Strings of interconnected hollow carbon nanoparticles with porous shells prepared using simple solid-phase synthesis

Strings of interconnected hollow carbon nanoparticles with porous shells were prepared by simple heat-treatments of a mixture of resorcinol-formaldehyde gel and transition-metal salts. The sample was characterized by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction and nitrogen adsorption. Results show that the sample consisted of relatively uniform hollow particles with sizes ranging from 70 to 80 nm forming a strings-of-pearls-like nanostructure. The material with porous shells possessed well-developed graphitic structure with an interlayer (d(002)) spacing of 0.3369 nm and the stack height of the graphite crystallites of 9 nm.

Preparation and characterization of As-cast and hot-rolled Mg-3Al-0.5Mn-0.5Zn-1MM alloy

Mg-3Al-0.5Mn-0.5Zn-1MM alloy was prepared by metal mould casting method. The as-cast ingot was homogenized and then hot-rolled at 673 K with total thickness reduction of 65%. Microstructure and mechanical properties of the as-cast and hot-rolled samples were investigated. The results showed that the as-cast sample mainly consisted of alpha-Mg, beta-Mg17Al12, Al10Ce2Mn7, and Al11RE3 (RE = La and Ce) phases. The average grain size of the sample homogenized at 673 K was about 240 gm, and it was greatly refined to about 7 mu m by dynamic recrystallization for the hot-rolled sample.

Effect of La-Mg-based alloy addition on structure and electrochemical characteristics of Ti0.10Zr0.15V0.35Cr0.10Ni0.30 hydrogen storage alloy

Effect of La-Mg-based alloy (AB(5)) addition on Structure and electrochemical characteristics of Ti0.10Zr0.15V0.35Cr0.10Ni0.30 hydrogen storage alloy has been investigated systematically. XRD shows that the matrix phase structure is not changed after adding AB(5) alloy, however, the amount of the secondary phase increases with increasing AB(5) alloy content. The electrochemical measurements show that the plateau pressure Ti0.10Zr0.15V0.35Cr0.10Ni0.30 + x% La0.85Mg0.25Ni4.5Co0.35Al0.15 (X = 0, 1, 5, 10, 20) hydrogen storage alloys increase with increasing x, and the width of the pressure plateau first increases when x increases from 0 to 5 and then decreases as x increases further, and the maximum discharge capacity changes in the same trend.

Electrolytic Deposition and Diffusion of Lithium onto Magnesium-9 Wt Pct Yttrium Bulk Alloy in Low-Temperature Molten Salt of Lithium Chloride and Potassium Chloride

The electrolytic deposition and diffusion of lithium onto bulk magnesium-9 wt pct yttrium alloy cathode in molten salt of 47 wt pct lithium chloride and 53 wt pct potassium chloride at 693 K were investigated. Results show that magnesium-yttrium-lithium ternary alloys are formed on the surface of the cathodes, and a penetration depth of 642 mu m is acquired after 2 hours of electrolysis at the cathodic current density of 0.06 A center dot cm(-2). The diffusion of lithium results in a great amount of precipitates in the lithium containing layer. These precipitates are the compound of Mg41Y5, which arrange along the grain boundaries and hinder the diffusion of lithium, and solid solution of yttrium in magnesium. The grain boundaries and the twins of the magnesium-9 wt pct yttrium substrate also have negative effects on the diffusion of lithium.

Novel Hybrid Electrocatalyst with Enhanced Performance in Alkaline Media: Hollow Au/Pd Core/Shell Nanostructures with a Raspberry Surface

In this paper, a hollow Au/Pd core/shell nanostructure with a raspberry surface was developed for methanol, ethanol, and formic acid oxidation in alkaline media. The results showed that it possessed better electrocatalyst performance than hollow Au nanospheres or Pd nanoparticles. The nanostructure was fabricated via a two-step method. Hollow Au nanospheres were first synthesized by a galvanic replacement reaction, and then they were coated with a layer of Pd grains. Several characterizations such as transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) were used to investigate the prepared nanostructures.

