Effect of nitrogen doping on the thermal conductivity of GeTe thin films

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fallica, Roberto; Longo, Massimo; Wiemer, Claudia [Laboratorio MDM, IMM-CNR, Agrate Brianza (Italy); Varesi, Enrico; Fumagalli, Luca; Spadoni, Simona [Micron Semiconductor Italia, Agrate Brianza (Italy)

2013-12-15

The 3{omega} method was employed to determine the effect of nitrogen doping (5 at.%) on the thermal conductivity of sputtered thin films of stoichiometric GeTe (a material of interest for phase change memories). It was found that nitrogen doping has a detrimental effect on the thermal conductivity of GeTe in both phases, but less markedly in the amorphous (-25%) than in the crystalline one (-40%). On the opposite, no effect could be detected on the measured thermal boundary resistance between these films and SiO{sub 2}, within the experimental error. Our results agree with those obtained by molecular dynamic simulation of amorphous GeTe. (copyright 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim) (orig.)

Single walled carbon nanotube network—Tetrahedral amorphous carbon composite film

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Iyer, Ajai, E-mail: ajai.iyer@aalto.fi; Liu, Xuwen; Koskinen, Jari [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, School of Chemical Technology, Aalto University, POB 16200, 00076 Espoo (Finland); Kaskela, Antti; Kauppinen, Esko I. [NanoMaterials Group, Department of Applied Physics, School of Science, Aalto University, POB 15100, 00076 Espoo (Finland); Johansson, Leena-Sisko [Department of Forest Products Technology, School of Chemical Technology, Aalto University, POB 16400, 00076 Espoo (Finland)

2015-06-14

Single walled carbon nanotube network (SWCNTN) was coated by tetrahedral amorphous carbon (ta-C) using a pulsed Filtered Cathodic Vacuum Arc system to form a SWCNTN—ta-C composite film. The effects of SWCNTN areal coverage density and ta-C coating thickness on the composite film properties were investigated. X-Ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurements prove the presence of high quality sp{sup 3} bonded ta-C coating on the SWCNTN. Raman spectroscopy suggests that the single wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) forming the network survived encapsulation in the ta-C coating. Nano-mechanical testing suggests that the ta-C coated SWCNTN has superior wear performance compared to uncoated SWCNTN.

Effect of substrate temperature on corrosion performance of nitrogen doped amorphous carbon thin films in NaCl solution

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Khun, N.W. [School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, 50 Nanyang Avenue, Singapore 639798 (Singapore); Liu, E., E-mail: MEJLiu@ntu.edu.s [School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, 50 Nanyang Avenue, Singapore 639798 (Singapore)

2009-07-01

Nitrogen doped amorphous carbon (a-C:N) thin films were deposited on p-Si substrates by DC magnetron sputtering at varying substrate temperature from room temperature (RT) to 300 {sup o}C. The bonding structure, surface morphology and adhesion strength of the a-C:N films were investigated by using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), micro-Raman spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy (AFM) and micro-scratch testing. The corrosion behavior of the a-C:N films was evaluated by potentiodynamic polarization test in a 0.6 M NaCl solution. The results indicated that the corrosion resistance of the films depended on the sp{sup 3}-bonded cross-link structure that was significantly affected by the substrate temperature.

Effect of substrate temperature on corrosion performance of nitrogen doped amorphous carbon thin films in NaCl solution

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Khun, N.W.; Liu, E.

2009-01-01

Nitrogen doped amorphous carbon (a-C:N) thin films were deposited on p-Si substrates by DC magnetron sputtering at varying substrate temperature from room temperature (RT) to 300 o C. The bonding structure, surface morphology and adhesion strength of the a-C:N films were investigated by using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), micro-Raman spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy (AFM) and micro-scratch testing. The corrosion behavior of the a-C:N films was evaluated by potentiodynamic polarization test in a 0.6 M NaCl solution. The results indicated that the corrosion resistance of the films depended on the sp 3 -bonded cross-link structure that was significantly affected by the substrate temperature.

Doping Nitrogen in InGaZnO Thin Film Transistor with Double Layer Channel Structure.

Science.gov (United States)

Chang, Sheng-Po; Shan, Deng

2018-04-01

This paper presents the electrical characteristics of doping nitrogen in an amorphous InGaZnO thin film transistor. The IGZO:N film, which acted as a channel layer, was deposited using RF sputtering with a nitrogen and argon gas mixture at room temperature. The optimized parameters of the IGZO:N/IGZO TFT are as follows: threshold voltage is 0.5 V, field effect mobility is 14.34 cm2V-1S-1. The on/off current ratio is 106 and subthreshold swing is 1.48 V/decade. The positive gate bias stress stability of InGaZnO doping with nitrogen shows improvement compared to doping with oxygen.

Ultrafast carrier dynamics in tetrahedral amorphous carbon: carrier trapping versus electron-hole recombination

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Carpene, E; Mancini, E; Dallera, C; Schwen, D; Ronning, C; Silvestri, S De

2007-01-01

We report the investigation of the ultrafast carrier dynamics in thin tetrahedral amorphous carbon films by means of femtosecond time-resolved reflectivity. We estimated the electron-phonon relaxation time of a few hundred femtoseconds and we observed that under low optical excitation photo-generated carriers decay according to two distinct mechanisms attributed to trapping by defect states and direct electron-hole recombination. With high excitation, when photo-carrier and trap densities are comparable, a unique temporal evolution develops, as the time dependence of the trapping process becomes degenerate with the electron-hole recombination. This experimental evidence highlights the role of defects in the ultrafast electronic dynamics and is not specific to this particular form of carbon, but has general validity for amorphous and disordered semiconductors

Unlocking the Electrocatalytic Activity of Chemically Inert Amorphous Carbon-Nitrogen for Oxygen Reduction: Discerning and Refactoring Chaotic Bonds

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Zhang, Caihong; Zhang, Wei; Wang, Dong

2017-01-01

Mild annealing enables inactive nitrogen (N)-doped amorphous carbon (a-C) films abundant with chaotic bonds prepared by magnetron sputtering to become effective for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) by virtue of generating pyridinic N. The rhythmic variation of ORR activity elaborates well...... on the subtle evolution of the amorphous C−N bonds conferred by spectroscopic analysis....

Superlattice doped layers for amorphous silicon photovoltaic cells

Science.gov (United States)

Arya, Rajeewa R.

1988-01-12

Superlattice doped layers for amorphous silicon photovoltaic cells comprise a plurality of first and second lattices of amorphous silicon alternatingly formed on one another. Each of the first lattices has a first optical bandgap and each of the second lattices has a second optical bandgap different from the first optical bandgap. A method of fabricating the superlattice doped layers also is disclosed.

Tetrahedrality and hydrogen bonds in water

Science.gov (United States)

Székely, Eszter; Varga, Imre K.; Baranyai, András

2016-06-01

We carried out extensive calculations of liquid water at different temperatures and pressures using the BK3 model suggested recently [P. T. Kiss and A. Baranyai, J. Chem. Phys. 138, 204507 (2013)]. In particular, we were interested in undercooled regions to observe the propensity of water to form tetrahedral coordination of closest neighbors around a central molecule. We compared the found tetrahedral order with the number of hydrogen bonds and with the partial pair correlation functions unfolded as distributions of the closest, the second closest, etc. neighbors. We found that contrary to the number of hydrogen bonds, tetrahedrality changes substantially with state variables. Not only the number of tetrahedral arrangements increases with lowering the pressure, the density, and the temperature but the domain size of connecting tetrahedral structures as well. The difference in tetrahedrality is very pronounced between the two sides of the Widom line and even more so between the low density amorphous (LDA) and high density amorphous (HDA) phases. We observed that in liquid water and in HDA, the 5th water molecule, contrary to ice and LDA, is positioned between the first and the second coordination shell. We found no convincing evidence of structural heterogeneity or regions referring to structural transition.

Amorphous-tetrahedral diamondlike carbon layered structures resulting from film growth energetics

Science.gov (United States)

Siegal, M. P.; Barbour, J. C.; Provencio, P. N.; Tallant, D. R.; Friedmann, T. A.

1998-08-01

High-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) shows that amorphous-tetrahedral diamondlike carbon (a-tC) films grown by pulsed-laser deposition on Si(100) consist of three-to-four layers, depending on the growth energetics. We estimate the density of each layer using both HRTEM image contrast and Rutherford backscattering spectrometry. The first carbon layer and final surface layer have relatively low density. The bulk of the film between these two layers has higher density. For films grown under the most energetic conditions, there exists a superdense a-tC layer between the interface and bulk layers. The density of all four layers, and the thickness of the surface and interfacial layers, correlate well with the energetics of the depositing carbon species.

Thermoluminescence properties of undoped and nitrogen-doped CVD diamond exposed to gamma radiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barboza-Flores, M.; Gastelum, S.; Cruz-Zaragoza, E.; Melendrez, R.; Chernov, V.; Pedroza-Montero, M.; Favalli, A.

2008-01-01

It is known that the thermoluminescence (TL) performance of CVD diamond depends on the impurity concentration and doping materials introduced during growing. We report on the TL properties of undoped and 750 ppm nitrogen-doped CVD diamond grown on (0 0 1) silicon substrate. The samples were exposed to gamma radiation from a Gammacell 200 Nordion irradiator in the 10-500 Gy dose range at 627 mGy/min dose rate. The nitrogen-doped CVD diamond sample exhibited a TL glow curve peaked around 537 K and a small shoulder about 411 K and a linear dose behavior in the 10-60 Gy dose range. In contrast, the undoped specimen showed a 591 K peaked TL glow curve and linear dose response for 10-100 Gy doses. However, both samples displayed a non-linear dose response for doses higher than 100 Gy. The doping effects seem to cause a higher TL efficiency, which may be attributed to the differences in the diamond bonding and amorphous carbon on the CVD samples as well as to the presence of nitrogen. In addition, the nitrogen content may produce some structural and morphological surface effects, which may account for the distinctive TL features and dose response of the diamond samples

A process for doping an amorphous semiconductor material by ion implantation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kalbitzer, S.; Muller, G.; Spear, W.E.; Le Comber, P.G.

1979-01-01

In a process for doping a body of amorphous semiconductor material, the body is held at a predetermined temperature above 20 deg. C which is below the recrystallization temperature of the amorphous semiconductor material during bombardment by accelerated ions of a predetermined doping material. (U.K.)

Electrochemical properties of N-doped hydrogenated amorphous carbon films fabricated by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition methods

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tanaka, Yoriko; Furuta, Masahiro; Kuriyama, Koichi; Kuwabara, Ryosuke; Katsuki, Yukiko [Division of Environmental Science and Engineering, Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Yamaguchi University, 1677-1 Yoshida, Yamaguchi-shi, Yamaguchi 753-8512 (Japan); Kondo, Takeshi [Department of Pure and Applied Chemistry, Faculty of Science and Technology, Tokyo University of Science, 2641 Yamazaki, Noda 278-8510 (Japan); Fujishima, Akira [Kanagawa Advanced Science and Technology (KAST), 3-2-1, Sakato, Takatsu-ku, Kawasaki-shi, Kanagawa 213-0012 (Japan); Honda, Kensuke, E-mail: khonda@yamaguchi-u.ac.j [Division of Environmental Science and Engineering, Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Yamaguchi University, 1677-1 Yoshida, Yamaguchi-shi, Yamaguchi 753-8512 (Japan)

2011-01-01

Nitrogen-doped hydrogenated amorphous carbon thin films (a-C:N:H, N-doped DLC) were synthesized with microwave-assisted plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition widely used for DLC coating such as the inner surface of PET bottles. The electrochemical properties of N-doped DLC surfaces that can be useful in the application as an electrochemical sensor were investigated. N-doped DLC was easily fabricated using the vapor of nitrogen contained hydrocarbon as carbon and nitrogen source. A N/C ratio of resulting N-doped DLC films was 0.08 and atomic ratio of sp{sup 3}/sp{sup 2}-bonded carbons was 25/75. The electrical resistivity and optical gap were 0.695 {Omega} cm and 0.38 eV, respectively. N-doped DLC thin film was found to be an ideal polarizable electrode material with physical stability and chemical inertness. The film has a wide working potential range over 3 V, low double-layer capacitance, and high resistance to electrochemically induced corrosion in strong acid media, which were the same level as those for boron-doped diamond (BDD). The charge transfer rates for the inorganic redox species, Fe{sup 2+/3+} and Fe(CN){sub 6}{sup 4-/3-} at N-doped DLC were sufficiently high. The redox reaction of Ce{sup 2+/3+} with standard potential higher than H{sub 2}O/O{sub 2} were observed due to the wider potential window. At N-doped DLC, the change of the kinetics of Fe(CN){sub 6}{sup 3-/4-} by surface oxidation is different from that at BDD. The rate of Fe(CN){sub 6}{sup 3-/4-} was not varied before and after oxidative treatment on N-doped DLC includes sp{sup 2} carbons, which indicates high durability of the electrochemical activity against surface oxidation.

Fabrication of C60/amorphous carbon superlattice structures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kojima, Nobuaki; Ohshita, Yoshio; Yamaguchi, Masafumi

2001-01-01

The nitrogen doping effects in C 60 films by RF plasma source was investigated, and it was found that the nitrogen ion bombardment broke up C 60 molecules and changed them into amorphous carbon. Based on these results, formation of C 60 /amorphous carbon superlattice structure was proposed. The periodic structure of the resulted films was confirmed by XRD measurements, as the preliminary results of fabrication of the superlattice structure

Silicon and aluminum doping effects on the microstructure and properties of polymeric amorphous carbon films

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Liu, Xiaoqiang, E-mail: lxq_suse@sina.com [Material Corrosion and Protection Key Laboratory of Sichuan province, Sichuan University of Science and Engineering, Zigong 643000 (China); Hao, Junying, E-mail: jyhao@licp.cas.cn [State Key Laboratory of Solid Lubrication, Lanzhou Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000 (China); Xie, Yuntao [Material Corrosion and Protection Key Laboratory of Sichuan province, Sichuan University of Science and Engineering, Zigong 643000 (China)

2016-08-30

Highlights: • Evolution of nanostructure and properties of the polymeric amorphous carbon films were firstly studied. • Si doping enhanced polymerization of the hydrocarbon chains and Al doping resulted in increase in the ordered carbon clusters of polymeric amorphous carbon films. • Soft polymeric amorphous carbon films exhibited an unconventional frictional behaviors with a superior wear resistance. • The mechanical and vacuum tribological properties of the polymeric amorphous carbon films were significantly improved by Si and Al co-doping. - Abstract: Polymeric amorphous carbon films were prepared by radio frequency (R.F. 13.56 MHz) magnetron sputtering deposition. The microstructure evolution of the deposited polymeric films induced by silicon (Si) and aluminum(Al) doping were scrutinized through infrared spectroscopy, multi-wavelength Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). The comparative results show that Si doping can enhance polymerization and Al doping results in an increase in the ordered carbon clusters. Si and Al co-doping into polymeric films leads to the formation of an unusual dual nanostructure consisting of cross-linked polymer-like hydrocarbon chains and fullerene-like carbon clusters. The super-high elasticity and super-low friction coefficients (<0.002) under a high vacuum were obtained through Si and Al co-doping into the films. Unconventionally, the co-doped polymeric films exhibited a superior wear resistance even though they were very soft. The relationship between the microstructure and properties of the polymeric amorphous carbon films with different elements doping are also discussed in detail.

Highly ordered amorphous silicon-carbon alloys obtained by RF PECVD

CERN Document Server

Pereyra, I; Carreno, M N P; Prado, R J; Fantini, M C A

2000-01-01

We have shown that close to stoichiometry RF PECVD amorphous silicon carbon alloys deposited under silane starving plasma conditions exhibit a tendency towards c-Si C chemical order. Motivated by this trend, we further explore the effect of increasing RF power and H sub 2 dilution of the gaseous mixtures, aiming to obtain the amorphous counterpart of c-Si C by the RF-PECVD technique. Doping experiments were also performed on ordered material using phosphorus and nitrogen as donor impurities and boron and aluminum as acceptor ones. For nitrogen a doping efficiency close to device quality a-Si:H was obtained, the lower activation energy being 0,12 eV with room temperature dark conductivity of 2.10 sup - sup 3 (OMEGA.cm). Nitrogen doping efficiency was higher than phosphorous for all studied samples. For p-type doping, results indicate that, even though the attained conductivity values are not device levels, aluminum doping conducted to a promising shift in the Fermi level. Also, aluminum resulted a more efficie...

Nitrogen-doped carbon aerogels for electrical energy storage

Science.gov (United States)

Campbell, Patrick; Montalvo, Elizabeth; Baumann, Theodore F.; Biener, Juergen; Merrill, Matthew; Reed, Eric W.; Worsley, Marcus A.

2017-10-03

Disclosed here is a method for making a nitrogen-doped carbon aerogel, comprising: preparing a reaction mixture comprising formaldehyde, at least one nitrogen-containing resorcinol analog, at least one catalyst, and at least one solvent; curing the reaction mixture to produce a wet gel; drying the wet gel to produce a dry gel; and thermally annealing the dry gel to produce the nitrogen-doped carbon aerogel. Also disclosed is a nitrogen-doped carbon aerogel obtained according to the method and a supercapacitor comprising the nitrogen-doped carbon aerogel.

Suppression of temperature instability in InGaZnO thin-film transistors by in situ nitrogen doping

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Raja, Jayapal; Jang, Kyungsoo; Yi, Junsin; Balaji, Nagarajan

2013-01-01

We have investigated the effect of nitrogen doping on the behavior of hysteresis curve and its suppression of temperature instability in amorphous InGaZnO thin-film transistors (a-IGZO TFTs). The in situ nitrogen doping reduced the temperature induced abnormal sub threshold leakage current and traps generation. Large falling-rate (F R ) ∼ 0.26 eV V −1 , low activation energy (E a ) ∼ 0.617 eV and a small hysteresis compared to the pure a-IGZO TFTs, shows the best immunity to thermal instability. This is mainly attributed to the reduction of interface trap density and oxygen vacancies due to the passivation of defects and/dangling bonds. (paper)

Nitrogen-doped Sb-rich Si–Sb–Te phase-change material for high-performance phase-change memory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhou, Xilin; Wu, Liangcai; Song, Zhitang; Cheng, Yan; Rao, Feng; Ren, Kun; Song, Sannian; Liu, Bo; Feng, Songlin

2013-01-01

The effects of nitrogen doping on the phase-change performance of Sb-rich Si–Sb–Te materials are systemically investigated, focusing on the chemical state and the role of nitrogen upon crystallization. The tendency of N atoms to bond with Si (SiN x ) in the crystalline film is analyzed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The microstructures of the materials mixed with Sb 2 Te crystal grains and amorphous Si/SiN x regions are elucidated via in situ transmission electron microscopy, from which a percolation behavior is demonstrated to possibly describe the random crystallization feature in the nucleation-dominated nanocomposite material. The phase-change memory cells based on N-doped Sb-rich Si–Sb–Te materials display more stable and reliable electrical performance than the nitrogen-free ones. An endurance characteristic in the magnitude of 10 7 cycles of the phase-change memory cells is realized with moderate nitrogen addition, meaning that the nitrogen incorporation into Si–Sb–Te material is a suitable method to achieve high-performance phase-change memory for commercial applications

Nitrogen-doped graphene by microwave plasma chemical vapor deposition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kumar, A.; Voevodin, A.A.; Paul, R.; Altfeder, I.; Zemlyanov, D.; Zakharov, D.N.; Fisher, T.S.

2013-01-01

Rapid synthesis of nitrogen-doped, few-layer graphene films on Cu foil is achieved by microwave plasma chemical vapor deposition. The films are doped during synthesis by introduction of nitrogen gas in the reactor. Raman spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy and scanning tunneling microscopy reveal crystal structure and chemical characteristics. Nitrogen concentrations up to 2 at.% are observed, and the limit is linked to the rigidity of graphene films on copper surfaces that impedes further nitrogen substitutions of carbon atoms. The entire growth process requires only a few minutes without supplemental substrate heating and offers a promising path toward large-scale synthesis of nitrogen-doped graphene films. - Highlights: ► Rapid synthesis of nitrogen doped few layer graphene on Cu foil. ► Defect density increment on 2% nitrogen doping. ► Nitrogen doped graphene is a good protection to the copper metallic surface

Nitrogen-doped graphene by microwave plasma chemical vapor deposition

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kumar, A., E-mail: kumar50@purdue.edu [Birck Nanotechnolgy Center, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907 (United States); Voevodin, A.A. [Birck Nanotechnolgy Center, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907 (United States); Materials and Manufacturing Directorate, Air Force Research Laboratory, WPAFB, OH 45433 (United States); Paul, R. [Birck Nanotechnolgy Center, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907 (United States); Altfeder, I. [Materials and Manufacturing Directorate, Air Force Research Laboratory, WPAFB, OH 45433 (United States); Zemlyanov, D.; Zakharov, D.N. [Birck Nanotechnolgy Center, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907 (United States); Fisher, T.S., E-mail: tsfisher@purdue.edu [Birck Nanotechnolgy Center, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907 (United States); Materials and Manufacturing Directorate, Air Force Research Laboratory, WPAFB, OH 45433 (United States)

2013-01-01

Rapid synthesis of nitrogen-doped, few-layer graphene films on Cu foil is achieved by microwave plasma chemical vapor deposition. The films are doped during synthesis by introduction of nitrogen gas in the reactor. Raman spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy and scanning tunneling microscopy reveal crystal structure and chemical characteristics. Nitrogen concentrations up to 2 at.% are observed, and the limit is linked to the rigidity of graphene films on copper surfaces that impedes further nitrogen substitutions of carbon atoms. The entire growth process requires only a few minutes without supplemental substrate heating and offers a promising path toward large-scale synthesis of nitrogen-doped graphene films. - Highlights: ► Rapid synthesis of nitrogen doped few layer graphene on Cu foil. ► Defect density increment on 2% nitrogen doping. ► Nitrogen doped graphene is a good protection to the copper metallic surface.

Ion-beam doping of amorphous silicon with germanium isovalent impurity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Khokhlov, A.F.; Mashin, A.I.; Ershov, A.V.; Mashin, N.I.; Ignat'eva, E.A.

1988-01-01

Experimental data on ion-beam doping of amorphous silicon containing minor germanium additions by donor and acceptor impurity are presented. Doping of a-Si:Ge films as well as of a-Si layers was performed by implantation of 40 keV energy B + ions or 120 keV energy phosphorus by doses from 3.2x10 13 up to 1.3x10 17 cm -2 . Ion current density did not exceed 1 μA/cm 2 . Radiation defect annealing was performed at 400 deg C temperature during 30 min. Temperature dependences of conductivity in the region of 160-500 K were studied. It is shown that a-Si:Ge is like hydrogenized amorphous silicon in relation to doping

Atomic scale insight into the amorphous structure of Cu doped GeTe phase-change material

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang, Linchuan; Sa, Baisheng; Zhou, Jian; Sun, Zhimei; Song, Zhitang

2014-01-01

GeTe shows promising application as a recording material for phase-change nonvolatile memory due to its fast crystallization speed and extraordinary amorphous stability. To further improve the performance of GeTe, various transition metals, such as copper, have been doped in GeTe in recent works. However, the effect of the doped transition metals on the stability of amorphous GeTe is not known. Here, we shed light on this problem for the system of Cu doped GeTe by means of ab initio molecular dynamics calculations. Our results show that the doped Cu atoms tend to agglomerate in amorphous GeTe. Further, base on analyzing the pair correlation functions, coordination numbers and bond angle distributions, remarkable changes in the local structure of amorphous GeTe induced by Cu are obviously seen. The present work may provide some clues for understanding the effect of early transition metals on the local structure of amorphous phase-change compounds, and hence should be helpful for optimizing the structure and performance of phase-change materials by doping transition metals.

Doping efficiency analysis of highly phosphorous doped epitaxial/amorphous silicon emitters grown by PECVD for high efficiency silicon solar cells

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

El-Gohary, H.G.; Sivoththaman, S. [Waterloo Univ., ON (Canada). Dept. of Electrical and Computer Engineering

2008-08-15

The efficient doping of hydrogenated amorphous and crystalline silicon thin films is a key factor in the fabrication of silicon solar cells. The most popular method for developing those films is plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) because it minimizes defect density and improves doping efficiency. This paper discussed the preparation of different structure phosphorous doped silicon emitters ranging from epitaxial to amorphous films at low temperature. Phosphine (PH{sub 3}) was employed as the doping gas source with the same gas concentration for both epitaxial and amorphous silicon emitters. The paper presented an analysis of dopant activation by applying a very short rapid thermal annealing process (RTP). A spreading resistance profile (SRP) and SIMS analysis were used to detect both the active dopant and the dopant concentrations, respectively. The paper also provided the results of a structural analysis for both bulk and cross-section at the interface using high-resolution transmission electron microscopy and Raman spectroscopy, for epitaxial and amorphous films. It was concluded that a unity doping efficiency could be achieved in epitaxial layers by applying an optimized temperature profile using short time processing rapid thermal processing technique. The high quality, one step epitaxial layers, led to both high conductive and high doping efficiency layers.

Effects of dopants on the amorphous-to-fcc transition in Ge{sub 2}Sb{sub 2}Te{sub 5} thin films

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Privitera, S. [R and D Department, Micro, Power, Analog (MPA) Group, STMicroelectronics, MP8, Stradale Primosole 50, 95121 Catania (Italy)]. E-mail: stefania.privitera@st.com; Rimini, E. [Istituto di Microelettronica e Microsistemi (IMM), Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR), Stradale Primosole 50, 95121 Catania (Italy); Bongiorno, C. [Istituto di Microelettronica e Microsistemi (IMM), Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR), Stradale Primosole 50, 95121 Catania (Italy); Pirovano, A. [FTM, Advanced R and D, NVMTD, STMicroelectronics, Via Olivetti 2, 20041, Agrate Brianza (Italy); Bez, R. [FTM, Advanced R and D, NVMTD, STMicroelectronics, Via Olivetti 2, 20041, Agrate Brianza (Italy)

2007-04-15

The amorphous-to-crystal transition has been studied through in situ resistance measurements in Ge{sub 2}Sb{sub 2}Te{sub 5} thin films doped by ion implantation with nitrogen, oxygen or fluorine at different concentrations. Enhancement of the thermal stability has been observed in O and N amorphous doped Ge{sub 2}Sb{sub 2}Te{sub 5}. Larger effects have been found in the case of nitrogen doping. On the contrary, doping with Fluorine produced a decrease in the crystallization temperature. The electrical properties have been related to the structural phase change through in situ transmission electron microscopy analysis. The comparison between undoped and doped Ge{sub 2}Sb{sub 2}Te{sub 5} shows that the introduction of oxygen or nitrogen modifies in a different way the kinetics of the amorphous-to-fcc transition and gives new insight on the effects of doping with light elements in GeSbTe alloys.

Crystalline and amorphous carbon nitride films produced by high-energy shock plasma deposition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bursilll, L.A.; Peng, Julin; Gurarie, V.N.; Orlov, A.V.; Prawer, S.

1995-01-01

High-energy shock plasma deposition techniques are used to produce carbon-nitride films containing both crystalline and amorphous components. The structures are examined by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, parallel-electron-energy loss spectroscopy and electron diffraction. The crystalline phase appears to be face-centered cubic with unit cell parameter approx. a=0.63nm and it may be stabilized by calcium and oxygen at about 1-2 at % levels. The carbon atoms appear to have both trigonal and tetrahedral bonding for the crystalline phase. There is PEELS evidence that a significant fraction of the nitrogen atoms have sp 2 trigonal bonds in the crystalline phase. The amorphous carbon-nitride film component varies from essentially graphite, containing virtually no nitrogen, to amorphous carbon-nitride containing up to 10 at % N, where the fraction of sp 3 bonds is significant. 15 refs., 5 figs

Study of Nitrogen Effect on the Boron Diffusion during Heat Treatment in Polycrystalline Silicon/Nitrogen-Doped Silicon Thin Films

Science.gov (United States)

Saci, Lynda; Mahamdi, Ramdane; Mansour, Farida; Boucher, Jonathan; Collet, Maéva; Bedel Pereira, Eléna; Temple-Boyer, Pierre

2011-05-01

The present paper studies the boron (B) diffusion in nitrogen (N) doped amorphous silicon (a-Si) layer in original bi-layer B-doped polycrystalline silicon (poly-Si)/in-situ N-doped Si layers (NIDOS) thin films deposited by low pressure chemical vapor deposition (LPCVD) technique. The B diffusion in the NIDOS layer was investigated by secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis. A new extended diffusion model is proposed to fit the SIMS profile of the bi-layer films. This model introduces new terms which take into account the effect of N concentration on the complex diffusion phenomena of B atoms in bi-layer films. SIMS results show that B diffusion does not exceed one third of NIDOS layer thickness after annealing. The reduction of the B diffusion in the NIDOS layer is due to the formation of complex B-N as shown by infrared absorption measurements. Electrical measurements using four-probe and Hall effect techniques show the good conductivity of the B-doped poly-Si layer after annealing treatment.

Heavily nitrogen doped, graphene supercapacitor from silk cocoon

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sahu, Vikrant; Grover, Sonia; Tulachan, Brindan; Sharma, Meenakshi; Srivastava, Gaurav; Roy, Manas; Saxena, Manav; Sethy, Niroj; Bhargava, Kalpana; Philip, Deepu; Kim, Hansung; Singh, Gurmeet; Singh, Sushil Kumar; Das, Mainak; Sharma, Raj Kishore

2015-01-01

Doping of graphene with nitrogen is of much interest, since it improves the overall conductivity and supercapacitive properties. Besides conductivity, nitrogen doping also enhances the pseudo-capacitance due to fast and reversible surface redox processes. In this work, we have developed a cheap and easy process for synthesizing heavily nitrogen doped graphene (15% nitrogen) from non-mulberry silk cocoon membrane (Tassar, Antheraea mylitta) by pyrolyzing the cocoon at 400 °C in argon atmosphere. Further we have investigated the performance of this heavily ‘nitrogen doped graphene’ (NDG) in a supercapacitor device. Our results suggest that NDG obtained from cocoon has improved supercapacitor performance. The improved performance is due to the high electronegativity of nitrogen that forms dipoles on the graphene surface. These dipoles consequently enhance the tendency of graphene to attract charged species to its surface. This is a green and clean synthesis approach for developing electronic materials for energy applications

Synthesis of Antimony Doped Amorphous Carbon Films

Science.gov (United States)

Okuyama, H.; Takashima, M.; Akasaka, H.; Ohtake, N.

2013-06-01

We report the effects of antimony (Sb) doping on the electrical and optical properties of amorphous carbon (a-C:H) films grown on silicon and copper substrates by magnetron sputtering deposition. For film deposition, the mixture targets fabricated from carbon and antimony powders was used. The atomic concentration of carbon, hydrogen, and antimony, in the film deposited from the 1.0 mol% Sb containing target were 81, 17, 2 at.%, respectively. These elements were homogeneously distributed in the film. On the structural effect, the average continuous sp2 carbon bonding networks decreased with Sb concentration increasing, and defects in the films were increased with the Sb incorporation because atomic radius of Sb atoms is twice larger size than that of carbon. The optical gap and the electrical resistivity were carried out before and after the Sb doping. The results show that optical gap dropped from 3.15 to 3.04 eV corresponding to non-doping to Sb-doping conditions, respectively. The electrical resistivity reduced from 10.5 to 1.0 MΩm by the Sb doping. These results suggest the doping level was newly formed in the forbidden band.

Synthesis of Antimony Doped Amorphous Carbon Films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Okuyama, H; Takashima, M; Akasaka, H; Ohtake, N

2013-01-01

We report the effects of antimony (Sb) doping on the electrical and optical properties of amorphous carbon (a-C:H) films grown on silicon and copper substrates by magnetron sputtering deposition. For film deposition, the mixture targets fabricated from carbon and antimony powders was used. The atomic concentration of carbon, hydrogen, and antimony, in the film deposited from the 1.0 mol% Sb containing target were 81, 17, 2 at.%, respectively. These elements were homogeneously distributed in the film. On the structural effect, the average continuous sp 2 carbon bonding networks decreased with Sb concentration increasing, and defects in the films were increased with the Sb incorporation because atomic radius of Sb atoms is twice larger size than that of carbon. The optical gap and the electrical resistivity were carried out before and after the Sb doping. The results show that optical gap dropped from 3.15 to 3.04 eV corresponding to non-doping to Sb-doping conditions, respectively. The electrical resistivity reduced from 10.5 to 1.0 MΩm by the Sb doping. These results suggest the doping level was newly formed in the forbidden band.

Sub-ambient carbon dioxide adsorption properties of nitrogen doped graphene

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tamilarasan, P.; Ramaprabhu, Sundara, E-mail: ramp@iitm.ac.in [Alternative Energy and Nanotechnology Laboratory (AENL), Nano Functional Materials Technology Centre (NFMTC), Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai 600036 (India)

2015-04-14

Carbon dioxide adsorption on carbon surface can be enhanced by doping the surface with heterogeneous atoms, which can increase local surface affinity. This study presents the carbon dioxide adsorption properties of nitrogen doped graphene at low pressures (<100 kPa). Graphene was exposed to nitrogen plasma, which dopes nitrogen atoms into carbon hexagonal lattice, mainly in pyridinic and pyrrolic forms. It is found that nitrogen doping significantly improves the CO{sub 2} adsorption capacity at all temperatures, due to the enrichment of local Lewis basic sites. In general, isotherm and thermodynamic parameters suggest that doped nitrogen sites have nearly same adsorption energy of surface defects and residual functional groups. The isosteric heat of adsorption remains in physisorption range, which falls with surface coverage, suggesting the distribution of magnitude of adsorption energy. The absolute values of isosteric heat and entropy of adsorption are slightly increased upon nitrogen doping.

Amorphous TiO2 doped with carbon for visible light photodegradation of rhodamine B and 4-chlorophenol

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shao, Penghui; Tian, Jiayu; Zhao, Zhiwei; Shi, Wenxin; Gao, Shanshan; Cui, Fuyi

2015-01-01

Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • Amorphous TiO 2 doped with carbon is prepared as a visible photocatalyst. • RhB and 4-chlorophenol are decomposed effectively by carbon-doped amorphous TiO 2 . • The mechanism for visible light photocatalysis is discussed detailedly. - Abstract: Visible light photocatalytic activity of amorphous TiO 2 doped with carbon is prepared by a facile sol-gel route for the first time. The most active sample with mesostructure of amorphous phase, high surface area (273 m 2 g −1 ) and large pore volume (0.33 cm 3 g −1 ) is identified by X-ray diffractometer, Raman spectrometer, transmission electron microscope and N 2 adsorption–desorption isotherms. In addition, the most active sample is characterized by Fourier transform-infrared spectrometer, X-ray photoelectron spectrometer, UV–vis diffuse reflectance spectrometer and luminescence spectrometer. The results show that the most active sample with oxygenic groups has a narrower bandgap and lower recombination of electron–hole, due to the carbon doping and phase of amorphous. Effective photodegradation capability and stability of rhodamine B and colorless 4-chlorophenol are verified by photocatalytic tests under visible light irradiation. A possible mechanism of amorphous TiO 2 doped with carbon for visible light photocatalysis is proposed. The findings of this paper will provide new insights to design visible light-induced photocatalyst based on amorphous TiO 2 for organic removal

Low-Temperature Sol-Gel Synthesis of Nitrogen-Doped Anatase/Brookite Biphasic Nanoparticles with High Surface Area and Visible-Light Performance

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Liang Jiang

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Nitrogen doping in combination with the brookite phase or a mixture of TiO2 polymorphs nanomaterials can enhance photocatalytic activity under visible light. Generally, nitrogen-dopedanatase/brookite mixed phases TiO2 nanoparticles obtained by hydrothermal or solvothermal method need to be at high temperature and with long time heating treatment. Furthermore, the surface areas of them are low (<125 m2/g. There is hardly a report on the simple and direct preparation of N-doped anatase/brookite mixed phase TiO2 nanostructures using sol-gel method at low heating temperature. In this paper, the nitrogen-doped anatase/brookite biphasic nanoparticles with large surface area (240 m2/g were successfully prepared using sol-gel method at low temperature (165 °C, and with short heating time (4 h under autogenous pressure. The obtained sample without subsequent annealing at elevated temperatures showed enhanced photocatalytic efficiency for the degradation of methyl orange (MO with 4.2-, 9.6-, and 7.5-fold visible light activities compared to P25 and the amorphous samples heated in muffle furnace with air or in tube furnace with a flow of nitrogen at 165 °C, respectively. This result was attributed to the synergistic effects of nitrogen doping, mixed crystalline phases, and high surface area.

Correlation between substrate bias, growth process and structural properties of phosphorus incorporated tetrahedral amorphous carbon films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu Aiping; Zhu Jiaqi; Han Jiecai; Wu Huaping; Jia Zechun

2007-01-01

We investigate the growth process and structural properties of phosphorus incorporated tetrahedral amorphous carbon (ta-C:P) films which are deposited at different substrate biases by filtered cathodic vacuum arc technique with PH 3 as the dopant source. The films are characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), atomic force microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, residual stress measurement, UV/VIS/NIR absorption spectroscopy and temperature-dependent conductivity measurement. The atomic fraction of phosphorus in the films as a function of substrate bias is obtained by XPS analysis. The optimum bias for phosphorus incorporation is about -80 V. Raman spectra show that the amorphous structures of all samples with atomic-scaled smooth surface are not remarkably changed when PH 3 is implanted, but some small graphitic crystallites are formed. Moreover, phosphorus impurities and higher-energetic impinging ions are favorable for the clustering of sp 2 sites dispersed in sp 3 skeleton and increase the level of structural ordering for ta-C:P films, which further releases the compressive stress and enhances the conductivity of the films. Our analysis establishes an interrelationship between microstructure, stress state, electrical properties, and substrate bias, which helps to understand the deposition mechanism of ta-C:P films

Preparation of nitrogen-doped carbon tubes

Science.gov (United States)

Chung, Hoon Taek; Zelenay, Piotr

2015-12-22

A method for synthesizing nitrogen-doped carbon tubes involves preparing a solution of cyanamide and a suitable transition metal-containing salt in a solvent, evaporating the solvent to form a solid, and pyrolyzing the solid under an inert atmosphere under conditions suitable for the production of nitrogen-doped carbon tubes from the solid. Pyrolyzing for a shorter period of time followed by rapid cooling resulted in a tubes with a narrower average diameter.

Synthesis of nitrogen-doped graphene via solid microwave method

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhang, Li, E-mail: zhangli379@sohu.com [School of Electrical Engineering, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian, Liaoning 116024 (China); Ji, Bingcheng, E-mail: debbo.jee@outlook.com [School of Electrical Engineering, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian, Liaoning 116024 (China); Wang, Kai [School of Electrical Engineering, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian, Liaoning 116024 (China); Song, Jinyan [School of Information Engineering, Dalian Ocean University, Dalian, Liaoning 116024 (China)

2014-07-01

Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • A direct solid microwave method is developed to prepare nitrogen-doped graphene. • The method consists of two steps, namely the functionalization and microwave irradiation. • Melamine can serve as not only functionalizing agent but also nitrogen source. - Abstract: In this paper, we propose a solid microwave-mediated method for scalable production of nitrogen-doped graphene sheets (NGS) using low-cost industrial material melamine as functionalizing agent and nitrogen source. The strong interaction of microwaves with graphene oxide has been fully utilized to generate in situ heating that induces the decompose melamine and nitrogen doping of graphene. The morphology, structure, and components of the as-produced nitrogen-doped graphene are characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscope (TEM), Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET), pore-size distribution (PSD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray photoelectron spectra (XPS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Raman spectroscopy. The results show NGS can be successfully synthesized via this strategy.

Synthesis of nitrogen-doped graphene via solid microwave method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang, Li; Ji, Bingcheng; Wang, Kai; Song, Jinyan

2014-01-01

Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • A direct solid microwave method is developed to prepare nitrogen-doped graphene. • The method consists of two steps, namely the functionalization and microwave irradiation. • Melamine can serve as not only functionalizing agent but also nitrogen source. - Abstract: In this paper, we propose a solid microwave-mediated method for scalable production of nitrogen-doped graphene sheets (NGS) using low-cost industrial material melamine as functionalizing agent and nitrogen source. The strong interaction of microwaves with graphene oxide has been fully utilized to generate in situ heating that induces the decompose melamine and nitrogen doping of graphene. The morphology, structure, and components of the as-produced nitrogen-doped graphene are characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscope (TEM), Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET), pore-size distribution (PSD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray photoelectron spectra (XPS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Raman spectroscopy. The results show NGS can be successfully synthesized via this strategy

Control of work function of graphene by plasma assisted nitrogen doping

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Akada, Keishi; Terasawa, Tomo-o; Imamura, Gaku; Obata, Seiji; Saiki, Koichiro

2014-01-01

Nitrogen doping is expected to provide several intriguing properties to graphene. Nitrogen plasma treatment to defect-free and defective highly oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) samples causes doping of nitrogen atom into the graphene layer. Nitrogen atoms are initially doped at a graphitic site (inside the graphene) for the defect-free HOPG, while doping to a pyridinic or a pyrrolic site (edge of the graphene) is dominant for the defective HOPG. The work function of graphene correlates strongly with the site and amount of doped nitrogen. Nitrogen atoms doped at a graphitic site lower the work function, while nitrogen atoms at a pyridinic or a pyrrolic site increase the work function. Control of plasma treatment time and the amount of initial defect could change the work function of graphite from 4.3 eV to 5.4 eV, which would open a way to tailor the nature of graphene for various industrial applications

The fundamental science of nitrogen-doping of niobium superconducting cavities

Science.gov (United States)

Gonnella, Daniel Alfred

Doping of niobium superconducting RF cavities with impurities has been demonstrated to have the ability to significantly improve the cryogenic efficiency of the accelerating structures. Doping SRF cavities with nitrogen is a relatively simple additional step to cavity preparation that can make drastic improvements in a cavity's intrinsic quality factor, Q0. Nitrogen-doping consists of treating SRF cavities at high temperatures in a low nitrogen-atmosphere. This leads to two important effects: an improvement in Q0 at low fields, and the presence of an "anti-Q slope" in which the cryogenic efficiency of doped cavities actually improves at higher fields. After its initial discovery, nitrogen-doping showed real promise but many fundamental scientific questions remained about the process. Nitrogen-doped cavities consistently quenched at lower fields than un-doped cavities, cooling the cavities through their critical temperature slowly led to poor performance, and the mechanism behind the Q0 improvement was not well understood. This dissertation focuses on addressing these issues. Single-cell 1.3 GHz cavities were prepared with different nitrogen-dopings and their effects studied systematically. It was found that nitrogen-doping drastically lowers the mean free path of the RF penetration layer of the niobium, leading to a lowering of the temperature-dependent BCS resistance, RBCS, at low fields. Theoretical work to predict the anti-Q slope was compared with experimental results to more fundamentally understand the nature of the field dependence of RBCS. Nitrogen-doped cavities were found to have a much larger sensitivity of residual resistance from trapped magnetic flux than un-doped cavities. Fast cool downs with large spatial temperature gradients through Tc were found to more efficiently expel magnetic flux. The full dependence of this sensitivity to trapped magnetic flux was studied as a function of changing mean free path and found to be in good agreement with

Charge storage characteristics and tunneling mechanism of amorphous Ge-doped HfO{sub x} films

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Qiu, X.Y.; Zhang, S.Y.; Zhang, T.; Wang, R.X.; Li, L.T.; Zhang, Y. [Southwest University, School of Physical Science and Technology, Chongqing (China); Dai, J.Y. [The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Department of Applied Physics, Hong Kong (China)

2016-09-15

Amorphous Ge-doped HfO{sub x} films have been deposited on p-Si(100) substrates by means of RF magnetron sputtering. Microstructural investigations reveal the partial oxidation of doped Ge atoms in the amorphous HfO{sub x} matrix and the existence of HfSiO{sub x} interfacial layer. Capacitance-voltage hysteresis of the Ag-/Ge-doped HfO{sub x}/Si/Ag memory capacitor exhibits a memory window of 3.15 V which can maintain for >5 x 10{sup 4} cycles. Current-voltage characteristics reveal that Poole-Frenkel tunneling is responsible for electron transport in the Ge-doped HfO{sub x} film. (orig.)

Silicon nitride gradient film as the underlayer of ultra-thin tetrahedral amorphous carbon overcoat for magnetic recording slider

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wang Guigen, E-mail: wanggghit@yahoo.com [Shenzhen Graduate School, Harbin Institute of Technology, Shenzhen 518055 (China); Kuang Xuping; Zhang Huayu; Zhu Can [Shenzhen Graduate School, Harbin Institute of Technology, Shenzhen 518055 (China); Han Jiecai [Shenzhen Graduate School, Harbin Institute of Technology, Shenzhen 518055 (China); Center for Composite Materials, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150080 (China); Zuo Hongbo [Center for Composite Materials, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150080 (China); Ma Hongtao [SAE Technologies Development (Dongguan) Co., Ltd., Dongguan 523087 (China)

2011-12-15

Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The ultra-thin carbon films with different silicon nitride (Si-N) film underlayers were prepared. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer It highlighted the influences of Si-N underlayers. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The carbon films with Si-N underlayers obtained by nitriding especially at the substrate bias of -150 V, can exhibit better corrosion protection properties - Abstract: There are higher technical requirements for protection overcoat of magnetic recording slider used in high-density storage fields for the future. In this study, silicon nitride (Si-N) composition-gradient films were firstly prepared by nitriding of silicon thin films pre-sputtered on silicon wafers and magnetic recording sliders, using microwave electron cyclotron resonance plasma source. The ultra-thin tetrahedral amorphous carbon films were then deposited on the Si-N films by filtered cathodic vacuum arc method. Compared with amorphous carbon overcoats with conventional silicon underlayers, the overcoats with Si-N underlayers obtained by plasma nitriding especially at the substrate bias of -150 V, can provide better corrosion protection for high-density magnetic recording sliders.

Silicon nitride gradient film as the underlayer of ultra-thin tetrahedral amorphous carbon overcoat for magnetic recording slider

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang Guigen; Kuang Xuping; Zhang Huayu; Zhu Can; Han Jiecai; Zuo Hongbo; Ma Hongtao

2011-01-01

Highlights: ► The ultra-thin carbon films with different silicon nitride (Si-N) film underlayers were prepared. ► It highlighted the influences of Si-N underlayers. ► The carbon films with Si-N underlayers obtained by nitriding especially at the substrate bias of −150 V, can exhibit better corrosion protection properties - Abstract: There are higher technical requirements for protection overcoat of magnetic recording slider used in high-density storage fields for the future. In this study, silicon nitride (Si-N) composition-gradient films were firstly prepared by nitriding of silicon thin films pre-sputtered on silicon wafers and magnetic recording sliders, using microwave electron cyclotron resonance plasma source. The ultra-thin tetrahedral amorphous carbon films were then deposited on the Si-N films by filtered cathodic vacuum arc method. Compared with amorphous carbon overcoats with conventional silicon underlayers, the overcoats with Si-N underlayers obtained by plasma nitriding especially at the substrate bias of −150 V, can provide better corrosion protection for high-density magnetic recording sliders.

Mo-containing tetrahedral amorphous carbon deposited by dual filtered cathodic vacuum arc with selective pulsed bias voltage

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pasaja, Nitisak; Sansongsiri, Sakon; Intarasiri, Saweat; Vilaithong, Thiraphat; Anders, Andre

2007-01-01

Metal-containing tetrahedral amorphous carbon films were produced by dual filtered cathodic vacuum arc plasma sources operated in sequentially pulsed mode. Negatively pulsed bias was applied to the substrate when carbon plasma was generated, whereas it was absent when the molybdenum plasma was presented. Film thickness was measured after deposition by profilometry. Glass slides with silver pads were used as substrates for the measurement of the sheet resistance. The microstructure and composition of the films were characterized by Raman spectroscopy and Rutherford backscattering, respectively. It was found that the electrical resistivity decreases with an increase of the Mo content, which can be ascribed to an increase of the sp 2 content and an increase of the sp 2 cluster size

Thin films of amorphous nitrogenated carbon a-CN{sub x}: Electron transfer and surface reactivity

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tamiasso-Martinhon, P.; Cachet, H.; Debiemme-Chouvy, C.; Deslouis, C. [Universite Pierre et Marie Curie-Paris 6, Laboratoire Interfaces et Systemes Electrochimiques, CNRS, UPR15-LISE, 4 Place Jussieu, Paris F-75005 (France)

2008-08-01

The electrochemical behaviour of thin films of nitrogenated amorphous carbon a-CN{sub x} is similar to that of boron-doped diamond, with a wide potential window in aqueous media. They are elaborated by cathodic sputtering of a graphite target in an Ar-N{sub 2} active plasma for varying nitrogen contents, determined by XPS (0.06 {<=} x {<=} 0.39). Their electrochemical reactivity is sensitive to the surface state. The present study reports on the influence of electrochemical pre treatment on the electronic transfer rate of a fast redox system ferri-ferrocyanide, by focusing on the direction of the potential excursion. On the other hand, the role of both the pH and the potential on the interfacial capacitance in the presence of Na{sub 2}SO{sub 4} without redox species is documented. The results show up the sensitivity of the film surface to the electrochemical conditions. (author)

Tailoring thermal transport properties of graphene by nitrogen doping

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhang, Tingting; Li, Jianhua; Cao, Yuwei; Zhu, Liyan, E-mail: lyzhu@hytc.edu.cn; Chen, Guibin, E-mail: gbchen@hytc.edu.cn [Huaiyin Normal University, School of Physics and Electronic & Electrical Engineering (China)

2017-02-15

The influence of two different nitrogen doping configurations, graphite-like and pyridinic-like nitrogen doping (denoted as graphite-N and pyridinic-N hereafter, respectively), on the thermal conduction of graphene is carefully studied via non-equilibrium molecular dynamic (NEMD) simulations. The thermal conductivity is more strongly suppressed in the pyridinic-N-doped graphene than that in the graphite-N-doped sample, which can be well understood from the changes in bond strength between nitrogen and carbon atoms, phonon group velocities, phonon density of states, participation ratio, and phonon transmission. Our study indicates that the pyridinic-N doping is an efficient method to tune the thermal conduction in graphene, especially for the situation where low thermal conductivity is requested, e.g., thermoelectric applications and thermal shielding.

Nitrogen-doped graphene: effect of graphite oxide precursors and nitrogen content on the electrochemical sensing properties.

Science.gov (United States)

Megawati, Monica; Chua, Chun Kiang; Sofer, Zdenek; Klímová, Kateřina; Pumera, Martin

2017-06-21

Graphene, produced via chemical methods, has been widely applied for electrochemical sensing due to its structural and electrochemical properties as well as its ease of production in large quantity. While nitrogen-doped graphenes are widely studied materials, the literature showing an effect of graphene oxide preparation methods on nitrogen quantity and chemical states as well as on defects and, in turn, on electrochemical sensing is non-existent. In this study, the properties of nitrogen-doped graphene materials, prepared via hydrothermal synthesis using graphite oxide produced by various classical methods using permanganate or chlorate oxidants Staudenmaier, Hummers, Hofmann and Brodie oxidation methods, were studied; the resulting nitrogen-doped graphene oxides were labeled as ST-GO, HU-GO, HO-GO and BR-GO, respectively. The electrochemical oxidation of biomolecules, such as ascorbic acid, uric acid, dopamine, nicotinamide adenine nucleotide and DNA free bases, was carried out using cyclic voltammetry and differential pulse voltammetry techniques. The nitrogen content in doped graphene oxides increased in the order ST-GO graphene followed this trend, as shown in the cyclic voltammograms. This is a very important finding that provides insight into the electrocatalytic effect of N-doped graphene. The nitrogen-doped graphene materials exhibited improved sensitivity over bare glassy carbon for ascorbic acid, uric acid and dopamine detection. These studies will enhance our understanding of the effects of graphite oxide precursors on the electrochemical sensing properties of nitrogen-doped graphene materials.

Hierarchically structured, nitrogen-doped carbon membranes

KAUST Repository

Wang, Hong

2017-08-03

The present invention is a structure, method of making and method of use for a novel macroscopic hierarchically structured, nitrogen-doped, nano-porous carbon membrane (HNDCMs) with asymmetric and hierarchical pore architecture that can be produced on a large-scale approach. The unique HNDCM holds great promise as components in separation and advanced carbon devices because they could offer unconventional fluidic transport phenomena on the nanoscale. Overall, the invention set forth herein covers a hierarchically structured, nitrogen-doped carbon membranes and methods of making and using such a membranes.

Nitrogen-Doped Graphene for Photocatalytic Hydrogen Generation.

Science.gov (United States)

Chang, Dong Wook; Baek, Jong-Beom

2016-04-20

Photocatalytic hydrogen (H2 ) generation in a water splitting process has recently attracted tremendous interest because it allows the direct conversion of clean and unlimited solar energy into the ideal energy resource of H2 . For efficient photocatalytic H2 generation, the role of the photocatalyst is critical. With increasing demand for more efficient, sustainable, and cost-effective photocatalysts, various types of semiconductor photocatalysts have been intensively developed. In particular, on the basis of its superior catalytic and tunable electronic properties, nitrogen-doped graphene is a potential candidate for a high-performance photocatalyst. Nitrogen-doped graphene also offers additional advantages originating from its unique two-dimensional sp(2) -hybridized carbon network including a large specific surface area and exceptional charge transport properties. It has been reported that nitrogen-doped graphene can play diverse but positive functions including photo-induced charge acceptor/meditator, light absorber from UV to visible light, n-type semiconductor, and giant molecular photocatalyst. Herein, we summarize the recent progress and general aspects of nitrogen-doped graphene as a photocatalyst for photocatalytic H2 generation. In addition, challenges and future perspectives in this field are also discussed. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Growth Mechanism and Origin of High s p3 Content in Tetrahedral Amorphous Carbon

Science.gov (United States)

Caro, Miguel A.; Deringer, Volker L.; Koskinen, Jari; Laurila, Tomi; Csányi, Gábor

2018-04-01

We study the deposition of tetrahedral amorphous carbon (ta-C) films from molecular dynamics simulations based on a machine-learned interatomic potential trained from density-functional theory data. For the first time, the high s p3 fractions in excess of 85% observed experimentally are reproduced by means of computational simulation, and the deposition energy dependence of the film's characteristics is also accurately described. High confidence in the potential and direct access to the atomic interactions allow us to infer the microscopic growth mechanism in this material. While the widespread view is that ta-C grows by "subplantation," we show that the so-called "peening" model is actually the dominant mechanism responsible for the high s p3 content. We show that pressure waves lead to bond rearrangement away from the impact site of the incident ion, and high s p3 fractions arise from a delicate balance of transitions between three- and fourfold coordinated carbon atoms. These results open the door for a microscopic understanding of carbon nanostructure formation with an unprecedented level of predictive power.

Nitrogen-doped graphene prepared by a transfer doping approach for the oxygen reduction reaction application

Science.gov (United States)

Mo, Zaiyong; Zheng, Ruiping; Peng, Hongliang; Liang, Huagen; Liao, Shijun

2014-01-01

Well defined nitrogen-doped graphene (NG) is prepared by a transfer doping approach, in which the graphene oxide (GO) is deoxidized and nitrogen doped by the vaporized polyaniline, and the GO is prepared by a thermal expansion method from graphite oxide. The content of doped nitrogen in the doped graphene is high up to 6.25 at% by the results of elements analysis, and oxygen content is lowered to 5.17 at%. As a non-precious metal cathode electrocatalyst, the NG catalyst exhibits excellent activity toward the oxygen reduction reaction, as well as excellent tolerance toward methanol. In 0.1 M KOH solution, its onset potential, half-wave potential and limiting current density for the oxygen reduction reaction reach 0.98 V (vs. RHE), 0.87 V (vs. RHE) and 5.38 mA cm-2, respectively, which are comparable to those of commercial 20 wt% Pt/C catalyst. The well defined graphene structure of the catalyst is revealed clearly by HRTEM and Raman spectra. It is suggested that the nitrogen-doping and large surface area of the NG sheets give the main contribution to the high ORR catalytic activity.

Growth of nitrogen-doped graphene on copper: Multiscale simulations

Science.gov (United States)

Gaillard, P.; Schoenhalz, A. L.; Moskovkin, P.; Lucas, S.; Henrard, L.

2016-02-01

We used multiscale simulations to model the growth of nitrogen-doped graphene on a copper substrate by chemical vapour deposition (CVD). Our simulations are based on ab-initio calculations of energy barriers for surface diffusion, which are complemented by larger scale Kinetic Monte Carlo (KMC) simulations. Our results indicate that the shape of grown doped graphene flakes depends on the temperature and deposition flux they are submitted during the process, but we found no significant effect of nitrogen doping on this shape. However, we show that nitrogen atoms have a preference for pyridine-like sites compared to graphite-like sites, as observed experimentally.

Nitrogen-doped carbon monolith for alkaline supercapacitors and understanding nitrogen-induced redox transitions.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Da-Wei; Li, Feng; Yin, Li-Chang; Lu, Xu; Chen, Zhi-Gang; Gentle, Ian R; Lu, Gao Qing; Cheng, Hui-Ming

2012-04-23

A nitrogen-doped porous carbon monolith was synthesized as a pseudo-capacitive electrode for use in alkaline supercapacitors. Ammonia-assisted carbonization was used to dope the surface with nitrogen heteroatoms in a way that replaced carbon atoms but kept the oxygen content constant. Ammonia treatment expanded the micropore size-distributions and increased the specific surface area from 383 m(2) g(-1) to 679 m(2) g(-1). The nitrogen-containing porous carbon material showed a higher capacitance (246 F g(-1)) in comparison with the nitrogen-free one (186 F g(-1)). Ex situ electrochemical spectroscopy was used to investigate the evolution of the nitrogen-containing functional groups on the surface of the N-doped carbon electrodes in a three-electrode cell. In addition, first-principles calculations were explored regarding the electronic structures of different nitrogen groups to determine their relative redox potentials. We proposed possible redox reaction pathways based on the calculated redox affinity of different groups and surface analysis, which involved the reversible attachment/detachment of hydroxy groups between pyridone and pyridine. The oxidation of nitrogen atoms in pyridine was also suggested as a possible reaction pathway. Copyright © 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Giant tunnel-electron injection in nitrogen-doped graphene

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lagoute, Jerome; Joucken, Frederic; Repain, Vincent

2015-01-01

Scanning tunneling microscopy experiments have been performed to measure the local electron injection in nitrogen-doped graphene on SiC(000) and were successfully compared to ab initio calculations. In graphene, a gaplike feature is measured around the Fermi level due to a phonon-mediated tunneling...... and at carbon sites. Nitrogen doping can therefore be proposed as a way to improve tunnel-electron injection in graphene....

Controllable Electrochemical Activities by Oxidative Treatment toward Inner-Sphere Redox Systems at N-Doped Hydrogenated Amorphous Carbon Films

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yoriko Tanaka

2012-01-01

Full Text Available The electrochemical activity of the surface of Nitrogen-doped hydrogenated amorphous carbon thin films (a-CNH, N-doped DLC toward the inner sphere redox species is controllable by modifying the surface termination. At the oxygen plasma treated N-doped DLC surface (O-DLC, the surface functional groups containing carbon doubly bonded to oxygen (C=O, which improves adsorption of polar molecules, were generated. By oxidative treatment, the electron-transfer rate for dopamine (DA positively charged inner-sphere redox analyte could be improved at the N-doped DLC surface. For redox reaction of 2,4-dichlorophenol, which induces an inevitable fouling of the anode surface by forming passivating films, the DLC surfaces exhibited remarkably higher stability and reproducibility of the electrode performance. This is due to the electrochemical decomposition of the passive films without the interference of oxygen evolution by applying higher potential. The N-doped DLC film can offer benefits as the polarizable electrode surface with the higher reactivity and higher stability toward inner-sphere redox species. By making use of these controllable electrochemical reactivity at the O-DLC surface, the selective detection of DA in the mixed solution of DA and uric acid could be achieved.

Preparation of nitrogen-doped titania using sol-gel technique and its photocatalytic activity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Qin Haoli; Gu Guobang; Liu Song

2008-01-01

Yellowish nitrogen-doped titania was produced through sol-gel method at room temperature, with the elemental nitrogen derived from aqua ammonia. The titania catalysts were characterized using TG-DSC, XRD, BET, TEM, and UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectrophotometer. Methyl orange (MO) and 2-mercaptobenzothiazole (MBT) were used in this study as model chemicals and both the adsorption isotherm and photocatalytic activity of the nitrogen-doped titania catalysts were evaluated based on the MO and MBT photodegradation in aqueous solution under UV and visible light, respectively. The results showed that all titania catalysts were anatase. The crystallite size of nitrogen-doped ones increased with the increase of N/Ti proportion, both the adsorption capacity and adsorption equilibrium constants of the nitrogen-doped titania catalysts were improved by the doping of nitrogen. The doping of nitrogen could extend the absorption shoulder into the visible-light region, thus nitrogen-doped titania possessed visible-light activity illustrated by that higher capability of degradation of MO and MBT under the irradiation of visible light, whereas the pure ones showed little such kind of visible-light activity. The kinetics of the MO and MBT photodegradation using different nitrogen-doped titania were also studied, the experiments demonstrated that there was an optimum N/Ti proportion of 4 mol% to exhibit the highest visible-light activity. The UV activity of nitrogen-doped titania catalysts were worse than that of the pure one and Degussa P-25. In addition, nitrogen-doped titania had weakened appreciably activity in the visible-light region as the N/Ti proportion increased, while a reverse relationship exists for the UV light. It was concluded that the enhancement of MO and MBT photodegradation using the nitrogen-doped titania catalysts mainly involved in both the improvement of the organic substrate adsorption in catalysts suspension and the enhancement of the separation of electron

Effect of nitrogen doping of graphene oxide on hydrogen and hydroxyl adsorption

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Min, Byeong June; Jeong, Hae Kyung [Daegu University, Kyungsan (Korea, Republic of)

2014-05-15

We investigate how nitrogen-doping affects the hydrogen (H) and the hydroxyl (OH) adsorption on graphene oxide (GO) and on nitrogen-doped GO (NGO) via pseudopotential plane wave density functional calculations within the local spin density approximation. We find that the nitrogen doping brings about drastic changes in the hydrogen and the hydroxyl adsorption energetics, but its effects depend sensitively on the nitrogen configuration in NGO. The H and the OH adsorption energies are comparable only for pyrrolic NGO. In GO and quarternary NGO, the H adsorption energy is greater than the OH adsorption energy while the trend is reversed in pyridinic NGO. Also, the OH adsorption process is less affected by nitrogen-doping than the H adsorption is.

Nitrogen-Doped Graphene:Effects of nitrogen species on the properties of the vanadium redox flow battery

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shi, Lang; Liu, Suqin; He, Zhen; Shen, Junxi

2014-01-01

Nitrogen-doped graphene nanosheets (NGS), prepared by a simple hydrothermal reaction of graphene oxide (GO) with urea as nitrogen source were studied as positive electrodes in vanadium redox flow battery (VRFB). The synthesized NGS with the nitrogen level as high as 10.12 atom% is proven to be a promising material for VRFB. The structures and electrochemical properties of the materials are investigated by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical impendence spectroscopy. The results demonstrate that not only the nitrogen doping level but the nitrogen type in the NGS are significant for its catalytic activity towards the [VO] 2+ /[VO 2 ] + redox couple reaction. In more detail, among four types of nitrogen species (pyridinic-N, pyrrolic-N, quaternary-N, oxidic-N) doped into the graphene lattice, quaternary-N play mainly roles for improving the catalytic activity toward the [VO] 2+ /[VO 2 ] + couple reaction

Supercapacitors based on nitrogen-doped reduced graphene oxide and borocarbonitrides

Science.gov (United States)

Gopalakrishnan, K.; Moses, Kota; Govindaraj, A.; Rao, C. N. R.

2013-12-01

Nitrogen-doped reduced graphene oxide (RGO) samples with different nitrogen content, prepared by two different methods, as well as nitrogen-doped few-layer graphene have been investigated as supercapacitor electrodes. Two electrode measurements have been carried out both in aqueous (6M KOH) and in ionic liquid media. Nitrogen-doped reduced graphene oxides exhibit satisfactory specific capacitance, the values reaching 126F/g at a scan rate of 10mV/s in aqueous medium. Besides providing supercapacitor characteristics, the study has shown the nitrogen content and surface area to be important factors. High surface-area borocarbonitrides, BxCyNz, prepared by the urea route appear to be excellent supercapacitor electrode materials. Thus, BC4.5N exhibits a specific capacitance of 169F/g at a scan rate of 10mV/s in aqueous medium. In an ionic liquid medium, nitrogen-doped RGO and BC4.5N exhibit specific capacitance values of 258F/g and 240F/g at a scan rate of 5mV/s. The ionic liquid enables a larger operating voltage range of 0.0-2.5V compared to 0.0-1V in aqueous medium.

Tetrahedral ↔ octahedral network structure transition in simulated vitreous SiO2

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vo Van Hoang; Nguyen Trung Hai; Hoang Zung

2006-01-01

By using molecular dynamics (MD) simulations we found a transition from a tetrahedral to an octahedral network structure in an amorphous SiO 2 model under compression from 2.20 to 5.35 g/cm 3 . And on heating of a high density amorphous (hda) model of 5.35 g/cm 3 at zero pressure, the structure transforms to a low density amorphous (lda) form. Simulations were done in a model containing 3000 particles under periodic boundary conditions with interatomic potentials which have a weak Coulomb interaction and a Morse type short-range interaction

Effect of mating materials on wear properties of amorphous hydrogenated carbon (a-C:H coating and tetrahedral amorphous carbon (ta-C coating in base oil boundary lubrication condition

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xiang Li

2017-12-01

Full Text Available In this study, wear behavior of amorphous hydrogenated carbon (a-C:H coating and tetrahedral amorphous carbon (ta-C coating when sliding against various mating materials in base oil boundary lubrication condition is comparatively investigated to find out the optimal combinations of DLC/mating material and corresponding wear mechanism of both DLC coating. Tribological tests were performed in a cylinder-on-disc tribometer, Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy, Raman spectroscopy is used for characterization of ta-C and a-C:H worn surface. The results show that the specific wear rate of ta-C coating increases along with the hardness and roughness of mating material increases, while the specific wear rate of a-C:H coating increases together with an increment in the ID/IG ratio. It is concluded that for ta-C coating, local stress concentration-induced microfracture is the main wear mechanism in relative high wear scenario, along with minor graphitization-induced wear which prevails in low wear scenario. On the other hand, a-C:H coating showed that simultaneous generation and removal of the graphitized layer on the contact surface is the predominant wear mechanism.

The atomic and electronic structure of nitrogen- and boron-doped phosphorene.

Science.gov (United States)

Boukhvalov, Danil W

2015-10-28

First principles modeling of nitrogen- and boron-doped phosphorene demonstrates the tendency toward the formation of highly ordered structures. Nitrogen doping leads to the formation of -N-P-P-P-N- lines. Further transformation into -P-N-P-N- lines across the chains of phosphorene occurs with increasing band gap and increasing nitrogen concentration, which coincides with the decreasing chemical activity of N-doped phosphorene. In contrast to the case of nitrogen, boron atoms prefer to form -B-B- pairs with the further formation of -P-P-B-B-P-P- patterns along the phosphorene chains. The low concentration of boron dopants converts the phosphorene from a semiconductor into a semimetal with the simultaneous enhancement of its chemical activity. Co-doping of phosphorene by both boron and nitrogen starts from the formation of -B-N- pairs, which provides flat bands and further transformation of these pairs into hexagonal BN lines and ribbons across the phosphorene chains.

Nitrogen-Doped Carbon Dots as A New Substrate for Sensitive Glucose Determination

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hanxu Ji

2016-05-01

Full Text Available Nitrogen-doped carbon dots are introduced as a novel substrate suitable for enzyme immobilization in electrochemical detection metods. Nitrogen-doped carbon dots are easily synthesised from polyacrylamide in just one step. With the help of the amino group on chitosan, glucose oxidase is immobilized on nitrogen-doped carbon dots-modified carbon glassy electrodes by amino-carboxyl reactions. The nitrogen-induced charge delocalization at nitrogen-doped carbon dots can enhance the electrocatalytic activity toward the reduction of O2. The specific amino-carboxyl reaction provides strong and stable immobilization of GOx on electrodes. The developed biosensor responds efficiently to the presence of glucose in serum samples over the concentration range from 1 to 12 mM with a detection limit of 0.25 mM. This novel biosensor has good reproducibility and stability, and is highly selective for glucose determination under physiological conditions. These results indicate that N-doped quantum dots represent a novel candidate material for the construction of electrochemical biosensors.

