The effect of PbS nanoparticles on the formation of PbSe in aqueous solutions of sodium selenosulfate and lead(II)

It was established that PbS nanoparticles significantly increase the rate of formation of lead selenide during the reaction of Pb(NO₃)₂ and Na₂SeSO₃ in aqueous solutions of polymers. It was shown that the reaction product consists of PbS/PbSe nanoparticles with a “PbS core-PbSe shell” structure. A correlation was found between the forbidden band widths of the PbS nanoparticles and the PbS/PbSe nanostructures formed during the reaction. __________ Translated from Teoreticheskaya i éksperimental’naya Khimiya, Vol. 42, No. 6, pp. 339–344, November–December, 2006.     

Preparation of colloidal CdSe and CdS/CdSe nanoparticles from sodium selenosulfate in aqueous polymers solutions

Cadmium selenide nanoparticles formation at the interaction between CdCl2 and Na2SeSO3 in aqueous solutions of sodium polyphosphate and gelatin has been studied. Structural and optical properties of CdSe nanoparticles have been characterized. It has been shown that the temperature and the ratio of reagents concentrations are the basic parameters, controlling the size of CdSe nanoparticles. Photocatalytic activity of CdS nanoparticles in Na2SeSO3 reduction has been found and investigated; structural and optical properties of binary CdS/CdSe nanoparticles have been characterized. This photoreaction, when carried out in the presence of CdCl2, results in the formation of composite CdS/CdSe nanoparticles. It has been shown that slow interaction of adsorbed selenosulfate with surface-trapped CdS conduction band electrons is the limiting stage of the photocatalytic reaction.     

Effect of a bias field on the dielectric properties of NaNbO3 solid solutions in the range of the giant temperature hysteresis of a phase transition

The effect of a bias field E on the value and temperature dependence of permittivity ɛ of ceramic samples of solid solutions 0.6NaNbO₃-0.4 NaTaO₃ (I), and 0.97[0.9NaNbO₃-0.1Na_0.5Bi_0.5TiO₃]-0.03LiNbO₃ (II) possessing an anomalously large temperature hysteresis of ɛ(T) dependence is studied. The character of the dependences of both the height and the temperature of the ɛ(T) maximum on the field show that composition (I) has antiferroelectric properties, while composition (II) has ferroelectric properties. It is found that up to 8 kV/cm, the strength of the bias field has actually no effect on the width of the ɛ(T) temperature hysteresis of the compositions under study.     

Photocatalytic production of hydrogen from water–alcohol media with the participation of mesoporous TiO<Subscript>2</Subscript>

Samples of mesoporous TiO₂ containing 80-85% of anatase and 15-20% of rutile with average particle and pore sizes of ∼10 nm and specific surface areas of 70 m²/g were obtained. The nanohetero structures TiO₂/Cu formed during photocatalytic reduction of Cu^II exhibit photocatalytic activity in the release of hydrogen from water–ethanol mixtures. The quantum yield with respect to atomic hydrogen amounts to 1.5.     

Quantum-mechanical calculations and analysis of vibrational modes in lead magnoniobate

The vibrational modes in lead magnoniobate have been calculated using the frozen phonon method. It has been shown that lead atoms participate in two radically different vibrational modes, namely, a nonpolar antiferrodistortive mode, which involves the antiphase motion of some lead atoms with respect to other lead atoms, and a polar mode, which includes the polar motion of lead atoms with respect to other atoms of the lattice. The nontrivial properties of lead magnoniobate have been discussed in terms of the unity and conflict of these modes.     

Resonant Raman scattering in ultrafine CdSxSe1−x colloidal particles

Vibrational spectra of ultrafine (～1.8 nm) CdS _x Se_1?x colloidal nanoparticles (NPs) are studied by resonant Raman scattering (RRS). The detected difference of the shape and spectral position of the longitudinal optical vibration band in comparison with the spectrum of slightly larger NPs (≥ 2 nm) is explained by the dominance of surface atoms as their fraction increases above 50%. The correlation of experimental results with ab initio calculated vibrational spectra and with vibration anharmonicity enhancement as the NP size decreases is discussed.     

Temperature-Dependent Photoluminescence of Silver-Indium-Sulfide Nanocrystals in Aqueous Colloidal Solutions

The temperature dependence of the photoluminescence (PL) intensity of colloidal semiconductor nanocrystals (NCs) makes them an appealing option in bio-sensing applications. Here, we probed the temperature-dependent PL behavior of aqueous glutathione (GSH)-capped Ag−In−S (AIS) NCs and their core/shell AIS/ZnS heterostructures. We show that both core and core-shell materials reveal strong PL quenching upon heating from 10 to 80 °C, which is completely reversible upon cooling. The PL quenching is assigned to the thermally activated dissociation of complexes formed by ligands with the metal cations on the NC surface and the introduction of water into the NC coordination sphere. This unique mechanism of the thermal PL quenching results in a much higher temperature sensitivity of the aqueous colloidal AIS (AIS/ZnS) NCs as compared with previously reported analogs capped by covalently bound ligands. Our results are expected to stimulate further studies on aqueous ternary NCs as colloidal luminescent nano-thermometers applicable for ratiometric temperature sensing.     

CdS Nanoparticle Photocatalysis of the Chain Oxidation of Sulfite Ions by Molecular Oxygen

High photocatalytic activity was found for colloidal cadmium sulfide nanoparticles in the radical chain oxidation of sulfite ions by molecular oxygen in aqueous solution. The kinetics of this reaction was studied and a mechanism was proposed, which is in satisfactory accord with the experimental data.     

Structural and optical characterization of colloidal Se nanoparticles prepared via the acidic decomposition of sodium selenosulfate

Colloidal selenium nanoparticles (NPs) were synthesized via acidic decomposition of sodium selenosulfate. The effects of synthesis and post-synthesis treatment conditions on the size, structure and size distribution of the Se nanoparticles are discussed. It is shown that the decomposition of sodium selenosulfate with non-oxidative acids (e.g., HCl) in aqueous solutions of polymers (sodium polyphosphate, gelatin, polyvinyl alcohol, polyethyleneglycole) and surfactants (sodium dodecylsulfonate, cetylpyridinium chloride) results in the formation of amorphous 25–200 nm Se nanoparticles converting upon ageing at 90 °C into trigonal 150–250 nm Se nanocrystals. Optical properties (absorption and Raman spectra) of freshly prepared and aged Se nanoparticles both in colloidal solutions and in polymeric (polyvinyl alcohol) films are analyzed.     

Preparation and spectral properties of high-efficiency luminescent polyethylenimine-stabilized CdS quantum dots

Feasibility was demonstrated for obtaining ultrasmall colloidal CdS nanoparticles (with diameter about 2 nm) stabilized in aqueous solution by polyethylenimine with a narrow size distribution (~10%) and luminescing at 400-600 nm (quantum yield about 10%). Complexation between Cd^II and polyethylenimine is a necessary condition for formation of such nanoparticles.