Nanocrystalline La2Mo2O9 and its characterization

In this work, both the thermal expansion and electrical conductivity of nanocrystalline La2Mo2O9 were studied. The nanocrystalline powder of La2Mo2O9 was obtained by sol-gel method, and with the help of SHP (superhigh pressure) up to 4.5 x 10(4) atm at 700 degrees C for a short time, and the nanocrystalline powder was densified without obvious particle size growth. The electrical conductivity of nanocrystalline La2Mo2O9 was one order of magnitude lower than that of the microcrystalline sample at the same temperature. Owing to the phase transition, the microcrystalline La2MO2O9 has an abrupt increase of thermal expansion with a peak value of 48 x 10(-6) K-1 at 556 degrees C. For the nanocrystalline material, the peak value increases to 112 x 10(-6) K-1 at 520 degrees C. On the other hand, above 600 degrees C the significant growth of particle size of the nanocrystalline La2Mo2O9 was observed, accompanying by a tremendous increase of thermal expansion with a peak value of 1565 x 10(-6) K-1 at 620 degrees C. The electrical conductivity of La1.6Nd0.4Mo2O9 at 800 degrees C is 0.14 S center dot cm(-1) which is about one third higher than that of La2Mo2O9.

Direct electron transfer between cytochrome c and a gold nanoparticles modified electrode

Quasi-reversible and direct electrochemistry of cytochrome c (cyt. c) has been obtained at a novel electrochemical interface constructed by self-assembling gold nanoparticles (GNPs) onto a three-dimensional silica gel network, without polishing or any modification of the surface. A cleaned gold electrode was first immersed in a hydrolyzed sol of the precursor (3-mercaptopropyl)-trimethoxysilane to assemble three-dimensional silica gel, then the GNPs were chemisorbed onto the thiol groups of the sol-gel network and modified the kinetic barrier of this self-assembled silicate film. Cyclic voltammetry and AC impendance spectroscopy were performed to evaluate electrochemical properties of the as prepared interface. These nanoparticle inhibits the adsorption of cyt. c onto bare electrode and acts as a bridge of electron transfer between protein and electrode.

Superhydrophobic PTFE surfaces by extension

A rather simple but yet effective way to achieve a superhydrophobic film by extending a Teflon film is proposed. The water contact angle can be increased from 118 to 165degrees by extending to ca. 190%. The fibrous crystals and the increasing distance between the fibrous crystals are believed responsible for the high water-contact angle. It indicates that the density of the aligned microstructures is very important for the superhydrophobicity.

Synthesis and luminescence properties of Gd2O3 : Eu3+ phosphors

Gd2O3: EU3+ phosphors were prepared by urea homogeneous precipitation with different surfactant and sol-gel method. XRD patterns show that all the obtained samples are in cubic Gd2O3, and the results of FTIR and fluorescent spectra conformed that OP is a good surfactant for preparing the Gd2O3: Eu3+ phosphors. The SEM photographs show that the particles prepared by urea homogeneous precipitation method are all spherical and well-dispersed, and grain morphology can be controlled by different surfactant. XRD and SEM indicate that the particle sizes prepared by sol-gel method are in the range of 5 similar to 30 nm, and the grain sizes increase with increasing of heated temperatures. Luminescence spectra indication that the main emission peaks of all samples are at 610 nm, the intensities are different from samples prepared with different surfactant and the luminescence intensities increase with increasing of annealed temperatures.

Synthesis and photoluminescence of the Y2O3 : Eu3+ phosphor nanowires in AAO template

The monodisperse array and nanowires Of Y2O3:Eu3+ phosphor were synthesized using anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) template by sol-gel method. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) images indicated that Y2O3:Eu3+ nanowires are parallelly arranged, all of which are in uniform diameter of about 50 nm. The high-magnification SEM image showed that each nanowire is composed of a lot of agglutinating particles. The patterns of selected-area electron diffraction confirmed that Y2O3:EU3+ nanowires mainly consist of polycrystalline materials. Excitation and emission spectra Of Y2O3:E U3+/AAO composite films were measured. The characteristic red emission peak of EU3+ ion attributed to D-5(0)-->F-7(2) transition in Y2O3:EU3+/AAO nanowires broadened its halfwidth.

Comparative study on the luminescent properties of Y3Al5O12 : RE3+ (RE : Eu, Dy) phosphors synthesized by three methods

By using metal nitrates and oxides as the starting materials, Y3Al5O12 (YAG) and YAG: RE3+ (RE: Eu, Dy) powder phosphors were prepared by solid state (SS), coprecipitation (CP) and citrate-gel (CG) methods, respectively. The resulting YAG based phosphors were characterized by XRD and photoluminescent excitation and emission spectra as well as lifetimes. The purified crystalline phases of YAG were obtained at 800degreesC (CG) and 900degreesC (CP and SS), respectively. Great differences were observed for the excitation and emission spectra of Eu3+ and Dy3+ between crystalline and amorphous states of YAG, and their emission intensities increased with increasing the annealing temperature. At an identical annealing temperature and doping concentration, the Eu3+ and Dy3+ showed the strongest and weakest emission intensity in CP- and CG-derived YAG phosphors, respectively. The poor emission intensity for CG-derived phosphors is mainly caused by the contamination organic impurities from citric acid in the starting materials. Furthermore, the lifetimes for the samples derived from CG and CP routes are shorter than those derived from the SS route.

