Materials Science and Engineering Commons^™

Progresses In Electrocatalysis Of Nanomaterials—Tuning The Surface Structure And Property Of Electrocatalysts, Yan-Xia Jiang, Na Tian, Zhi-You Zhou, Sheng-Pei Chen, Shi-Gang Sun

Journal of Electrochemistry

The property of an electrocatalyst depends strongly on its surface structure.The study of surface structure-catalytic functionality is the base of design and preparation of electrocatalysts of high activity,high stability and high selectivity at microstructure level.In this paper,based mainly on our results concering hydrogen and oxygen adsorption-desorption,ethylene glycol oxidation and CO₂ reduction,the research progresses in tuning the surface structure and property of electrocatalysts are summarized.This paper overviews firstly the cyclic voltammetric characteristics,electrocatalytic properties of platinum single crystal planes lying on different crystallographic zones of the unit stereographic triangle of face-centered cubic(fcc) metals.Next,the innovation of electrochemical methods to control the surface …

Synthesis And Electrocatalytic Properties Of Ni-Pd/C Catalysts With Pd-Enriched Surface, Yu-Mei Chen, Zhi-Xiu Liang, Sheng-Li Chen

Journal of Electrochemistry

The Ni-Pd alloy catalysts with Pd-enriched surface were synthesized through a modified polyol process.The synthesized materials were investigated by XRD and electrochemical methods,and tested as electrocatalysts for CH₃OH-tolerant oxygen reduction.The results indicated that the synthesized Ni-Pd nanoparticles possess multiple phases containing Pd-Ni alloy and pure Ni.Comparing with Pd/C,the prepared Ni-Pd/C nanoparticles exhibited better resolved voltammetric peaks between the hydrogen absorption and adsorption,and positively shifted current peaks for the reduction of Pd oxide.The prepared Ni-Pd alloys with Pd-enriched surface have significantly enhanced ORR activity and improved CH₃OH tolerance as comparing with Pd/C catalysts.

Complex Reduction Preparation Of Carbon Supported Pd Nanoparticle Catalyst And Its Electrocatalysis For Formic Acid Oxidation, Wei He, Yong-Yin Kang, Chong Du, Zhi-Qing Zou, Xiao-Gang Zhang, Hui Yang

Journal of Electrochemistry

A simple procedure involved the complexing of PdCl₂ with sodium citrate followed by ethylene glycol reduction has been employed for the preparation of carbon-supported Pd nanoparticles(Pd/C).The XRD and TEM characterizations indicate that Pd nanoparticles with a small particle size were well-dispersed on carbon support.The mean particle sizes of the Pd/C catalysts were found to be increased from 2.7 to 5.8 nm with heat-treatments at different temperature.The mass activity of the Pd/C catalyst for formic acid electrooxidation increased with the decrease in Pd particle size.However,the specific activity increased with Pd particle size.Furthermore,the Pd/C catalyst with a particle size of ca.3.6 …

Cyclic Voltammetric And In-Situ Ftir Spectroscopic Studies Of Adsorption And Reduction Of No On Electrode Of Pt Nanoparticles, Qian Cheng, Yan-Xia Jiang, Dong-Mei Zeng, Shi-Gang Sun

Journal of Electrochemistry

Adsorption and reduction of NO on electrode of Pt nanoparticles in acid solutions were studied by means of cyclic voltammetry(CV) and in-situ FTIR spectroscopy.The results indicated that the reduction of NO is a complicated process including the adsorption of NO on electrode surface.Two types of surface-bonded NO were determined on Pt nanoparticles.The weakly adsorbed NO was reduced between 0.6 V and-0.05 V,which yielded nitrous oxide(N₂O) and ammonium(NH₄⁺) as products;while the strongly bonded NO was reduced at more negative potentials between-0.05V and-0.15V,producing only NH₄⁺ species.

