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At least 505 records · Page 28

Effect of surface loading and bulk doping of La{sup 3+} on the thermal stability and photocatalytic activity of Bi{sub 2}O{sub 2}CO{sub 3}

Graphical abstract: The Bi{sub 2}O{sub 2}O{sub 3} modified La{sup 3+} was synthesized using two methods of co-precipitation (La-Bi{sub 2}O{sub 2}O{sub 3}) and wet impregnation (La/Bi{sub 2}O{sub 2}O{sub 3}). As compared with La-Bi{sub 2}O{sub 2}O{sub 3}, Bi{sub 2}O{sub 2}CO{sub 3} can be effectively stabilized by impregnation method, as La{sup 3+} is mainly dispersed onto the surface of Bi{sub 2}O{sub 2}O{sub 3}. In photocatalytic degradation of MO, it is found that the surface modification with La{sup 3+} can enhance the photocatalytic efficiency of Bi{sub 2}O{sub 2}O{sub 3}. The surface loading La{sup 3+} could act as an effective electron scavenger to trap the CB electrons of Bi{sub 2}O{sub 2}CO{sub 3} to reduce the recombination of electrons and holes in the surface. - Highlights: • The effect of La{sup 3+} on the thermal stability of Bi{sub 2}O{sub 2}CO{sub 3} is different for the impregnation method and coprecipitation method. • Bi2O2CO3 can be effectively stabilized by impregnation method, as La3+ is mainly dispersed onto the surface of Bi2O2O3. • Surface loading La3+ is benefit for the improvement in the photocatalytic activity of Bi2O2CO3. • Surface modification of La3+ greatly suppresses the charge recombination of photogenerated electron–hole pairs in Bi2O2CO3. - Abstract: The Bi{sub 2}O{sub 2}O{sub 3} modified La{sup 3+} was synthesized using two methods of co-precipitation (La-Bi{sub 2}O{sub 2}O{sub 3}) and wet impregnation (La/Bi{sub 2}O{sub 2}O{sub 3}). The effects of the above two modification methods on the stability of Bi{sub 2}O{sub 2}CO{sub 3} after calcination and the physicochemical properties of Bi{sub 2}O{sub 2}CO{sub 3} were investigated by XRD, SEM, BET, and XPS. As compared with La-Bi{sub 2}O{sub 2}O{sub 3}, it is observed that Bi{sub 2}O{sub 2}CO{sub 3} can be effectively stabilized by impregnation method, as La{sup 3+} is mainly dispersed onto the surface of Bi{sub 2}O{sub 2}O{sub 3}. The photocatalytic activities for the methyl orange degradation for the La/Bi{sub 2}O{sub 2}CO{sub 3} and the La-Bi{sub 2}O{sub 2}CO{sub 3} samples were tested, and the results showed that surface doping (impregnation method) is benefit for the improvement in the photocatalytic activity, as compared with bulk doping (coprecipitation method). PL characterization revealed the differences in the photocatalytic process for surface doping and bulk doping. The surface modification of La{sup 3+} greatly suppresses the charge recombination of photogenerated electron−hole pairs in Bi{sub 2}O{sub 2}CO{sub 3}, which would be beneficial to improve their photocatalytic activity.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Giant coercivity and enhanced intrinsic anomalous Hall effect at vanishing magnetization in a compensated kagome ferrimagnet

Ferrimagnets that can be driven to magnetic compensation show promise for use in spintronics as they exhibit a finite anomalous Hall effect at zero magnetic field without having a substantial magnetic moment. Compensated ferrimagnet spintronic devices with both a large anomalous Hall effect and a high coercivity would be simultaneously easy to read and difficult to erase. The kagome ferrimagnet TbMn 6 Sn 6 has been reported to host a large intrinsic anomalous Hall effect. Here, we demonstrate that doping the Mn sites with Cr drives the system toward magnetic compensation. For nearly compensated compositions at low temperatures, giant coercive fields exceeding 14 T are observed. Additionally, Cr doping markedly enhances the intrinsic anomalous Hall effect, which can be attributed to a shift in the Fermi level. Our results extend the range of unique magnetic states observed in kagome materials, demonstrating that chemical doping is an effective strategy to tune and realize these states.