Microwave plasma-assisted photoluminescence enhancement in nitrogen-doped ultrananocrystalline diamond film

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yu Lin Liu

2012-06-01

Full Text Available Optical properties and conductivity of nitrogen-doped ultrananocrystal diamond (UNCD films were investigated following treatment with low energy microwave plasma at room temperature. The plasma also generated vacancies in UNCD films and provided heat for mobilizing the vacancies to combine with the impurities, which formed the nitrogen-vacancy defect centers. The generated color centers were distributed uniformly in the samples. The conductivity of nitrogen-doped UNCD films treated by microwave plasma was found to decrease slightly due to the reduced grain boundaries. The photoluminescence emitted by the plasma treated nitrogen-doped UNCD films was enhanced significantly compared to the untreated films.

Nitrogen-doped porous carbon from Camellia oleifera shells with enhanced electrochemical performance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhai, Yunbo; Xu, Bibo; Zhu, Yun; Qing, Renpeng; Peng, Chuan; Wang, Tengfei; Li, Caiting; Zeng, Guangming

2016-01-01

Nitrogen doped porous activated carbon was prepared by annealing treatment of Camellia oleifera shell activated carbon under NH 3 . We found that nitrogen content of activated carbon up to 10.43 at.% when annealed in NH 3 at 800 °C. At 600 °C or above, the N-doped carbon further reacts with NH 3 , leads to a low surface area down to 458 m 2 /g and low graphitization degree. X-ray photoelectron spectroscope (XPS) analysis indicated that the nitrogen functional groups on the nitrogen-doped activated carbons (NACs) were mostly in the form of pyridinic nitrogen. We discovered that the oxygen groups and carbon atoms at the defect and edge sites of graphene play an important role in the reaction, leading to nitrogen atoms incorporated into the lattice of carbon. When temperatures were lower than 600 °C the nitrogen atoms displaced oxygen groups and formed nitrogen function groups, and when temperatures were higher than 600 °C and ~ 4 at.% carbon atoms and part of oxygen function groups reacted with NH 3 . When compared to pure activated carbon, the nitrogen doped activated carbon shows nearly four times the capacitance (191 vs 51 F/g). - Highlights: • The nitrogen content up to 10.43 at % during CAC pyrolysis under NH3 at 800 °C. • The oxygen groups and carbon atoms played an important role in the nitrogen doping. • NAC-600 shows a much higher specific capacitance than CAC.

Preparation and Photocatalytic Activity of Nitrogen-doped Nano TiO2/Tourmaline Composites

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

LIU Xin-wei

2016-06-01

Full Text Available Using Ti(OC4H94 as precursor, CO(NH22 as nitrogen source, tourmaline as support, the nitrogen-doped nano TiO2/tourmaline composites were synthesized by sol-gel method with ultrasound assisted.The structure and performance of composites were characterized by XRD, FT-IR, UV-Vis DRS, SEM, EDS.The effects of calcining temperature, nitrogen-doped content, tourmaline amount, catalyst system on the photocatalytic activity of nitrogen-doped nano TiO2/tourmaline composites were studied.The results show that the photocatalytic activity of nitrogen-doped nano TiO2/tourmaline composites calcined under 500℃, the nitrogen doped amount of 5% (mole fraction, tourmaline added in an amount of 10% (mass fraction, catalyst dosage of 3g/L, under 500W UV light irradiation conditions, the photocatalytic degradation effect of TNT(10mg/L is the best, and has a good recycling performance.

Polyamorphism in tetrahedral substances: Similarities between silicon and ice

Science.gov (United States)

Garcez, K. M. S.; Antonelli, A.

2015-07-01

Tetrahedral substances, such as silicon, water, germanium, and silica, share various unusual phase behaviors. Among them, the so-called polyamorphism, i.e., the existence of more than one amorphous form, has been intensively investigated in the last three decades. In this work, we study the metastable relations between amorphous states of silicon in a wide range of pressures, using Monte Carlo simulations. Our results indicate that the two amorphous forms of silicon at high pressures, the high density amorphous (HDA) and the very high density amorphous (VHDA), can be decompressed from high pressure (˜20 GPa) down to the tensile regime, where both convert into the same low density amorphous. Such behavior is also observed in ice. While at high pressure (˜20 GPa), HDA is less stable than VHDA, at the pressure of 10 GPa both forms exhibit similar stability. On the other hand, at much lower pressure (˜5 GPa), HDA and VHDA are no longer the most stable forms, and, upon isobaric annealing, an even less dense form of amorphous silicon emerges, the expanded high density amorphous, again in close similarity to what occurs in ice.

Nitrogen-Doped Graphene/Platinum Counter Electrodes for Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells

KAUST Repository

Lin, Chinan; Lee, Chuanpei; Ho, Shute; Wei, Tzuchiao; Chi, Yuwen; Huang, Kunping; He, Jr-Hau

2014-01-01

Nitrogen-doped graphene (NGR) was utilized in dye-sensitized solar cells for energy harvesting. NGR on a Pt-sputtered fluorine-doped tin oxide substrate (NGR/Pt/FTO) as counter electrodes (CEs) achieves the high efficiency of 9.38% via the nitrogen

Nitrogen-doped porous carbon from Camellia oleifera shells with enhanced electrochemical performance

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhai, Yunbo, E-mail: ybzhai@hnu.edu.cn [College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha 410082 (China); Key Laboratory of Environmental Biology and Pollution Control, Hunan University, Ministry of Education, Changsha 410082 (China); Xu, Bibo [College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha 410082 (China); Key Laboratory of Environmental Biology and Pollution Control, Hunan University, Ministry of Education, Changsha 410082 (China); Zhu, Yun [Office of Scientific R& D, Hunan University, Changsha 410082 (China); Qing, Renpeng; Peng, Chuan; Wang, Tengfei; Li, Caiting; Zeng, Guangming [College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha 410082 (China); Key Laboratory of Environmental Biology and Pollution Control, Hunan University, Ministry of Education, Changsha 410082 (China)

2016-04-01

Nitrogen doped porous activated carbon was prepared by annealing treatment of Camellia oleifera shell activated carbon under NH{sub 3}. We found that nitrogen content of activated carbon up to 10.43 at.% when annealed in NH{sub 3} at 800 °C. At 600 °C or above, the N-doped carbon further reacts with NH{sub 3}, leads to a low surface area down to 458 m{sup 2}/g and low graphitization degree. X-ray photoelectron spectroscope (XPS) analysis indicated that the nitrogen functional groups on the nitrogen-doped activated carbons (NACs) were mostly in the form of pyridinic nitrogen. We discovered that the oxygen groups and carbon atoms at the defect and edge sites of graphene play an important role in the reaction, leading to nitrogen atoms incorporated into the lattice of carbon. When temperatures were lower than 600 °C the nitrogen atoms displaced oxygen groups and formed nitrogen function groups, and when temperatures were higher than 600 °C and ~ 4 at.% carbon atoms and part of oxygen function groups reacted with NH{sub 3}. When compared to pure activated carbon, the nitrogen doped activated carbon shows nearly four times the capacitance (191 vs 51 F/g). - Highlights: • The nitrogen content up to 10.43 at % during CAC pyrolysis under NH3 at 800 °C. • The oxygen groups and carbon atoms played an important role in the nitrogen doping. • NAC-600 shows a much higher specific capacitance than CAC.

Leakage current of amorphous silicon p-i-n diodes made by ion shower doping

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Hee Joon; Cho, Gyuseong; Choi, Joonhoo; Jung, Kwan-Wook

2002-01-01

In this letter, we report the leakage current of amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) p-i-n photodiodes, of which the p layer is formed by ion shower doping. The ion shower doping technique has an advantage over plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) in the fabrication of a large-area amorphous silicon flat-panel detector. The leakage current of the ion shower diodes shows a better uniformity within a 30 cmx40 cm substrate than that of the PECVD diodes. However, it shows a higher leakage current of 2-3 pA/mm 2 at -5 V. This high current originates from the high injection current at the p-i junction

Nitrogen-Doped Graphene/Platinum Counter Electrodes for Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells

KAUST Repository

Lin, Chinan

2014-12-17

Nitrogen-doped graphene (NGR) was utilized in dye-sensitized solar cells for energy harvesting. NGR on a Pt-sputtered fluorine-doped tin oxide substrate (NGR/Pt/FTO) as counter electrodes (CEs) achieves the high efficiency of 9.38% via the nitrogen doping into graphene. This is due to (i) the hole-cascading transport at the interface of electrolyte/CEs via controlling the valence band maximum of NGR located between the redox potential of the I-/I- redox couple and the Fermi level of Pt by nitrogen doping, (ii) the extended electron transfer surface effect provided by large-surface-area NGR, (iii) the high charge transfer efficiency due to superior catalytic characteristics of NGR via nitrogen doping, and (iv) the superior light-reflection effect of NGR/Pt/FTO CEs, facilitating the electron transfer from CEs to I3 - ions of the electrolyte and light absorption of dye. The result demonstrated that the NGR/Pt hybrid structure is promising in the catalysis field. (Chemical Presented). © 2014 American Chemical Society.

Room-temperature electroluminescence of Er-doped hydrogenated amorphous silicon

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gusev, Oleg; Bresler, Mikhail; Kuznetsov, Alexey; Kudoyarova, Vera; Pak, Petr; Terukov, Evgenii; Tsendin, Konstantin; Yassievich, Irina [A F Ioffe Physico-Technical Institute, Politekhnicheskaya 26, 194021 St. Petersburg (Russian Federation); Fuhs, Walther [Hahn-Meitner Institut, Abteilung Photovoltaik, Rudower Chaussee 5, D-12489 Berlin (Germany); Weiser, Gerhard [Phillips-Universitat Marburg, Fachbereich Physik, D-35032 Marburg (Germany)

1998-05-11

We have observed room-temperature erbium-ion electroluminescence in erbium-doped amorphous silicon. Electrical conduction through the structure is controlled by thermally activated ionization of deep D{sup -} defects in an electric field and the reverse process of capture of mobile electrons by D{sup 0} states. Defect-related Auger excitation (DRAE) is responsible for excitation of erbium ions located close to dangling-bond defects. Our experimental data are consistent with the mechanisms proposed

A possible mechanism of ultrafast amorphization in phase-change memory alloys: an ion slingshot from the crystalline to amorphous position

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kolobov, A V; Mishchenko, A S; Fons, P; Yakubenya, S M; Tominaga, J

2007-01-01

We propose that the driving force of the ultrafast crystalline-to-amorphous transition in phase-change memory alloys is caused by strained bonds existing in the (metastable) crystalline phase. For the prototypical example of Ge 2 Sb 2 Te 5 , we demonstrate that upon breaking of the longer Ge-Te bond by photoexcitation, a Ge ion is shot from an octahedral crystalline to a tetrahedral amorphous position by the uncompensated force of strained short bonds. Subsequent lattice relaxation stabilizes the tetrahedral surroundings of the Ge atoms and ensures the long-term stability of the optically induced phase

XPS studies of nitrogen doping niobium used for accelerator applications

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Ziqin; Lu, Xiangyang; Tan, Weiwei; Zhao, Jifei; Yang, Deyu; Yang, Yujia; He, Yuan; Zhou, Kui

2018-05-01

Nitrogen doping study on niobium (Nb) samples used for the fabrication of superconducting radio frequency (SRF) cavities was carried out. The samples' surface treatment was attempted to replicate that of the Nb SRF cavities, which includes heavy electropolishing (EP), nitrogen doping and the subsequent EP with different amounts of material removal. The surface chemical composition of Nb samples with different post treatments has been studied by XPS. The chemical composition of Nb, O, C and N was presented before and after Gas Cluster Ion Beam (GCIB) etching. No signals of poorly superconducting nitrides NbNx was found on the surface of any doped Nb sample with the 2/6 recipe before GCIB etching. However, in the depth range greater than 30 nm, the content of N element is below the XPS detection precision scope even for the Nb sample directly after nitrogen doping treatment with the 2/6 recipe.

Conductivity study of nitrogen-doped calcium zinc oxide prepared by spray pyrolysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hsu, Yu-Ting; Lan, Wen-How; Huang, Kai-Feng; Lin, Jia-Ching; Chang, Kuo-Jen

2016-01-01

In this study, the spray pyrolysis method was used to prepare unintentionally doped and nitrogen-doped calcium zinc oxide films by using zinc acetate, calcium nitrate precursor, and ammonium acetate precursor. Morphological and structural analyses were conducted using scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction. The results indicated that film grain size decreased as the nitrogen doping was increased. Both calcium oxide and zinc oxide structures were identified in the unintentionally doped calcium zinc oxide. When nitrogen doping was introduced, the film mainly exhibited a zinc oxide structure with preferred (002) and (101) orientations. The concentration and mobility were investigated using a Hall measurement system. P-type films with a mobility and concentration of 10.6 cm"2 V"−"1 s"−"1 and 2.8×10"1"7 cm"−"3, respectively, were obtained. Moreover, according to a temperature-dependent conductivity analysis, an acceptor state with activation energy 0.266 eV dominated the p-type conduction for the unintentionally doped calcium zinc oxide. By contrast, a grain boundary with a barrier height of 0.274–0.292 eV dominated the hole conduction for the nitrogen-doped calcium zinc oxide films.

Hierarchically structured, nitrogen-doped carbon membranes

KAUST Repository

Wang, Hong; Wu, Tao

2017-01-01

The present invention is a structure, method of making and method of use for a novel macroscopic hierarchically structured, nitrogen-doped, nano-porous carbon membrane (HNDCMs) with asymmetric and hierarchical pore architecture that can be produced

Coating of calcia-doped ceria with amorphous silica shell by seeded polymerization technique

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

El-Toni, Ahmed Mohamed; Yin, Shu; Yabe, Shinryo; Sato, Tsugio

2005-01-01

Calcia-doped ceria is of potential interest as an ultraviolet (UV) radiation blocking material in personal care products. However, its high catalytic ability for oxidation of organic materials makes it difficult to use as a sunscreen material. Therefore, calcia-doped ceria was coated with amorphous silica by means of seeded polymerization technique in order to depress its oxidation catalytic ability. The catalytic ability as well as UV-shielding ability was investigated for coated particles

Magnetic and electrical transport properties of delta-doped amorphous Ge:Mn magnetic semiconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, H.L.; Lin, H.T.; Wu, Y.H.; Liu, T.; Zhao, Z.L.; Han, G.C.; Chong, T.C.

2006-01-01

We report on the growth and characterization of delta-doped amorphous Ge:Mn diluted magnetic semiconductor thin films on GaAs (0 0 1) substrates. The fabricated samples exhibit different magnetic behaviors, depending on the Mn doping concentration. The Curie temperature was found to be dependent on both the Mn doping concentration and spacing between the doping layers. A sharp drop in magnetization and rise in resistivity are observed at low temperature in samples with high Mn doping concentrations, which is also accompanied by a negative thermal remanent magnetization (TRM) in the higher temperature range. The temperature at which the magnetization starts to drop and the negative TRM appears show a correlation with the Mn doping concentration. The experimental results are discussed based on the formation of ferromagnetic regions at high temperature and antiferromagnetic coupling between these regions at low temperature

Recyclable UV and visible light photocatalytically active amorphous TiO2 doped with M (III) ions (M = Cr and Fe)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Buddee, Supat; Wongnawa, Sumpun; Sirimahachai, Uraiwan; Puetpaibool, Walailak

2011-01-01

Research highlights: → The low photocatalytic activity of amorphous TiO2 was enhanced by doping with Cr(III) or Fe(III) ions. → The doped catalysts performed close to P25 under UV light and better with visible light. → The doped catalysts can be recycled. - Abstract: Samples of amorphous TiO 2 doped with Cr(III) and Fe(III), designated as Cr-TiO 2 and Fe-TiO 2 , were prepared via modified impregnation method. The resulting products were characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, specific surface area by the Brunauer, Emmett and Teller method, UV-vis absorption and diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, and electron spin resonance spectroscopy. Experimental results revealed that the concentrations of dopants under studied, from 0.05 to 0.2 mol%, had no effect on the phase of products. The band gap energies shifted from 3.28 eV in the undoped amorphous TiO 2 to 2.50 eV and 2.86 eV for Fe-TiO 2 and Cr-TiO 2 , respectively. The doped amorphous TiO 2 showed photocatalytic activities under both UV and visible light with optimal results at 0.1 mol% dopants. Under UV irradiation, the 0.1 mol% doped samples decolorized methylene blue solutions to the same extent as the commercial TiO 2 samples (P25 and anatase) in 5 h. Under visible light, the doped samples decolorized dye solutions in 12 h while the commercial ones were much less active. The used catalysts can be recycled many times without any special treatment.

Nitrogen-Doped Carbon Nanotube and Graphene Materials for Oxygen Reduction Reactions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Qiliang Wei

2015-09-01

Full Text Available Nitrogen-doped carbon materials, including nitrogen-doped carbon nanotubes (NCNTs and nitrogen-doped graphene (NG, have attracted increasing attention for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR in metal-air batteries and fuel cell applications, due to their optimal properties including excellent electronic conductivity, 4e− transfer and superb mechanical properties. Here, the recent progress of NCNTs- and NG-based catalysts for ORR is reviewed. Firstly, the general preparation routes of these two N-doped carbon-allotropes are introduced briefly, and then a special emphasis is placed on the developments of both NCNTs and NG as promising metal-free catalysts and/or catalyst support materials for ORR. All these efficient ORR electrocatalysts feature a low cost, high durability and excellent performance, and are thus the key factors in accelerating the widespread commercialization of metal-air battery and fuel cell technologies.

A facile approach towards increasing the nitrogen-content in nitrogen-doped carbon nanotubes via halogenated catalysts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ombaka, L.M.; Ndungu, P.G.; Omondi, B.; McGettrick, J.D.; Davies, M.L.; Nyamori, V.O.

2016-01-01

Nitrogen-doped carbon nanotubes (N-CNTs) have been synthesized at 850 °C via a CVD deposition technique by use of three ferrocenyl derivative catalysts, i.e. para-CN, -CF_3 and -Cl substituted-phenyl rings. The synthesized catalysts have been characterized by NMR, IR, HR-MS and XRD. The XRD analysis of the para-CF_3 catalyst indicates that steric factors influence the X-ray structure of 1,1′-ferrocenylphenyldiacrylonitriles. Acetonitrile or pyridine was used as carbon and nitrogen sources to yield mixtures of N-CNTs and carbon spheres (CS). The N-CNTs obtained from the para-CF_3 catalysts, in pyridine, have the highest nitrogen-doping level, show a helical morphology and are less thermally stable compared with those synthesized by use of the para-CN and -Cl as catalyst. This suggests that fluorine heteroatoms enhance nitrogen-doping in N-CNTs and formation of helical-N-CNTs (H-N-CNTs). The para-CF_3 and para-Cl catalysts in acetonitrile yielded iron-filled N-CNTs, indicating that halogens promote encapsulation of iron into the cavity of N-CNT. The use of acetonitrile, as carbon and nitrogen source, with the para-CN and -Cl as catalysts also yielded a mixture of N-CNTs and carbon nanofibres (CNFs), with less abundance of CNFs in the products obtained using para-Cl catalysts. However, para-CF_3 catalyst in acetonitrile gave N-CNTs as the only shaped carbon nanomaterials. - Graphical abstract: Graphical abstract showing the synthesis of N-CNTs using halogenated-ferrocenyl derivatives as catalyst with pyridine or acetonitrile as nitrogen and carbon sources via the chemical vapour deposition technique. - Highlights: • N-CNTs were synthesized from halogenated ferrocenyl catalysts. • Halogenated catalysts promote nitrogen-doping and pyridinic nitrogen in N-CNTs. • Halogenated catalysts facilitate iron filling of N-CNTs.

Nitrogen-doped graphene films from simple photochemical doping for n-type field-effect transistors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Li, Xinyu [College of Science, Guilin University of Technology, Guilin 541004 (China); Department of Physics and Nanjing National Laboratory of Microstructures, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093 (China); Tang, Tao; Li, Ming, E-mail: liming928@163.com, E-mail: lixinyu5260@163.com [College of Science, Guilin University of Technology, Guilin 541004 (China); He, Xiancong, E-mail: liming928@163.com, E-mail: lixinyu5260@163.com [School of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanjing Institute of Technology, Nanjing 211167 (China)

2015-01-05

Highly nitrogen-doped GO (NGO) and n-type graphene field effect transistor (FET) have been achieved by simple irradiation of graphene oxide (GO) thin films in NH{sub 3} atmosphere. The electrical properties of the NGO film were performed on electric field effect measurements, and it displays an n-type FET behavior with a charge neutral point (Dirac point) located at around −8 V. It is suggested that the amino-like nitrogen (N-A) mainly contributes to the n-type behavior. Furthermore, compared to the GO film irradiated in Ar atmosphere, the NGO film is much more capable to improve the electrical conductivity. It may attribute to nitrogen doping and oxygen reduction, both of which can effectively enhance the electrical conductivity.

Biomass derived porous nitrogen doped carbon for electrochemical devices

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Litao Yan

2017-04-01

Full Text Available Biomass derived porous nanostructured nitrogen doped carbon (PNC has been extensively investigated as the electrode material for electrochemical catalytic reactions and rechargeable batteries. Biomass with and without containing nitrogen could be designed and optimized to prepare PNC via hydrothermal carbonization, pyrolysis, and other methods. The presence of nitrogen in carbon can provide more active sites for ion absorption, improve the electronic conductivity, increase the bonding between carbon and sulfur, and enhance the electrochemical catalytic reaction. The synthetic methods of natural biomass derived PNC, heteroatomic co- or tri-doping into biomass derived carbon and the application of biomass derived PNC in rechargeable Li/Na batteries, high energy density Li–S batteries, supercapacitors, metal-air batteries and electrochemical catalytic reaction (oxygen reduction and evolution reactions, hydrogen evolution reaction are summarized and discussed in this review. Biomass derived PNCs deliver high performance electrochemical storage properties for rechargeable batteries/supercapacitors and superior electrochemical catalytic performance toward hydrogen evolution, oxygen reduction and evolution, as promising electrodes for electrochemical devices including battery technologies, fuel cell and electrolyzer. Keywords: Biomass, Nitrogen doped carbon, Batteries, Fuel cell, Electrolyzer

Direct visualization of atomically precise nitrogen-doped graphene nanoribbons

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang, Yi; Zhang, Yanfang; Li, Geng; Lu, Jianchen; Du, Shixuan; Gao, Hong-Jun; Lin, Xiao; Berger, Reinhard; Feng, Xinliang; Müllen, Klaus

2014-01-01

We have fabricated atomically precise nitrogen-doped chevron-type graphene nanoribbons by using the on-surface synthesis technique combined with the nitrogen substitution of the precursors. Scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy indicate that the well-defined nanoribbons tend to align with the neighbors side-by-side with a band gap of 1.02 eV, which is in good agreement with the density functional theory calculation result. The influence of the high precursor coverage on the quality of the nanoribbons is also studied. We find that graphene nanoribbons with sufficient aspect ratios can only be fabricated at sub-monolayer precursor coverage. This work provides a way to construct atomically precise nitrogen-doped graphene nanoribbons.

Effect of low level doping of boron and phosphorus on the properties of amorphous silicon films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tran, N.T.; Epstein, K.A.; Grimmer, D.P.; Vernstrom, G.D.

1987-01-01

Effect of the low level doping of boron and phosphorus on the properties of amorphous silicon films (a-Si:H) were studied. Doping level of both boron and phosphorus was in the range of 10/sup 17/ atoms/cm/sup 3/. Apparent improvement in the stability of dark and photoconductivity of a-Si: films upon low level doping does not result from the elimination of light-induced defects. The stability of the dark and photoconductivity upon doping is an indication of pinning of the Fermi level

Nitrogen-doped porous carbon derived from biomass waste for high-performance supercapacitor.

Science.gov (United States)

Ma, Guofu; Yang, Qian; Sun, Kanjun; Peng, Hui; Ran, Feitian; Zhao, Xiaolong; Lei, Ziqiang

2015-12-01

High capacitance property and low cost are the pivotal requirements for practical application of supercapacitor. In this paper, a low cost and high capacitance property nitrogen-doped porous carbon with high specific capacitance is prepared. The as-prepared nitrogen-doped porous carbon employing potato waste residue (PWR) as the carbon source, zinc chloride (ZnCl2) as the activating agent and melamine as nitrogen doping agent. The morphology and structure of the carbon materials are studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), N2 adsorption/desorption, X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Raman spectra. The surface area of the nitrogen-doped carbon which prepared under 700°C is found to be 1052m(2)/g, and the specific capacitance as high as 255Fg(-1) in 2M KOH electrolyte is obtained utilize the carbon as electrode materials. The electrode materials also show excellent cyclability with 93.7% coulombic efficiency at 5Ag(-1) current density of for 5000cycles. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Preparation of nitrogen-doped graphitic carboncages as electrocatalyst for oxygen reduction reaction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yan, Jing; Meng, Hui; Yu, Wendan; Yuan, Xiaoli; Lin, Worong; Ouyang, Wenpeng; Yuan, Dingsheng

2014-01-01

Nitrogen-doped carbon nanomaterials have been attracted increasing research interests in lithium-O 2 and Zinc-O 2 batteries, ultracapacitors and fuel cells. Herein, nitrogen-doped graphitic carboncages (N-GCs) have been prepared by mesoporous Fe 2 O 3 as a catalyst and lysine as a nitrogen doped carbon source. Due to the catalysis of Fe 2 O 3 , the N-GCs have a high graphitization degree at a low temperature, which is detected by X-ray diffraction and Raman spectrometer. Simultaneously, the heteroatom nitrogen is in-situ doped into carbon network. Therefore, the excellent electrocatalysis performance for oxygen reduction reaction is expected. The electrochemical measurement indicates that The N-GCs for oxygen reduction reaction in O 2 -saturated 0.1 mol L −1 KOH show a four-electron transfer process and exhibit excellent electrocatalytic activity (E ORR = -0.05 V vs. Ag/AgCl) and good stability (i/i 0 = 90% at -0.35 V after 4000 s with a rotation rate of 1600 rpm)

Electronic structure of graphene nanoribbons doped with nitrogen atoms: a theoretical insight.

Science.gov (United States)

Torres, A E; Fomine, S

2015-04-28

The electronic structure of graphene nanoribbons doped with a graphitic type of nitrogen atoms has been studied using B3LYP, B2PLYP and CAS methods. In all but one case the restricted B3LYP solutions were unstable and the CAS calculations provided evidence for the multiconfigurational nature of the ground state with contributions from two dominant configurations. The relative stability of the doped nanoribbons depends mostly on the mutual position of the dopant atoms and notably less on the position of nitrogen atoms within the nanoribbon. N-graphitic doping affects cationic states much more than anionic ones due the participation of the nitrogen atoms in the stabilization of the positive charge, resulting in a drop in ionization energies (IPs) for N-graphitic doped systems. Nitrogen atoms do not participate in the negative charge stabilization of anionic species and, therefore, the doping does not affect the electron affinities (EAs). The unrestricted B3LYP method is the method of choice for the calculation of IPs and EAs. Restricted B3LYP and B2PLYP produces unreliable results for both IPs and EAs while CAS strongly underestimates the electron affinities. This is also true for the reorganization energies where restricted B3LYP produces qualitatively incorrect results. Doping changes the reorganization energy of the nanoribbons; the hole reorganization energy is generally higher than the corresponding electron reorganization energy due to the participation of nitrogen atoms in the stabilization of the positive charge.

Nanodiamonds on tetrahedral amorphous carbon significantly enhance dopamine detection and cell viability.

Science.gov (United States)

Peltola, Emilia; Wester, Niklas; Holt, Katherine B; Johansson, Leena-Sisko; Koskinen, Jari; Myllymäki, Vesa; Laurila, Tomi

2017-02-15

We hypothesize that by using integrated carbon nanostructures on tetrahedral amorphous carbon (ta-C), it is possible to take the performance and characteristics of these bioelectrodes to a completely new level. The integrated carbon electrodes were realized by combining nanodiamonds (NDs) with ta-C thin films coated on Ti-coated Si-substrates. NDs were functionalized with mixture of carboxyl and amine groups ND andante or amine ND amine , carboxyl ND vox or hydroxyl groups ND H and drop-casted or spray-coated onto substrate. By utilizing these novel structures we show that (i) the detection limit for dopamine can be improved by two orders of magnitude [from 10µM to 50nM] in comparison to ta-C thin film electrodes and (ii) the coating method significantly affects electrochemical properties of NDs and (iii) the ND coatings selectively promote cell viability. ND andante and ND H showed most promising electrochemical properties. The viability of human mesenchymal stem cells and osteoblastic SaOS-2 cells was increased on all ND surfaces, whereas the viability of mouse neural stem cells and rat neuroblastic cells was improved on ND andante and ND H and reduced on ND amine and ND vox. The viability of C6 cells remained unchanged, indicating that these surfaces will not cause excess gliosis. In summary, we demonstrated here that by using functionalized NDs on ta-C thin films we can significantly improve sensitivity towards dopamine as well as selectively promote cell viability. Thus, these novel carbon nanostructures provide an interesting concept for development of various in vivo targeted sensor solutions. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Role of nitrogen vacancies in cerium doped aluminum nitride

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Majid, Abdul, E-mail: abdulmajid40@yahoo.com [Department of Physics, University of Gujrat, Gujrat (Pakistan); Department of Adaptive Machine Systems, Osaka University, Osaka (Japan); Asghar, Farzana [Department of Physics, University of Gujrat, Gujrat (Pakistan); Rana, Usman Ali; Ud-Din Khan, Salah [Sustainable Energy Technologies Center, College of Engineering, King Saud University, PO-Box 800, Riyadh 11421 (Saudi Arabia); Yoshiya, Masato [Department of Adaptive Machine Systems, Osaka University, Osaka (Japan); Hussain, Fayyaz [Physics Department, Bahauddin Zakarya University, Multan (Pakistan); Ahmad, Iftikhar [Department of Mathematics, University of Gujrat, Gujrat (Pakistan)

2016-08-15

In this report, a systematic density functional theory based investigation to explain the character of nitrogen vacancies in structural, electronic and magnetic properties of Ce doped wurtzite AlN is presented. The work demonstrates the modification in the properties of the material upon doping thereby addressing dopant concentration and inter-dopant distance. The presence of anionic vacancy reveals spin polarization and introduction of magnetic character in the structure. The doping produced the magnetic character in the material which was of ferromagnetic nature in most cases except the situation when dopants separated by largest distance of 5.873 Å. The calculated values of total energy and exchange energy suggested the configuration including Ce{sub Al}–V{sub N} complex is more favorable and exhibits ferromagnetic ordering. - Highlights: • Ce doped AlN with and without nitrogen vacancy. • Dopant at nearest neighbor site introduce ferromagnetism. • Ce{sub Al}–V{sub N} complex is favorable in Ce:AlN.

Role of nitrogen vacancies in cerium doped aluminum nitride

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Majid, Abdul; Asghar, Farzana; Rana, Usman Ali; Ud-Din Khan, Salah; Yoshiya, Masato; Hussain, Fayyaz; Ahmad, Iftikhar

2016-01-01

In this report, a systematic density functional theory based investigation to explain the character of nitrogen vacancies in structural, electronic and magnetic properties of Ce doped wurtzite AlN is presented. The work demonstrates the modification in the properties of the material upon doping thereby addressing dopant concentration and inter-dopant distance. The presence of anionic vacancy reveals spin polarization and introduction of magnetic character in the structure. The doping produced the magnetic character in the material which was of ferromagnetic nature in most cases except the situation when dopants separated by largest distance of 5.873 Å. The calculated values of total energy and exchange energy suggested the configuration including Ce Al –V N complex is more favorable and exhibits ferromagnetic ordering. - Highlights: • Ce doped AlN with and without nitrogen vacancy. • Dopant at nearest neighbor site introduce ferromagnetism. • Ce Al –V N complex is favorable in Ce:AlN.

The Synthesis of Nitrogen-Doped Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

ACVDmethod was used to prepare high-quality nitrogen-doped multiwalled carbon nanotubes (N-MWCNTs) using acetonitrile as the nitrogen and carbon source and acetylene as a carbon source over an Fe-Co/CaCO3 catalyst in the temperature range 700–850 °C. This represents a continuation of earlier work in which ...

Analisis Pengaruh Doping Nitrogen Terhadap Sifat Kapasitif Superkapasitor Berbahan Graphene

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Diah Ayu Safitri

2017-03-01

Full Text Available Kebutuhan manusia akan barang elektronik semakin meningkat, sehingga meningkat pula kebutuhan akan media penyimpan listrik. Salah satu media penyimpan energy yaitu kapasitor. Electric Double Layer Capacitor (EDLC merupakan superkapasitor yang memiliki waktu hidup yang lebih lama, rapat daya dan kecepatan charging-discharging tinggi. Graphene telah banyak dieksplorasi sebagai material untuk EDLC, salah satunya yaitu dengan pendopingan. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk menganalisis pengaruh doping nitrogen terhadap struktur dan morfologi serta pengaruh doping nitrogen terhadap sifat kapasitif dari elektroda superkapasitor berbahan Graphene. Sintesis graphene diawali dari grafit yang dioksidasi menjadi grafit oksida dengan metode Hummer. Grafit oksida lalu direduksi dengan metode hydrotermal menjadi graphene. Penelitian ini memvariasikan doping nitrogen dengan penambahan NH4OH 0.1 ml, 0.3 ml dan 1 ml. Material yang disintesis ini dikarakterisasi menggunakan XRD(X-Ray Diffraction, SEM (Scanning Electron Microscopy , EDS (Energy Disspersive X-Ray analysis, FPP (Four Point Probe, dan FTIR (Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopu. Dari hasil karakterisasi menunjukkan bahwa material yang disintesis adalah graphene. Sifat kapasitif Elektroda diukur dengan melakukan uji Cyclic Voltametry (CV dengan rentang scan rate 5, 10, 50 dan 100 mV/s. Dari hasil penelitian didapatkan doping nitrogen pada graphene yang paling optimal adalah dengan penambahan NH4OH 0.3 ml yaitu 5.2%at dengan nilai kapasitansi sebesar 208.47 F/g.

In Situ One-Step Synthesis of Hierarchical Nitrogen-Doped Porous Carbon for High Performance Supercapacitors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jeon, Ju Won [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Texas A & M Univ., College Station, TX (United States); Sharma, Ronish [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Meduri, Praveen [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Arey, Bruce W. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Schaef, Herbert T. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Lutkenhaus, Jodie [Texas A & M Univ., College Station, TX (United States); Lemmon, John P. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Thallapally, Praveen K. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Nandasiri, Manjula I. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); McGrail, B. Peter [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Nune, Satish K. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)

2014-04-30

Electrochemical performance of the existing state-of-the art capacitors is not very high, key scientific barrier is that its charge storage mechanism wholly depends on adsorption of electrolyte on electrode. We present a novel method for the synthesis of nitrogen -doped porous carbons and address the drawback by precisely controlling composition and surface area. Nitrogen-doped porous carbon was synthesized using a self-sacrificial template technique without any additional nitrogen and carbon sources. They exhibited exceptionally high capacitance (239 Fg-1) due to additional pseudocapacitance originating from doped nitrogen. Cycling tests showed no obvious capacitance decay even after 10,000 cycles, which meets the requirement of commercial supercapacitors. Our method is simple and highly efficient for the production of large quantities of nitrogen-doped porous carbons.

Structures of Pt clusters on graphene doped with nitrogen, boron, and silicon: a theoretical study

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

Dai Xian-Qi; Tang Ya-Nan; Dai Ya-Wei; Li Yan-Hui; Zhao Jian-Hua; Zhao Bao; Yang Zong-Xian

2011-01-01

The structures of Pt clusters on nitrogen-, boron-, silicon- doped graphenes are theoretically studied using densityfunctional theory. These dopants (nitrogen, boron and silicon) each do not induce a local curvature in the graphene and the doped graphenes all retain their planar form. The formation energy of the silicon-graphene system is lower than those of the nitrogen-, boron-doped graphenes, indicating that the silicon atom is easier to incorporate into the graphene.All the substitutional impurities enhance the interaction between the Pt atom and the graphene. The adsorption energy of a Pt adsorbed on the silicon-doped graphene is much higher than those on the nitrogen- and boron-doped graphenes.The doped silicon atom can provide more charges to enhance the Pt-graphene interaction and the formation of Pt clusters each with a large size. The stable structures of Pt clusters on the doped-graphenes are dimeric, triangle and tetrahedron with the increase of the Pt coverage. Of all the studied structures, the tetrahedron is the most stable cluster which has the least influence on the planar surface of doped-graphene.

Nitrogen doping of chemical vapor deposition grown graphene on 4H-SiC (0001)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Urban, J. M.; Binder, J.; Wysmołek, A. [Faculty of Physics, University of Warsaw, ul. Hoża 69, 00-681 Warsaw (Poland); Dąbrowski, P.; Strupiński, W. [Institute of Electronic Materials Technology, ul. Wólczyńska 133, 01-919 Warsaw (Poland); Kopciuszyński, M.; Jałochowski, M. [Institute of Physics, Maria Curie-Skłodowska University, pl. M. Curie-Skłodowskiej 1, 20-031 Lublin (Poland); Klusek, Z. [Faculty of Physics and Applied Informatics, University of Łódź, ul. Pomorska 149/153, 90-236 Łódź (Poland); Baranowski, J. M. [Faculty of Physics, University of Warsaw, ul. Hoża 69, 00-681 Warsaw (Poland); Institute of Electronic Materials Technology, ul. Wólczyńska 133, 01-919 Warsaw (Poland)

2014-06-21

We present optical, electrical, and structural properties of nitrogen-doped graphene grown on the Si face of 4H-SiC (0001) by chemical vapor deposition method using propane as the carbon precursor and N{sub 2} as the nitrogen source. The incorporation of nitrogen in the carbon lattice was confirmed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy shows carrier behavior characteristic for massless Dirac fermions and confirms the presence of a graphene monolayer in the investigated nitrogen-doped samples. The structural and electronic properties of the material were investigated by Raman spectroscopy. A systematical analysis of the graphene Raman spectra, including D, G, and 2D bands, was performed. In the case of nitrogen-doped samples, an electron concentration on the order of 5–10 × 10{sup 12} cm{sup −2} was estimated based upon Raman and Hall effect measurements and no clear dependence of the carrier concentration on nitrogen concentration used during growth was observed. This high electron concentration can be interpreted as both due to the presence of nitrogen in graphitic-like positions of the graphene lattice as well as to the interaction with the substrate. A greater intensity of the Raman D band and increased inhomogeneity, as well as decreased electron mobility, observed for nitrogen-doped samples, indicate the formation of defects and a modification of the growth process induced by nitrogen doping.

Nitrogen-doped graphene as transparent counter electrode for efficient dye-sensitized solar cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, Guiqiang; Fang, Yanyan; Lin, Yuan; Xing, Wei; Zhuo, Shuping

2012-01-01

Graphical abstract: Display Omitted Highlights: ► NG sheets are prepared through a hydrothermal reduction of graphite oxide. ► The transparent NG counter electrodes of DSCs are fabricated at room temperature. ► Transparent NG electrode exhibits excellent catalytic activity for the reduction of I 3 − . ► The DSC with NG electrode achieves a comparable efficiency to that of the Pt-based cell. ► The efficiency of rear illumination is about 85% that of front illumination. -- Abstract: Nitrogen-doped graphene sheets are prepared through a hydrothermal reduction of graphite oxide in the presence of ammonia and applied to fabricate the transparent counter electrode of dye-sensitized solar cells. The atomic percentage of nitrogen in doped graphene sample is about 2.5%, and the nitrogen bonds display pyridine and pyrrole-like configurations. Cyclic voltammetry studies demonstrate a much higher electrocatalytic activity toward I − /I 3 − redox reaction for nitrogen-doped graphene, as compared with pristine graphene. The dye-sensitized solar cell with this transparent nitrogen-doped graphene counter electrode shows conversion efficiencies of 6.12% and 5.23% corresponding to front-side and rear-side illumination, respectively. Meanwhile, the cell with a Pt counter electrode shows a conversion efficiency of 6.97% under the same experimental condition. These promising results highlight the potential application of nitrogen-doped graphene in cost-effective, transparent dye-sensitized solar cells.

Nanopores creation in boron and nitrogen doped polycrystalline graphene: A molecular dynamics study

Science.gov (United States)

Izadifar, Mohammadreza; Abadi, Rouzbeh; Nezhad Shirazi, Ali Hossein; Alajlan, Naif; Rabczuk, Timon

2018-05-01

In the present paper, molecular dynamic simulations have been conducted to investigate the nanopores creation on 10% of boron and nitrogen doped polycrystalline graphene by silicon and diamond nanoclusters. Two types of nanoclusters based on silicon and diamond are used to investigate their effect for the fabrication of nanopores. Therefore, three different diameter sizes of the clusters with five kinetic energies of 10, 50, 100, 300 and 500 eV/atom at four different locations in boron or nitrogen doped polycrystalline graphene nanosheets have been perused. We also study the effect of 3% and 6% of boron doped polycrystalline graphene with the best outcome from 10% of doping. Our results reveal that the diamond cluster with diameter of 2 and 2.5 nm fabricates the largest nanopore areas on boron and nitrogen doped polycrystalline graphene, respectively. Furthermore, the kinetic energies of 10 and 50 eV/atom can not fabricate nanopores in some cases for silicon and diamond clusters on boron doped polycrystalline graphene nanosheets. On the other hand, silicon and diamond clusters fabricate nanopores for all locations and all tested energies on nitrogen doped polycrystalline graphene. The area sizes of nanopores fabricated by silicon and diamond clusters with diameter of 2 and 2.5 nm are close to the actual area size of the related clusters for the kinetic energy of 300 eV/atom in all locations on boron doped polycrystalline graphene. The maximum area and the average maximum area of nanopores are fabricated by the kinetic energy of 500 eV/atom inside the grain boundary at the center of the nanosheet and in the corner of nanosheet with diameters of 2 and 3 nm for silicon and diamond clusters on boron and nitrogen doped polycrystalline graphene.

Three Dimensional Nitrogen-Doped and Nitrogen, Sulfur-Codoped Graphene Hydrogels for Electrode Materials in Supercapacitors.

Science.gov (United States)

Yuan, Zhao; Qiao, Fei; Wang, Guiqiang; Zhou, Jin; Cui, Hongyou; Zhuo, Shuping; Xing, Ling-Bao

2018-08-01

In present work, reduced graphene oxide hydrogels (RGOHs) with three-dimensional (3D) porous structure are prepared through chemical reduction method by using aminourea (NRGOHs) and aminothiourea (NSRGOHs) as reductants. The as-prepared RGOHs are considered not only as promising electrode materials for supercapacitors, but also the doping of nitrogen (aminourea, NRGOHs) or nitrogen/sulfur (aminothiourea, NSRGOHs) can improve electrochemical performance through faradaic pseudocapacitance. The optimized samples have been prepared by controlling the mass ratios of graphene oxide (GO) to aminourea or aminothiourea to be 1:1, 1:2 and 1:5, respectively. With adding different amounts of aminourea or aminothiourea, the obtained RGOHs exhibited different electrochemical performance in supercapacitors. With increasing the dosage of the reductants, the RGOHs revealed better specific capacitances. Moreover, NSRGOHs with nitrogen, sulfur-codoping exhibited better capacitance performance than that of NRGOHs with only nitrogen-doping. NSRGOHs showed excellent capacitive performance with a very high specific capacitance up to 232.2, 323.3 and 345.6 F g-1 at 0.2 A g-1, while NRGOHs showed capacitive performance with specific capacitance up to 220.6, 306.5 and 332.7 F g-1 at 0.2 A g-1. This provides a strategy to improve the capacitive properties of RGOHs significantly by controlling different doping the materials.

Effect of nitrogen precursors on the electrochemical performance of nitrogen-doped reduced graphene oxide towards oxygen reduction reaction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Soo, Li Ting; Loh, Kee Shyuan; Mohamad, Abu Bakar; Daud, Wan Ramli Wan; Wong, Wai Yin

2016-01-01

A series of nitrogen-doped reduced graphene oxides (NGs) with different ratios are synthesized by thermal annealing of graphene oxide with melamine or urea. The total nitrogen content in NG is high, with values of up to 5.88 at.%. The NG samples prepared by melamine exhibited thin transparent graphene sheets structure, with consist of higher nitrogen doping level and quaternary N content compared to those NG samples prepared from urea. Electrochemical characterizations show that NG is a promising metal-free electrocatalyst for an oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). Incorporation of nitrogen atoms into graphene basal plane can enhances its electrocatalytic activity toward ORR in alkaline media. The onset potential and mean number of electron transfers on NG 1 are −0.10 V and 3.80 respectively, which is higher than that of reduced graphene oxide (−0.15 V, 3.52). This study suggests that quaternary-N of the NG samples is the active site which determines the ORR activity Moreover, the NG samples with the transparent layer of graphene-like structure have better ORR performances than that of bulk graphite-like NG samples. - Highlights: • Synthesis of nitrogen-doped graphene (NG) via thermal annealing. • The effects of the nitrogen precursors on the synthesized NG are discussed. • Electrochemical performances of the NG are correlated to N doping and EASA. • Graphitic-N is proposed to be the active site for ORR.

Effect of nitrogen precursors on the electrochemical performance of nitrogen-doped reduced graphene oxide towards oxygen reduction reaction

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Soo, Li Ting, E-mail: nicolesoo90@gmail.com [Fuel Cell Institute, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 Bangi UKM, Selangor (Malaysia); Loh, Kee Shyuan, E-mail: ksloh@ukm.edu.my [Fuel Cell Institute, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 Bangi UKM, Selangor (Malaysia); Mohamad, Abu Bakar, E-mail: drab@ukm.edu.my [Fuel Cell Institute, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 Bangi UKM, Selangor (Malaysia); Department of Chemical and Process Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 Bangi UKM, Selangor (Malaysia); Daud, Wan Ramli Wan, E-mail: wramli@ukm.edu.my [Fuel Cell Institute, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 Bangi UKM, Selangor (Malaysia); Department of Chemical and Process Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 Bangi UKM, Selangor (Malaysia); Wong, Wai Yin, E-mail: waiyin.wwy@gmail.com [Fuel Cell Institute, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 Bangi UKM, Selangor (Malaysia); School of Engineering, Taylor' s University' s Lakeside Campus, No. 1, Jalan Taylor' s, 46500 Subang Jaya, Selangor (Malaysia)

2016-08-25

A series of nitrogen-doped reduced graphene oxides (NGs) with different ratios are synthesized by thermal annealing of graphene oxide with melamine or urea. The total nitrogen content in NG is high, with values of up to 5.88 at.%. The NG samples prepared by melamine exhibited thin transparent graphene sheets structure, with consist of higher nitrogen doping level and quaternary N content compared to those NG samples prepared from urea. Electrochemical characterizations show that NG is a promising metal-free electrocatalyst for an oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). Incorporation of nitrogen atoms into graphene basal plane can enhances its electrocatalytic activity toward ORR in alkaline media. The onset potential and mean number of electron transfers on NG 1 are −0.10 V and 3.80 respectively, which is higher than that of reduced graphene oxide (−0.15 V, 3.52). This study suggests that quaternary-N of the NG samples is the active site which determines the ORR activity Moreover, the NG samples with the transparent layer of graphene-like structure have better ORR performances than that of bulk graphite-like NG samples. - Highlights: • Synthesis of nitrogen-doped graphene (NG) via thermal annealing. • The effects of the nitrogen precursors on the synthesized NG are discussed. • Electrochemical performances of the NG are correlated to N doping and EASA. • Graphitic-N is proposed to be the active site for ORR.

Unusually high dispersion of nitrogen-doped carbon nanotubes in DNA solution.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Jin Hee; Kataoka, Masakazu; Fujisawa, Kazunori; Tojo, Tomohiro; Muramatsu, Hiroyuki; Vega-Díaz, Sofía M; Tristán-López, F; Hayashi, Takuya; Kim, Yoong Ahm; Endo, Morinobu; Terrones, Mauricio; Dresselhaus, Mildred S

2011-12-08

The dispersibility in a DNA solution of bundled multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs), having different chemical functional groups on the CNT sidewall, was investigated by optical spectroscopy. We observed that the dispersibility of nitrogen (N)-doped MWCNTs was significantly higher than that of pure MWCNTs and MWCNTs synthesized in the presence of ethanol. This result is supported by the larger amount of adsorbed DNA on N-doped MWCNTs, as well as by the higher binding energy established between nucleobases and the N-doped CNTs. Pure MWCNTs are dispersed in DNA solution via van der Waals and hydrophobic interactions; in contrast, the nitrogenated sites within N-doped MWCNTs provided additional sites for interactions that are important to disperse nanotubes in DNA solutions. © 2011 American Chemical Society

One-pot and ultrafast synthesis of nitrogen and phosphorus co-doped carbon dots possessing bright dual wavelength fluorescence emission

Science.gov (United States)

Sun, Xiangcheng; Brückner, Christian; Lei, Yu

2015-10-01

Very brief microwave heating of aniline, ethylene diamine, and phosphoric acid in water at ambient pressure generated nitrogen and phosphorus co-doped carbon dots (N,P-CDs) that exhibit bright dual blue (centred at 450 nm; 51% quantum yield) and green (centred at 510 nm, 38% quantum yield) fluorescence emission bands. The N,P-CDs were characterized using TEM, XRD, XPS, IR, UV-vis, and fluorescence spectroscopy, demonstrating their partially crystalline carbon, partially amorphous structures, and the incorporation of O, N, and P into the carbogenic scaffold. The N,P-CDs demonstrated excitation-dependent and nearly pH-independent emission properties. The unique dual emission properties lay the foundation for the use of N,P-CDs in ratiometric sensing applications.Very brief microwave heating of aniline, ethylene diamine, and phosphoric acid in water at ambient pressure generated nitrogen and phosphorus co-doped carbon dots (N,P-CDs) that exhibit bright dual blue (centred at 450 nm; 51% quantum yield) and green (centred at 510 nm, 38% quantum yield) fluorescence emission bands. The N,P-CDs were characterized using TEM, XRD, XPS, IR, UV-vis, and fluorescence spectroscopy, demonstrating their partially crystalline carbon, partially amorphous structures, and the incorporation of O, N, and P into the carbogenic scaffold. The N,P-CDs demonstrated excitation-dependent and nearly pH-independent emission properties. The unique dual emission properties lay the foundation for the use of N,P-CDs in ratiometric sensing applications. Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available: Detailed experimental section, XRD, FTIR, explosive sensing and the applications results. See DOI: 10.1039/c5nr05549k

On the electrocatalytic activity of nitrogen-doped reduced graphene ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

The heteroatom-doped graphene/reduced graphene oxide (rGO)is very promising and the nitrogen-doped rGO (N-rGO) is emerging as a new inexpensive electrocatalyst foroxygen reduction reaction (ORR). Herein, we describe the effect of the chemical nature and amount of nitrogenin N-rGO towards ORR in acidic solution ...

Boron doping compensation of hydrogenated amorphous and polymorphous germanium thin films for infrared detection applications

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Moreno, M., E-mail: mmoreno@inaoep.mx [National Institute of Astrophysics, Optics and Electronics, INAOE, P.O. Box 51 and 216, Puebla, Z. P. 72840 Puebla (Mexico); Delgadillo, N. [Universidad Autónoma de Tlaxcala, Av. Universidad No. 1, Z. P. 90006 Tlaxcala (Mexico); Torres, A. [National Institute of Astrophysics, Optics and Electronics, INAOE, P.O. Box 51 and 216, Puebla, Z. P. 72840 Puebla (Mexico); Ambrosio, R. [Technology and Engineering Institute, Ciudad Juarez University UACJ, Av. Del Charro 450N, Z. P. 32310 Chihuahua (Mexico); Rosales, P.; Kosarev, A.; Reyes-Betanzo, C.; Hidalga-Wade, J. de la; Zuniga, C.; Calleja, W. [National Institute of Astrophysics, Optics and Electronics, INAOE, P.O. Box 51 and 216, Puebla, Z. P. 72840 Puebla (Mexico)

2013-12-02

In this work we have studied boron doping of hydrogenated amorphous germanium a-Ge:H and polymorphous germanium (pm-Ge:H) in low regimes, in order to compensate the material from n-type (due to oxygen contamination that commonly occurs during plasma deposition) to intrinsic, and in this manner improve the properties that are important for infrared (IR) detection, as activation energy (E{sub a}) and temperature coefficient of resistance (TCR). Electrical, structural and optical characterization was performed on the films produced. Measurements of the temperature dependence of conductivity, room temperature conductivity (σ{sub RT}), E{sub a} and current–voltage characteristics under IR radiation were performed in the compensated a-Ge:H and pm-Ge:H films. Our results demonstrate that, effectively, the values of E{sub a}, TCR and IR detection are improved on the a-Ge:H/pm-Ge:H films, using boron doping in low regimes, which results of interest for infrared detectors. - Highlights: • We reported boron doping compensation of amorphous and polymorphous germanium. • The films were deposited by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition. • The aim is to use the films as thermo-sensing elements in un-cooled microbolometers. • Those films have advantages over boron doped a-Si:H used in commercial detectors.

Boron doping compensation of hydrogenated amorphous and polymorphous germanium thin films for infrared detection applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moreno, M.; Delgadillo, N.; Torres, A.; Ambrosio, R.; Rosales, P.; Kosarev, A.; Reyes-Betanzo, C.; Hidalga-Wade, J. de la; Zuniga, C.; Calleja, W.

2013-01-01

In this work we have studied boron doping of hydrogenated amorphous germanium a-Ge:H and polymorphous germanium (pm-Ge:H) in low regimes, in order to compensate the material from n-type (due to oxygen contamination that commonly occurs during plasma deposition) to intrinsic, and in this manner improve the properties that are important for infrared (IR) detection, as activation energy (E a ) and temperature coefficient of resistance (TCR). Electrical, structural and optical characterization was performed on the films produced. Measurements of the temperature dependence of conductivity, room temperature conductivity (σ RT ), E a and current–voltage characteristics under IR radiation were performed in the compensated a-Ge:H and pm-Ge:H films. Our results demonstrate that, effectively, the values of E a , TCR and IR detection are improved on the a-Ge:H/pm-Ge:H films, using boron doping in low regimes, which results of interest for infrared detectors. - Highlights: • We reported boron doping compensation of amorphous and polymorphous germanium. • The films were deposited by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition. • The aim is to use the films as thermo-sensing elements in un-cooled microbolometers. • Those films have advantages over boron doped a-Si:H used in commercial detectors

Electron transport determines the electrochemical properties of tetrahedral amorphous carbon (ta-C) thin films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Palomäki, Tommi; Wester, Niklas; Caro, Miguel A.; Sainio, Sami; Protopopova, Vera; Koskinen, Jari; Laurila, Tomi

2017-01-01

Amorphous carbon based electrodes are very promising for electrochemical sensing applications. In order to better understand their structure-function relationship, the effect of film thickness on the electrochemical properties of tetrahedral amorphous carbon (ta-C) electrodes was investigated. ta-C thin films of 7, 15, 30, 50 and 100 nm were characterized in detail with Raman spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), conductive atomic force microscopy (c-AFM), scanning tunneling spectroscopy (STS) and X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) to assess (i) the surface properties of the films, (ii) the effect of film thickness on their structure and electrical properties and (iii) the subsequent correlation with their electrochemistry. The electrochemical properties were investigated by cyclic voltammetry (CV) using two different outer-sphere redox probes, Ru(NH 3 ) 6 3+/2+ and FcMeOH, and by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). Computational simulations using density functional theory (DFT) were carried out to rationalize the experimental findings. The characterization results showed that the sp 2 /sp 3 ratio increased with decreasing ta-C film thickness. This correlated with a decrease in mobility gap value and an increase in the average current through the films, which was also consistent with the computational results. XAS indicated that the surface of the ta-C films was always identical and composed of a sp 2 -rich layer. The CV measurements indicated reversible reaction kinetics for both outer-sphere redox probes at 7 and 15 nm ta-C films with a change to quasi-reversible behavior at a thickness of around 30 nm. The charge transfer resistance, obtained from EIS measurements, decreased with decreasing film thickness in accordance with the CV results. Based on the characterization and electrochemical results, we conclude that the reaction kinetics in the case of outer-sphere redox systems is determined mainly by the electron transport through the

Nitrogen-Doped Three Dimensional Graphene for Electrochemical Sensing.

Science.gov (United States)

Yan, Jing; Chen, Ruwen; Liang, Qionglin; Li, Jinghong

2015-07-01

The rational assembly and doping of graphene play an crucial role in the improvement of electrochemical performance for analytical applications. Covalent assembly of graphene into ordered hierarchical structure provides an interconnected three dimensional conductive network and large specific area beneficial to electrolyte transfer on the electrode surface. Chemical doping with heteroatom is a powerful tool to intrinsically modify the electronic properties of graphene due to the increased free charge-carrier densities. By incorporating covalent assembly and nitrogen doping strategy, a novel nitrogen doped three dimensional reduced graphene oxide nanostructure (3D-N-RGO) was developed with synergetic enhancement in electrochemical behaviors. The as prepared 3D-N-RGO was further applied for catechol detection by differential pulse voltammetry. It exhibits much higher electrocatalytic activity towards catechol with increased peak current and decreased potential difference between the oxidation and reduction peaks. Owing to the improved electro-chemical properties, the response of the electrochemical sensor varies linearly with the catechol concentrations ranging from 5 µM to 100 µM with a detection limit of 2 µM (S/N = 3). This work is promising to open new possibilities in the study of novel graphene nanostructure and promote its potential electrochemical applications.

Nano-Architecture of nitrogen-doped graphene films synthesized from a solid CN source.

Science.gov (United States)

Maddi, Chiranjeevi; Bourquard, Florent; Barnier, Vincent; Avila, José; Asensio, Maria-Carmen; Tite, Teddy; Donnet, Christophe; Garrelie, Florence

2018-02-19

New synthesis routes to tailor graphene properties by controlling the concentration and chemical configuration of dopants show great promise. Herein we report the direct reproducible synthesis of 2-3% nitrogen-doped 'few-layer' graphene from a solid state nitrogen carbide a-C:N source synthesized by femtosecond pulsed laser ablation. Analytical investigations, including synchrotron facilities, made it possible to identify the configuration and chemistry of the nitrogen-doped graphene films. Auger mapping successfully quantified the 2D distribution of the number of graphene layers over the surface, and hence offers a new original way to probe the architecture of graphene sheets. The films mainly consist in a Bernal ABA stacking three-layer architecture, with a layer number distribution ranging from 2 to 6. Nitrogen doping affects the charge carrier distribution but has no significant effects on the number of lattice defects or disorders, compared to undoped graphene synthetized in similar conditions. Pyridinic, quaternary and pyrrolic nitrogen are the dominant chemical configurations, pyridinic N being preponderant at the scale of the film architecture. This work opens highly promising perspectives for the development of self-organized nitrogen-doped graphene materials, as synthetized from solid carbon nitride, with various functionalities, and for the characterization of 2D materials using a significant new methodology.

Industrialization of the nitrogen-doping preparation for SRF cavities for LCLS-II

Science.gov (United States)

Gonnella, D.; Aderhold, S.; Burrill, A.; Daly, E.; Davis, K.; Grassellino, A.; Grimm, C.; Khabiboulline, T.; Marhauser, F.; Melnychuk, O.; Palczewski, A.; Posen, S.; Ross, M.; Sergatskov, D.; Sukhanov, A.; Trenikhina, Y.; Wilson, K. M.

2018-03-01

The Linac Coherent Light Source II (LCLS-II) is a new state-of-the-art coherent X-ray source being constructed at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory. It employs 280 superconducting radio frequency (SRF) cavities in order operate in continuous wave (CW) mode. To reduce the overall cryogenic cost of such a large accelerator, nitrogen-doping of the SRF cavities is being used. Nitrogen-doping has consistently been shown to increase the efficiency of SRF cavities operating in the 2.0 K regime and at medium fields (15-20 MV/m) in vertical cavity tests and horizontal cryomodule tests. While nitrogen-doping's efficacy for improvement of cavity performance was demonstrated at three independent labs, Fermilab, Jefferson Lab, and Cornell University, transfer of the technology to industry for LCLS-II production was not without challenges. Here we present results from the beginning of LCLS-II cavity production. We discuss qualification of the cavity vendors and the first cavities from each vendor. Finally, we demonstrate that nitrogen-doping has been successfully transferred to SRF cavity vendors, resulting in consistent production of cavities with better cryogenic efficiency than has ever been achieved for a large-scale accelerator.

Effect of reaction temperature on structure and fluorescence properties of nitrogen-doped carbon dots

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhang, Yi [Key Laboratory of Interface Science and Engineering in Advanced Materials (Taiyuan University of Technology), Ministry of Education, Taiyuan 030024 (China); College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Taiyuan University of Technology, Taiyuan 030024 (China); Department of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Lyuliang University, Lyuliang 033001 (China); Research Center on Advanced Materials Science and Technology, Taiyuan University of Technology, Taiyuan 030024 (China); Wang, Yaling [Key Laboratory of Interface Science and Engineering in Advanced Materials (Taiyuan University of Technology), Ministry of Education, Taiyuan 030024 (China); Research Center on Advanced Materials Science and Technology, Taiyuan University of Technology, Taiyuan 030024 (China); Feng, Xiaoting [Key Laboratory of Interface Science and Engineering in Advanced Materials (Taiyuan University of Technology), Ministry of Education, Taiyuan 030024 (China); College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Taiyuan University of Technology, Taiyuan 030024 (China); Zhang, Feng [Key Laboratory of Interface Science and Engineering in Advanced Materials (Taiyuan University of Technology), Ministry of Education, Taiyuan 030024 (China); Research Center on Advanced Materials Science and Technology, Taiyuan University of Technology, Taiyuan 030024 (China); Yang, Yongzhen, E-mail: yyztyut@126.com [Key Laboratory of Interface Science and Engineering in Advanced Materials (Taiyuan University of Technology), Ministry of Education, Taiyuan 030024 (China); Research Center on Advanced Materials Science and Technology, Taiyuan University of Technology, Taiyuan 030024 (China); Liu, Xuguang, E-mail: liuxuguang@tyut.edu.cn [Key Laboratory of Interface Science and Engineering in Advanced Materials (Taiyuan University of Technology), Ministry of Education, Taiyuan 030024 (China); College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Taiyuan University of Technology, Taiyuan 030024 (China)

2016-11-30

Highlights: • Nitrogen-doped carbon dots (NCDs) from ammonia solution and citric acid were synthesized at different temperatures. • Quantum yield (QY) of NCDs depends largely on the amount of fluorescent polymer chains (FPC), more FPC gives higher QY. • The law of QY of NCDs first increase and then decrease with the reaction temperature increased is found and explained. • Nitrogen doping plays significant role in getting increased UV–vis absorption and QY. - Abstract: To investigate the effect of reaction temperature and nitrogen doping on the structure and fluorescence properties of carbon dots (CDs), six kinds of nitrogen-doped CDs (NCDs) were synthesized at reaction temperatures of 120, 140, 160, 180, 200 and 220 °C, separately, by using citric acid as carbon source and ammonia solution as nitrogen source. Nitrogen-free CDs (N-free CDs-180) was also prepared at 180 °C by using citric acid as the only carbon source for comparison. Results show that reaction temperature has obvious effect on carbonization degree, quantum yield (QY), ultraviolet-visible (UV–vis) absorption and photoluminescence (PL) spectra but less effect on functional groups, nitrogen doping degree and fluorescence lifetime of NCDs. Compared with N-free CDs-180, NCDs-180 possesses enchanced QY and longer fluorescence lifetime. Doping nitrogen has obvious effect on UV–vis absorption and PL spectra but less effect on particles sizes and carbonization degree. The formation mechanism of NCDs is explored: QY of NCDs depends largely on the number of fluorescent polymer chains (FPC), the competition between FPC formation on the surface of NCDs and carbon core growth leads to the change in number of FPC, and consequently to the NCDs with highest QY at appropriate hydrothermal temperature.

Iron and Nitrogen doped Titania an Overview of Function and Application

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kasap, M.

2008-01-01

Titanium dioxide is an exceptional material, featuring high transparency in the visible-IR range, high photo activity and superhidrophilicity, physical and chemical stability, low cost, non-toxicity. It is mostly applied in selective oxidation and reduction of an organic and organic materials, photovoltaics, photocatalytic sterilization, and sensors. Upon illumination of the TiO 2 surface with UV photons having energies in excess of 3.0 - 3.2 eV, electron-hole pairs are generated by interband transitions. The charge carriers migrate to the surface and react with the adsorbed water and oxygen, the -OH radicals thus formed being responsible for the highly enhanced chemical reactions with other adsorbates. To extend the amount of usable solar energy involved in TiO 2 surface catalyse, shifting the absorption edge towards the blue range of the visible spectrum (λ≥390-450 nm), several means have been proposed (attaching various organic dyes to the surface, reduction by hydrogenation, doping with various anions/cations etc.), each means with specific advantages and drawbacks. The most important restriction in all cases is the need to keep the lower limit of the conduction band non altered by band gap narrowing. Adequate doping of the titania materials may result in high-efficiency stable photocatalytic materials, sensitive enough to be photo-activated by low-level indoor light sources. We report here some of our latest results in preparing and characterizing Fe:TiO 2 and N:TiO-2 thin films using the RF magnetron sputtering and distinct growth conditions (pellet and discharge gas mixing, respectively). The as-deposited Fe:TiO 2 films, 300 nm thick, had a Fe/Ti concentration ratio ranging between 0.0% and 0.9%. While the low Fe-content samples were amorphous, an anatase Fe-rich nanophase dispersed in the amorphous phase was present in the high-content Fe films. Crystalline anatase and rutile nanodomains have been found in the nitrogen-containing titania films, with the

Nanostructured nitrogen-doped mesoporous carbon derived from polyacrylonitrile for advanced lithium sulfur batteries

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Liu, Ying; Zhao, Xiaohui; Chauhan, Ghanshyam S. [Department of Chemical Engineering and Research Institute for Green Energy Convergence Technology, Gyeongsang National University, 501 Jinju-daero, Jinju 660-701 (Korea, Republic of); Ahn, Jou-Hyeon, E-mail: jhahn@gnu.ac.kr [Department of Chemical Engineering and Research Institute for Green Energy Convergence Technology, Gyeongsang National University, 501 Jinju-daero, Jinju 660-701 (Korea, Republic of); Department of Materials Engineering and Convergence Technology and RIGET, Gyeongsang National University, 501 Jinju-daero, Jinju 660-701 (Korea, Republic of)

2016-09-01

Graphical abstract: Well-ordered nitrogen-doped mesoporous carbon materials were prepared by in-situ polymerization of polyacrylonitrile in SBA-15 template. The composite of sulfur and nitrogen-doped carbon was successfully used as a cathode material for lithium sulfur battery. - Highlights: • N-doped mesoporous carbons were prepared with PAN as carbon source. • Highly ordered pore system facilitates sulfur loading. • Ladder-type carbon matrix provides good structural stability for confining sulfur. • N-doping ensures an improved absorbability of soluble polysulfides. - Abstract: Nitrogen doping in carbon matrix can effectively improve the wettability of electrolyte and increase electric conductivity of carbon by ensuring fast transfer of ions. We synthesized a series of nitrogen-doped mesoporous carbons (CPANs) via in situ polymerization of polyacrylonitrile (PAN) in SBA-15 template followed by carbonization at different temperatures. Carbonization results in the formation of ladder structure which enhances the stability of the matrix. In this study, CPAN-800, carbon matrix synthesized by the carbonization at 800 °C, was found to possess many desirable properties such as high specific surface area and pore volume, moderate nitrogen content, and highly ordered mesoporous structure. Therefore, it was used to prepare S/CPAN-800 composite as cathode material in lithium sulfur (Li-S) batteries. The S/CPAN-800 composite was proved to be an excellent material for Li-S cells which delivered a high initial discharge capacity of 1585 mAh g{sup −1} and enhanced capacity retention of 862 mAh g{sup −1} at 0.1 C after 100 cycles.

