Influence of transition metal doping on the structural, optical, and magnetic properties of TiO2 films deposited on Si substrates by a sol-gel process

Enhancing Lithium and Sodium Storage Properties of TiO2(B) Nanobelts by Doping with Nickel and Zinc

Nickel- and zinc-doped TiO2(B) nanobelts were synthesized using a hydrothermal technique. It was found that the incorporation of 5 at.% Ni into bronze TiO2 expanded the unit cell by 4%. Furthermore, Ni dopant induced the 3d energy levels within TiO2(B) band structure and oxygen defects, narrowing the band gap from 3.28 eV (undoped) to 2.70 eV. Oppositely, Zn entered restrictedly into TiO2(B), but nonetheless, improves its electronic properties (Eg is narrowed to 3.21 eV). The conductivity of nickel- (2.24 × 10-8 S·cm-1) and zinc-containing (3.29 × 10-9 S·cm-1) TiO2(B) exceeds that of unmodified TiO2(B) (1.05 × 10-10 S·cm-1). When tested for electrochemical storage, nickel-doped mesoporous TiO2(B) nanobelts exhibited improved electrochemical performance. For lithium batteries, a reversible capacity of 173 mAh·g-1 was reached after 100 cycles at the current load of 50 mA·g-1, whereas, for unmodified and Zn-doped samples, around 140 and 151 mAh·g-1 was obtained. Moreover, Ni doping enhanced the rate capability of TiO2(B) nanobelts (104 mAh·g-1 at a current density of 1.8 A·g-1). In terms of sodium storage, nickel-doped TiO2(B) nanobelts exhibited improved cycling with a stabilized reversible capacity of 97 mAh·g-1 over 50 cycles at the current load of 35 mA·g-1.

Reduction of dopant ions and enhancement of magnetic properties by UV irradiation in Ce-doped TiO2

We report the experimental observation of and theoretical explanation for the reduction of dopant ions and enhancement of magnetic properties in Ce-doped TiO₂ diluted magnetic semiconductors from UV-light irradiation. Substantial increase in Ce³⁺ concentration and creation of oxygen vacancy defects in the sample due to UV-light irradiation was observed by X-ray and optical methods. Magnetic measurements demonstrate a combination of paramagnetism and ferromagnetism up to room temperatures in all samples. The magnetization of both paramagnetic and ferromagnetic components was observed to be dramatically enhanced in the irradiated sample. First-principle theoretical calculations show that valence holes created by UV irradiation can substantially lower the formation energy of oxygen vacancies. While the electron spin densities for defect states near oxygen vacancies in pure TiO₂ are in antiferromagnetic orientation, they are in ferromagnetic orientations in Ce-doped TiO₂. Therefore, the ferromagnetically-oriented spin densities near oxygen vacancies created by UV irradiation are the most probable cause for the experimentally observed enhancement of magnetism in the irradiated Ce-doped TiO₂.

Solution-Based Deposition of Transparent Eu-Doped Titanium Oxide Thin Films for Potential Security Labeling and UV Screening

Transparent titanium oxide thin films attract enormous attention from the scientific community because of their prominent properties, such as low-cost, chemical stability, and optical transparency in the visible region. In this study, we developed an easy and scalable solution-based process for the deposition of transparent TiOx thin films on glass substrates. We showed that the proposed method is also suitable for the fabrication of metal-doped TiOx thin films. As proof-of-the-concept, europium Eu(III) ions were introduced into TiOx film. A photoluminescence (PL) study revealed that Eu-doped TiOx thin films showed strong red luminescence associated with ⁵D₀→⁷F_j relaxation transitions in Eu (III). We found that prepared TiOx thin films significantly reduce the transmittance of destructive UV radiation; a feature that can be useful for the protection of photovoltaic devices. In addition, transparent and luminescent TiOx thin films can be utilized for potential security labeling.

Transition-Metal Ion-Doped Flower-Like Titania Nanospheres as Nonlight-Driven Catalysts for Organic Dye Degradation with Enhanced Performances

Titania has recently been identified as a new and effective nonlight-driven catalyst for degradation of organic pollutant with the use of H₂O₂ as an oxidant; however, either relatively low surface area or lack of diversity in chemical composition largely limits its catalytic performance. In this work, a series of transition-metal ion (Mn²⁺, Co²⁺, Ni²⁺, and Cu²⁺)-doped titania nanomaterials with regular flower-like morphology, good crystallinity (anatase), and large specific surface areas (71.4-124.4 m² g^-1) were facilely synthesized and utilized as catalysts for methylene blue (MB) degradation in the presence of H₂O₂ without light irradiation. It was revealed that the doping of transition-metal ions (especially Mn²⁺) into titania could significantly improve the catalytic efficiency. At 30 °C, 10 mL of MB with a concentration of 50 mg L^-1 could be completely degraded within 60-100 min for these doped samples, whereas the removal rate was only 35.1% within 100 min with the use of pure flower-like titania. Temperature-dependent kinetic studies indicated that the presence of transition-metal ion dopants could markedly lower the activation energy and thus resulted in enhanced catalytic performances. Test of reusability exhibited that these doped catalysts could well keep their original catalytic activities after reuse for several cycles, indicating their excellent catalytic durability.

Surface Alloying in Silver-Cobalt through a Second Wave Solution Combustion Synthesis Technique

Herein, we report the synthesis of silver-cobalt nanopowders using three different modes of solution combustion synthesis, and we present the effects of the synthesis conditions on particle morphology. The synthesized nanoparticles were characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), UV-Visible spectrophotometer (UV-vis), Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and X-Ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) to understand the structural and elemental properties. When Co is synthesized over Ag in a second wave of combustion, peak shifts observed in XRD and XPS show a change in the cell parameters and prove the existence of a strong electronic interaction between Ag and Co. Better control of mixing and alloying through the second wave combustion synthesis mode (SWCS) was evident. The sequence of combustion affects the structure and composition of the material. SWCS reduces the amount of carbon content, as compared to single-stage combustion, and the combustion of carbon is followed by a rearrangement of atoms.