DeStefano, Jonathan M. [Univ. of Washington, Seatt↗

Electronic structure and effective mass of pristine and Cl-doped CsPbBr 3

Organic–inorganic lead halide perovskites (LHPs) have attracted great interest owing to their outstanding optoelectronic properties. Typically, the underlying electronic structure would determinate the physical properties of materials. But as for now, limited studies have been done to reveal the underlying electronic structure of this material system, comparing to the huge amount of investigations on the material synthesis. The effective mass of the valance band is one of the most important physical parameters which plays a dominant role in charge transport and photovoltaic phenomena. In pristine CsPbBr 3 , the Fröhlich polarons associated with the Pb–Br stretching modes are proposed to be responsible for the effective mass renormalization. In this regard, it would be very interesting to explore the electronic structure in doped LHPs. Here, we report high-resolution angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) studies on both pristine and Cl-doped CsPbBr 3 . The experimental band dispersions are extracted from ARPES spectra along both $\overline{\Gamma}$–$\overline{M}$–$\overline{\Gamma}$ and $\overline{X}$–$\overline{M}$–$\overline{X}$ high symmetry directions. DFT calculations are performed and directly compared with the ARPES data. Our results have revealed the band structure of Cl-doped CsPbBr 3 for the first time, which have also unveiled the effective mass renormalization in the Cl-doped CsPbBr 3 compound. Doping dependent measurements indicate that the chlorine doping could moderately tune the renormalization strength. These results will help understand the physical properties of LHPs as a function of doping.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

How arsenic makes amorphous GeSe a robust chalcogenide glass for advanced memory integration

The 3D integration technology in semiconductor fabrication requires a key component, the ovonic threshold switching (OTS) selector, to suppress the current leakage. The As doped amorphous (a-) GeSe glass is a commercialized OTS material in 3D phase-change memory, but the understanding of such a doping mechanism is still inadequate. Here we systematically explore the effect of As doping on the structural, bonding, and dynamics properties of a-GeAsSe using ab initio molecular dynamics simulations. The results reveal that As atoms form strong bonds with both Ge and Se atoms. The distorted octahedral structures and the 5-fold rings linked by atoms are increased. All of these structural features lead to a more disordered configuration. Moreover, as atoms have notably slowed down the atomic mobility, rendering a-GeAsSe a high stability. Overall, our studies offer insightful understanding of As-doping in OTS materials, paving the way for the design and application of advanced selector devices.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Anisotropy of the Hall Effect in a Quasi-Two-Dimensional Electron-Doped Nd{sub 2 –} {sub x}Ce{sub x}CuO{sub 4 + δ} Superconductor

Abstract—The temperature dependences of the Hall effect of an electron-doped Nd{sub 2 –} {sub x}Ce{sub x}CuO{sub 4 + δ} superconductor have been studied at the antiferromagnet–superconductor quantum phase transition boundary (0.135 ≤ x ≤ 0.15) in conducting CuO{sub 2} planes and in the direction perpendicular to the CuO{sub 2} plane. The hall coefficient between the conducting planes has been found be two orders higher than that in the conducting planes over entire temperature range, which is due to the incoherent character of the charge carrier transfer in the direction of axis c.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