A Systematic Study Of Atomic Layer Deposition Of Platinum Nano-Scale Metallization Films And Their Application To Electrical Contacts In Porous Alumina Templates, Ngoc H. Tran

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

ln this thesis a comprehensive analysis is presented on nano-scale thin films of platinum deposited with Angstrom resolution by Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) technology utilizing the Cambridge Nanotech Savannah 100 ALD system. Physical characterizations of film thickness, film morphology, and surface roughness of the deposited platinum were all performed before and after rapid thermal annealing (RTA) and as a function of forming gas annealing (FGA). Noble metal thin films of platinum were deposited on four inch wafers of p-type boron doped &100& oriented silicon (Si) substrates. The ALD film thickness was measured with a novel method utilizing the linear dependence …

Redox State Of Polyaniline Nanodot And Its Coulomb Staircase Effect, Jian-Zhang Zhou, Shao-Huang Weng, Zhong-Hua Lin

Journal of Electrochemistry

Polyaniline nanodot array had been fabricated in AAO template with potentiostatic method and the I~V characteristics of nanodots with different redox states were measured by conducting atomic force microscope (C-AFM) in atmosphere at room temperature. We found that only nanodots in partial oxidation state exhibit coulomb staircase in the I~V curves,while those in the full oxidation state and reduced state do not. The above phenomena were discussed preliminarily.

Crystallization And Electrochemical Corrosion Behaviors Of Amorphous And Nanocrystalline Fe-Based Alloys, Xiang Li, Biao Yan, Peng Dong

Journal of Electrochemistry

In this study,amorphous Fe₇₈Si₁₃B₉ and Fe_73.5Si_13.5B₉Nb₃Cu₁ ribbons were prepared by the chill block melt-spinning process and nanocrystalline Fe_73.5Si_13.5B₉Nb₃Cu₁ ribbons were obtained by annealing. The amorphous ribbons and their crystallization processes were identified by differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). A comparative study of the electrochemical corrosion behaviors of  Fe₇₈Si₁₃B₉ and Fe_73.5Si_13.5B₉Nb₃Cu₁ amorphous and nanocrystallized alloys was performed by linear polarization method …

Synthesis And Characterization Of Sulfur-Carbonnanotubes As Cathode Of Lithium/Sulfur Rechargeable Battery, Rui Du, Zhong-Zhi Yuan

Journal of Electrochemistry

A carbon-containing composite was synthesized by heating element sulfur and carbon nanotubes. The sulfur-carbonnanotube composites were characterized by X-ray diffraction, SEM, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller. The electrochemical property was characterized by cyclic voltammetry,constant current charge and discharge. It was revealed that the sulfur-carbonnanotube cathode 2016-type coin cells exhibited a good electrochemical property with the initial dicharge specific capacity up to 680 mAh/g and a stable capacity approximately 500 mAh/g after 30 cycle numbers.

Electrocatalytic Oxidation Of Glucose On Cnt/Nanocrystlline Tio2-Pt Complex Film Electrode In Ionic Liquids, Dao-Bao Chu, Long-Wu Zha, Shu-Xi Wang, Jian Wang, Ying Xiao, Yuan-Yuan Hou, Jian-Guo He, Xue-Jiao Zhang

Journal of Electrochemistry

Using ionic liquid [EMI]BF₄ as the electrolyte,the electrocatalytic oxidation of glucose on carbon nanotubes/nanocrystlline TiO₂ film loaded on Pt (CNT/nanoTiO₂-Pt) complex film electrode was investigated by cyclic voltammetry. The results found that the CNT/nanoTiO₂-Pt complex electrode had high catalytic activity to the electrochemical oxidation of glucose in ionic liquids and the oxidation potential was -0.46 V. The best effect of glucose oxidation was obtained with the volume ratio of ionic liquid to water being 3:1. The process of electrodic reaction process was concentration polarization controlled.