Preparation and luminescence properties of in situ formed lanthanide complexes covalently grafted to a silica network

Lanthanide-doped sol-gel-derived materials are an attractive type of luminescent materials that can be processed at ambient temperatures. However, the solubility of the lanthanide complexes in the matrix is a problem and it is difficult to obtain a uniform distribution of the complexes. Fortunately, these problems can be solved by covalently linking the lanthanide complex to the sol-gel-derived matrix. In this study, luminescent Eu3+ and Tb3+ bipyridine complexes were immobilized on sol-gel-derived silica. FT-IR, DTA-TG and luminescence spectra, as well as luminescence decay analysis, were used to characterize the obtained hybrid materials. The organic groups from the bipyridine-Si moiety were mostly destroyed between 220 and 600 degreesC. The luminescence properties of lanthanide bipyridine complexes anchored to the backbone of the silica network and the corresponding pure complexes were comparatively investigated, which indicates that the lanthanide bipyridine complex was formed during the hydrolysis and co-condensation of TEOS and modified bipyridine. Excitation at the ligand absorption wavelength (336 nm for the hybrid materials and 350 nm for the pure complexes) resulted in strong emission of the lanthanide ions: Eu3+ D-5(0)-F-7(J) (J = 0, 1, 2, 3, 4) and Tb3+ D-5(4)-F-7(J) (J = 6, 5, 4, 3) emission lines due to efficient energy transfer from the ligands to the lanthanide ions.

The luminescence of Eu3+ ion in Ca2Al2SiO7

Ca2Al2SiO7:Eu3+ was prepared by the sol-gel method. Through the emission spectrum of Eu3+ ion, the fluorescence parameters such as Omega(i) (i = 2,4) and radiative transition probabilities of D-5(0)-F-7(j) were calculated. The Pb2+ ion with bigger radius has an effect on the fluorescence spectra of Eu3+ which can be explained by the structure of the matrix. Simultaneously, the energy transfers between mercury-like ions (Pb2+ and Bi3+) and Eu3+ ion were observed. The D-5(4) and D-5(2) energy levels of Eu3+ are the resonance ones for Pb2+ ion.

The modification of screen-printed carbon electrodes with amino group and its application to construct a H2O2 biosensor

Electrooxidation of thionine on screen-printed carbon electrode gives rise to the modification of the surface with amino groups for the covalent immobilization of enzymes such as horseradish peroxidase (HRP). The biosensor was constructed using multilayer enzymes which covalently immobilized onto the surface of amino groups modified screen-printed carbon electrode using glutaraldehyde as a bifunctional reagent. The multilayer assemble of HRP has been characterized with the cyclic voltammetry and the faradaic impedance spectroscopy. The H2O2 biosensor exhibited a fast response (2 s) and low detection limit (0.5 muM).

A room-temperature ionic-liquid-templated proton-conducting gelatinous electrolyte

Novel proton-conducting gelatinous electrolytes templated by room-temperature ionic liquid (RTIL) 1-butyl-3-methyl-imidazolium-tetrafluoroborate (BMImBF(4)) have been prepared in methylsisesquioxane backbone containing H3PO4, and the influences of the RTIL on the structure, morphology, thermal stability, and electrochemical properties of the gelatinous electrolytes have been examined. X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy proved that BMImBF(4) acted as structure-directing template during the sol-gel process of methyl-trimethoxysilane. X-ray photoelectron spectra and infrared spectroscopy demonstrated that the hydrogen-bonding was formed between BMImBF(4) and H3PO4. The electrolytes had good thermal stability up to 300 degreesC and showed superior mechanical and electrochemical properties. A room-temperature conductivity of 1.2 x 10(-3) S cm(-1) was obtained for the electrolyte at the molar ratio of RTIL/Si/H3PO4 0.3/1/1, and its electrochemical window was up to 1.5 V.

