CO oxidation of bare and TiO2-coated NiO-Ni(OH)2 nanoparticles

CO oxidation reactivity of bare and TiO₂-coated nanoparticles consisting of both NiO and Ni(OH)₂ surfaces was studied. For the deposition of TiO₂, atomic layer deposition was used, and formation of three-dimensional domains of TiO₂ on NiO-Ni(OH)₂ could be identified. Based on the data of X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy, we suggest that upon TiO₂ deposition only Ni(OH)₂ was remained on the surface, whereas NiO surface disappeared. Both CO adsorption and CO oxidation took place on NiO-Ni(OH)₂ surfaces under our experimental conditions. CO adsorption was almost completely suppressed after TiO₂ deposition, whereas CO oxidation activity was maintained to large extent. It is proposed that bare NiO cannot be active for CO oxidation, and can only uptake CO under our experimental condition, whereas hydroxylated surface of NiO can be active for CO oxidation.     

Diamond surface modification following thermal etching of Si supported hydrogenated diamond films by DBr

In this work, we study the modification of hydrogenated diamond films deposited on silicon resulting from its exposure to DBr followed by an annealing above 600 K, using high resolution electron energy loss spectroscopy (HREELS). This procedure results in silicon carbide SiC formation within the diamond film, as evidenced by the observation of a loss peak at 117 meV and its first harmonic at 233 meV in HREEL spectra. This diamond surface modification is interpreted as resulting from the reaction of products of the silicon support thermally activated etching with hydrogenated diamond.     

Measurements and modelling of oxy-fuel coal combustion

Oxy-fuel combustion is one of the most promising technologies to isolate efficiently and economically CO₂ emissions in coal combustion for the ready carbon sequestration. The high proportions of both H₂O and CO₂ in the furnace have complex impacts on flame characteristics (ignition, burnout, and heat transfer), pollutant emissions (NO_x, SO_x, and particulate matter), and operational concerns (ash deposition, fouling/slagging). In contrast to the existing literature, this review focuses on fundamental studies on both diagnostics and modelling aspects of bench- or lab-scale oxy-fuel combustion and, particularly, gives attention to the correlations among combustion characteristics, pollutant formation, and operational ash concerns. First, the influences of temperature and species concentrations (e.g., O₂, H₂O) on coal ignition, volatile combustion and char burning processes, for air- and oxy-firing, are comparatively evaluated and modelled, on the basis of data from optically-accessible set-ups including flat-flame burner, drop-tube furnace, and down-fired furnace. Then, the correlations of combustion-generated particulate/NO_x emissions with changes of combustion characteristics in both air and oxy-fuel firing modes are summarized. Additionally, ash deposition propensity, as well as its relation to the formation of fine particulates (i.e. PM_0.2, PM₁ and PM₁₀), for both modes are overviewed. Finally, future research topics are discussed. Fundamental oxy-fuel combustion research may provide an ideal alternative for validating CFD simulations toward industrial applications.     

c轴定向氮化铝薄膜的制备

利用电子回旋共振 (ECR)微波增强化学气相沉积法 (PECVD)并使用氮气 (N2 ) ,氩气 (Ar)和AlCl3蒸气作为气源在直径为 6 .35cm的 (10 0 )单晶硅片表面制备了c轴定向氮化铝 (AlN)薄膜 ,并使用X射线衍射仪及其X射线特征能谱和扫描电镜 (SEM)分析了薄膜特征 ,研究了微波功率、基板温度和N2 流量对薄膜c轴定向的影响 ,得到了c轴偏差角小于 5°的高质量大面积AlN薄膜。     

Effect of silver addition on the formation and deposition of titania nanoparticles produced by liquid flame spray

In this study, liquid flame spray (LFS) was used to produce titania, silver and silver–titania deposits of nanoparticles. Titanium(IV)ethoxide (TEOT) and silver nitrate in ethanol solutions were used as precursors and sprayed into turbulent hydrogen–oxygen flame. Production rates of 1.5–40 mg/min of titania were used with silver additions of 1, 2, 4, and 8 wt% compared to titania. Nanoparticle deposits were collected by thermophoretic sampling at six different axial distances from the flame torch head: 3, 5, 10, 12, 15, and 20 cm, of which the all but the last one occurred inside the flame. The deposit samples were analysed by TEM and SAED analysis. The powder samples of the particles were also collected by electric precipitator to XPS and specific surface area analysis. Particle size and effective density after the flame in the aerosol were analysed with SMPS and ELPI. The results from the previous studies i.e. controlling the particle size by setting the production rates of the particles were seen to apply also for this binary system. Characterisation of the deposits showed that when the substrate is inserted into the flame, in the beginning of the flame the deposit is formed by gas phase deposition whereas further down the flame the particles are first formed in the gas phase and then deposited. The location of the transition from gas phase deposition to gas phase nucleation prior to deposition depends on chemical/physical properties (e.g. thermodynamics and gas phase interactions) of the precursor, precursor concentration in the flame and also flame temperature profile. Therefore, the deposit collection distance from the burner also affected the collected particle size and degree of agglomeration. The two component deposits were produced in two different ways: one-step method mixing both precursors in the same solute, and two-step method spraying each precursor separately. The particle morphology differs between these two cases. In one-step method the primary (d _TEM) and agglomerate particle size (d _SMPS) decreased with the amount of silver addition, verifying the fact that when present, the silver has a clear effect on the titania nanoparticle formation and growth.     