High-efficiency perovskite photovoltaic modules achieved via cesium doping

Perovskite solar modules have been attracting increasing attention due to their market potential, yet publications concerned with theintrinsic scale-up potential of different perovskite compositions remain relatively scarce. On the other hand, while great success is being made towards improving the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of perovskite solar cells (PSCs) by cesium cation (Cs + ) doping of the perovskite, more attention is being paid to the perovskite phase stabilization effect of Cs + doping, and less to other properties that are critical to understand and futher improve the PSC's. In this work, moderately-Cs-doped MAPbI 3 was employed as a model perovskite material in order to exclude the phase stabilization effect. Our systematic study revealed the influence of Cs + in organic-inorganic hybrid perovskites on the crystal structure, crystallization process, trap state density, band structure and charge (i.e., ions or photo-carriers) transport. Markedly, it has been observed that Cs + doping can greatly increase the carrier diffusion length in the perovskite films, thus improving the potential to scale-up PSC's.The PCE of small area devices (0.09 cm 2 ) was increased to 21.72% from 19.73%, with decreased hysteresis behavior and increased operational stability (T85 = 1000 h) after Cs + doped, where T85 refers to the retention of 85% of the initial PCE. Moreover, a PCE of 21.08% was obtained for a Cs + -containing perovskite module with an active area > 30 cm 2 , which demonstrates a better "reproducibility" than the reference sample (MAPbI3-based perovskite modules, PCE = 18.26%).

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

SCGSR Final Report

Dual phase noble liquid time projection chambers (TPCs) have an unprecedented sensitivity towards dark matter searches and neutrinos, owing to their ability to detect single electrons. When a particle deposits energy into one of these detectors, electrons are released and drifted into a gaseous region of high electric field. In the gas, the electrons are accelerated to produce extra light into what is called an S2 pulse. This light is far easier to detect than the current induced from a single electron. The two widely used elements for noble liquid detectors are Xe and Ar. Xe has a larger chance of being hit by neutrinos or dark matter, but ends with a lower (i.e. harder to detect) energy when struck. However, Ar light is hard to reflect and detect due to its short wavelength which is absorbed by most materials. While one may use TPB to re-emit this light at a longer wavelength, spatial variations of TPB thickness can smear the amount of re-emitted light, and thus cause a poor S2 energy resolution and spatial resolution. Furthermore, a single electron pulse in Ar is spread over a much longer time than one in Xe, which makes it harder to identify single electrons in Ar. The goal of Xe doping is to combine the best aspects of Ar with the best aspects of Xe. More specifically, this means a detector with a larger yield of photons and electrons produced per energy deposition, an ability to collect more of the light given by those signals, and a narrower pulse from the electron signal. During this project, we developed and operated a detector that can overcome the thermodynamic challenges of Xe doping – namely, preventing Xe from freezing. In the first experimental run during this award period, we found that we can achieve at least 5% of Xe in LAr, and measure the Xe concentration in the gas. In the second run, we installed our detector and saw the first S2 pulses in a dual phase Xe doped LAr TPC. With the data we took, we quantified the effect of Xe doping on the detectability of wavelength-shifted light produced in a Xe doped Ar mixture, as well as the single electron pulse shape. While the Ar light has successfully been wavelength shifted, we learned that much to our surprise, Xe doping actually makes the S2 pulse wider before it makes it narrower.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Synergetic effect of Ti 3+ and oxygen doping on enhancing photoelectrochemical and photocatalytic properties of TiO 2 /g-C 3 N 4 heterojunctions

To improve the utilization of visible light and reduce photogenerated electron/hole recombination, Ti 3+ self-doped TiO 2 /oxygen-doped graphitic carbon nitride (Ti 3+ -TiO 2 /O-g-C 3 N 4 ) heterojunctions were prepared via hydrothermal treatment of a mixture of g-C 3 N 4 and titanium oxohydride sol obtained from the reaction of TiH 2 with H 2 O 2 . In this way, exfoliated O-g-C 3 N 4 and Ti 3+ -TiO 2 nanoparticles were obtained. Simultaneously, strong bonding was formed between Ti 3+ -TiO 2 nanoparticles and exfoliated O-g-C 3 N 4 during the hydrothermal process. Charge transfer and recombination processes were characterized by transient photocurrent responses, electrochemical impedance test, and photoluminescence spectroscopy. The photocatalytic performances were investigated through rhodamine B degradation test under an irradiation source based on 30 W cold visible-light-emitting diode. The highest visible-light photoelectrochemical and photocatalytic activities were observed from the heterojunction with 1:2 mass ratio of Ti 3+ -TiO 2 to O-g-C 3 N 4 . The photodegradation reaction rate constant based on this heterojuction is 0.0356 min -1 , which is 3.87 and 4.56 times higher than those of pristine Ti 3+ -TiO 2 and pure g-C 3 N 4 , respectively. Here, the remarkably high photoelectrochemical and photocatalytic performances of the heterojunctions are mainly attributed to the synergetic effect of efficient photogenerated electron-hole separation, decreased electron transfer resistance from interfacial chemical hydroxy residue bonds, and oxidizing groups originating from Ti 3+ -TiO 2 and O-g-C 3 N 4 .

