Surfactant-free hydrothermal synthesis of?submicron?BiFeO3?powders

Submicron BiFeO₃ powders were successfully synthesized via a simple hydrothermal process with the assistance of mineralizer (NaOH) at 150–190°C, using FeCl₃ and Bi(NO₃)₃⋅5H₂O as reactants. The effects of mineralizer concentration, reaction temperature and time on the phase evolution and crystal morphology of the resulting samples were investigated. X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), thermogravimetry and differential scanning calorimetry (TG-DSC), and vibrating sample magnetometry (VSM) were used to characterize the as-synthesized samples. The experimental results revealed that a pure BiFeO₃ phase could be formed at a temperature ranging from 170 to 190°C for 4–20 h in the presence of 0.03–0.12 M NaOH. It was found that the mineralizer concentration, reaction temperature and time played a key role in controlling the growing speed of nuclei and formation of BiFeO₃ crystallites. The possible formation mechanisms of submicron BiFeO₃ powders with different morphologies were presented. The magnetization of BiFeO₃ powders showed a weak ferromagnetic behavior at room temperature.     

Controllable synthesis of PbI2 nanocrystals via a surfactant-assisted hydrothermal route

PbI₂ nanostructures were successfully prepared via a surfactant-assisted hydrothermal method at a low temperature of 100°C for 8 h. Polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP) and cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) were used as surfactants. The resulting products were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and UV–vis spectroscopy. It was found that the formation of PbI₂ nanostructures with various morphologies could be well controlled by the adjustment of the pH of the synthesis solution, selection of suitable surfactant, and the amount of the desired surfactant. UV–vis absorption results showed an apparent shift of the band gap energy of the PbI₂ nanoparticles relative to that of the bulk.     

A facile route to synthesize luminescent YVO4:Eu3+ porous nanoplates

Porous nanoplates made of yttrium orthovanadate doped with europeum (YVO₄:Eu³⁺) have been successfully synthesized via a chemical co-precipitation method using NH₄VO₃, Y₂O₃, Eu₂O₃ and ethylene glycol. To investigate the effect of temperature on the pore size and morphology of the final product, the as-synthesized YVO₄:Eu³⁺ nanoplates were subjected to heat treatment at 300 and 600 °C for 2 h. The obtained samples were characterized by X-ray diffractometion, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy and photoluminescence spectroscopy. The experimental results showed that the luminescent properties were significantly enhanced with increasing pore size of the YVO₄:Eu³⁺ porous nanoplates.     

Hydrothermal synthesis and magnetic properties of gadolinium-doped CoFe2O4 nanoparticles

CoFe_2−xGd_xO₄ (x=0-0.25) nanoparticles were synthesized via a simple hydrothermal process at 200 °C for 16 h without the assistance of surfactant. The as-synthesized powders were characterized by X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, and a vibrating sample magnetometer. The X-ray diffraction results showed that the as-synthesized powders were in the pure phase with a doping amount of ≤0.25, and the peaks could be readily indexed to the cubic spinel cobalt ferrite. Transmission electron microscopy and high resolution transmission electron microscopy observations revealed that the gadolinium-doped cobalt ferrite nanoparticles were single crystal, roughly spherical, uniformly distributed, and not highly agglomerated. The room temperature magnetic field versus magnetization measurements confirmed a strong influence of gadolinium doping on the saturation magnetization and coercivity due to large lattice distortion and grain growth of small particles.     

Template-Free Hydrothermal Synthesis of Hollow α-FeOOH Urchin-Like Spheres and Their Conversion to α-Fe2O3 Under Low-Temperature Thermal Treatment in Air

Hollow α-FeOOH urchin-like spheres were synthesized by a simple hydrothermal method at 160 °C for 12 h and their thermal conversion to hollow α-Fe₂O₃ urchin-like spheres was performed at 300 °C for 2 h in air. The results from X-ray diffraction and electron microscopy analyses reveal that hollow α-FeOOH urchin-like spheres were completely transformed to hollow α-Fe₂O₃ urchin-like spheres without a significant morphological change. Also, the effect of hydrothermal treatment temperature (170–200 °C for 12 h) on the phase structure and morphology of the final product was investigated. Pure α-FeOOH, the mixture of α-FeOOH and α-Fe₂O₃, and pure α-Fe₂O₃ with different morphologies were obtained at <180, 180–190 and 200 °C, respectively. The obtained materials can be used in the photodegradation of organic pollutants under visible light irradiation.     