Strain Energy And Lateral Friction Force Distributions Of Carbon Nanotubes Manipulated Into Shapes By Atomic Force Microscopy, Mark C. Strus, Roya R. Lahiji, Pablo Ares, Vincente Lopez, Arvind Raman, Ron R. Reifenberger

Other Nanotechnology Publications

The interplay between local mechanical strain energy and lateral frictional forces determines the shape of carbon nanotubes on substrates. In turn, because of its nanometer-size diameter, the shape of a carbon nanotube strongly influences its local electronic, chemical, and mechanical properties. Few, if any, methods exist for resolving the strain energy and static frictional forces along the length of a deformed nanotube supported on a substrate. We present a method using nonlinear elastic rod theory in which we compute the flexural strain energy and static frictional forces along the length of single walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) manipulated into various shapes …

Metamaterial Devices For The Terahertz Band, Gabriel Paul Kniffin

Center for Electron Microscopy and Nanofabrication Publications and Presentations

Terahertz (THz) and metamaterials are both hot topics in electromagnetics research. The THz band (0.1-10 THz) lies in the ‘gap’ between microwave and far infrared regions. Research is currently underway to characterize how these waves interact with matter, with potential applications including security screening, medical imaging, and non-destructive evaluation. Metamaterials are artificial materials containing sub-wavelength structures whose material properties, μ and ǫ can be ‘tuned’ to desired specifications, including simultaneously negative values, resulting in exotic properties such as a negative refractive index. Current metamaterials research includes the design of devices that operate at THz frequencies, filling a niche left wide …

Modulated Nanopores Using Pulse Anodization On Thin Aluminum, Mahesh Babu Gunukula

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Nanoporous anodic aluminum oxide has traditionally been made in one of two ways: "Mild Anodization (MA)" or "Hard Anodization (HA)". The former method produces self-ordered pore structures but it is slow and only works for a narrow range of processing conditions; the latter method, which is widely used in the aluminum industry, is faster but it produces films with disordered pore structures. Here we report a novel approach termed "pulse anodization" that combines the advantages of the MA and HA processes. By designing the pulse sequences it is possible to control both the composition and pore structure of the anodic …

Interfacial Energy Between Carbon Nanotubes And Polymers Measured From Nanoscale Peel Tests In The Atomic Force Microscope, Mark C. Strus, Camilo I. Cano, R. Byron Pipes, Cattien V. Nguyen, Arvind Raman

Other Nanotechnology Publications

The future development of polymer composite materials with nanotubes or nanoscale fibers requires the ability to understand and improve the interfacial bonding at the nanotube-polymer matrix interface. In recent work [Strus MC, Zalamea L, Raman A, Pipes RB, Nguyen CV, Stach EA. Peeling force spectroscopy: exposing the adhesive nanomechanics of one-dimensional nanostructures. Nano Lett 2008;8(2):544–50], it has been shown that a new mode in the Atomic Force Microscope (AFM), peeling force spectroscopy, can be used to understand the adhesive mechanics of carbon nanotubes peeled from a surface. In the present work, we demonstrate how AFM peeling force spectroscopy can be …

Electrochemical Properties Of Functionalized Carbon Nanotubes And Their Applications In Analysis Of 6-Mercaptopurine, Bao-Yi Lu, Yan-Yan Lai, Hong Li

Journal of Electrochemistry

The electrochemical behaviors and adsorption properties of single-walled carbon nanotubes such as SWNT,SWNT-COOH,and SWNT-OH and multi-walled carbon nanotubes including MWNT,MWNT-COOH,and MWNT-OH modified at a graphite electrode have been investigated by using [Fe(CN)₆]^3-anion and [Co(phen)₃]³⁺ cation.It was shown that shows good redox reversibility of [Fe(CN)₆]^3-/4-reactions on the existed carbon nanotubes(CNT) modified electrode.Based on the strong adsorptive property of [Co(phen)₃]³⁺ on the CNT surface,the [Co(phen)₃]³⁺/CNT modified graphite electrode can be obtained by progressive potential sweeping and developed to monitor quantitatively 6-mercaptopurine(6-MP).The adsorption capacity of …

High Utilization Aupt Nanoparticles Supported On Mwcnts For Methanol Electro-Oxidation In Alkaline Medium, Xun Guo, Dao-Jun Guo, Xin-Ping Qiu, Li-Quan Chen, Wen-Tao Zhu

