Crystallographic and electrochemical characteristics of melt-spun Ti-Zr-Ni-Cu alloys

Ti44Zr32Ni22Cu2 and Ti41Zr29Ni28Cu2 alloys were prepared by the melt-spinning method. The phase structure was analyzed by X-ray diffraction, and the electrochemical performances of the melt-spun alloys were investigated. The results indicated that the Ti44Zr32Ni22Cu2 alloy was composed of the icosahedral quasicrystals and amorphous phases, and the Ti41Zr29Ni28Cu2 alloy comprised icosahedral quasicrystals, amorphous, and Laves phases. The maximum discharge capacity was 141 mAh/g for the Ti44Zr32Ni22Cu2 alloy and 181 mAh/g for the Ti41Zr29Ni28Cu2 alloy, respectively. The Ti41Zr29Ni28Cu2 alloy also showed a better high-rate dischargeabifity and cycling stability. The better electrochemical properties should be ascribed to the high content of Ni, which was beneficial to the electrochemical kinetic properties and made the alloy more resistant to oxidation, as well as to the Laves phase in the Ti41Zr29Ni28Cu2 alloy, which could work as the electro-catalyst and the micro-current collector.

Crystallographic and electrochemical characteristics of TiZrNiCu quasicrystal ball-milled with La0.9Zr0.1Ni4.5Al0.5 alloy

Icosahedral quasicrystalline Ti45Zr35Ni17Cu3 alloy was ball-milled with 30 mass% La0.9Zr0.1Ni4.5Al0.5 alloy (LaNi5 phase), the effect of the milling time on crystallographic and electrochemical characteristics of the alloy powder was investigated. The amount of amorphous phase increased with increasing milling time from 60 to 360 min, and the LaNi5 phase cannot be observed when milling time was 240 min or more. The maximum discharge capacity and high-rate dischargeability of milled alloy electrodes were obviously higher than those of the alloy electrode before milling. The cycling capacity retention rate after 40 cycles increased from 52.8% (t = 60 min) to 62.9% (t = 360 min).

Near infrared long lasting emission of Yb3+ and its influence on the optical storage ability of Mn2+-activated zinc borosilicate glasses

The near infrared long lasting phosphorescence of Yb3+ is observed in Yb3+ and Mn2+ codoped zinc borosilicate glasses. Compared with the glasses solely activated by Mn2+, when the Yb3+ ion is codoped, the red long lasting phosphorescence of the samples is largely improved in both brightness and persistent time but the photostimulated long lasting phosphorescence is greatly depressed. It is considered that the appearance of the phosphorescence of Yb3+ is due to the alteration of the energy transfer channel; additionally, Yb3+ also changes the trap depth of the glasses with the shallower trap predominating therefrom the red long lasting phosphorescence is improved and the photostimulated long lasting phosphorescence is degraded.

Tuning the energy level and photophysical and electroluminescent properties of heavy metal complexes by controlling the ligation of the metal with the carbon of the carbazole unit

Four novel Ir-III and Pt-II complexes with cyclometalated ligands bearing a carbazole framework are prepared and characterized by elemental analysis, NMR spectroscopy, and mass spectrometry. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction studies of complexes 1, 3, and 4 reveal that the 3- or 2-position C atom of the carbazole unit coordinates to the metal center. The difference in the ligation position results in significant shifts in the emission spectra with the changes in wavelength being 84 nm for the Ir complexes and 63 nm for the Pt complexes. The electrochemical behavior and photophysical properties of the complexes are investigated, and correlate well with the results of density functional theory (DFT) calculations. Electroluminescent devices with a configuration of ITO/NPB/CBP:dopant/BCP/AlQ(3)/LiF/Al can attain very high efficiencies.

Structure and electrochemical characteristics of TiV1.1Mn0.9Nix (x=0.1-0.7) alloys

The structure and electrochemical properties of TiV1.1Mn0.9Nix (x = 0.1-0.7) solid solution electrode alloys have been investigated. It is found that these alloys mainly consist of a solid solution phase with body centered cubic (bcc) structure and a C14 Laves secondary phase. The solid solution alloys show easy activation behavior, high temperature dischargeability, high discharge capacity and favorable high-rate dischargeability as a negative electrode material in Ni-MH battery. The maximum discharge capacity is 502 mAh g(-1) at 303 K when x = 0.4. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) test shows that the charge-transfer resistance at the surface of the alloy electrodes decreases obviously with increasing Ni content.

