Synthesis of a Mesoporous SnO2 Catalyst Support and the Effect of Its Pore Size on the Performance of Polymer Electrolyte Fuel Cells

The aim of this study was to clarify the effectiveness and challenges of applying mesoporous tin oxide (SnO2)-based supports for Pt catalysts in the cathodes of polymer electrolyte fuel cells (PEFCs) to simultaneously achieve high performance and high durability. Recently, the focus of PEFC application in automobiles has shifted to heavy-duty vehicles (HDVs), which require high durability, high energy-conversion efficiency, and high power density. It has been reported that employing mesoporous carbon supports improves the initial performance by mitigating catalyst poisoning caused by sulfonic acid groups of the ionomer as well as by reducing the oxygen transport resistance through the Pt/ionomer interface. However, carbon materials in the cathode can degrade oxidatively during long-term operation, and more stable materials are desired. In this study, we synthesized connected mesoporous Sb-doped tin oxides (CMSbTOs) with controlled mesopore sizes in the range of 4-11 nm and tested their performance and durability as cathode catalyst supports. The CMSbTO supports exhibited higher fuel cell performance at a pore size of 7.3 nm than the solid-core SnO2-based, solid-core carbon, and mesoporous carbon supports under dry conditions, which can be attributed to the mitigation of the formation of the Pt/ionomer interface and the better proton conductivity within the mesopores even at the low-humidity conditions. In addition, the CMSbTO supports exhibited high durability under oxidative conditions. These results demonstrate the promising applicability of mesoporous tin oxide supports in PEFCs for HDVs. The remaining challenges, including the requirements for improving performance under wet conditions and stability under reductive conditions, are also discussed.

A practical method for determining film thickness using X-ray absorption spectroscopy in total electron yield mode

Thin films formed on surfaces have a large impact on the properties of materials and devices. In this study, a method is proposed using X-ray absorption spectroscopy to derive the film thickness of a thin film formed on a substrate using the spectral separation and logarithmic equation, which is a modified version of the formula used in electron spectroscopy. In the equation, the decay length in X-ray absorption spectroscopy is longer than in electron spectroscopy due to a cascade of inelastic scattering of electrons generated in a solid. The modification factor, representing a multiple of the decay length, was experimentally determined using oxidized Si and Cu with films of thickness 19 nm and 39 nm, respectively. The validity of the proposed method was verified, and the results indicated that the method can be used in the analysis of various materials with thin films.

Local atomic structure analysis around Mg atom doped in GaN by X-ray absorption spectroscopy and spectrum simulations

The identification of the incorporated site of magnesium (Mg) and hydrogen (H) required for p-type formation in gallium nitride (GaN) power devices has been demonstrated by X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS). In this study, the fluorescence line of Mg with 3 × 10¹⁹ atoms cm^-3 was successfully separated from that of Ga using a superconducting tunnel junction array detector with high sensitivity and high energy resolution, and consequently the Mg K-edge XAS spectra of such dilute samples were obtained. The site of Mg atoms incorporated into the GaN lattice was identified as the Ga substitutional site by comparing the experimental XAS spectrum with the simulated spectra calculated by density functional theory. In addition, the presence or absence of H around Mg can be determined through distinctive characteristics expected from the spectrum simulations.

Electrochemical CO2 reduction over nanoparticles derived from an oxidized Cu-Ni intermetallic alloy

Oxide-derived Cu-Ni (3-32 at%-Ni) alloy nanoparticles with a size of 10 nm enhance selectivity for ethylene and ethanol formation over oxide-derived Cu nanoparticles by electrochemical CO2 reduction. X-ray absorption spectroscopy measurements suggest that Ni (generally recognized as an element to avoid) is in a mixed phase of oxidized and metallic states.

Local atomic structure analysis of GaN surfaces via X-ray absorption spectroscopy by detecting Auger electrons with low energies

GaN is a promising material for power semiconductor devices used in next-generation vehicles. Its electrical properties such as carrier mobility and threshold voltage are affected by the interface between the oxide and the semiconductor, and identifying the interface states is important to improve these properties. A surface-sensitive measurement of Ga K-edge extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) by detecting Ga LMM Auger electrons that originate from Ga K-shell absorption is proposed for GaN. LMM Auger electrons with low energies were detected and the EXAFS oscillation was confirmed, providing information on the Ga atoms at the surface. Investigation of thermally oxidized GaN with an oxide film of defined thickness showed that the analysis depth was less than 10 nm, which is consistent with the inelastic mean free path of 2.3 nm estimated for LMM Auger electrons in GaN.

Thickness of carbon coatings on silicon materials determined by hard X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy at multiple photon energies

Hard X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy at multiple photon energies is used to investigate the surface structure of carbon coatings on silicon materials destined for use as negative electrodes in lithium-ion batteries. The photoelectron intensity from the carbon coatings decreases with an increase in the kinetic energy of the photoelectron. By fitting the photoelectron intensity versus energy to numerically derived curves, the thickness and coverage of the carbon coatings can be obtained. The results are in agreement with the values suggested by the cross-sectional secondary-electron microscopy images of the carbon coatings, although the thickness should be corrected by accounting for the rectangular parallelepiped structure of the silicon material.