Journal of Electrochemistry

We synthesized gold-platinum electrocatalysts supported on multi-walled carbon nanotubes(MWCNTs) with high utilization by a simple one-step method.A high Pt loading series of bimetallic AuPt/MWCNTs catalysts were prepared by the improved ethylene glycol reduction method,and then were compared in terms of the electrocatalytic activity for methanol electro-oxidation using cyclic voltammetry(CV) and chronoamperometry in alkaline solutions.The structure of AuPt/MWCNTs was characterized by the transmission electron microscopy(TEM),X-ray diffraction(XRD) and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy(EDS).The results showed that the AuPt/MWCNTs catalysts had high Pt utilization,uniform AuPt nanoparticles size and good electrocatalytic activity for methanol electro-oxidation.The effect of Au/Pt mass ratio on electrocatalytic activity was also investigated.The …

Silicon Nanowires As Anode Materials For Lithium Ion Batteries, Yan-Peng Fu, Hui-Xin Chen, Yong Yang

Journal of Electrochemistry

The SiNWs electrodes were fabricated by coating and direct growth methods,respectively.The structure,morphology and electrochemical performance of such materials were characterized by XRD,SEM and charge-discharge tests.The results show that the electrodes prepared by direct growth method had higher capacity,better battery life and also displayed and excellent cyclability at higher currents.During the process of lithiation,the initial crystalline Si transformed to amorphous LixSi,and the average diameter of the SiNWs increased.Despite the large volume changed,the SiNWs remained intact and did not break into smaller particles.

Nano-Sn/Hard Carbon Composite As Anode Material For Lithium Ion Batteries, Bing-Kun Guo, Jie Shu, Kun Tang, Ying Bai, Zhao-Xiang Wang, Li-Quan Chen

Journal of Electrochemistry

The tin(Sn) nano particles were embedded into the mesopores of hard carbon spherules(HCS) to form a composite anode material for lithium ion batteries.The structure of the obtained composite was characterized by X-ray diffraction(XRD) while its electrochemical performances were evaluated with galvanostatic cycling.It is found that the embedding Sn nanoparticles into porous HCS not only result in a composite material with high lithium storage capacity and capacity retention,but also increase the initial coulombic efficiency of the composite.Based on the infrared spectroscopic analysis,the enhanced initial coulombic efficiency is attributed to the inductive decomposition of the ROCO₂Li species in the solid …

Synthesis,Characteristics And Electrochemical Performance Of Nano-Sized Snco/Graphite Composites As Anode For Lithium Ion Batteries, Jin-Shu Cai, Ling Huang, Fu-Sheng Ke, Shi-Gang Sun

Journal of Electrochemistry

The nano-structural Sn-Co/graphite composites were prepared by chemical reduction of the alloy electroless deposition solution in graphite suspensions, and the composites were annealed at 500 ℃. The phase structure and surface morphology of the composites were measured by XRD, SEM and Raman. The results indicate that there were high dispersions and high loadings of Sn-Co nanoparticles on graphite by thermal treatment. Electrochemical lithium storage performance was studied preliminarily on the obtained samples. The graphite modified with the Sn-Co nanoparticles possessed a higher electrochemical reversible capacity than that of graphite during the charge and discharge process. The appetency between the Sn-Co …

Photoelectrochemical Properties Of Tio2 Nanoparticles, Jie Qu, Ying Li, Qi-Wei Jiang, Xue-Ping Gao

Journal of Electrochemistry

The protonated titanate nanoparticles were obtained at room temperature and subsequently calcined at different temperatures(300 ℃,400 ℃,500 ℃,600 ℃ and 700 ℃) in air.The obtained products were characterized by XRD,TEM and UV-Vis.It is found that the grain sizes of TiO₂ nanoparticles calcined at 300 ℃ were about 20 nm,and increased gradually with the temperature rise.Photoelectric performance was measured with I～V curve and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy(EIS).The TiO₂ nanoparticles obtained at 500 ℃ showed the best photoelectrochemical properties with a photovoltaic conversion efficiency of 6.39%,which is much higher than those at other temperatures.In addition,it is also demonstrated that the charge …

Characterization Of A Viscoelastic Response From Thin Metal Films Deposited On Silicon For Microsystem Applications, Steven L. Meredith