Nitrogen-doped porous “green carbon” derived from shrimp shell: Combined effects of pore sizes and nitrogen doping on the performance of lithium sulfur battery

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Qu, Jiangying, E-mail: qujy@lnnu.edu.cn [Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Liaoning Normal University, Dalian, 116029 (China); Carbon Research Laboratory, Center for Nano Materials and Science, School of Chemical Engineering, State Key Lab of Fine Chemicals, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian, 116024 (China); Lv, Siyuan; Peng, Xiyue; Tian, Shuo; Wang, Jia [Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Liaoning Normal University, Dalian, 116029 (China); Gao, Feng, E-mail: fenggao2003@163.com [Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Liaoning Normal University, Dalian, 116029 (China); Carbon Research Laboratory, Center for Nano Materials and Science, School of Chemical Engineering, State Key Lab of Fine Chemicals, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian, 116024 (China)

2016-06-25

Nitrogen-rich porous “green carbons” derived from abundant shrimp shell shows good performance for Li–S batteries. The strategy in this work is highlighted to selective removal of intrinsic CaCO{sub 3} in shrimp shell followed by KOH activation to tune the pore sizes of the obtained carbons. On the basis of the different porous structures, the discharge capacity of the obtained carbons as Li–S cathodes follows the order of micro-mesoporous carbon>mesoporous carbon>microporous carbon. The high capacity of the micro-mesoporous carbon is attributed to its positive characters such as the coexistence of micro-mesoporous structure, the large pore volume and the high specific surface area. Furthermore, well-dispersed nitrogen in the porous carbons is naturally doped and inherited from shrimp shell, and can help to enhance cycle stability when used as cathodes. As a result, all carbon cathodes exhibit the good cycle stability (>78%) due to their nitrogen doping induced chemical adsorption of sulfur on the surface areas of the porous carbons. Among them, mesoporous carbon cathode shows the best cycle stability with 90% retention within 100 cycles, which is mainly attributed to the synergistic effects of its both large pore size (5.12 nm) and high nitrogen content (6.67 wt %). - Highlights: • Nitrogen-rich porous “green carbons” derived from abundant shrimp shell shows good performance for Li–S batteries. • Intrinsic CaCO{sub 3} in shrimp shell as the natural template plays an important role on tailoring of the pore sizes of the porous carbons. • Nitrogen containing polysaccharide in shrimp shell benefits to produce nitrogen-rich carbons. • The effects of pore sizes on the electrochemical performance are investigated in detail. • The carbon-sulfur cathodes exhibit the good cycle stability because of nitrogen doping induced chemical adsorption of sulfur.

Nitrogen-doped porous “green carbon” derived from shrimp shell: Combined effects of pore sizes and nitrogen doping on the performance of lithium sulfur battery

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Qu, Jiangying; Lv, Siyuan; Peng, Xiyue; Tian, Shuo; Wang, Jia; Gao, Feng

2016-01-01

Nitrogen-rich porous “green carbons” derived from abundant shrimp shell shows good performance for Li–S batteries. The strategy in this work is highlighted to selective removal of intrinsic CaCO_3 in shrimp shell followed by KOH activation to tune the pore sizes of the obtained carbons. On the basis of the different porous structures, the discharge capacity of the obtained carbons as Li–S cathodes follows the order of micro-mesoporous carbon>mesoporous carbon>microporous carbon. The high capacity of the micro-mesoporous carbon is attributed to its positive characters such as the coexistence of micro-mesoporous structure, the large pore volume and the high specific surface area. Furthermore, well-dispersed nitrogen in the porous carbons is naturally doped and inherited from shrimp shell, and can help to enhance cycle stability when used as cathodes. As a result, all carbon cathodes exhibit the good cycle stability (>78%) due to their nitrogen doping induced chemical adsorption of sulfur on the surface areas of the porous carbons. Among them, mesoporous carbon cathode shows the best cycle stability with 90% retention within 100 cycles, which is mainly attributed to the synergistic effects of its both large pore size (5.12 nm) and high nitrogen content (6.67 wt %). - Highlights: • Nitrogen-rich porous “green carbons” derived from abundant shrimp shell shows good performance for Li–S batteries. • Intrinsic CaCO_3 in shrimp shell as the natural template plays an important role on tailoring of the pore sizes of the porous carbons. • Nitrogen containing polysaccharide in shrimp shell benefits to produce nitrogen-rich carbons. • The effects of pore sizes on the electrochemical performance are investigated in detail. • The carbon-sulfur cathodes exhibit the good cycle stability because of nitrogen doping induced chemical adsorption of sulfur.

Effect of substrate temperature on structural and optical properties of nitrogen doped SnO2 thin film

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Thakur, Anup; Kumar, Varinder; Kang, Se Jun; Lee, Ik-Jae; Gautam, Sanjeev; Chae, K. H.; Shin, Hyun Joon

2014-01-01

Nitrogen doped SnO 2 thin films (thickness ∼ 250 nm) were deposited at different substrate temperature by radio frequency (rf) sputtering method. Crystal structure, morphology and optical properties of these films were investigated by x-ray diffraction (XRD), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and UV-VIS-NIR spectrophotometer, respectively. XRD measurement suggests that the film deposited at room temperature was amorphous in nature and films deposited at higher temperature were crystalline in nature. The film deposited at RT and 200 °C have transparency more than 90% in visible region but the film deposited at 400 °C has lesser transparency. Red shift was observed in the absorption edge may be due to decrease in ionicity due to the formation of the Sn-N bond

Hydrothermal synthesis of highly nitrogen-doped few-layer graphene via solid–gas reaction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liang, Xianqing; Zhong, Jun; Shi, Yalin; Guo, Jin; Huang, Guolong; Hong, Caihao; Zhao, Yidong

2015-01-01

Highlights: • A novel approach to synthesis of N-doped few-layer graphene has been developed. • The high doping levels of N in products are achieved. • XPS and XANES results reveal a thermal transformation of N bonding configurations. • The developed method is cost-effective and eco-friendly. - Abstract: Nitrogen-doped (N-doped) graphene sheets with high doping concentration were facilely synthesized through solid–gas reaction of graphene oxide (GO) with ammonia vapor in a self-designed hydrothermal system. The morphology, surface chemistry and electronic structure of N-doped graphene sheets were investigated by TEM, AFM, XRD, XPS, XANES and Raman characterizations. Upon hydrothermal treatment, up to 13.22 at% of nitrogen could be introduced into the crumpled few-layer graphene sheets. Both XPS and XANES analysis reveal that the reaction between oxygen functional groups in GO and ammonia vapor produces amide and amine species in hydrothermally treated GO (HTGO). Subsequent thermal annealing of the resultant HTGO introduces a gradual transformation of nitrogen bonding configurations in graphene sheets from amine N to pyridinic and graphitic N with the increase of annealing temperature. This study provides a simple but cost-effective and eco-friendly method to prepare N-doped graphene materials in large-scale for potential applications

Nitrogen Doped Ordered Mesoporous Carbon as Support of PtRu Nanoparticles for Methanol Electro-Oxidation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

David Sebastián

2018-04-01

Full Text Available The low oxidation kinetics of alcohols and the need for expensive platinum group metals are still some of the main drawbacks for the commercialization of energy efficient direct alcohol fuel cells. In this work, we investigate the influence of nitrogen doping of ordered mesoporous carbon (CMK as support on the electrochemical activity of PtRu nanoparticles. Nitrogen doping procedures involve the utilization of pyrrole as both nitrogen and carbon precursor by means of a templating method using mesoporous silica. This method allows obtaining carbon supports with up to 14 wt. % nitrogen, with an effective introduction of pyridinic, pyrrolic and quaternary nitrogen. PtRu nanoparticles were deposited by sodium formate reduction method. The presence of nitrogen mainly influences the Pt:Ru atomic ratio at the near surface, passing from 50:50 on the bare (un-doped CMK to 70:30 for the N-doped CMK catalyst. The electroactivity towards the methanol oxidation reaction (MOR was evaluated in acid and alkaline electrolytes. The presence of nitrogen in the support favors a faster oxidation of methanol due to the enrichment of Pt at the near surface together with an increase of the intrinsic activity of PtRu nanoparticles.

The kinetics of solid phase epitaxy in As-doped buried amorphous silicon layers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McCallum, J.C.

1999-01-01

Ion implantation is the principal method used to introduce dopants into silicon for fabrication of semiconductor devices. During ion implantation, damage accumulates in the crystalline silicon lattice and amorphisation may occur over the depth range of the ions if the implant dose is sufficiently high. As device dimensions shrink, the need to produce shallower and shallower highly-doped layers increases and the probability of amorphisation also increases. To achieve dopant-activation, the amorphous or damaged material must be returned to the crystalline state by thermal annealing. Amorphous silicon layers can be crystallised by the solid-state process of solid phase epitaxy (SPE) in which the amorphous layer transforms to crystalline silicon (c-Si) layer by layer using the underlying c-Si as a seed. The atomic mechanism that is responsible for the crystallisation is thought to involve highly-localised bond-breaking and rearrangement processes at the amorphous/crystalline (a/c) interface but the defect responsible for these bond rearrangements has not yet been identified. Since the bond breaking process necessarily generates dangling bonds, it has been suggested that the crystallisation process may solely involve the formation and migration of dangling bonds at the interface. One of the key factors which may shed further light on the nature of the SPE defect is the observed dopant-dependence of the rate of crystallisation. It has been found that moderate concentrations of dopants enhance the SPE crystallisation rate while the presence of equal concentrations of an n-type and a p-type dopant (impurity compensation) returns the SPE rate to the intrinsic value. This provides crucial evidence that the SPE mechanism is sensitive to the position of the Fermi level in the bandgap of the crystalline and/or the amorphous silicon phases and may lead to identification of an energy level within the bandgap that can be associated with the defect. This paper gives details of SPE

Amorphous Si layers co-doped with B and Mn: Thin film growth and steering of magnetic properties

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Drera, G.; Mozzati, M.C.; Colombi, P.; Salvinelli, G.; Pagliara, S.; Visentin, D.; Sangaletti, L.

2015-01-01

Amorphous silicon thin films co-doped with manganese (5% at.) and boron (1.8% at.) have been prepared by RF sputtering on Al 2 O 3 substrates held at room temperature (RT). The films, with an average thickness of about 0.9 μm, were carefully characterized by micro-Raman and X-ray photoemission spectroscopies. A ferromagnetic (FM) behavior up to RT was observed. In order to discuss and possibly rule out extrinsic effects usually related to segregations of ferromagnetic impurities in the samples, magnetization measurements were carried out on the Al 2 O 3 substrates, as well as on Si:B and Si:Mn films grown with the same RF sputtering system. Only the Si:B:Mn films displayed a FM behavior up to RT. Since amorphous films doped with Mn alone did not display any signature of FM ordering, boron co-doping results to be crucial for the onset of the FM behavior. The conductivity of the samples is not affected by boron doping that, therefore, does not appear to significantly contribute to a possible carrier-mediated FM interaction between Mn ions by supplying extra charges to the system. On this basis, the capability of B to hinder the quenching of the Mn 3d magnetic moments has also to be regarded as a possible role of this co-dopant in the observed magnetization. - Highlights: • We successfully deposited amorphous silicon thin films co-doped with Mn and B. • Structural, electronic, and magnetic properties have been carefully characterized. • A ferromagnetic behavior up to room temperature was detected. • The extrinsic origin of magnetism is excluded. • Boron can play a relevant role to avoid quenching of magnetic moment in Mn ions

Amorphous Si layers co-doped with B and Mn: Thin film growth and steering of magnetic properties

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Drera, G. [I-LAMP, Dipartimento di Matematica e Fisica, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Via dei Musei 41, 25121 Brescia (Italy); Mozzati, M.C. [CNISM, Dipartimento di Fisica, Università di Pavia, Via Bassi 6, 27100 Pavia (Italy); Colombi, P. [CSMT Gestione s.c.a.r.l, Via Branze 45, 25123 Brescia (Italy); Salvinelli, G.; Pagliara, S.; Visentin, D. [I-LAMP, Dipartimento di Matematica e Fisica, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Via dei Musei 41, 25121 Brescia (Italy); Sangaletti, L., E-mail: sangalet@dmf.unicatt.it [I-LAMP, Dipartimento di Matematica e Fisica, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Via dei Musei 41, 25121 Brescia (Italy)

2015-09-01

Amorphous silicon thin films co-doped with manganese (5% at.) and boron (1.8% at.) have been prepared by RF sputtering on Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} substrates held at room temperature (RT). The films, with an average thickness of about 0.9 μm, were carefully characterized by micro-Raman and X-ray photoemission spectroscopies. A ferromagnetic (FM) behavior up to RT was observed. In order to discuss and possibly rule out extrinsic effects usually related to segregations of ferromagnetic impurities in the samples, magnetization measurements were carried out on the Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} substrates, as well as on Si:B and Si:Mn films grown with the same RF sputtering system. Only the Si:B:Mn films displayed a FM behavior up to RT. Since amorphous films doped with Mn alone did not display any signature of FM ordering, boron co-doping results to be crucial for the onset of the FM behavior. The conductivity of the samples is not affected by boron doping that, therefore, does not appear to significantly contribute to a possible carrier-mediated FM interaction between Mn ions by supplying extra charges to the system. On this basis, the capability of B to hinder the quenching of the Mn 3d magnetic moments has also to be regarded as a possible role of this co-dopant in the observed magnetization. - Highlights: • We successfully deposited amorphous silicon thin films co-doped with Mn and B. • Structural, electronic, and magnetic properties have been carefully characterized. • A ferromagnetic behavior up to room temperature was detected. • The extrinsic origin of magnetism is excluded. • Boron can play a relevant role to avoid quenching of magnetic moment in Mn ions.

Crystallinity, etchability, electrical and mechanical properties of Ga doped amorphous indium tin oxide thin films deposited by direct current magnetron sputtering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Hyun-Jun; Song, Pung-Keun

2014-01-01

Indium tin oxide (ITO) and Ga-doped ITO (ITO:Ga) films were deposited on glass and polyimide (PI) substrates by direct current (DC) magnetron sputtering using different ITO:Ga targets (doped-Ga: 0, 0.1 and 2.9 wt.%). The films were deposited with a thickness of 50 nm and then post-annealed at various temperatures (room temperature-250 °C) in a vacuum chamber for 30 min. The amorphous ITO:Ga (0.1 wt.% Ga) films post-annealed at 220 °C exhibited relatively low resistivity (4.622x10 −4 Ω cm), indicating that the crystallinity of the ITO:Ga films decreased with increasing Ga content. In addition, the amorphous ITO:Ga films showed a better surface morphology, etchability and mechanical properties than the ITO films. - Highlights: • The Ga doped indium tin oxide (ITO) films crystallized at higher temperatures than the ITO films. • The amorphisation of ITO films increases with increasing Ga content. • Similar resistivity was observed between crystalline ITO and amorphous Ga doped ITO films. • Etching property of ITO film was improved with increasing Ga content

Plasma-assisted nitrogen doping of VACNTs for efficiently enhancing the supercapacitor performance

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mashayekhi, Alireza; Hosseini, Seyed Mahmoud [University of Tehran, Nano-fabricated Energy Devices Laboratory, School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, College of Engineering (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Hassanpour Amiri, Morteza; Namdar, Naser [University of Tehran, Thin Film and Nano-electronics Laboratory, Nano-electronics Centre of Excellence, School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, College of Engineering (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Sanaee, Zeinab, E-mail: z.sanaee@ut.ac.ir [University of Tehran, Nano-fabricated Energy Devices Laboratory, School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, College of Engineering (Iran, Islamic Republic of)

2016-06-15

Nitrogen doping of vertically aligned carbon nanotubes (VACNTs) using plasma-enhanced chemical vapour deposition has been investigated to improve the supercapacitance performance of CNTs. Incorporating electrochemical measurements on the open-ended nitrogen-doped CNTs, showed the achievement of 6 times improvement in the capacitance value. For nitrogen-doped CNTs on silicon substrate, specific capacitance of 60 F g{sup −1} was obtained in 0.5 M KCl solution, with capacity retention ratio above 90 % after cycled at 0.1 A g{sup −1} for 5000 cycles. Using this sample, a symmetric supercapacitance was fabricated which showed the power density of 37.5 kW kg{sup −1}. The facile fabrication approach and its excellent capacitance improvement, propose it as an efficient technique for enhancing the supercapacitance performance of the carbon-based electrodes.

Synthesis of Nitrogen-doped Carbon Nanotubes with Layered ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

NICO

Nitrogen-doped carbon nanotubes (CNx) were synthesized by the catalytic chemical vapour deposition ... dispersed metal nanoparticles over oxide matrices can be obtained ..... 18 S.Y. Kim, J. Lee, C.W. Na, J. Park, K. Seo and B. Kim, Chem.

Effect of nanoparticles as lubricant additives on friction and wear behavior of tetrahedral amorphous carbon (ta-C coating

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xiang Li

2018-03-01

Full Text Available As diamond like carbon (DLC coating becomes increasingly popular in providing low friction and wear under lubricated conditions, the effect of various oil additives on tribological behavior of DLC coating is drawing more attention. Various oil additives, such as ZnDTP and MoDTC, have been widely used in automobile engine industry to pursuit excellent tribological performance in the insufficient lubrication condition. Although such commercial oil additives have been proven to reduce friction or/and wear to some extent, usage of such high -SAPS (sulphuric ash, phosphor, sulfphur conventional additives is bound to arouse concerns due to environmental reasons. In this research, we investigate the effect of two nanoparticle oil additives, which are cerium oxide (CeO2 and zirconium dioxide (ZrO2, on friction and wear of non-hydrogen tetrahedral amorphous carbon (ta-C coating. The results show that by adding ZrO2 nanoparticle, the friction of DLC coating could be reduced about 32% compared to non-additive base oil scenario, but specific wear rate increases by 40%. When CeO2 nanoparticle is used, friction increases by 22% compared to non-additive base oil scenario, however wear decreases by nearly 77%.

N-doped Sb2Te phase change materials for higher data retention

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhu Min; Wu Liangcai; Rao Feng; Song Zhitang; Li Xuelai; Peng Cheng; Zhou Xilin; Ren Kun; Yao Dongning; Feng Songlin

2011-01-01

Highlights: → Crystallization temperatures of the N-doped Sb 2 Te films increase remarkably. → The E a of N-doped Sb 2 Te films increase first, and then decrease. → The best 10-years lifetime at temperature up to 141 deg. C is found in Sb 2 TeN1 films. → The power consumption of PCRAM test cell based on Sb 2 TeN1 film is low. - Abstract: Crystallization temperatures of the Sb 2 Te films increase remarkably from 139.4 deg. C to 223.0 deg. C as the N 2 flow rates increasing from 0 sccm to 1.5 sccm. Electrical conduction activation energies for amorphous and crystalline states increase by doping nitrogen. A small amount of nitrogen atoms can locate at interstitial sites in the hexagonal structure, generating a strain field, and improving the thermal stability of amorphous state. The best 10-years lifetime at temperature up to 141 deg. C is found in Sb 2 TeN 1 films. Doping excessively high nitrogen in Sb 2 Te film will form nitride and make Te separate out. As a result, the activation energy for crystallization decreases instead, accompanying with the deterioration of thermal stability. The power consumption of PCRAM test cell based on Sb 2 TeN 1 film is ten times lower than that of PCRAM device using Ge 2 Sb 2 Te 5 films.

Thermal conductivity and heat transport properties of nitrogen-doped graphene.

Science.gov (United States)

Goharshadi, Elaheh K; Mahdizadeh, Sayyed Jalil

2015-11-01

In the present study, the thermal conductivity (TC) and heat transport properties of nitrogen doped graphene (N-graphene) were investigated as a function of temperature (107-400K) and N-doped concentration (0.0-7.0%) using equilibrium molecular dynamics simulation based on Green-Kubo method. According to the results, a drastic decline in TC of graphene observed at very low N-doped concentration (0.5 and 1.0%). Substitution of just 1.0% of carbon atoms with nitrogens causes a 77.2, 65.4, 59.2, and 53.7% reduction in TC at 107, 200, 300, and 400K, respectively. The values of TC of N-graphene at different temperatures approach to each other as N-doped concentration increases. The results also indicate that TC of N-graphene is much less sensitive to temperature compared with pristine graphene and the sensitivity decreases as N-doped concentration increases. The phonon-phonon scattering relaxation times and the phonon mean free path of phonons were also calculated. The contribution of high frequency optical phonons for pristine graphene and N-graphene with 7.0% N-doped concentration is 0-2% and 4-8%, respectively. These findings imply that it is potentially feasible to control heat transfer on the nanoscale when designing N-graphene based thermal devices. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Microbial adhesion on novel yttria-stabilized tetragonal zirconia (Y-TZP) implant surfaces with nitrogen-doped hydrogenated amorphous carbon (a-C:H:N) coatings.

Science.gov (United States)

Schienle, Stefanie; Al-Ahmad, Ali; Kohal, Ralf Joachim; Bernsmann, Falk; Adolfsson, Erik; Montanaro, Laura; Palmero, Paola; Fürderer, Tobias; Chevalier, Jérôme; Hellwig, Elmar; Karygianni, Lamprini

2016-09-01

Biomaterial surfaces are at high risk for initial microbial colonization, persistence, and concomitant infection. The rationale of this study was to assess the initial adhesion on novel implant surfaces of Enterococcus faecalis, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Candida albicans upon incubation. The tested samples were 3 mol% yttria-stabilized tetragonal zirconia polycrystal (3Y-TZP) samples with nitrogen-doped hydrogenated amorphous carbon (a-C:H:N) coating (A) and 3Y-TZP samples coated with ceria-stabilized zirconia-based (Ce-TZP) composite and a-C:H:N (B). Uncoated 3Y-TZP samples (C) and bovine enamel slabs (BES) served as controls. Once the surface was characterized, the adherent microorganisms were quantified by estimating the colony-forming units (CFUs). Microbial vitality was assessed by live/dead staining, and microbial-biomaterial surface topography was visualized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Overall, A and B presented the lowest CFU values for all microorganisms, while C sheltered significantly less E. faecalis, P. aeruginosa, and C. albicans than BES. Compared to the controls, B demonstrated the lowest vitality values for E. coli (54.12 %) and C. albicans (67.99 %). Interestingly, A (29.24 %) exhibited higher eradication rates for S. aureus than B (13.95 %). Within the limitations of this study, a-C:H:N-coated 3Y-TZP surfaces tended to harbor less initially adherent microorganisms and selectively interfered with their vitality. This could enable further investigation of the new multi-functional zirconia surfaces to confirm their favorable antimicrobial properties in vivo.

Photoluminescence at 1.54 {mu}m of Er-doped hydrogenated amorphous silicon

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bresler, Mikhail; Gusev, Oleg; Kuznetsov, Alexey; Kudoyarova, Vera; Terukov, Evgenii; Yassievich, Irina [A.F. Ioffe Physico-Technical Institute, Politekhnicheskaya 26, 194021 St. Petersburg (Russian Federation); Fuhs, Walther [Hahn-Meitner Institut, Abteilung Photovoltaik, Rudower Chaussee 5, D-12489 Berlin (Germany); Ulber, Isabell; Weiser, Gerhard [Philipps-Universitat Marburg, Fachbereich Physik, D-35032 Marburg (Germany)

1998-05-11

Photoluminescence (PL) and light absorption of Er-doped amorphous hydrogenated silicon samples are measured at 77-300K. The temperature dependence of luminescence of erbium ions in a-Si:H(Er) is compared with that of intrinsic PL of a-Si:H. The lifetime of excited erbium ions in this amorphous matrix changes from 20 to 8 {mu}s in this temperature range. We propose a defect-related Auger excitation (DRAE) mechanism of erbium luminescence and demonstrate that it is consistent with the whole set of our experimental results. The temperature quenching of the erbium luminescence observed above 200K, with the activation energy of 250 meV, results from the competition of the DRAE and multiphonon nonradiative defect processes for D{sup 0}+e>D{sup -} transition

In situ one-step synthesis of hierarchical nitrogen-doped porous carbon for high-performance supercapacitors.

Science.gov (United States)

Jeon, Ju-Won; Sharma, Ronish; Meduri, Praveen; Arey, Bruce W; Schaef, Herbert T; Lutkenhaus, Jodie L; Lemmon, John P; Thallapally, Praveen K; Nandasiri, Manjula I; McGrail, Benard Peter; Nune, Satish K

2014-05-28

A hierarchically structured nitrogen-doped porous carbon is prepared from a nitrogen-containing isoreticular metal-organic framework (IRMOF-3) using a self-sacrificial templating method. IRMOF-3 itself provides the carbon and nitrogen content as well as the porous structure. For high carbonization temperatures (950 °C), the carbonized MOF required no further purification steps, thus eliminating the need for solvents or acid. Nitrogen content and surface area are easily controlled by the carbonization temperature. The nitrogen content decreases from 7 to 3.3 at % as carbonization temperature increases from 600 to 950 °C. There is a distinct trade-off between nitrogen content, porosity, and defects in the carbon structure. Carbonized IRMOFs are evaluated as supercapacitor electrodes. For a carbonization temperature of 950 °C, the nitrogen-doped porous carbon has an exceptionally high capacitance of 239 F g(-1). In comparison, an analogous nitrogen-free carbon bears a low capacitance of 24 F g(-1), demonstrating the importance of nitrogen dopants in the charge storage process. The route is scalable in that multi-gram quantities of nitrogen-doped porous carbons are easily produced.

Remarkable activity of nitrogen-doped hollow carbon spheres encapsulated Cu on synthesis of dimethyl carbonate: Role of effective nitrogen

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Haixia; Zhao, Jinxian; Shi, Ruina; Hao, Panpan; Liu, Shusen; Li, Zhong; Ren, Jun

2018-04-01

A critical aspect in the improvement of the catalytic performance of Cu-based catalysts for the synthesis of dimethyl carbonate (DMC) is the development of an appropriate support. In this work, nitrogen-doped hollow carbon spheres (NHCSs), with 240 nm average diameter, 17 nm shell thickness, uniform mesoporous structure and a specific surface area of 611 m2 g-1, were prepared via a two-step Stӧber method. By varying the quantity of nitrogen-containing phenols used in the preparation it has been possible to control the nitrogen content and, consequently, the sphericity of the NHCSs. It was found that perfect spheres were obtained for nitrogen contents below 5.4 wt.%. The catalysts (Cu@NHCSs) were prepared by the hydrothermal impregnation method. The catalytic activity towards DMC synthesis was notably enhanced due to the immobilization effect on Cu particles and the enhanced electron transfer effect exercised by the effective nitrogen species, including pyridinic-N and graphitic-N. When the average size of the copper nanoparticles was 7.4 nm and the nitrogen content was 4.0 wt.%, the values of space-time yield of DMC and of turnover frequency (TOF) reached 1528 mg/(g h) and 11.0 h-1, respectively. The TOF value of Cu@NHCSs was 6 times higher than non-doped Cu@Carbon (2.1 h-1). The present work introduces the potential application of nitrogen-doped carbon materials and presents a novel procedure for the preparation of catalysts for DMC synthesis.

Facile preparation of nitrogen-doped hierarchical porous carbon with high performance in supercapacitors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yan, Kun; Kong, Ling-Bin; Shen, Kui-Wen; Dai, Yan-Hua; Shi, Ming; Hu, Bing; Luo, Yong-Chun; Kang, Long

2016-01-01

Graphical abstract: Preparing and activating process of nitrogen-doped hierarchical porous carbon (NHPC). - Highlights: • The well-defined PAN-b-PMMA copolymer was synthesized by atom transfer radical polymerization with narrow molecular weight distribution. • Nitrogen-doped hierarchical porous structure (NHPC) was prepared through a simple carbonization procedure of PAN-b-PMMA precursor. • NHPC possessed hierarchical porous structure with high BET surface area of 257 m"2 g"−"1 and DFT mesopore size of 14.61 nm. • Effects of activation conditions on supercapacitive behavior were systematically studied. - Abstract: The nitrogen-doped hierarchical porous carbon (NHPC) material was successfully prepared through a simple carbonization procedure of well-defined diblock copolymer precursor containing nitrogen-enriched carbon source, i.e., polyacrylonitrile (PAN), and asacrificial block, i.e., polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA). PAN-b-PMMA diblock copolymer was synthesized by atom transfer radical polymeriation (ATRP) with narrow molecular weight distribution. The as-obtained NHPC possessed nitrogen-doped hierarchical porous structure with high BET surface area of 257 m"2 g"−"1 and Nonlocal density functional theory (NLDFT) mesopore size of 14.61 nm. Surface activated nitrogen-doped hierarchical porous carbon (A-NHPC) materials were obtained by subsequent surface activation with HNO_3 solution. The effects of activation conditions on supercapacitive behavior were systematically studied, a maximum specific capacitance of 314 F g"−"1 at a current density of 0.5 A g"−"1 was achieved in 2 M KOH aqueous electrolyte. Simultaneously, it exhibited excellent rate capability of 67.8% capacitance retention as the current density increased from 0.5 to 20 A g"−"1 and superior cycling performance of 90% capacitance retention after 10,000 cycles at the current density of 2 A g"−"1.

Facile preparation of nitrogen-doped hierarchical porous carbon with high performance in supercapacitors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yan, Kun [State Key Laboratory of Advanced Processing and Recycling of Non-ferrous Metals, Lanzhou University of Technology, Lanzhou 730050 (China); Kong, Ling-Bin, E-mail: konglb@lut.cn [State Key Laboratory of Advanced Processing and Recycling of Non-ferrous Metals, Lanzhou University of Technology, Lanzhou 730050 (China); School of Materials Science and Engineering, Lanzhou University of Technology, Lanzhou 730050 (China); Shen, Kui-Wen; Dai, Yan-Hua; Shi, Ming; Hu, Bing [State Key Laboratory of Advanced Processing and Recycling of Non-ferrous Metals, Lanzhou University of Technology, Lanzhou 730050 (China); Luo, Yong-Chun; Kang, Long [School of Materials Science and Engineering, Lanzhou University of Technology, Lanzhou 730050 (China)

2016-02-28

Graphical abstract: Preparing and activating process of nitrogen-doped hierarchical porous carbon (NHPC). - Highlights: • The well-defined PAN-b-PMMA copolymer was synthesized by atom transfer radical polymerization with narrow molecular weight distribution. • Nitrogen-doped hierarchical porous structure (NHPC) was prepared through a simple carbonization procedure of PAN-b-PMMA precursor. • NHPC possessed hierarchical porous structure with high BET surface area of 257 m{sup 2} g{sup −1} and DFT mesopore size of 14.61 nm. • Effects of activation conditions on supercapacitive behavior were systematically studied. - Abstract: The nitrogen-doped hierarchical porous carbon (NHPC) material was successfully prepared through a simple carbonization procedure of well-defined diblock copolymer precursor containing nitrogen-enriched carbon source, i.e., polyacrylonitrile (PAN), and asacrificial block, i.e., polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA). PAN-b-PMMA diblock copolymer was synthesized by atom transfer radical polymeriation (ATRP) with narrow molecular weight distribution. The as-obtained NHPC possessed nitrogen-doped hierarchical porous structure with high BET surface area of 257 m{sup 2} g{sup −1} and Nonlocal density functional theory (NLDFT) mesopore size of 14.61 nm. Surface activated nitrogen-doped hierarchical porous carbon (A-NHPC) materials were obtained by subsequent surface activation with HNO{sub 3} solution. The effects of activation conditions on supercapacitive behavior were systematically studied, a maximum specific capacitance of 314 F g{sup −1} at a current density of 0.5 A g{sup −1} was achieved in 2 M KOH aqueous electrolyte. Simultaneously, it exhibited excellent rate capability of 67.8% capacitance retention as the current density increased from 0.5 to 20 A g{sup −1} and superior cycling performance of 90% capacitance retention after 10,000 cycles at the current density of 2 A g{sup −1}.

Three-Dimensional Porous Nitrogen-Doped NiO Nanostructures as Highly Sensitive NO2 Sensors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Van Hoang Luan

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Nickel oxide has been widely used in chemical sensing applications, because it has an excellent p-type semiconducting property with high chemical stability. Here, we present a novel technique of fabricating three-dimensional porous nitrogen-doped nickel oxide nanosheets as a highly sensitive NO2 sensor. The elaborate nanostructure was prepared by a simple and effective hydrothermal synthesis method. Subsequently, nitrogen doping was achieved by thermal treatment with ammonia gas. When the p-type dopant, i.e., nitrogen atoms, was introduced in the three-dimensional nanostructures, the nickel-oxide-nanosheet-based sensor showed considerable NO2 sensing ability with two-fold higher responsivity and sensitivity compared to non-doped nickel-oxide-based sensors.

A comparison study of rhodamine B photodegradation over nitrogen-doped lamellar niobic acid and titanic acid under visible-light irradiation.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Xiukai; Kikugawa, Naoki; Ye, Jinhua

2009-01-01

A solid-state reaction method with urea as a nitrogen precursor was used to prepare nitrogen-doped lamellar niobic and titanic solid acids (i.e., HNb(3)O(8) and H(2)Ti(4)O(9)) with different acidities for visible-light photocatalysis. The photocatalytic activities of the nitrogen-doped solid acids were evaluated for rhodamine B (RhB) degradation and the results were compared with those obtained over the corresponding nitrogen-doped potassium salts. Techniques such as XRD, BET, SEM, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and UV-visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy were adopted to explore the nature of the materials as well as the characteristics of the doped nitrogen species. It was found that the intercalation of the urea precursor helped to stabilize the layered structures of both lamellar solid acids and enabled easier nitrogen doping. The effects of urea intercalation were more significant for the more acidic HNb(3)O(8) sample than for the less acidic H(2)Ti(4)O(9). Compared with the nitrogen-doped KNb(3)O(8) and K(2)Ti(4)O(9) samples, the nitrogen-doped HNb(3)O(8) and H(2)Ti(4)O(9) solid acids absorb more visible light and exhibit a superior activity for RhB photodegradation under visible-light irradiation. The nitrogen-doped HNb(3)O(8) sample performed the best among all the samples. The results of the current study suggest that the protonic acidity of the lamellar solid-acid sample is a key factor that influences nitrogen doping and the resultant visible-light photocatalysis.

Minor-Cu doped soft magnetic Fe-based FeCoBCSiCu amorphous alloys with high saturation magnetization

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Yanhui; Wang, Zhenmin; Zhang, Wei

2018-05-01

The effects of Cu alloying on the amorphous-forming ability (AFA) and magnetic properties of the P-free Fe81Co5B11C2Si1 amorphous alloy were investigated. Addition of ≤ 1.0 at.% Cu enhances the AFA of the base alloy without significant deterioration of the soft magnetic properties. The Fe80.5Co5B11C2Si1Cu0.5 alloy with the largest critical thickness for amorphous formation of ˜35 μm possesses a high saturation magnetization (Bs) of ˜1.78 T, low coercivity of ˜14.6 A/m, and good bending ductility upon annealing in a wide temperature range of 513-553 K with maintaining the amorphous state. The fabrication of the new high-Fe-content Fe-Co-B-C-Si-Cu amorphous alloys by minor doping of Cu gives a guideline to developing high Bs amorphous alloys with excellent AFA.

Rectifying Properties of a Nitrogen/Boron-Doped Capped-Carbon-Nanotube-Based Molecular Junction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhao Peng; Zhang Ying; Wang Pei-Ji; Zhang Zhong; Liu De-Sheng

2011-01-01

Based on the non-equilibrium Green's function method and first-principles density functional theory calculations, we investigate the electronic transport properties of a nitrogen/boron-doped capped-single-walled carbon-nanotube-based molecular junction. Obvious rectifying behavior is observed and it is strongly dependent on the doping site. The best rectifying performance can be carried out when the nitrogen/boron atom dopes at a carbon site in the second layer. Moreover, the rectifying performance can be further improved by adjusting the distance between the C 60 nanotube caps. (condensed matter: electronic structure, electrical, magnetic, and optical properties)

Nitrogen induced ferromagnetism in Cobalt doped BaTiO3

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chandrima Mitra

2012-09-01

Full Text Available The electronic structure and magnetism of Cobalt doped BaTiO3 (BaTi1−xCoxO3 is investigated. Substitutional Nitrogen on an Oxygen site is found to play an important role in inducing net magnetic moments in the system. The presence of a Nitrogen atom as nearest neighbour to a Cobalt atom is crucial in producing spin splitting of both the Nitrogen and Cobalt states thereby introducing a net local magnetic moment. The introduction of Nitrogen is further found to enhance ferromagnetic interactions between Cobalt atoms.

Electronic sputtering by swift highly charged ions of nitrogen on amorphous carbon

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Caron, M.; Haranger, F.; Rothard, H.; Ban d'Etat, B.; Boduch, P.; Clouvas, A.; Potiriadis, C.; Neugebauer, R.; Jalowy, T.

2001-01-01

Electronic sputtering with heavy ions as a function of both electronic energy loss dE/dx and projectile charge state q was studied at the French heavy ion accelerator GANIL. Amorphous carbon (untreated, and sputter-cleaned and subsequently exposed to nitrogen) was irradiated with swift highly charged ions (Z=6-73, q=6-54, energy 6-13 MeV/u) in an ultrahigh vacuum scattering chamber. The fluence dependence of ion-induced electron yields allows to deduce a desorption cross-section σ which varies approximately as σ∼(dE/dx) 1.65 or σ∼q 3.3 for sputter-cleaned amorphous carbon exposed to nitrogen. This q dependence is close to the cubic charge dependence observed for the emission of H + secondary ions which are believed to be emitted from the very surface. However, the power law σ∼(dE/dx) 1.65 , related to the electronic energy loss gives the best empirical description. The dependence on dE/dx is close to a quadratic one thus rather pointing towards a thermal evaporation-like effect

Combined effect of nitrogen doping and nanosteps on microcrystalline diamond films for improvement of field emission

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mengui, U.A.; Campos, R.A.; Alves, K.A.; Antunes, E.F.; Hamanaka, M.H.M.O.; Corat, E.J.; Baldan, M.R.

2015-01-01

Highlights: • Hot filament chemical vapor deposition using methane, hydrogen and a solution of urea in methanol produced nitrogen-doped diamond films. • Diamonds had the grain morphology changed for long growth time (28 h), and the nitrogen doping were evaluated by Raman spectroscopy. • Field emission characterization shows a decrease up to 70% in threshold field, related to reference diamond layer. - Abstract: Nitrogen-doped microcrystalline diamond (N-MCD) films were grown on Si substrates using a hot filament reactor with methanol solution of urea as N source. Electrostatic self-assembly seeding of nanocrystalline diamond were used to obtain continuous and uniform films. Simultaneous changes in grains morphology and work function of diamond by nitrogen doping decreased the threshold field and the angular coefficient of Fowler–Nordhein plots. The field emission properties of our N-MCD films are comparable to carbon nanotube films

Combined effect of nitrogen doping and nanosteps on microcrystalline diamond films for improvement of field emission

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mengui, U.A., E-mail: ursulamengui@gmail.com [INPE – Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas Espaciais Laboratório Associado de Sensores e Materiais – LAS, Av. dos Astronautas 1758, CP 515, CEP 12.245-970, São José dos Campos, SP (Brazil); Campos, R.A.; Alves, K.A.; Antunes, E.F. [INPE – Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas Espaciais Laboratório Associado de Sensores e Materiais – LAS, Av. dos Astronautas 1758, CP 515, CEP 12.245-970, São José dos Campos, SP (Brazil); Hamanaka, M.H.M.O. [Centro de Tecnologia da Informação Renato Archer, Divisão de Superfícies de Interação e Displays, Rodovia D. Pedro I (SP 65) km 143.6, CP 6162, CEP 13089-500, Campinas, SP (Brazil); Corat, E.J.; Baldan, M.R. [INPE – Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas Espaciais Laboratório Associado de Sensores e Materiais – LAS, Av. dos Astronautas 1758, CP 515, CEP 12.245-970, São José dos Campos, SP (Brazil)

2015-04-15

Highlights: • Hot filament chemical vapor deposition using methane, hydrogen and a solution of urea in methanol produced nitrogen-doped diamond films. • Diamonds had the grain morphology changed for long growth time (28 h), and the nitrogen doping were evaluated by Raman spectroscopy. • Field emission characterization shows a decrease up to 70% in threshold field, related to reference diamond layer. - Abstract: Nitrogen-doped microcrystalline diamond (N-MCD) films were grown on Si substrates using a hot filament reactor with methanol solution of urea as N source. Electrostatic self-assembly seeding of nanocrystalline diamond were used to obtain continuous and uniform films. Simultaneous changes in grains morphology and work function of diamond by nitrogen doping decreased the threshold field and the angular coefficient of Fowler–Nordhein plots. The field emission properties of our N-MCD films are comparable to carbon nanotube films.

Self-assembled nitrogen-doped fullerenes and their catalysis for fuel cell and rechargeable metal-air battery applications.

Science.gov (United States)

Noh, Seung Hyo; Kwon, Choah; Hwang, Jeemin; Ohsaka, Takeo; Kim, Beom-Jun; Kim, Tae-Young; Yoon, Young-Gi; Chen, Zhongwei; Seo, Min Ho; Han, Byungchan

2017-06-08

In this study, we report self-assembled nitrogen-doped fullerenes (N-fullerene) as non-precious catalysts, which are active for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER), and thus applicable for energy conversion and storage devices such as fuel cells and metal-air battery systems. We screen the best N-fullerene catalyst at the nitrogen doping level of 10 at%, not at the previously known doping level of 5 or 20 at% for graphene. We identify that the compressive surface strain induced by doped nitrogen plays a key role in the fine-tuning of catalytic activity.

Influence of nitrogen dopants on N-doped TiO2 electrodes and their applications in dye-sensitized solar cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guo Wei; Shen Yihua; Boschloo, Gerrit; Hagfeldt, Anders; Ma Tingli

2011-01-01

Highlights: → Three different types of nanocrystalline N-doped TiO 2 synthesized by several nitrogen dopants. → N-doped DSCs achieves a high conversion efficiency of 8.32%. → Ammonia acts as good nitrogen dopants. → Enhanced photocurrent of ca. 36% in N-doped DSCs. → Less charge are needed to get a high open-circuit voltage in N-doped films. - Abstract: Three different types of nanocrystalline, N-doped TiO 2 electrodes were synthesized using several nitrogen dopants through wet methods. The obtained nanocrystalline, N-doped TiO 2 electrodes possessed different crystallite sizes, surface areas, and N-doping amounts. Characterizations were performed to reveal the nitrogen-doping processes for the wet methods using ammonia, urea, and triethylamine as the nitrogen dopants. Additionally, a high conversion efficiency of 8.32% was achieved by the dye-sensitized solar cells, based on the N-doped TiO 2 electrodes. For instance, in comparison with the commercial P25 (5.76%) and pure anatase TiO 2 electrodes (7.14%), significant improvements (44% and 17%, respectively) in the efficiencies were obtained. The findings also indicated that the ammonia nitrogen dopant was more efficient than other two nitrogen dopants. The electron transports, electron lifetimes, and charge recombination in the dye-sensitized N-doped TiO 2 solar cells also differed from those in the pure TiO 2 -based dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs). Specifically, an enhanced photocurrent of ca. 36% in N-doped DSCs resulted from the synergistic effects of the high dye uptake and the efficient electron transport. Moreover, the relationship between charge and voltage revealed that less charge was needed to get a high open-circuit voltage in the N-doping films.

X-ray absorption study of the electronic structure of Mn-doped amorphous Si

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Arenholz, Elke; Zeng, Li; Huegel, A.; Helgren, E.; Hellman, F.; Piamonteze, C.; Arenholz, E.

2008-03-08

The electronic structure of Mn in amorphous Si (a-Mn{sub x}Si{sub 1?x}) is studied by X-ray absorption spectroscopy at the Mn L{sub 3,2} edges for x = 0.005-0.18. Except the x = 0.005 sample, which shows a slight signature of Mn{sup 2+} atomic multiplets associated with a local Mn moment, all samples have broad and featureless L{sub 3,2} absorption peaks, corresponding to an itinerant state for all 3d electrons. The broad X-ray absorption spectra exclude the possibility of a localized 3d moment and explain the unexpectedly quenched Mn moment in this magnetically-doped amorphous semiconductor. Such a fully delocalized d state of Mn dopant in Si has not been previously suggested.

The influence of oxygen and nitrogen doping on GeSbTe phase-change optical recording media properties

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dimitrov, D.; Shieh, H.-P.D

2004-03-15

Nitrogen and oxygen doped and co-doped GeSbTe (GST) films for phase-change optical recording are investigated. It is found that the crystallization temperature increased as well as the crystalline microstructure refined by doping. The carrier-to-noise ratio (CNR) and erasability of phase-change optical disks are improved being up to 52 and 35 dB, respectively, by using an appropriate nitrogen doping or co-doping concentration in the recording layer. Optical disks with co-doped recording layer are found to be superior in the recording characteristics then the single doped recording layer disks.

Wet chemical treatment of boron doped emitters on n-type (1 0 0) c-Si prior to amorphous silicon passivation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Meddeb, H., E-mail: hosny.meddeb@gmail.com [KACST-Intel Consortium Center of Excellence in Nano-manufacturing Applications (CENA), Riyadh (Saudi Arabia); IMEC, Kapeldreef 75, B-3001 Leuven (Belgium); Research and Technology Center of Energy, Photovoltaic Department, Borj-Cedria Science and Technology Park, BP 95, 2050 (Tunisia); University of Carthage, Faculty of Sciences of Bizerta (Tunisia); Bearda, T.; Recaman Payo, M.; Abdelwahab, I. [IMEC, Kapeldreef 75, B-3001 Leuven (Belgium); Abdulraheem, Y. [Electrical Engineering Department, College of Engineering & Petroleum, Kuwait University, P.O. Box 5969, 13060 Safat (Kuwait); Ezzaouia, H. [Research and Technology Center of Energy, Photovoltaic Department, Borj-Cedria Science and Technology Park, BP 95, 2050 (Tunisia); Gordon, I.; Szlufcik, J. [IMEC, Kapeldreef 75, B-3001 Leuven (Belgium); Poortmans, J. [IMEC, Kapeldreef 75, B-3001 Leuven (Belgium); Department of Electrical Engineering (ESAT), K.U. Leuven, 3001 Leuven (Belgium); Faculty of Sciences, University of Hasselt, Martelarenlaan 42, 3500 Hasselt (Belgium)

2015-02-15

Highlights: • The influence of the cleaning process using different HF-based cleaning on the amorphous silicon passivation of homojunction boron doped emitters is analyzed. • The effect of boron doping level on surface characteristics after wet chemical cleaning: For heavily doped surfaces, the reduction in contact angle was less pronounced, which proves that such surfaces are more resistant to oxide formation and remain hydrophobic for a longer time. In the case of low HF concentration, XPS measurements show higher oxygen concentrations for samples with higher doping level, probably due to the incomplete removal of the native oxide. • Higher effective lifetime is achieved at lower doping for all considered different chemical pre-treatments. • A post-deposition annealing improves the passivation level yielding emitter saturation currents determined by Auger recombination in the order of 70 fA/cm{sup 2} and below. • The dominance of Auger recombination over other type of B-induced defects on lifetime quality in the case of our p+ emitter. - Abstract: The influence of the cleaning process on the amorphous silicon passivation of homojunction emitters is investigated. A significant variation in the passivation quality following different cleaning sequences is not observed, even though differences in cleaning performance are evident. These results point out the effectiveness of our cleaning treatment and provide a hydrogen termination for intrinsic amorphous silicon passivation. A post-deposition treatment improves the passivation level yielding emitter saturation currents determined by Auger recombination in the order of 70 fA/cm{sup 2} and below.

Rapid synthesis of nitrogen doped titania with mixed crystal lattice via microwave-assisted hydrothermal method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang Peilin; Liu Bin; Yin Shu; Wang Yuhua; Petrykin, Valery; Kakihana, Masato; Sato, Tsugio

2009-01-01

A microwave-assisted hydrothermal method was employed to synthesize nitrogen doped titania nanoparticles. Due to the high heating efficiency of microwave, rapid synthesis could be achieved in comparison with the conventional oven. Mixed crystal lattice was found existing in the obtained product, and the phase transformation behaviour under calcination was studied by XRD measurement together with Raman spectroscopy in details. The obtained nitrogen doped titania showed high specific surface area, about 300 m 2 g -1 . Photocatalytic activity in destructing NO x gas by the prepared sample exceeded that of commercial titania (P 25) or nitrogen doped titania synthesized by conventional hydrothermal method, under both visible-light and ultraviolet-light irradiation.

Carbon and nitrogen co-doping self-assembled MoS{sub 2} multilayer films

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhang, Xiaoqin [State Key Laboratory of Solid Lubrication, Lanzhou Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000 (China); School of Materials Science and Engineering, Lanzhou University of Technology, Lanzhou 730050 (China); Xu, Jiao; Chai, Liqiang [State Key Laboratory of Solid Lubrication, Lanzhou Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000 (China); He, Tengfei [State Key Laboratory of Solid Lubrication, Lanzhou Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000 (China); School of Materials Science and Engineering, Lanzhou University of Technology, Lanzhou 730050 (China); Yu, Fucheng [School of Materials Science and Engineering, Lanzhou University of Technology, Lanzhou 730050 (China); Wang, Peng, E-mail: pengwang@licp.cas.cn [State Key Laboratory of Solid Lubrication, Lanzhou Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000 (China)

2017-06-01

Highlights: • Mo–S–C–N composite films were synthesized by using reactive magnetron sputtering. • A self-assembled multilayer structure with periodicity in the nanometer scale was formed in the composite film. • The hardness of Mo–S–C–N film deposited at optimized parameter reaches up to 9.76 GPa. • The wear rate of deposited Mo–S–C–N film both in vacuum and ambient atmosphere decreases dramatically. - Abstract: Mo–S–C–N composite films were prepared using reactive magnetron sputtering of graphite and MoS{sub 2} targets in argon and nitrogen atmospheres. The effects of carbon/nitrogen co-doping and carbon concentration on the composition, microstructure, mechanical and tribological properties of deposited films have been investigated by various characterization techniques. The results show that the deposited films comprise MoS{sub 2} nanocrystalline and amorphous carbon, and the incorporating nitrogen forms Mo-N and C–N chemical bonds. Increasing carbon concentration leads to the increase of sp{sup 2} carbon fraction in the films. Furthermore, the high-resolution transmission electron microscopy reveals that a self-assembled multilayer structure with periodicity in the nanometer scale is formed in the Mo–S–C–N film. Benefiting from the composite and self-assembled multilayer structures, the hardness of Mo–S–C–N film deposited at optimized parameter reaches up to 9.76 GPa, and corresponding friction experiment indicates that this composite films display low friction coefficient and high wear resistance both in vacuum and ambient air conditions.

Ge nitride formation in N-doped amorphous Ge2Sb2Te5

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jung, M.-C.; Lee, Y. M.; Kim, H.-D.; Kim, M. G.; Shin, H. J.; Kim, K. H.; Song, S. A.; Jeong, H. S.; Ko, C. H.; Han, M.

2007-01-01

The chemical state of N in N-doped amorphous Ge 2 Sb 2 Te 5 (a-GST) samples with 0-14.3 N at. % doping concentrations was investigated by high-resolution x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (HRXPS) and Ge K-edge x-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS). HRXPS showed negligible change in the Te 4d and Sb 4d core-level spectra. In the Ge 3d core-level spectra, a Ge nitride (GeN x ) peak developed at the binding energy of 30.2 eV and increased in intensity as the N-doping concentration increased. Generation of GeN x was confirmed by the Ge K-edge absorption spectra. These results indicate that the N atoms bonded with the Ge atoms to form GeN x , rather than bonding with the Te or Sb atoms. It has been suggested that the formation of Ge nitride results in increased resistance and phase-change temperature

Hierarchical nitrogen doped bismuth niobate architectures: Controllable synthesis and excellent photocatalytic activity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hou, Jungang; Cao, Rui; Wang, Zheng; Jiao, Shuqiang; Zhu, Hongmin

2012-01-01

Graphical abstract: Efficient visible-light-driven photocatalysts of peony-like nitrogen doped Bi 3 NbO 7 hierarchical architectures and silver-layered Bi 3 NbO 7−x Nx heterostructures were successfully synthesized in this discovery. Highlights: ► N-Bi 3 NbO 7 architectures were synthesized via two-step hydrothermal process. ► Electronic structure calculations indicated that N replaced O in samples. ► Growth mechanism is proposed for transformation of nanoparticles to microflowers. ► Excellent activities of N-Bi 3 NbO 7 architectures were obtained for degradation. ► Enhanced photocatalytic performance was observed for Ag/N-Bi 3 NbO 7 architectures. - Abstract: Nitrogen doped bismuth niobate (N-Bi 3 NbO 7 ) hierarchical architectures were synthesized via a facile two-step hydrothermal process. XRD patterns revealed that the defect fluorite-type crystal structure of Bi 3 NbO 7 remained intact upon nitrogen doping. Electron microscopy showed the N-Bi 3 NbO 7 architecture has a unique peony-like spherical superstructure composed of numerous nanosheets. UV–vis spectra indicated that nitrogen doping in the compound results in a red-shift of the absorption edge from 450 nm to 470 nm. XPS indicated that [Bi/Nb]-N bonds were formed by inducing nitrogen to replace a small amount of oxygen in Bi 3 NbO 7−x N x , which is explained by electronic structure calculations including energy band and density of states. Based on observations of architectures formation, a possible growth mechanism was proposed to explain the transformation of polyhedral-like nanoparticles to peony-like microflowers via an Ostwald riping mechanism followed by self-assembly. The N-Bi 3 NbO 7 architectures due to the large specific surface area and nitrogen doping exhibited higher photocatalytic activities in the decomposition of organic pollutant under visible-light irradiation than Bi 3 NbO 7 nanoparticles. Furthermore, an enhanced photocatalytic performance was also observed for Ag

Investigation of fluorine adsorption on nitrogen doped MgAl_2O_4 surface by first-principles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lv, Xiaojun; Xu, Zhenming; Li, Jie; Chen, Jiangan; Liu, Qingsheng

2016-01-01

Graphical abstract: First-principles calculations indicate that MgAl_2O_4 surface is fluorine-loving, but hydrophobic. N doped MgAl_2O_4 (100) surface structure shows the highest fluorine adsorption performance and fluorine atom is more preferentially adsorbed on the Mg-Al bridge site. The fluorine adsorption intensity follow this order: N doped MgAl_2O_4 (100) > Al_2O_3 (0001) > MgAl_2O_4 (100) > MgO (100). N doped MgAl_2O_4 is a promising candidate for fluorine removal. - Highlights: • MgAl_2O_4 surface is fluorine-loving, not hydrophilic. • Fluorine preferentially adsorbs on the Mg-Al bridge site. • Adsorption intensity follow this order: N doped MgAl_2O_4 > Al_2O_3 > MgAl_2O_4 > MgO. • Excellent adsorption performance attributes to electron compensation of N atom. • Nitrogen doped MgAl_2O_4 is a promising candidate for fluorine removal. - Abstract: The nature of fluorine adsorption on pure and N doped MgAl_2O_4 surface has been investigated by first-principles calculations based on the density functional theory. Calculated results indicate that MgAl_2O_4 surface is fluorine-loving, not hydrophilic. Nitrogen doped MgAl_2O_4 (100) surface shows the highest fluorine adsorption performance and fluorine atom preferentially adsorbs on the Mg-Al bridge site. The fluorine adsorption intensity follow this order: Nitrogen doped MgAl_2O_4 (100) > Al_2O_3 (0001) > MgAl_2O_4 (100) > MgO (100). In-depth PDOS analysis suggested that 2p orbitals of F atom strongly hybridized with 3s- and 3p-orbitals of Al atom contribute to its high adsorption intensity. According to the analysis of Hirshfeld charge, the excellent fluorine adsorption performance of nitrogen doped MgAl_2O_4 attributes to the electron compensation effect of nitrogen atom and strong electrostatic interactions. All these evidences demonstrate a fact nitrogen doped MgAl_2O_4 is a promising candidate for fluorine removal.

Effect of metal doping on structural characteristics of amorphous carbon system: A first-principles study

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Li, Xiaowei; Zhang, Dong [Key Laboratory of Marine Materials and Related Technologies, Key Laboratory of Marine Materials and Protective Technologies of Zhejiang Province, Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Ningbo 315201 (China); Lee, Kwang-Ryeol, E-mail: krlee@kist.re.kr [Computational Science Center, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Seoul 136-791 (Korea, Republic of); Wang, Aiying, E-mail: aywang@nimte.ac.cn [Key Laboratory of Marine Materials and Related Technologies, Key Laboratory of Marine Materials and Protective Technologies of Zhejiang Province, Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Ningbo 315201 (China)

2016-05-31

First-principles calculation was performed to investigate the effect of metal doping on the structural characteristics of amorphous carbon system, and the 3d transition metals (TM) were particularly selected as representative case. Results showed that the total energy in TM–C systems caused by distorting the bond angles was reduced distinctly for comparison with that in C–C system. Further electronic structure revealed that as the 3d electrons of doped TM increased, the bond characteristic of highest occupied molecular orbital changed from bonding (Sc, Ti) to nonbonding (V, Cr, Mn, Fe) and finally to antibonding (Co, Ni, Cu) between the TM and C atoms. Meanwhile, the TM–C bond presented a mixture of the covalent and ionic characters. The decrease of strength and directionality of TM–C bonds resulted in the total energy change upon bond angle distortion, which demonstrated that the bond characteristics played an important role in reducing residual stress of TM-doped amorphous carbon systems. - Highlights: • The bond characteristics as 3d electrons changed from bonding, nonbonding to antibonding. • The TM–C bond was a mixture of covalent and ionic characters. • Reduced strength and directionality of TM–C bond led to small distortion energy change. • The weak TM–C bond accounted for the reduced compressive stress caused by TM.

Tuning the Photoluminescence of Graphene Quantum Dots by Photochemical Doping with Nitrogen

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xiaofen Xu

2017-11-01

Full Text Available Nitrogen-doped graphene quantum dots (NGQDs were synthesized by irradiating graphene quantum dots (GQDs in an NH3 atmosphere. The photoluminescence (PL properties of the GQDs and the NGQDs samples were investigated. Compared with GQDs, a clear PL blue-shift of NGQDs could be achieved by regulating the irradiating time. The NGQDs obtained by irradiation of GQDs for 70 min had a high N content of 15.34 at % and a PL blue-shift of about 47 nm. This may be due to the fact that photochemical doping of GQDs with nitrogen can significantly enhance the contents of pyridine-like nitrogen, and also effectively decrease the contents of oxygen functional groups of NGQDs, thus leading to the observed obvious PL blue-shift.

Nitrogen doping in atomic layer deposition grown titanium dioxide films by using ammonium hydroxide

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kaeaeriaeinen, M.-L., E-mail: marja-leena.kaariainen@lut.fi; Cameron, D.C.

2012-12-30

Titanium dioxide films have been created by atomic layer deposition using titanium chloride as the metal source and a solution of ammonium hydroxide in water as oxidant. Ammonium hydroxide has been used as a source of nitrogen for doping and three thickness series have been deposited at 350 Degree-Sign C. A 15 nm anatase dominated film was found to possess the highest photocatalytic activity in all film series. Furthermore almost three times better photocatalytic activity was discovered in the doped series compared to undoped films. The doped films also had lower resistivity. The results from X-ray photoemission spectroscopy showed evidence for interstitial nitrogen in the titanium dioxide structure. Besides, there was a minor red shift observable in the thickest samples. In addition the film conductivity was discovered to increase with the feeding pressure of ammonium hydroxide in the oxidant precursor. This may indicate that nitrogen doping has caused the decrease in the resistivity and therefore has an impact as an enhanced photocatalytic activity. The hot probe test showed that all the anatase or anatase dominant films were p-type and all the rutile dominant films were n-type. The best photocatalytic activity was shown by anatase-dominant films containing a small amount of rutile. It may be that p-n-junctions are formed between p-type anatase and n-type rutile which cause carrier separation and slow down the recombination rate. The combination of nitrogen doping and p-n junction formation results in superior photocatalytic performance. - Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer We found all N-doped and undoped anatase dominating films p-type. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer We found all N-doped and undoped rutile dominating films n-type. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer We propose that p-n junctions are formed in anatase-rutile mixture films. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer We found that low level N-doping has increased TiO{sub 2} conductivity. Black

Application of nitrogen-doped TiO{sub 2} nano-tubes in dye-sensitized solar cells

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tran, Vy Anh; Truong, Trieu Thinh; Phan, Thu Anh Pham; Nguyen, Trang Ngoc [Faculty of Chemistry, University of Science, Vietnam National University, Ho Chi Minh City (Viet Nam); Huynh, Tuan Van [Faculty of Physics and Engineering Physics, University of Science, Vietnam National University, Ho Chi Minh City (Viet Nam); Agresti, Antonio; Pescetelli, Sara [CHOSE (Centre for Hybrid and Organic Solar Energy), Department of Electronic Engineering, University of Rome Tor Vergata (Italy); Le, Tien Khoa [Faculty of Chemistry, University of Science, Vietnam National University, Ho Chi Minh City (Viet Nam); Di Carlo, Aldo [CHOSE (Centre for Hybrid and Organic Solar Energy), Department of Electronic Engineering, University of Rome Tor Vergata (Italy); Lund, Torben [Department of Science and Environment, Roskilde University, DK-4000 (Denmark); Le, So-Nhu [Faculty of Chemistry, University of Science, Vietnam National University, Ho Chi Minh City (Viet Nam); Nguyen, Phuong Tuyet, E-mail: ngtuyetphuong@gmail.com [Faculty of Chemistry, University of Science, Vietnam National University, Ho Chi Minh City (Viet Nam)

2017-03-31

Highlights: • N-doped TiO{sub 2} nanotubes are synthesized by alkaline hydrothermal and reflux method. • Formation of TiO{sub 2} nanotube morphology and anatase phase is shown by TEM, XRD, Raman. • Coordination of NH{sub 4}{sup +} via Ti−O−NH{sub 4}{sup +} or H{sub 4}N{sup +}−Ti−O bonds is indicated by FT-IR and XPS. • Blocking effect of N-doped toward electron transfer on TiO{sub 2} anode is studied by CV. • N-doped TiO{sub 2} improved DSC performance up to 30–40% mainly due to an increase in J{sub sc}. - Abstract: Our research aimed to improve the overall energy conversion efficiency of DSCs by applying nitrogen-doped TiO{sub 2} nano-tubes (N-TNT) for the preparation of DSCs photo-anodes. The none-doped TiO{sub 2} nano-tubes (TNTs) were synthesized by alkaline hydrothermal treatment of Degussa P25 TiO{sub 2} particles in 10 M NaOH. The nano-tubes were N-doped by reflux in various concentrations of NH{sub 4}NO{sub 3}. The effects of nitrogen doping on the structure, morphology, and crystallography of N-TNT were analyzed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), infrared spectroscopy (IR), Raman spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectra (XPS). DSCs fabricated with doped N-TNT and TNT was characterized by J-V measurements. Results showed that nitrogen doping significantly enhanced the efficiency of N-TNT cells, reaching the optimum value (η = 7.36%) with 2 M nitrogen dopant, compared to η = 4.75% of TNT cells. The high efficiency of the N-TNT cells was attributed to increased current density due to the reduction of dark current in the DSCs.

High capacity and high rate capability of nitrogen-doped porous hollow carbon spheres for capacitive deionization

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhao, Shanshan; Yan, Tingting; Wang, Hui; Chen, Guorong; Huang, Lei; Zhang, Jianping; Shi, Liyi; Zhang, Dengsong

2016-01-01

Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • The nitrogen-doped porous hollow carbon spheres were prepared. • The obtained materials have a good capacitive deionization performance. • The electrodes show high salt adsorption rate and good regeneration performance. - Abstract: In this work, nitrogen-doped porous hollow carbon spheres (N-PHCS) were well prepared by using polystyrene (PS) spheres as hard templates and dopamine hydrochloride as carbon and nitrogen sources. Field emission scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images demonstrate that the N-PHCS have a uniform, spherical and hollow structure. Nitrogen adsorption–desorption analysis shows that the N-PHCS have a high specific area of 512 m 2 /g. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy result reveals that the nitrogen doping amount is 2.92%. The hollow and porous structure and effective nitrogen doping can contribute to large accessible surface area, efficient ion transport and good conductivity. In the electrochemical tests, we can conclude that the N-PHCS have a high specific capacitance value, a good stability and low inner resistance. The N-PHCS electrodes present a high salt adsorption capacity of 12.95 mg/g at a cell voltage of 1.4 V with a flow rate of 40 mL/min in a 500 mg/L NaCl aqueous solution. Moreover, the N-PHCS electrodes show high salt adsorption rate and good regeneration performance in the CDI process. With high surface specific area and effective nitrogen doping, the N-PHCS is promising to the CDI and other electrochemical applications.

High capacity and high rate capability of nitrogen-doped porous hollow carbon spheres for capacitive deionization

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhao, Shanshan; Yan, Tingting; Wang, Hui; Chen, Guorong; Huang, Lei; Zhang, Jianping; Shi, Liyi; Zhang, Dengsong, E-mail: dszhang@shu.edu.cn

2016-04-30

Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • The nitrogen-doped porous hollow carbon spheres were prepared. • The obtained materials have a good capacitive deionization performance. • The electrodes show high salt adsorption rate and good regeneration performance. - Abstract: In this work, nitrogen-doped porous hollow carbon spheres (N-PHCS) were well prepared by using polystyrene (PS) spheres as hard templates and dopamine hydrochloride as carbon and nitrogen sources. Field emission scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images demonstrate that the N-PHCS have a uniform, spherical and hollow structure. Nitrogen adsorption–desorption analysis shows that the N-PHCS have a high specific area of 512 m{sup 2}/g. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy result reveals that the nitrogen doping amount is 2.92%. The hollow and porous structure and effective nitrogen doping can contribute to large accessible surface area, efficient ion transport and good conductivity. In the electrochemical tests, we can conclude that the N-PHCS have a high specific capacitance value, a good stability and low inner resistance. The N-PHCS electrodes present a high salt adsorption capacity of 12.95 mg/g at a cell voltage of 1.4 V with a flow rate of 40 mL/min in a 500 mg/L NaCl aqueous solution. Moreover, the N-PHCS electrodes show high salt adsorption rate and good regeneration performance in the CDI process. With high surface specific area and effective nitrogen doping, the N-PHCS is promising to the CDI and other electrochemical applications.

Nitrogen-doped carbon capsules via poly(ionic liquid)-based layer-by-layer assembly.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Qiang; Fellinger, Tim-Patrick; Antonietti, Markus; Yuan, Jiayin

2012-07-13

Layer-by-layer (LbL) assembly technique is applied for the first time for the preparation of nitrogen-doped carbon capsules. This approach uses colloid silica as template and two polymeric deposition components, that is, poly(ammonium acrylate) and a poly (ionic liquid) poly(3-cyanomethyl-1-vinylimidazolium bromide), which acts as both the carbon precursor and nitrogen source. Nitrogen-doped carbon capsules are prepared successfully by polymer wrapping, subsequent carbonization and template removal. The as-synthesized carbon capsules contain ≈7 wt% of nitrogen and have a structured specific surface area of 423 m(2) g(-1). Their application as supercapacitor has been briefly introduced. This work proves that LbL assembly methodology is available for preparing carbon structures of complex morphology. Copyright © 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Structural properties of nitrogenated amorphous carbon films: Influence of deposition temperature and radiofrequency discharge power

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lazar, G.; Bouchet-Fabre, B.; Zellama, K.; Clin, M.; Ballutaud, D.; Godet, C.

2008-01-01

The structural properties of nitrogenated amorphous carbon deposited by radiofrequency magnetron sputtering of graphite in pure N 2 plasma are investigated as a function of the substrate temperature and radiofrequency discharge power. The film composition is derived from x-ray photoemission spectroscopy, nuclear reaction analysis and elastic recoil detection measurements and the film microstructure is discussed using infrared, Raman, x-ray photoemission and near edge x-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopic results. At low deposition temperature and low radiofrequency power, the films are soft, porous, and easily contaminated with water vapor and other atmospheric components. The concentration of nitrogen in the films is very large for low deposition temperatures (∼33.6 at. % N at 150 deg. C) but decreases strongly when the synthesis temperature increases (∼15 at. % N at 450 deg. C). With increasing deposition temperature and discharge power values, the main observed effects in amorphous carbon nitride alloys are a loss of nitrogen atoms, a smaller hydrogen and oxygen contamination related to the film densification, an increased order of the aromatic sp 2 phase, and a strong change in the nitrogen distribution within the carbon matrix. Structural changes are well correlated with modifications of the optical and transport properties

Enhancement of tributyltin degradation under natural light by N-doped TiO2 photocatalyst

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bangkedphol, S.; Keenan, H.E.; Davidson, C.M.; Sakultantimetha, A.; Sirisaksoontorn, W.; Songsasen, A.