Luminescence and energy transfer properties of Ca2Gd8(SiO4)(6)O-2 : A(A = Pb2+, Tm3+) phosphors

Ca2Gd8(SiO4)(6)O-2: A(A = Ph2+, Tm3+) phosphors were prepared through the sol-gel process. X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microseopy(SEM) and photoluminescence spectra were used to characterize the resulting phosphors. The results of XRD indicate that the phosphors crystallized completely at 1000 degreesC. SEM study reveals that the average grain size is 300 similar to 1000 nm. In Ca2Gd8(SiO4)(6)O-2: Tm3+ phosphors, the Tm3+ shows its characteristic blue emission at 456 nm (D-1(2)-F-3(4)) upon excitation into its H-3(6)-D-1(2)(361 nm), with an optimum doping concentration of 1 mol% of Gd3+ in the host lattices. In Ca2Gd8(SiO4)(6)O-2: Pb2+, Tm3+ phosphors, excitation into the Ph2+ at 266 nm (S-1(0)-P-3(1)) yields the emissions of Gd3+ at 311 nm (P-6-S-8) and Tm3+ at 367 nm (D-1(2)-H-3(6)) and 456 our (D-1(2)-F-3(4)), indicating that energy transfer processes of Pb2+-Gd3+ and Ph2+-Tm3+ have occur-red in the host lattices.

Glassy carbon ceramic composite electrodes

A new carbon composite electrode material, based on dispersing glassy carbon (GC) microparticles into methyltrimethoxysilane-derived sol, is described in the present paper. The resulting glassy carbon ceramic composite electrodes (GCCEs) combine the electrochemical properties of GC with the advantages of composite electrodes, and thus offer high electrochemical reactivity, low background current and are easy to prepare, modify and renew. The new material has a low double-layer capacitance and a wide potential window. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images indicate significant difference in the structure of GCCE and carbon ceramic composite electrode (CCE). The electrochemical properties and advantages of GCCE should find broad utility in electroanalysis.

Dy3+- and Eu3+-doped LaGaO3 nanocrystalline phosphors for field emission displays

Nanocyrstalline LaGaO3 and Dy3+- and Eu3+-doped LaGaO3 were prepared through a Pechini-type sol-gel process. X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), photoluminescence, cathodoluminescence spectra, and lifetimes were utilized to characterize the samples. XRD reveals that the samples begin to crystallize at 900 degrees C and pure LaGaO3 phase can be obtained at 1000 degrees C. FE-SEM images indicate that the Dy3+- and Eu3+-doped LaGaO3 samples are both composed of aggregated spherical particles with sizes ranging from 40 to 80 nm. Under the excitation of ultraviolet light and low voltage electron beams (1-5 kV), the undoped LaGaO3 sample shows a strong blue emission peaking at 433 nm, and the Dy3+- and Eu3+-doped LaGaO3 samples show their characteristic emissions of Dy3+ (F-4(9/2)-H-6(15/2) and F-4(9/2)-H-6(13/2) transitions) and Eu3+ (D-5(0,1,2)-F-7(1,2,3,4) transitions), respectively. The relevant luminescence mechanisms are discussed.

Monodisperse spherical core-shell structured SiO2-CaTiO3 : Pr3+ phosphors for field emission displays

Nanocrystalline CaTiO3:Pr3+ phosphor layers were coated on nonaggregated, monodisperse, and spherical SiO2 particles by the sol-gel method, resulting in the formation of core-shell structured SiO2-CaTiO3:Pr3+ particles. X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, field emission scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, photoluminescence, cathodoluminescence spectra, as well as lifetimes were utilized to characterize the core-shell structured SiO2-CaTiO3:Pr3+ phosphor particles. The obtained core-shell structured phosphors consist of well dispersed submicron spherical particles with a narrow size distribution. The thickness of the CaTiO3:Pr3+ shell could be easily controlled by changing the number of deposition cycles (about 70 nm for four deposition cycles). The core-shell SiO2-CaTiO3:Pr3+ particles show a strong red emission corresponding to D-1(2)-H-3(4) (612 nm) of Pr3+ under the excitation of ultraviolet (326 nm) and low voltage electron beams (1-5 kV). These particles may be used in field emission displays.

Fabrication and photoluminescence properties of core-shell structured spherical SiO2@Gd2Ti2O7 : Eu3+ phosphors

A sol-gel technique was used to prepare Gd2Ti2O7:Eu3+-coated submicron silica spheres (SiO2@Gd2Ti2O7:Eu3+). The resulted SiO2@Gd2Ti2O7:Eu3+ core-shell particles were characterized by x-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive x-ray spectra (EDS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), photoluminescence (PL) spectra, as well as kinetic decays. The XRD results demonstrate that the Gd2Ti2O7:Eu3+ layers begin to crystallize on the SiO2 spheres after annealing at 800 degrees C and the crystallinity increases with raising the annealing temperature. The obtained core-shell phosphors have perfect spherical shape with narrow size distribution (average size similar to 620 nm), non-agglomeration, and smooth surface. The thickness of the Gd2Ti2O7:Eu3+ shells on the SiO2 cores could be easily tailored by varying the number of deposition cycles (60 nm for four deposition cycles). Under the irradiation of 310 nm ultraviolet, the SiO2@GdTi2O7:Eu3+ samples show strong emission of Eu3+.