Hydrothermal synthesis and electrochemical performance of Fe-doped Co hydroxide electrode materials

Journal of Solid State Electrochemistry - In order to meet the growing energy demand, it is of great significance to develop high-performance electrochemical energy storage materials. In this...     

SO2 Resisting Pd-doped Pr1-xCexMnO3 Perovskites for Efficient Denitration at Low Temperature

H₂-SCR is served as the promising technology for the controlling of NO_x emission, and the Pd-based derivative catalyst exhibited high NO_x reduction performance. Effectively regulating the electronic configuration of the active component is favorable to the rational optimization of noble Pd. In this work, a series of Pr_1-xCe_xMn_1-yPd_yO₃@Ni were successfully synthesized and exhibited superior NO conversion efficiency at low temperatures. 92.7 % conversion efficiency was achieved at 200 °C over Pr_0.9Ce_0.1Mn_0.9Pd_0.1O₃@Ni in the presence of 4 % O₂ with a GHSV of 32000 h⁻¹. Meanwhile, the outstanding performance was obtained in the resistance to SO₂ (200 ppm) and H₂O (8 %). Deduced from the results of XRD, Raman, XPS, and H₂-TPR, the modification of d orbit states in palladium was confirmed originating from the incorporation in the B site of Pr_0.9Ce_0.1Mn_0.9Pd_0.1O₃. The existence of higher valence (Pd³⁺ and Pd⁴⁺) than the bivalence in Pr_0.9Ce_0.1Mn_0.9Pd_0.1O₃ catalyst was evidenced by XPS analysis. Our research provides a new sight into the H₂-SCR through the higher utilization of Pd.     

Magnetic interactions in the geometrically frustrated triangular lattice antiferromagnet CuFeO2

The spin-wave excitations of the geometrically frustrated triangular lattice antiferromagnet CuFeO2 have been measured using high resolution inelastic neutron scattering. Antiferromagnetic interactions up to third nearest neighbors in the ab plane (J1, J2, J3, with J{2}/J{1} approximately 0.44 and J{3}/J{1} approximately 0.57), as well as out-of-plane coupling (J{z}, with J{z}/J{1} approximately 0.29) are required to describe the spin-wave dispersion relations, indicating a three-dimensional character of the magnetic interactions. Two energy dips in the spin-wave dispersion occur at the incommensurate wave vectors associated with multiferroic phase and can be interpreted as dynamic precursors to the magnetoelectric behavior in this system.     

Lasing with resonant feedback in weakly scattering random systems

Laser action in active random media in the weak scattering regime far from Anderson localization is investigated by coupling Maxwell's equations with the rate equations of a four-level atomic system. We report systematic lasing action with resonant feedback and show that the lasing modes mostly consist of traveling waves spatially extended over the whole system. Next we address the question of the origin of the feedback mechanism in such a system where no disorder-induced long-lived resonances are available, and present strong evidence that they correspond to the quasimodes of the passive system. This in turn provides an original way to access the spatial distribution of the quasimodes of a non-Hermitian system.     

Two-photon fluorescence measurements of reversible photodegradation in a dye-doped polymer

We report on the dynamics of photodegradation and subsequent recovery of two-photon fluorescence in a dye-doped polymer. The energy dependence suggests that photodegradation is a linear process, while recovery is entropic. Such recovery could be useful to high-intensity devices such as two-photon absorbers, which can be used in many applications.     

The Rayleigh law in silicon doped hafnium oxide ferroelectric thin films

A wealth of studies have confirmed that the low‐field hysteresis behaviour of ferroelectric bulk ceramics and thin films can be described using Rayleigh relations, and irreversible domain wall motion across the array of pining defects has been commonly accepted as the underlying micro‐mechanism. Recently, HfO₂ thin films incorporated with various dopants were reported to show pronounced ferroelectricity, however, their microscopic domain structure remains unclear till now. In this work, the effects of the applied electric field amplitude, frequency and temperature on the sub‐coercive polarization reversal properties were investigated for 10 nm thick Si‐doped HfO₂ thin films. The applicability of the Rayleigh law to ultra‐thin ferroelectric films was first confirmed, indicating the existence of a multi‐domain structure. Since the grain size is about 20–30 nm, a direct observation of domain walls within the grains is rather challenging and this indirect method is a feasible approach to resolve the domain structure. (© 2015 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH &Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Trapezoidal phase mask coronagraph

An angular trapezoidal phase mask used for a wideband coronagraph is proposed. The azimuthal phase of the mask is double-periodic and has both trapezoidal and constant parts in each period. This kind of continuous phase distribution can be employed to avoid the abrupt phase variation of the 6-level phase distribution we proposed previously. Numerical calculations show that this more practical phase mask can still keep its superior performance in terms of starlight elimination, small inner working angle, and good achromatism. It is of great importance that there is no singularity in this kind of mask except for a singularity at the center. This mask design is close to real manufacturing conditions, and the process technology is superior.     

Electrospinning synthesis and photocatalytic property of CaFe2O4/MgFe2O4 heterostructure for degradation of tetracycline

CaFe₂O₄/MgFe₂O₄ nanowires with heterostructure had been successfully synthesized by electrospinning method. The obtained samples were systematically characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X‐Ray diffraction (XRD), UV–Vis diffuse reflectance spectra (UV‐Vis DR) and Environment scanning electron microscopy (ESEM). The novel CaFe₂O₄/MgFe₂O₄ nanowires exhibit an enhanced photocatalytic activity for degrading of tetracycline (TC) under visible light. Compared with bare CaFe₂O₄ or MgFe₂O₄ samples, the prepared CaFe₂O₄/MgFe₂O₄ (Ca:Mg:Fe = 3:2:10) composited nanowires show the best photocatalytic performance with a degradation efficiency of 40% after 150 min reaction time. This enhancement is attributed to the heterostructure of CaFe₂O₄/MgFe₂O₄ nanowires, which effectively repress the recombination of photo‐generated electrons and holes. Based on heterostructure and energy band positions, the enhancement of mechanism under visible‐light enhances the photocatalytic activity.