2010-01-01

Photo-degradation of tributyltin (TBT) has been enhanced by TiO 2 nanoparticles doped with nitrogen (N-doped TiO 2 ). The N-doped catalyst was prepared by a sol-gel reaction of titanium (IV) tetraisopropoxide with 25% ammonia solution and calcined at various temperatures from 300 to 600 deg. C. X-ray diffraction results showed that N-doped TiO 2 remained amorphous at 300 deg. C. At 400 deg. C the anatase phase occurred then transformed to the rutile phase at 600 deg. C. The crystallite size calculated from Scherrer's equation was in the range of 16-51 nm which depended on the calcination temperature. N-doped TiO 2 calcined at 400 deg. C which contained 0.054% nitrogen, demonstrated the highest photocatalytic degradation of TBT at 28% in 3 h under natural light when compared with undoped TiO 2 and commercial photocatalyst, P25-TiO 2 which gave 14.8 and 18% conversion, respectively.

Defect-induced Catalysis toward the Oxygen Reduction Reaction in Single-walled Carbon Nanotube: Nitrogen doped and Non-nitrogen doped

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lu, Di; Wu, Dan; Jin, Jian; Chen, Liwei

2016-01-01

Single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) are post-treated by argon (Ar) or ammonia (NH 3 ) plasma irradiation to introduce defects that are potentially related to catalysis towards the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). Electrochemical characterization in alkali medium suggests that the plasma irradiated SWNTs demonstrate enhanced catalytic activity toward the ORR with a positively shifted threshold potential. Moreover the enhanced desired four-electron pathway catalytic activity, which exhibited as the positive shifted threshold potential, is independent of the nitrogen dopant. The nature of the defects is probed with Raman and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The results indicate that the non-nitrogen doped defects of SWNTs contribute to the actual active site for the ORR.

Hierarchical porous nitrogen-doped partial graphitized carbon monoliths for supercapacitor

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yu, Yifeng; Du, Juan; Liu, Lei; Wang, Guoxu; Zhang, Hongliang; Chen, Aibing, E-mail: chen-ab@163.com [Hebei University of Science and Technology, College of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Engineering (China)

2017-03-15

Porous carbon monoliths have attracted great interest in many fields due to their easy availability, large specific surface area, desirable electronic conductivity, and tunable pore structure. In this work, hierarchical porous nitrogen-doped partial graphitized carbon monoliths (N–MC–Fe) with ordered mesoporous have been successfully synthesized by using resorcinol-formaldehyde as precursors, iron salts as catalyst, and mixed triblock copolymers as templates via a one-step hydrothermal method. In the reactant system, hexamethylenetetramine (HMT) is used as nitrogen source and one of the carbon precursors under hydrothermal conditions instead of using toxic formaldehyde. The N–MC–Fe show hierarchically porous structures, with interconnected macroporous and ordered hexagonally arranged mesoporous. Nitrogen element is in situ doped into carbon through decomposition of HMT. Iron catalyst is helpful to improve the graphitization degree and pore volume of N–MC–Fe. The synthesis strategy is user-friendly, cost-effective, and can be easily scaled up for production. As supercapacitors, the N–MC–Fe show good capacity with high specific capacitance and good electrochemical stability.

Reduction Expansion Synthesis as Strategy to Control Nitrogen Doping Level and Surface Area in Graphene

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Russell Canty

2015-10-01

Full Text Available Graphene sheets doped with nitrogen were produced by the reduction-expansion (RES method utilizing graphite oxide (GO and urea as precursor materials. The simultaneous graphene generation and nitrogen insertion reactions are based on the fact that urea decomposes upon heating to release reducing gases. The volatile byproducts perform two primary functions: (i promoting the reduction of the GO and (ii providing the nitrogen to be inserted in situ as the graphene structure is created. Samples with diverse urea/GO mass ratios were treated at 800 °C in inert atmosphere to generate graphene with diverse microstructural characteristics and levels of nitrogen doping. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM and transmission electron microscopy (TEM were used to study the microstructural features of the products. The effects of doping on the samples structure and surface area were studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD, Raman Spectroscopy, and Brunauer Emmet Teller (BET. The GO and urea decomposition-reduction process as well as nitrogen-doped graphene stability were studied by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA coupled with mass spectroscopy (MS analysis of the evolved gases. Results show that the proposed method offers a high level of control over the amount of nitrogen inserted in the graphene and may be used alternatively to control its surface area. To demonstrate the practical relevance of these findings, as-produced samples were used as electrodes in supercapacitor and battery devices and compared with conventional, thermally exfoliated graphene.

Carbonization-dependent nitrogen-doped hollow porous carbon nanospheres synthesis and electrochemical study for supercapacitors

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, Lingyun; Xie, Guohong; Chen, Xiling

2018-05-01

In this paper, a nitrogen-doped hollow microporous carbon nanospheres was synthesized via the combination of hyper-crosslinking mediated self-assembly and further pyrolysis using polylactide-b-polystyrene (PLA-b-PS) copolymers and aniline monomers as precursor. The pore structure and the correlative electrochemical performance of nitrogen-doped hollow microporous carbon nanospheres were affected by the molar mass ratio of aniline and PS in block copolymers and the carbonization conditions. The electrochemical measurements results showed that the obtained PLA150-PS250-N4-900-10H sample with nitrogen content of 3.57% and the BET surface area of 945 m2 g-1 displays the best capacitance performance. At a current density of 1.0 Ag-1, the resultant specific capacitance is 250 Fg-1. In addition, it also exhibits high capacitance retention of 98% after charging-discharging 1500 times at 25 Ag-1. The results demonstrate the nitrogen-doped hollow microporous carbon nanospheres can be used as promising supercapacitor electrode materials for high performance energy storage devices.

Ultraviolet electroluminescence from nitrogen-doped ZnO-based heterojuntion light-emitting diodes prepared by remote plasma in situ atomic layer-doping technique.

Science.gov (United States)

Chien, Jui-Fen; Liao, Hua-Yang; Yu, Sheng-Fu; Lin, Ray-Ming; Shiojiri, Makoto; Shyue, Jing-Jong; Chen, Miin-Jang

2013-01-23

Remote plasma in situ atomic layer doping technique was applied to prepare an n-type nitrogen-doped ZnO (n-ZnO:N) layer upon p-type magnesium-doped GaN (p-GaN:Mg) to fabricate the n-ZnO:N/p-GaN:Mg heterojuntion light-emitting diodes. The room-temperature electroluminescence exhibits a dominant ultraviolet peak at λ ≈ 370 nm from ZnO band-edge emission and suppressed luminescence from GaN, as a result of the decrease in electron concentration in ZnO and reduced electron injection from n-ZnO:N to p-GaN:Mg because of the nitrogen incorporation. The result indicates that the in situ atomic layer doping technique is an effective approach to tailoring the electrical properties of materials in device applications.

Cysteine detection using a high-fluorescence sensor based on a nitrogen-doped graphene quantum dot–mercury(II) system

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Liu, Zhenzhen; Gong, Yan; Fan, Zhefeng, E-mail: zhefengfan@126.com

2016-07-15

A novel and highly sensitive fluorescence sensor, which was based on the recovered fluorescence of a nitrogen-doped graphene quantum dot–Hg(II) system, was developed for cysteine detection. An easy, green, one-pot synthesis of nitrogen-doped graphene quantum dots was established by using citric acid and urea as carbon and nitrogen sources, respectively. The fluorescence of nitrogen-doped graphene quantum dots was significantly quenched by Hg(II) because of the efficient electron transfer between nitrogen-doped graphene quantum dots and Hg(II). Subsequently, fluorescence was recovered gradually upon cysteine addition to form a stable complex with Hg(II). The fluorescence sensor showed a response to cysteine within a wide concentration range of 0.05–30 μmol L{sup −1}, with a detection limit of 1.3 nmol L{sup −1}. The sensor was successfully applied to detect cysteine in honey and beer samples, with a recovery range of 98–105%.

Cysteine detection using a high-fluorescence sensor based on a nitrogen-doped graphene quantum dot–mercury(II) system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu, Zhenzhen; Gong, Yan; Fan, Zhefeng

2016-01-01

A novel and highly sensitive fluorescence sensor, which was based on the recovered fluorescence of a nitrogen-doped graphene quantum dot–Hg(II) system, was developed for cysteine detection. An easy, green, one-pot synthesis of nitrogen-doped graphene quantum dots was established by using citric acid and urea as carbon and nitrogen sources, respectively. The fluorescence of nitrogen-doped graphene quantum dots was significantly quenched by Hg(II) because of the efficient electron transfer between nitrogen-doped graphene quantum dots and Hg(II). Subsequently, fluorescence was recovered gradually upon cysteine addition to form a stable complex with Hg(II). The fluorescence sensor showed a response to cysteine within a wide concentration range of 0.05–30 μmol L −1 , with a detection limit of 1.3 nmol L −1 . The sensor was successfully applied to detect cysteine in honey and beer samples, with a recovery range of 98–105%.

Electrical properties of MOS structures on nitrogen-doped Czochralski-grown silicon: A positron annihilation study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Slugen, V.; Harmatha, L.; Tapajna, M.; Ballo, P.; Pisecny, P.; Sik, J.; Koegel, G.; Krsjak, V.

2006-01-01

Measurements of interface trap density, effective generation lifetime (GL) and effective surface generation velocity have been performed using different methods on selected MOS structures prepared on nitrogen-doped Czochralski-grown (NCz) silicon. The application of the positron annihilation technique using a pulsed low energy positron system (PLEPS) focused on the detection of nitrogen-related defects in NCz silicon in the near surface region. In the case of p-type Cz silicon, all the results could be used for the testing of homogeneity. In n-type Cz silicon, positron annihilation was found insensitive to nitrogen doping

Structure of inorganic phosphorus-nitrogen tetrahedral compounds

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vitola, A.; Ronis, J.; Avotins, V.; Millers, T.

1997-01-01

The structure analysis of phosphorus-nitrogen compounds has shown the possibility of the P(O,N) 4 tetrahedra to form various kinds of structures. The wide spectrum of the properties determined by the diversity of structures marks the considerable promise to the future application of phosphorus-nitrogen compounds

In situ self-sacrificed template synthesis of vanadium nitride/nitrogen-doped graphene nanocomposites for electrochemical capacitors.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Hong-Hui; Zhang, Hong-Ling; Xu, Hong-Bin; Lou, Tai-Ping; Sui, Zhi-Tong; Zhang, Yi

2018-03-15

Vanadium nitride and graphene have been widely used as pseudo-capacitive and electric double-layer capacitor electrode materials for electrochemical capacitors, respectively. However, the poor cycling stability of vanadium nitride and the low capacitance of graphene impeded their practical applications. Herein, we demonstrated an in situ self-sacrificed template method for the synthesis of vanadium nitride/nitrogen-doped graphene (VN/NGr) nanocomposites by the pyrolysis of a mixture of dicyandiamide, glucose, and NH 4 VO 3 . Vanadium nitride nanoparticles of the size in the range of 2 to 7 nm were uniformly embedded into the nitrogen-doped graphene skeleton. Furthermore, the VN/NGr nanocomposites with a high specific surface area and pore volume showed a high specific capacitance of 255 F g -1 at 10 mV s -1 , and an excellent cycling stability (94% capacitance retention after 2000 cycles). The excellent capacitive properties were ascribed to the excellent conductivity of nitrogen-doped graphene, high surface area, high pore volume, and the synergistic effect between vanadium nitride and nitrogen-doped graphene.

Electrical and optical properties of nitrogen doped SnO2 thin films deposited on flexible substrates by magnetron sputtering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fang, Feng; Zhang, Yeyu; Wu, Xiaoqin; Shao, Qiyue; Xie, Zonghan

2015-01-01

Graphical abstract: The best SnO 2 :N TCO film: about 80% transmittance and 9.1 × 10 −4 Ω cm. - Highlights: • Nitrogen-doped tin oxide film was deposited on PET by RF-magnetron sputtering. • Effects of oxygen partial pressure on the properties of thin films were investigated. • For SnO 2 :N film, visible light transmittance was 80% and electrical resistivity was 9.1 × 10 −4 Ω cm. - Abstract: Nitrogen-doped tin oxide (SnO 2 :N) thin films were deposited on flexible polyethylene terephthalate (PET) substrates at room temperature by RF-magnetron sputtering. Effects of oxygen partial pressure (0–4%) on electrical and optical properties of thin films were investigated. Experimental results showed that SnO 2 :N films were amorphous state, and O/Sn ratios of SnO 2 :N films were deviated from the standard stoichiometry 2:1. Optical band gap of SnO 2 :N films increased from approximately 3.10 eV to 3.42 eV as oxygen partial pressure increased from 0% to 4%. For SnO 2 :N thin films deposited on PET, transmittance was about 80% in the visible light region. The best transparent conductive oxide (TCO) deposited on flexible PET substrates was SnO 2 :N thin films preparing at 2% oxygen partial pressure, the transmittance was about 80% and electrical conductivity was about 9.1 × 10 −4 Ω cm

Green synthesis of sulfur- and nitrogen-co-doped carbon dots using ionic liquid as a precursor and their application in Hg2+ detection

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhuo, Kelei; Sun, Dong; Xu, Panpan; Wang, Chunfeng; Cao, Yingying; Chen, Yujuan; Liu, Jianming

2017-01-01

A facile and environment-friendly method was developed to synthesize sulfur- and nitrogen-co-doped carbon dots (S/N-CDs) via one step hydrothermal treatment of 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium 2-amino-3-mercaptopropionic acid salt ionic liquid and polyethylene glycol. It was found that the prepared S/N-CDs were nearly spherical nanoparticles. And then the size of the as-prepared S/N-CDs became smaller with the extension of reaction time, the amorphous carbon was gradually transformed into a crystal structure of carbon dots and a higher reaction temperature favors the formation of carbon dots with higher quantum yields. It was also found that sulfur atoms in the S/N-CDs change the surface structures of CDs to some extent. Higher quantum yield of the S/N-CDs should attribute to the synergistic effect of co-doped nitrogen and sulfur atoms. The S/N-CDs display stable and strong florescence, high water solubility, excitation-dependent emission behavior, particularly the up-conversion photoluminescence performance. Furthermore, the as-prepared S/N-CDs were used as a sensitive probe for Hg 2+ detection in aqueous solutions, with high selectivity and sensitivity. Particularly, the detection limit could reach as low as 0.6 nM (S/N=3).

Defect-meditated efficient catalytic activity toward p-nitrophenol reduction: A case study of nitrogen doped calcium niobate system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Su, Yiguo; Huang, Shushu; Wang, Tingting; Peng, Liman; Wang, Xiaojing

2015-01-01

Graphical abstract: A series of nitrogen doped Ca 2 Nb 2 O 7 was successfully prepared via ion-exchange method, which was found to be an efficient and green noble-metal-free catalyst toward catalytic reduction of p-nitrophenol. - Highlights: • Nitrogen doped Ca 2 Nb 2 O 7 was found to be an efficient and green noble-metal-free catalyst toward catalytic reduction of p-nitrophenol. • Defective nitrogen and oxygen species were found to play synergetic roles in the reduction of p-nitrophenol. • Nitrogen doped Ca 2 Nb 2 O 7 showed photo-synergistic promotion effects toward p-nitrophenol reduction under UV light irradiation. - Abstract: This work reported on the synthesis of a series of nitrogen doped Ca 2 Nb 2 O 7 with tunable nitrogen content that were found to be efficient and green noble-metal-free catalysts toward catalytic reduction of p-nitrophenol. XPS and ESR results indicated that the introduction of nitrogen in Ca 2 Nb 2 O 7 gave rise to a large number of defective nitrogen and oxygen species. Defective nitrogen and oxygen species were found to play synergetic roles in the reduction of p-nitrophenol. The underlying mechanism is completely different from those reported for metallic nanoparticles. Moreover, the more negative conduction band edge potential enabled nitrogen doped Ca 2 Nb 2 O 7 to show photo-synergistic effects that could accelerate the reduction rate toward p-nitrophenol under UV light irradiation. This work may provide a strategy for tuning the catalytic performance by modulating the chemical composition, electronic structure as well as surface defect chemistry

Well-dispersed NiO nanoparticles supported on nitrogen-doped carbon nanotube for methanol electrocatalytic oxidation in alkaline media

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wang, Pengcheng; Zhou, Yingke, E-mail: zhouyk888@hotmail.com; Hu, Min; Chen, Jian

2017-01-15

Highlights: • Nitrogen-doped carbon nanotube supporting ultrafine NiO nanoparticles with high dispersity are facile synthesized. • The nitrogen doping, calcination temperature and NiO loading present great effects on the catalyst morphology, structure and electrochemical performance. • NiO-NCNT-3x-400 demonstrates remarkable catalytic activity and stability for the methanol electrolytic oxidation reaction. - Abstract: Nitrogen-doped carbon nanotube supporting NiO nanoparticles were synthesized by a chemical precipitation process coupled with subsequent calcination. The morphology and structure of the composites were characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and the electrochemical performance was evaluated using cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometric technique. The effects of nitrogen doping, calcination temperature and content of NiO nanoparticles on the electrocatalytic activity toward methanol oxidation were systematically studied. The results show that the uniformly dispersed ultrafine NiO nanoparticles supported on nitrogen-doped carbon nanotube are obtained after calcination at 400 °C. The optimized composite catalysts present high electrocatalytic activity, fast charge-transfer process, excellent accessibility and stability for methanol oxidation reaction, which are promising for application in the alkaline direct methanol fuel cells.

Thermal and chemical durability of nitrogen-doped carbon nanotubes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu Hao; Zhang Yong; Li Ruying; Sun Xueliang; Abou-Rachid, Hakima

2012-01-01

Nitrogen-doped carbon nanotubes (CN x tubes) with nitrogen content of 7.6 at.% are synthesized on carbon papers. Thermal and chemical stability of the nanotubes are investigated by thermogravimetric analysis, differential scanning calorimetry and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy techniques. The results indicate that the nitrogen can be firmly kept in the nanotubes after annealing at 300 °C in air. Under an argon atmosphere, the nitrogen would not release until 670 °C, and half of the nitrogen incorporated is released after annealing at 700 °C for 30 min. Chemical stability investigation indicates that the nitrogen incorporated in the nanotubes is very stable under the thermal and acid environment comparable to working condition of proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cells. Profile of the nitrogen species inside the nanotubes reveals that graphite-like nitrogen releases slower than any other kind of nitrogen in the nanotubes during the chemical stability measurement. These CN x tubes synthesized by this simple chemical vapor deposition method are expected to be suitable for many applications, such as PEM fuel cells that work under both thermal and corrosive conditions and some other mild thermal environments.

One-Step Synthesis of Microporous Carbon Monoliths Derived from Biomass with High Nitrogen Doping Content for Highly Selective CO2 Capture

OpenAIRE

Geng, Zhen; Xiao, Qiangfeng; Lv, Hong; Li, Bing; Wu, Haobin; Lu, Yunfeng; Zhang, Cunman

2016-01-01

The one-step synthesis method of nitrogen doped microporous carbon monoliths derived from biomass with high-efficiency is developed using a novel ammonia (NH3)-assisted activation process, where NH3 serves as both activating agent and nitrogen source. Both pore forming and nitrogen doping simultaneously proceed during the process, obviously superior to conventional chemical activation. The as-prepared nitrogen-doped active carbons exhibit rich micropores with high surface area and high nitrog...

Photoconductivity studies on amorphous and crystalline TiO{sub 2} films doped with gold nanoparticles

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Valverde-Aguilar, G.; Garcia-Macedo, J.A. [Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, Departamento de Estado Solido, Instituto de Fisica, Mexico D.F. (Mexico); Renteria-Tapia, V. [Universidad de Guadalajara, Centro Universitario de los Valles, Departamento de Ciencias Naturales y Exactas, Ameca, Jalisco (Mexico); Aguilar-Franco, M. [Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, Departamento de Fisica Quimica, Instituto de Fisica, Mexico D.F. (Mexico)

2011-06-15

In this work, amorphous and crystalline TiO{sub 2} films were synthesized by the sol-gel process at room temperature. The TiO{sub 2} films were doped with gold nanoparticles. The films were spin-coated on glass wafers. The crystalline samples were annealed at 100 C for 30 minutes and sintered at 520 C for 2 h. All films were characterized using X-ray diffraction, transmission electronic microscopy and UV-Vis absorption spectroscopy. Two crystalline phases, anatase and rutile, were formed in the matrix TiO{sub 2} and TiO{sub 2}/Au. An absorption peak was located at 570 nm (amorphous) and 645 nm (anatase). Photoconductivity studies were performed on these films. The experimental data were fitted with straight lines at darkness and under illumination at 515 nm and 645 nm. This indicates an ohmic behavior. Crystalline TiO{sub 2}/Au films are more photoconductive than the amorphous ones. (orig.)

A comparative investigation on the effects of nitrogen-doping into graphene on enhancing the electrochemical performance of SnO2/graphene for sodium-ion batteries.

Science.gov (United States)

Xie, Xiuqiang; Su, Dawei; Zhang, Jinqiang; Chen, Shuangqiang; Mondal, Anjon Kumar; Wang, Guoxiu

2015-02-21

SnO2/nitrogen-doped graphene nanohybrids have been synthesized by an in situ hydrothermal method, during which the formation of SnO2 nanocrystals and nitrogen doping of graphene occur simultaneously. The as-prepared SnO2/nitrogen-doped graphene nanohybrids exhibit enhanced electrochemical performance for sodium-ion batteries compared to SnO2/graphene nanocomposites. A systematic comparison between SnO2/nitrogen-doped graphene nanohybrids and the SnO2/graphene counterpart as anode materials for sodium-ion batteries has been conducted. The comparison is in a reasonable framework, where SnO2/nitrogen-doped graphene nanohybrids and the SnO2/graphene counterpart have the same SnO2 ratio, similar SnO2 crystallinity and particle size, close surface area and pore size. The results clearly manifest that the improved electron transfer efficiency of SnO2/nitrogen-doped graphene due to nitrogen-doping plays a more important role than the increased electro-active sites within graphene network in enhancing the electro-activity of SnO2/nitrogen-doped graphene nanohybrids compared to the SnO2/graphene counterpart. In contrast to the previous reports which often ascribe the enhanced electro-activity of nitrogen-doped graphene based composites to two nitrogen-doping effects (improving the electron transfer efficiency and increasing electro-active sites within graphene networks) in one single declaration, this work is expected to provide more specific information for understanding the effects of nitrogen-doping into graphene on improving the electrochemical performance of graphene based composites.

Atomic-scale study of the amorphous-to-crystalline phase transition mechanism in GeTe thin films

CERN Document Server

Mantovan, R.; Mokhles Gerami, A.; Mølholt, T. E.; Wiemer, C.; Longo, M.; Gunnlaugsson, H. P.; Johnston, K.; Masenda, H.; Naidoo, D.; Ncube, M.; Bharuth-Ram, K.; Fanciulli, M.; Gislason, H. P.; Langouche, G.; Ólafsson, S.; Weyer, G.

The underlying mechanism driving the structural amorphous-to-crystalline transition in Group VI chalcogenides is still a matter of debate even in the simplest GeTe system. We exploit the extreme sensitivity of 57Fe emission Mössbauer spectroscopy, following dilute implantation of 57Mn (T½ = 1.5 min) at ISOLDE/CERN, to study the electronic charge distribution in the immediate vicinity  of the 57Fe probe substituting Ge (FeGe), and to interrogate the local environment of FeGe over the amorphous-crystalline phase transition in GeTe thin films. Our results show that the local structure  of as-sputtered amorphous GeTe is a combination of tetrahedral and defect-octahedral sites. The main effect of the crystallization is the conversion from tetrahedral to defect-free octahedral sites.  We discover that only the tetrahedral fraction in amorphous GeTe participates to the change of the FeGe-Te chemical bond...

Nitrogen-doping effects on the growth, structure and electrical performance of carbon nanotubes obtained by spray pyrolysis method

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ionescu, Mihnea Ioan; Zhang Yong; Li Ruying [Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, University of Western Ontario, London, ON N6A 5B9 (Canada); Abou-Rachid, Hakima [Defense Research and Development Canada - Valcartier, 2459 Boulevard PieXI Nord, Quebec, QC G3J 1X5 (Canada); Sun Xueliang, E-mail: xsun@eng.uwo.ca [Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, University of Western Ontario, London, ON N6A 5B9 (Canada)

2012-03-01

Vertically aligned nitrogen-doped carbon nanotubes (CNTs) with modulated nitrogen content have been synthesized in a large scale by using spray pyrolysis chemical vapor deposition technique. The effects of nitrogen doping on the growth, structure and electrical performance of carbon nanotubes have been systematically examined. Field emission scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and Raman techniques have been employed to characterize the morphology, composition, and vibrational properties of nanotubes. The results indicate that the nitrogen incorporation significantly influences the growth rate, morphology, size and structure of nanotubes. Electrical measurement investigation of the nanotubes indicates that the change in electrical resistance increases with temperature and pressure as the nitrogen concentration increases inside the tubes. This work presents a versatile, safe, and easy way to scale up route of growing carbon nanotubes with controlled nitrogen content and modulated structure, and may provide an insight in developing various nitrogen-doped carbon-based nanodevices.

Novel nitrogen-doped hierarchically porous coralloid carbon materials as host matrixes for lithium–sulfur batteries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yang, Jing; Wang, Shuyuan; Ma, Zhipeng; Du, Zhiling; Li, Chunying; Song, Jianjun; Wang, Guiling; Shao, Guangjie

2015-01-01

Highlights: • Nitrogen-doped hierarchically porous coralloid carbon/sulfur composites were prepared • Nitrogen atoms were introduced to improve electrochemical properties • The intriguing structural features benefited discharge capacity and cycling stability - Abstract: Nitrogen-doped hierarchically porous coralloid carbon/sulfur composites (N-HPCC/S) served as attractive cathode materials for lithium–sulfur (Li–S) batteries were fabricated for the first time. The nitrogen-doped hierarchically porous coralloid carbon (N-HPCC) with an appropriate nitrogen content (1.29 wt%) was synthesized via a facile hydrothermal approach, combined with subsequent carbonization–activation. The N-HPCC/S composites prepared by a simple melt–diffusion method displayed an excellent electrochemical performance. With a high sulfur content (58 wt%) in the total electrode weight, the N-HPCC/S cathode delivered a high initial discharge capacity of 1626.8 mA h g −1 and remained high up to 1086.3 mA h g −1 after 50 cycles at 100 mA g −1 , which is about 1.86 times as that of activated carbon. Particularly, the reversible discharge capacity still maintained 607.2 mA h g −1 after 200 cycles even at a higher rate of 800 mA g −1 . The enhanced electrochemical performance was attributed to the synergetic effect between the intriguing hierarchically porous coralloid structure and appropriate nitrogen doping, which could effectively trap polysulfides, alleviate the volume expansion, enhance the electronic conductivity and improve the surface interaction between the carbon matrix and polysulfides

High rate capability of TiO{sub 2}/nitrogen-doped graphene nanocomposite as an anode material for lithium–ion batteries

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cai, Dandan; Li, Dongdong; Wang, Suqing [School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, South China University of Technology, Wushan Road, Guangzhou (China); Zhu, Xuefeng; Yang, Weishen [State Key Laboratory of Catalysis, Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Dalian (China); Zhang, Shanqing [Centre for Clean Environment and Energy, Environmental Futures Centre and Griffith School of Environment, Gold Coast Campus, Griffith University, QLD 4222 (Australia); Wang, Haihui, E-mail: hhwang@scut.edu.cn [School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, South China University of Technology, Wushan Road, Guangzhou (China)

2013-06-05

Highlights: ► TiO{sub 2}/N-doped graphene composite was synthesized by a gas/liquid interfacial method. ► The nanocomposite was used to fabricate lithium-ion batteries. ► Its electrochemical performance was evaluated for the first time. ► The anode material exhibits a good cycling performance and rate capability. -- Abstract: TiO{sub 2}/nitrogen-doped graphene nanocomposite was synthesized by a facile gas/liquid interface reaction. The structure and morphology of the sample were analyzed by X-ray diffraction analysis, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The results indicate that nitrogen atoms were successfully doped into graphene sheets. The TiO{sub 2} nanoparticles (8–13 nm in size) were homogenously anchored on the nitrogen-doped graphene sheets through gas/liquid interface reaction. The as-prepared TiO{sub 2}/nitrogen-doped graphene nanocomposite shows a better electrochemical performance than the TiO{sub 2}/graphene nanocomposite and the bare TiO{sub 2} nanoparticles. TiO{sub 2}/nitrogen-doped graphene nanocomposite exhibits excellent cycling stability and shows high capacity of 136 mAh g{sup −1} (at a current density of 1000 mA g{sup −1}) after 80 cycles. More importantly, a high reversible capacity of 109 mAh g{sup −1} can still be obtained even at a super high current density of 5000 mA g{sup −1}. The superior electrochemical performance is attributed to the good electronic conductivity introduced by the nitrogen-doped graphene sheets and the positive synergistic effect between nitrogen-doped graphene sheets and TiO{sub 2} nanoparticles.

Thermal grafting of fluorinated molecular monolayers on doped amorphous silicon surfaces

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sabbah, H.; Zebda, A.; Ababou-Girard, S.; Solal, F.; Godet, C.; Conde, J. P.; Chu, V.

2009-01-01

Thermally induced (160-300 deg. C) gas phase grafting of linear alkene molecules (perfluorodecene) was performed on hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) films, either nominally undoped or doped with different boron and phosphorus concentrations. Dense and smooth a-Si:H films were grown using plasma decomposition of silane. Quantitative analysis of in situ x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy indicates the grafting of a single layer of organic molecules. The hydrophobic properties of perfluorodecene-modified surfaces were studied as a function of surface coverage. Annealing experiments in ultrahigh vacuum show the covalent binding and the thermal stability of these immobilized layers up to 370 deg. C; this temperature corresponds to the Si-C bond cleavage temperature. In contrast with hydrogenated crystalline Si(111):H, no heavy wet chemistry surface preparation is required for thermal grafting of alkene molecules on a-Si:H films. A threshold grafting temperature is observed, with a strong dependence on the doping level which produces a large contrast in the molecular coverage for grafting performed at 230 deg. C

The origin of the enhanced performance of nitrogen-doped MoS_2 in lithium ion batteries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu, Qiuhong; Weijun, Xia; Wu, Zhenjun; Huo, Jia; Liu, Dongdong; Wang, Shuangyin; Wang, Qiang

2016-01-01

MoS_2 with a similar layered structure to graphene has been widely applied in various areas including lithium ion batteries. However, low conductivity, capacity fading and poor rate performance are still the main challenges for MoS_2 anode materials. In this work, for the first time, we prepared nitrogen-doped MoS_2 (N-MoS_2) nanosheets through a simple two-step method involving the preparation of MoS_2 with defects by the hydrothermal method, followed by sintering in a NH_3 atmosphere. Our electrochemical characterizations and density functional theory calculations demonstrated that nitrogen doping could enhance the electron conductivity and showed higher specific capacity than pristine MoS_2 as anode materials of lithium ion batteries, which can be attributed to the faster transportation of electrons and ions because of nitrogen doping. This work helps us understand the origin of the enhanced performance of N-doped MoS_2 in lithium ion batteries. (paper)

Half-metallic ferromagnetism in nitrogen - doped ionic insulator (Li2O): a DFT study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Eithiraj, R.D.; Kalpana, G.

2010-01-01

The tight binding linear muffin-tin orbital (TB-LMTO) method, is used to study the electronic structure and magnetism in nitrogen - doped Li 2 O (antifluorite - CaF 2 structure). Total energy calculations show that the antifluorite ferromagnetic state is more stable than the antifluorite non-magnetic state at equilibrium volume. Ground state properties such as equilibrium lattice constant and bulk modulus were calculated. The calculations reveal that non-magnetic impurities can induce stable half-metallic ferromagnetic ground state in Li 2 O. The magnetic moment of nitrogen doped Li 2 O can be tuned over a range between 1.00 μ B and 3.00 μ B by changing the concentration of nitrogen from 25% to 75%. (author)

Short-range order in amorphous thin films of indium selenides

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zakharov, V.P.; Poltavtsev, Yu.G.; Sheremet, G.P.

1982-01-01

A structure of the short-range order and a character of interatomic interactions in indium selenides Insub(1-x)Sesub(x) with 0.333 <= x <= 0.75, obtained in the form of amorphous films 0.05-0.80 μm thick are studied using electron diffraction method. It is found out that mostly tetrahedrical coordination of nearest neighbours in the vicinity of indium atoms is characteristic for studied amorphous films, and coordination of selenium atoms is different. Amorphous film with x=0.75 posesses a considereably microheterogeneous structure of the short-range order, which is characterized by the presence of microunclusions of amorphous selenium and atoms of indium, octohedrically coordinated by selenium atoms

A comparison of nitrogen-doped sonoelectrochemical and chemical graphene nanosheets as hydrogen peroxide sensors.

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Yi-Shan; Liu, Zhe-Ting; Wang, Tzu-Pei; Hsu, Su-Yang; Lee, Chien-Liang

2018-04-01

Nitrogen-doped graphene nanosheet (N-SEGN) with pyrrolic nitrogen and 5-9 vacancy defects has been successfully prepared from a hydrothermal reaction of tetra-2-pyridinylpyrazine and sonoelectrochemistry-exfoliated graphene nanosheet, with point defects. Additionally, based on the same reaction using chemically reduced graphene oxide, nitrogen-doped chemically reduced graphene oxide (N-rGO) with graphitic nitrogen was prepared. The N-SEGN and N-rGO were used as a non-enzymatic H 2 O 2 sensors. The sensitivity of the N-SEGN was 231.3 μA·mM -1 ·cm -2 , much greater than 57.3 μA·mM -1 ·cm -2 of N-rGO. The N-SEGN showed their potential for being a H 2 O 2 sensor. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Methanol electrocatalytic oxidation on Pt nanoparticles on nitrogen doped graphene prepared by the hydrothermal reaction of graphene oxide with urea

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xu, Xiao; Zhou, Yingke; Yuan, Tao; Li, Yawei

2013-01-01

A facile hydrothermal reaction of graphene oxide with urea was used to produce nitrogen doped graphene, and Pt nanoparticles were deposited on the obtained nitrogen doped graphene by the NaBH 4 reduction route. The morphology and microstructure of the synthesized catalysts were characterized by transmission electron microscopy, X-ray powder diffraction and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, while the functional groups on the surface of the catalysts were investigated by the Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and ultraviolet-visible absorption spectra. Cyclic voltammetry, chronoamperometry and electrochemical impedance techniques were carried out to evaluate the methanol electrocatalytic oxidation activity and durability of Pt catalysts supported on the nitrogen doped graphene. The results showed that nitrogen doping and reduction of GO were achieved simultaneously by the facile hydrothermal reaction, which had beneficial effects for the deposition process and electrocatalytic activity of Pt nanoparticles. The Pt catalysts supported on the nitrogen doped graphene substrate presented excellent activity and durability of methanol oxidation reaction, which might be promising for application in direct methanol fuel cells

Biocompatibility and antibacterial activity of nitrogen-doped titanium dioxide nanoparticles for use in dental resin formulations.

Science.gov (United States)

Zane, Andrew; Zuo, Ranfang; Villamena, Frederick A; Rockenbauer, Antal; Digeorge Foushee, Ann Marie; Flores, Kristin; Dutta, Prabir K; Nagy, Amber

The addition of antibacterial functionality to dental resins presents an opportunity to extend their useful lifetime by reducing secondary caries caused by bacterial recolonization. In this study, the potential efficacy of nitrogen-doped titanium dioxide nanoparticles for this purpose was determined. Nitrogen doping was carried out to extend the ultraviolet absorbance into longer wavelength blue light for increased biocompatibility. Titanium dioxide nanoparticles (approximately 20-30 nm) were synthesized with and without nitrogen doping using a sol-gel method. Ultraviolet-Visible spectroscopy indicated a band of trap states, with increasing blue light absorbance as the concentration of the nitrogen dopant increased. Electron paramagnetic resonance measurements indicated the formation of superoxide and hydroxyl radicals upon particle exposure to visible light and oxygen. The particles were significantly toxic to Escherichia coli in a dose-dependent manner after a 1-hour exposure to a blue light source (480 nm). Intracellular reactive oxygen species assay demonstrated that the particles caused a stress response in human gingival epithelial cells when exposed to 1 hour of blue light, though this did not result in detectable release of cytokines. No decrease in cell viability was observed by water-soluble tetrazolium dye assay. The results show that nitrogen-doped titanium dioxide nanoparticles have antibacterial activity when exposed to blue light, and are biocompatible at these concentrations.

The influence of nitrogen implantation on the electrical properties of amorphous IGZO

Science.gov (United States)

Zhan, S. L.; Zhao, M.; Zhuang, D. M.; Fu, E. G.; Cao, M. J.; Guo, L.; Ouyang, L. Q.

2017-09-01

In this study, nitrogen (N) implantation was adopted to regulate the carrier concentration and the Hall mobility of amorphous Indium Gallium Zinc Oxide (a-IGZO) films. The Hall Effect measurement demonstrates that the increase of implantation fluence can decrease the carrier concentration of a-IGZO by three orders to 1016 cm-3, which attributes to the reduction of oxygen defects. The addition of nitrogen atoms can result in the increase of Hall mobility to 9.93 cm2/V s with the subsequent decrease to 6.49 cm2/V s, which reflects the reduction of the average potential barrier height (φ0) to be 22.0 meV with subsequent increase to 74.8 meV in the modified percolation model. The results indicate that nitrogen can serve as an effective p-type dopants and oxygen defect suppressors. N-implantation with an appropriate fluence can effectively improve the Hall mobility and reduce the carrier concentration simultaneously.

Nitrogen-doped graphene network supported copper nanoparticles encapsulated with graphene shells for surface-enhanced Raman scattering

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Xiang; Shi, Chunsheng; Liu, Enzuo; Li, Jiajun; Zhao, Naiqin; He, Chunnian

2015-10-01

In this study, we demonstrated nitrogen-doped graphene network supported few-layered graphene shell encapsulated Cu nanoparticles (NPs) (Cu@G-NGNs) as a sensing platform, which were constructed by a simple and scalable in situ chemical vapor deposition (CVD) technique with the assistance of a self-assembled three-dimensional (3D) NaCl template. Compared with pure Cu NPs and graphene decorated Cu NPs, the graphene shells can strengthen the plasmonic coupling between graphene and Cu, thereby contributing to an obvious improvement in the local electromagnetic field that was validated by finite element numerical simulations, while the 3D nitrogen-doped graphene walls with a large surface area facilitated molecule adsorption and the doped nitrogen atoms embedded in the graphene lattice can reduce the surface energy of the system. With these merits, a good surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) activity of the 3D Cu@G-NGN painting film on glass was demonstrated using rhodamine 6G and crystal violet as model analytes, exhibiting a satisfactory sensitivity, reproducibility and stability. As far as we know, this is the first report on the in situ synthesis of nitrogen-doped graphene/copper nanocomposites and this facile and low-cost Cu-based strategy tends to be a good supplement to Ag and Au based substrates for SERS applications.In this study, we demonstrated nitrogen-doped graphene network supported few-layered graphene shell encapsulated Cu nanoparticles (NPs) (Cu@G-NGNs) as a sensing platform, which were constructed by a simple and scalable in situ chemical vapor deposition (CVD) technique with the assistance of a self-assembled three-dimensional (3D) NaCl template. Compared with pure Cu NPs and graphene decorated Cu NPs, the graphene shells can strengthen the plasmonic coupling between graphene and Cu, thereby contributing to an obvious improvement in the local electromagnetic field that was validated by finite element numerical simulations, while the 3D nitrogen-doped

Mesoporous nitrogen-doped carbon microfibers derived from Mg-biquinoline-dicarboxy compound for efficient oxygen electroreduction

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kong, Aiguo, E-mail: agkong@chem.ecnu.edu.cn [School of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, East China Normal University, 500 Dongchuan Road, Shanghai 200241 (China); Fan, Xiaohong; Chen, Aoling [School of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, East China Normal University, 500 Dongchuan Road, Shanghai 200241 (China); Zhang, Hengiang [School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Hebei Normal University for Nationalities, Chengde 067000 (China); Shan, Yongkui, E-mail: agkong@chem.ecnu.edu.cn [School of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, East China Normal University, 500 Dongchuan Road, Shanghai 200241 (China)

2017-02-15

An in-situ MgO-templating synthesis route was introduced to obtain the mesoporous nitrogen-doped carbon microfibers by thermal conversion of new Mg-2,2′-biquinoline 4,4-dicarboxy acid coordination compound (Mg-DCA) microfibers. The investigated crystal structure of Mg-DCA testified that the assembling of Mg{sup 2+} and DCA through Mg-O coordination bond and hydrogen bond contributed to the formation of one-dimensional (1D) crystalline Mg-DCA microfibers. The nitrogen-doped carbons derived from the pyrolysis of Mg-DCA showed the well-defined microfiber morphology with high mesopore-surface area. Such mesoporous microfibers exhibited the efficient catalytic activity for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in alkaline solutions with better stability and methanol-tolerance performance. - Graphical abstract: Mesoporous nitrogen-doped carbon microfibers with efficient oxygen electroreduction activity were prepared by thermal conversion of new Mg-biquinoline-based coordination compound microfibers.

Investigation of Physical Properties and Electrochemical Behavior of Nitrogen-Doped Diamond-Like Carbon Thin Films

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rattanakorn Saensak

2014-03-01

Full Text Available This work reports characterizations of diamond-like carbon (DLC films used as electrodes for electrochemical applications. DLC thin films are prepared on glass slides and silicon substrates by radio frequency plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (RF-PECVD using a gas mixture of methane and hydrogen. In addition, the DLC films are doped with nitrogen in order to reduce electrical resistivity. Compared to the undoped DLC films, the electrical resistivity of nitrogen-doped (N-doped DLC films is decreased by three orders of magnitude. Raman spectroscopy and UV/Vis spectroscopy analyses show the structural transformation in N-doped DLC films that causes the reduction of band gap energy. Contact angle measurement at N-doped DLC films indicates increased hydrophobicity. The results obtained from the cyclic voltammetry measurements with Fe(CN63-/Fe(CN64- redox species exhibit the correlation between the physical properties and electrochemical behavior of DLC films.

Synthesis of ultrathin nitrogen-doped graphitic carbon nanocages as advanced electrode materials for supercapacitor.

Science.gov (United States)

Tan, Yueming; Xu, Chaofa; Chen, Guangxu; Liu, Zhaohui; Ma, Ming; Xie, Qingji; Zheng, Nanfeng; Yao, Shouzhuo

2013-03-01

Synthesis of nitrogen-doped carbons with large surface area, high conductivity, and suitable pore size distribution is highly desirable for high-performance supercapacitor applications. Here, we report a novel protocol for template synthesis of ultrathin nitrogen-doped graphitic carbon nanocages (CNCs) derived from polyaniline (PANI) and their excellent capacitive properties. The synthesis of CNCs involves one-pot hydrothermal synthesis of Mn3O4@PANI core-shell nanoparticles, carbonization to produce carbon coated MnO nanoparticles, and then removal of the MnO cores by acidic treatment. The CNCs prepared at an optimum carbonization temperature of 800 °C (CNCs-800) have regular frameworks, moderate graphitization, high specific surface area, good mesoporosity, and appropriate N doping. The CNCs-800 show high specific capacitance (248 F g(-1) at 1.0 A g(-1)), excellent rate capability (88% and 76% capacitance retention at 10 and 100 A g(-1), respectively), and outstanding cycling stability (~95% capacitance retention after 5000 cycles) in 6 M KOH aqueous solution. The CNCs-800 can also exhibit great pseudocapacitance in 0.5 M H2SO4 aqueous solution besides the large electrochemical double-layer capacitance. The excellent capacitance performance coupled with the facile synthesis of ultrathin nitrogen-doped graphitic CNCs indicates their great application potential in supercapacitors.

First-principles study of structural and work function properties for nitrogen-doped single-walled carbon nanotubes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shao, Xiji; Li, Detian; Cai, Jianqiu; Luo, Haijun; Dong, Changkun

2016-01-01

Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • Substitutional nitrogen atom doping in capped (5, 5) SWNT is investigated. • Serious defects appear from breaks of C−N bonds with N contents of above 23.3 at.%. • Work function drops after N doping and may reach 4.1 eV. - Abstract: The structural and electronic properties of the capped (5, 5) single-walled carbon nanotube (SWNT), including the structural stability, the work function, and the charge transfer performance, are investigated for the substitutional nitrogen atom doping under different concentrations by first-principles density functional theory. The geometrical structure keeps almost intact with single or two N atom doping, while C−N bonds may break up with serious defects for N concentrations of 23.3 at.% and above. The SWNT remains metallic and the work function drops after doping due to the upward shift of Fermi level, leading to the increase of the electrical conductivity. N doping enhances the oxygen reduction activity stronger than N adsorption because of higher charge transfers.

Amorphous silicon passivation for 23.3% laser processed back contact solar cells

Science.gov (United States)

Carstens, Kai; Dahlinger, Morris; Hoffmann, Erik; Zapf-Gottwick, Renate; Werner, Jürgen H.

2017-08-01

This paper presents amorphous silicon deposited at temperatures below 200 °C, leading to an excellent passivation layer for boron doped emitter and phosphorus doped back surface field areas in interdigitated back contact solar cells. A higher deposition temperature degrades the passivation of the boron emitter by an increased hydrogen effusion due to lower silicon hydrogen bond energy, proved by hydrogen effusion measurements. The high boron surface doping in crystalline silicon causes a band bending in the amorphous silicon. Under these conditions, at the interface, the intentionally undoped amorphous silicon becomes p-type conducting, with the consequence of an increased dangling bond defect density. For bulk amorphous silicon this effect is described by the defect pool model. We demonstrate, that the defect pool model is also applicable to the interface between amorphous and crystalline silicon. Our simulation shows the shift of the Fermi energy towards the valence band edge to be more pronounced for high temperature deposited amorphous silicon having a small bandgap. Application of optimized amorphous silicon as passivation layer for the boron doped emitter and phosphorus doped back surface field on the rear side of laser processed back contact solar cells, fabricated using four laser processing steps, yields an efficiency of 23.3%.

Nitrided FeB amorphous thin films for magneto mechanical systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fernandez-Martinez, I.; Martin-Gonzalez, M.S.; Gonzalez-Arrabal, R.; Alvarez-Sanchez, R.; Briones, F.; Costa-Kraemer, J.L.

2008-01-01

The structural, magnetic and magnetoelastic properties of Fe-B-N amorphous films, sputtered from a Fe 80 B 20 target, in a mixture of argon and nitrogen gas, are studied for different nitrogen partial pressures. Nitrogen incorporates into the film preserving the amorphous structure, and modifying magnetic properties. The amount of nitrogen that incorporates into the amorphous structure is found to scale linearly with the nitrogen partial pressure during film growth. The structure, magnetization, field evolution, magnetic anisotropy and magnetostrictive behaviour are determined for films with different nitrogen content. An ∼20% increase of both the saturation magnetization and the magnetostriction constant values is found for moderate (∼8%) nitrogen content when compared to those for pure Fe 80 B 20 amorphous films. These improved properties, together with the still low coercivity of the amorphous films offer great potential for their use in magnetostrictive micro and nano magneto mechanical actuator devices

Nitrogen-Doped Carbon Nanotube/Graphite Felts as Advanced Electrode Materials for Vanadium Redox Flow Batteries.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Shuangyin; Zhao, Xinsheng; Cochell, Thomas; Manthiram, Arumugam

2012-08-16

Nitrogen-doped carbon nanotubes have been grown, for the first time, on graphite felt (N-CNT/GF) by a chemical vapor deposition approach and examined as an advanced electrode for vanadium redox flow batteries (VRFBs). The unique porous structure and nitrogen doping of N-CNT/GF with increased surface area enhances the battery performance significantly. The enriched porous structure of N-CNTs on graphite felt could potentially facilitate the diffusion of electrolyte, while the N-doping could significantly contribute to the enhanced electrode performance. Specifically, the N-doping (i) modifies the electronic properties of CNT and thereby alters the chemisorption characteristics of the vanadium ions, (ii) generates defect sites that are electrochemically more active, (iii) increases the oxygen species on CNT surface, which is a key factor influencing the VRFB performance, and (iv) makes the N-CNT electrochemically more accessible than the CNT.

A one-step carbonization route towards nitrogen-doped porous carbon hollow spheres with ultrahigh nitrogen content for CO 2 adsorption

KAUST Repository

Wang, Yu

2015-01-01

© The Royal Society of Chemistry 2015. Nitrogen doped porous carbon hollow spheres (N-PCHSs) with an ultrahigh nitrogen content of 15.9 wt% and a high surface area of 775 m² g^-1 were prepared using Melamine-formaldehyde nanospheres as hard templates and nitrogen sources. The N-PCHSs were completely characterized and were found to exhibit considerable CO2 adsorption performance (4.42 mmol g^-1).

Fast Conversion of Ionic Liquids and Poly(Ionic Liquid)s into Porous Nitrogen-Doped Carbons in Air.

Science.gov (United States)

Men, Yongjun; Ambrogi, Martina; Han, Baohang; Yuan, Jiayin

2016-04-08

Ionic liquids and poly(ionic liquid)s have been successfully converted into nitrogen-doped porous carbons with tunable surface area up to 1200 m²/g at high temperatures in air. Compared to conventional carbonization process conducted under inert gas to produce nitrogen-doped carbons, the new production method was completed in a rather shorter time without noble gas protection.

Nitrogen-doped titanium dioxide photocatalysts for visible response prepared by using organic compounds

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yoshio Nosaka, Masami Matsushita, Junichi Nishino and Atsuko Y. Nosaka

2005-01-01

Full Text Available In order to utilize visible light in photocatalytic reactions, nitrogen atoms were doped in commercially available photocatalytic TiO2 powders by using an organic compound such as urea and guanidine. Analysis by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS indicated that N atoms were incorporated into two different sites of the bulk phase of TiO2. A significant shift of the absorption edge to a lower energy and a higher absorption in the visible light region were observed. These N-doped TiO2 powders exhibited photocatalytic activity for the decomposition of 2-propanol in aqueous solution under visible light irradiation. The photocatalytic activity increased with the decrease of doped N atoms in O site, while decreased with decrease of the other sites. Degradation of photocatalytic activity based on the release of nitrogen atoms was observed for the reaction in the aqueous suspension system.

Atmospheric pressure route to epitaxial nitrogen-doped trilayer graphene on 4H-SiC (0001) substrate

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Boutchich, M.; Arezki, H.; Alamarguy, D.; Güneş, F.; Alvarez, J.; Kleider, J. P.; Ho, K.-I.; Lai, C. S.; Sediri, H.; Ouerghi, A.

2014-01-01

Large-area graphene film doped with nitrogen is of great interest for a wide spectrum of nanoelectronics applications, such as field effect devices, super capacitors, and fuel cells among many others. Here, we report on the structural and electronic properties of nitrogen doped trilayer graphene on 4H-SiC (0001) grown under atmospheric pressure. The trilayer nature of the growth is evidenced by scanning transmission electron microscopy. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy shows the incorporation of 1.2% of nitrogen distributed in pyrrolic-N, and pyridinic-N configurations as well as a graphitic-N contribution. This incorporation causes an increase in the D band on the Raman signature indicating that the nitrogen is creating defects. Ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy shows a decrease of the work function of 0.3 eV due to the N-type doping of the nitrogen atoms in the carbon lattice and the edge defects. A top gate field effect transistor device has been fabricated and exhibits carrier mobilities up to 1300 cm 2 /V s for holes and 850 cm 2 /V s for electrons at room temperature

Amorphous carbon nitrogenated films prepared by plasma immersion ion implantation and deposition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rangel, Elidiane C.; Durrant, Steven F.; Rangel, Rita C.C.; Kayama, Milton E.; Landers, Richard; Cruz, Nilson C. da

2006-01-01

In this work, an investigation was conducted on amorphous hydrogenated-nitrogenated carbon films prepared by plasma immersion ion implantation and deposition. Glow discharge was excited by radiofrequency power (13.56 MHz, 40 W) whereas the substrate-holder was biased with 25 kV negative pulses. The films were deposited from benzene, nitrogen and argon mixtures. The proportion of nitrogen in the chamber feed (R N ) was varied against that of argon, while keeping the total pressure constant (1.3 Pa). From infrared reflectance-absorbance spectroscopy it was observed that the molecular structure of the benzene is not preserved in the film. Nitrogen was incorporated from the plasma while oxygen arose as a contaminant. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy revealed that N/C and O/C atomic ratios change slightly with R N . Water wettability decreased as the proportion of N in the gas phase increased while surface roughness underwent just small changes. Nanoindentation measurements showed that film deposition by means of ion bombardment was beneficial to the mechanical properties of the film-substrate interface. The intensity of the modifications correlates well with the degree of ion bombardment

Bottom-up synthesis of nitrogen-doped graphene sheets for ultrafast lithium storage

Science.gov (United States)

Tian, Lei-Lei; Wei, Xian-Yong; Zhuang, Quan-Chao; Jiang, Chen-Hui; Wu, Chao; Ma, Guang-Yao; Zhao, Xing; Zong, Zhi-Min; Sun, Shi-Gang

2014-05-01

A facile bottom-up strategy was developed to fabricate nitrogen-doped graphene sheets (NGSs) from glucose using a sacrificial template synthesis method. Three main types of nitrogen dopants (pyridinic, pyrrolic and graphitic nitrogens) were introduced into the graphene lattice, and an inimitable microporous structure of NGS with a high specific surface area of 504 m2 g-1 was obtained. Particularly, with hybrid features of lithium ion batteries and Faradic capacitors at a low rate and features of Faradic capacitors at a high rate, the NGS presents a superior lithium storage performance. During electrochemical cycling, the NGS electrode afforded an enhanced reversible capacity of 832.4 mA h g-1 at 100 mA g-1 and an excellent cycling stability of 750.7 mA h g-1 after 108 discharge-charge cycles. Furthermore, an astonishing rate capability of 333 mA h g-1 at 10 000 mA g-1 and a high rate cycle performance of 280.6 mA h g-1 even after 1200 cycles were also achieved, highlighting the significance of nitrogen doping on the maximum utilization of graphene-based materials for advanced lithium storage.

Bottom-up synthesis of nitrogen-doped graphene sheets for ultrafast lithium storage.

Science.gov (United States)

Tian, Lei-Lei; Wei, Xian-Yong; Zhuang, Quan-Chao; Jiang, Chen-Hui; Wu, Chao; Ma, Guang-Yao; Zhao, Xing; Zong, Zhi-Min; Sun, Shi-Gang

2014-06-07

A facile bottom-up strategy was developed to fabricate nitrogen-doped graphene sheets (NGSs) from glucose using a sacrificial template synthesis method. Three main types of nitrogen dopants (pyridinic, pyrrolic and graphitic nitrogens) were introduced into the graphene lattice, and an inimitable microporous structure of NGS with a high specific surface area of 504 m(2) g(-1) was obtained. Particularly, with hybrid features of lithium ion batteries and Faradic capacitors at a low rate and features of Faradic capacitors at a high rate, the NGS presents a superior lithium storage performance. During electrochemical cycling, the NGS electrode afforded an enhanced reversible capacity of 832.4 mA h g(-1) at 100 mA g(-1) and an excellent cycling stability of 750.7 mA h g(-1) after 108 discharge-charge cycles. Furthermore, an astonishing rate capability of 333 mA h g(-1) at 10,000 mA g(-1) and a high rate cycle performance of 280.6 mA h g(-1) even after 1200 cycles were also achieved, highlighting the significance of nitrogen doping on the maximum utilization of graphene-based materials for advanced lithium storage.

Investigation of fluorine adsorption on nitrogen doped MgAl{sub 2}O{sub 4} surface by first-principles

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lv, Xiaojun; Xu, Zhenming [School of Metallurgy and Environment, Central South University, Changsha 410083 (China); Li, Jie, E-mail: 15216105346@163.com [School of Metallurgy and Environment, Central South University, Changsha 410083 (China); Chen, Jiangan [Faculty of Resource and Environmental Engineering, Jiangxi University of Science and Technology, Ganzhou 341000 (China); Liu, Qingsheng [Faculty of Metallurgical and Chemical Engineering, Jiangxi University of Science and Technology, Ganzhou 341000 (China)

2016-07-15

Graphical abstract: First-principles calculations indicate that MgAl{sub 2}O{sub 4} surface is fluorine-loving, but hydrophobic. N doped MgAl{sub 2}O{sub 4} (100) surface structure shows the highest fluorine adsorption performance and fluorine atom is more preferentially adsorbed on the Mg-Al bridge site. The fluorine adsorption intensity follow this order: N doped MgAl{sub 2}O{sub 4} (100) > Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} (0001) > MgAl{sub 2}O{sub 4} (100) > MgO (100). N doped MgAl{sub 2}O{sub 4} is a promising candidate for fluorine removal. - Highlights: • MgAl{sub 2}O{sub 4} surface is fluorine-loving, not hydrophilic. • Fluorine preferentially adsorbs on the Mg-Al bridge site. • Adsorption intensity follow this order: N doped MgAl{sub 2}O{sub 4} > Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} > MgAl{sub 2}O{sub 4} > MgO. • Excellent adsorption performance attributes to electron compensation of N atom. • Nitrogen doped MgAl{sub 2}O{sub 4} is a promising candidate for fluorine removal. - Abstract: The nature of fluorine adsorption on pure and N doped MgAl{sub 2}O{sub 4} surface has been investigated by first-principles calculations based on the density functional theory. Calculated results indicate that MgAl{sub 2}O{sub 4} surface is fluorine-loving, not hydrophilic. Nitrogen doped MgAl{sub 2}O{sub 4} (100) surface shows the highest fluorine adsorption performance and fluorine atom preferentially adsorbs on the Mg-Al bridge site. The fluorine adsorption intensity follow this order: Nitrogen doped MgAl{sub 2}O{sub 4} (100) > Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} (0001) > MgAl{sub 2}O{sub 4} (100) > MgO (100). In-depth PDOS analysis suggested that 2p orbitals of F atom strongly hybridized with 3s- and 3p-orbitals of Al atom contribute to its high adsorption intensity. According to the analysis of Hirshfeld charge, the excellent fluorine adsorption performance of nitrogen doped MgAl{sub 2}O{sub 4} attributes to the electron compensation effect of nitrogen atom and strong electrostatic interactions. All these

From nanoscale to macroscale: Engineering biomass derivatives with nitrogen doping for tailoring dielectric properties and electromagnetic absorption

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Yana; Zhou, Zhili; Chen, Mingji; Huang, Yixing; Wang, Changxian; Song, Wei-Li

2018-05-01

Since achievement in electromagnetic (EM) technology dramatically promotes the critical requirement in developing advanced EM response materials, which are required to hold various advantageous features in light weight, small thickness, strong reflection loss and broadband absorption, the most important requirements, i.e. strong reflection loss and broadband absorption, are still highly pursued because of the intrinsic shortage in conventional EM absorbers. For addressing such critical problems, a unique three-dimensional nitrogen doped carbon monolith was demonstrated to understand the effects of the nitrogen doping on the dielectric and microwave absorption performance. The chemical components of the nitrogen doped carbon monoliths have been quantitatively determined for fully understanding the effects of nanoscale structures on the macroscopic composites. A modified Cole-Cole plot is plotted for guiding the chemical doping and material process, aiming to realizing the best matching conditions. The results have promised a universal route for achieving advanced materials with strong and broadband EM absorption.

In situ atomic layer nitridation on the top and down regions of the amorphous and crystalline high-K gate dielectrics

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tsai, Meng-Chen [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, National Taiwan University, Taipei 10617, Taiwan (China); Lee, Min-Hung [Institute of Electro-Optical Science and Technology, National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei 11677, Taiwan (China); Kuo, Chin-Lung; Lin, Hsin-Chih [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, National Taiwan University, Taipei 10617, Taiwan (China); Chen, Miin-Jang, E-mail: mjchen@ntu.edu.tw [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, National Taiwan University, Taipei 10617, Taiwan (China)

2016-11-30

Highlights: • The structural and electrical characteristics of the ZrO{sub 2} high-K dielectrics, treated with the in situ atomic layer doping of nitrogen into the top and down regions (top and down nitridation, TN and DN, respectively), were investigated. • The amorphous DN sample has a lower leakage current density (J{sub g}) than the amorphous TN sample, attributed to the formation of SiO{sub x}N{sub y} in the interfacial layer (IL). • The crystalline TN sample exhibited a lower CET and a similar J{sub g} as compared with the crystalline DN sample, which can be ascribed to the suppression of IL regrowth. • The crystalline ZrO{sub 2} with in situ atomic layer doping of nitrogen into the top region exhibited superior scaling limit, electrical characteristics, and reliability. - Abstract: Amorphous and crystalline ZrO{sub 2} gate dielectrics treated with in situ atomic layer nitridation on the top and down regions (top and down nitridation, abbreviated as TN and DN) were investigated. In a comparison between the as-deposited amorphous DN and TN samples, the DN sample has a lower leakage current density (J{sub g}) of ∼7 × 10{sup −4} A/cm{sup 2} with a similar capacitance equivalent thickness (CET) of ∼1.53 nm, attributed to the formation of SiO{sub x}N{sub y} in the interfacial layer (IL). The post-metallization annealing (PMA) leads to the transformation of ZrO{sub 2} from the amorphous to the crystalline tetragonal/cubic phase, resulting in an increment of the dielectric constant. The PMA-treated TN sample exhibits a lower CET of 1.22 nm along with a similar J{sub g} of ∼1.4 × 10{sup −5} A/cm{sup 2} as compared with the PMA-treated DN sample, which can be ascribed to the suppression of IL regrowth. The result reveals that the nitrogen engineering in the top and down regions has a significant impact on the electrical characteristics of amorphous and crystalline ZrO{sub 2} gate dielectrics, and the nitrogen incorporation at the top of crystalline

Enhancement of tributyltin degradation under natural light by N-doped TiO{sub 2} photocatalyst

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bangkedphol, S., E-mail: sornnarin.bangkedphol@strath.ac.uk [David Livingstone Centre for Sustainability, Department of Civil Engineering, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, Scotland G1 1XN (United Kingdom); Keenan, H.E. [David Livingstone Centre for Sustainability, Department of Civil Engineering, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, Scotland G1 1XN (United Kingdom); Davidson, C.M. [WestCHEM, Department of Pure and Applied Chemistry, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, Scotland G1 1XL (United Kingdom); Sakultantimetha, A. [David Livingstone Centre for Sustainability, Department of Civil Engineering, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, Scotland G1 1XN (United Kingdom); Sirisaksoontorn, W.; Songsasen, A. [Department of Chemistry and Centre for Innovation in chemistry, Faculty of Science, Kasetsart University, Bangkok 10900 (Thailand)

2010-12-15

Photo-degradation of tributyltin (TBT) has been enhanced by TiO{sub 2} nanoparticles doped with nitrogen (N-doped TiO{sub 2}). The N-doped catalyst was prepared by a sol-gel reaction of titanium (IV) tetraisopropoxide with 25% ammonia solution and calcined at various temperatures from 300 to 600 deg. C. X-ray diffraction results showed that N-doped TiO{sub 2} remained amorphous at 300 deg. C. At 400 deg. C the anatase phase occurred then transformed to the rutile phase at 600 deg. C. The crystallite size calculated from Scherrer's equation was in the range of 16-51 nm which depended on the calcination temperature. N-doped TiO{sub 2} calcined at 400 deg. C which contained 0.054% nitrogen, demonstrated the highest photocatalytic degradation of TBT at 28% in 3 h under natural light when compared with undoped TiO{sub 2} and commercial photocatalyst, P25-TiO{sub 2} which gave 14.8 and 18% conversion, respectively.

Nitrogen doping efficiency during vapor phase epitaxy of 4H-SiC

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rowland, L.B.; Brandt, C.D. [Northrop Grumman Science and Technology Center, Pittsburgh, PA (United States); Burk, A.A. Jr. [Northrop Grumman Advanced Technology Lab., Baltimore, MD (United States)

1998-06-01

This work examines the interrelationships among doping efficiency, mole fraction, and Si/C ratio for intentional doping of 4H-SiC during vapor phase epitaxy using N{sub 2}. For four Si/C ratios, the doping concentration increased linearly as a function of increasing N{sub 2} partial pressure with a slope of 1.0 {+-} 0.03. Variation of propane mole fraction while the SiH{sub 4} and N{sub 2} mole fractions were kept constant revealed two different modes of nitrogen incorporation, corresponding to carbon-rich and silicon-rich conditions. (orig.) 14 refs.

Hydrothermal Synthesis of Nitrogen-Doped Titanium Dioxide and Evaluation of Its Visible Light Photocatalytic Activity

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Junjie Qian

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Nitrogen-doped titanium dioxide (N-doped TiO2 photocatalyst was synthesized from nanotube titanic acid (denoted as NTA; molecular formula H2Ti2O5·H2O precursor via a hydrothermal route in ammonia solution. As-synthesized N-doped TiO2 catalysts were characterized by means of X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, diffuse reflectance spectrometry, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, electron spin resonance spectrometry and Fourier transform infrared spectrometry. It was found that nanotube ammonium titanate (NAT was produced as an intermediate during the preparation of N-doped TiO2 from NTA, as evidenced by the N1s X-ray photoelectron spectroscopic peak of NH4 + at 401.7 eV. The catalyst showed much higher activities to the degradation of methylene blue and p-chlorophenol under visible light irradiation than Degussa P25. This could be attributed to the enhanced absorption of N-doped TiO2 in visible light region associated with the formation of single-electron-trapped oxygen vacancies and the inhibition of recombination of photo-generated electron-hole pair by doped nitrogen.

Synthesis of 2D Nitrogen-Doped Mesoporous Carbon Catalyst for Oxygen Reduction Reaction

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhipeng Yu

2017-02-01

Full Text Available 2D nitrogen-doped mesoporous carbon (NMC is synthesized by using a mesoporous silica film as hard template, which is then investigated as a non-precious metal catalyst for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR. The effect of the synthesis conditions on the silica template and carbon is extensively investigated. In this work, we employ dual templates—viz. graphene oxide and triblock copolymer F127—to control the textural features of a 2D silica film. The silica is then used as a template to direct the synthesis of a 2D nitrogen-doped mesoporous carbon. The resultant nitrogen-doped mesoporous carbon is characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM, nitrogen ad/desorption isotherms, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS, cyclic voltammetry (CV, and rotating disk electrode measurements (RDE. The electrochemical test reveals that the obtained 2D-film carbon catalyst yields a highly electrochemically active surface area and superior electrocatalytic activity for the ORR compared to the 3D-particle. The superior activity can be firstly attributed to the difference in the specific surface area of the two catalysts. More importantly, the 2D-film morphology makes more active sites accessible to the reactive species, resulting in a much higher utilization efficiency and consequently better activity. Finally, it is noted that all the carbon catalysts exhibit a higher ORR activity than a commercial Pt catalyst, and are promising for use in fuel cells.

High performance supercapacitor using N-doped graphene prepared via supercritical fluid processing with an oxime nitrogen source

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Balaji, S. Suresh; Elavarasan, A.; Sathish, M.