Master's Theses

Understanding the mechanisms that control the mechanical behavior of microscale actuators is necessary to design an actuator that responds to an applied actuation force with the desired behavior. Micro actuators which employ a diaphragm supported by torsional hinges which deform during actuation are used in many applications where device stability and reliability are critical. The material response to the stress developed within the hinge during actuation controls how the actuator will respond to the actuating force. A fully recoverable non-linear viscoelastic response has been observed in electrostatically driven micro actuators employing torsional hinges of silicon covered with thin metal films. …

Thermocapillary Effects In Driven Dewetting And Self-Assembly Of Pulsed Laser-Irradiated Metallic Films, Agegnehu Atena, Mikhail Khenner

Mathematics Faculty Publications

In this paper the lubrication-type dynamical model is developed of a molten, pulsed laser-irradiated metallic film. The heat transfer problem that incorporates the absorbed heat from a single beam or interfering beams is solved analytically. Using this temperature field, we derive the 3D long-wave evolution PDE for the film height. To get insights into dynamics of dewetting, we study the 2D version of the evolution equation by means of a linear stability analysis and by numerical simulations. The stabilizing and destabilizing effects of various system parameters, such as the peak laser beam intensity, the film optical thickness, the Biot and …

Thermocapillary Effects In Driven Dewetting And Self-Assembly Of Pulsed Laser-Irradiated Metallic Films, Agegnehu Atena, Mikhail Khenner

Mathematics Faculty Publications

In this paper the lubrication-type dynamical model is developed of a molten, pulsed laser-irradiated metallic film. The heat transfer problem that incorporates the absorbed heat from a single beam or interfering beams is solved analytically. Using this temperature field, we derive the 3D long-wave evolution PDE for the film height. To get insights into dynamics of dewetting, we study the 2D version of the evolution equation by means of a linear stability analysis and by numerical simulations. The stabilizing and destabilizing effects of various system parameters, such as the peak laser beam intensity, the film optical thickness, the Biot and …

Influence Of Magnesium Nitrate On The Corrosion Performance Of Sol-Gel Coated Aa2024-T3 Aluminium Alloy, Rajath Varma, Brendan Duffy, John Cassidy

Articles

Traditional anti-corrosion technology has relied heavily on using reducible metal species, predominantly hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)), for protecting reactive metal alloys such as aluminium which is extensively used in the aerospace sector. However, the impending changes in the use of Cr(VI) in Europe and the United States have forced aerospace manufacturers to examine alternative materials for protecting aluminium. One of the most promising alternatives being investigated are organosilane based sol-gels containing anticorrosion additives. In this work the anti-corrosion properties of magnesium (II) nitrate (Mg(NO3)2) as a inhibitor was investigated at different concentrations (0.1% - 1.0 wt %) in a methyltriethoxysilane (MTEOS) …

Metal Induced Crystallization Of Silicon Thin Films, Sandeep Kumar Raju Sangaraju

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Low temperature crystallization of thin film silicon is important for many industrial applications including flat panel displays and silicon thin film solar cells. Unfortunately this remains a major challenge since crystallization temperature of silicon is above 1,000 degrees Celsius, thus limiting to substrates that can tolerate high temperatures. The inability to deposit crystalline thin films on glass substrates is the reason why flat panel display industry uses amorphous silicon for LCD active matrix displays. Thus the ability to deposit crystallized thin film silicon at low temperatures will have significant impact on thin film silicon applications. It has been observed that …

Spectroscopic Investigation Of Palladium-Copper Bimetallic Systems For Pem Fuel Cell Catalysts, Timo Hofmann

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

One of the main barriers to commercialization of polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells systems is cost, which is largely due to the need of platinum (Pt)-containing catalysts. In this thesis we investigate bimetallic systems consisting of a base metal (copper) and a noble metal (palladium) that, as an alloy on the nanoscale, mimic the electronic properties that make Pt desirable as a catalyst.

