Preparation and characterization of highly photoactive nanocrystalline TiO_2 powders by solvent evaporation- induced crystallization method

Highly photoactive bi-phase nanocrystalline TiO2 photocatalyst was prepared by a solvent evaporation-induced crystallization (SEIC) method, and calcined at different temperatures. The obtained TiO2 photocatalyst was characterized with X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and BET surface areas. The photocatalytic activity was evaluated by the photocatalytic oxidation of acetone in air. The results show that solvent evaporation can promote the crystallization and phase transformation of TiO2 at 100℃. When calcination temperatures are below 600℃, the prepared TiO2 powders show bimodal pore size distributions in the mesoporous region. At 700℃, the pore size distributions exhibit monomodal distribution of the inter-aggregated pores due to the collapse of the intra-aggregated pores. At 100℃, the obtained TiO2 photocatalyst by this method shows good photocatalytic activity, and at 400℃, its photocatalytic activity exceeds that of Degussa P25. This may be attributed to the fact t     

Preparation of γ-Al_2O_3 composite membrane and examination of membrane defects

A boehmite sol with a narrow particle size distribution and most probable diameter of 35 nm was prepared by peptization of boehmite suspension with HNO3 An unsupported γ-Al2O3 membrane made from the above sol possessed a narrow pore size distribution,with an average pore size of 4.8 nm and 320 m2/g specific surface area.A supported y-Al2O3 membrane produced by repeating dipping-drying-calcination procedure twice was proven to be defect-free by gas permeation measurements and SEM.     

Effects of CO2 content on the activity and stability of nickel catalyst supported on mesoporous nanocrystalline zirconia

The effects of carbon dioxide content on the catalytic performance and coke formation of nickel catalyst supported on mesoporous nanocrystalline zirconia with high surface area and pure tetragonal crystalline phase were investigated in methane reforming with carbon dioxide. The samples were characterized by XRD, BET, TPR, TPO, TPH, TEM, and SEM techniques. The catalyst prepared showed high surface area and a mesoporous structure with a narrow pore size distribution. The obtained results revealed that the increase in CO2 content increased the methane conversion and stability of the catalyst and significantly reduced the coke deposition. The TPH analysis showed that several species of carbon with different reactivities toward hydrogenation were deposited on the spent catalysts employed under different CO2 contents.     

Unique catalysis of Ni-Al hydrotalcite derived catalyst in CO_2 methanation: cooperative effect between Ni nanoparticles and a basic support

Ni-Al hydrotalcite derived catalyst （Ni-Al2O3-HT） exhibited a narrow Ni particle-size distribution with an average particle size of 4.0 nm. Methanation of CO2 over this catalyst initiated at 225℃ and reached 82.5% CO2 conversion with 99.5% CH4 selectivity at 350℃, which was much better than its impregnated counterpart. Characterizations by means of CO2 microcalorimetry and 27 Al NMR indicated that large amount of strong basic sites existed on Ni-Al2O3-HT, originated from the formation of Ni-O-Al structure. The existence of strong basic sites facilitated the activation of CO2 and consequently promoted the activity. The combination of highly dispersed Ni with strong basic support led to its unique and high efficiency for this reaction.

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Controlling Pore Size and its Distribution of γ-Al2O3 Nanofiltration Membranes

The preparation process of γ-A12O3 nanofiltration membranes were studied by N2 absorption and desorption test and retention rate vs thickness gradient curve method. It was found that template and thermal treatment were key factors for controlling pore size and its distribution.Under the optimized experimental conditions, the BJH (Barret-Jovner-Halenda) desorotion average pore diameter, BJH desorption cumulative volume of pores and BET (Brunauer-Emmett-Teller)surface area of obtained membranes were about 3.9 nm, 0.33 cm3/g and 245 m2/g respectively, the pore size distribution was very narrow. Pore size decreased with the increasing of thickness and no evident change after the dense top layer was formed. The optimum thickness can be controlled by retention rate vs thickness gradient curve method.     

