Jiaqian Qin

Effect of aspect ratio and surface defects on the photocatalytic activity of ZnO nanorods

ZnO, aside from TiO2, has been considered as a promising material for purification and disinfection of water and air, and remediation of hazardous waste, owing to its high activity, environment-friendly feature and lower cost. However, their poor visible light utilization greatly limited their practical applications. Herein, we demonstrate the fabrication of different aspect ratios of the ZnO nanorods with surface defects by mechanical-assisted thermal decomposition method. The experiments revealed that ZnO nanorods with higher aspect ratio and surface defects show significantly higher photocatalytic performances.

Ce3+-ion-induced visible-light photocatalytic degradation and electrochemical activity of ZnO/CeO2 nanocomposite

In this study, pure ZnO, CeO2 and ZnO/CeO2 nanocomposites were synthesized using a thermal decomposition method and subsequently characterized using different standard techniques. High-resolution X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurements confirmed the oxidation states and presence of Zn2+, Ce4+, Ce3+ and different bonded oxygen species in the nanocomposites. The prepared pure ZnO and CeO2 as well as the ZnO/CeO2 nanocomposites with various proportions of ZnO and CeO2 were tested for photocatalytic degradation of methyl orange, methylene blue and phenol under visible-light irradiation. The optimized and highly efficient ZnO/CeO2 (90:10) nanocomposite exhibited enhanced photocatalytic degradation performance for the degradation of methyl orange, methylene blue, and phenol as well as industrial textile effluent compared to ZnO, CeO2 and the other investigated nanocomposites. Moreover, the recycling results demonstrate that the ZnO/CeO2 (90:10) nanocomposite exhibited good stability and long-term durability. Furthermore, the prepared ZnO/CeO2 nanocomposites were used for the electrochemical detection of uric acid and ascorbic acid. The ZnO/CeO2 (90:10) nanocomposite also demonstrated the best detection, sensitivity and performance among the investigated materials in this application. These findings suggest that the synthesized ZnO/CeO2 (90:10) nanocomposite could be effectively used in various applications.

First principle study of elastic and thermodynamic properties of FeB4 under high pressure

The elastic properties, elastic anisotropy, and thermodynamic properties of the lately synthesized orthorhombic FeB4 at high pressures are investigated using first-principles density functional calculations. The calculated equilibrium parameters are in good agreement with the available experimental and theoretical data. The obtained normalized volume dependence of high pressure is consistent with the previous experimental data investigated using high-pressure synchrotron x-ray diffraction. The complete elastic tensors and crystal anisotropies of the FeB4 are also determined in the pressure range of 0–100 GPa. By the elastic stability criteria and vibrational frequencies, it is predicted that the orthorhombic FeB4 is stable up to 100 GPa. In addition, the calculated B/G ratio reveals that FeB4 possesses brittle nature in the range of pressure from 0 to 100 GPa. The calculated elastic anisotropic factors suggest that FeB4 is elastically anisotropic. By using quasi-harmonic Debye model, the compressibility, bulk modulus, the coefficient of thermal expansion, the heat capacity, and the Gruneisen parameter of FeB4 are successfully obtained in the present work.

Low-compressibility of tungsten tetraboride: a high pressure X-ray diffraction study

Diamond anvil cell synchrotron X-ray diffraction (XRD) experiments have been carried out on submicron-sized tungsten tetraboride (WB4) at room temperature up to 50.8 GPa with a silicone oil pressure medium. The crystal structure of WB4 remains unchanged up to the highest pressure. The isothermal bulk modulus K 0 and its pressure derivative, , have been determined from the present compression by fitting the third-order Birch–Murnaghan equation of state: K 0=325±9 GPa and . The high value of the bulk modulus shows that WB4 has high stiffness and/or low-compressibility. Moreover, we also found that the compression behavior of the unit cell axes (a- and c-axes) of WB4 demonstrates an anisotropic nature of compressibility.

Phase relations in boron at pressures up to 18 GPa and temperatures up to 2200 ∘ C

The phase relations in boron have been investigated at high pressure and high temperature using a multianvil apparatus, and the quenched sample has been analyzed by x-ray diffraction, Raman spectra, and transmission electron microscopy. We demonstrate that

Ultrahigh-pressure densification of nanocrystalline WB ceramics

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Compressibility and strength of nanocrystalline tungsten boride under compression to 60 GPa

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First principle study of elastic and thermodynamic properties of ZrZn2 and HfZn2 under high pressure

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Co-electrodeposition of hard Ni-W/diamond nanocomposite coatings.

can be synthesized over a wide pressure and temperature range, and

Disorder-activated Raman spectra of cubic rocksalt-type Li(1−x)/2Ga(1−x)/2MxO (M = Mg, Zn) alloys

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