We present a detailed investigation of the electronic structure of carbon-supported Pd/Cu nanoparticle catalysts, model bilayer thin film systems, alloys, and various metal reference samples. We have investigated the valence band structure of the catalysts using a …

Electrodeposition Of Nickel Nanowires And Nanotubes Using Various Templates, Asli Ertan, Surendra N. Tewari, Orhan Talu

Chemical & Biomedical Engineering Faculty Publications

Nickel nanotubes and nanowires are grown by galvanostatic electrodeposition in the pores of 1000, 100, and 15 nm polycarbonate as well as in anodised alumina membranes at a current density of 10 mA cm-2. The effects of pore size, porosity, electrodeposition time, effective current density, and pore aspect ratio are investigated. Nickel nanotube structures are obtained with 1000 nm pore size polycarbonate membrane without any prior treatment method. At the early stages of electrodeposition hollow nickel nanotubes are produced and nanotubes turn into nanowires at longer depositon times. As effective current density accounting for the membrane porosity decreases, the axial …

The Hydrothemal Synthesis Of Nanoscale Lifepo4 And Its Electrochemical Performance, Si-Min Wang, Ming-Sen Zheng, Quan-Feng Dong

Journal of Electrochemistry

The cathode materials of LiFePO₄ were prepared via a hydrothermal reduction method using FeCl₃ as Fe source and iron as a reducing agent.The results showed that ferric salt could be reduced to ferrous salt completely under the hydrothermal condition and pure-phase LiFePO₄ was obtained based on the test results of XRD and FTIR. Carbon-coated LiFePO₄ was synthesized by pyrolysisng glucose at high temperature. The morphologies of pure LiFePO₄ displayed cluster-like while the LiFePO₄/C displayed sphere-like particles. The electrochemical test showed that the LiFePO₄/C had good rate performance,while LiFePO₄ delivered much …

Preparation And Optical Transmission Of The Zno Nanorod Array Films, Feng Ye, Jing-Jing Li, Tong-Tao Wang, Yong-Liang Wang, Yun Liu, Xin-Dong Wang

Journal of Electrochemistry

By using a galvaostatic electrodeposition method in the ZnCl₂ solution,the highly oriented ZnO nanorod array films have been successfully prepared on ITO substrate after the pretreatment with ZnO nanoparticles.And they were characterized by scanning electron microscope,X-ray diffraction and transmittance spectra.The results indicated that the ZnO nanorod arrays grew along(001) direction with an orientation perpendicular to the substrate.When the wavelength of incident was over 380 nm,the ZnO nanorod arrays showed high optical transmission of above 95%.Furthermore,the band gap became narrower.

Voltammetric Determination Of Iodate Ion In Table Salt By Carboxylic Carbon Nanotubes Modified Carbon Paste Electrode, Jun-Hua Li, Fu-Xing Zhang, Jian-Qiu Wang, Zhi-Feng Xu, Rong-Ying Zeng, Yan Yu

Journal of Electrochemistry

A highly-sensitive and mercury-free method of determining iodate ion in table salt was established based on carboxylic carbon nanotubes modified carbon paste electrode.In 0.1 mol/L NaOH solution,there was a sensitive cathodic stripping peak on voltammograms.The stripping peak potential was-0.52 V when accumulation time of IO-3 at the modified electrode was 60 s and the potential scan rate was 300 mV/s.There was a good liner relationship between the peak current and IO-3 concentration in the range of 8.0×10^-10 ～ 5.0×10^-8 mol/L and 1.0×10^-7 ～ 3.0×10^-6 mol/L with the correlation coefficient of 0.999 and 0.998,respectively.The detection limit was …

Studies Of Surface Diffusion In Pemfc Electrodes, Jiang-Shui Luo, Jian Chen, Bao-Lian Yi, Chuan-Sin Cha, Hua-Min Zhang

Journal of Electrochemistry

A PEMFC electrode consisting of dual-layer catalyst layer(CL) was fabricated in this work. The outer CL was Nafion-free,while the inner CL was Nafion-bonded. The effects of Pt/C catalyst in the outer CL that did not contact with Nafion on the current generation in PEMFC electrodes were investigated. Cyclic voltammetric studies indicated that the Pt/C catalyst in the outer CL without direct contact with Nafion was still electrochemically active in taking part in the adsorption/desorption of hydrogen and the electrochemical oxidation/reduction of the oxygen-containing species occurring at the interface of "Pt/Nafion" in the inner CL. The polarization curves showed that the …