2016-01-01

Graphical abstract: N-doped graphene prepared via supercritical fluid processing with oxime nitrogen source (DMG) showed enhanced performance in electrochemical supercapacitor application. A maximum specific capacitance of 286 F g"−"1 at a current density of 0.5 A/g was achieved with a high specific capacity retention of 98% after 1000 cycles at 5 A/g. - Highlights: • N-functionalised graphene synthesized via supercritical fluid processing. • DMG, an oxime based nitrogen precursor. • Maximum specific capacitance of 286 F/g at 0.5 A/g in aqueous solution. • Pyridinic as well as quarternary nitrogen for enhanced capacitance. - Abstract: Heteroatom doped graphene has been proved for its promising applications in electrochemical energy storage systems. Here, nitrogen (N) doped graphene was prepared via two different techniques namely supercritical fluid assisted processing and hydrothermal heat treatment using dimethylglyoxime (DMG) as an oxime nitrogen precursor. The FT-IR and Raman spectra showed the N-containing functional group in the graphene. The XRD analysis revealed the complete reduction of graphene oxide during the supercritical fluid processing. The elemental analysis and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy revealed the amount and nature of N-doping in the graphene, respectively. The surface morphology and physical nature of the samples were analyzed using scanning and transmission electron microscopic analysis. The electrochemical performance of prepared electrode materials was evaluated using cyclic voltammetry, galvanostatic charge-discharge analysis and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The N-doped graphene prepared via supercritical fluid assisted processing exhibit enhanced capacitive behaviour with a maximum specific capacitance of 286 F g"−"1 at a current density of 0.5 A/g. The cycling studies showed 98% specific capacity retention with 100% coulombic efficiency over 1000 cycles at 5 A/g. The enhanced specific capacitance of N-doped

Synergistically enhanced activity of nitrogen-doped carbon dots/graphene composites for oxygen reduction reaction

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Hui; Zhao, Qingshan; Liu, Jingyan; Ma, Xiao; Rao, Yuan; Shao, Xiaodong; Li, Zhongtao; Wu, Wenting; Ning, Hui; Wu, Mingbo

2017-11-01

With rapid dissociative adsorption of oxygen, nitrogen-doped carbon nanomaterials have been demonstrated to be efficient alternative catalysts for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in fuel cells. Herein, we developed a mild hydrothermal strategy to construct nitrogen-doped carbon dots/graphene (NCDs-NG) composites towards ORR. Carbon dots (CDs) were derived from petroleum coke via acid oxidation while graphene oxide (GO) was obtained from graphite by modified Hummer's method. Graphene was employed as a conductive substrate to disperse CDs during hydrothermal reducing reaction while ammonia was utilized as N source to dope both graphene and CDs. The synergistic effects, i.e. CDs as pillars for graphene and catalytic sites for ORR, the high conductivity of graphene, the quick O2 adsorption on doped pyridinic nitrogen endow the NCDs-NG composites with enhanced ORR catalytic performance in alkaline electrolyte. The onset potential of -95 mV and kinetic current density of 12.7 mA cm-2 at -0.7 V (vs. Ag/AgCl) can be compared to those of the commercial 20 wt% Pt/C catalyst. The electron transfer number is about 3.9, revealing a four-electron pathway for ORR. The optimal NCDs-NG catalyst shows superior durability and methanol tolerance than 20 wt% Pt/C. This work demonstrates a feasible and effective strategy to prepare metal-free efficient ORR electrocatalysts for fuel cell applications.

Nitrogen-Doped Carbon for Red Phosphorous Based Anode Materials for Lithium Ion Batteries

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jiaoyang Li

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Serving as conductive matrix and stress buffer, the carbon matrix plays a pivotal role in enabling red phosphorus to be a promising anode material for high capacity lithium ion batteries and sodium ion batteries. In this paper, nitrogen-doping is proved to effective enhance the interface interaction between carbon and red phosphorus. In detail, the adsorption energy between phosphorus atoms and oxygen-containing functional groups on the carbon is significantly reduced by nitrogen doping, as verified by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The adsorption mechanisms are further revealed on the basis of DFT (the first density functional theory calculations. The RPNC (red phosphorus/nitrogen-doped carbon composite material shows higher cycling stability and higher capacity than that of RPC (red phosphorus/carbon composite anode. After 100 cycles, the RPNC still keeps discharge capacity of 1453 mAh g−1 at the current density of 300 mA g−1 (the discharge capacity of RPC after 100 cycles is 1348 mAh g−1. Even at 1200 mA g−1, the RPNC composite still delivers a capacity of 1178 mAh g−1. This work provides insight information about the interface interactions between composite materials, as well as new technology develops high performance phosphorus based anode materials.

Application of nitrogen-doped TiO2 nano-tubes in dye-sensitized solar cells

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Tran, Vy Anh; Thinh Troung, Trieu; Pham Phan, Thu Anh

2017-01-01

Our research aimed to improve the overall energy conversion efficiency of DSCs by applying nitrogen-doped TiO2 nano-tubes (N-TNT) for the preparation of DSCs photo-anodes. The none-doped TiO2 nano-tubes (TNTs) were synthesized by alkaline hydrothermal treatment of Degussa P25 TiO2 particles in 10...

Synthesis of Nitrogen-Doped Carbon Nano tubes Using Injection-Vertical Chemical Vapor Deposition: Effects of Synthesis Parameters on the Nitrogen Content

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hachimi, A.; Hakeem, A.; Merzougui, B.; Atieh, M. A.; Merzougui, B.; Atieh, M. A.; Laoui, A.; Swain, G.M.; Chang, Q.; Shao, M.

2015-01-01

Nitrogen-doped CNTs (N-CNTs) were synthesized using an injection-vertical chemical vapor deposition (IV-CVD) reactor. This type of reactor is quite useful for the continuous mass production of CNTs. In this work, the optimum deposition conditions for maximizing the incorporation of nitrogen were identified. Ferrocene served as the source of the Fe catalyst and was dissolved in acetonitrile, which served as both the hydrocarbon and nitrogen sources. Different concentrations of ferrocene in acetonitrile were introduced into the top of a vertically aligned reactor at a constant flow rate with hydrogen serving as the carrier. The effects of hydrogen flow rate, growth temperature, and catalyst loading (Fe from the ferrocene) on the microstructure, elemental composition, and yield of N-CNTs were investigated. The N-CNTs possessed a bamboo-like microstructure with a nitrogen doping level as high as 14 at.% when using 2.5 to 5 mg/m L of the ferrocene/acetonitrile mixture at 800 degree under a 1000 sccm flow of hydrogen. A production rate of 100 mg/h was achieved under the optimized synthesis conditions.

An Amorphous Noble-Metal-Free Electrocatalyst that Enables Nitrogen Fixation under Ambient Conditions.

Science.gov (United States)

Lv, Chade; Yan, Chunshuang; Chen, Gang; Ding, Yu; Sun, Jingxue; Zhou, Yansong; Yu, Guihua

2018-02-23

N 2 fixation by the electrocatalytic nitrogen reduction reaction (NRR) under ambient conditions is regarded as a potential approach to achieve NH 3 production, which still heavily relies on the Haber-Bosch process at the cost of huge energy and massive production of CO 2 . A noble-metal-free Bi 4 V 2 O 11 /CeO 2 hybrid with an amorphous phase (BVC-A) is used as the cathode for electrocatalytic NRR. The amorphous Bi 4 V 2 O 11 contains significant defects, which play a role as active sites. The CeO 2 not only serves as a trigger to induce the amorphous structure, but also establishes band alignment with Bi 4 V 2 O 11 for rapid interfacial charge transfer. Remarkably, BVC-A shows outstanding electrocatalytic NRR performance with high average yield (NH 3 : 23.21 μg h -1  mg -1 cat. , Faradaic efficiency: 10.16 %) under ambient conditions, which is superior to the Bi 4 V 2 O 11 /CeO 2 hybrid with crystalline phase (BVC-C) counterpart. © 2018 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Commercial and home-made nitrogen modified titanias. A short reflection about the advantageous/disadvantageous properties of nitrogen doping in the frame of their applicability

Science.gov (United States)

Pap, Zs.; Mogyorósi, K.; Veréb, G.; Dombi, A.; Hernádi, K.; Danciu, V.; Baia, L.

2014-09-01

As visible light driven photocatalysis became more and more intensively studied, the first commercial products showed up on the market. Simultaneously controversial results appeared in the literature generating an intensive debate regarding the advantages and draw-backs of nitrogen doping of titania. Hence, the present work focuses on two commercially available and four sol-gel made nitrogen modified titania powders regarding their structure and activity. It is demonstrated that the interstitial nitrogen entities “leak out” from the catalysts if the material is irradiated with UV light, while substitutional nitrogen remains stable. However, the latter one was proven to be less important in the photocatalytic point of view. These observations were also valid in the case of sol-gel made nitrogen modified titanias. Furthermore, the results obtained after applying different spectroscopic methods (IR, XPS and DRS) shown that the yellow color of the titanias, does not necessary mean that a successful doping is achieved.

Synthesis of Nitrogen-Doped Carbon Nanotubes Using Injection-Vertical Chemical Vapor Deposition: Effects of Synthesis Parameters on the Nitrogen Content

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Abdouelilah Hachimi

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Nitrogen-doped CNTs (N-CNTs were synthesized using an injection-vertical chemical vapor deposition (IV-CVD reactor. This type of reactor is quite useful for the continuous mass production of CNTs. In this work, the optimum deposition conditions for maximizing the incorporation of nitrogen were identified. Ferrocene served as the source of the Fe catalyst and was dissolved in acetonitrile, which served as both the hydrocarbon and nitrogen sources. Different concentrations of ferrocene in acetonitrile were introduced into the top of a vertically aligned reactor at a constant flow rate with hydrogen serving as the carrier. The effects of hydrogen flow rate, growth temperature, and catalyst loading (Fe from the ferrocene on the microstructure, elemental composition, and yield of N-CNTs were investigated. The N-CNTs possessed a bamboo-like microstructure with a nitrogen doping level as high as 14 at.% when using 2.5 to 5 mg/mL of the ferrocene/acetonitrile mixture at 800°C under a 1000 sccm flow of hydrogen. A production rate of 100 mg/h was achieved under the optimized synthesis conditions.

The charge-transfer property and the performance of dye-sensitized solar cells of nitrogen doped zinc oxide

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhang Lingyun [Department of Chemistry, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150001 (China); School of Chemical Engineering, Northeast Dianli University, Jilin 132012 (China); Yang Yulin, E-mail: ylyang@hit.edu.cn [Department of Chemistry, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150001 (China); Fan Ruiqing, E-mail: fanruiqing@hit.edu.cn [Department of Chemistry, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150001 (China); Chen Haiyan [Department of Chemistry, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150001 (China); Jia Ruokun [School of Chemical Engineering, Northeast Dianli University, Jilin 132012 (China); Wang Yonghui [Faculty of Chemistry, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, Jilin 130024 (China); Ma Liqun; Wang Yazhen [School of Material Science of Engineering, Qiqihar University, Qiqihar 161006 (China)

2012-07-25

Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Two methods (the solution and annealing methods) are used to prepare nitrogen-doped ZnO. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The charge-transfer properties of N-doping ZnO are investigated. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The overall conversion efficiency of N-doped ZnO-based dye-sensitized solar cells is successfully improved by N doping. - Abstract: In this study two methods, namely the solution and annealing methods, were used to prepare nitrogen-doped ZnO. The X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) was performed to identify the composition and chemical states of N-doped ZnO. The N doping by the solution method was found to effectively decrease the acceptor effects. Surface photovoltage measurements (SPS) revealed a redshift of the threshold wavelength for the N-doped ZnO. And the recombination of photoinduced electron-hole pairs in this semiconductor material was obviously suppressed. The N-doped ZnO (solution method) exhibits the best performances among all the materials, even superior to N-doped ZnO (annealing method). Its J{sub sc} and {eta} values (9.35 mA/cm{sup 2} and 2.64%) have enhanced by several times compared with un-doped ZnO (J{sub sc}, 2.85 mA/cm{sup 2}; {eta}, 0.67%). The overall conversion efficiency of ZnO-based dye-sensitized solar cells was successfully improved by the N doping.

The charge-transfer property and the performance of dye-sensitized solar cells of nitrogen doped zinc oxide

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang Lingyun; Yang Yulin; Fan Ruiqing; Chen Haiyan; Jia Ruokun; Wang Yonghui; Ma Liqun; Wang Yazhen

2012-01-01

Highlights: ► Two methods (the solution and annealing methods) are used to prepare nitrogen-doped ZnO. ► The charge-transfer properties of N-doping ZnO are investigated. ► The overall conversion efficiency of N-doped ZnO-based dye-sensitized solar cells is successfully improved by N doping. - Abstract: In this study two methods, namely the solution and annealing methods, were used to prepare nitrogen-doped ZnO. The X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) was performed to identify the composition and chemical states of N-doped ZnO. The N doping by the solution method was found to effectively decrease the acceptor effects. Surface photovoltage measurements (SPS) revealed a redshift of the threshold wavelength for the N-doped ZnO. And the recombination of photoinduced electron–hole pairs in this semiconductor material was obviously suppressed. The N-doped ZnO (solution method) exhibits the best performances among all the materials, even superior to N-doped ZnO (annealing method). Its J sc and η values (9.35 mA/cm 2 and 2.64%) have enhanced by several times compared with un-doped ZnO (J sc , 2.85 mA/cm 2 ; η, 0.67%). The overall conversion efficiency of ZnO-based dye-sensitized solar cells was successfully improved by the N doping.

Complex Boron Redistribution in P+ Doped-polysilicon / Nitrogen Doped Silicon Bi-layers during Activation Annealing

Science.gov (United States)

Abadli, S.; Mansour, F.; Perrera, E. Bedel

We have investigated and modeled the complex phenomenon of boron (B) redistribution process in strongly doped silicon bilayers structure. A one-dimensional two stream transfer model well adapted to the particular structure of bi- layers and to the effects of strong-concentrations has been developed. This model takes into account the instantaneous kinetics of B transfer, trapping, clustering and segregation during the thermal B activation annealing. The used silicon bi-layers have been obtained by low pressure chemical vapor deposition (LPCVD) method, using in-situ nitrogen- doped-silicon (NiDoS) layer and strongly B doped polycrystalline-silicon (P+) layer. To avoid long redistributions, thermal annealing was carried out at relatively lowtemperatures (600 °C and 700 °C) for various times ranging between 30 minutes and 2 hours. The good adjustment of the simulated profiles with the experimental secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS) profiles allowed a fundamental understanding about the instantaneous physical phenomena giving and disturbing the complex B redistribution profiles-shoulders kinetics.

Controllable nitrogen doping in as deposited TiO{sub 2} film and its effect on post deposition annealing

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Deng, Shaoren; Devloo-Casier, Kilian; Devulder, Wouter; Dendooven, Jolien; Deduytsche, Davy; Detavernier, Christophe, E-mail: Christophe.Detavernier@ugent.be [Department of Solid State Sciences, Ghent University, Krijgslaan 281/S1, B-9000 Gent (Belgium); Verbruggen, Sammy W. [Department of Bio-Engineering Sciences, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, B-2020 Antwerp, Belgium and Center for Surface Chemistry and Catalysis, KU Leuven, Kasteelpark Arenberg 23, B-3001 Heverlee (Belgium); Lenaerts, Silvia [Department of Bio-Engineering Sciences, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, B-2020 Antwerp (Belgium); Martens, Johan A. [Center for Surface Chemistry and Catalysis, KU Leuven, Kasteelpark Arenberg 23, B-3001 Heverlee (Belgium); Van den Berghe, Sven [SCK-CEN, Boeretang 200, B-2400 Mol (Belgium)

2014-01-15

In order to narrow the band gap of TiO{sub 2}, nitrogen doping by combining thermal atomic layer deposition (TALD) of TiO{sub 2} and plasma enhanced atomic layer deposition (PEALD) of TiN has been implemented. By altering the ratio between TALD TiO{sub 2} and PEALD TiN, the as synthesized TiO{sub x}N{sub y} films showed different band gaps (from 1.91 eV to 3.14 eV). In situ x-ray diffraction characterization showed that the crystallization behavior of these films changed after nitrogen doping. After annealing in helium, nitrogen doped TiO{sub 2} films crystallized into rutile phase while for the samples annealed in air a preferential growth of the anatase TiO{sub 2} along (001) orientation was observed. Photocatalytic tests of the degradation of stearic acid were done to evaluate the effect of N doping on the photocatalytic activity.

Pressure-induced transformations in amorphous silicon: A computational study

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Garcez, K. M. S., E-mail: kmgarcez@ufma.br [Universidade Federal do Maranhão, 65700-000 Bacabal, Maranhão (Brazil); Antonelli, A., E-mail: aantone@ifi.unicamp.br [Instituto de Física Gleb Wataghin, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, UNICAMP, 13083-859 Campinas, São Paulo (Brazil)

2014-02-14

We study the transformations between amorphous phases of Si through molecular simulations using the environment dependent interatomic potential (EDIP) for Si. Our results show that upon pressure, the material undergoes a transformation from the low density amorphous (LDA) Si to the high density amorphous (HDA) Si. This transformation can be reversed by decompressing the material. This process, however, exhibits clear hysteresis, suggesting that the transformation LDA ↔ HDA is first-order like. The HDA phase is predominantly five-fold coordinated, whereas the LDA phase is the normal tetrahedrally bonded amorphous Si. The HDA phase at 400 K and 20 GPa was submitted to an isobaric annealing up to 800 K, resulting in a denser amorphous phase, which is structurally distinct from the HDA phase. Our results also show that the atomic volume and structure of this new amorphous phase are identical to those of the glass obtained by an isobaric quenching of the liquid in equilibrium at 2000 K and 20 GPa down to 400 K. The similarities between our results and those for amorphous ices suggest that this new phase is the very high density amorphous Si.

Pressure-induced transformations in amorphous silicon: A computational study

Science.gov (United States)

Garcez, K. M. S.; Antonelli, A.

2014-02-01

We study the transformations between amorphous phases of Si through molecular simulations using the environment dependent interatomic potential (EDIP) for Si. Our results show that upon pressure, the material undergoes a transformation from the low density amorphous (LDA) Si to the high density amorphous (HDA) Si. This transformation can be reversed by decompressing the material. This process, however, exhibits clear hysteresis, suggesting that the transformation LDA ↔ HDA is first-order like. The HDA phase is predominantly five-fold coordinated, whereas the LDA phase is the normal tetrahedrally bonded amorphous Si. The HDA phase at 400 K and 20 GPa was submitted to an isobaric annealing up to 800 K, resulting in a denser amorphous phase, which is structurally distinct from the HDA phase. Our results also show that the atomic volume and structure of this new amorphous phase are identical to those of the glass obtained by an isobaric quenching of the liquid in equilibrium at 2000 K and 20 GPa down to 400 K. The similarities between our results and those for amorphous ices suggest that this new phase is the very high density amorphous Si.

Theoretical study of nitrogen-doped graphene nanoflakes: Stability and spectroscopy depending on dopant types and flake sizes.

Science.gov (United States)

Lin, Chih-Kai

2018-03-05

As nitrogen-doped graphene has been widely applied in optoelectronic devices and catalytic reactions, in this work we have investigated where the nitrogen atoms tend to reside in the material and how they affect the electron density and spectroscopic properties from a theoretical point of view. DFT calculations on N-doped hexagonal and rectangular graphene nanoflakes (GNFs) showed that nitrogen atoms locating on zigzag edges are obviously more stable than those on armchair edges or inside flakes, and interestingly, the N-hydrogenated pyridine moiety could be preferable to pure pyridine moiety in large models. The UV-vis absorption spectra of these nitrogen-doped GNFs display strong dependence on flake sizes, where the larger flakes have their major peaks in lower energy ranges. Moreover, the spectra exhibit different connections to various dopant types and positions: the graphitic-type dopant species present large variety in absorption profiles, while the pyridinic-type ones show extraordinary uniform stability and spectra independent of dopant positions/numbers and hence are hardly distinguishable from each other. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Amorphous boron-doped sodium titanates hydrates: Efficient and reusable adsorbents for the removal of Pb{sup 2+} from water

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Di Bitonto, Luigi; Volpe, Angela; Pagano, Michele; Bagnuolo, Giuseppe; Mascolo, Giuseppe [CNR-IRSA, Via de Blasio 5, 70132 Bari (Italy); La Parola, Valeria [CNR-ISMN, Via U. La Malfa, 153, 90146 Palermo (Italy); Di Leo, Paola [CNR-IMAA, Via S. Loja, Tito Scalo (PZ) (Italy); Pastore, Carlo, E-mail: carlo.pastore@ba.irsa.cnr.it [CNR-IRSA, Via de Blasio 5, 70132 Bari (Italy)

2017-02-15

Highlights: • Amorphous B-doped sodium titanates hydrates were mildly synthesized. • These compounds resulted efficiently used in removing Pb{sup 2+} from natural water. • Adsorption occurs with a partial ionic exchange mechanism. • Adsorbents were easily recoverable and reusable for further new cycles. - Abstract: Amorphous titanium hydroxide and boron-doped (B-doped) sodium titanates hydrates were synthetized and used as adsorbents for the removal of Pb{sup 2+} from water. The use of sodium borohydride (NaBH{sub 4}) and titanium(IV) isopropoxide (TTIP) as precursors permits a very easy synthesis of B-doped adsorbents at 298 K. The new adsorbent materials were first chemically characterized (XRD, XPS, SEM, DRIFT and elemental analysis) and then tested in Pb{sup 2+} adsorption batch experiments, in order to define kinetics and equilibrium studies. The nature of interaction between such sorbent materials and Pb{sup 2+} was also well defined: besides a pure adsorption due to hydroxyl interaction functionalities, there is also an ionic exchange between Pb{sup 2+} and sodium ions even working at pH 4.4. Langmuir model presented the best fitting with a maximum adsorption capacity up to 385 mg/g. The effect of solution pH and common ions (i.e. Na{sup +}, Ca{sup 2+} and Mg{sup 2+}) onto Pb{sup 2+} sorption were also investigated. Finally, recovery was positively conducted using EDTA. Very efficient adsorption (>99.9%) was verified even using tap water spiked with traces of Pb{sup 2+} (50 ppb).

Room temperature ferromagnetism and absorption red-shift in nitrogen-doped TiO2 nanoparticles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gómez-Polo, C.; Larumbe, S.; Monge, M.

2014-01-01

Highlights: • N-doped TiO 2 anatase nanoparticles were obtained by sol–gel. • The nanoparticle size, controlled by the N doping, determines lattice parameters. • Correlation between room temperature ferromagnetism and absorption red-shift. • Oxygen vacancies reinforce both phenomena. • Metal transition impurities contribute to the room temperature ferromagnetism. - Abstract: In this work, room-temperature ferromagnetism and the red-shift of the optical absorption is analyzed in nitrogen doped TiO 2 semiconductor nanoparticles. The nanoparticles were synthesized by the sol–gel method using urea as the nitrogen source. Titanium Tetraisopropoxide (TTIP) was employed as the alkoxyde precursor and dissolved in ethanol. The as prepared gels were dried and calcined in air at 300 °C. Additionally, post-annealing treatments under vacuum atmosphere were performed to modify the oxygen stoichiometry of the samples. The anatase lattice parameters, analyzed by means of powder X-ray diffractometry, depend on the nanometer grain size of the nanoparticles (increase and decrease, respectively, of the tetragonal a and c lattice parameters with respect to the bulk values). The diffuse reflectance ultraviolet–visible (UV–Vis) absorbance spectra show a clear red-shift as consequence of the nitrogen and the occurrence of intragap energy levels. The samples display ferromagnetic features at room temperature that are reinforced with the nitrogen content and after the post annealings in vacuum. The results indicate a clear correlation between the room temperature ferromagnetism and the shift of the absorbance spectrum. In both phenomena, oxygen vacancies (either induced by the nitrogen doping or by the post vacuum annealings) play a dominant role. However, we conclude the existence of very low concentration of diluted transition metal impurities that determine the room ferromagnetic response (bound magnetic polaron BMP model). The contraction of the c soft axis of the

Structural, electronic, and vibrational properties of high-density amorphous silicon: a first-principles molecular-dynamics study.

Science.gov (United States)

Morishita, Tetsuya

2009-05-21

We report a first-principles study of the structural, electronic, and dynamical properties of high-density amorphous (HDA) silicon, which was found to be formed by pressurizing low-density amorphous (LDA) silicon (a normal amorphous Si) [T. Morishita, Phys. Rev. Lett. 93, 055503 (2004); P. F. McMillan, M. Wilson, D. Daisenberger, and D. Machon, Nature Mater. 4, 680 (2005)]. Striking structural differences between HDA and LDA are revealed. The LDA structure holds a tetrahedral network, while the HDA structure contains a highly distorted tetrahedral network. The fifth neighboring atom in HDA tends to be located at an interstitial position of a distorted tetrahedron composed of the first four neighboring atoms. Consequently, the coordination number of HDA is calculated to be approximately 5 unlike that of LDA. The electronic density of state (EDOS) shows that HDA is metallic, which is consistent with a recent experimental measurement of the electronic resistance of HDA Si. We find from local EDOS that highly distorted tetrahedral configurations enhance the metallic nature of HDA. The vibrational density of state (VDOS) also reflects the structural differences between HDA and LDA. Some of the characteristic vibrational modes of LDA are dematerialized in HDA, indicating the degradation of covalent bonds. The overall profile of the VDOS for HDA is found to be an intermediate between that for LDA and liquid Si under pressure (high-density liquid Si).

Ruthenium supported on nitrogen-doped carbon nanotubes for the oxygen reduction reaction in alkaline electrolyte; Poster

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Mabena, LF

2012-07-01

Full Text Available . Recently, several researchers have shown that nitrogen modified carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are good electrocatalyst supports and that they enhance the electrocatalytic activity for the ORR. Nitrogen-doped carbon nanotubes (N-CNTs) prepared via thermal chemical...

Three dimensional nitrogen-doped graphene aerogels functionalized with melamine for multifunctional applications in supercapacitors and adsorption

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Xing, Ling-Bao; Hou, Shu-Fen; Zhou, Jin; Zhang, Jing-Li; Si, Weijiang; Dong, Yunhui, E-mail: hgxydyh@sdut.edu.cn; Zhuo, Shuping, E-mail: zhuosp_academic@yahoo.com

2015-10-15

In present work, we demonstrate an efficient and facile strategy to fabricate three-dimensional (3D) nitrogen-doped graphene aerogels (NGAs) based on melamine, which serves as reducing and functionalizing agent of graphene oxide (GO) in an aqueous medium with ammonia. Benefiting from well-defined and cross-linked 3D porous network architectures, the supercapacitor based on the NGAs exhibited a high specific capacitance of 170.5 F g{sup −1} at 0.2 A g{sup −1}, and this capacitance also showed good electrochemical stability and a high degree of reversibility in the repetitive charge/discharge cycling test. More interestingly, the prepared NGAs further exhibited high adsorption capacities and high recycling performance toward several metal ions such as Pb{sup 2+}, Cu{sup 2+} and Cd{sup 2+}. Moreover, the hydrophobic carbonized nitrogen-doped graphene aerogels (CNGAs) showed outstanding adsorption and recycling performance for the removal of various oils and organic solvents. - Graphical abstract: Three-dimensional nitrogen-doped graphene aerogels were prepared by using melamine as reducing and functionalizing agent in an aqueous medium with ammonia, which showed multifunctional applications in supercapacitors and adsorption. - Highlights: • Three-dimensional nitrogen-doped graphene aerogels (NGAs) were prepared. • Melamine was used as reducing and functionalizing agent. • NGAs exhibited relatively good electrochemical properties in supercapacitor. • NGAs exhibited high adsorption performance toward several metal ions. • CNGAs showed outstanding adsorption capacities for various oils and solvents.

Visible Light Irradiation-Mediated Drug Elution Activity of Nitrogen-Doped TiO2 Nano tubes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Oh, S.; Moon, K.S.; Bae, J.M.; Moon, J.H.; Jin, S.

2013-01-01

We have developed nitrogen-doped TiO 2 nano tubes showing photo catalytic activity in the visible light region and have investigated the triggered release of antibiotics from these nano tubes in response to remote visible light irradiation. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) observations indicated that the structure of TiO 2 nano tubes was not destroyed on the conditions of 0.05 and 0.1 M diethanolamine treatment. The results of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) confirmed that nitrogen, in the forms of nitrite (TiO 2 ) and nitrogen monoxide (NO), had been incorporated into the TiO 2 nano tube surface. A drug-release test revealed that the antibiotic-loaded TiO 2 nano tubes showed sustained and prolonged drug elution with the help of polylactic acid. Visible light irradiation tests showed that the antibiotic release from nitrogen-doped nano tubes was significantly higher than that from pure TiO 2 nano tubes (ρ ≨ 0.05).

Effect of nitrogen doping on titanium carbonitride-derived adsorbents used for arsenic removal

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Han, Jisun [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Seoul National University, Seoul 151-742 (Korea, Republic of); Lee, Soonjae [Center for Water Resource Cycle Research, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Hwarang-ro 14-gil 5, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul 136-791 (Korea, Republic of); Choi, Keunsu [Computational Science Research Center, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Hwarang-ro 14-gil 5, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul 136-791 (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Jinhong [Samsung Electronics Co.Ltd.,(Maetan dong) 129, Samsung-ro Yeongtong-gu, Suwonsi, Gyeonggi-do 443-742, Repubilc of Korea (Korea, Republic of); Ha, Daegwon [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Seoul National University, Seoul 151-742 (Korea, Republic of); Lee, Chang-Gu [Center for Water Resource Cycle Research, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Hwarang-ro 14-gil 5, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul 136-791 (Korea, Republic of); An, Byungryul [Department of Civil Engineering, Sangmyung University, Cheonan, Chungnam 31066 (Korea, Republic of); Lee, Sang-Hyup [Center for Water Resource Cycle Research, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Hwarang-ro 14-gil 5, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul 136-791 (Korea, Republic of); Mizuseki, Hiroshi, E-mail: mizuseki@kist.re.kr [Computational Science Research Center, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Hwarang-ro 14-gil 5, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul 136-791 (Korea, Republic of); Choi, Jae-Woo, E-mail: plead36@kist.re.kr [Center for Water Resource Cycle Research, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Hwarang-ro 14-gil 5, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul 136-791 (Korea, Republic of); Department of Energy and Environmental Engineering, University of Science and Technology (UST), Daejeon 305-350 (Korea, Republic of); Kang, Shinhoo, E-mail: shinkang@snu.ac.kr [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Seoul National University, Seoul 151-742 (Korea, Republic of)

2016-01-25

Highlights: • The N-doping can improve the As adsorption performance of carbon-based materials. • The material features high micro- and small meso-pores with exceptional surface area. • Pyrrolic N atoms distributed uniformly on the micropores act as adsorption sites. • The synthesis temperature affected pore properties and surface functional groups. - Abstract: Arsenic in water and wastewater is considered to be a critical contaminant as it poses harmful health risks. In this regard, to meet the stringent regulation of arsenic in aqueous solutions, nitrogen doped carbon-based materials (CN) were prepared as adsorbents and tested for the removal of arsenic ion from aqueous solutions. Nitrogen-doped carbon (CNs) synthesized by chlorination exhibited well-developed micro- and small meso-pores with uniform pore structures. The structure and characteristics of the adsorbents thus developed were confirmed by field-emission scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, Brunauer–Emmett–Teller analysis, X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Among the CNs developed, CN700 exhibited high adsorption capacity for arsenic (31.08 mg/g). The adsorption efficiency for arsenic ion was confirmed to be affected by pyrrolic nitrogen and micro-pores. These results suggest that CNs are useful adsorbents for the treatment of arsenic, and in particular, CN700 demonstrates potential for application as an adsorbent for the removal of anionic heavy metals from wastewater and sewage.

A high-performance mesoporous carbon supported nitrogen-doped carbon electrocatalyst for oxygen reduction reaction

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, Jingjing; Lu, Shiyao; Chen, Xu; Wang, Jianan; Zhang, Bo; Zhang, Xinyu; Xiao, Chunhui; Ding, Shujiang

2017-12-01

Investigating low-cost and highly active electrocatalysts for oxygen reduction reactions (ORR) is of crucial importance for energy conversion and storage devices. Herein, we design and prepare mesoporous carbon supported nitrogen-doped carbon by pyrolysis of polyaniline coated on CMK-3. This electrocatalyst exhibits excellent performance towards ORR in alkaline media. The optimized nitrogen-doped mesoporous electrocatalyst show an onset potential (E onset) of 0.95 V (versus reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE)) and half-wave potential (E 1/2) of 0.83 V (versus RHE) in 0.1 M KOH. Furthermore, the as-prepared catalyst presents superior durability and methanol tolerance compared to commercial Pt/C indicating its potential applications in fuel cells and metal-air batteries.

Nitrogen-doped reduced graphene oxide electrodes for electrochemical supercapacitors.

Science.gov (United States)

Nolan, Hugo; Mendoza-Sanchez, Beatriz; Ashok Kumar, Nanjundan; McEvoy, Niall; O'Brien, Sean; Nicolosi, Valeria; Duesberg, Georg S

2014-02-14

Herein we use Nitrogen-doped reduced Graphene Oxide (N-rGO) as the active material in supercapacitor electrodes. Building on a previous work detailing the synthesis of this material, electrodes were fabricated via spray-deposition of aqueous dispersions and the electrochemical charge storage mechanism was investigated. Results indicate that the functionalised graphene displays improved performance compared to non-functionalised graphene. The simplicity of fabrication suggests ease of up-scaling of such electrodes for commercial applications.

Biomass-Derived Oxygen and Nitrogen Co-Doped Porous Carbon with Hierarchical Architecture as Sulfur Hosts for High-Performance Lithium/Sulfur Batteries

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yan Zhao

2017-11-01

Full Text Available In this work, a facile strategy to synthesize oxygen and nitrogen co-doped porous carbon (ONPC is reported by one-step pyrolysis of waste coffee grounds. As-prepared ONPC possesses highly rich micro/mesopores as well as abundant oxygen and nitrogen co-doping, which is applied to sulfur hosts as lithium/sulfur batteries’ appropriate cathodes. In battery testing, the sulfur/oxygen and nitrogen co-doped porous carbon (S/ONPC composite materials reveal a high initial capacity of 1150 mAh·g−1 as well as a reversible capacity of 613 mAh·g−1 after the 100th cycle at 0.2 C. Furthermore, when current density increases to 1 C, a discharge capacity of 331 mAh·g−1 is still attainable. Due to the hierarchical porous framework and oxygen/nitrogen co-doping, the S/ONPC composite exhibits a high utilization of sulfur and good electrochemical performance via the immobilization of the polysulfides through strong chemical binding.

One pot synthesis of ilmenite-type NiMnO3-"nitrogen-doped" graphene nanocomposite as next generation supercapacitors.

Science.gov (United States)

Giri, Soumen; Ghosh, Debasis; Das, Chapal Kumar

2013-10-28

NiMnO3-nitrogen doped graphene composite has been synthesized by a simple hydrothermal method and its supercapacitor performance investigated. The composite exhibits a specific capacitance of 750.2 F g(-1) in 1 M Na2SO4 at a scan rate of 1 mV s(-1). Nitrogen insertion inside the carbon lattice plays a crucial role in the enhancement of the overall specific capacitance and its long-term stability. This reproducible and superior performance of NiMnO3-nitrogen doped graphene composite make it attractive as a candidate for energy storage materials.

One unit-cell seed layer induced epitaxial growth of heavily nitrogen doped anatase TiO{sub 2} films

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chen, T L; Hirose, Y; Hitosugi, T; Hasegawa, T [Kanagawa Academy of Science and Technology (KAST), Kawasaki 213-0012 (Japan)], E-mail: chen@ksp.or.jp

2008-03-21

We present a novel way to obtain heavily nitrogen doped anatase TiO{sub 2} films by using a solid-state nitrogen source. Epitaxial growth of the films was realized by introducing one unit-cell seed layer, which was indicated by reflection high-energy electron diffraction as intensity oscillation. Results of x-ray diffraction and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy confirmed that the films were in the anatase phase heavily doped with nitrogen of {approx}15 at%. The films obtained exhibited considerable narrowing of the optical bandgap, resulting in an enhancement of absorption in the visible-light region. (fast track communication)

Inverse simulated annealing: Improvements and application to amorphous InSb

OpenAIRE

Los, Jan H.; Gabardi, Silvia; Bernasconi, Marco; Kühne, Thomas D.

2014-01-01

An improved inverse simulated annealing method is presented to determine the structure of complex disordered systems from first principles in agreement with available experimental data or desired predetermined target properties. The effectiveness of this method is demonstrated by revisiting the structure of amorphous InSb. The resulting network is mostly tetrahedral and in excellent agreement with available experimental data.

A highly efficient electrocatalyst for oxygen reduction reaction: phosphorus and nitrogen co-doped hierarchically ordered porous carbon derived from an iron-functionalized polymer

Science.gov (United States)

Deng, Chengwei; Zhong, Hexiang; Li, Xianfeng; Yao, Lan; Zhang, Huamin

2016-01-01

Heteroatom-doped carbon materials have shown respectable activity for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in alkaline media. However, the performances of these materials are not satisfactory for energy conversion devices, such as fuel cells. Here, we demonstrate a new type of phosphorus and nitrogen co-doped hierarchically ordered porous carbon (PNHOPC) derived from an iron-functionalized mesoporous polymer through an evaporation-induced self-assembly process that simultaneously combines the carbonization and nitrogen doping processes. The soft template and the nitrogen doping process facilitate the formation of the hierarchically ordered structure for the PNHOPC. The catalyst possesses a large surface area (1118 cm2 g-1) and a pore volume of 1.14 cm3 g-1. Notably, it exhibits excellent ORR catalytic performance, superior stability and methanol tolerance in acidic electrolytes, thus making the catalyst promising for fuel cells. The correlations between the unique pore structure and the nitrogen and phosphorus configuration of the catalysts with high catalytic activity are thoroughly investigated.Heteroatom-doped carbon materials have shown respectable activity for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in alkaline media. However, the performances of these materials are not satisfactory for energy conversion devices, such as fuel cells. Here, we demonstrate a new type of phosphorus and nitrogen co-doped hierarchically ordered porous carbon (PNHOPC) derived from an iron-functionalized mesoporous polymer through an evaporation-induced self-assembly process that simultaneously combines the carbonization and nitrogen doping processes. The soft template and the nitrogen doping process facilitate the formation of the hierarchically ordered structure for the PNHOPC. The catalyst possesses a large surface area (1118 cm2 g-1) and a pore volume of 1.14 cm3 g-1. Notably, it exhibits excellent ORR catalytic performance, superior stability and methanol tolerance in acidic

Simple Hydrogen Plasma Doping Process of Amorphous Indium Gallium Zinc Oxide-Based Phototransistors for Visible Light Detection.

Science.gov (United States)

Kang, Byung Ha; Kim, Won-Gi; Chung, Jusung; Lee, Jin Hyeok; Kim, Hyun Jae

2018-02-28

A homojunction-structured amorphous indium gallium zinc oxide (a-IGZO) phototransistor that can detect visible light is reported. The key element of this technology is an absorption layer composed of hydrogen-doped a-IGZO. This absorption layer is fabricated by simple hydrogen plasma doping, and subgap states are induced by increasing the amount of hydrogen impurities. These subgap states, which lead to a higher number of photoexcited carriers and aggravate the instability under negative bias illumination stress, enabled the detection of a wide range of visible light (400-700 nm). The optimal condition of the hydrogen-doped absorption layer (HAL) is fabricated at a hydrogen partial pressure ratio of 2%. As a result, the optimized a-IGZO phototransistor with the HAL exhibits a high photoresponsivity of 1932.6 A/W, a photosensitivity of 3.85 × 10 6 , and a detectivity of 6.93 × 10 11 Jones under 635 nm light illumination.

Effective visible light-active nitrogen and samarium co-doped BiVO4 for the degradation of organic pollutants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, Min; Niu, Chao; Liu, Jun; Wang, Qianwu; Yang, Changxiu; Zheng, Haoyan

2015-01-01

Nitrogen and samarium co-doped BiVO 4 (N–xSm–BiVO 4 ) nanoparticles were synthesized using a sol–gel method with a corn stem template. The physicochemical properties of the resultant N–xSm–BiVO 4 particles were characterized using various methods: XPS, XRD, SEM, BET, and UV–Vis DRS analyses. The visible-light photocatalytic activity was successfully demonstrated by degrading a model dye, namely, methyl orange. The dopant content was optimized, and the nitrogen and samarium co-doped BiVO 4 extended the light absorption spectrum toward the visible region, significantly enhancing the photodegradation of the model dye. The Sm and N co-doped BiVO 4 exhibited the highest photocatalytic activity compared to materials with a single dopant or no dopant. The significantly enhanced photocatalytic activity of the N–Sm co-doped BiVO 4 under visible-light irradiation can be attributed to the synergistic effects of the nitrogen and samarium. - Highlights: • The N–Sm codoped BiVO 4 were synthesized using a sol–gel method with a corn stem template. • The N and Sm codoped BiVO 4 has excellent photocatalytic activity of methyl orange degradation. • The maximum activity was observed when the molar ratio of Sm/Bi was 1.0. • The high photocatalytic activity was caused by the synergistic effects between N doping and Sm doping

Simple method of preparing nitrogen - doped nanosized TiO2 powders of high photocatalytic activity under visible light

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nguyen Van Hung; Dang Thi Thanh Le

2014-01-01

Nitrogen-doped nanosized TiO 2 powders were prepared by a simple thermal treatment method of the mixture of titanium dioxide and urea. The prepared products were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), UV-Vis diffuse reflectance spectra (UV-Vis-DRS) and Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy. The results showed that the crystal structure of N-TiO 2 was a mixture of anatase and rutile phases, and the average particle size was 31 nm calculated from XRD results. The UV-vis spectra indicate an increase in absorption of visible light when compared to undoped TiO 2 . The photocatalytic activity of nitrogen-doped TiO 2 powder was evaluated by the decomposition of methylene blue under visible light irradiation. And it was found that nitrogen-doped TiO 2 powders exhibited much higher photocatalytic activity than undoped TiO 2 . Moreover, the study also showed that, the doping N atoms improve the growth of the TiO 2 crystal and phase transformation. (author)

Theoretical Investigation on Single-Wall Carbon Nanotubes Doped with Nitrogen, Pyridine-Like Nitrogen Defects, and Transition Metal Atoms

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Michael Mananghaya

2012-01-01

Full Text Available This study addresses the inherent difficulty in synthesizing single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs with uniform chirality and well-defined electronic properties through the introduction of dopants, topological defects, and intercalation of metals. Depending on the desired application, one can modify the electronic and magnetic properties of SWCNTs through an appropriate introduction of imperfections. This scheme broadens the application areas of SWCNTs. Under this motivation, we present our ongoing investigations of the following models: (i (10, 0 and (5, 5 SWCNT doped with nitrogen (CNxNT, (ii (10, 0 and (5, 5 SWCNT with pyridine-like defects (3NV-CNxNT, (iii (10, 0 SWCNT with porphyrine-like defects (4ND-CNxNT. Models (ii and (iii were chemically functionalized with 14 transition metals (TMs: Sc, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Pd, Ag, Pt and Au. Using the spin-unrestricted density functional theory (DFT, stable configurations, deformations, formation and binding energies, the effects of the doping concentration of nitrogen, pyridine-like and porphyrine-like defects on the electronic properties were all examined. Results reveal that the electronic properties of SWCNTs show strong dependence on the concentration and configuration of nitrogen impurities, its defects, and the TMs adsorbed.

Microporous MOFs Engaged in the Formation of Nitrogen-Doped Mesoporous Carbon Nanosheets for High-Rate Supercapacitors.

Science.gov (United States)

Hou, Ya-Nan; Zhao, Zongbin; Yu, Zhengfa; Zhang, Su; Li, Shaofeng; Yang, Juan; Zhang, Han; Liu, Chang; Wang, Zhiyu; Qiu, Jieshan

2018-02-21

Nitrogen-doped mesoporous carbon nanosheets (NMCS) have been fabricated from zinc-based microporous metal-organic frameworks (ZIF-8) by pyrolysis in a molten salt medium. The as-prepared NMCS exhibit significantly improved specific capacitance (NMCS-8: 232 F g -1 at 0.5 A g -1 ) and capacitance retention ratio (75.9 % at 50 A g -1 ) compared with the micropore-dominant nitrogen-doped porous carbon polyhedrons (NPCP-5: 178 F g -1 at 0.5 A g -1 , 15.9 % at 20 A g -1 ) obtained by direct pyrolysis of nanocrystalline ZIF-8. The excellent capacitive performance and high rate performance of the NMCS can be attributed to their unique combination of structure and composition, that is, the two-dimensional and hierarchically porous structure provides a short ion-transport pathway and facilitates the supply of electrolyte ions, and the nitrogen-doped polar surface improves the interface wettability when used as an electrode. © 2018 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Nitrogen-doped graphene forests as electrodes for high-performance wearable supercapacitors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, Mei; Ma, Yifei

2017-01-01

Highlights: •N-doped graphene forest (GF) is successfully synthesized by in-situ PECVD process. •Morphology of N-doped GF electrode realizes a better in-plane electron transfer. •Areal and volumetric capacitances increase 26% and 89% by the N-doping of GF. •Energy and power densities increase 87% and 50% by the N-doping of GF. •The N-doped GF-based EDLC shows excellent bendability and reliable durability. -- Abstract: Recently, a graphene forest (GF) is synthesized by a plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) process, which subverts the stereotyped morphology of vertical graphene. The GF is demonstrated to possess excellent performance in flexible and bendable electrical double-layer capacitors (EDLCs). In this work, synthesis process of the GF has been optimized and N-doped GF is successfully achieved by introducing NH 3 as the nitrogen precursor during the PECVD process. The N-doping obviously affects the morphology of the GF and the in-plane conductivity of GF is desirably enhanced. The specific area capacitances and volumetric capacitances of N-doped GF-based EDLC increases 26% and 89% in average, respectively, at different current densities compared with the non-doped GF-based EDLC. In addition, both the energy and power densities are improved, and impressively, the energy densities improve 87% by the N-doping of GF electrodes. The GF-based EDLC also provides the desirable stability that no degradation can be observed within 10,000 cycles. Finally, the flexible N-doped GF-based EDLC is also tested as a wearable supercapacitor, exhibiting no capacitance decrease under the dynamic bending situation. Our approach to synthesize the N-doped GF electrodes can achieve the fine-scale nano-structured GF electrodes and provide a new way forward for improved energy storage devices.

Improved Electrochemical Performance of LiFePO4@N-Doped Carbon Nanocomposites Using Polybenzoxazine as Nitrogen and Carbon Sources.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Ping; Zhang, Geng; Li, Zhichen; Sheng, Wangjian; Zhang, Yichi; Gu, Jiangjiang; Zheng, Xinsheng; Cao, Feifei

2016-10-03

Polybenzoxazine is used as a novel carbon and nitrogen source for coating LiFePO 4 to obtain LiFePO 4 @nitrogen-doped carbon (LFP@NC) nanocomposites. The nitrogen-doped graphene-like carbon that is in situ coated on nanometer-sized LiFePO 4 particles can effectively enhance the electrical conductivity and provide fast Li + transport paths. When used as a cathode material for lithium-ion batteries, the LFP@NC nanocomposite (88.4 wt % of LiFePO 4 ) exhibits a favorable rate performance and stable cycling performance.

Europium-doped amorphous calcium phosphate porous nanospheres: preparation and application as luminescent drug carriers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhang Kui-Hua

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract Calcium phosphate is the most important inorganic constituent of biological tissues, and synthetic calcium phosphate has been widely used as biomaterials. In this study, a facile method has been developed for the fabrication of amorphous calcium phosphate (ACP/polylactide-block-monomethoxy(polyethyleneglycol hybrid nanoparticles and ACP porous nanospheres. Europium-doping is performed to enable photoluminescence (PL function of ACP porous nanospheres. A high specific surface area of the europium-doped ACP (Eu3+:ACP porous nanospheres is achieved (126.7 m2/g. PL properties of Eu3+:ACP porous nanospheres are investigated, and the most intense peak at 612 nm is observed at 5 mol% Eu3+ doping. In vitro cytotoxicity experiments indicate that the as-prepared Eu3+:ACP porous nanospheres are biocompatible. In vitro drug release experiments indicate that the ibuprofen-loaded Eu3+:ACP porous nanospheres show a slow and sustained drug release in simulated body fluid. We have found that the cumulative amount of released drug has a linear relationship with the natural logarithm of release time (ln(t. The Eu3+:ACP porous nanospheres are bioactive, and can transform to hydroxyapatite during drug release. The PL properties of drug-loaded nanocarriers before and after drug release are also investigated.

Tetrahedral 1B4Sb nanoclusters in GaP:(B, Sb)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Elyukhin, V A, E-mail: elyukhin@cinvestav.m [Departamento de Ingenieria Electrica-SEES, CINVESTAV-IPN, Avenida IPN 2508, Col. San Pedro Zacatenco, C. P. 07360, Mexico, D. F. (Mexico)

2009-05-01

Self-assembling conditions of 1B4Sb tetrahedral nanoclusters in GaP doped with boron and Sb isoelectronic impurities are represented in the ultradilute and dilute limits of the boron and Sb contents, respectively. The fulfilled estimates demonstrated the preferential complete or almost complete allocation of boron atoms in 1B4Sb nanoclusters at temperatures of 500 {sup 0}C and 900 {sup 0}C, respectively. The significant decrease of the sum of the free energies of the constituent compounds is the main origin of self-assembling. The reduction of the strain energy is the additional cause of this phenomenon.

Preparation and characterization of carbon and nitrogen Co-doped TiO/sub 2/ with enhanced visible light activity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, D.; Fang, B.; Zhang, K.; Hu, C.

2012-01-01

To make full use of solar light in photocatalysis reactions, carbon and nitrogen co-doped Titanium dioxide nanoparticles were prepared through a facile process. Subsequently the structure and properties of the doped nanoparticles were characterized by UV-Vis spectroscopy, photoluminescence spectra (PL), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), respectively. In addition, the photo-catalytic activity of the samples was evaluated by photo-catalytic degradation of methyl orange aqueous solution under visible light irradiation. Results revealed that the calcined temperatures affected the structure and photo-catalytic activity of the nanoparticles and the N, C-co-doped TiO/sub 2/ (400 deg. C) nanoparticles exhibited the highest photo-catalytic activity, which could be attributed to the synergistic effect of co-doped carbon and nitrogen atoms. (author)

Nitrogen-doped carbon based on peptides of hair as electrode materials for surpercapacitors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guo, Zihan; Zhou, Qingwen; Wu, Zhaojun; Zhang, Zhiguo; Zhang, Wen; Zhang, Yao; Li, Lijun; Cao, Zhenzhu; Wang, Hong; Gao, Yanfang

2013-01-01

Highlights: • Hair was directly carbonized by environmental and energy-saving methods. • Hair was utilized to prepare nitrogen-doped carbon materials for supercapacitor. • A new approache for preparing nitrogen-rich active carbon from biomass waste of hair-like precursor. • Hair-based carbon having a non-crystalline layered structure and excellent capacitive performance. -- Abstract: Hair, a high-nitrogen energetic material, is utilized as a precursor for nitrogen-doped porous carbon. The preparation procedures for obtaining carbon from hair are very simple, namely, reductant or deionized water activation process followed by hair carbonization under argon atmosphere at 800 °C for 2 h. The samples are characterized through scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, nitrogen adsorption, and X-ray photoelectron microscopy. The carbon samples are tested as electrode materials in supercapacitors in a three-electrode system. The carbon (soaked in deionized water at 80 °C) presents relatively low specific surface areas (441.34 m 2 g −1 ) and shows higher capacitance (154.5 F g −1 ) compared with nitrogen-free commercial activated carbons (134.5 F g −1 ) at 5 A g −1 . The capacitance remains at 130.5 F g −1 even when the current load is increased to 15 A g −1 . The capacitance loss is only 5% in 6 M KOH after 10,000 charge and discharge cycles at 5 A g −1 . It is the unique microstructure after activation processing and electroactive nitrogen functionalities that enable the carbon obtained through a simple, ecological, and economical process to be utilized as a potential electrode material for electrical double-layer capacitors

Enhancement of photovoltaic effects and photoconductivity observed in Co-doped amorphous carbon/silicon heterostructures

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jiang, Y. C.; Gao, J., E-mail: jugao@hku.hk [Research Center for Solid State Physics and Materials, School of Mathematics and Physics, Suzhou University of Science and Technology, Suzhou 215009, Jiangsu (China)

2016-08-22

Co-doped amorphous carbon (Co-C)/silicon heterostructures were fabricated by growing Co-C films on n-type Si substrates using pulsed laser deposition. A photovoltaic effect (PVE) has been observed at room temperature. Open-circuit voltage V{sub oc} = 320 mV and short-circuit current density J{sub sc }= 5.62 mA/cm{sup 2} were measured under illumination of 532-nm light with the power of 100 mW/cm{sup 2}. In contrast, undoped amorphous carbon/Si heterostructures revealed no significant PVE. Based on the PVE and photoconductivity (PC) investigated at different temperatures, it was found that the energy conversion efficiency increased with increasing the temperature and reached the maximum at room temperature, while the photoconductivity showed a reverse temperature dependence. The observed competition between PVE and PC was correlated with the way to distribute absorbed photons. The possible mechanism, explaining the enhanced PVE and PC in the Co-C/Si heterostructures, might be attributed to light absorption enhanced by localized surface plasmons in Co nanoparticles embedded in the carbon matrix.

Facile hydrothermal method for synthesizing nitrogen-doped graphene nanoplatelets using aqueous ammonia: dispersion, stability in solvents and thermophysical performances

Science.gov (United States)

Shafiah Shazali, Siti; Amiri, Ahmad; Zubir, Mohd. Nashrul Mohd; Rozali, Shaifulazuar; Zakuan Zabri, Mohd; Sabri, Mohd Faizul Mohd

2018-03-01

A simple and green approach has been developed to synthesize nitrogen-doped graphene nanoplatelets (N-doped GNPs) for mass production with a very high stability in different solvents e.g. water, ethylene glycol, methanol, ethanol, and 1-hexanol. The strategy is based on mild oxidation of GNPs using hydrogen peroxide and doping with nitrogen using hydrothermal process. The modification of N-doped GNPs was demonstrated by FTIR, TGA, XPS, Raman spectroscopy and high resolution-transmission electron microscope (HRTEM). Further study was carried out by using N-doped GNPs as an additive to prepare different colloidal dispersions. Water-based N-doped GNPs, methanol-based N-doped GNPs, ethanol-based N-doped GNPs, ethylene-glycol based N-doped GNPs and 1-hexanol-based N-doped GNPs dispersions at 0.01 wt.% shown great colloidal stabilities, indicating 17%, 29%, 33%, 18%, and 43% sedimentations after a 15-days period, respectively. The thermophysical properties e.g., viscosity and thermal conductivity of water-based N-doped GNP nanofluids were also evaluated for different weight concentrations of 0.100, 0.075, 0.050, and 0.025 wt.%. Through this, it is found that the obtained dispersions have great potential to be used as working fluids for industrial thermal systems.

Palladium on Nitrogen-Doped Mesoporous Carbon: A Bifunctional Catalyst for Formate-Based, Carbon-Neutral Hydrogen Storage.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Fanan; Xu, Jinming; Shao, Xianzhao; Su, Xiong; Huang, Yanqiang; Zhang, Tao

2016-02-08

The lack of safe, efficient, and economical hydrogen storage technologies is a hindrance to the realization of the hydrogen economy. Reported herein is a reversible formate-based carbon-neutral hydrogen storage system that is established over a novel catalyst comprising palladium nanoparticles supported on nitrogen-doped mesoporous carbon. The support was fabricated by a hard template method and nitridated under a flow of ammonia. Detailed analyses demonstrate that this bicarbonate/formate redox equilibrium is promoted by the cooperative role of the doped nitrogen functionalities and the well-dispersed, electron-enriched palladium nanoparticles. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Synthesis of nitrogen-doped graphene–ZnS quantum dots composites with highly efficient visible light photodegradation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jiang, Shu-Dong; Tang, Gang [State Key Laboratory of Fire Science, University of Science and Technology of China, 96 Jinzhai Road, Hefei, Anhui 230026 (China); Ma, Yi-Fei [CAS Key Laboratory of Crust-Mantle Materials and Environments, School of Earth and Space Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026 (China); Hu, Yuan, E-mail: yuanhu@ustc.edu.cn [State Key Laboratory of Fire Science, University of Science and Technology of China, 96 Jinzhai Road, Hefei, Anhui 230026 (China); Suzhou Key Laboratory of Urban Public Safety, Suzhou Institute for Advanced Study, University of Science and Technology of China, 166 Ren' ai Road, Suzhou, Jiangsu 215123 (China); Song, Lei [State Key Laboratory of Fire Science, University of Science and Technology of China, 96 Jinzhai Road, Hefei, Anhui 230026 (China)

2015-02-01

Nitrogen-doped graphene–ZnS quantum dots (NG–ZnS QDs) were synthesized by a one-pot hydrothermal process using graphene oxide and [(Zn{sub 2}S{sub 2}) (pa)] nanosheets as precursors. The results demonstrated that ZnS QDs deposited on the surface of the nitrogen-doped graphene (NG). Combined with series of our analysis and characterization, we found that [(Zn{sub 2}S{sub 2}) (pa)] nanosheets were used not only as the sources of ZnS QDs but also as the sources of nitrogen. Moreover, photocatalytic experiment of NG–ZnS QDs for organic dyes was conducted under visible light irradiation, and the results exhibited that the photocatalytic activities of resultant composites could be remarkably enhanced. This simple and catalyst-free approach for depositing ZnS QDs onto NG may provide an alternative way for preparation of other composites based on NG under mild conditions, which showed their potential applications in wastewater treatment. - Graphical abstract: Schematic of the four-step process of the photon-driven CT model for NG–ZnS QDs. - Highlights: • A new strategy was present to synthesize nitrogen-doped graphene–ZnS quantum dots (NG–ZnS QDs) composites. • [(Zn{sub 2}S{sub 2}) (pa)] nanosheets were used not only as the sources of ZnS QDs but also as the sources of nitrogen. • The photocatalytic activities of NG–ZnS QDs could be remarkably enhanced.

Biomass derived nitrogen-doped hierarchical porous carbon sheets for supercapacitors with high performance.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Cunjing; Wu, Dapeng; Wang, Hongju; Gao, Zhiyong; Xu, Fang; Jiang, Kai

2018-08-01

A facile potassium chloride salt-locking technique combined with hydrothermal treatment on precursors was explored to prepare nitrogen-doped hierarchical porous carbon sheets in air from biomass. Benefiting from the effective synthesis strategy, the as-obtained carbon possesses a unique nitrogen-doped thin carbon sheet structure with abundant hierarchical pores and large specific surface areas of 1459 m 2  g -1 . The doped nitrogen in carbon framework has a positive effect on the electrochemical properties of the electrode material, the thin carbon sheet structure benefits for fast ion transfer, the abundant meso-pores provide convenient channels for rapid charge transportation, large specific surface area and lots of micro-pores guarantee sufficient ion-storage sites. Therefore, applied for supercapacitors, the carbon electrode material exhibits an outstanding specific capacitance of 451 F g -1 at 0.5 A g -1 in a three-electrode system. Moreover, the assembled symmetric supercapacitor based on two identical carbon electrodes also displays high specific capacitance of 309 F g -1 at 0.5 A g -1 , excellent rate capacity and remarkable cycling stability with 99.3% of the initial capacitance retention after 10,000 cycles at 5 A -1 . The synthesis strategy avoids expensive inert gas protection and the use of corrosive KOH and toxic ZnCl 2 activated reagents, representing a promising green route to design advanced carbon electrode materials from biomass for high-capacity supercapacitors. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Room temperature ferromagnetism and absorption red-shift in nitrogen-doped TiO{sub 2} nanoparticles

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gómez-Polo, C., E-mail: gpolo@unavarra.es [Departamento de Física, Universidad Pública de Navarra, Campus de Arrosadia, 31006 Pamplona (Spain); Larumbe, S. [Departamento de Física, Universidad Pública de Navarra, Campus de Arrosadia, 31006 Pamplona (Spain); Monge, M. [Departamento de Química, Universidad de la Rioja, Centro de Investigación en Síntesis Química (CISQ), Complejo Científico Tecnológico, 26006 Logroño (Spain)

2014-11-05

Highlights: • N-doped TiO{sub 2} anatase nanoparticles were obtained by sol–gel. • The nanoparticle size, controlled by the N doping, determines lattice parameters. • Correlation between room temperature ferromagnetism and absorption red-shift. • Oxygen vacancies reinforce both phenomena. • Metal transition impurities contribute to the room temperature ferromagnetism. - Abstract: In this work, room-temperature ferromagnetism and the red-shift of the optical absorption is analyzed in nitrogen doped TiO{sub 2} semiconductor nanoparticles. The nanoparticles were synthesized by the sol–gel method using urea as the nitrogen source. Titanium Tetraisopropoxide (TTIP) was employed as the alkoxyde precursor and dissolved in ethanol. The as prepared gels were dried and calcined in air at 300 °C. Additionally, post-annealing treatments under vacuum atmosphere were performed to modify the oxygen stoichiometry of the samples. The anatase lattice parameters, analyzed by means of powder X-ray diffractometry, depend on the nanometer grain size of the nanoparticles (increase and decrease, respectively, of the tetragonal a and c lattice parameters with respect to the bulk values). The diffuse reflectance ultraviolet–visible (UV–Vis) absorbance spectra show a clear red-shift as consequence of the nitrogen and the occurrence of intragap energy levels. The samples display ferromagnetic features at room temperature that are reinforced with the nitrogen content and after the post annealings in vacuum. The results indicate a clear correlation between the room temperature ferromagnetism and the shift of the absorbance spectrum. In both phenomena, oxygen vacancies (either induced by the nitrogen doping or by the post vacuum annealings) play a dominant role. However, we conclude the existence of very low concentration of diluted transition metal impurities that determine the room ferromagnetic response (bound magnetic polaron BMP model). The contraction of the c soft axis

Nitrogen-doped graphene by ball-milling graphite with melamine for energy conversion and storage

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xue, Yuhua; Chen, Hao; Qu, Jia; Dai, Liming

2015-01-01

N-doped graphene was prepared by ball milling of graphite with melamine. It was found that ball-milling reduced the size of graphite particles from 30 to 1 μm and facilitated the exfoliation of the resultant small particles into few-layer N-doped graphene nanosheets under ultrasonication. The as-prepared N-doped graphene nanoplatelets (NGnPs) exhibited a nitrogen content as high as 11.4 at.%, making them attractive as efficient electrode materials in supercapacitors for energy storage and as highly-active metal-free catalysts for oxygen reduction in fuel cells for energy conversion. (paper)

Effect of nitrogen doping on the microstructure and visible light photocatalysis of titanate nanotubes by a facile cohydrothermal synthesis via urea treatment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hu, Cheng-Ching; Hsu, Tzu-Chien; Lu, Shan-Yu

2013-01-01

A facile one-step cohydrothermal synthesis via urea treatment has been adopted to prepare a series of nitrogen-doped titanate nanotubes with highly efficient visible light photocatalysis of rhodamine B, in an effect to identify the effect of nitrogen doping on the photodegradation efficiency. The morphology and microstructure of the thus-prepared N-doped titanates were characterized by nitrogen adsorption/desorption isotherms, transmission electron microscopy, and scanning electron microscopy. With increasing urea loadings, the N-doped titanates change from a porous multi-layer and nanotube-shaped to a dense and aggregated particle-shaped structure, accompanied with reduced specific surface area and pore volume and enhanced pore diameter. Interstitial linkage to titanate via Ti-O-N and Ti-N-O is confirmed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Factors governing the photocatalytic degradation such as the specific surface area of the catalyst and the degradation pathway are analyzed, a mechanistic illustration on the photodegradation is provided, and a 3-stage degradation mechanism is identified. The synergistic contribution due to the enhanced deethylation and chromophore cleavage on rhodamine B molecules and the reduced band gap on the catalyst TiO 2 by interstitial nitrogen-doping has been accounted for the high photodegradation efficiency of the N-doped titanate nanotubes.

Effect of nitrogen doping on the structural, optical and electrical properties of indium tin oxide films prepared by magnetron sputtering for gallium nitride light emitting diodes

Science.gov (United States)

Tian, Lifei; Cheng, Guoan; Wang, Hougong; Wu, Yulong; Zheng, Ruiting; Ding, Peijun

2017-01-01

The indium tin oxide (ITO) films are prepared by the direct current magnetron sputtering technology with an ITO target in a mixture of argon and nitrogen gas at room temperature. The blue transmittance at 455 nm rises from 63% to 83% after nitrogen doping. The resistivity of the ITO film reduces from 4.6 × 10-3 (undoped film) to 5.7 × 10-4 Ω cm (N-doped film). The X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy data imply that the binding energy of the In3d5/2 peak is declined 0.05 eV after nitrogen doping. The high resolution transmission electron microscope images show that the nitrogen loss density of the GaN/ITO interface with N-doped ITO film is smaller than that of the GaN/ITO interface with undoped ITO film. The forward turn-on voltage of gallium nitride light emitting diode reduces by 0.5 V after nitrogen doping. The fabrication of the N-doped ITO film is conducive to modify the N component of the interface between GaN and ITO layer.

Nitrogen-doped carbon nanotubes as a metal catalyst support

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Mabena, LF

2011-05-01

Full Text Available ., which are among the most commonly used heterogeneous catalyst supports (Mart??nez-Me?ndez et al. 2006). Catalyst activity depends on the particle size and appropriate dis- tance between each particle. These catalysts deposited on a support... supported Pt electrodes. Appl Catal B Environ 80:286?295 Maldonado S, Morin S, Stevenson KJ (2006) Structure, composition, and chemical reactivity of carbon nanotubes by selective nitrogen doping. Carbon 44:1429?1437 Mart??nez-Me?ndez S, Henr??quez Y...

Facile fabrication of palladium-ionic liquids-nitrogen-doped graphene nanocomposites as enhanced electro-catalyst for ethanol oxidation

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Shuwen; Yang, Honglei; Ren, Ren; Ma, Jianxin; Jin, Jun; Ma, Jiantai

2015-10-01

The palladium-ionic liquids-nitrogen-doped graphene nanocomposites are facile fabricated as enhanced electro-catalyst for ethanol oxidation. First, the ionic liquids functionalized nitrogen-doping graphene nanosheets (PDIL-NGS) with few layers is synthesized through a facile and effective one-pot hydrothermal method with graphene oxide as raw material, urea as reducing-doping agents and ionic liquids (ILs) derived from 3,4,9,10-perylene tetracarboxylic acid as functional molecules. The results of systematic characterization reveal that the PDIL molecules not only can functionalize NGS by π-π stacking with no affecting the nitrogen doping but also prevent the agglomeration of NGS. More importantly, the processing performance and the property of electron transfer are remarkably enhanced duo to introducing a large number of ILs groups. Then, the enhanced electrocatalytic Pd nanoparticles are successfully anchored on PDIL-NGS by a facile and surfactant-free synthetic technique. As an anode catalyst, the novel catalyst exhibits better kinetics, more superior electrocatalytic performance, higher tolerance and electrochemical stability than the other catalysts toward ethanol electrooxidation, owing to the role of PDIL molecules. Therefore, the new catalyst is believed to have the potential use for direct alcohol fuel cells in the future and the functionalized NGS is promising useful materials applied in other fields.

Nitrogen Doped Graphene Supported Pt Nanoflowers as Electrocatalysts for Oxidation of Formaldehyde.

Science.gov (United States)

Xie, Aijuan; Zhou, Wenting; Luo, Shiping; Chen, Yu; Zhou, Xiaoqing; Chao, Yao

2017-02-01

A facile Pt nanoflowers/nitrogen-doped graphene (PtNFs/NG) electrocatalyst was prepared via depositing Pt nanoflowers (PtNFs) onto the nitrogen-doped graphene (NG) matrix with urea as the nitrogen source and PtNFs/NG modified glassy carbon electrode (GCE) was prepared by electro-chemical method. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscope, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Scanning electron microscope (SEM) were used to characterize the resulting composites. Also oxidation of formaldehyde on the resulting PtNFs/NG modified electrode was investigated. The influence of deposition time, electrodeposition potential and formaldehyde concentration on electrooxidation of formaldehyde was detected, the experimental results indicate the high performance of PtNFs/NG catalyst for formaldehyde oxidation is at electrodeposition time of 300 s with the applied potential of −0.3 V. Electrochemical process, electrocatalytic stability and chronoamperometry were also inspected, it was indicated that formalde-hyde oxidation reaction on the PtNFs/NG electrode is diffusion-controlled and PtNFs/NG exhibits a high catalytic activity, stability as well as excellent poisoning-tolerance towards formaldehyde oxidation, which is attributed to the synergistic effect of PtNFs and NG. It turns out that PtNFs/NG can be used in direct liquid-feed fuel cells as a promising alternative catalyst.

Phase transformations in sputter-deposited W-doped TiO2 films during annealing in air

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Saladukhin, I. A.; Abadias, G.

