Effect of tertiary amines on the synthesis and photovoltaic properties of TiO2 nanoparticles in dye sensitized solar cells

Synthesis and Characterization of Size-Controlled Titania Nanorods through Double Surfactants

A synthetic technique based on a two-step sol-gel hydrothermal method using cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) and triblock copolymer PEO₁₀₆-PPO₇₀-PEO₁₀₆ (F127) as double surfactants with the assistance of three amines (ethylamine (EA), diethylamine (DEA), and triethylamine (TEA)) for fabrications of anatase titania nanorods is proposed. The formation and growth mechanisms of TiO₂ crystals are described. We discovered that crystal size reduces with an increase in the number of alkyl substituents on the nitrogen of amines because the steric hindrance of the bulky alkyl substituent around nitrogen suppresses the nucleation and crystal growth rate. The size of titania from 80 to 220 nm is modulated with concentrations of EA, DEA, and TEA. The amines are considered as catalysts for morphological evolution of TiO₂ crystals. The results indicate that the incorporation of double surfactants (F127-CTAB) has a dual role, acting as a chelating agent for titania against external forces and a capping agent inhibiting the three-dimensional growth of TiO₂ crystals.

Freshwater production via efficient oil-water separation and solar-assisted water evaporation using black titanium oxide nanoparticles

Fabrication of a multipurpose superhydrophobic mesh via modification of a galvanized steel mess using black titanium oxide nanoparticles and perfluorodecyltriethoxysilane is reported. Modified mesh exhibits superhydrophobicity with a water static contact angle of 157° ± 2 along with a tilt angle of 5° ± 1 and suitable chemical, thermal, mechanical stability, and self-cleaning ability. The droplet dynamic behavior of superhydrophobic mesh revels the impact velocity is 1.5 ms^-1 for splashing of the water droplet. The developed mesh is studied for freshwater generation from oily water and seawater via efficient oil-water separation and solar evaporation, respectively. A proficiency of 99% and 88% is achieved for oil-water separation from mixture and emulsion, respectively. Solar evaporation efficiency of 64% and 76% are recorded under low-intensity light (225 Wm^-2) and natural sunlight (591 Wm^-2), respectively, from distilled water. For seawater, the evaporation efficiency of 69% is achieved under natural sunlight. Present approach can be applied to any size and shape of the mesh and has great industrial applications.

Annealing effects on the structural and dielectric properties of (Nb + In) co-doped rutile TiO2 ceramics

Density functional theory calculations were conducted to investigate the electronic structures of rutile Ti₁₆O₃₂, Ti₁₃Nb₂InO₃₂, and Ti₁₃Nb₂InO₃₁ systems. High density (Nb + In) co-doped rutile TiO₂ ceramics were successfully prepared by one modified solid state method. XRD, XPS, Raman scattering and FT-IR measurements were performed to investigate the structural properties of the (Nb + In) co-doped rutile TiO₂ ceramics annealed in different atmospheres. The lattice parameters for the (Nb + In) co-doped rutile TiO₂ ceramics were enlarged slightly after they were annealed in air and oxygen. Raman scattering results indicate that the E_g modes are quite sensitive to oxygen vacancy in comparison with the other Raman active modes. The ceramics annealed in oxygen at 873 K exhibit the best dielectric performance with giant dielectric permittivity (>14 000) and small dielectric loss (<0.2) over the frequency range from 40 Hz to 1 MHz.

Density functional theory calculations were conducted to investigate the electronic structures of rutile Ti₁₆O₃₂, Ti₁₃Nb₂InO₃₂, and Ti₁₃Nb₂InO₃₁ systems.

Fabrication of TiO2@ZnAl-layered double hydroxide based anode material for dye-sensitized solar cell

A TiO₂@ZnAl-layered double hydroxide nanocomposite was prepared by the co-precipitation method; then, the product was calcined in order to obtain the TiO₂@MMO nanocomposite, and use as anode material in dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC).

New sodium dodecyl sulfate-assisted preparation of Nd2O3 nanostructures via a simple route

The effect of the anionic shape- and size-controller on the morphology and size of Nd₂O₃ prepared by a new simple approach was studied.

A facile synthesis of hierarchical TiO2for dye adsorption and photocatalysis

Hierarchical flower-like H₂Ti₅O₁₁·3H₂O assembled with radial nanowires was fabricated through a template-free solution-based method, which could be converted to TiO₂with controllable morphologies and phases by a subsequent acid-treating or annealing process.