Zhanying Zhang

Homogeneous precipitation method preparation of modified red mud supported Ni mesoporous catalysts for ammonia decomposition

Red mud modified by an acid digestion and alkali reprecipitation approach was employed as support for the preparation of Ni/MRM catalysts using the homogeneous precipitation method. The textural and structural properties of the as-received red mud (RM), the modified red mud (MRM) and the as-prepared Ni/MRM catalysts were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence (EDXRF), thermogravimetry-differential scanning calorimetry analysis (TG-DSC), Fourier transform infrared spectra (FT-IR), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) combined with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) and N2 sorption techniques. The analysis results revealed a mesoporous nanocatalyst system with high surface area and uniform pore-size distribution. The results of the catalytic activity measurements showed that these mesoporous nanostructured Ni/MRM catalysts were very active for ammonia decomposition. The catalyst with 15% Ni loading and calcined at 600 °C exhibited the highest catalytic activity. Due to its unique properties and the feature of resource utilization of industrial solid waste, MRM holds great promise for developing catalysts and catalyst supports for applications in various catalytic reactions including catalytic ammonia decomposition.

Synthesis of g-C3N4 nanosheet modified SnO2 composites with improved performance for ethanol gas sensing

The composites of SnO2 have attracted much interest in the last few years due to their excellent sensing properties. A series of composites were prepared with two-dimensional (2D) g-C3N4 nanosheet modified SnO2 by a simple hydrothermal method in this work. The as-prepared composites were characterized by the techniques of powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric analysis (TG), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), N2 sorption and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The gas sensing measurement results indicated that the sensor based on g-C3N4/SnO2 composite showed high sensitivity and excellent selectivity for detection of ethanol vapor. At 500 ppm of ethanol vapor, the response value (Ra/Rg) of 5 wt% 2D g-C3N4 modified SnO2 was 240 at 300 °C. Therefore, the g-C3N4/SnO2 composites have a great potential ethanol gas sensing application.

Calcination Method Synthesis of SnO2/g-C3N4 Composites for a High-Performance Ethanol Gas Sensing Application

The SnO2/g-C3N4 composites were synthesized via a facile calcination method by using SnCl4·5H2O and urea as the precursor. The structure and morphology of the as-synthesized composites were characterized by the techniques of X-ray diffraction (XRD), the field-emission scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy (SEM and TEM), energy dispersive spectrometry (EDS), thermal gravity and differential thermal analysis (TG-DTA), and N2-sorption. The analysis results indicated that the as-synthesized samples possess the two dimensional structure. Additionally, the SnO2 nanoparticles were highly dispersed on the surface of the g-C3N4nanosheets. The gas-sensing performance of the as-synthesized composites for different gases was tested. Moreover, the composite with 7 wt % g-C3N4 content (SnO2/g-C3N4-7) SnO2/g-C3N4-7 exhibits an admirable gas-sensing property to ethanol, which possesses a higher response and better selectivity than that of the pure SnO2-based sensor. The high surface area of the SnO2/g-C3N4 composite and the good electronic characteristics of the two dimensional graphitic carbon nitride are in favor of the elevated gas-sensing property.

Synthesis, characterization, and gas-sensing properties of monodispersed SnO2 nanocubes

Monodispersed single-crystalline SnO2 nanocubes with exposed a large percentage of high-energy surfaces have been synthesized by a simple solvothermal process at low temperature without any templates and catalysts. The as-prepared samples have been characterized by X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy. Many outstanding characters of the final products have been shown, such as uniform particle size, high purity, and monodispersity. In property, superior gas-sensing properties such as high response, rapid response-recovery time, and good selectivity have also been shown to ethanol at an optimal working temperature of as low as 280 °C. It indicates that the as-prepared SnO2 nanocubes are promising for gas sensors.

Carbon Nitride Decorated Ball-Flower like Co3O4 Hybrid Composite: Hydrothermal Synthesis and Ethanol Gas Sensing Application

Recently, semiconducting metal oxide (SMO) gas sensors have attracted the attention of researchers for high conductivity, labile features by environment, low cost, easy preparation, etc. However, traditional SMOs have some defects such as higher operating temperature and lower response value, which greatly limit their application in the field of gas sensor. In this work, the carbon nitride decorated ball-flower like Co3O4 composite was successfully synthesized via a facile hydrothermal method, the composition and morphology of the as-synthesized samples were studied by the techniques of X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), Field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier transform infrared spectrometer (FT-IR) and N2-sorption. As a consequence, the pure Co3O4 and the carbon nitride decorated Co3O4 both possess ball-flower like structure, and the as-synthesized carbon nitride decorated Co3O4 composite exhibits significant sensing properties to ethanol which is 1.6 times higher than that of pure Co3O4, furthermore, the composite possesses high selectivity and stability towards ethanol detection.