2013-01-01

Pure and tungsten-doped TiO 2 films are characterized as amorphous in the as-deposited state by XRD. A crystallization of titanium dioxide occurs during their annealing in air. Depending on the tungsten and nitrogen doping level, anatase or rutile phase formation is observed. Both of these phases are thermally stable in all interval of the temperatures used during annealing. Phase composition and lattice parameter analysis indicates on the formation of substitutional Ti 1 -xW x O 2 films. N-doped Ti 0 .75W 0 .25O 2 film is more resistant against high-temperature oxidation as compared to Ti 0 .74W 0 .26O 2 film and, especially, as compared to Ti 0 .60W 0 .40O 2 film. (authors)

Synthesis of boron and nitrogen co-doped carbon nanofiber as efficient metal-free electrocatalyst for the VO"2"+/VO_2"+ Redox Reaction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shi, Lang; Liu, Suqin; He, Zhen; Yuan, Hao; Shen, Junxi

2015-01-01

Boron or nitrogen mono-doped carbon nanofiber (CNF), and boron, nitrogen co-doped CNF are intentionally prepared as positive electrodes in a vanadium redox flow battery (VRFB). The structures and electrochemical properties of the materials are investigated by Scanning electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical impendence spectroscopy. The experimental results indicate that either B or N mono-doped CNF shown better electrochemical performance than untreated one. Interestingly, for the B and N co-doped CNF, the separated case exhibited an outstanding electrochemical activity better than either B or N mono-doped case, while the bonded case leading to a sharp drop in conductivity and shown poor electrochemical performances. These results demonstrated that not the total amount of incorporated B and N but how the B and N are incorporated into carbon nanostructures determines the catalytic activity toward VO"2"+/VO_2"+ reaction. Moreover, the individual mechanism of the nitrogen and boron containing functional groups act as active sites have been analyzed.

First-principles study of amorphous Ga4Sb6Te3 phase-change alloys

Science.gov (United States)

Bouzid, Assil; Gabardi, Silvia; Massobrio, Carlo; Boero, Mauro; Bernasconi, Marco

2015-05-01

First-principles molecular dynamics simulations within the density functional theory framework were performed to generate amorphous models of the Ga4Sb6Te3 phase change alloy by quenching from the melt. We find that Ga-Sb and Ga-Te are the most abundant bonds with only a minor amount of Sb-Te bonds participating to the alloy network. Ga and four-coordinated Sb atoms present a tetrahedral-like geometry, whereas three-coordinated Sb atoms are in a pyramidal configuration. The tetrahedral-like geometries are similar to those of the crystalline phase of the two binary compounds GaTe and GaSb. A sizable fraction of Sb-Sb bonds is also present, indicating a partial nanoscale segregation of Sb. Despite the fact that the composition Ga4Sb6Te3 lies on the pseudobinary Ga Sb -Sb2Te3 tie line, the amorphous network can be seen as a mixture of the two binary compounds GaTe and GaSb with intertwined elemental Sb.

Improved Electrochemical Performance of Biomass-Derived Nanoporous Carbon/Sulfur Composites Cathode for Lithium-Sulfur Batteries by Nitrogen Doping

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Geng, Zhen; Xiao, Qiangfeng; Wang, Dabin; Yi, Guanghai; Xu, Zhigang; Li, Bing; Zhang, Cunman

2016-01-01

A two-step method with high-efficiency is developed to prepare nitrogen doped activated carbons (NACs) with high surface area and nitrogen content. Based on the method, series of NACs with similar surface area and pore texture but different nitrogen content and nitrogen group species are successfully prepared. The influence of nitrogen doping on electrochemical performance of carbon/sulfur composites cathode is studied deeply under the conditions of similar surface area and pore texture. It presents the directly experimental demonstration that both nitrogen content and nitrogen group species play crucial roles on electrochemical performance of carbon/sulfur composites cathode. NAC/sulfur composites show the much improved cycling performance, which is about 3.5 times as that of nitrogen free carbon. Improved electrochemical performance is due to synergistic effects between nitrogen content and effective nitrogen groups, which enables effective trapping of lithium polysulfides within carbon framework. Besides, it is found that oxygen groups exist in carbon materials obviously influence electrochemical performance of cathode, which could be ignored in most of studies. Based on above, it can be concluded that enhanced chemisorption to lithium polysulfides by functional groups modification is the effective route to improve the electrochemical performance of Li-S battery.

Carbohydrazide-dependent reductant for preparing nitrogen-doped graphene hydrogels as electrode materials in supercapacitor

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jiang, Man [Resources and Environmental Engineering, Shandong University of Technology, Zibo 255049 (China); Xing, Ling-Bao, E-mail: lbxing@sdut.edu.cn [School of Chemical Engineering, Shandong University of Technology, Zibo 255049 (China); Zhang, Jing-Li; Hou, Shu-Fen; Zhou, Jin; Si, Weijiang; Cui, Hongyou [School of Chemical Engineering, Shandong University of Technology, Zibo 255049 (China); Zhuo, Shuping, E-mail: zhuosp_academic@yahoo.com [School of Chemical Engineering, Shandong University of Technology, Zibo 255049 (China)

2016-04-15

Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • Three-dimensional nitrogen-doped graphene hydrogels (NGHs) were prepared. • Carbohydrazide was used as reducing and doping agents. • NGHs exhibited relatively good electrochemical properties in supercapacitor. • NGHs with different doping of N demonstrated different performances in supercapacitors. - Abstract: Three-dimensional (3D) nitrogen-doped graphene hydrogels (NGHs) are designed and synthesized in an efficient and fast way by using a strong reductant of carbohydrazide as reducing and doping agent in an aqueous solution of graphene oxide (GO). The transformation of GO suspension to the hydrogels can be completed in 1 h, which can be confirmed by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). With adding different amounts of carbohydrazide, the obtained NGHs behave different doping of N and unlike performances in supercapacitors, which can be demonstrated by elemental analysis and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), N{sub 2} sorption experiments, and electrochemical measurements, respectively. According to the network architectures, the NGHs all exhibited high specific capacitance, NGHs-1, NGHs-2, NGHs-5 and NGHs-10 showed specific capacitance at 167.7, 156.8, 140.4 and 119.3 F g{sup −1} at 1 A g{sup −1} in KOH electrolyte. The specific capacitance can still be maintained for 80.5, 79.5, 80.3 and 78.6% with an increase of the discharging current density of 10 A g{sup −1}, respectively. More interestingly, the NGHs-1 based supercapacitor also exhibited good electrochemical stability and high degree of reversibility in the long-term cycling test (81.5% retention after 4000 cycles).

Carbohydrazide-dependent reductant for preparing nitrogen-doped graphene hydrogels as electrode materials in supercapacitor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jiang, Man; Xing, Ling-Bao; Zhang, Jing-Li; Hou, Shu-Fen; Zhou, Jin; Si, Weijiang; Cui, Hongyou; Zhuo, Shuping

2016-01-01

Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • Three-dimensional nitrogen-doped graphene hydrogels (NGHs) were prepared. • Carbohydrazide was used as reducing and doping agents. • NGHs exhibited relatively good electrochemical properties in supercapacitor. • NGHs with different doping of N demonstrated different performances in supercapacitors. - Abstract: Three-dimensional (3D) nitrogen-doped graphene hydrogels (NGHs) are designed and synthesized in an efficient and fast way by using a strong reductant of carbohydrazide as reducing and doping agent in an aqueous solution of graphene oxide (GO). The transformation of GO suspension to the hydrogels can be completed in 1 h, which can be confirmed by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). With adding different amounts of carbohydrazide, the obtained NGHs behave different doping of N and unlike performances in supercapacitors, which can be demonstrated by elemental analysis and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), N_2 sorption experiments, and electrochemical measurements, respectively. According to the network architectures, the NGHs all exhibited high specific capacitance, NGHs-1, NGHs-2, NGHs-5 and NGHs-10 showed specific capacitance at 167.7, 156.8, 140.4 and 119.3 F g"−"1 at 1 A g"−"1 in KOH electrolyte. The specific capacitance can still be maintained for 80.5, 79.5, 80.3 and 78.6% with an increase of the discharging current density of 10 A g"−"1, respectively. More interestingly, the NGHs-1 based supercapacitor also exhibited good electrochemical stability and high degree of reversibility in the long-term cycling test (81.5% retention after 4000 cycles).

Graphene oxide quantum dot-derived nitrogen-enriched hybrid graphene nanosheets by simple photochemical doping for high-performance supercapacitors

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, Yongjie; Li, Xinyu; Hu, Guanghui; Wu, Ting; Luo, Yi; Sun, Lang; Tang, Tao; Wen, Jianfeng; Wang, Heng; Li, Ming

2017-11-01

Nitrogen-enriched graphene was fabricated via a facile strategy. Graphene oxide (GO) nanosheets and graphene oxide quantum dots (GQDs) were used as a structure-directing agent and in situ activating agent, respectively, after photoreduction under NH3 atmosphere. The combination of photoreduction and NH3 not only reduced GO and GQD composites (GO/GQDs) within a shorter duration but also doped a high level of nitrogen on the composites (NrGO/GQDs). The nitrogen content of NrGO/GQDs reached as high as 18.86 at% within 5 min of irradiation. Benefiting from the nitrogen-enriched GO/GQDs hybrid structure, GQDs effectively prevent the agglomeration of GO sheets and increased the numbers of ion channels in the material. Meanwhile, the high levels of nitrogen improved electrical conductivity and strengthened the binding energy between GQD and GO sheets. Compared with reduced GO and low nitrogen-doped reduced GO, NrGO/GQD electrodes exhibited better electrochemical characteristics with a high specific capacitance of 344 F g-1 at a current density of 0.25 A g-1. Moreover, the NrGO/GQD electrodes exhibited 82% capacitance retention after 3000 cycles at a current density of 0.8 A g-1 in 6 M KOH electrolyte. More importantly, the NrGO/GQD electrodes deliver a high energy density of 43 Wh kg-1 at a power density of 417 W kg-1 in 1 M Li2SO4 electrolyte. The nitrogen-doped graphene and corresponding supercapacitor presented in this study are novel materials with potential applications in advanced energy storage systems.

High-throughput identification of higher-κ dielectrics from an amorphous N2-doped HfO2–TiO2 library

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chang, K.-S.; Lu, W.-C.; Wu, C.-Y.; Feng, H.-C.

2014-01-01

Highlights: • Amorphous N 2 -doped HfO 2 –TiO 2 libraries were fabricated using sputtering. • Structure and quality of the dielectric and interfacial layers were investigated. • κ (54), J L < 10 −6 A/cm 2 , and equivalent oxide thickness (1 nm) were identified. - Abstract: High-throughput sputtering was used to fabricate high-quality, amorphous, thin HfO 2 –TiO 2 and N 2 -doped HfO 2 –TiO 2 (HfON–TiON) gate dielectric libraries. Electron probe energy dispersive spectroscopy was used to investigate the structures, compositions, and qualities of the dielectric and interfacial layers of these libraries to determine their electrical properties. A κ value of approximately 54, a leakage current density <10 −6 A/cm 2 , and an equivalent oxide thickness of approximately 1 nm were identified in an HfON–TiON library within a composition range of 68–80 at.% Ti. This library exhibits promise for application in highly advanced metal–oxide–semiconductor (higher-κ) gate stacks

Synthesis of boron, nitrogen co-doped porous carbon from asphaltene for high-performance supercapacitors

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, Ying; Wang, Dao-Long; Wang, Chun-Lei; Jin, Xin-Xin; Qiu, Jie-Shan

2014-08-01

Oxidized asphaltene (OA), a thermosetting material with plenty of functional groups, is synthesized from asphaltene (A) using HNO3/H2SO4 as the oxidizing agent. Boron, nitrogen co-doped porous carbon (BNC—OA) is prepared by carbonization of the mixture of boric acid and OA at 1173 K in an argon atmosphere. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) characterization reveals that the BNC—OA has a nitrogen content of 3.26 at.% and a boron content of 1.31 at.%, while its oxidation-free counterpart (BNC—SA) has a nitrogen content of 1.61 at.% and a boron content of 3.02 at.%. The specific surface area and total pore volume of BNC—OA are 1103 m2·g-1 and 0.921 cm3·g-1, respectively. At a current density of 0.1 A·g-1, the specific capacitance of BNC-OA is 335 F·g-1 and the capacitance retention can still reach 83% at 1 A·g-1. The analysis shows that the superior electrochemical performance of the BNC—OA is attributed to the pseudocapacitance behavior of surface heteroatom functional groups and an abundant pore-structure. Boron, nitrogen co-doped porous carbon is a promising electrode material for supercapacitors.

Defect concentration in nitrogen-doped graphene grown on Cu substrate: A thickness effect

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sharma, Dhananjay K., E-mail: dhananjay@ua.pt [Department of Physics & CICECO – Aveiro Institute of Materials, University of Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro (Portugal); Department of Mechanical Engineering & Centre for Mechanical Technology & Automation, University of Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro (Portugal); Fateixa, Sara [Department of Chemistry & CICECO – Aveiro Institute of Materials, University of Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro (Portugal); Hortigüela, María J. [Department of Mechanical Engineering & Centre for Mechanical Technology & Automation, University of Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro (Portugal); Vidyasagar, Reddithota [Department of Physics & CICECO – Aveiro Institute of Materials, University of Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro (Portugal); Otero-Irurueta, Gonzalo [Department of Mechanical Engineering & Centre for Mechanical Technology & Automation, University of Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro (Portugal); Nogueira, Helena I.S. [Department of Chemistry & CICECO – Aveiro Institute of Materials, University of Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro (Portugal); Singh, Manoj Kumar [Department of Mechanical Engineering & Centre for Mechanical Technology & Automation, University of Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro (Portugal); Kholkin, Andrei, E-mail: kholkin@ua.pt [Department of Physics & CICECO – Aveiro Institute of Materials, University of Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro (Portugal); School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, Ural Federal University, 620000 Ekaterinburg (Russian Federation)

2017-05-15

Tuning the band-gap of graphene is a current need for real device applications. Copper (Cu) as a substrate plays a crucial role in graphene deposition. Here we report the fabrication of in-situ nitrogen (N) doped graphene via chemical vapor deposition (CVD) technique and the effect of Cu substrate thickness on the growth mechanism. The ratio of intensities of G and D peaks was used to evaluate the defect concentration based on local activation model associated with the distortion of the crystal lattice due to incorporation of nitrogen atoms into graphene lattice. The results suggest that Cu substrate of 20 µm in thickness exhibits higher defect density (1.86×10{sup 12} cm{sup −2}) as compared to both 10 and 25 µm thick substrates (1.23×10{sup 12} cm{sup −2} and 3.09×10{sup 11} cm{sup −2}, respectively). Furthermore, High Resolution -X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (HR-XPS) precisely affirms ~0.4 at% of nitrogen intercalations in graphene. Our results show that the substitutional type of nitrogen doping dominates over the pyridinic configuration. In addition, X-ray diffraction (XRD) shows all the XRD peaks associated with carbon. However, the peak at ~24° is suppressed by the substrate peaks (Cu). These results suggest that nitrogen atoms can be efficiently incorporated into the graphene using thinner copper substrates, rather than the standard 25 µm ones. This is important for tailoring the properties by graphene required for microelectronic applications.

Synthesis of Nitrogen-Doped Mesoporous Carbon for the Catalytic Oxidation of Ethylbenzene

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Ruicong; Yu, Yifeng; Zhang, Yue; Lv, Haijun; Chen, Aibing

2017-06-01

Nitrogen-doped ordered mesoporous carbon (NOMC) was fabricated via a simple hard-template method by functionalized ionic liquids as carbon and nitrogen source, SBA-15 as a hard-template. The obtained NOMC materials have a high nitrogen content of 5.55 %, a high surface area of 446.2 m2 g-1, and an excellent performance in catalysing oxidation of ethylbenzene. The conversion rate of ethylbenzene can be up to 84.5% and the yield of acetophenone can be up to 69.9%, the results indicated that the NOMC materials have a faster catalytic rate and a higher production of acetophenone than catalyst-free and CMK-3, due to their uniform pore size, high surface area and rich active sites in the carbon pore walls.

Preparation of nitrogen-doped graphene/activated carbon composite papers to enhance energy storage in supercapacitors

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Yong-feng; Liu, Yan-zhen; Liang, Yu; Guo, Xiao-hui; Chen, Cheng-meng

2017-09-01

This report presents a facile and effective method to synthesize freestanding nitrogen-doped reduced graphene oxide (rGO)/activated carbon (AC) composite papers for supercapacitors by a method combining vacuum filtration with post-annealing in NH3 atmosphere. The effect of activated carbon contents on the microstructure and capacitive behavior of the resulting composite papers before and after the annealing was investigated by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and Raman and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Results show that the composite paper with a 30% activated carbon loading has a high nitrogen content of 14.6 at% and superior capacitive performance (308 F/g, 1 A/g) to the other composite papers with various activated carbon loadings. Nitrogen was doped and GO reduced during the annealing. The rGO nanosheets acted as a framework, and the AC particles served as spacers to avoid agglomeration of graphene sheets. The high capacitance of the composite paper is ascribed to the electric double-layer behavior and the reversible redox reactions of the nitrogen and oxygen groups. The entire process is simple, environmental friendly and easily scalable for mass production.

The synergistic effect of nitrogen-doped titanium dioxide/mercaptobenzoic acid/silver nanocomplexes for surface-enhanced Raman scattering

Science.gov (United States)

Feng, Jun; Bao, Wenyuan; Li, Lijun; Cheng, Hao; Huang, Wenyi; Kong, Hongxing; Li, Yanqing

2018-03-01

We synthesized titanium dioxide (TiO2) and nitrogen-doped TiO2 nanoparticles (N-TiO2 NPs) via a sol-hydrothermal method using ammonium chloride (NH4Cl) as the nitrogen (N) source. Furthermore, an N-TiO2/4-mercaptobenzoic acid (4-MBA)/silver (Ag) nanocomplex served as an active substrate for surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) and was prepared by self-assembly. During SERS, the Raman signals of 4-MBA of the N-TiO2/MBA/Ag nanocomplexes exhibited higher intensity and sensitivity than pure TiO2/MBA/Ag, with 1% N doping in N-TiO2, producing the strongest Raman signals. We characterized the N-TiO2 hybrid materials by transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and ultraviolet-visible diffuse reflectance spectra. N doping did not influence the phase of the TiO2 crystal. The doped N entered into the crystal lattice of the TiO2, replacing some oxygen (O) to form Ti-O-N or Ti-N-O linkage. The results indicated that an appropriate amount of N doping could enhance the SERS performance of the TiO2 SERS substrate via N substitution doping. These doping forms were beneficial to the molecular charge transfer (CT), and this resulted in improved SERS performance for N-doped TiO2 NPs. We attributed this improvement to the formation of N-doping energy levels that were beneficial to the process of TiO2 to MBA molecule CT. This work not only enriched the nonmetal-doped CT mechanism in SERS but also provided several reference values for practical applications. [Figure not available: see fulltext.

Electronic structure and field emission properties of nitrogen doped graphene nano-flakes (GNFs:N) and carbon nanotubes (CNTs:N)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ray, Sekhar C., E-mail: Raysc@unisa.ac.za [Department of Physics, College of Science, Engineering and Technology, University of South Africa, Private Bag X6, Florida, 1710, Science Campus, Christiaan de Wet and Pioneer Avenue, Florida Park, Johannesburg (South Africa); Pong, W.F. [Department of Physics, Tamkang University, Tamsui 251, New Taipei City, Taiwan (China); Papakonstantinou, P. [Nanotechnology and Integrated Bio-Engineering Centre, University of Ulster, Shore Road, Newtownabbey BT37 0QB (United Kingdom)

2016-09-01

Highlights: • Nitrogen doped graphene nano-flakes (GNFs:N) and carbon nano-tubes (CNTs:N) are used to study the electronic/bonding structure along with their defects state. • The I{sub D}/I{sub G} ratio obtained from Raman spectroscopy used for the study of the defects states of CNTs:N than GNFs:N. • The electron field emission result shows that the turn on electric field is lower in case of CNTs:N than GNFs:N. • All results are good agreement with XANES and the results obtained from Raman spectra. - Abstract: Substitution of hetero-atom doping is a promising route to modulate the outstanding material properties of carbon nanotubes and graphene for customized applications. Nitrogen-doping has been introduced to ensure tunable work-function, enhanced n-type carrier concentration, diminished surface energy, and manageable polarization. Along with the promising assessment of N-doping effects, research on the N-doped carbon based composite structures is emerging for the synergistic integration with various functional materials. Nitrogen undoped/doped graphene nano-flakes (GNFs/GNFs:N) and multiwall carbon nano-tubes (MWCNTs/MWCNTs:N) are used for comparative study of their electronic/bonding structure along with their defects state. X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) spectroscopy shows that the GNFs:N produce mainly pyridine like structure; whereas MWCNTs:N shows graphitic nitrogen atoms are attached with the carbon lattice. The I{sub D}/I{sub G} ratio obtained from Raman spectroscopy shows that the defects is higher in MWCNTs:N than GNFs:N. The electron field emission result shows that the turn on electric field is lower (higher electron emission current) in case of MWCNTs:N than GNFs:N and are good agreement with XANES and the results obtained from Raman spectra.

Effective visible light-active nitrogen and samarium co-doped BiVO{sub 4} for the degradation of organic pollutants

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wang, Min; Niu, Chao [College of Environmental and Chemical Engineering, Shenyang Ligong University, Shenyang 110165 (China); Liu, Jun, E-mail: minwang62@msn.com [Shenyang Military General Hospital, Shenyang 110016 (China); Wang, Qianwu; Yang, Changxiu; Zheng, Haoyan [College of Environmental and Chemical Engineering, Shenyang Ligong University, Shenyang 110165 (China)

2015-11-05

Nitrogen and samarium co-doped BiVO{sub 4} (N–xSm–BiVO{sub 4}) nanoparticles were synthesized using a sol–gel method with a corn stem template. The physicochemical properties of the resultant N–xSm–BiVO{sub 4} particles were characterized using various methods: XPS, XRD, SEM, BET, and UV–Vis DRS analyses. The visible-light photocatalytic activity was successfully demonstrated by degrading a model dye, namely, methyl orange. The dopant content was optimized, and the nitrogen and samarium co-doped BiVO{sub 4} extended the light absorption spectrum toward the visible region, significantly enhancing the photodegradation of the model dye. The Sm and N co-doped BiVO{sub 4} exhibited the highest photocatalytic activity compared to materials with a single dopant or no dopant. The significantly enhanced photocatalytic activity of the N–Sm co-doped BiVO{sub 4} under visible-light irradiation can be attributed to the synergistic effects of the nitrogen and samarium. - Highlights: • The N–Sm codoped BiVO{sub 4} were synthesized using a sol–gel method with a corn stem template. • The N and Sm codoped BiVO{sub 4} has excellent photocatalytic activity of methyl orange degradation. • The maximum activity was observed when the molar ratio of Sm/Bi was 1.0. • The high photocatalytic activity was caused by the synergistic effects between N doping and Sm doping.

Discrete impurity band from surface danging bonds in nitrogen and phosphorus doped SiC nanowires

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Yan-Jing; Li, Shu-Long; Gong, Pei; Li, Ya-Lin; Cao, Mao-Sheng; Fang, Xiao-Yong

2018-04-01

The electronic structure and optical properties of the nitrogen and phosphorus doped silicon carbide nanowires (SiCNWs) are investigated using first-principle calculations based on density functional theory. The results show doping can change the type of the band gap and improve the conductivity. However, the doped SiCNWs form a discrete impurity levels at the Fermi energy, and the dispersion degree decreases with the diameter increasing. In order to reveal the root of this phenomenon, we hydrogenated the doped SiCNWs, found that the surface dangling bonds were saturated, and the discrete impurity levels are degeneracy, which indicates that the discrete impurity band of the doped SiCNWs is derived from the dangling bonds. The surface passivation can degenerate the impurity levels. Therefore, both doping and surface passivation can better improve the photoelectric properties of the SiCNWs. The result can provide additional candidates in producing nano-optoelectronic devices.

A first principle simulation of competitive adsorption of SF6 decomposition components on nitrogen-doped anatase TiO2 (101) surface

Science.gov (United States)

Dong, Xingchen; Zhang, Xiaoxing; Cui, Hao; Zhang, Jun

2017-11-01

Gas insulated switchgear has been widely used in modern electric systems due to its significantly excellent performances such as compact structure and low land occupation as well as the security stability. However, inside defects caused during manufacture process can lead to partial discharge which might develop into serious insulation failure. Online monitoring method on basis of gas sensors is considered a promising way of detecting partial discharge for alarm ahead of time. Research has found that TiO2 nanotubes sensors show good response to SO2, SOF2, SO2F2, the decomposition components as a result of partial discharge. In order to investigate the gas-sensing mechanism of nitrogen-doped TiO2 prepared via plasma treatment methods to SO2, SOF2, and SO2F2, the adsorption structures of both three gas molecules and anatase TiO2 (101) surface were built, and DFT calculations were then carried out for calculation and analysis of adsorption parameters. Adsorption property comparison of anatase TiO2 (101) surface after nitrogen doping with Au doping and without doping shows that nitrogen doping can obviously enhance the adsorption energy for SO2 and SOF2 adsorption and no charge transfer for SO2F2 adsorption, further explaining the adsorption mechanism and doping influence of different doping elements.

Streaming simplification of tetrahedral meshes.

Science.gov (United States)

Vo, Huy T; Callahan, Steven P; Lindstrom, Peter; Pascucci, Valerio; Silva, Cláudio T

2007-01-01

Unstructured tetrahedral meshes are commonly used in scientific computing to represent scalar, vector, and tensor fields in three dimensions. Visualization of these meshes can be difficult to perform interactively due to their size and complexity. By reducing the size of the data, we can accomplish real-time visualization necessary for scientific analysis. We propose a two-step approach for streaming simplification of large tetrahedral meshes. Our algorithm arranges the data on disk in a streaming, I/O-efficient format that allows coherent access to the tetrahedral cells. A quadric-based simplification is sequentially performed on small portions of the mesh in-core. Our output is a coherent streaming mesh which facilitates future processing. Our technique is fast, produces high quality approximations, and operates out-of-core to process meshes too large for main memory.

Visible light induced electron transfer process over nitrogen doped TiO2 nanocrystals prepared by oxidation of titanium nitride

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wu Zhongbiao; Dong Fan; Zhao Weirong; Guo Sen

2008-01-01

Nitrogen doped TiO 2 nanocrystals with anatase and rutile mixed phases were prepared by incomplete oxidation of titanium nitride at different temperatures. The as-prepared samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), core level X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (CL XPS), valence band X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (VB XPS), UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectra (UV-vis DRS), and visible light excited photoluminescence (PL). The photocatalytic activity was evaluated for photocatalytic degradation of toluene in gas phase under visible light irradiation. The visible light absorption and photoactivities of these nitrogen doped TiO 2 nanocrystals can be clearly attributed to the change of the additional electronic (N - ) states above the valence band of TiO 2 modified by N dopant as revealed by the VB XPS and visible light induced PL. A band gap structure model was established to explain the electron transfer process over nitrogen doped TiO 2 nanocrystals under visible light irradiation, which was consistent with the previous theoretical and experimental results. This model can also be applied to understand visible light induced photocatalysis over other nonmetal doped TiO 2

One - Step synthesis of nitrogen doped reduced graphene oxide with NiCo nanoparticles for ethanol oxidation in alkaline media.

Science.gov (United States)

Kakaei, Karim; Marzang, Kamaran

2016-01-15

Development of anode catalysts and catalyst supporting carbonaceous material containing non-precious metal have attracted tremendous attention in the field of direct ethanol fuel cells (DEFCs). Herein, we report the synthesis and electrochemical properties of nitrogen-doped reduced graphene oxide (NRGO) supported Co, Ni and NiCo nanocomposites. The metal NRGO nanocomposites, in which metal nanoparticles are embedded in the highly porous nitrogen-doped graphene matrix, have been synthesized by simply and one-pot method at a mild temperature using GO, urea choline chloride and urea as reducing and doping agent. The fabricated NiCo/NRGO exhibit remarkable electrocatalytic activity (with Tafel slope of 159.1mVdec(-1)) and high stability for the ethanol oxidation reaction (EOR). The superior performance of the alloy based NRGO is attributed to high surface area, well uniform distribution of high-density nitrogen, metal active sites and synergistic effect. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

One step synthesis of chlorine-free Pt/Nitrogen-doped graphene composite for oxygen reduction reaction

KAUST Repository

Varga, Tamá s; Varga, Á gnes Tí mea; Ballai, Gergő; Haspel, Henrik; Kukovecz, Á kos; Kó nya, Z.

2018-01-01

Chlorine-free Platinum/nitrogen-doped graphene oxygen reduction reaction catalysts were synthesized by a one step method of annealing a mixture of platinum acetylacetonate and graphene oxide under ammonia atmosphere. Nanoparticles with close

Highly enhanced electrochemical activity of Ni foam electrodes decorated with nitrogen-doped carbon nanotubes for non-aqueous redox flow batteries

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Jungkuk; Park, Min-Sik; Kim, Ki Jae

2017-02-01

Nitrogen-doped carbon nanotubes (NCNTs) are directly grown on the surface of a three-dimensional (3D) Ni foam substrate by floating catalytic chemical vapor deposition (FCCVD). The electrochemical properties of the 3D NCNT-Ni foam are thoroughly examined as a potential electrode for non-aqueous redox flow batteries (RFBs). During synthesis, nitrogen atoms can be successfully doped onto the carbon nanotube (CNT) lattices by forming an abundance of nitrogen-based functional groups. The 3D NCNT-Ni foam electrode exhibits excellent electrochemical activities toward the redox reactions of [Fe (bpy)3]2+/3+ (in anolyte) and [Co(bpy)3]+/2+ (in catholyte), which are mainly attributed to the hierarchical 3D structure of the NCNT-Ni foam electrode and the catalytic effect of nitrogen atoms doped onto the CNTs; this leads to faster mass transfer and charge transfer during operation. As a result, the RFB cell assembled with 3D NCNT-Ni foam electrodes exhibits a high energy efficiency of 80.4% in the first cycle; this performance is maintained up to the 50th cycle without efficiency loss.

Disentangling neighbors and extended range density oscillations in monatomic amorphous semiconductors.

Science.gov (United States)

Roorda, S; Martin, C; Droui, M; Chicoine, M; Kazimirov, A; Kycia, S

2012-06-22

High energy x-ray diffraction measurements of pure amorphous Ge were made and its radial distribution function (RDF) was determined at high resolution, revealing new information on the atomic structure of amorphous semiconductors. Fine structure in the second peak in the RDF provides evidence that a fraction of third neighbors are closer than some second neighbors; taking this into account leads to a narrow distribution of tetrahedral bond angles, (8.5 ± 0.1)°. A small peak which appears near 5 Å upon thermal annealing shows that some ordering in the dihedral bond-angle distribution takes place during structural relaxation. Extended range order is detected (in both a-Ge and a-Si) which persists to beyond 20 Å, and both the periodicity and its decay length increase upon thermal annealing. Previously, the effect of structural relaxation was only detected at intermediate range, involving reduced tetrahedral bond-angle distortions. These results enhance our understanding of the atomic order in continuous random networks and place significantly more stringent requirements on computer models intending to describe these networks, or their alternatives which attempt to describe the structure in terms of an arrangement of paracrystals.

Amorphous structure of iron oxide of bacterial origin

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hashimoto, Hideki; Fujii, Tatsuo [Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University, Okayama 700-8530 (Japan); Kohara, Shinji [Japan Synchrotron Radiation Research Institute, Sayo, Hyogo 679-5198 (Japan); Asaoka, Hiroshi [Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University, Okayama 700-8530 (Japan); Kusano, Yoshihiro [Department of Fine and Applied Arts, Kurashiki University of Science and the Arts, Kurashiki, Okayama 712-8505 (Japan); Ikeda, Yasunori [Research Institute for Production Development, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-0805 (Japan); Nakanishi, Makoto [Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University, Okayama 700-8530 (Japan); Benino, Yasuhiko; Nanba, Tokuro [Graduate School of Environmental Science, Okayama University, Okayama 700-8530 (Japan); Takada, Jun, E-mail: jtakada@cc.okayama-u.ac.jp [Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University, Okayama 700-8530 (Japan); JST, CREST, Okayama 700-8530 (Japan)

2012-12-14

In nature, there are various iron oxides produced by the water-habitant bacterial group called 'iron-oxidizing bacteria'. These iron oxides have been studied mainly from biological and geochemical perspectives. Today, attempts are made to use such iron oxides as novel functional materials in several applications. However, their quantitative structural characteristics are still unclear. We studied the structure of iron oxide of microtubular form consisting of amorphous nanoparticles formed by an iron-oxidizing bacterium, Leptothrix ochracea, using a combination of high-energy X-ray diffraction and reverse Monte Carlo simulation. We found that its structure consists of a framework of corner- and edge-sharing distorted FeO{sub 6} octahedral units, while SiO{sub 4} tetrahedral units are isolated in the framework. The results reveal the atomic arrangement of iron oxide of bacterial origin, which is essential for investigating its potential as a functional material. -- Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The amorphous structure of bacterial iron oxide was investigated. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The structure was simulated by high-energy X-ray diffraction and reverse Monte Carlo simulation. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The structure was constructed of a framework of corner- and edge-sharing distorted FeO{sub 6} octahedral units. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer SiO{sub 4} tetrahedral units were distributed isolatedly in the framework of FeO{sub 6} octahedral units.

Complex boron redistribution kinetics in strongly doped polycrystalline-silicon/nitrogen-doped-silicon thin bi-layers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Abadli, S. [Department of Electrical Engineering, University Aout 1955, Skikda, 21000 (Algeria); LEMEAMED, Department of Electronics, University Mentouri, Constantine, 25000 (Algeria); Mansour, F. [LEMEAMED, Department of Electronics, University Mentouri, Constantine, 25000 (Algeria); Pereira, E. Bedel [CNRS-LAAS, 7 avenue du colonel Roche, 31077 Toulouse (France)

2012-10-15

We have investigated the complex behaviour of boron (B) redistribution process via silicon thin bi-layers interface. It concerns the instantaneous kinetics of B transfer, trapping, clustering and segregation during the thermal B activation annealing. The used silicon bi-layers have been obtained by low pressure chemical vapor deposition (LPCVD) method at 480 C, by using in-situ nitrogen-doped-silicon (NiDoS) layer and strongly B doped polycrystalline-silicon (P{sup +}) layer. To avoid long-range B redistributions, thermal annealing was carried out at relatively low-temperatures (600 C and 700 C) for various times ranging between 30 min and 2 h. To investigate the experimental secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS) doping profiles, a redistribution model well adapted to the particular structure of two thin layers and to the effects of strong-concentrations has been established. The good adjustment of the simulated profiles with the experimental SIMS profiles allowed a fundamental understanding about the instantaneous physical phenomena giving and disturbing the complex B redistribution profiles-shoulders. The increasing kinetics of the B peak concentration near the bi-layers interface is well reproduced by the established model. (Copyright copyright 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

Nitrogen-doped ordered mesoporous carbon with a high surface area, synthesized through organic-inorganic coassembly, and its application in supercapacitors.

Science.gov (United States)

Song, Yanfang; Li, Li; Wang, Yonggang; Wang, Congxiao; Guo, Zaipin; Xia, Yongyao

2014-07-21

A new nitrogen-doped ordered mesoporous carbon (N-doped OMC) is synthesized by using an organic-inorganic coassembly method, in which resol is used as the carbon precursor, dicyandiamide as the nitrogen precursor, silicate oligomers as the inorganic precursors, and F127 as the soft template. The N-doped OMC possesses a surface area as high as 1374 m(2)  g(-1) and a large pore size of 7.4 nm. As an electrode material for supercapacitors, the obtained carbon exhibits excellent cycling stability and delivers a reversible specific capacitance as high as 308 F g(-1) in 1 mol L(-1) H(2)SO(4) aqueous electrolyte, of which 58 % of the capacity is due to pseudo-capacitance. The large specific capacitance is attributed to proper pore size distributions, large surface area, and high nitrogen content. © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

A facile fabrication of nitrogen-doped electrospun In{sub 2}O{sub 3} nanofibers with improved visible-light photocatalytic activity

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lu, Na; Shao, Changlu, E-mail: clshao@nenu.edu.cn; Li, Xinghua, E-mail: lixh781@nenu.edu.cn; Miao, Fujun; Wang, Kexin; Liu, Yichun

2017-01-01

Highlights: • N-doped In{sub 2}O{sub 3} nanofibers are facilely fabricated by gaseous ammonia treatment. • Adjusting the annealing temperature leads to different N-doped In{sub 2}O{sub 3} nanofibers. • Nitrogen doping was found to be interstitial mode. • N-In{sub 2}O{sub 3} exhibited effective charge carrier separation and photocatalytic activity. • The photocatalysts can be easily separated from the reaction system. - Abstract: Semiconductor photocatalysis demonstrates to be an effective approach for eliminating most types of environment contaminants and for producing hydrogen. Herein, a facile synthesis route combining electrospinning technique and thermal treatment method under NH{sub 3} atmosphere has been presented as a straightforward protocol for the fabrication of nitrogen-doped In{sub 2}O{sub 3} (N-In{sub 2}O{sub 3}) nanofibers, the nitrogen content of which can be well controlled by adjusting the annealing temperature. Photocatalytic tests show that the N-In{sub 2}O{sub 3} nanofibers demonstrate an improved degradation rate of Rhodamine B (RB) compared with pure In{sub 2}O{sub 3} nanofibers under visible-light irradiation. This can be attributed to the nitrogen atom introducing at interstitial sites as well as the generation of oxygen vacancy on the surface of In{sub 2}O{sub 3} nanofibers, resulting in the enhanced utilization of visible light for the N-In{sub 2}O{sub 3} nanofibers. Furthermore, the obtained N-In{sub 2}O{sub 3} nanofibers with the advantage of ultra-long one-dimensional nanostructures can be recycled several times by facile sedimentation and hence present almost no decrease in photocatalytic activity indicative of a well regeneration capability. Therefore, the as-fabricated nitrogen-doped In{sub 2}O{sub 3} nanofibers as a promising photocatalyst present good photocatalytic degradation of organic pollutant in waste water for practical application.

Three-Dimensional Nitrogen-Doped Hierarchical Porous Carbon as an Electrode for High-Performance Supercapacitors.

Science.gov (United States)

Tang, Jing; Wang, Tao; Salunkhe, Rahul R; Alshehri, Saad M; Malgras, Victor; Yamauchi, Yusuke

2015-11-23

A facile and sustainable procedure for the synthesis of nitrogen-doped hierarchical porous carbons with a three-dimensional interconnected framework (NHPC-3D) was developed. The strategy, based on a colloidal crystal-templating method, utilizes nitrogenous dopamine as the precursor due to its unique properties, including self-polymerization under mild alkaline conditions, coating onto various surfaces, a high carbonization yield, and well-preserved nitrogen doping after heat treatment. The obtained NHPC-3D possesses a high surface area of 1056 m(2)  g(-1) , a large pore volume of 2.56 cm(3)  g(-1) , and a high nitrogen content of 8.2 wt %. The NHPC-3D is implemented as the electrode material of a supercapacitor and exhibits a specific capacitance as high as 252 F g(-1) at a current density of 2 A g(-1) . The device also shows a high capacitance retention of 75.7 % at a higher current density of 20 A g(-1) in aqueous electrolyte due to a sufficient surface area for charge accommodation, reversible pseudocapacitance, and minimized ion-transport resistance, as a result of the advantageous interconnected hierarchical porous texture. These results showcase NHPC-3D as a promising candidate for electrode materials in supercapacitors. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Synthesis of nitrogen-doped porous carbon nanofibers as an efficient electrode material for supercapacitors.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Li-Feng; Zhang, Xu-Dong; Liang, Hai-Wei; Kong, Mingguang; Guan, Qing-Fang; Chen, Ping; Wu, Zhen-Yu; Yu, Shu-Hong

2012-08-28

Supercapacitors (also known as ultracapacitors) are considered to be the most promising approach to meet the pressing requirements of energy storage. Supercapacitive electrode materials, which are closely related to the high-efficiency storage of energy, have provoked more interest. Herein, we present a high-capacity supercapacitor material based on the nitrogen-doped porous carbon nanofibers synthesized by carbonization of macroscopic-scale carbonaceous nanofibers (CNFs) coated with polypyrrole (CNFs@polypyrrole) at an appropriate temperature. The composite nanofibers exhibit a reversible specific capacitance of 202.0 F g(-1) at the current density of 1.0 A g(-1) in 6.0 mol L(-1) aqueous KOH electrolyte, meanwhile maintaining a high-class capacitance retention capability and a maximum power density of 89.57 kW kg(-1). This kind of nitrogen-doped carbon nanofiber represents an alternative promising candidate for an efficient electrode material for supercapacitors.

Suppression of photo-leakage current in amorphous silicon thin-film transistors by n-doped nanocrystalline silicon

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lin, Hung-Chien; Ho, King-Yuan; Hsu, Chih-Chieh; Yan, Jing-Yi; Ho, Jia-Chong

2011-01-01

The reduction of photo-leakage current of amorphous silicon thin-film transistors (a-Si TFTs) is investigated and is found to be successfully suppressed by the use of an n-doped nanocrystalline silicon layer (n+ nc-Si) as an ohmic contact layer. The shallow-level defects of n+ nc-Si can become trapping centres of photo-induced electrons as the a-Si TFT is operated under light illumination. A lower oxygen concentration during n+ nc-Si deposition can increase the creation of shallow-level defects and improve the contrast ratio of active matrix organic light-emitting diode panels.

Crystallization inhibitors for amorphous oxides

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Reznitskij, L.A.; Filippova, S.E.

1993-01-01

Data for the last 10 years, in which experimental results of studying the temperature stabilization of x-ray amorphous oxides (including R 3 Fe 5 O 12 R-rare earths, ZrO 2 , In 2 O 3 , Sc 2 O 3 ) and their solid solution are presented, are generalized. Processes of amorphous oxide crystallization with the production of simple oxides, solid solutions and chemical compounds with different polyhedral structure, are investigated. Energy and crystallochemical criteria for selecting the doping inhibitor-components stabilizing the amorphous state are ascertained, temperatures and enthalpies of amorpous oxide crystallization are determined, examination of certain provisions of iso,orphous miscibility theory is conducted

Synergistic interaction and controllable active sites of nitrogen and sulfur co-doping into mesoporous carbon sphere for high performance oxygen reduction electrocatalysts

Science.gov (United States)

Oh, Taeseob; Kim, Myeongjin; Park, Dabin; Kim, Jooheon

2018-05-01

Nitrogen and sulfur co-doped mesoporous carbon sphere (NSMCS) was prepared as a metal-free catalyst by an economical and facile pyrolysis process. The mesoporous carbon spheres were derived from sodium carboxymethyl cellulose as the carbon source and the nitrogen and sulfur dopants were derived from urea and p-benzenedithiol, respectively. The doping level and chemical states of nitrogen and sulfur in the prepared NSMCS can be easily adjusted by controlling the pyrolysis temperature. The NSMCS pyrolyzed at 900 °C (NSMCS-900) exhibited higher oxygen reduction reaction activity than the mesoporous carbon sphere doped solely with nitrogen or sulfur, due to the synergistic effect of co-doping. Among all the NSMCS samples, NSMCS-900 exhibited excellent ORR catalytic activity owing to the presence of a highly active site, consisting of pyridinic N, graphitic N, and thiophene S. Remarkably, the NSMCS-900 catalyst was comparable with commercial Pt/C, in terms of the onset and the half-wave potentials and showed better durability than Pt/C for ORR in an alkaline electrolyte. The approach demonstrated in this work could be used to prepare promising metal-free electrocatalysts for application in energy conversion and storage.

Highly efficient synthesis of ordered nitrogen-doped mesoporous carbons with tunable properties and its application in high performance supercapacitors

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Dan; Zeng, Chao; Qu, Deyu; Tang, Haolin; Li, Yu; Su, Bao-Lian; Qu, Deyang

2016-07-01

Nitrogen-doped ordered mesoporous carbons (OMCs) have been synthesized via aqueous cooperative assembly route in the presence of basic amino acids as either polymerization catalysts or nitrogen dopants. This method allows the large-scale production of nitrogen-doped OMCs with tunable composition, structure and morphology while maintaining highly ordered mesostructures. For instances, the nitrogen content can be varied from ∼1 wt% to ∼6.3 wt% and the mesophase can be either 3-D body-centered cubic or 2-D hexagonal. The specific surface area for typical OMCs is around 600 m2 g-1, and further KOH activation can significantly enhance the surface area to 1866 m2 g-1 without destroying the ordered mesostructures. Benefiting from hierarchically ordered porous structure, nitrogen-doping effect and large-scale production availability, the synthesized OMCs show a great potential towards supercapacitor application. When measured in a symmetrical two-electrode configuration with an areal mass loading of ∼3 mg cm-2, the activated OMC exhibits high capacitance (186 F g-1 at 0.25 A g-1) and good rate capability (75% capacity retention at 20 A g-1) in ionic liquid electrolyte. Even as the mass loading is up to ∼12 mg cm-2, the OMC electrode still yields a specific capacitance of 126 F g-1 at 20 A g-1.

Enhanced photocatalytic degradation of dye under visible light on mesoporous microspheres by defects in manganese- and nitrogen-co-doped TiO{sub 2}

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Feng, Lu; Jiang, Heng, E-mail: hjiang78@hotmail.com [Liaoning Shihua University, School of Chemistry and Materials Science (China); Zou, Mingming; Xiong, Fengqiang; Ganeshraja, Ayyakannu Sundaram; Pervaiz, Erum [Chinese Academy of Sciences, Dalian National Laboratory for Clean Energy, Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics (China); Liu, Yinan; Zou, Shunying [Dalian Environmental Protection Laboratory (China); Yang, Minghui, E-mail: myang@dicp.ac.cn [Chinese Academy of Sciences, Dalian National Laboratory for Clean Energy, Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics (China)

2016-09-15

Manganese- and nitrogen-co-doped mesoporous TiO{sub 2} microsphere photocatalysts are prepared by a simple sol–gel method with controllable sizes in the range of 400–500 nm and high surface area of 112 m{sup 2} g{sup −1}. Manganous acetate is the Mn source, and ammonia gas is the nitrogen source used. The dopants are found to be uniformly distributed in the TiO{sub 2} matrix. Interestingly, in (Mn,N)-co-doped TiO{sub 2}, we observe an effective indirect band gap of ~2.58 eV. (Mn,N)-co-doped mesoporous TiO{sub 2} microspheres show higher photocatalytic activity than Mn–TiO{sub 2} microspheres under visible light irradiation. Among the samples reported in this work, 0.2 at.% Mn doping and 500 °C 2-h nitriding condition give the highest photocatalytic activity. The observed photocatalytic activity in the (Mn,N)-co-doped TiO{sub 2} is attributed to the contribution from improved absorption due to trap levels of Mn, oxygen vacancies and N doping.Graphical AbstractManganese- and nitrogen-co-doped mesoporous TiO{sub 2} microspheres containing substitutional N, interstitial N and O vacancies show high visible light photocatalytic activity.

Nitrogen-Doped Banana Peel–Derived Porous Carbon Foam as Binder-Free Electrode for Supercapacitors

OpenAIRE

Bingzhi Liu; Lili Zhang; Peirong Qi; Mingyuan Zhu; Gang Wang; Yanqing Ma; Xuhong Guo; Hui Chen; Boya Zhang; Zhuangzhi Zhao; Bin Dai; Feng Yu

2016-01-01

Nitrogen-doped banana peel?derived porous carbon foam (N-BPPCF) successfully prepared from banana peels is used as a binder-free electrode for supercapacitors. The N-BPPCF exhibits superior performance including high specific surface areas of 1357.6 m2/g, large pore volume of 0.77 cm3/g, suitable mesopore size distributions around 3.9 nm, and super hydrophilicity with nitrogen-containing functional groups. It can easily be brought into contact with an electrolyte to facilitate electron and io...

A Nanopore-Structured Nitrogen-Doped Biocarbon Electrocatalyst for Oxygen Reduction from Two-Step Carbonization of Lemna minor Biomass

Science.gov (United States)

Guo, Chaozhong; Li, Zhongbin; Niu, Lidan; Liao, Wenli; Sun, Lingtao; Wen, Bixia; Nie, Yunqing; Cheng, Jing; Chen, Changguo

2016-05-01

So far, the development of highly active and stable carbon-based electrocatalysts for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) to replace commercial Pt/C catalyst is a hot topic. In this study, a new nanoporous nitrogen-doped carbon material was facilely designed by two-step pyrolysis of the renewable Lemna minor enriched in crude protein under a nitrogen atmosphere. Electrochemical measurements show that the onset potential for ORR on this carbon material is around 0.93 V (versus reversible hydrogen electrode), slightly lower than that on the Pt/C catalyst, but its cycling stability is higher compared to the Pt/C catalyst in an alkaline medium. Besides, the ORR at this catalyst approaches to a four-electron transfer pathway. The obtained ORR performance can be basically attributed to the formation of high contents of pyridinic and graphitic nitrogen atoms inside this catalyst. Thus, this work opens up the path in the ORR catalysis for the design of nitrogen-doped carbon materials utilizing aquatic plants as starting precursors.

Oxygen- and nitrogen-co-doped activated carbon from waste particleboard for potential application in high-performance capacitance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shang, Tong-Xin; Ren, Ru-Quan; Zhu, Yue-Mei; Jin, Xiao-Juan

2015-01-01

Graphical abstract: All electrodes showed excellent capacitance and retention versus discharge current density from 0.05 to 5 A/g. - Abstract: Oxygen- and nitrogen-co-doped activated carbons were obtained from phosphoric acid treated nitrogen-doped activated carbons which were prepared from waste particleboard bonded with urea-formaldehyde resin adhesives. The activated carbon samples obtained were tested as supercapacitors in two-electrode cell and extensive wetting 7 M KOH electrolytes. Their structural properties and surface chemistry, before the electrical testing, were investigated using elemental analysis, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, Raman spectra, and adsorption of nitrogen. Activated carbon treated by 4 M phosphoric acid of the highest capacitance (235 F/g) was measured in spite of a relatively lower surface (1360 m 2 /g) than that of the activated carbon treated by 2 M phosphoric acid (1433 m 2 /g). The surface chemistry, and especially oxygen- and nitrogen-containing functional groups, was found of paramount importance for the capacitive behavior and for the effective pore space utilization by the electrolyte ions

Boron diffusion into nitrogen doped silicon films for P{sup +} polysilicon gate structures

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mansour, Farida; Mahamdi, Ramdane; Jalabert, Laurent; Temple-Boyer, Pierre

2003-06-23

This paper deals with the study of the boron diffusion in nitrogen doped silicon (NIDOS) deposited from disilane Si{sub 2}H{sub 6} and ammonia NH{sub 3} for the development of P{sup +} polysilicon gate metal oxide semiconductor (MOS) devices. NIDOS films with varied nitrogen content have been boron implanted, then annealed and finally analysed by secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS). In order to simulate the experimental SIMS of boron concentration profiles in the NIDOS films, a model adapted to the particular conditions of the samples elaboration, i.e. the very high boron concentration and the nitrogen content, has been established. The boron diffusion reduction in NIDOS films with increasing nitrogen rates has been evidenced by the profiles as well as by the obtained diffusion coefficients, which shows that the nitrogen incorporation reduces the boron diffusion. This has been confirmed by capacitance-voltage (C-V) measurements performed on MOS capacitors: the higher the nitrogen content, the lower the flat-band voltage. Finally, these results demonstrate that the improvement of the gate oxide quality occurs with the suppression of the boron penetration.

First principles simulation of amorphous InSb

Science.gov (United States)

Los, Jan H.; Kühne, Thomas D.; Gabardi, Silvia; Bernasconi, Marco

2013-05-01

Ab initio molecular dynamics simulations based on density functional theory have been performed to generate a model of amorphous InSb by quenching from the melt. The resulting network is mostly tetrahedral with a minor fraction (10%) of atoms in a fivefold coordination. The structural properties are in good agreement with available x-ray diffraction and extended x-ray-absorption fine structure data and confirm the proposed presence of a sizable fraction of homopolar In-In and Sb-Sb bonds whose concentration in our model amounts to about 20% of the total number of bonds.

Photocatalytic equipment with nitrogen-doped titanium dioxide for air cleaning and disinfecting

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Le, Thanh Son; Ngo, Quoc Buu; Nguyen, Viet Dung; Nguyen, Hoai Chau; Dao, Trong Hien; Tran, Xuan Tin; Kabachkov, E N; Balikhin, I L

2014-01-01

Nitrogen-doped TiO 2 nanoparticle photocatalysts were synthesized by a sol–gel procedure using tetra-n-butyl orthotitanate as a titanium precursor and urea as a nitrogen source. Systematic studies for the preparation parameters and their impact on the material's structure were carried out by multiple techniques: thermogravimetric and differential scanning calorimetric analysis, x-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscope, transmission electron microscopy, energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy and UV–Vis diffuse reflectance spectrophotometry showed that the nitrogen-doped TiO 2 calcined at 500 °C for 3 h exhibited a spherical form with a particle size about 15–20 nm and crystal phase presented a mixture of 89.12% anatase. The obtained product was deposited on a porous quartz tube (D = 74 mm; l = 418 mm) to manufacture an air photocatalytic cleaner as a prototype of the TIOKRAFT company's equipment. The created air cleaner was able to remove 60% of 10 ppm acetone within 390 min and degrade 98.5% of bacteria (total aerobic bacteria and fungi, 300 cfu m −3 ) within 120 min in a 10 m 3 box. These photodegradation activities of N-TiO 2 are higher than that of the commercial nano-TiO 2 (Skyspring Inc., USA, particle size of 5–10 nm). (paper)

First-principles study of the amorphous In3SbTe2 phase change compound

Science.gov (United States)

Los, Jan H.; Kühne, Thomas D.; Gabardi, Silvia; Bernasconi, Marco

2013-11-01

Ab initio molecular dynamics simulations based on density functional theory were performed to generate amorphous models of the phase change compound In3SbTe2 by quenching from the melt. In-Sb and In-Te are the most abundant bonds with only a minor fraction of Sb-Te bonds. The bonding geometry in the amorphous phase is, however, strongly dependent on the density in the range 6.448-5.75 g/cm3 that we investigated. While at high density the bonding geometry of In atoms is mostly octahedral-like as in the cubic crystalline phase of the ternary compound In3SbTe2, at low density we observed a sizable fraction of tetrahedral-like geometries similar to those present in the crystalline phase of the two binary compounds InTe and InSb that the ternary system can be thought to be made of. We show that the different ratio between octahedral-like and tetrahedral-like bonding geometries has fingerprints in the optical and vibrational spectra.

Investigation of corrosion behavior of nitrogen doped and platinum/ruthenium doped diamond-like carbon thin films in Hank's solution

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Khun, N.W.; Liu, E.

2011-01-01

Undoped (DLC), nitrogen-doped (N-DLC) and platinum/ruthenium doped diamond-like carbon (PtRu-DLC) thin films were deposited on p-Si (100) substrates using a DC magnetron sputtering deposition system. The chemical composition, bonding structure, surface morphology and adhesion strength of the films were characterized using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), micro-Raman spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy (AFM) and micro-scratch test, respectively. The corrosion behavior of the films in a Hank's solution was investigated using potentiodynamic polarization test. The corrosion results revealed that the PtRu-DLC film had the highest corrosion potential among the films used in this study. Highlights: → DLC thin films were deposited on Si substrates via dc magnetron sputtering. → Some DLC films were doped with N and/or Pt/Ru. → The film corrosion behavior was studied in a Hank solution with polarization test. → The PtRu-DLC film showed the highest corrosion potential among the films studied.

Formation of a highly doped ultra-thin amorphous carbon layer by ion bombardment of graphene

Science.gov (United States)

Piotr Michałowski, Paweł; Pasternak, Iwona; Ciepielewski, Paweł; Guinea, Francisco; Strupiński, Włodek

2018-07-01

Ion bombardment of graphene leads to the formation of defects which may be used to tune properties of the graphene based devices. In this work, however, we present that the presence of the graphene layer on a surface of a sample has a significant impact on the ion bombardment process: broken sp2 bonds react with the incoming ions and trap them close to the surface of the sample, preventing a standard ion implantation. For an ion bombardment with a low impact energy and significant dose (in the range of 1014 atoms cm‑2) an amorphization of the graphene layer is observed but at the same time, most of the incoming ions do not penetrate the sample but stop at the surface, thus forming a highly doped ultra-thin amorphous carbon layer. The effect may be used to create thin layers containing desired atoms if no other technique is available. This approach is particularly useful for secondary ion mass spectrometry where a high concentration of Cs at the surface of a sample significantly enhances the negative ionization probability, allowing it to reach better detection limits.

Green synthesis of nitrogen-doped carbon dots from lotus root for Hg(II) ions detection and cell imaging

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gu, Dan; Shang, Shaoming, E-mail: smshang@jiangnan.edu.cn; Yu, Qin; Shen, Jie

2016-12-30

Graphical abstract: Fluorescent nitrogen-doped carbon dots were synthesized by a facile, green, and fast microwave method, using lotus root as carbon source. These nitrogen-doped carbon dots can be used for Hg{sup 2+} detection and cell imaging. - Highlights: • A green, fast strategy for synthesizing carbon dots was established. • A simple, sensitive, selective and wide linear range sensing of Hg{sup 2+} was developed. • The sensor system was demonstrated to detect Hg{sup 2+} in environmental water sample. • The carbon dots could serve for multicolor fluorescence bioimaging. - Abstract: Herein, a facile, green, and fast method was developed in the synthesis of fluorescent nitrogen-doped carbon dots (CDs) with nitrogen content of 5.23%, using one-pot microwave treatment of lotus root (LR), without using any other surface passivation agents. The results show that these LR-CDs (with an average diameter of 9.41 nm) possess many outstanding features and have a high quantum yield of 19.0%. We further demonstrated applications of LR-CDs as probes for heavy metal ion detection. The LR-CDs exhibit captivating sensitivity and selectivity toward Hg{sup 2+} with a linear range from 0.1 to 60.0 μM and a detection limit of 18.7 nM. Eventually, the LR-CDs were applied for multicolor cell imaging, demonstrating their potential toward diverse applications.

Pressure-induced amorphization of NaVO/sub 3 at room temperature and its re-crystallization

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shen, Z.X.; Ong, C.W.; Tang, S.H.; Kuok, M.H.

1994-01-01

Pressure-induced amorphization is the subject of intense study for the past few years because of its importance in material science and in solid state physics. We reported a crystalline-amorphous phase transition at ca 60kbar in NaVO1/3, which is the lowest pressure for such transitions in ionic crystals. The transition is marked by the sudden appearance of very broad bands at the 800 and 350 cm/sup -1 regions. The amorphization includes the complete breaking up of the infinite chains of corner-linked tetrahedral VO/sub 4, most likely into VO/sup -/sub 3. On decompression, the amorphous phase transforms to another phase, probably also amorphous at ca 40 kbar. It reverts to the stable ambient condition α-phase upon heating. Here we report on the details of the transtitional region and the re-linking of the VO/sub 4 chains upon heating. (authors)

Enrichment of Pyrrolic Nitrogen by Hole Defects in Nitrogen and Sulfur Co-Doped Graphene Hydrogel for Flexible Supercapacitors.

Science.gov (United States)

Tran, Ngoc Quang; Kang, Bong Kyun; Woo, Moo Hyun; Yoon, Dae Ho

2016-08-23

The effect of the doping configuration and concentration of nitrogen (N) and sulfur (S) on the electrochemical performance of 3 D N and S co-doped hole defect graphene hydrogel (NS-HGH) electrodes is investigated. Surprisingly, by introducing a hole defect on the graphene surface, the difference in the doping concentrations of N and S can be used to effectively modulate the electrochemical behavior of the NS-HGH. The hole defects provide a rapid ion diffusion path. Finally, we showed that the intriguing specific capacitance (536 F g(-1) ) of the NS-HGH could enhance the overall performance of the pseudocapacitance and electric double layer capacitance. The rational design of the NS-HGH-based flexible solid state supercapacitor results in not only outstanding electrochemical performance with a maximum energy density of 14.8 Wh kg(-1) and power density of 5.2 KW kg(-1) but also in extraordinary mechanical flexibility and excellent cycle stability. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Hydrogen plasma treatment for improved conductivity in amorphous aluminum doped zinc tin oxide thin films

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. Morales-Masis

2014-09-01

Full Text Available Improving the conductivity of earth-abundant transparent conductive oxides (TCOs remains an important challenge that will facilitate the replacement of indium-based TCOs. Here, we show that a hydrogen (H2-plasma post-deposition treatment improves the conductivity of amorphous aluminum-doped zinc tin oxide while retaining its low optical absorption. We found that the H2-plasma treatment performed at a substrate temperature of 50 °C reduces the resistivity of the films by 57% and increases the absorptance by only 2%. Additionally, the low substrate temperature delays the known formation of tin particles with the plasma and it allows the application of the process to temperature-sensitive substrates.

Hydrogen plasma treatment for improved conductivity in amorphous aluminum doped zinc tin oxide thin films

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Morales-Masis, M., E-mail: monica.moralesmasis@epfl.ch; Ding, L.; Dauzou, F. [Photovoltaics and Thin-Film Electronics Laboratory (PVLab), Institute of Microengineering (IMT), Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne - EPFL, Rue de la Maladière 71b, CH-2002 Neuchatel (Switzerland); Jeangros, Q. [Interdisciplinary Centre for Electron Microscopy, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne (Switzerland); Hessler-Wyser, A. [Photovoltaics and Thin-Film Electronics Laboratory (PVLab), Institute of Microengineering (IMT), Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne - EPFL, Rue de la Maladière 71b, CH-2002 Neuchatel (Switzerland); Interdisciplinary Centre for Electron Microscopy, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne (Switzerland); Nicolay, S. [Centre Suisse d’Electronique et de Microtechnique (CSEM) SA, Rue Jaquet-Droz 1, CH-2002 Neuchatel (Switzerland); Ballif, C. [Photovoltaics and Thin-Film Electronics Laboratory (PVLab), Institute of Microengineering (IMT), Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne - EPFL, Rue de la Maladière 71b, CH-2002 Neuchatel (Switzerland); Centre Suisse d’Electronique et de Microtechnique (CSEM) SA, Rue Jaquet-Droz 1, CH-2002 Neuchatel (Switzerland)

2014-09-01

Improving the conductivity of earth-abundant transparent conductive oxides (TCOs) remains an important challenge that will facilitate the replacement of indium-based TCOs. Here, we show that a hydrogen (H{sub 2})-plasma post-deposition treatment improves the conductivity of amorphous aluminum-doped zinc tin oxide while retaining its low optical absorption. We found that the H{sub 2}-plasma treatment performed at a substrate temperature of 50 °C reduces the resistivity of the films by 57% and increases the absorptance by only 2%. Additionally, the low substrate temperature delays the known formation of tin particles with the plasma and it allows the application of the process to temperature-sensitive substrates.

Decorating Mg/Fe oxide nanotubes with nitrogen-doped carbon nanotubes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cao Yong, E-mail: caoyangel@126.com [Institute of Environment and Municipal Engineering, North China Institute of Water Conservancy and Hydroelectric Power, Zhengzhou 450011 (China); Jiao Qingze, E-mail: jiaoqz@bit.edu.cn [School of Chemical Engineering and the Environment, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081 (China); Zhao Yun [School of Chemical Engineering and the Environment, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081 (China); Dong Yingchao [Materials and Surface Science Institute (MSSI), University of Limerick, Limerick (Ireland)

2011-09-22

Graphical abstract: Highlights: > Mg/Fe oxide nanotubes arrayed parallel to each other were prepared by an AAO template method. > The Mg/Fe oxide nanotubes decorated with CN{sub x} were realized by CVD of ethylenediamine on the outer surface of oxide nanotubes. > The magnetic properties of Mg/Fe oxide nanotubes were highly improved after being decorated. - Abstract: Mg/Fe oxide nanotubes decorated with nitrogen-doped carbon nanotubes (CN{sub x}) were fabricated by catalytic chemical vapor deposition of ethylenediamine on the outer surface of oxide nanotubes. Mg/Fe oxide nanotubes were prepared using a 3:1 molar precursor solution of Mg(NO{sub 3}){sub 2} and Fe(NO{sub 3}){sub 3} and anodic aluminum oxide as the substrate. The obtained samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM). The XRD pattern shows that the oxide nanotubes are made up of MgO and Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3}. TEM and SEM observations indicate the oxide nanotubes are arrayed roughly parallel to each other, and the outer surface of oxide nanotubes are decorated with CN{sub x}. XPS results show the nitrogen-doped level in CN{sub x} is about 7.3 at.%. Magnetic measurements with VSM demonstrate the saturated magnetization, remanence and coercivity of oxide nanotubes are obvious improved after being decorated with CN{sub x}.

Eco-Friendly Synthesis of Nitrogen-Doped Mesoporous Carbon for Supercapacitor Application

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Georges Moussa

2018-03-01

Full Text Available A sustainable and simple synthesis procedure involving the co-assembly of green phenolic resin and amphiphilic polymer template in water/ethanol mixture at room temperature to synthesize nitrogen doped mesoporous carbon is reported herein. Guanine is proposed as a novel nitrogen-based precursor which is able to create H-bondings both with the phenolic resin and the template allowing the formation of mesoporous carbons with nitrogen atoms uniformly distributed in their framework. The influence of the synthesis procedure, template amount and annealing temperature on the carbon textural properties, structure and surface chemistry were investigated. For several conditions, carbon materials with ordered pore size and high nitrogen content (up to 10.6 at % could be achieved. The phase separation procedure combined with optimal amount of template favor the formation of ordered mesoporous carbons with higher specific surface area while the increase in the temperature induces a decrease in the surface area and amount of heteroatoms (N and O. The electrochemical performances as electrode in supercapacitors were evaluated in acidic medium and the capacitance was closely related to the material conductivity and surface chemistry.

Hydrothermal synthesis of NiCo2O4 nanowires/nitrogen-doped graphene for high-performance supercapacitor

Science.gov (United States)

Yu, Mei; Chen, Jianpeng; Ma, Yuxiao; Zhang, Jingdan; Liu, Jianhua; Li, Songmei; An, Junwei

2014-09-01

NiCo2O4 nanowires/nitrogen-doped graphene (NCO/NG) composite materials were synthesized by hydrothermal treatment in a water-glycerol mixed solvent and subsequent thermal transformation. The obtained materials were characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy. The electrochemical performance of the composites was evaluated by cyclic voltammetry, galvanostatic charge/discharge and electrochemical impedance spectrum techniques. NiCo2O4 nanowires are densely coated by nitrogen-doped graphene and the composite displays good electrochemical performance. The maximum specific capacitance of NCO/NG is 1273.13 F g-1 at 0.5 A g-1 in 6 M KOH aqueous solution, and it exhibits good capacity retention without noticeable degradation after 3000 cycles at 4 A g-1.

Photocatalytic activity and RNO dye degradation of nitrogen-doped TiO{sub 2} prepared by ionothermal synthesis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pipi, Angelo; Ruotolo, Luis, E-mail: pluis@ufscar.br [Universidade Federal de Sao Carlos (UFSCar), SP (Brazil). Departamento de Engenharia Quimica; Byzynski, Gabriela [Universidade Estadual Paulista Julio de Mesquita Filho (UNESP), Araraquara, SP (Brazil)

2017-05-15

This work concerns the preparation a nitrogen-doped TiO{sub 2} by ionothermal synthesis methods and the photocatalytic studies. In this procedure, alkoxide was used as a titanium source, and a deep eutectic mixture of choline chloride and urea (molar ratio 1:2) served as a solvent and source of nitrogen. Different samples were synthesized varying the percentages of the eutectic mixture, titanium butoxide, and water, as well as temperature and reaction time. The catalysts were characterized by X-ray diffraction, Raman spectrometry, scanning electron microscopy, and diffuse reflectance spectroscopy. N-doping was confirmed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The photocatalytic activity of the N-TiO{sub 2} nanoparticles was evaluated in the oxidation of N,N-dimethyl-4-nitrosoaniline (RNO) dye. The best photocatalytic activity under illumination by UV and visible light was found for the catalysts prepared under reflux in the presence of water, and for the catalysts prepared hydrothermally using intermediate percentages of the nitrogen source (the eutectic mixture). (author)

Preparation of N-Doped Composite Shell Encapsulated Iron Nanoparticles and Their Magnetic, Adsorptive, and Photocatalytic Properties

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Caijing Shi

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The N-doped composite shell encapsulated iron nanoparticles (CSEINPs were prepared by DC arc discharge under nitrogen at 800°C, using the anode with high Fe content and good homogeneity. The morphology, microstructure, composition, and some properties of the N-doped CSEINPs were characterized by various characterization techniques. The results revealed that the shells of the N-doped CSEINPs were composed of homogeneously amorphous structure containing C, Fe, O, and N elements; the saturation magnetization (Ms and coercivity (Hc of them at room temperature were 130 emu/g and 194 Oe, respectively. Due to the surface structure and the electrostatic interaction, the N-doped CSEINPs are employed to remove methylene blue (MB from the waste solution, and they exhibited high adsorption properties and photocatalytic activity under irradiation of visible light (IVL. The kinetics of adsorption of MB on the N-doped CSEINPs was investigated and the recycling test was carried out. The formation mechanism of the N-doped CSEINPs is discussed briefly.

