.6 percent were obtained.     

Synthesis, characterization and hydrogen storage capacity of MS2 (M = Mo, Ti) nanotubes

The structure, morphology and hydrogen-storage capacity of MS₂ (M = Mo, Ti) nanotubes prepared by different experimental methods were studied. It was found that the MoS₂ nanotubes treated by KOH displayed the gaseous storage capacity of 1.2 wt% hydrogen (under the hydrogen pressure of 3 MPa and 25°C) and the electrochemical discharge capacity of 262 mAh/g (at the discharge current density of 50 mA/g and 25°C) that corresponds to about 1.0 wt % hydrogen. In comparison, TiS₂ nanotubes can store 2.5 wt% hydrogen under the hydrogen pressure of 4 MPa and 25°C. The results show that MS₂ compound nanotubes are promising materials for hydrogen storage. __________ Translated from Acta Scientiarum Naturalium Universitatis Nankaiensis, 2005, 38(4) (in Chinese)     

s-Triazine containing flame retardant hyperbranched polyamines: Synthesis, characterization and properties evaluation

A s-triazine containing hyperbranched polyamine (HBPA) has been synthesized from cyanuric chloride and aromatic diamine, 4,4′-(1,4-phenylenediisopropylidene) bis-aniline by nucleophilic displacement polymerization technique using an A₂ + B₃ approach with high yield (>80%). The synthesized polymer has been characterized by ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR, FT-IR spectroscopic studies, elemental analysis, solubility and measurement of solution viscosity. The thermogravimetric (TG) analysis and differential scanning calorimetric (DSC) studies indicate that the polymer is thermostable upto 290 °C without any decomposition and has glass transition temperature of 243 °C. The flame retardancy of the pure powder polymer and the blends with linear commercial polymers such as plasticized PVC and LDPE with this hyperbranched polymer were investigated by the measurement of limiting oxygen index (LOI) value. The results show that the polymer has self-extinguishing characteristic (LOI = 38) and acts as an effective flame retardant additive for the above linear base polymers. The synergistic effect of this hyperbranched flame retardant was observed with triphenyl phosphine oxide in the same base polymers. The flammability efficiency of the hyperbranched polyamine is also evaluated by help of thermogravimetric (TG) analysis. The heat aging and leaching in different chemical media did not influence the flame retardancy of the blends.     

Property control of new forms of carbon materials by fluorination

Multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) based on the template carbonization technique were fluorinated in a temperature range 323-473 K by elemental fluorine. The fluorination of the carbon nanotubes results in functionalization and modification of pristine nanotubes with respect to adsorption and electrochemical properties. Selective fluorination of the inner surface of the carbon nanotubes, brings about a decrease in the surface free energy of the inner surface of the tubes and an increase in colombic efficiency of Li/nanotubes rechargeable cells in an aprotic medium. Electrochemical fluoride-ion doping of fullerene C₆₀ thin films (250-450 nm) was carried out in a fluoride-ion conductive solution, MeCN solution of 1 M Et₄NF·4HF. Galvanostatic oxidation yielded C₆₀F_ca.1-3 where fluorine exists as a semi-ionic species in the cavity surrounded by C₆₀ molecules without forming covalent CF bonds     

微波加热液相均匀沉淀法制备纳米Sb2O3阻燃剂(英)

Antimonyoxide(Sb2O3)isanimportantadditiveflameretardant.Itisextensivelyusedinflameretar鄄danttreatmentofpolyolefine,polyvinylchloride,polyesterandtextiles.TheefficiencyofhalogenatedflameretardantcanbeenhancedbycooperatingwithSb2O3.ThesizeofSb2O3hasgreatef…