Thermo-responsive and antifouling PVDF nanocomposited membranes based on PNIPAAm modified TiO2 nanoparticles

A novel hydrophilic nanocomposite additive(TiO2-g-PNIPAAm) was synthesized by the surface modification of titanium dioxide(TiO2) with N-isopropylacrylamide(NIPAAm) via "graft-from" technique. And the nanocomposite membrane of poly(vinylidene fluoride)(PVDF)/TiO2-g-PNIPAAm was fabricated by wet phase inversion. The graft degree was obtained by thermo-gravimetric analysis(TGA). Fourier transform infrared attenuated reflection spectroscopy(FTIR-ATR) and X-ray photoelectronic spectroscopy(XPS) characterization results suggested that TiO2-g-PNIPAAm nanoparticles segregated on membrane surface during the phase separation process. Scanning electron microscopy(SEM) was conducted to investigate the surface and cross-section of the modified membranes. The water contact angle measurements confirmed that TiO2-g-PNIPAAm nanoparticles endowed PVDF membranes better hydrophlilicity and thermo-responsive properties compared with those of the pristine PVDF membrane. The water contact angle decreased from 92.8° of the PVDF membrane to 61.2° of the nanocompostie membrane. Bovine serum albumin(BSA) static and dynamic adsorption experiments suggested that excellent antifouling properties of membranes was acquired after adding TiO2-gPNIPAAm. The maximum BSA adsorption at 40 °C was about 3 times than that at 23 °C. The permeation experiments indicated the water flux recover ratio and BSA rejection ratio were improved at different temperatures.     

Effect of cationic monomer on properties of fluorinated acrylate latex

Cationic fluorinated acrylate latex was prepared via semi-continuous emulsion copolymerization of cationic monomer and other monomers.The resultant latex and its film were characterized with dynamic light scattering detector and contact anglc meter. Influences of amount of DMDAAC on the propcrtics of resultant latex and its film were investigated in detail.Results show that the particle size of the latex has the minimum value and the zeta potential of the latex is increased when the amount of DMDAAC is increased.In addition,the particle size of the latex is unimodal distribution when the amount of DMDAAC is not more than 2.5%. However,the particle size of the latex is bimodal distribution when the amount of DMDAAC is more than 2.5%.The contact angle is varied slightly with the increase of amount of DMDAAC when it is not more than 2.5%.Nevertheless,the contact angle is decreased with the increase of the amount of DMDAAC when it is more than 2.5%.     

Synthesis of nano-TiO2 assisted by diethylene glycol for use in high efficiency dye-sensitized solar cells

The performance of dye-sensitized solar cells(DSSCs) consisting of anatase TiO_2 nanoparticles that were synthesized via a hydrothermal method was studied.The synthesized TiO_2 nanoparticles were characterized by X-ray diffraction(XRD),nitrogen sorption analysis,scanning electron microscopy(SEM),high resolution transmission electron microscopy(HRTEM),and UV-vis spectroscopy.Then the J-Vcurve,electrochemical impedance spectroscopy(EIS),and open-circuit voltage decay(OCVD) measurement were applied to evaluate the photovoltaic performance of DSSCs.Compared with the commercial TiO_2nanoparticles(P25),the synthesized-TiO_2 nanoparticles showed better performance.By adding diethylene glycol(DEG) before the hydrothermal process,the synthesized TiO_2 nanoparticles(hereafter referred to as TiO_2-DEG particles) shows narrower size distribution,larger specific surface area,higher crystallinity,and less surface defects than TiO_2(DEG free) particles.The analysis of photovoltaic properties of DSSCs based on TiO_2-DEG particles showed that the recombination of electron-hole pairs was decreased and the trapping of carries in grain boundaries restrained.It was believed that the photoelectrode fabricated with the as-prepared TiO_2 nanoparticles improved the loading amount of dye sensitizers(N719).and enhanced the photocurrent of the DSSCs.As a result,the TiO_2-DEG particle based cells achieved a photo-to-electricity conversion efficiency(η) of 7.90%,which is higher than 7.53%for the cell based on TiO2(DEG free) and 6.59%for the one fabricated with P25.     