Crystallographic and electrochemical characteristics of icosahedral quasicrysyalline Ti45-xZr35-xNi17+2xCu3 (x=0-8) powders

Ti45--xZr35--xNi17+2rCU3 (x=0, 2, 4, 6 and 8) icosahedral quasicrystalline phase (I-phase) alloy powders are synthesized by mechanical alloying and subsequent annealing techniques, and the crystallographic and electrochemical characteristics are investigated. The alloy powders are I-phase, and the quasi-lattice constant decreases with increasing x value. The maximum discharge capacity of the I-phase alloy electrodes first increases and then decreases with increasing x value, and the Ti39Zr26Ni29Cu3 I-phase electrode exhibits the highest discharge capacity of 274 mAh g(--1). The high-rate dischargeability at the discharge current density of 240mA g(--1) increases from 55.31 % (x= 0) to 74.24% (x= 8). Cycling stability also increases with increasing x value. The improvement in electrochemical characteristics may be ascribed to the added nickel, which not only improves the electrochemical activity, but also makes the alloy more resistant to oxidation.

Electrochemical properties of amorphous and icosahedral quasicrystalline Ti45Zr35Ni17Cu3 powders

Ti45Zr35Ni17Cu3 amorphous and single icosahedral quasicrystalline powders were synthesized by mechanical alloying and subsequent annealing at 855 K. Microstructure and electrochemical properties of two alloy electrodes were characterized. When the temperature was enhanced from 303 to 343 K, the maximum discharge capacities increased from 86 to 329 mAh g(-1) and 76 to 312 mAh g(-1) for the amorphous and quasicrystalline alloy electrodes, respectively. Discharge capacities of two electrodes decrease distinctly with increasing cycle number. The I-phase is stable during charge/discharge cycles, and the main factors for its discharge capacity loss are the increase of the charge-transfer resistance and the pulverization of alloy particles. Besides the factors mentioned above, the formation of TiH2 and ZrH2 hydrides is another primary reason for the discharge capacity loss of the amorphous alloy electrode.

Crystallographic and electrochemical characteristics of Ti45Zr35Ni17Cu3 quasicrystalline alloy ball-milled with nickel powder

Crystallographic and electrochemical characteristics of ball-milled Ti45Zr35Ni17Cu3 +xNi (x = 0, 5, 10, 15 and 20 mass%) composite powders have been investigated. The powders are composed of amorphous, I- and Ni-phases when x increases from 5 to 20. With increasing x, the amount of Ni-phase increases but the quasi-lattice constant decreases. The maximum discharge capacity first increases as x increases from 0 to 15 and then decreases when x increases further from 15 to 20. The high-rate dischargeability and cycling stability increase monotonically with increasing x. The improvement of the electrochemical characteristics is ascribed to the metallic nickel particles highly dispersed in the alloys, which improves the electrochemical kinetic properties and prevents the oxidation of the alloy electrodes, as well as to the mixed structure of amorphous and icosahedral quasicrystal line phases, which enhances the hydrogen diffusivity in the bulk of the alloy electrodes and efficiently inhibits the pulverization of the alloy particles.

Kinetic and electrochemical properties of icosahedral quasicrystalline Ti45Zr35Ni17Cu3 powder

Kinetic and electrochemical properties of icosahedral quasicrystalline Ti45Zr35Ni17Cu3 alloy powder as negative electrode material of Ni-MH battery have been investigated at different temperatures. The calculated results show that the apparent activation enthalpy of the charge-transfer reaction is 43.89 kJ mol(-1), and the activation energy of hydrogen diffusion is 21.03 kJ mol(-1). The exchange current density and the diffusion coefficient of hydrogen in the bulky electrode increase with increasing temperature, indicating that increasing temperature is beneficial to charge-transfer reaction and hydrogen diffusion. As a result, the maximum discharge capacity, activation property and high-rate dischargeability are greatly improved with increasing temperature. However, the charge retention and the cycling stability degrade with the increase of the temperature.

