scholarly journals Lead-Free BNT–BT0.08/CoFe2O4 Core–Shell Nanostructures with Potential Multifunctional Applications

Nanomaterials ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 672
Author(s):  
Marin Cernea ◽  
Roxana Radu ◽  
Harvey Amorín ◽  
Simona Gabriela Greculeasa ◽  
Bogdan Stefan Vasile ◽  
...  

Herein we report on novel multiferroic core–shell nanostructures of cobalt ferrite (CoFe2O4)–bismuth, sodium titanate doped with barium titanate (BNT–BT0.08), prepared by a two–step wet chemical procedure, using the sol–gel technique. The fraction of CoFe2O4 was varied from 1:0.5 to 1:1.5 = BNT–BT0.08/CoFe2O4 (molar ratio). X–ray diffraction confirmed the presence of both the spinel CoFe2O4 and the perovskite Bi0.5Na0.5TiO3 phases. Scanning electron microscopy analysis indicated that the diameter of the core–shell nanoparticles was between 15 and 40 nm. Transmission electron microscopy data showed two–phase composite nanostructures consisting of a BNT–BT0.08 core surrounded by a CoFe2O4 shell with an average thickness of 4–7 nm. Cole-Cole plots reveal the presence of grains and grain boundary effects in the BNT–BT0.08/CoFe2O4 composite. Moreover, the values of the dc conductivity were found to increase with the amount of CoFe2O4 semiconductive phase. Both X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Mössbauer measurements have shown no change in the valence of the Fe3+, Co2+, Bi3+ and Ti4+ cations. This study provides a detailed insight into the magnetoelectric coupling of the multiferroic BNT–BT0.08/CoFe2O4 core–shell composite potentially suitable for magnetoelectric applications.

Separations ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 25
Author(s):  
Chukwuka Bethel Anucha ◽  
Ilknur Altin ◽  
Emin Bacaksız ◽  
Tayfur Kucukomeroglu ◽  
Masho Hilawie Belay ◽  
...  

Abatement of contaminants of emerging concerns (CECs) in water sources has been widely studied employing TiO2 based heterogeneous photocatalysis. However, low quantum energy yield among other limitations of titania has led to its modification with other semiconductor materials for improved photocatalytic activity. In this work, a 0.05 wt.% CuWO4 over TiO2 was prepared as a powder composite. Each component part synthesized via the sol-gel method for TiO2, and CuWO4 by co-precipitation assisted hydrothermal method from precursor salts, underwent gentle mechanical agitation. Homogenization of the nanopowder precursors was performed by zirconia ball milling for 2 h. The final material was obtained after annealing at 500 °C for 3.5 h. Structural and morphological characterization of the synthesized material has been achieved employing X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infra-red (FTIR) spectroscopy, Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) N2 adsorption–desorption analysis, Scanning electron microscopy-coupled Energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDS), Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and UV-Vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (UV-vis DRS) for optical characterization. The 0.05 wt.% CuWO4-TiO2 catalyst was investigated for its photocatalytic activity over carbamazepine (CBZ), achieving a degradation of almost 100% after 2 h irradiation. A comparison with pure TiO2 prepared under those same conditions was made. The effect of pH, chemical scavengers, H2O2 as well as contaminant ion effects (anions, cations), and humic acid (HA) was investigated, and their related influences on the photocatalyst efficiency towards CBZ degradation highlighted accordingly.


Water ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (12) ◽  
pp. 3583
Author(s):  
Junying Yang ◽  
Minye Huang ◽  
Shengsen Wang ◽  
Xiaoyun Mao ◽  
Yueming Hu ◽  
...  