High open circuit voltages of solar cells based on quantum dot and dye hybrid-sensitization

A type of solar cell based on quantum dot (QD) and dye hybrid-sensitized mesoporous TiO2 film electrode was designed and reported. The electrode was consisted of a TiO2 nanoparticle (NP) thin film layer sensitized with CdS quantum dot (QD) and an amorphous TiO2 coated TiO2 NP thin film layer that sensitized with C106 dye. The amorphous TiO2 layer was obtained by TiCl4 post-treatment to improve the properties of solar cells. Research showed that the solar cells fabricated with as-prepared hybrid-sensitized electrode exhibited excellent photovoltaic performances and a fairly high open circuit voltage of 796 mV was achieved.

Synthesis and Characterization of Hierarchical Porous -FeOOH for the Adsorption and Photodegradation of Rhodamine B

Hierarchical porous α-FeOOH nanoparticles were controlled and prepared via a facile polystyrene (PS) microspheres-templated method. The α-Fe2O3 was obtained by the calcination of the as-prepared α-FeOOH. The resulting nanoparticles were characterized by X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and N2-sorption techniques. The adsorption and photodegradation of Rhodamine B performance were evaluated under UV light at room temperature. The results indicated that the photocatalytic activity of the α-FeOOH nanoparticles is superior to α-Fe2O3-200 and α-Fe2O3-300 due to the hierarchically multiporous structure and high surface area. This convenient and low-cost process provides a rational synthesis alternative for the preparation of multiporous materials and the as-synthesis products have great foreground applications in many aspects.

Synthesis and Enhanced Ethanol Gas Sensing Properties of the g-C3N4 Nanosheets-Decorated Tin Oxide Flower-Like Nanorods Composite

Flower-like SnO2/g-C3N4 nanocomposites were synthesized via a facile hydrothermal method by using SnCl4·5H2O and urea as the precursor. The structure and morphology of the as-synthesized samples were characterized by using the X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), electron microscopy (FESEM and TEM), and Fourier transform infrared spectrometer (FT-IR) techniques. SnO2 displays the unique 3D flower-like microstructure assembled with many uniform nanorods with the lengths and diameters of about 400–600 nm and 50–100 nm, respectively. For the SnO2/g-C3N4 composites, SnO2 flower-like nanorods were coupled by a lamellar structure 2D g-C3N4. Gas sensing performance test results indicated that the response of the sensor based on 7 wt. % 2D g-C3N4-decorated SnO2 composite to 500 ppm ethanol vapor was 150 at 340 °C, which was 3.5 times higher than that of the pure flower-like SnO2 nanorods-based sensor. The gas sensing mechanism of the g-C3N4nanosheets-decorated SnO2 flower-like nanorods was discussed in relation to the heterojunction structure between g-C3N4 and SnO2.

Solid-State Method Synthesis of SnO2-Decorated g-C3N4 Nanocomposites with Enhanced Gas-Sensing Property to Ethanol

SnO2/graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) composites were synthesized via a facile solid-state method by using SnCl4·5H2O and urea as the precursor. The structure and morphology of the as-synthesized composites were characterized by the techniques of X-ray diffraction (XRD), field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS), thermogravimetry-differential thermal analysis (TG-DTA), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and N2 sorption. The results indicated that the composites possessed a two-dimensional (2-D) structure, and the SnO2 nanoparticles were highly dispersed on the surface of the g-C3N4 nanosheets. The gas-sensing performance of the samples to ethanol was tested, and the SnO2/g-C3N4 nanocomposite-based sensor exhibited admirable properties. The response value (Ra/Rg) of the SnO2/g-C3N4 nanocomposite with 10 wt % 2-D g-C3N4 content-based sensor to 500 ppm of ethanol was 550 at 300 °C. However, the response value of pure SnO2 was only 320. The high surface area of SnO2/g-C3N4-10 (140 m2·g−1) and the interaction between 2-D g-C3N4 and SnO2 could strongly affect the gas-sensing property.

Ethanol Sensor Based on Hydrothermal Method Prepared Porous α-Fe2O3 Nanorods

Porous α-Fe2O3 nanorods were prepared by the hydrothermal method from FeCl4 and urea without templates. The as-prepared products were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analysis techniques. The as-prepared α-Fe2O3 has the porous nanorods structured with the length of about 200 nm, diameter of about 50 nm and high surface area (255.2 m2•g-1). The gas-sensing measurement results demonstrated that the sensor of porous α-Fe2O3 nanorods presented high response to ethanol vapor and which can response to ethanol vapor at low-temperature. Due to the exciting gas-sensing properties, the as-prepared porous α-Fe2O3 nanorods would be an ideal candidate for the application in ethanol sensors.