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗

The effect of sulfur and zirconium Co-doping on the oxidation of NiCrAl

The adhesion behavior of Al2O3 scales formed on NiCrAl+Zr alloys was examined as a function of both sulfur and zirconium doping levels. In general, very high levels of zirconium were required to counteract the detrimental effects of sulfur. A sulfur-zirconium adherence map was constructed, as determined from the oxidation and spalling behavior in 1100 C cyclic tests. For low sulfur alloys, the amount of zirconium required for adherence at any given sulfur level can be described by Zr greater than 600 S sup 0.2 (in ppma). These results underscore the importance of sulfur to adhesion mechanisms and suggests that sulfur gettering is a first order effect of reactive element additions to MCrAl alloys.

Smialek, James L.↗

The effect of sulfur and zirconium co-doping on the oxidation of NiCrAl

The adhesion behavior of Al2O3 scales formed on NiCrAl+Zr alloys was examined as a function of both sulfur and zirconium doping levels. In general, very high levels of zirconium were required to counteract the detrimental effects of sulfur. A sulfur-zirconium adherence map was constructed, as determined from the oxidation and spalling behavior in 1100 C cyclic tests. For low sulfur alloys (less than 500 ppma), the amount of zirconium required for adherence at any given sulfur level can be described by Zr greater than 600 S(0.2) (in ppma). These results underscore the importance of sulfur to adhesion mechanisms and suggest that sulfur gettering is a first order effect of reactive element additions to MCrAl alloys.

Smialek, James L.↗

Superior lithium adsorption and required magnetic separation behavior of iron-doped lithium ion-sieves

The recent research on adsorption-based lithium recovery from lithium-containing solutions has been centred on adsorption capacity and separation of lithium ion-sieves powder from solutions. Herein, an effective iron-doped lithium titanium oxide (Fe-doped Li 2 TiO 3 ) was synthesized by Fe-doping via solid state reactions followed by acid treatment to form iron-doped lithium ion-sieves (Fe/Ti-x(H)). The resulting solid powder displays both superior adsorption capacity of lithium and high separation efficiency of the adsorbent from the solutions. SEM imaging and BET surface area measurement results showed that at Fe doping levels x ≤ 0.15, Fe-doping led to grain shrinkage as compared to Li 2 TiO 3 and at the same time the BET surface area increased. The Fe/Ti-0.15(H) exhibited saturated magnetization values of 13.76 emu g -1 , allowing effective separation of the material from solid suspensions through the use of a magnet. Consecutive magnetic separation results suggested that the Fe/Ti-0.15(H) powders could be applied at large-scale and continuously removed from LiOH solutions with separation efficiency of 96% or better. Lithium adsorption studies indicated that the equilibrium adsorption capacity of Fe/Ti-0.15(H) in LiOH solutions (1.8 g L -1 Li, pH 12) reached 53.3 mg g -1 within 24 h, which was higher than that of pristine Li 2 TiO 3 (50.5 mg g-1) without Fe doping. Competitive adsorption and regeneration results indicated that the Fe/Ti-0.15(H) possessed a high selectivity for Li with facile regeneration. Therefore, it could be expected that the iron-doped lithium ion-sieves have practical applicability potential for large scale lithium extraction and recovery from lithium-bearing solutions.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Magnetic and Transport Properties of Bi{sub 0.5−x}Pr{sub x}Ca{sub 0.5}MnO{sub 3}(0.0 ≤ x ≤ 0.50) Manganites

