One - Step Green Synthesis of V2O5 and VO2 Using Extract of Orange Peel: Effect of Calcination Atmosphere

In this work two vanadium oxides (V2O5 and VO2) were prepared by green synthesis method using ammonium vanadate (NH4VO3) and extract of orange peel. V2O5 and VO2 have various applications in lithium-ion battery, sensors, transistors, photo catalysis, supercapacitors and electrochromic devices. The effect of calcination atmosphere is obvious as calcination the precursor of (NH4VO3) and extract of orange peel in air at 450? yielded V2O5 while calcination in vacuum at the same temperature gave the reduced form VO2 as estimated by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD). These two different phases of vanadium oxides have different morphologies. Investigation by transmission electron microscope revealed that V2O5 oxide which synthesized in air at 450? showed big particles with laminar shape. The particles look arranged layer over layer with sizes exceed 200 nm. While images of VO2 prepared in vacuum at the same temperature showed different shape and size for their particles. The neutral atmosphere provided by vacuum not only gives reduced form of vanadium oxide (VO2) but also minimizes and changes their particles size and shape, respectively. Unidentified shape of nano sized particles were observed for this reduced oxide. These particles have sizes less than 100 nm and much lower than those observed for V2O5 particles.

Fabrication of Single-Phase Manganese Oxide Films by Metal-Organic Decomposition

Here, single-phase Mn2O3 and Mn3O4 films are successfully fabricated by a facile solution process based on metal-organic decomposition (MOD), for the first time. A formulated manganese 2-ethylhexanoate solution was used as an MOD precursor for the preparation of manganese oxide films. The difference in thermal decomposition behavior of precursor solution in air and inert atmospheres was observed, indicating that the calcination atmosphere is the main factor for controlling the valence of manganese oxide films. Significantly, the solution-coated films on substrates are found to be transformed into single-phase Mn2O3 and Mn3O4 films when they are calcinated under air and inert atmosphere, respectively. The film crystallinity was improved with increasing calcination temperature for both Mn2O3 and Mn3O4 films. In particular, it is noted that the grains of Mn2O3 film were somewhat linearly grown in air, while those of Mn3O4 film exhibited the drastic growth in Ar with an increase of calcination temperature.

Effect of calcination atmosphere on structural, optical and photocatalytic activity of TiO2/SnS2 core-shell nanostructures in the reduction of aqueous Cr(VI) to Cr(III)

Conversion of Cr(VI) to Cr(III) in mitigating pollution of water bodies is of significant importance to public health due to the fact that Cr(VI) is known to be a potent carcinogen, while Cr(III) is relatively low in toxicity. Photocatalytic approaches are considered as important means to achieve this reduction. Here, TiO2/SnS2 core-shell nanostructures have been produced using a single-step hydrothermal method and its photocatalytic activity is tested for the reduction of aqueous Cr(VI). The structural and optical properties of the as-synthesized products are characterized by XRD, HRTEM, Raman, FTIR, XPS and DRS techniques. The present work reveals that by calcining the core-shell nanoparticles in Ar atmosphere a defective Ti3O5 phase is formed as the core with low band gap, and hence, offers improved light absorption in the visible range. However, its photoactivity was found to be lower than that of the core-shell nanoparticles annealed in oxidizing atmosphere. The observed lower photoreduction was due to the presence of midgap states which acted as recombination centres and hence, reduced the photocatalytic activity.

Ag-Modified LiMn2O4 Cathode for Lithium-Ion Batteries: Coating Functionalization

In this work, the properties of silver-modified LiMn2O4 cathode materials are revisited. We study the influence of calcination atmosphere on the properties of the Ag-coated LiMn2O4 (Ag/LMO) and highlight the silver oxidation. The effect of the heat treatment in vacuum is compared with that in air by the characterization of the structure, specific surface area, Li transport properties and electrochemical performance of Ag/LMO composites. Surface analyses (XPS and Raman spectroscopy) show that the nature of the coating (~3 wt.%) differs with the calcination atmosphere: Ag/LMO(v) calcined in vacuum displays Ag nanospheres and minor AgO content on its surface (specific surface area of 4.1 m2 g−1), while Ag/LMO(a) treated in air is mainly covered by the AgO insulating phase (specific surface area of 0.6 m2 g−1). Electrochemical experiments emphasize that ~3 wt.% Ag coating is effective to minimize the drawbacks of the spinel LiMn2O4 (Mn dissolution, cycling instability, etc.). The Ag/LMO(v) electrode shows high capacity retention, good cyclability at C/2 rate and capacity fade of 0.06% per cycle (in 60 cycles).

Regeneration of Pt-Sn/Al2O3 Catalyst for Hydrogen Production through Propane Dehydrogenation Using Hydrochloric Acid

Compared with dehydrogenation in conventional petroleum refinery processes, relatively pure hydrogen can be produced by propane dehydrogenation (PDH) without innate contaminants like sulfur and metals. Among the existing catalysts for PDH, Pt catalysts are popular and are often used in conjunction with Sn as a co-catalyst. Coke formation is a major concern in PDH, where catalyst regeneration is typically achieved by periodic coke burning to achieve sustainable operation. In this study, Pt-Sn/Al2O3 catalysts were regenerated after coke burning in three stages: mixing the catalyst with liquid hydrochloric acid, drying, and calcining under air atmosphere. In this process, the optimum concentration of hydrochloric acid was found to be 35% w/w. HCl treatment was effective for enhancing redispersion of the metal catalysts and aiding the formation of the Pt3Sn alloy, which is considered to be effective for PDH reaction. HCl treatment may provide oxychlorination-like conditions under the calcination atmosphere. The characteristics of the catalysts were examined by X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), temperature-programmed reduction (TPR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and CO chemisorption.