Crystallographic and electrochemical properties of ball-milled quasicrystalline Ti45Zr35Ni17Cu3 alloy with 20 mass% Ni

Icosahedral quasicrystalline Ti45Zr35Ni17Cu3 alloy powder was ball-milled with 20 mass% Ni, and the effect of the ball-milling time (t) on crystallographic and electrochemical characteristics were investigated. The amounts of icosahedral quasicrystalline and Ni phases decreased when ball-milling time increased from 30 to 180 min. The powder consisted of amorphous and (Ni and Ti) phases after 360 min of ball-milling. The maximum discharge capacity of the powder electrodes first increased from 89 (t = 0 min) to 192 mAh g(-1) (t = 180 min), and then decreased to 138 mAh g(-1) (t = 360 min). The high-rate dischargeability and the discharge capacity after 15 cycles increased with increasing ball-milling time.

The structure and electrochemical characteristics of La0.67Mg0.33 (Ni0.8Co0.1Mn0.1)(x) (x=2.5-5.0) multiphase alloys for nickel-metal hydride batteries

This paper presents results concerning structure and electrochemical characteristics of the La0.67Mg0.33 (Ni0.8Co0.1Mn0.1) (x) (x=2.5-5.0) alloy. It can be found from the result of the Rietveld analyses that the structures of the alloys change obviously with increasing x from 2.5 to 5.0. The main phase of the alloys with x=2.5-3.5 is LaMg2Ni9 phase with a PuNi3-type rhombohedral structure, but the main phase of the alloys with x=4.0-5.0 is LaNi(5)phase with a CaCu5-type hexagonal structure. Furthermore, the phase ratio, lattice parameter and cell volume of the LaMg2Ni9 phase and the LaNi5 phase change with increasing x. The electrochemical studies show that the maximum discharge capacity increases from 214.7 mAh/g (x=2.5) to 391.1 mAh/g (x=3.5) and then decreases to 238.5 mAh/g (x=5.0). As the discharge current density is 1,200 mA/g, the high rate dischargeability (HRD) increases from 51.1% (x=2.5) to 83.7% (x=3.5) and then decreases to 71.6% (x=5.0). Moreover, the exchange current density (I-0) of the alloy electrodes first increases and then decrease with increasing x from 2.5 to 5.0, which is consistent with the variation of the HRD. The cell volume reduces with increasing x in the alloys, which is detrimental to hydrogen diffusion and accordingly decreases the low-temperature dischargeability of the alloy electrodes.

Structures and electrochemical characteristics of several kinds of alloys

The structures and the electrochemical characteristics of La0.7-xCexMg0.3Ni2.8Co0.5 (x = 0.1-0.5) alloy, Ti0.25-xZrxV0.35Cr0.1Ni0.3 (x = 0.05-0.15) alloy and AB(3

The nature of the interaction between polyaniline and 2,5-dimercapto-1,3,4-thiadiazole in electrochemical redox processes

The interaction between polyaniline (PAn) and 2,5-dimercapto-1,3,4-thiadiazole (DMcT) was investigated by means of cyclic voltammetry and UV-visible spectroscopy. The results show that the polymerization-depolymerization reaction of DMcT or its dilithium salt Li(2)DMcT is a kinetically quasi-reversible process. PAn exhibits very weak electrochemical activity in neutral propylene carbonate. After doping with protonic acid, such as hydrochloric acid or maleic acid etc., however, it shows an extensively enhanced electroactivity. For the complex system, PAn-DMcT or PAn-Li(2)DMcT, polyaniline has no catalytic activity for the electrochemical polymerization-depolymerization reaction of DMcT or DMcT(2-). Instead, the enhancement of the electrochemical redox activity of PAn-DMcT system compared with that of PAn, DMcT, Li(2)DMcT, and PAn-Li(2)DMcT comes from the protonic doping of PAn by DMcT.

Simulation of characteristic electrochemical behavior of azobenzene derivative self-assembled monolayers

The characteristic electrochemical mechanics of azobenzene derivative self-assembled monolayers is discussed in present paper. It is presented that the structure inhibition is one of the most important factors in the increase of electrochemical reactive energy. A corresponding mathematical model was established based on Levich and Marcus's theory. Moreover, computational program was written to simulate the decrease of apparent rate constant (k(app)) of electron transfer with increasing surface concentration.