Enhanced Rate Capability and Cycle Performance of Titanium-Substituted P2-Type Na0.67Fe0.5Mn0.5O2 as a Cathode for Sodium-Ion Batteries

In this study, we developed a doping technology capable of improving the electrochemical performance, including the rate capability and cycling stability, of P2-type Na_0.67Fe_0.5Mn_0.5O₂ as a cathode material for sodium-ion batteries. Our approach involved using titanium as a doping element to partly substitute either Fe or Mn in Na_0.67Fe_0.5Mn_0.5O₂. The Ti-substituted Na_0.67Fe_0.5Mn_0.5O₂ shows superior electrochemical properties compared to the pristine sample. We investigated the changes in the crystal structure, surface chemistry, and particle morphology caused by Ti doping and correlated these changes to the improved performance. The enhanced rate capability and cycling stability were attributed to the enlargement of the NaO₂ slab in the crystal structure because of Ti doping. This promoted Na-ion diffusion and prevented the phase transition from the P2 to the OP4/″Z″ structure.

Temperature dependent electron paramagnetic resonance study on magnetoelectric YCrO3

We report temperature dependent electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) studies on polycrystalline YCrO₃ samples at X-band (9.46 GHz) in the temperature range of 120 K-298 K. The EPR spectra exhibit a single broad line across the whole temperature range, attributed to Cr³⁺ ions. The variation of EPR spectra parameters (line width, integrated intensity, and g-factor) as a function of temperature was analyzed to understand the nature of spin-dynamics in the paramagnetic region of YCrO₃. A peak in the g-factor suggests the presence of a new phase within the paramagnetic state at an intermediate point of temperature T _IP ~ 230 K, attributed to the onset of short range canted antiferromagnetic correlations in the material much above 140 K, Néel temperature (T _N) of YCrO₃. The EPR intensity increases with a decrease in temperature up to T _N due to the renormalization of the magnetic moments arising from the appearance of canted antiferromagnetic correlations. Further, temperature dependent dielectric measurements also exhibit an anomaly at ~230 K suggesting the presence of magnetodielectric coupling in YCrO₃, with a possibility towards a relatively high temperature magnetodielectric system.

Transmission electron microscopy of carbon-coated and iron-doped titania nanoparticles

We present a study on the properties of iron (Fe)-doped and carbon (C)-coated titania (TiO2) nanoparticles (NPs) which has been compiled by using x-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). These TiO2 NPs were prepared by using the flame synthesis method. This method allows the simultaneous C coating and Fe doping of TiO2 NPs. XRD investigations revealed that the phase of the prepared NPs was anatase TiO2. Conventional TEM analysis showed that the average size of the TiO2 NPs was about 65 nm and that the NPs were uniformly coated with the element C. Furthermore, from the x-ray energy dispersive spectrometry analysis, it was found that about 8 at.% Fe was present in the synthesized samples. High-resolution TEM (HRTEM) revealed the graphitized carbon structure of the layer surrounding the prepared TiO2 NPs. HRTEM analysis further revealed that the NPs possessed the crystalline structure of anatase titania. Energy-filtered TEM (EFTEM) analysis showed the C coating and Fe doping of the NPs. The ratio of L3 and L2 peaks for the Ti-L23 and Fe-L23 edges present in the core loss electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) revealed a +4 oxidation state for the Ti and a +3 oxidation state for the Fe. These EELS results were further confirmed with XPS analysis. The electronic properties of the samples were investigated by applying Kramers-Kronig analysis to the low-loss EELS spectra acquired from the prepared NPs. The presented results showed that the band gap energy of the TiO2 NPs decreased from an original value of 3.2 eV to about 2.2 eV, which is quite close to the ideal band gap energy of 1.65 eV for photocatalysis semiconductors. The observed decrease in band gap energy of the TiO2 NPs was attributed to the presence of Fe atoms at the lattice sites of the anatase TiO2 lattice. In short, C-coated and Fe-doped TiO2 NPs were synthesized with a rather cost-effective and comparatively easily scalable method. The presented analysis enables us to predict the excellent efficiency of these NPs for solar-cell and photo-catalysis applications.

Fabrication of Fe-doped TiO2 nanoparticles and investigation of photocatalytic decolorization of reactive red 198 under visible light irradiation

In this research, Fe-doped TiO2 nanoparticles with various Fe concentrations (0. 0.1, 1, 5 and 10wt%) were prepared by a sol-gel method. Then, nanoparticles were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX), BET surface area, photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy and UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS). The photocatalytic activity of the nano-particles was evaluated through degradation of reactive red 198 (RR 198) under UV and visible light irradiations. XRD results revealed that all samples contained only anatase phase. DRS showed that the Fe doping in the titania induced a significant red shift of the absorption edge and then the band gap energy decreased from 3 to 2.1eV. Photocatalytic results indicated that TiO2 had a highest photocatalytic decolorization of the RR 198 under UV irradiation whereas photocatalytic decolorization of the RR 198 under visible irradiation increased in the presence of Fe-doped TiO2 nanoparticles. Among the samples, Fe-1wt% doped TiO2 nanoparticles showed the highest photocatalytic decolorization of RR198 under visible light irradiation.

Nanoscale selective area atomic layer deposition of TiO2 using e-beam patterned polymers

Self aligned nano patterning of TiO₂ using area selective atomic area deposition.