Structural,optical and photocatalytic properties of (Mg,Al)-codoped ZnO powders prepared by sol–gel method

Structural and optical properties of 1 at % Al-doped Zn_1−xMg_xO (x=0–8%) powders prepared by sol–gel method were systematically investigated by means of X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, ultraviolet–visible absorbance measurement, photoluminescence and Raman scattering spectra. All the powders retained the hexagonal wurtzite structure of ZnO. The band gap and near band emission energies determined from absorbance and photoluminescence spectra increased linearly with increasing Mg content, respectively, which implied that the Mg worked effectively on ZnO band gap engineering, irrespective of Al codoping. However, according to the PL and Raman scattering studies, for the sample of x=8%, the Al doping efficiency was decreased by higher Mg codoping. On the other hand, the effect of Mg codoping on photocatalytic degradation of methylene orange was explored experimentally. The substitution of Mg ions at Zn sites shifted the conduction band toward higher energies and then enhanced the photocatalytic activity, while the incorporation of interstitial Mg ions and decreased Al doping efficiency for higher Mg doping sample (x=8%) reduced the photocatalytic activity.     

Various shaped-ZnO nanocrystals via low temperature synthetic methods: Surfactant and pH dependence

ZnO nanocrystals, rod-, carnation-, and flower-like structures, have been synthesized in a high yield through low-temperature synthetic methods. Well-aligned ZnO nanorods having hexagonal wurtzite structure were grown on the ZnO thin films assembled by a spin-coating method. The morphologies of ZnO seed films are affected by pHs of sol–gel solutions, resulting smaller sizes and homogeneous roughness at higher pHs and higher number of spin-coating times. The carnation-like structures, average size of about 2–3 μm, were assembled by tens of uniform ZnO nanosheet petals of ∼50 nm in thickness when a different volume ratio of the precursory solution was used. ZnO nanocrystals on the facets of the compact ZnO nanorods have grown to linear nanorods having an average diameter of ∼500 nm and length of ∼2 μm. Furthermore, a noticeable difference in the growth of ZnO nanocrystals in the presence of various surfactants, polyvinylpyrrolidone, polyvinylsulphonic acid, and polyethyleneimine, has been observed and discussed.     

Environmentally Benign and Efficient Ag2S‐ZnO Nanowires as Photoanodes for Solar Cells: Comparison with CdS‐ZnO Nanowires

In this work, we develop a low‐temperature, facile solution reaction route for the fabrication of quantum‐dot‐sensitized solar cells (QDSSCs) containing Ag₂S‐ZnO nanowires (NWs), simultaneously ensuring low manufacturing costs and environmental safety. For comparison, a CdS‐ZnO NW photoanode was also prepared using the layer‐by‐layer growth method. Ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy analysis revealed type‐II band alignments for the band structures of both photoanodes which facilitate electron transfer/collection. Compared to CdS‐ZnO QDSSCs, Ag₂S‐ZnO QDSSCs exhibit a considerably higher short‐circuit current density (J_sc) and a strongly enhanced light‐harvesting efficiency, but lower open‐circuit voltages (V_oc), resulting in almost the same power‐conversion efficiency of 1.2 %. Through this work, we demonstrate Ag₂S as an efficient quantum‐dot‐sensitizing material that has the potential to replace Cd‐based sensitizers for eco‐friendly applications.     

Characterizing the Role of Iodine Doping in Improving Photovoltaic Performance of Dye‐Sensitized Hierarchically Structured ZnO Solar Cells

We report two novel types of hierarchically structured iodine‐doped ZnO (I? ZnO)‐based dye‐sensitized solar cells (DSCs) using indoline D205 and the ruthenium complex N719 as sensitizers. It was found that iodine doping boosts the efficiencies of D205 I? ZnO and N719 I? ZnO DSCs with an enhancement of 20.3 and 17.9 %, respectively, compared to the undoped versions. Transient absorption spectra demonstrated that iodine doping impels an increase in the decay time of I? ZnO, favoring enhanced exciton life. Mott–Schottky analysis results indicated a negative shift of the flat‐band potential (V_fb) of ZnO, caused by iodine doping, and this shift correlated with the enhancement of the open circuit voltage (V_oc). To reveal the effect of iodine doping on the effective separation of e^?‐h⁺ pairs which is responsible for cell efficiency, direct visualization of light‐induced changes in the surface potential between I? ZnO particles and dye molecules were traced by Kelvin probe force microscopy. We found that potential changes of iodine‐doped ZnO films by irradiation were above one hundred millivolts and thus significantly greater. In order to correlate enhanced cell performance with iodine doping, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, incident‐photon‐current efficiency, and cyclic voltammetry investigations on I? ZnO cells were carried out. The results revealed several favorable features of I? ZnO cells, that is, longer electron lifetime, lower charge‐transfer resistance, stronger peak current, and extended visible light harvest, all of which serve to promote cell performance.     