Structural Characterization and Property Study on the Activated Alumina-activated Carbon Composite Material

AlCl3,NH3·H2O,HNO3 and activated carbon were used as raw materials to prepare one new type of activated alumina-activated carbon composite material.The influence of heat treatment conditions on the structure and property of this material was discussed;The microstructures of the composite material were characterized by XRD,SEM,BET techniques;and its formaldehyde adsorption characteristic was also tested.The results showed that the optimal heat treatment temperature of the activated alumina-activated carbon composite material was 450 ℃,iodine adsorption value was 441.40 mg/g,compressive strength was 44 N,specific surface area was 360.07 m2/g,average pore size was 2.91 nm,and pore volume was 0.26 m3/g.According to the BET pore size distribution diagram,the composite material has dual-pore size distribution structure,the micro-pore distributes in the range of 0.6-1.7 nm,and the meso-pore in the range of 3.0-8.0 nm.The formaldehyde adsorption effect of the activated alumina-activated carbon composite material was excellent,much better than that of the pure activated carbon or activated alumina,and its saturated adsorption capacity was 284.19 mg/g.     

Preparation of TiO2 nanocrystalline films controlled by acetylacetone/polyethylene glycol and their photoelectric properties

TiO₂ nanocrystalline films were prepared from titanium tetra-n-butoxide modified with double hydrolysis inhibitors, acetylacetone and polyethylene glycol (PEG), in mixture of methanol and ethanol. The correlation among surface structure of the TiO₂ films, preparation conditions, and photovoltaic properties of the solar cells using the TiO₂ films was investigated. The particle size of the obtained TiO₂ films was decreased as the PEG content increased. The nanostructured films with the narrow distribution of particle size could be prepared. The amounts of adsorbed dyes for these TiO₂ films were larger than that without PEG. The performance of the solar cell fabricated using the TiO₂ film improved as the amount of the PEG increased, and the solar cell using the TiO₂ film prepared from the solution with 30 wt% PEG exhibited the highest performance.     

ZnO纳米棒阵列在TiO2介孔薄膜上的生长及其表征

通过低温水热法成功地将ZnO纳米棒阵列定向生长在了介孔锐钛矿TiO2纳米晶薄膜上,并主要利用X射线衍射、场发射扫描电子显微镜和光致发光光谱等对其进行了表征。所制备的纳米棒具有六边形的端面,纳米棒的尺寸及端面边长分布范围窄,并且沿c轴方向(002)表现出了明显的择优化生长。此外,相比于玻璃基底或TiO2纳米颗粒薄膜,生长在介孔TiO2薄膜上的ZnO纳米棒阵列表现出了较好的取向生长,表明基底的表面结构和组成对ZnO纳米棒阵列的生长有显著的影响。根据基底有序的多孔结构,讨论了纳米棒阵列可能的生长机理。所得到的ZnO纳米棒阵列在室温下分别表现出了以370 nm为中心的强近紫外光和以530 nm为中心的弱绿光两条荧光谱带。     

Comparison of low crystallinity TiO2 film with nanocrystalline anatase film for dye-sensitized solar cells

Dye adsorption and microstructure of TiO₂ film are important properties when it is used as photoelectrode of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs). This study investigated the application of a low crystallinity TiO₂ film in DSCs. The low crystallinity TiO₂ film is composed of interconnected spherical particles with an average size of 20 nm and has homogeneous mesoporous inner structure. A DSC based on the anatase nanocrystalline mesoporous film prepared by P25 was used for comparison purpose. It is shown that although loaded with much less dye, the DSC based on the low crystallinity TiO₂ film generated I_sc (short circuit photocurrent) as much as the one based on the conventional anatase nanocrystalline film does and obtained higher V_oc (open circuit photovoltage) as well as ff (fill factor). The overall light-to-electricity efficiency (η) of the DSC based on the low crystallinity TiO₂ film reached 5.37%, while the η of the DSC based on anatase nanocrystalline film was 4.69% in this work condition. It is suggested that a low crystallinity TiO₂ mesoporous film with a proper microstructure is as efficient as the anatase nanocrystalline mesoporous film when used in DSCs.     