Preparation of Hollow Carbon and Silicon Carbide Fibers with Different Cross-Sections by using Electrospun Fibers as Templates

Hollow carbon nanofibers with circular and rectangular opening were prepared by using electrospun silica fibers as templates. Silica fibers were synthesized by electrospinning, and they were coated with a carbon layer formed by thermal decomposition and carbonization of polystyrene under a nitrogen atmosphere. Hollow carbon nanofibers with circular and rectangular openings were then obtained after the silica core was etched by hydrofluoric acid. The carbon nanofibers with different morphologies also could be used as templates to fabricate silicon carbide fibers. The silicon carbide fibers with circular and rectangular openings could be obtained by using hollow carbon nanofibers and carbon belts as templates, respectively.

Effect of AB(5) alloy on Ti0.10Zr0.15V0.35Cr0.10Ni0.30 hydrogen storage alloy

The structure and electrochemical characteristics of melted composite Ti0.10Zr0.15V0.35Cr0.10Ni0.30 + x% LaNi4Al0.4Mn0.3Co0.3 (x = 0, 1, 5) hydrogen storage alloys have been investigated systematically. XRD shows that though the main phase of the matrix alloy remains unchanged after LaNi4Al0.4Mn0.3Co0.3 alloy is added, a new specimen is formed. The amount of the new specimen increases with increasing x. SEM-EDS analysis indicates that the V-based solid solution phase is mainly composed of V, Cr and Ni; C14 Laves phase is mainly composed of Ni, Zr and V; the new specimen containing La is mainly composed of Zr, V and Ni. The electrochemical measurements suggest that the activation performance, the low temperature discharge ability, the high rate discharge ability and the cyclic stability of composite alloy electrodes increase greatly with the growth of x.

Effect of substitution of chromium for nickel on structure and electrochemical characteristic of Ti0.26Zr0.07V0.24Mn0.1Ni0.33 multi-phase hydrogen storage alloy

Ti-Zr-V-Mn-Ni-based multi-component alloys demonstrate high discharge capacity in KOH electrolyte. However, the drastic decrease in their discharge capacities makes them unsuitable for use as negative electrode material in the Ni/MH battery. In present work, Ni is partially replaced by Cr in the Ti-Zr-V-Mn-Ni-based alloys to improve their cycle life. The effects of Cr substitution on microstructures and the electrochemical characteristics of the alloys are investigated. It is found that Cr substitution is very effective to improve the cyclic durability of the alloys although the discharge capacity decreases with changing x from 0.05 to 0.20. Some kinetic performances have been also investigated using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and potentiostatic discharge technique.

Large-Scale and Template-Free Growth of Free-Standing Single-Crystalline Dendritic Ag/Pd Alloy Nanostructure Arrays

Large-scale arrays consist of dendritic single-crystalline Ag/Pd alloy nanostructures are synthesized for the first time. A simple galvanic replacement reaction is introduced to grow these arrays directly on Ag substrates. The morphology of the products strongly depended on the reaction temperature and the concentration of H2PdCl4 solution. The mechanism of the formation of alloy and the dendritic morphology has been discussed. These alloy arrays exhibit high surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) activity and may have potential applications in investigation of "in situ" Pd catalytic reactions using SERS. Moreover, electrocatalytic measurements suggest that the obtained dendritic Ag/Pd alloy nanostructures exhibit electrocatytic activity toward the oxidation of formic acid.

Structure stability and strengthening mechanism of die-cast Mg-Gd-Dy based alloy

Mg-8Gd-1Dy-0.3Zn (wt.%) alloy was prepared by high-pressure die-casting technique. The thermal stability, mechanical properties at temperature range from room temperature to 573 K and strengthening mechanism was investigated. The results showed that the die-cast state alloy was mainly composed of fine cellular equiaxed grain. The fine porosity-free skin region was related to the aggregation of rare earth elements. The long lamellar-shaped stacking compound containing Zn and polygon-shaped precipitate were observed along the grain boundaries. The die-cast sample exhibited high mechanical properties and good thermal stability until 523 K.

General and Facile Method To Prepare Uniform Y2O3:Eu Hollow Microspheres

Well-shaped Y2O3:Eu hollow microspheres have been successfully prepared on a large scale via a urea-based homogeneous precipitation technique in the presence of colloidal carbon spheres as hard templates followed by a subsequent heat treatment process. XRD results demonstrate that all the diffraction peaks of the samples can be well indexed to the pure cubic phase Of Y2O3. TEM and SEM images indicate that the shell of the uniform hollow spheres, whose diameters are about 250 nm, is composed of many uniform nanoparticles with diameters of about 20 nm, basically consistent with the estimation of XRD results. Furthermore, the main process in this method was carried out in aqueous condition, without the use of organic solvents or etching agents. The as-prepared hollow Y2O3:Eu microspheres show a strong red emission corresponding to the D-5(0)-F-7(2) transition of the Eu3+ ions under ultraviolet or low voltage excitation, which might find potential applications in fields such as light phosphor powders, advanced flat panel displays, field emission display devices, and biological labeling.