In this study, a magnetic copper ferrite/montmorillonite-k10 nanocomposite (CuFe2O4/MMT-k10) was successfully fabricated by a simple sol-gel combustion method and was characterised by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), the Brunner–Emmett–Teller (BET) method, vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). For levofloxacin (LVF) degradation, CuFe2O4/MMT-k10 was utilized to activate persulfate (PS). Due to the relative high adsorption capacity of CuFe2O4/MMT-k10, the adsorption feature was considered an enhancement of LVF degradation. In addition, the response surface methodology (RSM) model was established with the parameters of pH, temperature, PS dosage, and CuFe2O4/MMT-k10 dosage as the independent variables to obtain the optimal response for LVF degradation. In cycle experiments, we identified the good stability and reusability of CuFe2O4/MMT-k10. We proposed a potential mechanism of CuFe2O4/MMT-k10 activating PS through free radical quenching tests and XPS analysis. These results reveal that CuFe2O4/MMT-k10 nanocomposite could activate the persulfate, which is an efficient technique for LVF degradation in water.


2010 ◽  
Vol 152-153 ◽  
pp. 81-85
Author(s):  
Xiong Wang ◽  
Yin Lin ◽  
Jin Guo Jiang

The homogeneous multiferroic BiFeO3 nanoparticles with average particle size of 85 nm have been successfully synthesized by a simple sol-gel route. The prepared sample was characterized by a variety of techniques, such as X-ray diffractometry, thermogravimetric analysis and differential thermal analysis, differential scanning calorimeter analysis, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The obtained results shows that rapid sintering and subsequently quenching to room temperature are the two vital important factors for the preparation of pure BiFeO3. The magnetic phase transition (TN = 369 °C) and the ferroelectric phase transition (TC = 824.5 °C) were determined, revealing the antiferromagnetic and ferroelectric nature of the as-prepared BiFeO3 nanoparticles. The optical properties of the nanopowders were investigated. The strong band-gap absorption at 486 nm (2.55 eV) of the BiFeO3 nanoparticles may bring some novel applications.


2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (23) ◽  
pp. 8529
Author(s):  
Junyi Wang ◽  
Tianlu Chen ◽  
Biao Xu ◽  
Yueqiu Chen

Porous rGO/SiO2 nanocomposites with a “core-shell” structure were prepared as an efficient adsorbent for the liquid-phase adsorption of cationic neutral red (NR) dye. The samples were characterized with powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), thermogravimetric analysis (TG), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Raman spectroscopy, and N2 and water vapor adsorption/desorption methods. The NR removal ability and kinetics of the adsorption process of SiO2 and the rGO/SiO2 nanocomposites were investigated at 298 K. The rGO/SiO2 nanocomposite SG 0.30 showed a superior adsorption of NR dye. In regard to NR at pH 5, we measured a superior adsorption capacity of 66.635 mg/g at an initial NR concentration of 50 mg/L. The experimental adsorption capacity of SG 0.30 was 3.791 times higher than that of SiO2. Then, we compared the results with similar materials used for NR removal. Moreover, the water adsorption sites provided by the nitrogen- and oxygen-containing groups might be one of the reasons for the increased adsorption of water vapor. The broad range of properties of the rGO/SiO2 nanocomposite, including its simple synthesis, ability to be mass prepared, and strong adsorption properties, makes it a truly novel adsorbent that can be industrially produced, and shows potential application in the treatment of wastewater-containing dyes.


Materials ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (11) ◽  
pp. 2209 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jing Liu ◽  
Xiao-Min Li ◽  
Jing He ◽  
Lu-Ying Wang ◽  
Jian-Du Lei