The influence of precursor’s composition and concentration on cadmium doped TiO<Subscript>2</Subscript> film

The purpose of this article is to emphasize that new nanomaterials offer a number of attractive alternatives for solar energy use in wastewater photocatalysis. The wastewater from the textile industry contains dyes and heavy metals. Thin films of cadmium doped TiO₂ (Cd-TiO₂) were coated by a doctor blade using TiO₂ Degussa P25 and cadmium precursor (cadmium nitrate). The photocatalytic efficiency of cadmium doped TiO₂ is strongly influenced by crystal structure, particle size, particle morphology, porosity and doping. The pore size distribution and the roughness analysis have been studied by the atomic force microscopy (AFM) of the thin films. The photocatalytic activity of the samples was tested in Methyl orange and Methylene blue photodegradation. Cadmium doped TiO₂ catalyst does not significantly decrease the efficiency of photodegradation processes, and, in some situations, improves dye photodegradation.     

Synthesis of TiO2 based on hydrothermal methods using elevated pressures and microwave conditions

Titanium dioxide (TiO₂), especially in its anatase form, is an effective photocatalyst under ultraviolet (UV) light. The particle size of TiO₂ is a critical factor to determine its photoactivity based on its quantum effectiveness under light irradiations. Thus, nanocrystalline TiO₂ has been widely accepted to significantly enhance this effect. The sol–gel method is generally used to synthesize the anatase form of nanocrystalline TiO₂. In this study, we expanded the synthesis method of TiO₂ to high pressures under direct heating (hydrothermal method) and indirect heating (microwave-assisted method). It was found that pH value is one of the major factors to control nano-sizes of TiO₂ particles, and the neutral condition in all methods is preferable for controlling the sizes of the prepared TiO₂ particles. The microwave-assisted method further improves quality of synthesized nano-size TiO₂ below 10 nm. These results have been confirmed by both the direct size measurement using TEM images and indirect determination using XRD peaks. The collected samples are further analyzed using UV–Vis spectroscopy to identify the particle size-dependent photoreactivity and to confirm the effectiveness of microwave-assisting under neutral conditions. DSC is also a powerful tool to identify the crystalline transition of TiO₂.     

Detection of organic gases using TiO2 nanotube-based gas sensors

We fabricated porous gas sensing films composed of TiO₂ nanotubes prepared by a hydrothermal treatment for the detection of organic gases, such as alcohol and toluene. The morphology of the sensing films was controlled with a ball-milling treatment and calcination at high temperature to improve the sensitivity of the films. The sensor using nanotubes with the ball-milling treatment exhibited the improved sensor responses to toluene at 500oC. The results obtained indicated the importance of the microstructure control of sensing layers in terms of particle packing density, pore size distribution, and particle size and shape for detecting large sized organic gas molecules.     

Fabrication of highly efficient dye-sensitized solar cell and CO2 reduction photocatalyst using TiO2 nanoparticles prepared by spin coating-assisted sol–gel method

A sol?Cgel method was applied for fabrication of nanocrystalline anatase TiO₂ thin films on ITO glass substrates and followed by rapid thermal annealing for application as the work electrode for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSC). TiO₂ nanoparticles were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) pattern and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and the absorption of dye on the TiO₂ electrode was shown by UV?Cvis spectroscopy. By controlling different parameters including numbers of coated layers, the gap between two electrodes, sensitization time, and light source power, TiO₂-based solar cells with high efficiency was achieved. The results show that a five time spin-coated TiO₂ electrode with applying sealant and sensitization time of 24?h in N3 dye under illumination of 100?W?cm^?2 tungsten lamp give the optimum power conversion efficiency (??) of 6.61%. The increases in thickness of TiO₂ films by increasing the numbers of coated layers can improve adsorption of the N3 dye through TiO₂ layers to increase the open-circuit voltage (V _oc). However, short-circuit photocurrents (J _sc) of DSSCs with a one-coated layer of TiO₂ films are smaller than those of DSSCs with five-coated layer of TiO₂ films. It could be due to the fact that the increased thickness of TiO₂ thin films also resulted in a decrease in the transmittance of TiO₂ thin films. Also, this electrode was employed to photoreduce CO₂ with H₂O under tungsten lamp as light source.     