Distinguishing nitrogen-containing sites in SiO2/4H-SiC(0001) after nitric oxide annealing by X-ray absorption spectroscopy

The atomic structure of nitrogen at the SiO₂/4H-SiC(0001) interface has been investigated using X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) in two nitric oxide annealed samples, one of which was oxidized in dry O₂ (NO-POA) prior to the experiment. The peak shapes and energies of the observed and simulated spectra are in agreement and indicate that the N-containing sites could be the substitutional C site at the interface for the NO-annealed sample and the interstitial site in the interior of SiC for the NO-POA-annealed sample. XAS analysis distinguished between the N-containing sites at the SiO₂/SiC interface.

Surface EXAFS via differential electron yield

Surface-sensitive analysis via extended X-ray absorption fine-structure (EXAFS) spectroscopy is demonstrated using a thickness-defined SiO₂ (12.4 nm)/Si sample. The proposed method exploits the differential electron yield (DEY) method wherein Auger electrons escaping from a sample surface are detected by an electron analyzer. The DEY method removes local intensity changes in the EXAFS spectra caused by photoelectrons crossing the Auger peak during X-ray energy sweeps, enabling EXAFS analysis through Fourier transformation of wide-energy-range spectral oscillations. The Si K-edge DEY X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES) spectrum appears to comprise high amounts of SiO₂ and low Si content, suggesting an analysis depth, as expressed using the inelastic mean free path of electrons in general electron spectroscopy, of approximately 4.2 nm. The first nearest neighbor (Si-O) distance derived from the Fourier transform of the Si K-edge DEY-EXAFS oscillation is 1.63 Å. This value is within the reported values of bulk SiO₂, showing that DEY can be used to detect a surface layer of 12.4 nm thickness with an analysis depth of approximately 4.2 nm and enable `surface EXAFS' analysis using Fourier transformation.

A new EXAFS method for the local structure analysis of low-Z elements

A unique analytical method is proposed for local structure analysis via extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) spectroscopy. The measurement of electron energy distribution curves at various excitation photon energies using an electron energy analyzer is applied to determine a specific elemental Auger spectrum. To demonstrate the method, the N K-edge EXAFS spectra for a silicon nitride film were obtained via simultaneous measurement of the N KLL Auger and background spectra using dual-energy windows. The background spectrum was then used to remove the photoelectrons and secondary electron mixing in the energy distribution curves. The spectrum obtained following this subtraction procedure represents the `true' N K-edge EXAFS spectrum without the other absorptions that are observed in total electron yield N K-edge EXAFS spectra. The first nearest-neighbor distance (N-Si) derived from the extracted N K-edge EXAFS oscillation was in good agreement with the value derived from Si K-edge analysis. This result confirmed that the present method, referred to as differential electron yield (DEY)-EXAFS, is valid for deriving local surface structure information for low-Z elements.

Does dopamine block the spawning of the acroporid coral Acropora tenuis?

Most corals undergo spawning after a particular moon phase, but how moon-related spawning is endogenously regulated in corals remains unknown. The objective of the present study was to evaluate whether dopamine (DA) affects spawning in Acropora tenuis. When pieces of four A. tenuis colonies were reared under a natural photoperiod and water temperature, spawning was observed after the predicted moon phase. After exposure to water containing DA at 0.1 μM, pieces of the same colonies only released 5 to 10 bundles. Co-treatment with DA and pimozide (D1 and D2 receptors antagonist), but not domperidone (D2 receptor antagonist), induced mass release of bundles from the colonies. A cross-experiment revealed high fertilization rates between the control colonies (95%) and between the control and DA-treated colonies (90%), suggesting that gametes developed normally in coral tissue. Therefore, DA appears to have an inhibitory effect on the spawning of A. tenuis.

Morphology and chemical states of size-selected Ptnclusters on an aluminium oxide film on NiAl(110)

Size-selected Pt_nclusters on the Al₂O₃surface form two-dimensional planar structures atn≤ 18 and three-dimensional two-layer structures start to appear atn≥ 19. They are composed of neutral and cationic Pt atoms.

Reactions of Nitrogen Monoxide on Cobalt Cluster Ions: Reaction Enhancement by Introduction of Hydrogen

Absolute cross sections for NO chemisorption, NO decomposition, and cluster dissociation in the collision of a nitrogen monoxide molecule, NO, with cluster ions Con+ and ConH+ (n=2-5) were measured as a function of the cluster size, n, in a beam-gas geometry in a tandem mass spectrometer. Size dependency of the cross sections and the change of the cross sections by introduction of H to Con+ (effect of H-introduction) are explained by a statistical model based on the RRK theory, with the aid of the energetics obtained by a DFT calculation. It was found that the reactions are governed by the energetics rather than dynamics. For instance, Co3+ does not react appreciably with NO because the reactions are endothermic, while Co3H+ does because the reaction becomes exothermic by the H-introduction.