Nanoelectrocatalyst based on high-density Au/Pt hybrid nanoparticles supported on a silica nanosphere

A high-efficiency nanoelectrocatalyst based on high-density Au/Pt hybrid nanoparticles supported on a silica nanosphere (Au-Pt/SiO2) has been prepared by a facile wet chemical method. Scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy are employed to characterize the obtained Au-Pt/SiO2. It was found that each hybrid nanosphere is composed of high-density small Au/Pt hybrid nanoparticles with rough surfaces. These small Au/Pt hybrid nanoparticles interconnect and form a porous nanostructure, which provides highly accessible activity sites, as required for high electrocatalytic activity. We suggest that the particular morphology of the AuPt/SiO2 may be the reason for the high catalytic activity. Thus, this hybrid nanomaterial may find a potential application in fuel cells.

High-efficiency and low-cost hybrid nanomaterial as enhancing electrocatalyst: Spongelike AWN core/shell nanomaterial with hollow cavity

A high-efficiency and low-cost spongelike Au/Pt core/shell electrocatalyst with hollow cavity has been facilely obtained via a simple two-step wet chemical process. Hollow gold nanospheres were first synthesized via a modified galvanic replacement reaction between Co nanoparticles in situ produced and HAUCl(4). The as-prepared gold hollow spheres were employed as seeds to further grow spongelike Pt shell. It is found that the surface of this hybrid nanomaterial owns many Pt nanospikes, which form a spongelike nanostructure. All experimental data including scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and UV-vis-near-infrared spectroscopy have been employed to characterize the obtained Au/Pt hybrid nanomaterial. The rapid development of fuel cell has inspired us to investigate the electrocatalytic properties for dioxygen and methanol of this novel hybrid nanomaterial. Spongelike hybrid nanomaterial mentioned here exhibits much higher catalytic activity for dioxygen reduction and methanol oxidation than the common Pt electrode.

A simple method to prepare titania nanomaterials of core-shell structure, hollow nanospheres and mesoporous nanoparticles

A simple method to prepare titania nanomaterials of core-shell structure, hollow nanospheres and mesoporous nanoparticles has been developed. The core-shell nanostructures with NH4Cl as core and TiO2 center dot xH(2)O-NH4Cl as shell were prepared in nonaqueous system by the deposition on the surface of the aggregated NH4Cl crystals, which could be transformed into mesoporous anatase nanoparticles or hollow nanospheres by calcination at 500A degrees C or extraction with methanol, respectively. The hierarchical mesoporous nanostructures benefited the photocatalytic activities of the resultant titania nanomaterials, demonstrated by the UV light photodegradation of Methyl Orange.

Raspberry-like Hierarchical Au/Pt Nanoparticle Assembling Hollow Spheres with Nanochannels: An Advanced Nanoelectrocatalyst for the Oxygen Reduction Reaction

In this contribution, we for the first time report the synthesis of raspberry-like hierarchical Au/Pt nanoparticle (NP) assembling hollow spheres (RHAHS) with pore structure and complex morphology through one in situ sacrificial template approach without any post-treatment procedure. This method has some clear advantages including simplicity, quickness, high quality, good reproducibility, and no need of a complex post-treatment process (removing templating). Furthermore, the present method could be extended to other metal-based NP assembling hollow spheres. Most importantly, the as-prepared RHAHS exhibited excellent electrocatalytic activity for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). For instance, the present RHAHS-modified electrode exhibited more positive potential (the half-wave potential at about 0.6 V), higher specific activity, and higher mass activity for ORR than that of commercial platinum black (CPB). Rotating ring-disk electrode (RRDE) voltarnmetry demonstrated that the RHAHS-modified electrode could almost catalyze a four-electron reduction of O-2 to H2O in a 0.5 M air-saturated H2SO4 solution.