[Influence of deposition time on chromatics during nitrogen-doped diamond like carbon coating on pure titanium].

Science.gov (United States)

Yin, Lu; Yao, Jiang-wu; Xu, De-wen

2010-10-01

The aim of this study was to observed the influence of deposition time on chromatics during nitrogen-doped diamond like carbon coating (N-DLC) on pure titanium by multi impulse are plasma plating machine. Applying multi impulse are plasma plating machine to produce TiN coatings on pure titanium in nitrogen atmosphere, then filming with nitrogen-doped DLC on TiN in methane (10-80 min in every 5 min). The colors of N-DLC were evaluated in the CIE1976 L*a*b* uniform color scale and Mussell notation. The surface morphology of every specimen was analyzed using scanning electron microscope (SEM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). When changing the time of N-DLC coating deposition, N-DLC surface showed different color. Golden yellow was presented when deposition time was 30 min. SEM showed that crystallization was found in N-DLC coatings, the structure changed from stable to clutter by varying the deposition time. The chromatics of N-DLC coatings on pure titanium could get golden yellow when deposition time was 30 min, then the crystallized structure was stable.

Liquid Phase Plasma Synthesis of Iron Oxide Nanoparticles on Nitrogen-Doped Activated Carbon Resulting in Nanocomposite for Supercapacitor Applications.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Heon; Lee, Won-June; Park, Young-Kwon; Ki, Seo Jin; Kim, Byung-Joo; Jung, Sang-Chul

2018-03-25

Iron oxide nanoparticles supported on nitrogen-doped activated carbon powder were synthesized using an innovative plasma-in-liquid method, called the liquid phase plasma (LPP) method. Nitrogen-doped carbon (NC) was prepared by a primary LPP reaction using an ammonium chloride reactant solution, and an iron oxide/NC composite (IONCC) was prepared by a secondary LPP reaction using an iron chloride reactant solution. The nitrogen component at 3.77 at. % formed uniformly over the activated carbon (AC) surface after a 1 h LPP reaction. Iron oxide nanoparticles, 40~100 nm in size, were impregnated homogeneously over the NC surface after the LPP reaction, and were identified as Fe₃O₄ by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction. NC and IONCCs exhibited pseudo-capacitive characteristics, and their specific capacitance and cycling stability were superior to those of bare AC. The nitrogen content on the NC surface increased the compatibility and charge transfer rate, and the composites containing iron oxide exhibited a lower equivalent series resistance.

Influence of small metallic particles on the absorption and emission in amorphous materials doped with rare earths

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Malta, O.L.; Santa Cruz, P.A.; Sa, G.F. de

1987-01-01

The influence of small metallic clusters on the absorption and emission processes in molecular species shows a great interest as well the fundamental as the pratical point of view. This subject, which has been recently developed, covers several aspects related to the kinetics of formation of these chusters and to theirs optical properties in amorphous media. A study of this problem developed by the first time for the case of one volumetric distribution of metallic particles is presented. With this aim, fluoborate glasses doped with Eu 3+ ion which fluorescence is well known in several materials are used. (L.C.) [pt

Feature-Sensitive Tetrahedral Mesh Generation with Guaranteed Quality

OpenAIRE

Wang, Jun; Yu, Zeyun

2012-01-01

Tetrahedral meshes are being extensively used in finite element methods (FEM). This paper proposes an algorithm to generate feature-sensitive and high-quality tetrahedral meshes from an arbitrary surface mesh model. A top-down octree subdivision is conducted on the surface mesh and a set of tetrahedra are constructed using adaptive body-centered cubic (BCC) lattices. Special treatments are given to the tetrahedra near the surface such that the quality of the resulting tetrahedral mesh is prov...

Impurity-defect complexes in hydrogenated amorphous silicon

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yang, L.H.; Fong, C.Y.; Nichols, C.S.

1991-01-01

The two most outstanding features observed for dopants in hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H)-a shift in the Fermi level accompanied by an increase in the defect density and an absence of degenerate doping have previously been postulated to stem from the formation of substitutional dopant-dangling bond complexes. Using first-principles self-consistent pseudopotential calculations in conjunction with a supercell model for the amorphous network and the ability of network relaxation from the first-principles results. The authors have studied the electronic and structural properties of substitutional fourfold-coordinated phosphorus and boron at the second neighbor position to a dangling bond defect. This paper demonstrates that such impurity-defect complexes can account for the general features observed experimentally in doped a-Si:H

Synthesis of biocompatible and highly photoluminescent nitrogen doped carbon dots from lime: Analytical applications and optimization using response surface methodology

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Barati, Ali [Faculty of Chemistry, Institute for Advanced Studies in Basic Sciences, Zanjan (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Shamsipur, Mojtaba, E-mail: mshamsipur@yahoo.com [Department of Chemistry, Razi University, Kermanshah (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Arkan, Elham [Nano Drug Delivery Research Center Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Hosseinzadeh, Leila [Novel Drug Delivery Research Center, Faculty of Pharmacy, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Abdollahi, Hamid, E-mail: abd@iasbs.ac.ir [Faculty of Chemistry, Institute for Advanced Studies in Basic Sciences, Zanjan (Iran, Islamic Republic of)

2015-02-01

Herein, a facile hydrothermal treatment of lime juice to prepare biocompatible nitrogen-doped carbon quantum dots (N-CQDs) in the presence of ammonium bicarbonate as a nitrogen source has been presented. The resulting N-CQDs exhibited excitation and pH independent emission behavior; with the quantum yield (QY) up to 40%, which was several times greater than the corresponding value for CQDs with no added nitrogen source. The N-CQDs were applied as a fluorescent probe for the sensitive and selective detection of Hg{sup 2+} ions with a detection limit of 14 nM. Moreover, the cellular uptake and cytotoxicity of N-CQDs at different concentration ranges from 0.0 to 0.8 mg/ml were investigated by using PC12 cells as a model system. Response surface methodology was used for optimization and systematic investigation of the main variables that influence the QY, including reaction time, reaction temperature, and ammonium bicarbonate weight. - Highlights: • High fluorescent N-doped CQDs from lime juice have been prepared. • Response surface methodology was used to optimize and model the main factors. • N-doped CQDs were used in the selective and sensitive detection of Hg(II). • The biocompatibility of prepared N-doped CQDs was conformed using PC12 cells.

Electrocatalytic analysis of superoxide anion radical using nitrogen-doped graphene supported Prussian Blue as a biomimetic superoxide dismutase

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu, Tingting; Niu, Xiangheng; Shi, Libo; Zhu, Xiang; Zhao, Hongli; Lana, Minbo

2015-01-01

Graphical abstract: Prussian Blue (PB) cubes supported on nitrogen-doped graphene sheets (NGS) were synthesized using a simple and scalable method, and the utilization of the PB-NGS hybrid as an efficient superoxide dismutase mimic in the electrochemical sensing of O 2 ·− was demonstrated. - Highlights: • Facile and scalable synthesis of Prussian Blue cubes supported on nitrogen-doped graphene; • Nitrogen-doped graphene supported Prussian Blue as an efficient biomimetic superoxide dismutase for the electrocatalytic sensing of superoxide anion; • Good sensitivity, excellent selectivity and attractive long-term stability for superoxide anion sensing. - Abstract: Considering the double-sided roles of superoxide anion radical, monitoring of its track in living systems is attracting increasing academic and practical interest. Here we synthesized Prussian Blue (PB) cubes that were supported on nitrogen-doped graphene sheets (NGS) using a facile and scalable method, and explored their potential utilization in the electrochemical sensing of superoxide anion. As an efficient superoxide dismutase mimic, direct electron transfer of the prepared PB-NGS hybrid immobilized on a screen-printed gold electrode was harvested in physiological media. With the bifunctional activities, the synthetic mimic could catalyze the dismutation of superoxide anion via the redox cycle of active iron. By capturing the electro-reduction amperometric responses of superoxide anion radical to hydrogen peroxide in the cathodic polarization, highly sensitive determination (a sensitivity of as high as 0.32 μA cm −2 μM −1 ) of the target was achieved, with no interference from common coexisting species including ascorbic acid, dopamine, and uric acid observed. Compared to natural superoxide dismutases, the artificial enzyme mimic exhibited favorable activity stability, indicating its promising applications in the in vivo long-term monitoring of superoxide anion

Advanced Sulfur Cathode Enabled by Highly Crumpled Nitrogen-Doped Graphene Sheets for High-Energy-Density Lithium-Sulfur Batteries.

Science.gov (United States)

Song, Jiangxuan; Yu, Zhaoxin; Gordin, Mikhail L; Wang, Donghai

2016-02-10

Herein, we report a synthesis of highly crumpled nitrogen-doped graphene sheets with ultrahigh pore volume (5.4 cm(3)/g) via a simple thermally induced expansion strategy in absence of any templates. The wrinkled graphene sheets are interwoven rather than stacked, enabling rich nitrogen-containing active sites. Benefiting from the unique pore structure and nitrogen-doping induced strong polysulfide adsorption ability, lithium-sulfur battery cells using these wrinkled graphene sheets as both sulfur host and interlayer achieved a high capacity of ∼1000 mAh/g and exceptional cycling stability even at high sulfur content (≥80 wt %) and sulfur loading (5 mg sulfur/cm(2)). The high specific capacity together with the high sulfur loading push the areal capacity of sulfur cathodes to ∼5 mAh/cm(2), which is outstanding compared to other recently developed sulfur cathodes and ideal for practical applications.

Quantification of Humic Substances in Natural Water Using Nitrogen-Doped Carbon Dots.

Science.gov (United States)

Guan, Yan-Fang; Huang, Bao-Cheng; Qian, Chen; Yu, Han-Qing

2017-12-19

Dissolved organic matter (DOM) is ubiquitous in aqueous environments and plays a significant role in pollutant mitigation, transformation and organic geochemical circulation. DOM is also capable of forming carcinogenic byproducts in the disinfection treatment processes of drinking water. Thus, efficient methods for DOM quantification are highly desired. In this work, a novel sensor for rapid and selective detection of humic substances (HS), a key component of DOM, based on fluorescence quenching of nitrogen-doped carbon quantum dots was developed. The experimental results show that the HS detection range could be broadened to 100 mg/L with a detection limit of 0.2 mg/L. Moreover, the detection was effective within a wide pH range of 3.0 to 12.0, and the interferences of ions on the HS measurement were negligible. A good detection result for real surface water samples further validated the feasibility of the developed detection method. Furthermore, a nonradiation electron transfer mechanism for quenching the nitrogen-doped carbon-dots fluorescence by HS was elucidated. In addition, we prepared a test paper and proved its effectiveness. This work provides a new efficient method for the HS quantification than the frequently used modified Lowry method in terms of sensitivity and detection range.

Revealing the Origin of Activity in Nitrogen-Doped Nanocarbons towards Electrocatalytic Reduction of Carbon Dioxide.

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, Junyuan; Kan, Yuhe; Huang, Rui; Zhang, Bingsen; Wang, Bolun; Wu, Kuang-Hsu; Lin, Yangming; Sun, Xiaoyan; Li, Qingfeng; Centi, Gabriele; Su, Dangsheng

2016-05-23

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are functionalized with nitrogen atoms for reduction of carbon dioxide (CO2 ). The investigation explores the origin of the catalyst's activity and the role of nitrogen chemical states therein. The catalysts show excellent performances, with about 90 % current efficiency for CO formation and stability over 60 hours. The Tafel analyses and density functional theory calculations suggest that the reduction of CO2 proceeds through an initial rate-determining transfer of one electron to CO2 , which leads to the formation of carbon dioxide radical anion (CO2 (.-) ). The initial reduction barrier is too high on pristine CNTs, resulting in a very high overpotentials at which the hydrogen evolution reaction dominates over CO2 reduction. The doped nitrogen atoms stabilize the radical anion, thereby lowering the initial reduction barrier and improving the intrinsic activity. The most efficient nitrogen chemical state for this reaction is quaternary nitrogen, followed by pyridinic and pyrrolic nitrogen. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Changes of the electronic structure of the atoms of nitrogen in nitrogen-doped multiwalled carbon nanotubes under the influence of pulsed ion radiation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Korusenko, P.M., E-mail: korusenko@obisp.oscsbras.ru [Omsk Scientific Centre, Siberian Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, Karl Marx Avenue, 15, Omsk 644024 (Russian Federation); Bolotov, V.V.; Nesov, S.N.; Povoroznyuk, S.N. [Omsk Scientific Centre, Siberian Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, Karl Marx Avenue, 15, Omsk 644024 (Russian Federation); Khailov, I.P. [Tomsk Polytechnic University, Lenin Ave. 2a, Tomsk 634028 (Russian Federation)

2015-09-01

With the use of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) there have been investigated the changes of the chemical state of nitrogen atoms in the structure of nitrogen-doped multiwalled carbon nanotubes (CN{sub x}-MWCNTs) resulting from the impact of pulsed ion beam at various parameters of the beam (energy density, number of pulses). It has been established that irradiation with the pulsed ion beam leads to a reduction of the total amount of nitrogen in CN{sub x} nanotubes. It has been shown that a single pulse irradiation of ion beam at the energy densities of 0.5, 1, 1.5 J/cm{sup 2} leads to restructuring of the nitrogen from pyridinic and pyrrolic configuration to graphitic state. Complete removal of nitrogen (pyridinic, pyrrolic, graphitic) embedded in the structure of the walls of CN{sub x} nanotubes occurs at ten pulses and 1.5 J/cm{sup 2}.

Carbon Nitrogen Co-Doped P25: Parameter Study on Photodegradation of Reactive Red 4

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Azami M. S.

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Photocatalytic degradation rate of reactive red 4 (RR4 using carbon coated nitrogen doped TiO2 (C N co-doped TiO2 in photocatalysis process is main goal on this research. The main operating the parameters such as effect of initial dye concentration, catalyst loading, aeration flow rate and initial pH on degradation of RR4 under 45 W fluorescent lamp was investigated. photocatalytic activity of RR4 dye decreased with increasing RR4 dye concentration. The optimum loading is around 0.04 g and optimum aeration rate is about 25 mL min-1 of C N co-doped TiO2. Effect of pH was conducted based on the optimum loading and conclude that the photocatalytic degradation of RR4 became faster at pH 2 - 7. For the future work, the modification of doping with others element like non-metal or metal with C N co-doped TiO2 can be enhanced toward the higher efficieny of photodegradation under visible light. Moreover, the immobilized technique can be used in future to overcome the difficulty of filtration on suspension.

Influence of nitrogen doping in sumanene framework toward hydrogen storage: A computational study.

Science.gov (United States)

Reisi-Vanani, Adel; Shamsali, Fatemeh

2017-09-01

Two conditions are important to obtain appropriate substances for hydrogen storage; high surface area and fitting binding energy (BE). Doping is a key strategy that improves BE. We investigated hydrogen adsorption onto twenty six nitrogen disubstituted isomers of sumanene (C 19 N 2 H 12 ) by MP2/6-311++G(d,p)//B3LYP/6-31+G(d) and M06-2X/6-31+G(d) levels of theory. Effect of nitrogen doping in different positions of sumanene was checked. To obtain better BE, basis set superposition error (BSSE) and zero point energy (ZPE) corrections were used. Anticipating of adsorption sites and extra details about adsorption process was done by molecular electrostatic potential (MEP) surfaces. Various types of density of state (DOS) diagrams such as total DOS (TDOS), projected DOS (PDOS) and overlap population DOS (OPDOS) and natural bond orbital (NBO) analysis were used to find better insight on the adsorption properties. In addition of temperature depending of the BE, HOMO-LUMO gap (HLG), dipole moment, reactivity and stability, bowl depth and natural population analysis (NPA) of the isomers were studied. A physisorption mechanism for adsorption was proposed and a trivial change was seen. Place of nitrogen atoms in sumanene frame causes to binding energy increases or decreases compared with pristine sumanene. The best and the worst isomers and category of isomers were suggested. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Three-dimensional Nitrogen-Doped Reduced Graphene Oxide/Carbon Nanotube Composite Catalysts for Vanadium Flow Batteries

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fu, Shaofang [School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, Washington State University, WA, 99164 USA.; Zhu, Chengzhou [School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, Washington State University, WA, 99164 USA.; Song, Junhua [School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, Washington State University, WA, 99164 USA.; Engelhard, Mark H. [Environmental Molecular Science Laboratory, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA 99354 USA.; Du, Dan [School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, Washington State University, WA, 99164 USA.; Lin, Yuehe [School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, Washington State University, WA, 99164 USA.; Environmental Molecular Science Laboratory, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA 99354 USA.

2017-02-22

The development of vanadium redox flow battery is limited by the sluggish kinetics of the reaction, especially the cathodic VO2+/VO2+ redox couples. Therefore, it is vital to develop new electrocatalyst with enhanced activity to improve the battery performance. Herein, we first synthesized the hydrogel precursor by a facile hydrothermal method. After the following carbonization, nitrogen-doped reduced graphene oxide/carbon nanotube composite was obtained. By virtue of the large surface area and good conductivey, which are ensured by the unique hybrid structure, as well as the proper nitrogen doping, the as-prepared composite presents enhanced catalytic performance toward the VO2+/VO2+ redox reaction. We also demonstrated the composite with carbon nanotube loading of 2 mg/mL exhibits the highest activity and remarkable stability in aqueous solution due to the strong synergy between reduced graphene oxide and carbon nanotubes, indicating that this composite might show promising applications in vanadium redox flow battery.

Prussian blue-nitrogen-doped graphene nanocomposite as hybrid electrode for energy storage applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sookhakian, M.; Basirun, W.J.; Teridi, Mohd Asri Mat; Mahmoudian, M.R.; Azarang, Majid; Zalnezhad, Erfan; Yoon, G.H.; Alias, Y.

2017-01-01

Highlights: • Novel and inexpensive Prussian blue-N-graphene composite for hybrid battery- supercapacitor. • Prussian blue leads to a significant increase of the capacity. • Prussian blue leads to enhancement of cycling stability of N-graphene. - Abstract: Water-soluble Prussian blue nanoparticles (PB NPs) supported on nitrogen-doped graphene (N-graphene) with high dispersion was fabricated for high performance energy storage hybrid electrodes. An efficient loading of the PB NPs and nitrogen doping of graphene were achieved. The structure and morphology of the composite was determined by X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, Raman spectrometry and X-ray photoelectron spectrometry. The energy storage performance was assessed by cyclic voltammetry and galvanostatic charge/discharge techniques. The nanocomposite was fabricated as a hybrid battery-supercapacitor electrode and exhibited excellent performance with the highest capacity of 660 C g −1 at 1 A g −1 , which was higher than pure PB NPs and N-graphene electrodes. Moreover, the synergistic effect of N-graphene and the PB NPs prevented the N-graphene from shrinking and swelling and increased the cycle stability to 84.7% retention after 1500 cycles at 6 A g −1 , compared to the pure N-graphene.

Nitrogen doped activated carbon from pea skin for high performance supercapacitor

Science.gov (United States)

Ahmed, Sultan; Ahmed, Ahsan; Rafat, M.

2018-04-01

In this work, nitrogen doped porous carbon (NDC) has been synthesized employing a facile two-step process. Firstly, carbon precursor (pea skin) was heated with melamine (acting as nitrogen source) followed by activation with KOH in different ratios. The dependence of porosity and nitrogen content on impregnation ratio was extensively studied. Other textural properties of prepared NDC sample were studied using standard techniques of material characterization. The electrochemical performance of NDC sample as an electrode was studied in two-electrode symmetric supercapacitor system. 1 M LiTFSI (lithium bis-trifluoromethanesulfonimide) solution in IL EMITFSI (1-Ethyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide), was used as electrolyte. It was found that the fabricated supercapacitor cell offers high values of specific capacitance (141.1 F g‑1), specific energy (19.6 Wh kg‑1) and specific power (25.4 kW kg‑1) at current density of 1.3 A g‑1. More importantly, the fabricated supercapacitor cell shows capacitance retention of ∼75%, for more than 5000 cycles. The enhanced performance of NDC sample is primarily due to large surface area with favorable surface structure (contributing to double layer capacitance) and presence of nitrogen functionalities (contributing to pseudo-capacitance). Such important features make the synthesized NDC sample, an attractive choice for electrode material in high performance supercapacitor.

Nucleus-staining with biomolecule-mimicking nitrogen-doped carbon dots prepared by a fast neutralization heat strategy.

Science.gov (United States)

Kang, Yan-Fei; Fang, Yang-Wu; Li, Yu-Hao; Li, Wen; Yin, Xue-Bo

2015-12-11

Biomolecule-mimicking nitrogen-doped carbon dots (N-Cdots) were synthesized from dopamine by a neutralization heat strategy. Fluorescence imaging of various cells validated their nucleus-staining efficiency. The dopamine-mimicking N-Cdots "trick" nuclear membranes to achieve nuclear localization and imaging.

Visible-light activity of N-LiInO{sub 2}: Band structure modifications through interstitial nitrogen doping

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Xu, Kaiqiang [College of Material Science and Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha, 410082 (China); Xu, Difa, E-mail: xudifa@sina.com [Hunan Key Laboratory of Applied Environmental Photocatalysis, Changsha University, Changsha, 410022 (China); Zhang, Xiangchao; Luo, Zhuo; Wang, Yutang [Hunan Key Laboratory of Applied Environmental Photocatalysis, Changsha University, Changsha, 410022 (China); Zhang, Shiying, E-mail: cdzhangshiying@163.com [College of Material Science and Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha, 410082 (China); Hunan Key Laboratory of Applied Environmental Photocatalysis, Changsha University, Changsha, 410022 (China)

2017-01-01

Highlights: • The interstitial nitrogen doping into LiInO{sub 2} is achieved at low temperature. • The band gap narrowing to an extent of 2.8 eV from 3.5 eV is observed. • The doping favours charge carrier separation and photocatalytic activity. • Superoxide radical is the dominant active specie in the pollutant degradation. - Abstract: Element doping is a promising strategy to improve the photo-response and photocatalytic activity of semiconductor photocatalyst with a wide band gap. To reduce the band gap of LiInO{sub 2} that is considered as a novel photocatalyst, nitrogen-doped LiInO{sub 2} (N-LiInO{sub 2}) is successfully fabricated by treating LiInO{sub 2} and urea at 200 °C. It is found that interstitial instead of substitutional configurations are formed in the crystal structure of N-LiInO{sub 2} due to the low-treating temperature and rich-oxygen conditions. The interstitial N-doping forms a doping state with 0.6 eV above the valence band maximum and a defect state with 0.1 eV below the conduction band minimum, reducing the band gap of LiInO{sub 2} from 3.5 to 2.8 eV. N-LiInO{sub 2} exhibits higher photocatalytic activity towards methylene blue (MB) degradation under 380 nm light irradiation, which is 1.4 times that of pure LiInO{sub 2}. The enhanced photocatalytic activity of N-LiInO{sub 2} is attributed to the extended light absorption and the improved charge carrier separation, which result in more reactive species participating in the photcatalytic process. This work provides a further understanding on tuning the band structure of semiconductor photocatalyst by N-doping strategies.

Oxidation Properties of Nitrogen-Doped Silicon Films Deposited from Si2H6 and NH3

Science.gov (United States)

Scheid, Emmanuel; Boyer, Pierre; Samitier, Josep; Hassani, Ahmed

1994-03-01

Si2H6/NH3 gas mixture was employed to obtain, by low-pressure chemical vapor deposition (LPCVD) at low temperature, nitrogen-doped silicon (NIDOS) films with various N/Si ratios. Thermal oxide was grown in dry oxygen at 900°C and 1100°C on NIDOS films. The result indicates that the nitrogen content of NIDOS films, assessed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), greatly influences their oxidation rate.

Transforming waste biomass with an intrinsically porous network structure into porous nitrogen-doped graphene for highly efficient oxygen reduction.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, Huang; Zhang, Jian; Amiinu, Ibrahim Saana; Zhang, Chenyu; Liu, Xiaobo; Tu, Wenmao; Pan, Mu; Mu, Shichun

2016-04-21

Porous nitrogen-doped graphene with a very high surface area (1152 m(2) g(-1)) is synthesized by a novel strategy using intrinsically porous biomass (soybean shells) as a carbon and nitrogen source via calcination and KOH activation. To redouble the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) activity by tuning the doped-nitrogen content and type, ammonia (NH3) is injected during thermal treatment. Interestingly, this biomass-derived graphene catalyst exhibits the unique properties of mesoporosity and high pyridine-nitrogen content, which contribute to the excellent oxygen reduction performance. As a result, the onset and half-wave potentials of the new metal-free non-platinum catalyst reach -0.009 V and -0.202 V (vs. SCE), respectively, which is very close to the catalytic activity of the commercial Pt/C catalyst in alkaline media. Moreover, our catalyst has a higher ORR stability and stronger CO and CH3OH tolerance than Pt/C in alkaline media. Importantly, in acidic media, the catalyst also exhibits good ORR performance and higher ORR stability compared to Pt/C.

Preparation of three-dimensional nitrogen-doped graphene layers by gas foaming method and its electrochemical capactive behavior

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hao, Junnan; Shu, Dong; Guo, Songtao; Gao, Aimei; He, Chun; Zhong, Yayun; Liao, Yuqing; Huang, Yulan; Zhong, Jie

2016-01-01

Highlights: • A three-dimensional porous graphene layers was prepared via a gas foaming method. • Melamine was the nitrogen source to synthesize the N-doped 3D graphene layers. • The specific surface area of 3D N-doped graphene material is as high as 1196 m 2 g −1 . • The 3D N-doped graphene specific capacitance is 335 F g −1 in three-electrode system. • The energy density of 3D N-doped graphene reaches 58.1 Wh kg −1 in a symmetric cell. - Abstract: A porous graphene layers with a three-dimensional structure (3DG) was prepared via a gas foaming method based on a polymeric predecessor. This intimately interconnected 3DG structure not only significantly increases the specific surface area but also provides more channels to facilitate electron transport. In addition, 3D N-doped (3DNG) layers materials were synthesized using melamine as a nitrogen source. The nitrogen content in the 3DNG layers significantly influenced the electrochemical performance. The sample denoted as 3DNG-2 exhibited a specific capacitance of 335.2 F g −1 at a current density of 1 A g −1 in a three-electrode system. Additionally, 3DNG-2 exhibited excellent electrochemical performance in aqueous and organic electrolytes using a two-electrode symmetric cell. An energy density of 58.1 Wh kg −1 at a power density of 2500 W kg −1 was achieved, which is approximately 3 times that (19.6 Wh kg −1 ) in an aqueous electrolyte in a two-electrode system. After 1000 cycles, the capacity retention in aqueous electrolyte was more than 99.0%, and this retention in organic electrolytes was more than 89.4%, which demonstrated its excellent cycle stability. This performance makes 3DNG-2 a promising candidate as an electrode material in high-power and high-energy supercapacitor applications.

Three dimensional nitrogen-doped graphene aerogels functionalized with melamine for multifunctional applications in supercapacitors and adsorption

Science.gov (United States)

Xing, Ling-Bao; Hou, Shu-Fen; Zhou, Jin; Zhang, Jing-Li; Si, Weijiang; Dong, Yunhui; Zhuo, Shuping

2015-10-01

In present work, we demonstrate an efficient and facile strategy to fabricate three-dimensional (3D) nitrogen-doped graphene aerogels (NGAs) based on melamine, which serves as reducing and functionalizing agent of graphene oxide (GO) in an aqueous medium with ammonia. Benefiting from well-defined and cross-linked 3D porous network architectures, the supercapacitor based on the NGAs exhibited a high specific capacitance of 170.5 F g-1 at 0.2 A g-1, and this capacitance also showed good electrochemical stability and a high degree of reversibility in the repetitive charge/discharge cycling test. More interestingly, the prepared NGAs further exhibited high adsorption capacities and high recycling performance toward several metal ions such as Pb2+, Cu2+ and Cd2+. Moreover, the hydrophobic carbonized nitrogen-doped graphene aerogels (CNGAs) showed outstanding adsorption and recycling performance for the removal of various oils and organic solvents.

Investigation of corrosion behavior of nitrogen doped and platinum/ruthenium doped diamond-like carbon thin films in Hank's solution

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Khun, N.W.; Liu, E., E-mail: MEJLiu@ntu.edu.sg

2011-10-10

Undoped (DLC), nitrogen-doped (N-DLC) and platinum/ruthenium doped diamond-like carbon (PtRu-DLC) thin films were deposited on p-Si (100) substrates using a DC magnetron sputtering deposition system. The chemical composition, bonding structure, surface morphology and adhesion strength of the films were characterized using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), micro-Raman spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy (AFM) and micro-scratch test, respectively. The corrosion behavior of the films in a Hank's solution was investigated using potentiodynamic polarization test. The corrosion results revealed that the PtRu-DLC film had the highest corrosion potential among the films used in this study. Highlights: {yields} DLC thin films were deposited on Si substrates via dc magnetron sputtering. {yields} Some DLC films were doped with N and/or Pt/Ru. {yields} The film corrosion behavior was studied in a Hank solution with polarization test. {yields} The PtRu-DLC film showed the highest corrosion potential among the films studied.

Boron-doped Diamond Electrodes: Electrochemical, Atomic Force Microscopy and Raman Study towards Corrosion-modifications at Nanoscale

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kavan, Ladislav; Vlckova Zivcova, Zuzana; Petrak, Vaclav; Frank, Otakar; Janda, Pavel; Tarabkova, Hana; Nesladek, Milos; Mortet, Vincent

2015-01-01

Highlights: • B-doped diamond is nanostructured by corrosion-driven modifications occurring at carbonaceous impurity sites (sp 2 -carbons). • The electrochemical oxidation partly transforms a hydrogen-terminated diamond surface to O-terminated one, but the electrocatalytic activity of plasmatically O-terminated diamond is not achieved. • In contrast to all usual sp 2 carbons, the Raman spectra of B-doped diamond electrodes do not change upon electrochemical charging/discharging. - Abstract: Comparative studies of boron-doped diamonds electrodes (polycrystalline, single-crystalline, H-/O-terminated, and with different sp 3 /sp 2 ratios) indicate morphological modifications of diamond which are initiated by corrosion at nanoscale. In-situ electrochemical AFM imaging evidences that the textural changes start at non-diamond carbonaceous impurity sites treated at high positive potentials (>2.2 V vs. Ag/AgCl). The primary perturbations subsequently develop into sub-micron-sized craters. Raman spectroscopy shows that the primary erosion site is graphite-like (sp 2 -carbon), which is preferentially removed by anodic oxidation. Other non-diamond impurity, viz. tetrahedral amorphous carbon (t-aC), is less sensitive to oxidative decomposition. The diamond-related Raman features, including the B-doping-assigned modes, are intact during reversible electrochemical charging/discharging, which is a salient difference from all usual sp 2 -carbons. The electrochemical oxidation partly transforms a hydrogen-terminated diamond surface to O-terminated one, but the electrocatalytic activity of plasmatically O-terminated diamond is not achieved for a model redox couple, Fe 3+/2+ . Electrochemical impedance spectra were fitted to six different equivalent circuits. The determination of acceptor concentrations is feasible even for highly-doped diamond electrodes.

Nitrogen Doped Macroporous Carbon as Electrode Materials for High Capacity of Supercapacitor

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yudong Li

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Nitrogen doped carbon materials as electrodes of supercapacitors have attracted abundant attention. Herein, we demonstrated a method to synthesize N-doped macroporous carbon materials (NMC with continuous channels and large size pores carbonized from polyaniline using multiporous silica beads as sacrificial templates to act as electrode materials in supercapacitors. By the nice carbonized process, i.e., pre-carbonization at 400 °C and then pyrolysis at 700/800/900/1000 °C, NMC replicas with high BET specific surface areas exhibit excellent stability and recyclability as well as superb capacitance behavior (~413 F ⋅ g−1 in alkaline electrolyte. This research may provide a method to synthesize macroporous materials with continuous channels and hierarchical pores to enhance the infiltration and mass transfer not only used as electrode, but also as catalyst somewhere micro- or mesopores do not work well.

In-depth nanocrystallization enhanced Li-ions batteries performance with nitrogen-doped carbon coated Fe3O4 yolk-shell nanocapsules

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Qianhui; Zhao, Rongfang; Liu, Wenjie; Zhang, Xiue; Shen, Xiao; Li, Wenlong; Diao, Guowang; Chen, Ming

2017-03-01

In this paper nitrogen-doped carbon-encapsulation Fe3O4 yolk-shell magnetic nanocapsules (Fe3O4@C-N nanocapsules) have been successfully constructed though a facile hydrothermal method and subsequent annealing process. Fe3O4 nanoparticles are completely enclosed in nitrogen-doped carbon shells with void space between the nanoparticle and the shell. The yolk-shell structure allows Fe3O4 nanoparticles to expand freely without breaking the outer carbon shell during the lithiation/delithiation processes. The volume expansion of Fe3O4 results in the in-depth nanocrystallization. Fortunately, the new generated small nanoparticles can increase the capability with the cycle increase due to the unique confinement effect and excellent electronic conductivity of the nitrogen-doped carbon shells. Hence, after 150 cycles, the discharge capacity of Fe3O4@C-N-700 nanocapsules still remained 832 mA h g-1 at 500 mA g-1, which corresponds to 116.7% of the lowest capacity (713 mA h g-1) at the 16th cycle. We believe that the yolk-shell structure is conducive to enhance the capacity of easy pulverization metal oxidation during the charge/discharge processes.

Coplanar amorphous-indium-gallium-zinc-oxide thin film transistor with He plasma treated heavily doped layer

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jeong, Ho-young [Advanced Display Research Center, Department of Information Display, Kyung Hee University, Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul 130-701 (Korea, Republic of); LG Display R and D Center, 245 Lg-ro, Wollong-myeon, Paju-si, Gyeonggi-do 413-811 (Korea, Republic of); Lee, Bok-young; Lee, Young-jang; Lee, Jung-il; Yang, Myoung-su; Kang, In-byeong [LG Display R and D Center, 245 Lg-ro, Wollong-myeon, Paju-si, Gyeonggi-do 413-811 (Korea, Republic of); Mativenga, Mallory; Jang, Jin, E-mail: jjang@khu.ac.kr [Advanced Display Research Center, Department of Information Display, Kyung Hee University, Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul 130-701 (Korea, Republic of)

2014-01-13

We report thermally stable coplanar amorphous-indium-gallium-zinc-oxide (a-IGZO) thin-film transistors (TFTs) with heavily doped n{sup +} a-IGZO source/drain regions. Doping is through He plasma treatment in which the resistivity of the a-IGZO decreases from 2.98 Ω cm to 2.79 × 10{sup −3} Ω cm after treatment, and then it increases to 7.92 × 10{sup −2} Ω cm after annealing at 300 °C. From the analysis of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, the concentration of oxygen vacancies in He plasma treated n{sup +}a-IGZO does not change much after thermal annealing at 300 °C, indicating thermally stable n{sup +} a-IGZO, even for TFTs with channel length L = 4 μm. Field-effect mobility of the coplanar a-IGZO TFTs with He plasma treatment changes from 10.7 to 9.2 cm{sup 2}/V s after annealing at 300 °C, but the performance of the a-IGZO TFT with Ar or H{sub 2} plasma treatment degrades significantly after 300 °C annealing.

Coplanar amorphous-indium-gallium-zinc-oxide thin film transistor with He plasma treated heavily doped layer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jeong, Ho-young; Lee, Bok-young; Lee, Young-jang; Lee, Jung-il; Yang, Myoung-su; Kang, In-byeong; Mativenga, Mallory; Jang, Jin

2014-01-01

We report thermally stable coplanar amorphous-indium-gallium-zinc-oxide (a-IGZO) thin-film transistors (TFTs) with heavily doped n + a-IGZO source/drain regions. Doping is through He plasma treatment in which the resistivity of the a-IGZO decreases from 2.98 Ω cm to 2.79 × 10 −3 Ω cm after treatment, and then it increases to 7.92 × 10 −2 Ω cm after annealing at 300 °C. From the analysis of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, the concentration of oxygen vacancies in He plasma treated n + a-IGZO does not change much after thermal annealing at 300 °C, indicating thermally stable n + a-IGZO, even for TFTs with channel length L = 4 μm. Field-effect mobility of the coplanar a-IGZO TFTs with He plasma treatment changes from 10.7 to 9.2 cm 2 /V s after annealing at 300 °C, but the performance of the a-IGZO TFT with Ar or H 2 plasma treatment degrades significantly after 300 °C annealing

A suitable low-order, eight-node tetrahedral finite element for solids

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Key, S.W.; Heinstein, M.S.; Stone, C.M.; Mello, F.J.; Blanford, M.L.; Budge, K.G.

1998-03-01

To use the all-tetrahedral mesh generation existing today, the authors have explored the creation of a computationally efficient eight-node tetrahedral finite element (a four-node tetrahedral finite element enriched with four mid-face nodal points). The derivation of the element's gradient operator, studies in obtaining a suitable mass lumping, and the element's performance in applications are presented. In particular they examine the eight-node tetrahedral finite element's behavior in longitudinal plane wave propagation, in transverse cylindrical wave propagation, and in simulating Taylor bar impacts. The element samples only constant strain states and, therefore, has 12 hour-glass modes. In this regard it bears similarities to the eight-node, mean-quadrature hexahedral finite element. Comparisons with the results obtained from the mean-quadrature eight-node hexahedral finite element and the four-node tetrahedral finite element are included. Given automatic all-tetrahedral meshing, the eight-node, constant-strain tetrahedral finite element is a suitable replacement for the eight-node hexahedral finite element in those cases where mesh generation requires an inordinate amount of user intervention and direction to obtain acceptable mesh properties

The Synergistic Effect of Nitrogen Dopant and Calcination Temperature on the Visible-Light-Induced Photoactivity of N-Doped TiO2

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yao-Tung Lin

2013-01-01

Full Text Available The synergistic effect of nitrogen content and calcinations temperature on the N-doped TiO2 catalysts prepared by sol-gel method was investigated. The phase and structure, chemical state, optical properties, and surface area/pore distribution of N-doped TiO2 were characterized using X-ray diffraction spectrometer, high-resolution transmission electron microscope, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, UV-vis diffusion reflectance spectroscopy, and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller specific surface area. Finding showed that the photocatalytic activity of N-doped TiO2 was greatly enhanced compared to pure TiO2 under visible irradiation. N dopants could retard the transformation from anatase to rutile phase. Namely, N-doping effect is attributed to the anatase phase stabilization. The results showed nitrogen atoms were incorporated into the interstitial positions of the TiO2 lattice. Ethylene was used to evaluate the photocatalytic activity of samples under visible-light illumination. The results suggested good anatase crystallization, smaller particle size, and larger surface are beneficial for photocatalytic activity of N-doped TiO2. The N-doped TiO2 catalyst prepared with ammonia to titanium isopropoxide molar ratio of 2.0 and calcinated at 400°C showed the best photocatalytic ability.

Sulfur and Nitrogen Co-Doped Graphene Electrodes for High-Performance Ionic Artificial Muscles.

Science.gov (United States)

Kotal, Moumita; Kim, Jaehwan; Kim, Kwang J; Oh, Il-Kwon

2016-02-24

Sulfur and nitrogen co-doped graphene electrodes for bioinspired ionic artificial muscles, which exhibit outstanding actuation performances (bending strain of 0.36%, 4.5 times higher than PSS electrodes, and 96% of initial strain after demonstration over 18 000 cycles), provide remarkable electro-chemo-mech anical properties: specific capacitance, electrical conductivity, and large surface area with mesoporosity. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Co@Co3O4 nanoparticle embedded nitrogen-doped carbon architectures as efficient bicatalysts for oxygen reduction and evolution reactions

Science.gov (United States)

Qi, Chunling; Zhang, Li; Xu, Guancheng; Sun, Zhipeng; Zhao, Aihua; Jia, Dianzeng

2018-01-01

The oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) play crucial roles in efficient energy conversion and storage solutions. Here, Co@Co3O4 nanoparticle embedded nitrogen-doped carbon architectures (denoted as Co@Co3O4/NCs) are prepared via a simple two-step and in situ approach by carbonization and subsequent oxidation of Co-MOF containing high contents of carbon and nitrogen. When evaluated as electrocatalyst towards both ORR and OER in a KOH electrolyte solution, the as-fabricated Co@Co3O4/NC-2 exhibits similar ORR catalytic activity to the commercial Pt/C catalyst, but superior stability and good methanol tolerance. Furthermore, the as-fabricated catalysts also show promising catalytic activity for OER. The effective catalytic activities originate from the synergistic effects between well wrapped Co@Co3O4 nanoparticles and nitrogen doped carbon structures.

Nitrogen-doped diamond electrode shows high performance for electrochemical reduction of nitrobenzene

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang, Qing; Liu, Yanming; Chen, Shuo; Quan, Xie; Yu, Hongtao

2014-01-01

Highlights: • A metal-free nitrogen-doped diamond electrode was synthesized. • The electrode exhibits high electrocatalytic activity for nitrobenzene reduction. • The electrode exhibits high selectivity for reduction of nitrobenzene to aniline. • High energy efficiency was obtained compared with graphite electrode. -- Abstract: Effective electrode materials are critical to electrochemical reduction, which is a promising method to pre-treat anti-oxidative and bio-refractory wastewater. Herein, nitrogen-doped diamond (NDD) electrodes that possess superior electrocatalytic properties for reduction were fabricated by microwave-plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition technology. Nitrobenzene (NB) was chosen as the probe compound to investigate the material's electro-reduction activity. The effects of potential, electrolyte concentration and pH on NB reduction and aniline (AN) formation efficiencies were studied. NDD exhibited high electrocatalytic activity and selectivity for reduction of NB to AN. The NB removal efficiency and AN formation efficiency were 96.5% and 88.4% under optimal conditions, respectively; these values were 1.13 and 3.38 times higher than those of graphite electrodes. Coulombic efficiencies for NB removal and AN formation were 27.7% and 26.1%, respectively; these values were 4.70 and 16.6 times higher than those of graphite electrodes under identical conditions. LC–MS analysis revealed that the dominant reduction pathway on the NDD electrode was NB to phenylhydroxylamine (PHA) to AN

Controlled generation of silver nanocolloid in amorphous silica materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gil, C.; Garcia-Heras, M.; Carmona, N.; Villages, M. A.

2004-01-01

Amorphous silica-based materials bulk and superficially doped with silver nano colloids were prepared. Bulk doped glasses were obtained by conventional melting and doped monolithic slabs by sol-gel. Superficially doped glasses were obtained by ion-exchange and doped coatings by sol-gel. The samples were characterised by TEM and UV-VIS spectrometry. Depending on the composition, the silver incorporation process, and the thermal treatments, several colourings were obtained. By controlling these parameters, metallic silver nano colloids can be generated in the matrices studied. Colloids aggregation and growing up depends on the matrix nature and on the experimental process carried out. (Author) 10 refs

Ultra-high Rates and Reversible Capacity of Li-S Battery with a Nitrogen-doping Conductive Lewis Base Matrix

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cao, Yong; Li, Xi-long; Zheng, Ming-sen; Yang, Mao-ping; Yang, Xu-lai; Dong, Quan-feng

2016-01-01

Highlights: • A polypyrrole/reduced graphene oxide (PPy/rGO) composite was prepared from in-situ hybridization of graphene oxide and pyrrole without additional oxidant. • Nitrogen doped graphene (NG) was obtained from the calcination of the PPy/rGO composite under 1500 °C and was confirmed with abundant pyridinic type nitrogen doping. • NG was employed as a conductive Lewis base matrix of sulfur cathode and the obtained composite cathode exhibited ultra-high rates and reversible capacity. • The excellent electrochemical performance can be attributed to the efficient adsorption of Li 2 S n (n=4-8) on the pyridinic-N enriched NG surface. - Abstract: To improve the electrochemical performance of lithium sulfur batteries, a conductive Lewis base matrix, nitrogen doped graphene (NG), was prepared here through a facile strategy of annealing a polypyrrole/reduced graphene oxide composite. The obtained NG was demonstrated with enriched pyridinic-N doping and was employed as the matrix of sulfur cathode with ultra-high rates, reversible capacity and high coulombic efficiency. The improved performance can be attributed to the high conductivity of the NG and the enhanced adsorption energy of Li 2 S n (n=4-8) on the NG surface. The NG can act not only as an electronic conductive network but also as a Lewis base “catalyst” matrix that promotes the higher Li 2 S n to be further oxidized completely to S 8 as demonstrated in the cyclic voltammetry curve, which can thus significantly improve the sulfur utilization and cyclic stability even at a high sulfur loading of 75% (w/w) in the S@NG composite.

Honeycomb-like Nitrogen and Sulfur Dual-Doped Hierarchical Porous Biomass-Derived Carbon for Lithium-Sulfur Batteries.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Manfang; Jiang, Shouxin; Huang, Cheng; Wang, Xianyou; Cai, Siyu; Xiang, Kaixiong; Zhang, Yapeng; Xue, Jiaxi

2017-04-22

Honeycomb-like nitrogen and sulfur dual-doped hierarchical porous biomass-derived carbon/sulfur composites (NSHPC/S) are successfully fabricated for high energy density lithium-sulfur batteries. The effects of nitrogen, sulfur dual-doping on the structures and properties of the NSHPC/S composites are investigated in detail by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and charge/discharge tests. The results show that N, S dual-doping not only introduces strong chemical adsorption and provides more active sites but also significantly enhances the electronic conductivity and hydrophilic properties of hierarchical porous biomass-derived carbon, thereby significantly enhancing the utilization of sulfur and immobilizing the notorious polysulfide shuttle effect. Especially, the as-synthesized NSHPC-7/S exhibits high initial discharge capacity of 1204 mA h g -1 at 1.0 C and large reversible capacity of 952 mA h g -1 after 300 cycles at 0.5 C with an ultralow capacity fading rate of 0.08 % per cycle even at high sulfur content (85 wt %) and high active material areal mass loading (2.8 mg cm -2 ) for the application of high energy density Li-S batteries. © 2017 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Intermediate-range structure of amorphous GeSe{sub 2} alloy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Murakami, Y. [Department of Material and Biological Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Yamagata University, Yamagata 990-8560 (Japan)], E-Mail: su105@kdeve.kj.yamagata-u.ac.jp; Usuki, T. [Department of Material and Biological Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Yamagata University, Yamagata 990-8560 (Japan); Sakurai, M. [Institute for Material Research, Tohoku University, Sendai 980-8577 (Japan); Kohara, S. [Japan Synchrotron Radiation Research Institute, Sayo, Hyogo 769-5198 (Japan)

2007-03-25

Neutron and high-energy X-ray diffraction measurements have been carried out at KENS-KEK and SPring-8, in order to investigate detailed structures of amorphous GeSe{sub 2} prepared by the rapid quenching method. Considerable intermediate-range ordering is evident from the presence of a first sharp diffraction peak at low magnetides of the scattering vector. Well-defined first and second peaks are found at around 2.36 and 3.90 A in the pair distribution function g(r). A small shoulder related to the existence of edge-sharing tetrahedral units is observed at a shorter r side of the second peak in g(r). Partial distribution functions, partial structure factors and bond-angle distributions can be obtained by Reverse Monte Carlo simulation. Results suggest that there are homo-polar bonds in tetrahedral structural units, and then the glass network is constructed by not only corner-sharing but also edge-sharing tetrahedra.

Synthesis and characterization of resorcinol–formaldehyde resin chars doped by zinc oxide

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gun’ko, Vladimir M.; Bogatyrov, Viktor M.; Oranska, Olena I.; Urubkov, Iliya V.; Leboda, Roman; Charmas, Barbara; Skubiszewska-Zięba, Jadwiga

2014-01-01

Polycondensation polymerization of resorcinol–formaldehyde (RF) mixtures in water with addition of different amounts of zinc acetate and then carbonization of dried gels are studied to prepare ZnO doped chars. Zinc acetate as a catalyst of resorcinol–formaldehyde polycondensation affects structural features of the RF resin (RFR) and, therefore, the texture of chars prepared from Zn-doped RFR. The ZnO doped chars are characterized using thermogravimetry, low temperature nitrogen adsorption/desorption, Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). At a relatively high content of zinc acetate (1 mol per 10–40 mol of resorcinol) in the reaction mixture, the formation of crystallites of ZnO (zincite) occurs in a shape of straight nanorods of 20–130 nm in diameter and 1–3 μm in length. At a small content of zinc acetate (1 mol per 100–500 mol of resorcinol), ZnO in composites is XRD amorphous and does not form individual particles. The ZnO doped chars are pure nanoporous at a minimal ZnO content and nano-mesoporous or nano-meso-macroporous at a higher ZnO content.

Charge transport in electrically doped amorphous organic semiconductors.

Science.gov (United States)

Yoo, Seung-Jun; Kim, Jang-Joo

2015-06-01

This article reviews recent progress on charge generation by doping and its influence on the carrier mobility in organic semiconductors (OSs). The doping induced charge generation efficiency is generally low in OSs which was explained by the integer charge transfer model and the hybrid charge transfer model. The ionized dopants formed by charge transfer between hosts and dopants can act as Coulomb traps for mobile charges, and the presence of Coulomb traps in OSs broadens the density of states (DOS) in doped organic films. The Coulomb traps strongly reduce the carrier hopping rate and thereby change the carrier mobility, which was confirmed by experiments in recent years. In order to fully understand the doping mechanism in OSs, further quantitative and systematic analyses of charge transport characteristics must be accomplished. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Ultrathin nitrogen-doped graphitized carbon shell encapsulating CoRu bimetallic nanoparticles for enhanced electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, You; Li, Yinghao; Yin, Shuli; Yu, Hongjie; Xue, Hairong; Li, Xiaonian; Wang, Hongjing; Wang, Liang

2018-06-01

Design of highly active and cost-effective electrocatalysts is very important for the generation of hydrogen by electrochemical water-splitting. Herein, we report the fabrication of ultrathin nitrogen-doped graphitized carbon shell encapsulating CoRu bimetallic nanoparticles (CoRu@NCs) and demonstrate their promising feasibility for efficiently catalyzing the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) over a wide pH range. The resultant CoRu@NC nanohybrids possess an alloy–carbon core–shell structure with encapsulated low-ruthenium-content CoRu bimetallic alloy nanoparticles (10–30 nm) as the core and ultrathin nitrogen-doped graphitized carbon layers (2–6 layers) as the shell. Remarkably, the optimized catalyst (CoRu@NC-2 sample) with a Ru content as low as 2.04 wt% shows superior catalytic activity and excellent durability for HER in acidic, neutral, and alkaline conditions. This work offers a new method for the design and synthesis of non-platium-based electrocatalysts for HER in all-pH.

Sulfur and nitrogen co-doped carbon dots sensors for nitric oxide fluorescence quantification

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Simões, Eliana F.C. [Centro de Investigação em Química da Universidade do Porto (CIQ-UP), Faculdade de Farmácia da Universidade de Coimbra, Pólo das Ciências da Saúde, 3000-548 Coimbra (Portugal); Centro de Investigação em Química da Universidade do Porto (CIQ-UP), Departamento de Geociências, Ambiente e Ordenamento do Território, Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade do Porto, R. Campo Alegre 687, 4169-007 Porto (Portugal); Leitão, João M.M., E-mail: jleitao@ff.uc.pt [Centro de Investigação em Química da Universidade do Porto (CIQ-UP), Faculdade de Farmácia da Universidade de Coimbra, Pólo das Ciências da Saúde, 3000-548 Coimbra (Portugal); Esteves da Silva, Joaquim C.G. [Centro de Investigação em Química da Universidade do Porto (CIQ-UP), Departamento de Geociências, Ambiente e Ordenamento do Território, Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade do Porto, R. Campo Alegre 687, 4169-007 Porto (Portugal)

2017-04-01

Microwave synthetized sulfur and nitrogen co-doped carbon dots responded selectively to nitric oxide (NO) at pH 7. Citric acid, urea and sodium thiosulfate in the proportion of 1:1:3 were used respectively as carbon, nitrogen and sulfur sources in the carbon dots microwave synthesis. For this synthesis, the three compounds were diluted in 15 mL of water and exposed for 5 min to a microwave radiation of 700 W. It is observed that the main factor contributing to the increased sensitivity and selectivity response to NO at pH 7 is the sodium thiosulfate used as sulfur source. A linear response range from 1 to 25 μM with a sensitivity of 16 μM{sup −1} and a detection limit of 0.3 μM were obtained. The NO quantification capability was assessed in standard and in fortified serum solutions. - Highlights: • S,N co-doped CDs were microwave synthetized from citric acid, urea and sodium thiosulfate. • The NO fluorescence sensing was evaluated at pH 7. • The selective and sensitive detection of NO at pH 7 was achieved. • Good NO quantification results in serum samples were obtained.

Sulfur and nitrogen co-doped carbon dots sensors for nitric oxide fluorescence quantification

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Simões, Eliana F.C.; Leitão, João M.M.; Esteves da Silva, Joaquim C.G.

2017-01-01

Microwave synthetized sulfur and nitrogen co-doped carbon dots responded selectively to nitric oxide (NO) at pH 7. Citric acid, urea and sodium thiosulfate in the proportion of 1:1:3 were used respectively as carbon, nitrogen and sulfur sources in the carbon dots microwave synthesis. For this synthesis, the three compounds were diluted in 15 mL of water and exposed for 5 min to a microwave radiation of 700 W. It is observed that the main factor contributing to the increased sensitivity and selectivity response to NO at pH 7 is the sodium thiosulfate used as sulfur source. A linear response range from 1 to 25 μM with a sensitivity of 16 μM"−"1 and a detection limit of 0.3 μM were obtained. The NO quantification capability was assessed in standard and in fortified serum solutions. - Highlights: • S,N co-doped CDs were microwave synthetized from citric acid, urea and sodium thiosulfate. • The NO fluorescence sensing was evaluated at pH 7. • The selective and sensitive detection of NO at pH 7 was achieved. • Good NO quantification results in serum samples were obtained.

Cement Pastes and Mortars Containing Nitrogen-Doped and Oxygen-Functionalized Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mauricio Martínez-Alanis

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Cement pastes and mortars based on ordinary Portland cement containing nitrogen-doped multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT-Nx or oxygen-functionalized multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT-Ox are investigated. To incorporate MWCNTs into the cementitious matrix, the as-produced carpets are dispersed over periods of 1 and 2 hours in distilled water at pH levels of 1 and 7. The cement pastes are prepared by adding 0.1 wt% of MWCNTs to cement powder, followed by characterization with SEM and X-ray diffraction (XRD at an early age (first hours of hydration. The mortars are mechanically characterized during the hydration process for a period of 28 days. SEM characterization of cement pastes revealed that the carbon nanotubes are well incorporated in the cementitious matrix, with the hydrated cement grains interconnected by long carbon nanotubes. XRD characterizations demonstrated that, during the hydration of cement pastes, different peaks emerged that were associated with ettringite, hydrated calcium silicate, and calcium hydroxide, among other structures. Results of the compressive strength measurements for mortars simultaneously mixed with MWCNT-Nx and MWCNT-Ox reached an increment of approximately 30% in compressive strength. In addition, density functional theory calculations were performed in nitrogen-doped and oxygen-functionalized carbon nanotubes interacting with a cement grain.

Rod-like polyaniline supported on three-dimensional boron and nitrogen-co-doped graphene frameworks for high-performance supercapacitors

Science.gov (United States)

Liao, Kexuan; Gao, Jialu; Fan, Jinchen; Mo, Yao; Xu, Qunjie; Min, Yulin

2017-12-01

In this work, novel three-dimensional (3D) boron and nitrogen-co-doped three-dimensional (3D) graphene frameworks (BN-GFs) supporting rod-like polyaniline (PANI) are facilely prepared and used as electrodes for high-performance supercapacitors. The results demonstrated that BN-GFs with tuned electronic structure can not only provide a large surface area for rod-like PANI to anchor but also effectively facilitate the ion transfer and charge storage in the electrode. The PANI/BN-GF composite with wrinkled boron and nitrogen-co-doped graphene sheets interconnected by rod-like PANI exhibits excellent capacitive properties with a maximum specific capacitance of 596 F/g at a current density of 0.5 A/g. Notably, they also show excellent cycling stability with more than 81% capacitance retention after 5000 charge-discharge cycles.

Video Vectorization via Tetrahedral Remeshing.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Chuan; Zhu, Jie; Guo, Yanwen; Wang, Wenping

2017-02-09

We present a video vectorization method that generates a video in vector representation from an input video in raster representation. A vector-based video representation offers the benefits of vector graphics, such as compactness and scalability. The vector video we generate is represented by a simplified tetrahedral control mesh over the spatial-temporal video volume, with color attributes defined at the mesh vertices. We present novel techniques for simplification and subdivision of a tetrahedral mesh to achieve high simplification ratio while preserving features and ensuring color fidelity. From an input raster video, our method is capable of generating a compact video in vector representation that allows a faithful reconstruction with low reconstruction errors.

Krypton irradiation damage in Nd-doped zirconolite and perovskite

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Davoisne, C.; Stennett, M.C.; Hyatt, N.C.; Peng, N.; Jeynes, C.; Lee, W.E.

2011-01-01

Understanding the effect of radiation damage and noble gas accommodation in potential ceramic hosts for plutonium disposition is necessary to evaluate their long-term behaviour during geological disposal. Polycrystalline samples of Nd-doped zirconolite and Nd-doped perovskite were irradiated ex situ with 2 MeV Kr + at a dose of 5 x 10 15 ions cm -2 to simulate recoil of Pu nuclei during alpha decay. The feasibility of thin section preparation of both pristine and irradiated samples by Focused Ion Beam sectioning was demonstrated. After irradiation, the Nd-doped zirconolite revealed a well defined amorphous region separated from the pristine material by a thin (40-60 nm) damaged interface. The zirconolite lattice was lost in the damaged interface, but the fluorite sublattice was retained. The Nd-doped perovskite contained a defined irradiated layer composed of an amorphous region surrounded by damaged but still crystalline layers. The structural evolution of the damaged regions is consistent with a change from orthorhombic to cubic symmetry. In addition in Nd-doped perovskite, the amorphisation dose depended on crystallographic orientation and possibly sample configuration (thin section or bulk). Electron Energy Loss Spectroscopy revealed Ti remained in the 4+ oxidation state but there was a change in Ti coordination in both Nd-doped perovskite and Nd-doped zirconolite associated with the crystalline to amorphous transition.

Nitrogen-doped porous carbon monoliths from polyacrylonitrile (PAN) and carbon nanotubes as electrodes for supercapacitors

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Yanqing; Fugetsu, Bunshi; Wang, Zhipeng; Gong, Wei; Sakata, Ichiro; Morimoto, Shingo; Hashimoto, Yoshio; Endo, Morinobu; Dresselhaus, Mildred; Terrones, Mauricio

2017-01-01

Nitrogen-doped porous activated carbon monoliths (NDP-ACMs) have long been the most desirable materials for supercapacitors. Unique to the conventional template based Lewis acid/base activation methods, herein, we report on a simple yet practicable novel approach to production of the three-dimensional NDP-ACMs (3D-NDP-ACMs). Polyacrylonitrile (PAN) contained carbon nanotubes (CNTs), being pre-dispersed into a tubular level of dispersions, were used as the starting material and the 3D-NDP-ACMs were obtained via a template-free process. First, a continuous mesoporous PAN/CNT based 3D monolith was established by using a template-free temperature-induced phase separation (TTPS). Second, a nitrogen-doped 3D-ACM with a surface area of 613.8 m2/g and a pore volume 0.366 cm3/g was obtained. A typical supercapacitor with our 3D-NDP-ACMs as the functioning electrodes gave a specific capacitance stabilized at 216 F/g even after 3000 cycles, demonstrating the advantageous performance of the PAN/CNT based 3D-NDP-ACMs. PMID:28074847

Undoped and doped poly(tetraphenylbenzidine) as sensitive material for an impedimetric nitrogen dioxide gas dosimeter

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Marr, I.; Moos, R., E-mail: functional.materials@uni-bayreuth.de [Department of Functional Materials, University of Bayreuth, Bayreuth 95440 (Germany); Neumann, K.; Thelakkat, M. [Department of Macromolecular Chemistry I, Applied Functional Polymers, University of Bayreuth, Bayreuth 95440 (Germany)

2014-09-29

This article presents a nitrogen dioxide (NO{sub 2}) detecting gas dosimeter based on poly(tetraphenylbenzidine) poly(TPD) as nitrogen oxide (NO{sub x}) sensitive layer. Gas dosimeters are suitable devices to determine reliably low levels of analytes over a long period of time. During NO{sub x} exposure, the analyte molecules are accumulated irreversibly in the sensing layer of the dosimeter enhancing the conductivity of the hole conducting poly(TPD), which can be measured by impedance spectroscopy. Due to their possibility for low cost production by simple printing techniques and very good physical, photochemical, and electrochemical properties, poly(TPD)s are suitable for application in gas dosimeters operated at room temperature. We studied the effect of doping with a Co(III)-complex in combination with a conducting salt on the dosimeter behavior. Compared to the undoped material, a strong influence of the doping can be observed: the conductivity of the sensing material increases significantly, the noise of the signal decreases and an unwanted recovery of the sensor signal can be prevented, leading to a NO{sub x} detection limit <10 ppm.

Nitrogen-doped porous carbon monoliths from polyacrylonitrile (PAN) and carbon nanotubes as electrodes for supercapacitors.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Yanqing; Fugetsu, Bunshi; Wang, Zhipeng; Gong, Wei; Sakata, Ichiro; Morimoto, Shingo; Hashimoto, Yoshio; Endo, Morinobu; Dresselhaus, Mildred; Terrones, Mauricio

2017-01-11

Nitrogen-doped porous activated carbon monoliths (NDP-ACMs) have long been the most desirable materials for supercapacitors. Unique to the conventional template based Lewis acid/base activation methods, herein, we report on a simple yet practicable novel approach to production of the three-dimensional NDP-ACMs (3D-NDP-ACMs). Polyacrylonitrile (PAN) contained carbon nanotubes (CNTs), being pre-dispersed into a tubular level of dispersions, were used as the starting material and the 3D-NDP-ACMs were obtained via a template-free process. First, a continuous mesoporous PAN/CNT based 3D monolith was established by using a template-free temperature-induced phase separation (TTPS). Second, a nitrogen-doped 3D-ACM with a surface area of 613.8 m 2 /g and a pore volume 0.366 cm 3 /g was obtained. A typical supercapacitor with our 3D-NDP-ACMs as the functioning electrodes gave a specific capacitance stabilized at 216 F/g even after 3000 cycles, demonstrating the advantageous performance of the PAN/CNT based 3D-NDP-ACMs.

Hydrothermal synthesis of two photoluminescent nitrogen-doped graphene quantum dots emitted green and khaki luminescence

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhu, Xiaohua; Zuo, Xiaoxi; Hu, Ruiping; Xiao, Xin; Liang, Yong; Nan, Junmin

2014-01-01

A simple and effective chemical synthesis of the photoluminescent nitrogen-doped graphene quantum dots (N-GQDs) biomaterial is reported. Using the hydrothermal treatment of graphene oxide (GO) in the presence of hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ) and ammonia, the N-GQDs are synthesized through H 2 O 2 exfoliating the GO into nanocrystals with lateral dimensions and ammonia passivating the generated active surface. Then, after a dialytic separation, two water-soluble N-GQDs with average size of about 2.1 nm/6.2 nm, which emit green/khaki luminescence and exhibit excitation dependent/independent photoluminescence (PL) behaviors, are obtained. In addition, it is also demonstrated that these two N-GQDs are stable over a broad pH range and have the upconversion PL property, showing this approach provides a simple and effective method to synthesize the functional N-GQDs. - Highlights: • Nitrogen-doped graphene quantum dots (N-GQDs) are prepared by hydrothermal routine. • Two N-GQDs with different size distribution emit green/khaki photoluminescence. • Two N-GQDs exhibit excitation-dependent/independent photoluminescence behaviors

Electrical current at micro-/macro-scale of undoped and nitrogen-doped MWPECVD diamond films

Science.gov (United States)

Cicala, G.; Velardi, L.; Senesi, G. S.; Picca, R. A.; Cioffi, N.

2017-12-01

Chemical, structural, morphological and micro-/macro-electrical properties of undoped and nitrogen-(N-)doped diamond films are determined by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Raman and photoluminescence spectroscopies, field emission scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, scanning capacitance microscopy (SCM) and two points technique for I-V characteristics, respectively. The characterization results are very useful to examine and understand the relationship among these properties. The effect of the nitrogen incorporation in diamond films is investigated through the evolution of the chemical, structural, morphological and topographical features and of the electrical behavior. The distribution of the electrical current is first assessed at millimeter scale on the surface of diamond films and then at micrometer scale on small regions in order to establish the sites where the carriers preferentially move. Specifically, the SCM images indicate a non-uniform distribution of carriers on the morphological structures mainly located along the grain boundaries. A good agreement is found by comparing the electrical currents at the micro- and macro-scale. This work aims to highlight phenomena such as photo- and thermionic emission from N-doped diamond useful for microelectronic engineering.

Low-energy excitations in amorphous films of silicon and germanium

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu, X.; Pohl, R.O.

1998-01-01

We present measurements of internal friction and shear modulus of amorphous Si (a-Si) and amorphous Ge (a-Ge) films on double-paddle oscillators at 5500 Hz from 0.5 K up to room temperature. The temperature- independent plateau in internal friction below 10 K, which is common to all amorphous solids, also exists in these films. However, its magnitude is smaller than found for all other amorphous solids studied to date. Furthermore, it depends critically on the deposition methods. For a-Si films, it decreases in the sequence of electron-beam evaporation, sputtering, self-ion implantation, and hot-wire chemical-vapor deposition (HWCVD). Annealing can also reduce the internal friction of the amorphous films considerably. Hydrogenated a-Si with 1 at.% H prepared by HWCVD leads to an internal friction more than two orders of magnitude smaller than observed for all other amorphous solids. The internal friction increases after the hydrogen is removed by effusion. Our results are compared with earlier measurements on a-Si and a-Ge films, none of which had the sensitivity achieved here. The variability of the low-energy tunneling states in the a-Si and a-Ge films may be a consequence of the tetrahedrally bonded covalent continuous random network. The perfection of this network, however, depends critically on the preparation conditions, with hydrogen incorporation playing a particularly important role. copyright 1998 The American Physical Society

A suitable low-order, eight-node tetrahedral finite element for solids

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Key, S.W.; Heinstein, M.S.; Stone, C.M.; Mello, F.J.; Blanford, M.L.; Budge, K.G.

1998-03-01

To use the all-tetrahedral mesh generation existing today, the authors have explored the creation of a computationally efficient eight-node tetrahedral finite element (a four-node tetrahedral finite element enriched with four mid-face nodal points). The derivation of the element`s gradient operator, studies in obtaining a suitable mass lumping, and the element`s performance in applications are presented. In particular they examine the eight-node tetrahedral finite element`s behavior in longitudinal plane wave propagation, in transverse cylindrical wave propagation, and in simulating Taylor bar impacts. The element samples only constant strain states and, therefore, has 12 hour-glass modes. In this regard it bears similarities to the eight-node, mean-quadrature hexahedral finite element. Comparisons with the results obtained from the mean-quadrature eight-node hexahedral finite element and the four-node tetrahedral finite element are included. Given automatic all-tetrahedral meshing, the eight-node, constant-strain tetrahedral finite element is a suitable replacement for the eight-node hexahedral finite element in those cases where mesh generation requires an inordinate amount of user intervention and direction to obtain acceptable mesh properties.