In this work, the effect of Pr doping at the Bi site on the critical behavior and magnetocaloric and transport properties of Bi{sub 0.5−x}Pr{sub x}Ca{sub 0.5}MnO{sub 3} (0.0 ≤ x ≤ 0.50) manganite synthesized by sol–gel method is reported. An increase in Curie temperature (T{sub C}) with an increase in Pr content is observed. The samples with x = 0.0–0.40 show first-order phase transition whereas the sample with x = 0.50 shows second-order phase transition near T{sub C}. The estimated values of critical exponents β = 0.75 and γ = 0.82 for the sample with x = 0.50 do not fall into any universality class. The sample with x = 0.50 shows maximum magnetic entropy change (|ΔS{sub m}| = (1.22 J kg{sup −1} K{sup −1}) at T{sub C} in an applied magnetic field of 40 kOe, which is associated with magnetocaloric effect (MCE). All the samples show semiconducting behavior and also follow Mott’s variable range hopping (VRH) model below the charge ordering temperature (T{sub CO}). The changes in magnetic and transport properties are correlated with the changes in the structural parameters of the samples. The results are discussed in view of the effect of Pr doping on the 6s{sup 2} lone pair character of Bi{sup 3+} ions and disorder in the samples.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Magnetic Properties of La-Doped ZnO(0001)–Zn Polar Surface with and without Vacancies: a First-Principle Study

The effects of La doping with and without vacancies on the magnetism of a ZnO(0001)–Zn polar surface were studied using the generalized gradient approximation + U (GGA + U) method of density functional theory to determine the magnetism source of La-doped ZnO. Results revealed that La doping with O vacancy did not cause ZnO ferromagnetism, but La-doped ZnO with Zn vacancy was ferromagnetic. The net magnetic moment was primarily related to the unpaired electron amount of the O 2p state and slightly modified by orbital and anomalous magnetic moments. The anomalous magnetic moment originated from the radiating magnetism moment via quantum electrodynamics and was confirmed to exist via theoretical calculations of magnetism. Formation energy showed that La doping easily generated Zn vacancies in ZnO, but magnetic quenching occurred when the ratio of La ions to Zn vacancies was 2:1. The unpaired O 2p electrons induced by Zn vacancies were the magnetism source of La-doped ZnO. Moreover, the Curie temperature of La-doped ZnO with Zn vacancy reached room temperature. Results showed that the ZnO(0001)–Zn polar surface can be utilized as the surface of ZnO-based diluted magnetic semiconductors because of its unipolarity.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Effects of magnetic and non-magnetic doping on the vortex lattice in MgB 2

Using small-angle neutron scattering we have studied the vortex lattice in superconducting MgB 2 , doped with either manganese or carbon to achieve a similar suppression of the critical temperature. Measurements were performed with the magnetic field applied along the c-axis, where the vortex lattice in pure MgB 2 is known to undergo a field-and temperature-driven 30° rotation transition. For Mn-doping, the vortex lat- tice phase diagram remains qualitatively similar to that of pure MgB 2 , indicating only a modest effect on the vortex-vortex interaction. In contrast, the vortex lattice rotation transition is completely suppressed in the C-doped case, likely due to a change in the electronic structure which affects the two-band/two-gap nature of superconductivity in MgB 2 . The vortex lattice longitudinal correlation length shows the opposite behavior, remaining roughly unchanged between pure and C-doped MgB 2 while it is significantly reduced in the Mn-doped case. However, the extensive vortex lattice metastability and related activated behavior, observed in conjunction with the vortex lattice transition in pure MgB 2 , is also seen in the Mn doped sample. This shows that the vortex lattice disordering is not associated with a substantially increased vortex pinning.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

A noticeable effect of novel Nd{sup 3+} doping on physical properties of nebulizer spray deposited AZO thin films for optoelectronic technology