Nb doping effect on TiO2−x films for bolometer applications

Nb-doped TiO_2−x thin films were deposited using a 1 at% niobium doped titanium target by RF reactive magnetron sputtering at various oxygen partial pressures (pO₂). The films appeared amorphous in the pO₂ range of 4.4–4.7% with resistivity ranging from 0.39 Ω cm to 2.48 Ω cm. Compared to pure TiO_2−x films, the resistivity of the Nb-doped TiO_2−x films did not change sensitively with the oxygen partial pressure, indicating that the resistivity of the films can be accurately controlled. 1/f noise parameter of Nb-doped TiO_2−x films were found to decrease largely while the measured temperature coefficient of resistance (TCR) of the films was still high. The obtained results indicate that Nb-doped TiO_2−x films have great potential as an alternative bolometric material.     

Shadow-casted ultrathin surface coatings of titanium and titanium/silicon oxide sol particles via ultrasound-assisted deposition

Ultrasound-assisted deposition (USAD) of sol nanoparticles enables the formation of uniform and inherently stable thin films. However, the technique still suffers in coating hard substrates and the use of fast-reacting sol–gel precursors still remains challenging. Here, we report on the deposition of ultrathin titanium and titanium/silicon hybrid oxide coatings using hydroxylated silicon wafers as a model hard substrate. We use acetic acid as the catalyst which also suppresses the reactivity of titanium tetraisopropoxide while increasing the reactivity of tetraethyl orthosilicate through chemical modifications. Taking the advantage of this peculiar behavior, we successfully prepared titanium and titanium/silicon hybrid oxide coatings by USAD. Varying the amount of acetic acid in the reaction media, we managed to modulate thickness and surface roughness of the coatings in nanoscale. Field-emission scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy studies showed the formation of conformal coatings having nanoroughness. Quantitative chemical state maps obtained by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) suggested the formation of ultrathin (<10 nm) coatings and thickness measurements by rotating analyzer ellipsometry supported this observation. For the first time, XPS chemical maps revealed the transport effect of ultrasonic waves since coatings were directly cast on rectangular substrates as circular shadows of the horn with clear thickness gradient from the center to the edges. In addition to the progress made in coating hard substrates, employing fast-reacting precursors and achieving hybrid coatings; this report provides the first visual evidence on previously suggested “acceleration and smashing” mechanism as the main driving force of USAD.     

Monte Carlo calculations of the energy deposited in biological samples and shielding materials

The energy deposited by gamma radiation from the Cs-137 isotope into body tissues (bone and muscle), tissue-like medium (water), and radiation shielding materials (concrete, lead, and water), which is of interest for radiation dosimetry, was obtained using a simple Monte Carlo algorithm. The algorithm also provides a realistic picture of the distribution of backscattered photons from the target and the distribution of photons scattered forward after several scatterings in the scatterer, which is useful in studying radiation shielding. The presented method in this work constitutes an attempt to evaluate the amount of energy absorbed by body tissues and shielding materials.     

Externally applied stress sign and film elastic properties effects on brittle film fracture

Rectangular stainless steel samples with TiN film deposited on the front lateral surface were loaded in three-point bending to the maximum normal strain of 6%. Scanning electron microscopy showed that vertical cracks appeared in the tension zone when the tensile strain exceeded 1.5%, while horizontal cracks appeared in the compression zone when the compressive strain exceeded –2.9%. Film cracks in the compressive zone originate from the tensile stress imposed by the plastically deformed substrate due to the Poisson’s expansion. Taking plastic deformation and Poisson’s expansion of the substrate in compression into account, theoretical analysis of normal stress distribution along the cracked film segment in compression is presented. Substrate strain and film elastic properties affect film cracking in the compressive zone. At larger compressive strain, some transverse cracks along with buckling cause the film spallation. The presented method is useful for studying brittle film fracture with variable strain levels in a single sample.     

焙烧温度对Ni/CuO-ZrO2-CeO2-Al2O3催化剂在甲烷自热重整反应中积炭行为的影响

以Na₂CO₃为沉淀剂,在pH=9时,采用并流沉淀法制备了Ni/CuO-ZrO₂-CeO₂-Al₂O₃催化剂,催化剂中活性组分Ni的负载量(质量分数)为10%．采用TPO、SEM和XPS等方法研究了载体焙烧温度对催化剂积炭行为的影响．结果表明,载体焙烧温度为800 oC制备的Ni/CuO-ZrO₂-CeO₂-Al₂O₃催化剂不存在高温烧炭峰,可以避免由于积炭而降低反应的活性．反应40 h后,催化剂表面出现表面碳酸盐和非活性丝状积炭,这些物种可能会导致催化剂活性降低．