M2+(M=Cu、Cd、Ag、Fe)掺杂氧化锌纳米粉晶的抗菌性能

采用柠檬酸溶胶-凝胶法制备了ZnO及M²⁺掺杂ZnO纳米粉晶(M=Cu、Cd、Ag、Fe),用现代测试技术表征了样品的组成、结构和形貌,以大肠杆菌(Escherichia coli)、金黄色葡萄球菌(Staphylococcus aureus)和白色念珠菌(Candida albicans)为测试菌株,用抑菌圈、最小抑菌浓度和最小杀菌浓度等方法研究了样品在日光照射下的抗菌活性。结果表明,与母体ZnO相比,Cu、Ag、Cd掺杂样品的抗菌性能明显地增强,这可能是由于掺杂金属离子置换Zn²⁺生成了晶格缺陷和电荷缺陷,阻止了光生电子和光生空穴对的复合从而增强了光催化活性和抗菌活性。     

微波诱导燃烧法合成类花状ZnO纳米材料及其晶体结构、荧光性质研究

以硝酸锌[Zn(NO3)2.6H2O]和尿素[CO(NH2)2]作前驱体,通过微波诱导燃烧技术可控合成具有不同形貌的ZnO纳米晶体,并用热重分析和差热分析进行了研究。对各种生长条件:微波功率,辐射时间和尿素/Zn2+物质的量的比对ZnO纳米晶体形貌的影响作了分析。结果表明:尿素/Zn2+物质的量的比对ZnO纳米材料的形貌具有显著影响。X衍射图表明合成的ZnO纳米结构呈六角形。傅里叶变换红外光谱图中400~500 cm-1处明显的峰为Zn-O的振动峰。ZnO纳米结构的发光光谱在366 nm的带边发射,因缺陷又由许多可见光发射峰组成。用扫描电子显微镜、透射电子显微镜、选区电子衍射研究了花状ZnO纳米结构的增长机理。本方法仅需几分钟就获得的了ZnO纳米结构。     

Use of Cdse/ZnS quantum dots for sensitive detection and quantification of paraquat in water samples

Based on the highly sensitive fluorescence change of water-soluble CdSe/ZnS core-shell quantum dots (QD) by paraquat herbicide, a simple, rapid and reproducible methodology was developed to selectively determine paraquat (PQ) in water samples. The methodology enabled the use of simple pretreatment procedure based on the simple water solubilization of CdSe/ZnS QDs with hydrophilic heterobifunctional thiol ligands, such as 3-mercaptopropionic acid (3-MPA), using microwave irradiation. The resulting water-soluble QDs exhibit a strong fluorescence emission at 596 nm with a high and reproducible photostability. The proposed analytical method thus satisfies the need for a simple, sensible and rapid methodology to determine residues of paraquat in water samples, as required by the increasingly strict regulations for health protection introduced in recent years. The sensitivity of the method, expressed as detection limits, was as low as 3.0 ng L⁻¹. The lineal range was between 10–5 × 10³ ng L⁻¹. RSD values in the range of 71–102% were obtained. The analytical applicability of proposed method was demonstrated by analyzing water samples from different procedence.     

One‐Pot Synthesis of CdSe Quantum Dots in Aqueous Solution for Biological Labeling

The one‐pot synthesis of water‐soluble and biologically compatible yellow CdSe quantum dots (QDs) featuring the use of glutathione (GSH) as the capping and reducing agent was achieved under aqueous conditions at 150 °C. The synthesized yellow CdSe QDs with quantum yield (QY) up to 20% exhibit zinc blende cubic structure particles with an average diameter of 4‐5 nm. It was found that both molar ratio of Se/Cd and reaction time had a significant effect on size distribution of GSH‐CdSe QDs. Meanwhile, the interaction of QDs bioconjugated to bovine hemoglobin (BHb) was studied by absorption and fluorescence(FL) spectra. With addition of BHb, the FL intensity of CdSe QDs largely quenched due to the static mechanism. The linear range is 5.0 × 10^?8 mol/L to 3.0 × 10^?6 mol/L, and the correlation coefficient is 0.9991, suggesting that could be used as a probe to label biological molecules and bacterial cells.     

ZnO Nanoparticles as an Efficient,Heterogeneous, Reusable,and Ecofriendly Catalyst for One-Pot,Three-Component Synthesis of 3,4-Dihydropyrimidin-2(1H)-(thio)one Derivatives in Water

An extremely efficient heterogeneous protocol is reported for the one-pot, three-component synthesis of a series of dihydropyrimidinones (DHPMs) in the presence of ZnO nanoparticles in water as a green solvent. The ZnO nanoparticles exhibited excellent catalytic activity and the proposed methodology is capable of providing the desired products in good yields (65–94%) within short reaction times. After the reaction course, ZnO nanoparticles can be recycled and reused without any apparent loss of activity, which makes this ecofriendly process cost-effective.