Nanoscience and Nanotechnology Commons^™

Template Synthesis Of Highly Ordered Monocrystalline Metal Nanowire Arrays By A Two-Step Ac Electrodeposition, Juan Xiang, Jing-Hua Tian, Zi-Mian Ni, Zhi-Feng Huang, Bo Liu, Zhong-Qun Tian

Journal of Electrochemistry

The monocrystalline metal nanowire arrays were prepared by using a two-step AC electrodeposition in porous anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) template. The growth mechanism of nanowires was discussed. As a result, it has been found that the second voltage pulse has a considerable effect on the pore-filling ratio, the uniformity and the crystal structure, whereas the initial voltage pulse affects only the pore-filling ratio. Using the two-step AC electrodeposition, a highly ordered monocrystalline metal nanowire arrays with a pore-filling ration above 95% can be easily obtained.

Formation And Characterization Of Water-Repellent Nano Tio2 Coating And Studying Its Anticorrosion Property, Guang-Xia Shen, Yi-Cong Chen, Chang-Jian Lin

Journal of Electrochemistry

Using ethyl acetoacetate (EAcAc) as a chelating agent, ultra fine TiO₂ sol is prepared. Nano-TiO₂ coatings are deposited on the 316L stainless steel by the dip-coating. Hydrothermal post-treatment leads to crack-free coatings. Meanwhile, the surface struture and properties was optimized. Self-assembly of Hetadecafluorodecyltrimethoxysilane (FSA-13) fabricates hydrophobic layers on the surface of the nano-TiO₂ coatings. Particle sizes of TiO₂ sol was analysed by zeta pals potential analysis, and surface morphology, structure and properties was characterized by contract angle instrument, XRD, and SEM technologies. The results have shown that the surface of coatings is porous, with approx. 375 …

Electrodeposition Nanolaminated Growth Of Zinc, Ying Cao, Tian-Hui Shen, Jing-Yuan Yao, Gui-Fu Ding

Journal of Electrochemistry

Nanolaminated growth of the electrodeposition of zinc was studied. The structure and size of crystalline in zinc coatings were investigated by using FEG-TEM and XRD. The corrosion tests of the zinc deposition and the Coatings-Neutral salt spray test were performed, the capability in corrosion resistance of the nanolaminated growth was better than that of others.

Development Of Nanostructure Based Corrosion-Barrier Coatings On Steel For Transmutation Applications: Quaterly Report, Biswajit Das

Transmutation Sciences Materials (TRP)

During the past quarter, this project employed one graduate student and two undergraduate student researchers and made the following accomplishments :

• Acquisition of steel samples for experiments

• Design and fabrication of specialized anodization apparatus to accommodate steel samples

• Investigation of adhesiveness of aluminum on steel

• Investigation of effects of anodizing acids on steel to identify most appropriate acid and a suitable barrier material

Preparation And Characterization Of Y-Type Carbon Nanotubes By Using Anodized Alumina Oxide (Aao) Template, Jing Zhang, Quan-Yong Gao, Yong Yang

Journal of Electrochemistry

In this work, potential-modulation method was used in two-step anodization process to make an AAO template with Y-type nanochannels. Then Y-type carbon nanotubes with controlled length and branch angle were prepared in the template based on chemical vapor decomposion (CVD) method with Co particles as catalyst and C₂H₂ as carbon source. The Y-type nanotube branches exhibit the angle distribution ranging from 20° to 120°. The results demonstrated that the oxidation potential should be responsible for the angles and length of the branches. Short pulse and high oxidation potential will result in the short and dense nanotube branches.

Study On Electrochemical Behavior Of Sus316l Stainless Steel After Surface Modification, Cheng-Hao Liang, Liang Guo, Wan Chen, Jing-Xiao Liu

Journal of Electrochemistry

The surface modification for SUS316L stainless steel was carried out by electroplating Rh, ion beam assisted deposition Ta₂O₅ and sol-gel-derived TiO₂. In Tyrode's stimulated body fluid, the surface modified samples had been investigated with electrochemical techniques. The results indicated that the electrochemical stability and dissolution were improved significantly after surface modification. Moreover, as to ion beam assisted deposition Ta₂O₅ and Sol-gel-derived TiO₂ film, the metal's d orbit electron holes filled up by the oxygen electrons made against the adsorption of hydrogen. Thus the cathode process, which is controlled by the hydrogen …

The Study On Carbon Nanotube-Loaded Pt Catalysts For Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells, Hong Zhu, Feng-Juan Ge, Xiao-Hong Kang, Yu-Guo Yang, Yun-Hua Xu

Journal of Electrochemistry

Carbon nanotube-supported-platinum (Pt/CNTs) and carbon-supported-platinum (Pt/C) catalysts were synthesized by in-situ chemical reduction. They were analyzed using TEM and XRD, then made into electrodes to be part of assemable PEMFC for the performence tests. The resulted show that Pt clusters in both catalysts are of small particle size (about 4nm), and Pt/CNTs exhibits a higher catalytic activity than Pt/C.