First-principles investigation of the equation of state and elastic properties of perovskite-type SrW(O,N)<Subscript>3</Subscript> under hydrostatic pressures up to 139 GPa

Pressure dependence of the structural and elastic properties of perovskite-type cubic SrWO_2.05N_0.95 was studied using firstprinciples density functional theory (DFT) utilizing the plane wave pseudopotential and the exchange-correlation functionals within the generalized gradient approximation. The estimated bulk modulus and its pressure derivative values from the P ? V data fitted to the third-order Birch-Murnaghan equation of state were close to the data obtained from the independent elastic constants. Based on the generalized Born stability criteria, SrWO_2.05N_0.95 is mechanically stable up to 139 GPa. The influence of hydrostatic pressure (0 to 139 GPa) on the bulk modulus, shear modulus, Young’s modulus, Pugh’s modulus ratio, Poisson’s ratio, Vickers hardness, sound velocities, Debye temperature, Debye-Grüneisen parameter, minimum thermal conductivity and elastic anisotropy of SrWO_2.05N_0.95 was particularly studied in detail. It was found that SrWO_2.05N_0.95 is a ductile and hard solid with large bulk, shear and Young’s modulus and displays an extraordinary low thermal conductivity. Since there are not any experimental or theoretical data available for comparison the results of the present study have revealed an important fundamental information about the elastic properties of perovskite-type cubic SrWO_2.05N_0.95 for future experimental studies.     

Room Temperature Synthesis and Photocatalytic Activity of Magnetically Recoverable Fe3O4/BiOCl Nanocomposite Photocatalysts

Magnetically recoverable Fe₃O₄/BiOCl nanocomposite photocatalysts were fabricated by a simple chemical coprecipitation method at room temperature. The amount of Fe₃O₄ incorporated into BiOCl was varied from 0 to 20 wt%. The as-synthesized samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy, UV–Vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, and vibrating sample magnetometer. The obtained results show that the as-synthesized samples mainly contain both crystalline phases (Fe₃O₄ and BiOCl) and are composed of flower-like nanostructures. Compared to UV light-responsive BiOCl, all the nanocomposite photocatalysts show a strong light absorbance in the range of 250–800 nm, demonstrating that the Fe₃O₄/BiOCl nanocomposites can respond to visible as well as UV light. Moreover, visible light absorbance was increased with the increase in the Fe₃O₄ amount in the composite. The photocatalytic activity of nanocomposite photocatalysts was evaluated by the photodegradation of Rhodamine B (RhB) over the samples under visible light irradiation. The 10 wt% Fe₃O₄/BiOCl nanocomposite photocatalyst shows the highest photocatalytic efficiency among the samples. The Fe₃O₄/BiOCl nanocomposite photocatalyst was stable under visible light irradiation to efficiently degrade RhB molecules after five cycles and could be easily recovered with a magnet after each cycle.     

Facile Fabrication of Porous Bi2O3 Microspheres by Thermal Treatment of Bi2O2CO3 Microspheres and its Photocatalysis Properties

β- and α-phase porous Bi₂O₃ microspheres with an average size of around 4 μm had been synthesized by thermal treatment of Bi₂O₂CO₃ microspheres at 350 and 400–500 °C respectively in an air atmosphere. The Bi₂O₂CO₃ microspheres had been synthesized at a temperature of 180 °C by a hydrothermal process using Bi(NO₃)₃ as the bismuth source with the assist of citric acid. By combining the results of X-ray powder diffraction, transmission electron microscope, scanning electron microscopy, and UV–Visible absorption spectra, the structural, morphological and optical properties characterization of the products were performed. The photocatalytic activity of the as-prepared α- and β-phase porous Bi₂O₃ microspheres have been tested by degradation of methylene orange under visible light, indicating that porous β-Bi₂O₃ microspheres showed enhanced photocatalytic performance compared to P25 and α-Bi₂O₃ microspheres.     

CTAB-assisted hydrothermal synthesis of YVO4:Eu powders in a wide pH range

Rhombus-, rod-, soya bean- and aggregated soya bean-like YVO₄:Eu³⁺ micro- and nanostructures were synthesized by a cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB)-assisted hydrothermal method at 180 °C for 24 h in a wide pH range. The as-synthesized powders were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and photoluminescence spectroscopy (PL). The XRD results confirmed the formation of phase-pure YVO₄:Eu³⁺ powders with tetragonal structure under hydrothermal process in a wide pH range. Electron microscopic observations evidenced the morphological transformation of YVO₄:Eu³⁺ powders from rhombus-like microstructure to rod-, soya bean, and aggregated soya bean-like nanostructures with an increase in the pH of the synthesis solution. The results from the PL measurements revealed that the intensities of PL emission peaks were significantly affected by the morphologies and crystallinity of samples due to the absence of an inversion symmetry at the Eu³⁺ lattice site, and the highest luminescence intensity was observed for rod-like YVO₄:Eu³⁺ powders.