X.H. Huang

ZnWO4/Ag3PO4 composites with an enhanced photocatalytic activity and stability under visible light

A simple and renewable approach to synthesize ZnWO4/Ag3PO4 composites has been explored for the enhancement of the photocatalytic activity and stability of Ag3PO4. The XRD, SEM and TEM spectra show that the ZnWO4 particles are deposited on the Ag3PO4 substrate. The photocatalytic experiments demonstrate that the 4% ZnWO4/Ag3PO4 composite exhibits a high photocatalytic activity, which is higher than that of pure Ag3PO4. The photoluminescence measurements suggest a more efficient photoinduced charge separation and transfer in the ZnWO4/Ag3PO4 composite. The photocatalytic mechanism of the ZnWO4/Ag3PO4 composite is discussed according to its band structure. The constructed ZnWO4/Ag3PO4 composite exhibited a promising and desirable photocatalytic activity, as well as a good stability under visible light, and thus may find potential applications in environmental decontamination and conversion of solar energy.

Improving the Electrochemical Performance of LiFePO 4 /C Cathode by Selection of Carbon Source

LiFePO4/C composite was synthesized by an easy sol-gel method using FeC2O4•H2O as iron source, citric acid and ethylene glycol as carbon source. The results showed that citric acid was inclined to leave more carbon in the synthesized material than ethylene glycol was and the carbon content increased greatly with the increasing amount of citric acid. When ethylene glycol was applied as carbon source, it left only a few amount of carbon (1.6 wt%) in the material. By optimizing the addition of carbon source, LiFePO4/C particles with uniform carbon coating and a little carbon content was obtained. The LiFePO4/C composite synthesized with 1/1 ratio of ethylene glycol to cations demonstrated the best electrochemical performance with its capacity of 143 mAh/g at 0.1C and 110 mAh/g at 1C within the voltage range of 2.5-4.2V (vs. Li/Li+). The results will provide ideas for the improvement of overall properties of LiFePO4 material for its application in the field of electric vehicles.