Xiaotang Liu

A simple additive-free approach for the synthesis of uniform manganese monoxide nanorods with large specific surface area.

A simple additive-free approach is developed to synthesize uniform manganese monoxide (MnO) one-dimensional nanorods, in which only manganese acetate and ethanol were used as reactants. The as-synthesized MnO nanorods were characterized in detail by X-ray diffraction, scanning and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) including high-resolution TEM and selected-area electron diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectrum, and nitrogen adsorption isotherm measurements. The results indicate that the as-synthesized MnO nanorods present a mesoporous characteristic with large specific surface area (153 m2 g−1), indicating promising applications in catalysis, energy storage, and biomedical image. On the basis of experimental results, the formation mechanism of MnO one-dimensional nanorods in the absence of polymer additives was also discussed.

The Application of Phosphor in Agricultural Field

The applications of phosphor in agricultural field mainly include light conversion film (LCF) to cover greenhouse and LED plant lamp (LED-pl). For light conversion agent (LCA), phosphors are obviously indispensable for the devices and therefore influence their eventual performances such as light conversion efficiency and life of devices. For LCA, the phosphors should be able to be excited by the lights with wavelengths from 290 to 350 nm and/or from 510 to 580 nm and emit 400- to 480-nm blue light and 600- to 680-nm red light at the same time. This can match with the absorption peak of chlorophyll photosynthesis and therefore increase the overall efficiency of the plant photosynthesis and then increase yield and quality of crops. In this chapter, mechanisms and typical phosphors are reviewed, and some examples of practical application in vegetable and tea cultivation are exhibited. At the end, future challenges to research and development of these phosphors are discussed.

SYNTHESIS AND FORMATION MECHANISM OF STRAIGHT CARBON MICROTUBES BY A SIMPLE IN SITU TEMPLATE APPROACH

Here we report a simple in situ template approach for the synthesis of uniformly-shaped straight carbon microtubes (SCMTs) under moderate conditions, in which zinc carbonate powder and glycol were used as starting materials. The morphology and microstructure of SCMTs were characterized by SEM, TEM, HRTEM, XRD and Raman spectrum. The length and diameter of SCMTs can be controlled by simply varying the concentration of zinc carbonate in glycol. Experimental results show that ZnO nanorods generated during the process act as an in situ template for SCMT formation. Owing to their large inner spacing, SCMTs may have potential applications in supporter materials for drugs, dyes, and catalysts, microreactors, and hydrogen or energy storage materials.