Synthesis and Characterization of Photocatalytic Porous Fe3+/TiO2 Layers on Glass

Wet chemical synthesis and preliminary photocatalytical characteristics of titania and Fe(III)-containing TiO₂ layers are presented. A highly stable coating colloids could be prepared under base- as well as acid-catalyzed condensation conditions. Structural properties of the as-prepared wet gels and sintered films were investigated using SEM, TEM, XRD as well as optical absorption spectroscopy, DTA-TG analysis and photomineralisation studies. X-ray amorphous wet titania gel layers start to crystallize at 500°C forming the characteristic anatase phase. In the presence of iron ions (Fe/Ti = 1), nanocrystalline FeTiO₃ ilmenite phase forms. Both TiO₂ and Fe-containing TiO₂ films demonstrate a photocatalytic activity in the process of the photomineralization of dichloroacetic acid.     

Preparation and Ultrafast Optical Characterization of Metal and Semiconductor Colloidal Nano-Particles

The ultrafast dynamics of photoinduced electrons in several metal and semiconductor colloidal nanoparticle systems are characterized using femtosecond laser spectroscopy. Various preparation methods are used and, in several cases, modified for making particles with long-term stability and narrow and controllable size distributions. The particle size and size distribution are determined using transmission electron microscopy and electronic absorption spectroscopy. For aqueous gold and silver colloids, spatial size confinement is found to cause substantially slower electronic relaxation due to reduction of non-equilibrium electron transport and weaker electron-phonon coupling. In gold colloids, photoejection of electrons into the liquid is observed, which is attributed to a two-photon enhanced ionization process. The effect of surfactant on the electron dynamics in CdS colloids is examined and found to be significant, substantiating the notion that electrons are dominantly trapped at the liquid-solid interface. In Ru³⁺-doped TiO₂ colloids, the electronic decay is found to be as fast as or even faster than in undoped TiO₂ and other semiconductor colloids such as CdS, suggesting that ion doping of large bandgap semiconductor colloids is not necessarily effective in lengthening the electron lifetime. In almost all cases studied, the majority of the photoinduced electrons are found to decay within a few tens of picoseconds due to non-radiative relaxation. The results are discussed in the context of the potential applications of metal and semiconductor nano-particles in areas including photocatalysis and photoelectrochemistry.     

Self‐Assembling of Er2O3–TiO2 Mixed Oxide Nanoplatelets by a Template‐Free Solvothermal Route

An easy solvothermal route has been developed to synthesize the first mesoporous Er₂O₃–TiO₂ mixed oxide spherical particles composed of crystalline nanoplatelets, with high surface area and narrow pore size distribution. This synthetic strategy allows the preparation of materials at low temperature with interesting textural properties without the use of surfactants, as well as the control of particle size and shape. TEM and Raman analysis confirm the formation of nanocrystalline Er₂O₃–TiO₂ mixed oxide. Mesoscopic ordered porosity is reached through the thermal decomposition of organic moieties during the synthetic process, thus leading to a template‐free methodology that can be extended to other nanostructured materials. High specific surface areas (up to 313 m² g^?1) and narrow pore size distributions are achieved in comparison to the micrometric material synthesized by the traditional sol–gel route. This study opens new perspectives in the development, by solvothermal methodologies, of multifunctional materials for advanced applications by improving the classical pyrochlore properties (magnetization, heat capacity, catalysis, conductivity, etc.). In particular, since catalytic reactions take place on the surface of catalysts, the high surface area of these materials makes them promising candidates for catalysts. Furthermore, their spherical morphology makes them appropriate for advanced technologies in, for instance, ceramic inkjet printers.