In this work, neodymium (Nd) doped aluminum zinc oxide (Nd:AZO) films are prepared on glass substrates via simple spray nebulizer method for the first time. The different Nd doping concentrations were taken as 0%, 0.5%, 1% and 1.5 wt%, however, Al concentration was kept constant as 3 wt%. From X-ray diffraction (XRD) data, various structural properties like: crystallite size, microstrain, dislocation density, lattice constants and texture coefficient were investigated. XRD study confirmed that the Al and Nd were incorporated into ZnO. All the deposited films are of polycrystalline nature and hexagonal structure with (002) orientation. The topology studied by AFM showed that the film had low surface roughness and its values were slightly increased from 21 to 37 nm. Elemental mapping and EDAX studies confirmed the occurrence of Zn, O, Al and Nd in prepared Nd:AZO film. Transmission of deposited Nd:AZO film is around 92% in visible spectrum and estimated energy gap is ~ 3.31 eV. PL spectrum emitted one strong NBE emission at ~ 386 nm for all films, signify their better optical quality. Electrical parameters were studied by four probe measurement and low resistivity (ρ) i.e. ~ 4.12 × 10{sup −4} Ω cm and high carrier concentrations (n) i.e. ~ 3.96 × 10{sup 21} cm{sup −3} were observed for 1.5 wt% Nd:AZO films. The calculated value of ϕ is large as 14.33 × 10{sup −3} (Ω/sq){sup −1}, which are enough for an opto-electronic application.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

The effect of cerium, neodymium, and ytterbium doping on UO 2 dissolution

Here, the dissolution rate of spent nuclear fuel has been studied heavily to understand the impacts of a failed waste package scenario on potential radionuclide release from a geologic repository. Multiple countries have evaluated these scenarios in oxidizing and reducing environments respective to their relevant repository conditions. The repository environment (e.g., water chemistry, temperature, oxygen content) and the fuel itself (e.g., chemical content of the fuel) both heavily impact the dissolution rate of the spent fuel. This work examined the impact that rare earth element dopants (Ce, Nd, Yb) have on the fuel dissolution under repository relevant conditions with decreasing oxidizing conditions using a single pass flowthrough system. UO 2 samples were doped with Ce, Nd, or Yb with concentrations between 1 and 5 at%. The addition of dopants to the samples reduced the dissolution rates on most samples relative to pure UO 2 samples. Scoping experiments that occurred in a less oxidizing environment showed a reduction in dissolution rate compared to fully oxidizing conditions. The results within highlight the importance of dopant behavior in used fuel dissolution modeling.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗

Effect of single atom Platinum (Pt) doping and facet dependent on the electronic structure and light absorption of Lanthanum Titanium Oxide (La 2 Ti 2 O 7 ): A Density Functional Theory study

Charge generation and separation are two key processes for semiconductor photocatalysis. Here, we use Pt as a single atom catalyst to systematically examine the facet-dependent electronic band structure and light absorption of the layered perovskite-type wide-gap semiconductor, lanthanum titanium oxide (La 2 Ti 2 O 7 , LTO) by means of density functional theory simulations. In this study, it is found that single Pt atom doping of different LTO surfaces (here, (100), (101) and (001)) can not only create states in the bandgap that would promote the formation of recombination centers, but also shift the optical absorption edge to the visible region. Interestingly, the Pt doping forms a heterojunction, with the valence band maximum consisting of Pt states and the conduction band minimum consisting of LTO states, respectively. To study the facet dependent surface activity, acetic acid (CH 3 COOH) was used as a model molecule to investigate the adsorption and charge transfer on the (101), (100) and (001) Pt-LTO surface facets. The results show that the (101) facet could enable stronger adsorption of CH 3 COOH by promoting more electron transfer during the interfacial interaction. Our theoretical findings aim to promote the design and optimization of the single atom catalysts (SACs) for photocatalytic applications and other broad catalysis systems.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