A core-shell Cu-benzene-1,3,5-tricarboxylic acid (Cu-BTC)@TiO2 was successfully synthesized for photocatalysis-assisted adsorptive desulfurization to improve adsorptive desulfurization (ADS) performance. Under ultraviolet (UV) light irradiation, the TiO2 shell on the surface of Cu-BTC achieved photocatalytic oxidation of thiophenic S-compounds, and the Cu-BTC core adsorbed the oxidation products (sulfoxides and sulfones). The photocatalyst and adsorbent were combined using a distinct core-shell structure. The morphology and structure of the fabricated Cu-BTC@TiO2 microspheres were verified by scanning electron microscopy, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy, X-ray powder diffraction, nitrogen adsorption-desorption and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analyses. A potential formation mechanism of Cu-BTC@TiO2 is proposed based on complementary experiments. The sulfur removal efficiency of the microspheres was evaluated by selective adsorption of benzothiophene (BT) and dibenzothiophene (DBT) from a model fuel with a sulfur concentration of 1000 ppmw. Within a reaction time of 20 min, the BT and DBT conversion reached 86% and 95%, respectively, and achieved ADS capacities of 63.76 and 59.39 mg/g, respectively. The BT conversion and DBT conversion obtained using Cu-BTC@TiO2 was 6.5 and 4.6 times higher, respectively, than that obtained using Cu-BTC. A desulfurization mechanism was proposed, the interaction between thiophenic sulfur compounds and Cu-BTC@TiO2 microspheres was discussed, and the kinetic behavior was analyzed.


2019 ◽  
Vol 79 (7) ◽  
pp. 1276-1286 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tijani Hammedi ◽  
Mohamed Triki ◽  
Mayra G. Alvarez ◽  
Jordi Llorca ◽  
Abdelhamid Ghorbel ◽  
...  

Abstract This paper is built on the Fenton-like oxidation of p-hydroxybenzoic acid (p–HBZ) in the presence of H2O2 and 3%Fe supported on CeO2-TiO2 aerogels under mild conditions. These catalysts were deeply characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), hydrogen temperature programmed reduction (H2-TPR), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The effect of thermal treatment, pH (2–3, 5, 7), H2O2/p–HBZ molar ratio (5, 15, 20, 25) and reaction temperature (25 °C, 40 °C and 60 °C) on the catalytic properties of supported Fe catalysts are studied. Our results highlight the role of CeO2 and the calcination of the catalyst to obtain the highest catalytic properties after 10 min: 73% of p–HBZ conversion and 52% of total organic carbon (TOC) abatement.


NANO ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 09 (03) ◽  
pp. 1450028
Author(s):  
QING ZHANG

Core/shell microspheres with functional Mn -doped ZnS microspheres ( ZnS : Mn ) as core and with nanosilica particles as shell were prepared by a combination of sol–gel and self-templating techniques. The characteristic of this novel method was that the whole process required neither additional surfactant nor stabilizer, which exempted from removing the template and reduced reaction steps compared to the conventional process. The morphologies, structure and particle size distribution of the resulting ZnS : Mn / SiO 2 microspheres were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and dynamic light scattering (DLS), respectively. Surface chemical composition and optical properties were determined with X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy, respectively. In addition, the effects of reaction conditions on the structure and morphologies were investigated. Experimental results indicated that the resulting ZnS : Mn / SiO 2 microspheres were perfectly spherical with distinct core/shell structures, and exhibited stronger fluorescence emission.


2007 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 350-355 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shishou Kang ◽  
Shifan Shi ◽  
G. X. Miao ◽  
Zhiyong Jia ◽  
David E. Nikles ◽  
...  

Chemically synthesized FePt nanoparticles were coated with nonmagnetic SiO2 and MnO shells by sol–gel and polyol processes. TEM images show that the FePt/SiO2 nanoparticles exhibit a thick spherical shell. The size and morphology of the MnO shell can be controlled by changing the reaction temperature, the molar ratio of surfactants/Mn(acac)2, and/or the concentration of precursor. The morphology of the MnO shell can be either spherical-like or cubic-like, depending on whether the molar ratio of surfactants/Mn(acac)2 is less than or larger than 2. From XRD measurements, the spherical core/shell nanoparticles exhibit 3D random crystallographic orientation, while the cubic core/shell nanoparticles prefer (200) texture. The magnetic moment of FePt particles can be enhanced by coating with SiO2 and MnO shells. Furthermore, the agglomeration of FePt particles upon the thermal annealing can be significantly inhibited with SiO2 and MnO shells.


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