Optical waveguide based on amorphous Er{sup 3+}-doped Ga-Ge-Sb-S(Se) pulsed laser deposited thin films

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nazabal, V., E-mail: virginie.nazabal@univ-rennes1.f [Sciences Chimiques de Rennes (SCR), UMR CNRS 6226, Equipe Verres et Ceramiques, Universite de Rennes 1, Rennes (France); Nemec, P. [Department of General and Inorganic Chemistry and Research Center, Faculty of Chemical Technology, University of Pardubice, Legions Sq. 565, 53210, Pardubice (Czech Republic); Jurdyc, A.M [Laboratoire de Physico-Chimie des Materiaux Luminescents (LPCML), UMR CNRS 5620, Universite Claude Bernard-Lyon 1, Villeurbanne (France); Zhang, S.; Charpentier, F. [Sciences Chimiques de Rennes (SCR), UMR CNRS 6226, Equipe Verres et Ceramiques, Universite de Rennes 1, Rennes (France); Lhermite, H. [IETR-Microelectronique, UMR CNRS 6251, Universite de Rennes 1, 35042 Rennes (France); Charrier, J. [FOTON, UMR 6082-ENSSAT, UMR CNRS 6251, Universite de Rennes 1, 35042 Rennes (France); Guin, J.P. [LARMAUR, UMR CNRS 6251, Universite de Rennes 1, 35042 Rennes (France); Moreac, A. [Institut de Physique de Rennes, UMR CNRS 6251, Universite de Rennes 1, 35042 Rennes (France); Frumar, M. [Department of General and Inorganic Chemistry and Research Center, Faculty of Chemical Technology, University of Pardubice, Legions Sq. 565, 53210, Pardubice (Czech Republic); Adam, J.-L. [Sciences Chimiques de Rennes (SCR), UMR CNRS 6226, Equipe Verres et Ceramiques, Universite de Rennes 1, Rennes (France)

2010-06-30

Amorphous chalcogenide films play a motivating role in the development of integrated planar optical circuits due to their potential functionality in near infrared (IR) and mid-IR spectral regions. More specifically, the photoluminescence of rare earth ions in amorphous chalcogenide films can be used in laser and amplifier devices in the IR spectral domain. The aim of the present investigation was to optimize the deposition conditions for the fabrication of undoped and Er{sup 3+} doped sulphide and selenide thin films with nominal composition Ga{sub 5}Ge{sub 20}Sb{sub 10}S(Se){sub 65} or Ga{sub 5}Ge{sub 23}Sb{sub 5}S{sub 67} by pulsed laser deposition (PLD). The study of compositional, morphological and structural characteristics of the layers was realized by scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy and Raman spectroscopy analyses, respectively. Some optical properties (transmittance, index of refraction, optical band gap, etc.) of prepared chalcogenide films and optical losses were investigated as well. The clear identification of near-IR photoluminescence of Er{sup 3+} ions was obtained for both selenide and sulphide films. The decay of the {sup 4}I{sub 13/2} {yields} {sup 4}I{sub 15/2} transition at 1.54 {mu}m in Er{sup 3+} doped Ga{sub 5}Ge{sub 20}Sb{sub 10}S{sub 65} PLD sulphide films was studied to assess the effects of film thickness, rare earth concentration and multilayer PLD deposition on their spectroscopic properties.

Investigation of hydrogen peroxide reduction reaction on graphene and nitrogen doped graphene nanoflakes in neutral solution

Science.gov (United States)

Amirfakhri, Seyed Javad; Binny, Dustin; Meunier, Jean-Luc; Berk, Dimitrios

2014-07-01

H2O2 reduction reaction (HPRR) is studied on both graphene (GNF) and nitrogen doped graphene nanoflakes in 0.1 M Na2SO4 solution by rotating disk electrode. The XPS results indicate that N-doped graphene nanoflakes with high nitrogen content, 32 at%N (N-GNF32), are synthesised successfully by an inductively-coupled thermal plasma (ICP) reactor. Pyridinic, pyrrolic and graphitic N species contribute up to 67% of the total nitrogen. Kinetic parameters such as Tafel slope and stoichiometric number suggest that HPRR occurs by the same mechanism on both GNF and N-GNF32. Although nitrogen does not change the mechanism of HPRR, the results indicate that the reaction rate of H2O2 reduction is enhanced on N-GNF32. The exchange current density of H2O2 reduction based on the active surface area of N-GNF32 is (8.3 ± 0.3) × 10-9 A cm-2, which is 6 times higher than the value determined for GNF. The apparent number of electrons involved in the process suggests that H2O2 decomposition competes with H2O2 reduction on both catalysts. Evaluation of the apparent heterogeneous reaction rate constant and the Tafel slope indicate that simultaneous reduction of O2 and H2O2 is negligible on the N-GNF32. On the other hand, the reduction of O2 and H2O2 occurs simultaneously on the GNF surface.

General Synthesis of Transition-Metal Oxide Hollow Nanospheres/Nitrogen-Doped Graphene Hybrids by Metal-Ammine Complex Chemistry for High-Performance Lithium-Ion Batteries.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Jiayuan; Wu, Xiaofeng; Gong, Yan; Wang, Pengfei; Li, Wenhui; Mo, Shengpeng; Peng, Shengpan; Tan, Qiangqiang; Chen, Yunfa

2018-02-09

We present a general and facile synthesis strategy, on the basis of metal-ammine complex chemistry, for synthesizing hollow transition-metal oxides (Co 3 O 4 , NiO, CuO-Cu 2 O, and ZnO)/nitrogen-doped graphene hybrids, potentially applied in high-performance lithium-ion batteries. The oxygen-containing functional groups of graphene oxide play a prerequisite role in the formation of hollow transition-metal oxides on graphene nanosheets, and a significant hollowing process occurs only when forming metal (Co 2+ , Ni 2+ , Cu 2+ , or Zn 2+ )-ammine complex ions. Moreover, the hollowing process is well correlated with the complexing capacity between metal ions and NH 3 molecules. The significant hollowing process occurs for strong metal-ammine complex ions including Co 2+ , Ni 2+ , Cu 2+ , and Zn 2+ ions, and no hollow structures formed for weak and/or noncomplex Mn 2+ and Fe 3+ ions. Simultaneously, this novel strategy can also achieve the direct doping of nitrogen atoms into the graphene framework. The electrochemical performance of two typical hollow Co 3 O 4 or NiO/nitrogen-doped graphene hybrids was evaluated by their use as anodic materials. It was demonstrated that these unique nanostructured hybrids, in contrast with the bare counterparts, solid transition-metal oxides/nitrogen-doped graphene hybrids, perform with significantly improved specific capacity, superior rate capability, and excellent capacity retention. © 2018 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Vibrational Spectra of Tetrahedral Fullerenes.

Science.gov (United States)

Cheng; Li; Tang

1999-01-01

From the topological structures of the following classes of tetrahedral fullerenes-(1) Cn(h, h; -i, i), Cn(h, 0; -i, 2i), Cn(2h + i, -h + i; i, i), Cn(h - i, h + 2i; -i, 2i), and Cn(h, i; 0, i) for Td symmetry; (2) Cn(h, k; k, h), Cn(h, k; -h - k, k), and Cn(h, k; -h, h + k) for Th symmetry; (3) Cn(h, k; i, j) for T symmetry-we have obtained theoretically the formulas for the numbers of their IR and Raman active modes for all of the tetrahedral fullerenes through the decomposition of their nuclear motions into irreducible representations by means of group theory. Copyright 1999 Academic Press.

Highly concentrated, stable nitrogen-doped graphene for supercapacitors: Simultaneous doping and reduction

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jiang Baojiang [College of Materials Science and Chemical Engineering, Harbin Engineering University, Harbin (China); Key Laboratory of Functional Inorganic Material Chemistry, Ministry of Education of the People' s Republic of China, Heilongjiang University, Harbin (China); Tian Chungui; Wang Lei; Sun Li; Chen Chen; Nong Xiaozhen [Key Laboratory of Functional Inorganic Material Chemistry, Ministry of Education of the People' s Republic of China, Heilongjiang University, Harbin (China); Qiao Yingjie, E-mail: qiaoyingjie@hrbeu.edu.cn [College of Materials Science and Chemical Engineering, Harbin Engineering University, Harbin (China); Fu Honggang, E-mail: fuhg@vip.sina.com [Key Laboratory of Functional Inorganic Material Chemistry, Ministry of Education of the People' s Republic of China, Heilongjiang University, Harbin (China)

2012-02-01

In this work, we developed a concentrated ammonia-assisted hydrothermal method to obtain N-doped graphene sheets by simultaneous N-doping and reduction of graphene oxide (GO) sheets. The effects of hydrothermal temperature on the surface chemistry and the structure of N-doped graphene sheets were also investigated. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) study of N-doped graphene reveals that the highest doping level of 7.2% N is achieved at 180 Degree-Sign C for 12 h. N binding configurations of sample consist of pyridine N, quaternary N, and pyridine-N oxides. N doping is accompanied by the reduction of GO with decreases in oxygen levels from 34.8% in GO down to 8.5% in that of N-doped graphene. Meanwhile, the sample exhibits excellent N-doped thermal stability. Electrical measurements demonstrate that products have higher capacitive performance than that of pure graphene, the maximum specific capacitance of 144.6 F/g can be obtained which ascribe the pseudocapacitive effect from the N-doping. The samples also show excellent long-term cycle stability of capacitive performance.

Highly concentrated, stable nitrogen-doped graphene for supercapacitors: Simultaneous doping and reduction

Science.gov (United States)

Jiang, Baojiang; Tian, Chungui; Wang, Lei; Sun, Li; Chen, Chen; Nong, Xiaozhen; Qiao, Yingjie; Fu, Honggang

2012-02-01

In this work, we developed a concentrated ammonia-assisted hydrothermal method to obtain N-doped graphene sheets by simultaneous N-doping and reduction of graphene oxide (GO) sheets. The effects of hydrothermal temperature on the surface chemistry and the structure of N-doped graphene sheets were also investigated. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) study of N-doped graphene reveals that the highest doping level of 7.2% N is achieved at 180 °C for 12 h. N binding configurations of sample consist of pyridine N, quaternary N, and pyridine-N oxides. N doping is accompanied by the reduction of GO with decreases in oxygen levels from 34.8% in GO down to 8.5% in that of N-doped graphene. Meanwhile, the sample exhibits excellent N-doped thermal stability. Electrical measurements demonstrate that products have higher capacitive performance than that of pure graphene, the maximum specific capacitance of 144.6 F/g can be obtained which ascribe the pseudocapacitive effect from the N-doping. The samples also show excellent long-term cycle stability of capacitive performance.

Study on excimer laser irradiation for controlled dehydrogenation and crystallization of boron doped hydrogenated amorphous/nanocrystalline silicon multilayers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gontad, F.; Conde, J.C.; Filonovich, S.; Cerqueira, M.F.; Alpuim, P.; Chiussi, S.

2013-01-01

We report on the excimer laser annealing (ELA) induced temperature gradients, allowing controlled crystallization and dehydrogenation of boron-doped a-Si:H/nc-Si:H multilayers. Depth of the dehydrogenation and crystallization process has been studied numerically and experimentally, showing that temperatures below the monohydride decomposition can be used and that significant changes of the doping profile can be avoided. Calculation of temperature profiles has been achieved through numerical modeling of the heat conduction differential equation. Increase in the amount of nano-crystals, but not in their size, has been demonstrated by Raman spectroscopy. Effective dehydrogenation and shape of the boron profile have been studied by time of flight secondary ion mass spectroscopy. The relatively low temperature threshold for dehydrogenation, below the monohydride decomposition temperature, has been attributed to both, the large hydrogen content of the original films and the partial crystallization during the ELA process. The results of this study show that UV-laser irradiation is an effective tool to improve crystallinity and dopant activation in p + -nc-Si:H films without damaging the substrate. - Highlights: • An efficient dehydrogenation is possible through excimer laser annealing. • 140 mJ/cm 2 is enough for dehydrogenation without significant changes in doping profile. • Fluences up to 300 mJ/cm 2 promote partial crystallization of the amorphous structures

Study on excimer laser irradiation for controlled dehydrogenation and crystallization of boron doped hydrogenated amorphous/nanocrystalline silicon multilayers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gontad, F., E-mail: fran_gontad@yahoo.es [Applied Physics Department, University of Vigo, E.I. Industrial, Campus de As Lagoas, Marcosende, E-36310, Vigo (Spain); Conde, J.C. [Applied Physics Department, University of Vigo, E.I. Industrial, Campus de As Lagoas, Marcosende, E-36310, Vigo (Spain); Filonovich, S.; Cerqueira, M.F.; Alpuim, P. [Department of Physics, University of Minho, Campus de Azurém, 4800-058 Guimarães (Portugal); Chiussi, S. [Applied Physics Department, University of Vigo, E.I. Industrial, Campus de As Lagoas, Marcosende, E-36310, Vigo (Spain)

2013-06-01

We report on the excimer laser annealing (ELA) induced temperature gradients, allowing controlled crystallization and dehydrogenation of boron-doped a-Si:H/nc-Si:H multilayers. Depth of the dehydrogenation and crystallization process has been studied numerically and experimentally, showing that temperatures below the monohydride decomposition can be used and that significant changes of the doping profile can be avoided. Calculation of temperature profiles has been achieved through numerical modeling of the heat conduction differential equation. Increase in the amount of nano-crystals, but not in their size, has been demonstrated by Raman spectroscopy. Effective dehydrogenation and shape of the boron profile have been studied by time of flight secondary ion mass spectroscopy. The relatively low temperature threshold for dehydrogenation, below the monohydride decomposition temperature, has been attributed to both, the large hydrogen content of the original films and the partial crystallization during the ELA process. The results of this study show that UV-laser irradiation is an effective tool to improve crystallinity and dopant activation in p{sup +}-nc-Si:H films without damaging the substrate. - Highlights: • An efficient dehydrogenation is possible through excimer laser annealing. • 140 mJ/cm{sup 2} is enough for dehydrogenation without significant changes in doping profile. • Fluences up to 300 mJ/cm{sup 2} promote partial crystallization of the amorphous structures.

Properties of Nitrogen-Doped Zinc Telluride Films for Back Contact to Cadmium Telluride Photovoltaics

Science.gov (United States)

Shimpi, Tushar M.; Drayton, Jennifer; Swanson, Drew E.; Sampath, Walajabad S.

2017-08-01

Zinc telluride (ZnTe) films have been deposited onto uncoated glass superstrates by reactive radiofrequency (RF) sputtering with different amounts of nitrogen introduced into the process gas, and the structural and electronic transport properties of the resulting nitrogen-doped ZnTe (ZnTe:N) films characterized. Based on transmission and x-ray diffraction measurements, it was observed that the crystalline quality of the ZnTe:N films decreased with increasing nitrogen in the deposition process. The bulk carrier concentration of the ZnTe:N films determined from Hall-effect measurements showed a slight decrease at 4% nitrogen flow rate. The effect of ZnTe:N films as back contact to cadmium telluride (CdTe) solar cells was also investigated. ZnTe:N films were deposited before or after CdCl2 passivation on CdTe/CdS samples. Small-area devices were characterized for their electronic properties. Glancing-angle x-ray diffraction measurements and energy-dispersive spectroscopy analysis confirmed substantial loss of zinc from the samples where CdCl2 passivation was carried out after ZnTe:N film deposition.

Nitrogen doping on NiO by reactive magnetron sputtering: A new pathway to dynamically tune the optical and electrical properties

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Keraudy, Julien, E-mail: julien.keraudy@liu.se [Institut de Recherche Technologique (IRT), Chemin du Chaffault, 44340, Bouguenais (France); Institut des Matériaux Jean Rouxel (IMN), Université de Nantes, CNRS, 2 rue de la Houssinière, BP32229, 44322, Nantes Cedex 3 (France); Plasma & Coatings Physics Division, IFM Materials Physics, Linköping University, Linköping, SE 581-83 (Sweden); Ferrec, Axel; Richard-Plouet, Mireille; Hamon, Jonathan; Goullet, Antoine; Jouan, Pierre-Yves [Institut des Matériaux Jean Rouxel (IMN), Université de Nantes, CNRS, 2 rue de la Houssinière, BP32229, 44322, Nantes Cedex 3 (France)

2017-07-01

Highlights: • Nitrogen doping into NiO lattice (4 at.%) is achieved by only monitoring the N{sub 2}/O{sub 2} gas ratio in the plasma. • The replacement of O by N leads to a narrowing of the optical band-gap energy from 3.6 to 2.3 eV. • The origin of the narrowing is explained by the presence of an intermediate band and the introduction of occupied N 2p states. • Electrical conductivity of NiO:N samples depends on the amount of nickel vacancies and the nitrogen doping. - Abstract: N-doped nickel oxide (NiO:N) thin films were deposited on glass and silicon substrates by reactive DC magnetron sputtering in Ar/O{sub 2}/N{sub 2} gas atmosphere with a series of N{sub 2}/O{sub 2} gas ratio ranging from 0 to 80%. X-ray diffraction measurements have revealed that the films are constituted of Ni{sub 1-x}O grains and showed enhanced polycrystalline features with increasing N-doping concentration. For the first time, we report here that N-doping in the Ni-deficient NiO (Ni{sub 1-x}O) film leads to a band-gap narrowing from 3.6 to 2.3 eV. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) measurements proved that up to 4 atomic percent (at.%) nitrogen can be incorporated at least at the surface of the NiO:N samples. In addition, XPS valence band spectra and UV–vis transmission measurements have demonstrated that the band-gap narrowing may originates from the contribution of an intermediate band (IB) ∼2.4 eV just above the valence band maximum and the up-shifting of the valence band edge (∼0.3 eV) due to the introduction of occupied N 2p states. Local I–V measurements, carried out by conductive AFM (C-AFM), have revealed that the extrinsic doping of N atoms within the oxide can be a good way to precisely control the electrical conductivity of such p-type materials.

Determination of the nitrogen vacancy as a shallow compensating center in GaN doped with divalent metals.

Science.gov (United States)

Buckeridge, J; Catlow, C R A; Scanlon, D O; Keal, T W; Sherwood, P; Miskufova, M; Walsh, A; Woodley, S M; Sokol, A A

2015-01-09

We report accurate energetics of defects introduced in GaN on doping with divalent metals, focusing on the technologically important case of Mg doping, using a model that takes into consideration both the effect of hole localization and dipolar polarization of the host material, and includes a well-defined reference level. Defect formation and ionization energies show that divalent dopants are counterbalanced in GaN by nitrogen vacancies and not by holes, which explains both the difficulty in achieving p-type conductivity in GaN and the associated major spectroscopic features, including the ubiquitous 3.46 eV photoluminescence line, a characteristic of all lightly divalent-metal-doped GaN materials that has also been shown to occur in pure GaN samples. Our results give a comprehensive explanation for the observed behavior of GaN doped with low concentrations of divalent metals in good agreement with relevant experiment.

Determination of the Nitrogen Vacancy as a Shallow Compensating Center in GaN Doped with Divalent Metals

Science.gov (United States)

Buckeridge, J.; Catlow, C. R. A.; Scanlon, D. O.; Keal, T. W.; Sherwood, P.; Miskufova, M.; Walsh, A.; Woodley, S. M.; Sokol, A. A.

2015-01-01

We report accurate energetics of defects introduced in GaN on doping with divalent metals, focusing on the technologically important case of Mg doping, using a model that takes into consideration both the effect of hole localization and dipolar polarization of the host material, and includes a well-defined reference level. Defect formation and ionization energies show that divalent dopants are counterbalanced in GaN by nitrogen vacancies and not by holes, which explains both the difficulty in achieving p -type conductivity in GaN and the associated major spectroscopic features, including the ubiquitous 3.46 eV photoluminescence line, a characteristic of all lightly divalent-metal-doped GaN materials that has also been shown to occur in pure GaN samples. Our results give a comprehensive explanation for the observed behavior of GaN doped with low concentrations of divalent metals in good agreement with relevant experiment.

Thermal stability of amorphous carbon films grown by pulsed laser deposition

Science.gov (United States)

Friedmann, T. A.; McCarty, K. F.; Barbour, J. C.; Siegal, M. P.; Dibble, Dean C.

1996-03-01

The thermal stability in vacuum of amorphous tetrahedrally coordinated carbon (a-tC) films grown on Si has been assessed by in situ Raman spectroscopy. Films were grown in vacuum on room-temperature substrates using laser fluences of 12, 22, and 45 J/cm2 and in a background gas of either hydrogen or nitrogen using a laser fluence of 45 J/cm2. The films grown in vacuum at high fluence (≳20J/cm2) show little change in the a-tC Raman spectra with temperature up to 800 °C. Above this temperature the films convert to glassy carbon (nanocrystalline graphite). Samples grown in vacuum at lower fluence or in a background gas (H2 or N2) at high fluence are not nearly as stable. For all samples, the Raman signal from the Si substrate (observed through the a-tC film) decreases in intensity with annealing temperature indicating that the transparency of the a-tC films is decreasing with temperature. These changes in transparency begin at much lower temperatures (˜200 °C) than the changes in the a-tC Raman band shape and indicate that subtle changes are occurring in the a-tC films at lower temperatures.

Noise and degradation of amorphous silicon devices

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bakker, J.P.R.

2003-01-01

Electrical noise measurements are reported on two devices of the disordered semiconductor hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H). The material is applied in sandwich structures and in thin-film transistors (TFTs). In a sandwich configuration of an intrinsic layer and two thin doped layers, the

Superior supercapacitors based on nitrogen and sulfur co-doped hierarchical porous carbon: Excellent rate capability and cycle stability

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Deyi; Han, Mei; Wang, Bing; Li, Yubing; Lei, Longyan; Wang, Kunjie; Wang, Yi; Zhang, Liang; Feng, Huixia

2017-08-01

Vastly improving the charge storage capability of supercapacitors without sacrificing their high power density and cycle performance would bring bright application prospect. Herein, we report a nitrogen and sulfur co-doped hierarchical porous carbon (NSHPC) with very superior capacitance performance fabricated by KOH activation of nitrogen and sulfur co-doped ordered mesoporous carbon (NSOMC). A high electrochemical double-layer (EDL) capacitance of 351 F g-1 was observed for the reported NSHPC electrodes, and the capacitance remains at 288 F g-1 even under a large current density of 20 A g-1. Besides the high specific capacitance and outstanding rate capability, symmetrical supercapacitor cell based on the NSHPC electrodes also exhibits an excellent cycling performance with 95.61% capacitance retention after 5000 times charge/discharge cycles. The large surface area caused by KOH activation (2056 m2 g-1) and high utilized surface area owing to the ideal micro/mesopores ratio (2.88), large micropores diameter (1.38 nm) and short opened micropores structure as well as the enhanced surface wettability induced by N and S heteroatoms doping and improved conductivity induced by KOH activation was found to be responsible for the very superior capacitance performance.

Modelling the structure factors and pair distribution functions of amorphous germanium, silicon and carbon

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dalgic, Seyfettin; Gonzalez, Luis Enrique; Baer, Shalom; Silbert, Moises

2002-01-01

We present the results of calculations of the static structure factor S(k) and the pair distribution function g(r) of the tetrahedral amorphous semiconductors germanium, silicon and carbon using the structural diffusion model (SDM). The results obtained with the SDM for S(k) and g(r) are of comparable quality with those obtained by the unconstrained Reverse Monte Carlo simulations and existing ab initio molecular dynamics simulations for these systems. We have found that g(r) exhibits a small peak, or shoulder, a weak remnant of the prominent third neighbour peak present in the crystalline phase of these systems. This feature has been experimentally found to be present in recently reported high energy X-ray experiments of amorphous silicon (Phys. Rev. B 60 (1999) 13520), as well as in the previous X-ray diffraction of as-evaporated amorphous germanium (Phys. Rev. B 50 (1994) 539)

Modelling the structure factors and pair distribution functions of amorphous germanium, silicon and carbon

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dalgic, Seyfettin; Gonzalez, Luis Enrique; Baer, Shalom; Silbert, Moises

2002-12-01

We present the results of calculations of the static structure factor S(k) and the pair distribution function g(r) of the tetrahedral amorphous semiconductors germanium, silicon and carbon using the structural diffusion model (SDM). The results obtained with the SDM for S(k) and g(r) are of comparable quality with those obtained by the unconstrained Reverse Monte Carlo simulations and existing ab initio molecular dynamics simulations for these systems. We have found that g(r) exhibits a small peak, or shoulder, a weak remnant of the prominent third neighbour peak present in the crystalline phase of these systems. This feature has been experimentally found to be present in recently reported high energy X-ray experiments of amorphous silicon (Phys. Rev. B 60 (1999) 13520), as well as in the previous X-ray diffraction of as-evaporated amorphous germanium (Phys. Rev. B 50 (1994) 539)

Tribological properties of nitrogen-containing amorphous carbon film produced by dc plasma chemical vapor deposition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang Wei; Wazumi, Koichiro; Tanaka, Akihiro; Koga, Yoshinori

2003-01-01

The nitrogen-contained amorphous carbon (a-C:N) films were deposited in a dc plasma chemical vapor deposition system with different substrate bias voltages. The structural, mechanical, and tribological properties of the a-C:N films were investigated. The influence of the bias voltage on the tribological behaviors of the a-C:N films was evaluated under various environments (dry air, O 2 , N 2 , and vacuum) using a ball-on-disk friction tester. It showed that the sp 3 C and hydrogen concentration of the a-C:N films decreases with increasing the bias voltage. However, the nitrogen concentration increases with increasing the bias voltage. As a result, the hardness and internal stress decrease and the critical load for fracturing increases as the substrate bias increases. For the tribological properties of the a-C:N films, the friction coefficient of the films slightly decreases in the environments of N 2 , O 2 , or dry air, but increases slightly in the vacuum environment by increasing the bias voltage. It indicates that the incorporated nitrogen in the a-C:N films would decrease the friction coefficient of the films in N 2 or O 2 environments, but slightly increases the friction coefficient of the films in a vacuum. The excellent wear resistance of the a-C:N films, in the level of 10 -9 -10 -8 mm 3 /Nm, can be observed in N 2 , vacuum, and dry air environments. In addition, the effect of the bias voltage on the wear rate of the a-C:N films becomes less obvious by nitrogen incorporation. So, we suggest the incorporated nitrogen, which bonded to carbon and restrained the increase of the fraction of sp 2 C-C, would restrain the wear of the a-C:N films in different environments, especially in dry air

Enhanced non-enzymatic glucose sensing based on copper nanoparticles decorated nitrogen-doped graphene.

Science.gov (United States)

Jiang, Ding; Liu, Qian; Wang, Kun; Qian, Jing; Dong, Xiaoya; Yang, Zhenting; Du, Xiaojiao; Qiu, Baijing

2014-04-15

Copper nanoparticles (NPs) decorated nitrogen-doped graphene (Cu-N-G) was prepared by a facile thermal treatment, and further employed as a novel sensing material for fabricating the sensitive non-enzymatic glucose sensor. Compared with pure Cu NPs, the Cu-N-G showed enhanced electrocatalytic activity to glucose oxidation due to the integration of N-G, which exhibited the oxidation peak current of glucose ca. 23-fold higher than that of pure Cu NPs. The presented sensor showed excellent performances for glucose detection including wide linear range of 0.004-4.5 mM, low detection limit (1.3 μM, S/N=3), high sensitivity (48.13 μA mM(-1)), fast response time (doped graphene as enhanced materials in fabricating sensors for chemical and biochemical analysis. © 2013 Published by Elsevier B.V.

Adsorption of hydrogen in Scandium/Titanium decorated nitrogen doped carbon nanotube

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mananghaya, Michael, E-mail: mikemananghaya@gmail.com [De La Salle University, 2401 Taft Ave, 0922, Manila (Philippines); DLSU STC Laguna Boulevard, LTI Spine Road Barangays Biñan and Malamig, Biñan City, Laguna (Philippines); DOST-ASTHRDP, PCIEERD, Gen. Santos Ave., Bicutan, Taguig City 1631 (Philippines); Belo, Lawrence Phoa; Beltran, Arnel [De La Salle University, 2401 Taft Ave, 0922, Manila (Philippines); DLSU STC Laguna Boulevard, LTI Spine Road Barangays Biñan and Malamig, Biñan City, Laguna (Philippines)

2016-09-01

Nitrogen doped Carbon Nanotube with divacancy (4ND-CN{sub x}NT) that is decorated with Scandium and Titanium as potential hydrogen storage medium using the pseudo potential density functional method was investigated. Highly localized states near the Fermi level, which are derived from the nitrogen defects, contribute to strong Sc and Ti bindings, which prevent metal aggregation and improve the material stability. A detailed Comparison of the Hydrogen adsorption capability with promising system-weight efficiency of Sc over Ti was elucidated when functionalized with 4ND-CN{sub x}NT. Finally, the (Sc/4ND){sub 10}-CN{sub x}CNT composite material has a thermodynamically favorable adsorption and consecutive adsorption energy for ideal reversible adsorption and desorption of hydrogen at room temperature such that it can hold at least 5.8 wt% hydrogen molecules at the LDA and GGA level. - Highlights: • Carbon Nanotube with divacancy (4ND-CN{sub x}NT) decorated with Sc and Ti. • Nitrogen defects, contribute to strong Sc and Ti bindings. • H{sub 2} and (Sc/4ND){sub 10}-CN{sub x}CNT has a favorable adsorption. • 5.8 wt% adsorption at the LDA and GGA level.

Three-dimensional nitrogen and boron co-doped graphene for high-performance all-solid-state supercapacitors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wu, Zhong-Shuai; Chen, Long; Sun, Yi; Muellen, Klaus [Max-Planck-Institut fuer Polymerforschung, Ackermannweg 10, 55128 Mainz (Germany); Winter, Andreas; Turchanin, Andrey [Universitaet Bielefeld, Fakultaet fuer Physik, Physik Supramolekularer Systeme und Oberflaechen, Universitaetsstr. 25D, 33615 Bielefeld (Germany); Feng, Xinliang [Max-Planck-Institut fuer Polymerforschung, Ackermannweg 10, 55128 Mainz (Germany); School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 200240, Shanghai (China)

2012-09-25

A simplified prototype device of high-performance all-solid-state supercapacitors (ASSSs) based on 3D nitrogen and boron co-doped monolithic graphene aerogels (BN-GAs) is demonstrated for the first time. The resulting ASSSs show high specific capacitance, good rate capability, and enhanced energy density or power density. (Copyright copyright 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

Nitrogen-doped hierarchical porous carbon materials prepared from meta-aminophenol formaldehyde resin for supercapacitor with high rate performance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhou, Jin; Zhang, Zhongshen; Xing, Wei; Yu, Jing; Han, Guoxing; Si, Weijiang; Zhuo, Shuping

2015-01-01

Graphical abstract: N-doped hierarchical porous carbons with high rate capacitive performance are prepared by a combination method of nano-SiO 2 template/KOH activation. - Highlights: • A mass produced nano-SiO 2 is used to prepared hierarchical porous carbon. • N-doped hierarchical porous carbon materials are easily prepared. • The NHPCs materials exhibit a very high capacitance of up to 260.5 F g −1 . • The NHPC-800 sample shows very high rate capability. • Hierarchical porosity and N-doping synergistically enhances the whole capacitance. - Abstract: In this work, nitrogen-doped hierarchical porous carbon materials (NHPCs) are prepared by a two-step method combined of a hard template process and KOH-activation treatment. Low cost and large-scale commercial nano-SiO 2 are used as a hard template. The hierarchical porosity, structure and nitrogen-doped surface chemical properties are proved by a varies of means, such as scanning electron microscopy, transition electron microscopy, N 2 sorption, Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. When the prepared NHPCs materials are used as the electrode materials for supercapacitors in KOH electrolyte, they exhibit very high specific capacitance, good power capability and excellent cyclic stability. NHPC-800 carbon shows a high capacitance of 114.0 F g −1 at the current density of 40 A g −1 , responding to a high energy and power densities of 4.0 Wh kg −1 and 10 000 W kg −1 , and a very short drain time of 1.4 s. The excellent capacitive performance may be due to the synergistic effect of the hierarchical porosity, high effective surface area and heteroatom doping, resulting in both electrochemical double layer and Faradaic capacitance contributions

Nitrogen-doped porous carbons for highly selective CO2 capture from flue gases and natural gas upgrading

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Wang, J.; Krishna, R.; Yang, J.; Dandamudi, K.P.R.; Deng, S.

2015-01-01

Nitrogen-doped microporous activated carbon adsorbents were synthesized by a self-template method with KOH as the porogen agent at pyrolysis temperatures of 600, 700, and 800 degrees C. The carbon adsorbent samples were characterized with N-2 adsorption at 77 K, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron

Metal-Organic-Framework-Mediated Nitrogen-Doped Carbon for CO2 Electrochemical Reduction

KAUST Repository

Wang, Riming; Sun, Xiaohui; Ould-Chikh, Samy; Osadchii, Dmitrii; Bai, Fan; Kapteijn, Freek; Gascon, Jorge

2018-01-01

A nitrogen-doped carbon was synthesized through the pyrolysis of the well-known metal-organic framework ZIF-8, followed by a subsequent acid treatment, and has been applied as a catalyst in the electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide. The resulting electrode shows Faradaic efficiencies to carbon monoxide as high as ∼78%, with hydrogen being the only byproduct. The pyrolysis temperature determines the amount and the accessibility of N species in the carbon electrode, in which pyridinic-N and quaternary-N species play key roles in the selective formation of carbon monoxide.

Metal-Organic-Framework-Mediated Nitrogen-Doped Carbon for CO2 Electrochemical Reduction

KAUST Repository

Wang, Riming

2018-04-11

A nitrogen-doped carbon was synthesized through the pyrolysis of the well-known metal-organic framework ZIF-8, followed by a subsequent acid treatment, and has been applied as a catalyst in the electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide. The resulting electrode shows Faradaic efficiencies to carbon monoxide as high as ∼78%, with hydrogen being the only byproduct. The pyrolysis temperature determines the amount and the accessibility of N species in the carbon electrode, in which pyridinic-N and quaternary-N species play key roles in the selective formation of carbon monoxide.

Visible-light driven nitrogen-doped petal-morphological ceria nanosheets for water splitting

Science.gov (United States)

Qian, Junchao; Zhang, Wenya; Wang, Yaping; Chen, Zhigang; Chen, Feng; Liu, Chengbao; Lu, Xiaowang; Li, Ping; Wang, Kaiyuan; Chen, Ailian

2018-06-01

Water splitting is a promising sustainable technology for solar-to-chemical energy conversion. Herein, we successfully fabricated nitrogen-doped ultrathin CeO2 nanosheets by using field poppy petals as templates, which exhibit an efficiently catalytic activity for water splitting. Abundant oxygen vacancies and substitutional N atoms were experimentally observed in the film due to its unique biomorphic texture. In view of high efficiency and long durability of the as-prepared photocatalyst, this biotemplate method may provide an alternative technique for using biomolecules to assemble 2D nanomaterials.

Nitrogen-doped biomass-based ultra-thin carbon nanosheets with interconnected framework for High-Performance Lithium-Ion Batteries

Science.gov (United States)

Guo, Shasha; Chen, Yaxin; Shi, Liluo; Dong, Yue; Ma, Jing; Chen, Xiaohong; Song, Huaihe

2018-04-01

In this paper, a low-cost and environmental friendly synthesis strategy is proposed to fabricate nitrogen-doped biomass-based ultra-thin carbon nanosheets (N-CNS) with interconnected framework by using soybean milk as the carbon precursor and sodium chloride as the template. The interconnected porous nanosheet structure is beneficial for lithium ion transportation, and the defects introduced by pyridine nitrogen doping are favorable for lithium storage. When used as the anodes for lithium-ion batteries, the N-CNS electrode shows a high initial reversible specific capacity of 1334 mAh g-1 at 50 mA g-1, excellent rate performance (1212, 555 and 336 mAh g-1 at 0.05, 0.5 and 2 A g-1, respectively) and good cycling stability (355 mAh g-1 at 1 A g-1 after 1000 cycles). Furthermore, this study demonstrates the prospects of biomass and soybean milk, as the potential anode for the application of electrochemical energy storage devices.

Interaction between rare-earth ions and amorphous silicon nanoclusters produced at low processing temperatures

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Meldrum, A. [Department of Physics, University of Alberta, Edmonton, T6G2J1 (Canada)]. E-mail: ameldrum@ualberta.ca; Hryciw, A. [Department of Physics, University of Alberta, Edmonton, T6G2J1 (Canada); MacDonald, A.N. [Department of Physics, University of Alberta, Edmonton, T6G2J1 (Canada); Blois, C. [Department of Physics, University of Alberta, Edmonton, T6G2J1 (Canada); Clement, T. [Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Alberta, Edmonton, T6G2V4 (Canada); De Corby, R. [Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Alberta, Edmonton, T6G2V4 (Canada); Wang, J. [Department of Physics, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong (China); Li Quan [Department of Physics, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong (China)

2006-12-15

Temperatures of 1000 deg. C and higher are a significant problem for the incorporation of erbium-doped silicon nanocrystal devices into standard silicon technology, and make the fabrication of contacts and reflectors in light emitting devices difficult. In the present work, we use energy-filtered TEM imaging techniques to show the formation of size-controlled amorphous silicon nanoclusters in SiO films annealed between 400 and 500 deg. C. The PL properties of such films are characteristic of amorphous silicon, and the spectrum can be controlled via a statistical size effect-as opposed to quantum confinement-that has previously been proposed for porous amorphous silicon. Finally, we show that amorphous nanoclusters sensitize the luminescence from the rare-earth ions Er, Nd, Yb, and Tm with excitation cross-sections similar in magnitude to erbium-doped silicon nanocrystal composites, and with a similar nonresonant energy transfer mechanism.

Ellipsometric investigation of nitrogen doped diamond thin films grown in microwave CH{sub 4}/H{sub 2}/N{sub 2} plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ficek, Mateusz, E-mail: rbogdan@eti.pg.gda.pl [Department of Metrology and Optoelectronics, Faculty of Electronics, Telecommunications and Informatics, Gdansk University of Technology, 11/12 G. Narutowicza St., 80-233 Gdansk (Poland); Institute for Materials Research (IMO), Hasselt University, Wetenschapspark 1, B-3590 Diepenbeek (Belgium); Sankaran, Kamatchi J.; Haenen, Ken [Institute for Materials Research (IMO), Hasselt University, Wetenschapspark 1, B-3590 Diepenbeek (Belgium); IMOMEC, IMEC vzw, Wetenschapspark 1, B-3590 Diepenbeek (Belgium); Ryl, Jacek; Darowicki, Kazimierz [Department of Electrochemistry, Corrosion and Material Engineering, Gdansk University of Technology, 11/12 Narutowicza St., 80-233 Gdansk (Poland); Bogdanowicz, Robert [Department of Metrology and Optoelectronics, Faculty of Electronics, Telecommunications and Informatics, Gdansk University of Technology, 11/12 G. Narutowicza St., 80-233 Gdansk (Poland); Materials and Process Simulation Center, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91125 (United States); Lin, I-Nan [Department of Physics, Tamkang University, Tamsui 251, Taiwan (China)

2016-06-13

The influence of N{sub 2} concentration (1%–8%) in CH{sub 4}/H{sub 2}/N{sub 2} plasma on structure and optical properties of nitrogen doped diamond (NDD) films was investigated. Thickness, roughness, and optical properties of the NDD films in the VIS–NIR range were investigated on the silicon substrates using spectroscopic ellipsometry. The samples exhibited relatively high refractive index (2.6 ± 0.25 at 550 nm) and extinction coefficient (0.05 ± 0.02 at 550 nm) with a transmittance of 60%. The optical investigation was supported by the molecular and atomic data delivered by Raman studies, bright field transmission electron microscopy imaging, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy diagnostics. Those results revealed that while the films grown in CH{sub 4}/H{sub 2} plasma contained micron-sized diamond grains, the films grown using CH{sub 4}/H{sub 2}/(4%)N{sub 2} plasma exhibited ultranano-sized diamond grains along with n-diamond and i-carbon clusters, which were surrounded by amorphous carbon grain boundaries.

Synthesis of nitrogen doped microporous carbons prepared by activation-free method and their high electrochemical performance

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, Ki-Seok [Department of Chemistry, Inha University, Incheon 402-751 (Korea, Republic of); Park, Soo-Jin, E-mail: sjpark@inha.ac.kr [Department of Chemistry, Inha University, Incheon 402-751 (Korea, Republic of)

2011-11-30

Graphical abstract: This describes the increase of specific capacitance in hybrid electrodes as a function of melamine content. Display Omitted Highlights: > For N-enriched hybrid carbons, co-precursors, PVDF/melamine composites, were used. > Microporous carbons were formed by only carbonization without chemical activation. > The nitrogen content of microporous carbons was controlled by melamine content. > N-doped carbons showed higher specific capacitance compared to microporous carbons. > It was attributed to the easy electron transfer and pseudocapacitance. - Abstract: Nitrogen-doped microporous carbons (N-MCs) were prepared by the carbonization of the polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF)/melamine mixture without chemical activation. The electrochemical performance of the N-MCs was investigated as a function of PVDF/melamine ratio. It was found that, without additional activation, the N-MCs had a high specific surface area (greater than 560 m{sup 2}/g) because of the micropore formation by the release of fluorine groups. In addition, although the specific surface area decreased, nitrogen groups were increased with increasing melamine content, leading to an enhanced electrochemical performance. Indeed, the N-MCs showed a better electrochemical performance than that of microporous carbons (MCs) prepared by PVDF alone, and the highest specific capacitance (310 F/g) was obtained at a current density of 0.5 A/g, as compared to a value of 248 F/g for MCs. These results indicate that the microporous features of N-MC lead to feasible ion transfer during charge/discharge duration and the presence of nitrogen groups as strong electron donor on the N-MC electrode in electrolyte could provide a pseudocapacitance by the redox reaction.

Self-consistent modeling of amorphous silicon devices

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hack, M.

1987-01-01

The authors developed a computer model to describe the steady-state behaviour of a range of amorphous silicon devices. It is based on the complete set of transport equations and takes into account the important role played by the continuous distribution of localized states in the mobility gap of amorphous silicon. Using one set of parameters they have been able to self-consistently simulate the current-voltage characteristics of p-i-n (or n-i-p) solar cells under illumination, the dark behaviour of field-effect transistors, p-i-n diodes and n-i-n diodes in both the ohmic and space charge limited regimes. This model also describes the steady-state photoconductivity of amorphous silicon, in particular, its dependence on temperature, doping and illumination intensity

Nitrogen-Doped Carbon Encapsulated Nickel/Cobalt Nanoparticle Catalysts for Olefin Migration of Allylarenes

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kramer, Søren; Mielby, Jerrik Jørgen; Buss, Kasper Spanggård

2017-01-01

Olefin migration of allylarenes is typically performed with precious metal-based homogeneous catalysts. In contrast, very limited progress has been made using cheap, earth-abundant base metals as heterogeneous catalysts for these transformations - in spite of the obvious economic and environmental...... advantages. Herein, we report on the use of an easily prepared heterogeneous catalyst material for the migration of olefins, in particular allylarenes. The catalyst material consists of nickel/cobalt alloy nanoparticles encapsulated in nitrogen-doped carbon shells. The encapsulated nanoparticles are stable...

A facile fabrication of nitrogen-doped electrospun In2O3 nanofibers with improved visible-light photocatalytic activity

Science.gov (United States)

Lu, Na; Shao, Changlu; Li, Xinghua; Miao, Fujun; Wang, Kexin; Liu, Yichun

2017-01-01

Semiconductor photocatalysis demonstrates to be an effective approach for eliminating most types of environment contaminants and for producing hydrogen. Herein, a facile synthesis route combining electrospinning technique and thermal treatment method under NH3 atmosphere has been presented as a straightforward protocol for the fabrication of nitrogen-doped In2O3 (N-In2O3) nanofibers, the nitrogen content of which can be well controlled by adjusting the annealing temperature. Photocatalytic tests show that the N-In2O3 nanofibers demonstrate an improved degradation rate of Rhodamine B (RB) compared with pure In2O3 nanofibers under visible-light irradiation. This can be attributed to the nitrogen atom introducing at interstitial sites as well as the generation of oxygen vacancy on the surface of In2O3 nanofibers, resulting in the enhanced utilization of visible light for the N-In2O3 nanofibers. Furthermore, the obtained N-In2O3 nanofibers with the advantage of ultra-long one-dimensional nanostructures can be recycled several times by facile sedimentation and hence present almost no decrease in photocatalytic activity indicative of a well regeneration capability. Therefore, the as-fabricated nitrogen-doped In2O3 nanofibers as a promising photocatalyst present good photocatalytic degradation of organic pollutant in waste water for practical application.

Non-platinum nanocatalyst on porous nitrogen-doped carbon fabricated by cathodic vacuum arc plasma technique

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sirirak, Reungruthai [Material Science Research Center, Faculty of Science, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai 50200 (Thailand); Department of Chemistry and Center of Excellence for Innovation in Chemistry (PERCH-CIC), Faculty of Science, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai 50200 (Thailand); Sarakonsri, Thapanee, E-mail: tsarakonsri@gmail.com [Material Science Research Center, Faculty of Science, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai 50200 (Thailand); Department of Chemistry and Center of Excellence for Innovation in Chemistry (PERCH-CIC), Faculty of Science, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai 50200 (Thailand); Medhesuwakul, Min [Plasma & Beam Physics Research Facility, Department of Physics and Materials Science, Faculty of Science, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai 50200 (Thailand)

2015-11-30

Highlights: • High surface area porous coral-like nitrogen-doped carbon (NC) and non-platinum nanocatalysts were fabricated on proton exchange membrane using the cathodic vacuum arc plasma (CVAP) technique. • It is a one-step catalysts preparation directly on nafion proton exchange membrane. This CVAP technique is the first new method that was applied in a polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) catalysts preparation. • Due to these excellent characteristics of nitrogen-doped carbon, it is expected to exhibit a good catalyst supporter for PEMFC. • In addition, the Fe–NC catalysts fabricated via this CVAP technique are sphere-like nanoparticle and well disperse on coral-like NC film, which particularity exhibits that these prepared catalysts ought to be a good oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) catalyst for PEMFC. • This approach can be extended to the synthesis of other non-platinum ORR catalyst for broad range applications in energy conversion. - Abstract: Polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) convert chemical energy directly into electrical energy where catalysts composing of non-noble transition metals, nitrogen, and carbon compounds are the most promising materials to replace the expensive platinum catalysts for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). In this research, cathodic vacuum arc plasma (CVAP) technique was used to fabricate porous nitrogen doped carbon (NC) and non-platinum catalyst on porous NC (Fe–NC) directly on ion exchange membrane for being used as an ORR catalyst at the cathode. The porous NC layer was fabricated on silicon wafer at 0.05 mTorr, 0.1 mTorr, 0.5 mTorr, 1 mTorr, and 5 mTorr of nitrogen gas inlet. The AFM, and SEM images are observed to be regularly big with quite high hillocks and thin NC layers; these results indicate that the optimum process pressure of nitrogen gas inlet is 5 mTorr for porous NC fabrication. The SEM–EDS detects Fe, N, and C elements in the prepared catalysts, and the XRD pattern reviews

Non-platinum nanocatalyst on porous nitrogen-doped carbon fabricated by cathodic vacuum arc plasma technique

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sirirak, Reungruthai; Sarakonsri, Thapanee; Medhesuwakul, Min

2015-01-01

Highlights: • High surface area porous coral-like nitrogen-doped carbon (NC) and non-platinum nanocatalysts were fabricated on proton exchange membrane using the cathodic vacuum arc plasma (CVAP) technique. • It is a one-step catalysts preparation directly on nafion proton exchange membrane. This CVAP technique is the first new method that was applied in a polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) catalysts preparation. • Due to these excellent characteristics of nitrogen-doped carbon, it is expected to exhibit a good catalyst supporter for PEMFC. • In addition, the Fe–NC catalysts fabricated via this CVAP technique are sphere-like nanoparticle and well disperse on coral-like NC film, which particularity exhibits that these prepared catalysts ought to be a good oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) catalyst for PEMFC. • This approach can be extended to the synthesis of other non-platinum ORR catalyst for broad range applications in energy conversion. - Abstract: Polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) convert chemical energy directly into electrical energy where catalysts composing of non-noble transition metals, nitrogen, and carbon compounds are the most promising materials to replace the expensive platinum catalysts for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). In this research, cathodic vacuum arc plasma (CVAP) technique was used to fabricate porous nitrogen doped carbon (NC) and non-platinum catalyst on porous NC (Fe–NC) directly on ion exchange membrane for being used as an ORR catalyst at the cathode. The porous NC layer was fabricated on silicon wafer at 0.05 mTorr, 0.1 mTorr, 0.5 mTorr, 1 mTorr, and 5 mTorr of nitrogen gas inlet. The AFM, and SEM images are observed to be regularly big with quite high hillocks and thin NC layers; these results indicate that the optimum process pressure of nitrogen gas inlet is 5 mTorr for porous NC fabrication. The SEM–EDS detects Fe, N, and C elements in the prepared catalysts, and the XRD pattern reviews

Enhanced CO2 Adsorption by Nitrogen-Doped Graphene Oxide Sheets (N-GOs Prepared by Employing Polymeric Precursors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Abdulaziz Ali Alghamdi

2018-04-01

Full Text Available Nitrogen-doped graphene oxide sheets (N-GOs are prepared by employing N-containing polymers such as polypyrrole, polyaniline, and copolymer (polypyrrole-polyaniline doped with acids such as HCl, H2SO4, and C6H5-SO3-K, which are activated using different concentrations of KOH and carbonized at 650 °C; characterized using SEM, TEM, BET, TGA-DSC, XRD, and XPS; and employed for the removal of environmental pollutant CO2. The porosity of the N-GOs obtained were found to be in the range 1–3.5 nm when the KOH employed was in the ratio of 1:4, and the XRD confirmed the formation of the layered like structure. However, when the KOH employed was in the ratio of 1:2, the pore diameter was found to be in the range of 50–200 nm. The SEM and TEM analysis reveal the porosity and sheet-like structure of the products obtained. The nitrogen-doped graphene oxide sheets (N-GOs prepared by employing polypyrrole doped with C6H5-SO3-K were found to possess a high surface area of 2870 m2/g. The N-GOs displayed excellent CO2 capture property with the N-GOs; PPy/Ar-1 displayed ~1.36 mmol/g. The precursor employed, the dopant used, and the activation process were found to affect the adsorption property of the N-GOs obtained. The preparation procedure is simple and favourable for the synthesis of N-GOs for their application as adsorbents in greenhouse gas removal and capture.

Enriched Boron-Doped Amorphous Selenium Based Position-Sensitive Solid-State Thermal Neutron Detector for MPACT Applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mandal, Krishna

2017-01-01

High-efficiency thermal neutron detectors with compact size, low power-rating and high spatial, temporal and energy resolution are essential to execute non-proliferation and safeguard protocols. The demands of such detector are not fully covered by the current detection system such as gas proportional counters or scintillator-photomultiplier tube combinations, which are limited by their detection efficiency, stability of response, speed of operation, and physical size. Furthermore, world-wide shortage of 3 He gas, required for widely used gas detection method, has further prompted to design an alternative system. Therefore, a solid-state neutron detection system without the requirement of 3 He will be very desirable. To address the above technology gap, we had proposed to develop new room temperature solidstate thermal neutron detectors based on enriched boron ( 10 B) and enriched lithium ( 6 Li) doped amorphous Se (As- 0.52%, Cl 5 ppm) semiconductor for MPACT applications. The proposed alloy materials have been identified for its many favorable characteristics - a wide bandgap (~2.2 eV at 300 K) for room temperature operation, high glass transition temperature (t g ~ 85°C), a high thermal neutron cross-section (for boron ~ 3840 barns, for lithium ~ 940 barns, 1 barn = 10 -24 cm 2 ), low effective atomic number of Se for small gamma ray sensitivity, and high radiation tolerance due to its amorphous structure.

Nitrogen-doped graphene-wrapped iron nanofragments for high-performance oxygen reduction electrocatalysts

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, Jang Yeol [Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Photo-Electronic Hybrid Research Center (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Na Young [Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Fuel Cell Research Center (Korea, Republic of); Shin, Dong Yun [Chungbuk National University, Department of Environmental Engineering (Korea, Republic of); Park, Hee-Young [Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Fuel Cell Research Center (Korea, Republic of); Lee, Sang-Soo [Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Photo-Electronic Hybrid Research Center (Korea, Republic of); Joon Kwon, S. [Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Nanophotonics Research Center (Korea, Republic of); Lim, Dong-Hee [Chungbuk National University, Department of Environmental Engineering (Korea, Republic of); Bong, Ki Wan [Korea University, Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering (Korea, Republic of); Son, Jeong Gon, E-mail: jgson@kist.re.kr [Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Photo-Electronic Hybrid Research Center (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Jin Young, E-mail: jinykim@kist.re.kr [Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Fuel Cell Research Center (Korea, Republic of)

2017-03-15

Transition metals, such as iron (Fe)- or cobalt (Co)-based nanomaterials, are promising electrocatalysts for oxygen reduction reactions (ORR) in fuel cells due to their high theoretical activity and low cost. However, a major challenge to using these metals in place of precious metal catalysts for ORR is their low efficiency and poor stability, thus new concepts and strategies should be needed to address this issue. Here, we report a hybrid aciniform nanostructures of Fe nanofragments embedded in thin nitrogen (N)-doped graphene (Fe@N-G) layers via a heat treatment of graphene oxide-wrapped iron oxide (Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3}) microparticles with melamine. The heat treatment leads to transformation of Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3} microparticles to nanosized zero-valent Fe fragments and formation of core-shell structures of Fe nanofragments and N-doped graphene layers. Thin N-doped graphene layers massively promote electron transfer from the encapsulated metals to the graphene surface, which efficiently optimizes the electronic structure of the graphene surface and thereby triggers ORR activity at the graphene surface. With the synergistic effect arising from the N-doped graphene and Fe nanoparticles with porous aciniform nanostructures, the Fe@N-G hybrid catalyst exhibits high catalytic activity, which was evidenced by high E{sub 1/2} of 0.82 V, onset potential of 0.93 V, and limiting current density of 4.8 mA cm{sup −2} indicating 4-electron ORR, and even exceeds the catalytic stability of the commercial Pt catalyst.

Nitrogen-doped mesoporous carbons for high performance supercapacitors

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Kai; Liu, Qiming

2016-08-01

The mesoporous carbons have been synthesized by using α-D(+)-Glucose, D-Glucosamine hydrochloride or their mixture as carbon precursors and mesoporous silicas (SBA-15 or MCF) as hard templates. The as-prepared products show a large pore volume (0.59-0.97 cm3 g-1), high surface areas (352.72-1152.67 m2 g-1) and rational nitrogen content (ca. 2.5-3.9 wt.%). The results of electrochemical tests demonstrate that both heteroatom doping and suitable pore structure play a decisive role in the performance of supercapacitors. The representative sample of SBA-15 replica obtained using D-Glucosamine hydrochloride only exhibits high specific capacitance (212.8 F g-1 at 0.5 A g-1) and good cycle durability (86.1% of the initial capacitance after 2000 cycles) in 6 M KOH aqueous electrolyte, which is attributed to the contribution of double layer capacitance and pseudo-capacitance. The excellent electrochemical performance makes it a promising electrode material for supercapacitors.

Porous Hierarchical Nitrogen-doped Carbon Coated ZnFe_2O_4 Composites as High Performance Anode Materials for Lithium Ion Batteries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yue, Hongyun; Wang, Qiuxian; Shi, Zhenpu; Ma, Chao; Ding, Yanmin; Huo, Ningning; Zhang, Jun; Yang, Shuting

2015-01-01

Porous hierarchical and nitrogen-doped carbon coated ZnFe_2O_4 (ZnFe_2O_4@NC) was obtained by combustion method and unique carbon coating technology. Gum Arabic was firstly introduced in the carbon coating process as an additive, which played an important role to control the uniformity of carbon coating layer. The nitrogen-doped carbon layer was obtained through the pyrolysis of glycine. The elemental composition and content of the nitrogen-doped carbon in composites were characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) and thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA). The galvanostatic charge/discharge cycling was used to test the electrochemical performance of ZnFe_2O_4@NC and pure ZnFe_2O_4. The sub-micro size ZnFe_2O_4@NC with unique porous structure showed an excellent electrochemical performance as an anode material, which was higher than that of pure ZnFe_2O_4. ZnFe_2O_4@NC could maintain the specific discharge capacity of 1477 mAh g"−"1 at 0.1 A g"−"1 after 100 cycles and 705 mAh g"−"1 at 1 A g"−"1 after 1000 cycles, respectively.

Indirect electrocatalytic degradation of cyanide at nitrogen-doped carbon nanotube electrodes.

Science.gov (United States)

Wiggins-Camacho, Jaclyn D; Stevenson, Keith J

2011-04-15

Nitrogen-doped carbon nanotube (N-CNT) mat electrodes exhibit high catalytic activity toward O(2) reduction, which can be exploited for the remediation of free cyanide (CN(-)). During the electrochemical O(2) reduction process, the hydroperoxide anion (HO(2)(-)) is formed and then reacts to chemically oxidize cyanide (CN(-)) to form cyanate (OCN(-)). The proposed electrochemical-chemical (EC) mechanism for CN(-) remediation at N-CNTs is supported by cyclic voltammetry and bulk electrolysis, and the formation of OCN(-) is confirmed via spectroscopic methods and electrochemical simulations. Our results indicate that by exploiting their catalytic behavior for O(2) reduction, N-CNTs can efficiently convert toxic CN(-) to the nontoxic OCN(-).

Facile Synthesis of Nitrogen Doped Graphene Oxide from Graphite Flakes and Powders: A Comparison of Their Surface Chemistry.

Science.gov (United States)

Yokwana, Kholiswa; Ray, Sekhar C; Khenfouch, Mohammad; Kuvarega, Alex T; Mamba, Bhekie B; Mhlanga, Sabelo D; Nxumalo, Edward N

2018-08-01

Nitrogen-doped graphene oxide (NGO) nanosheets were prepared via a facile one-pot modified Hummer's approach at low temperatures using graphite powder and flakes as starting materials in the presence of a nitrogen precursor. It was found that the morphology, structure, composition and surface chemistry of the NGO nanosheets depended on the nature of the graphite precursor used. GO nanosheets doped with nitrogen atoms exhibited a unique structure with few thin layers and wrinkled sheets, high porosity and structural defects. NGO sheets made from graphite powder (NGOp) exhibited excellent thermal stability and remarkably high surface area (up to 240.53 m2 ·g-1) compared to NGO sheets made from graphite flakes (NGOf) which degraded at low temperatures and had an average surface area of 24.70 m2 ·g-1. NGOf sheets had a size range of 850 to 2200 nm while NGOp sheets demonstrated obviously small sizes (460-1600 nm) even when exposed to different pH conditions. The NGO nanosheets exhibited negatively charged surfaces in a wide pH range (1 to 12) and were found to be stable above pH 6. In addition, graphite flakes were found to be more suitable for the production of NGO as they produced high N-doping levels (0.65 to 1.29 at.%) compared to graphite powders (0.30 to 0.35 at.%). This study further demonstrates that by adjusting the amount of N source in the host GO, one can tailor its thermal stability, surface morphology, surface chemistry and surface area.

Electrodeposited nitrogen-doped graphene/carbon nanotubes nanocomposite as enhancer for simultaneous and sensitive voltammetric determination of caffeine and vanillin

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jiang, Lin; Ding, Yaping, E-mail: wdingyp@sina.com; Jiang, Feng; Li, Li; Mo, Fan

2014-06-23

Graphical abstract: A nanocomposite of nitrogen-doped graphene (NGR) and nitrogen-doped carbon nanotubes (NCNTs) was first modified onto an electrode through electrodeposition method and employed to sensitively detect caffeine and vanillin simultaneously for the first time. - Highlights: • The first electrochemical sensor for caffeine (CAF) and vanillin (VAN). • NGR–NCNTs was modified through electrodeposition for the first time. • The sensor was qualified for real sample determination with satisfactory results. - Abstract: A nitrogen-doped graphene/carbon nanotubes (NGR–NCNTs) nanocomposite was employed into the study of the electrochemical sensor via electrodeposition for the first time. The morphology and structure of NGR–NCNTs nanocomposite were investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), respectively. Meanwhile, the electrochemical performance of the glassy carbon electrode (GCE) modified with electrodeposited NGR–NCNTs (ENGR–NCNTs/GCE) towards caffeine (CAF) and vanillin (VAN) determination was demonstrated by cyclic voltammetry (CV) and square wave voltammetry (SWV). Under optimal condition, ENGR–NCNTs/GCE exhibited a wide linearity of 0.06–50 μM for CAF and 0.01–10 μM for VAN with detection limits of 0.02 μM and 3.3 × 10{sup −3} μM, respectively. Furthermore, the application of the proposed sensor in food products was proven to be practical and reliable. The desirable results show that the ENGR–NCNTs nanocomposite has promising potential in electrocatalytic biosensor application.

Electrodeposited nitrogen-doped graphene/carbon nanotubes nanocomposite as enhancer for simultaneous and sensitive voltammetric determination of caffeine and vanillin

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jiang, Lin; Ding, Yaping; Jiang, Feng; Li, Li; Mo, Fan

2014-01-01

Graphical abstract: A nanocomposite of nitrogen-doped graphene (NGR) and nitrogen-doped carbon nanotubes (NCNTs) was first modified onto an electrode through electrodeposition method and employed to sensitively detect caffeine and vanillin simultaneously for the first time. - Highlights: • The first electrochemical sensor for caffeine (CAF) and vanillin (VAN). • NGR–NCNTs was modified through electrodeposition for the first time. • The sensor was qualified for real sample determination with satisfactory results. - Abstract: A nitrogen-doped graphene/carbon nanotubes (NGR–NCNTs) nanocomposite was employed into the study of the electrochemical sensor via electrodeposition for the first time. The morphology and structure of NGR–NCNTs nanocomposite were investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), respectively. Meanwhile, the electrochemical performance of the glassy carbon electrode (GCE) modified with electrodeposited NGR–NCNTs (ENGR–NCNTs/GCE) towards caffeine (CAF) and vanillin (VAN) determination was demonstrated by cyclic voltammetry (CV) and square wave voltammetry (SWV). Under optimal condition, ENGR–NCNTs/GCE exhibited a wide linearity of 0.06–50 μM for CAF and 0.01–10 μM for VAN with detection limits of 0.02 μM and 3.3 × 10 −3 μM, respectively. Furthermore, the application of the proposed sensor in food products was proven to be practical and reliable. The desirable results show that the ENGR–NCNTs nanocomposite has promising potential in electrocatalytic biosensor application

Nitrogen and phosphorus co-doped graphene quantum dots: synthesis from adenosine triphosphate, optical properties, and cellular imaging.

Science.gov (United States)

Ananthanarayanan, Arundithi; Wang, Yue; Routh, Parimal; Sk, Mahasin Alam; Than, Aung; Lin, Ming; Zhang, Jie; Chen, Jie; Sun, Handong; Chen, Peng

2015-05-07

Graphene quantum dots (GQDs) are emerging zero-dimensional materials promising a wide spectrum of applications, particularly, as superior fluorescent reporters for bio-imaging and optical sensing. Heteroatom doping can endow GQDs with new or improved photoluminescence properties. Here, we demonstrate a simple strategy for the synthesis of nitrogen and phosphorus co-doped GQDs from a single biomolecule precursor (adenosine triphosphate - ATP). Such ATP-GQDs exhibit high fluorescence quantum yield, strong two-photon upconversion, small molecular weight, high photostability, and good biocompatibility. Furthermore, transferrin conjugated ATP-GQDs have been used for imaging and real-time tracking of transferrin receptors in live cells.

Toward electron exit wave tomography of amorphous materials at atomic resolution

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Borisenko, Konstantin B., E-mail: konstantin.borisenko@materials.ox.ac.uk [Department of Materials, University of Oxford, Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3PH (United Kingdom); Moldovan, Grigore [Department of Materials, University of Oxford, Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3PH (United Kingdom); Kirkland, Angus I., E-mail: angus.kirkland@materials.ox.ac.uk [Department of Materials, University of Oxford, Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3PH (United Kingdom); Van Dyck, Dirk [Department of Physics, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, 2020 Antwerp (Belgium); Tang, Hsin-Yu; Chen, Fu-Rong [Department of Engineering and System Science, National Tsing Hua University, Kuang-Fu Road, 300 Hsinchu, Taiwan (China)

2012-09-25

Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer We suggest a novel electron exit wave tomography approach to obtain three dimensional atomic structures of amorphous materials. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Theoretical tests using a model of amorphous Si doped with Au show that it is feasible to reconstruct both Si and Au atoms positions. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Reconstructions of the strongly scattering Au atoms positions appear to be insensitive to typical experimental errors. - Abstract: We suggest to use electron exit wave phase for tomographic reconstruction of structure of Au-doped amorphous Si with atomic resolution. In the present theoretical investigation into the approach it is found that the number of projections and the accuracy of defocus in the focal series restoration are the main factors that contribute to the final resolution. Although resolution is ultimately limited by these factors, phase shifts in the exit wave are sufficient to identify the position of Au atoms in an amorphous Si needle model, even when only 19 projections with defocus error of 4 nm are used. Electron beam damage will probably further limit the resolution of such tomographic reconstructions, however beam damage can be mitigated using lower accelerating voltages.

Methods of quantum chemistry and nanotechnology as applied to the study of the energy states of amorphous tetrahedral structures

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

B. A. Golodenko

2013-01-01

Full Text Available The technique and results of an experimental research of power conditions of amorphous alloy hydrogenated carbide silicon is described. Application of power spectra of a silicon valence zone for definition phase structure of its amorphous hydrogenated carbide is shown. Quantitative dependence of a share carbide phases of silicon in structure of its alloy from the maintenance of methane in an initial gas mix is established.

Study of amorphous semiconductors doped with rare earths (Gd and Er) and conducting polymers by EPR techniques and magnetic susceptibility

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sercheli, Mauricio da Silva

1999-01-01

This thesis involves the study of amorphous semiconductors and conducting polymers, which have been characterized by EPR and magnetic susceptibility measurements, and to a lesser extent by Raman spectroscopy and RBS. The semiconductors were studied using thin films of silicon doped with rare earth metals, e.g. erbium and gadolinium, which had their magnetic properties studied. Using these studies we could determine the state of valence of the rare earths as well as their concentrations in the silicon matrix. According to our results, the valence of the rare earth metal ions is 3+, and we were able to conclude that 4f electronic shells could not be used for the calculation of the conducting band in this system. Furthermore, the analysis of the data on the magnetic susceptibility of the Er 3+ ion with cubic crystalline acting field, gave us the opportunity to estimate the overall splitting of their electronic states for the first time. The conducting polymers were studied using samples of poly(3-methylthiophene) doped with ClO 4 - , which show a phase transition in the range of 230 K to 130 K. The electron paramagnetic resonance also gives important information on the crystallization, doping level and the presence of polarons or bipolarons in conducting polymers. (author)

Nitrogen-Doped Holey Graphene Film-Based Ultrafast Electrochemical Capacitors.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, Qinqin; Zhang, Miao; Chen, Ji; Hong, Jong-Dal; Shi, Gaoquan

2016-08-17

The commercialized aluminum electrolytic capacitors (AECs) currently used for alternating current (AC) line-filtering are usually the largest components in the electronic circuits because of their low specific capacitances and bulky sizes. Herein, nitrogen-doped holey graphene (NHG) films were prepared by thermal annealing the composite films of polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP), graphene oxide (GO), and ferric oxide (Fe2O3) nanorods followed by chemical etching with hydrochloride acid. The typical electrochemical capacitor with NHG electrodes exhibited high areal and volumetric specific capacitances of 478 μF cm(-2) and 1.2 F cm(-3) at 120 Hz, ultrafast frequency response with a phase angle of -81.2° and a resistor-capacitor time constant of 203 μs at 120 Hz, as well as excellent cycling stability. Thus, it is promising to replace conventional AEC for AC line-filtering in miniaturized electronics.

Fabrication of Nitrogen-Doped Hollow Mesoporous Spherical Carbon Capsules for Supercapacitors.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Aibing; Xia, Kechan; Zhang, Linsong; Yu, Yifeng; Li, Yuetong; Sun, Hexu; Wang, Yuying; Li, Yunqian; Li, Shuhui

2016-09-06

A novel "dissolution-capture" method for the fabrication of nitrogen-doped hollow mesoporous spherical carbon capsules (N-HMSCCs) with high capability for supercapacitor is developed. The fabrication process is performed by depositing mesoporous silica on the surface of the polyacrylonitrile nanospheres, followed by a dissolution-capture process occurring in the polyacrylonitrile core and silica shell. The polyacrylonitrile core is dissolved by dimethylformamide treatment to form a hollow cavity. Then, the polyacrylonitrile is captured into the mesochannel of silica. After carbonization and etching of silica, N-HMSCCs with uniform mesopore size are produced. The N-HMSCCs show a high specific capacitance of 206.0 F g(-1) at a current density of 1 A g(-1) in 6.0 M KOH due to its unique hollow nanostructure, high surface area, and nitrogen content. In addition, 92.3% of the capacitance of N-HMSCCs still remains after 3000 cycles at 5 A g(-1). The "dissolution-capture" method should give a useful enlightenment for the design of electrode materials for supercapacitor.