The Current Fluctuations Of Carbon Steel In Nano2-Nacl Solutions, Yu-Ming Tang, Yu Zuo

Journal of Electrochemistry

The characteristics of current fluctuations of A3 carbon steel in NaNO₂-NaCl solutions were studied with potentiostatic and potentiodynamic polarization methods. The steel remained stable passivation in 0.1 mol/L NaNO₂ solution without Cl^-. After NaCl was added in to the solution, current fluctuations with a characteristic of quick increase and slow decrease occurred, indicating quick dissolution and slow re-passivation of the metastable pits. The metastable pitting may cause accumulated corrosion damage around certain area and result in observable pits. With the increase of chloride concentration, the occurring potential for metastable pits Em rised, and peak values …

Fabrication Of Scanning Micro Cl- Probe And In Situ Imaging Of Cl- At The Interface Of 2024 Al Aloy/Solution, Yu-Hua Lin, Min-Hua Shao, Rong-Gang Hu, Yan Li, Rong-Gui Du, Chang-Jian Lin

Journal of Electrochemistry

Micro combination Ag/AgCl electrode with a tip measuring tens micron in diameter was fabricated. The probe satisfied in situ imaging of Cl^- distribution at metal surface in chloride solution because of its excellent linearity between potential and Cl- concentration, rapid response, good stability and selectivity. With the aid of the home made Micro Electrode Scanning system and scanning Cl^- probe, the effect of the [Cl^-] at 2024-Al/solution interface on localized corrosion process was investigated. It was demonstated directly that Cl^- ion in solution immigrated toward, then adsorbed preferentially and accumulated at the junction between the …

Microstructure And Electrochemical Characteristics Of The Anodic Film Formed On Aluminum Surface, Jeng-Kuei Chang, Chi-Min Liao, Chih-Hsiung Chen, Wen-Ta Tsai

Journal of Electrochemistry

The thickness, morphology, chemical composition, and crystallinity of the anodized film formed on aluminum were examined in a transmission electron microscope (TEM). Thin foil for TEM analysis was prepared by ultramicrotomy. The relationship between the microstructure and the electrochemical characteristics of the alumina film forming on the pure aluminum was discussed in this investigation. At the forming voltage less than 100V, the anodized films formed at 85 ℃in aqueous ammonium adipate electrolyte was amorphous in nature. Although the film resistance was increased with the forming voltage, its dielectric constant was not changed significantly. As the forming voltage exceeded 100V, crystalline …

Study Of Marine Biocorrosion Using Afm And Molecular Techniques, Herbert H.P.Fang, Lichong Xu, Tong Zhang

Journal of Electrochemistry

Biofilm is ubiquitous in nature.However,corrosin caused by biofilm is still by and large overlooked. This presentation is to demonstrate the applications of several newly developed analytical techniques in chemisrty and microbiology for the study of marine biocorrosion on steel. AFM(atomic force microscopy) was applied to investigate the initial formation mechanism of biofilm and the degree of corrosion of steel in polluted seawater. DNA/RNA-related molecular techniques were used to analyze the microbial composition corrosive biofilm. Results showed that microbial corrosion began within six days, and the corroded volume in the increased as a power function of time with an index 2.83. …

In Situ Measurements Of Solution Conductivity In Microwave Field, Yong-Qing Su, Chun-Peng Liu

Journal of Electrochemistry

The curves of the conductivity as a function of temperature for 24 kinds of solutions have been in situ measured both in the microwave field and in absence of microwave field. The results indicated that the relationship between the conductivity in microwave field (L_w) and temperature (T) can be expressed by an equation L_w=a′+b′T+c′T² , similar to the one that is valid in absence of the microwave field L_n=a+bT+cT². Conductivity in the absence and presence of microwave field can be linked by the equation lnL_w=A+BL_n+CL²_{n …}

Pure Iron Electrolyzed From Scrap Iron Chips And Its Corrosion Characteristics, Wei-Min Cao, Ren-He Yin, Hui-Ceng Yan, Zhi-Qiang Ye

Journal of Electrochemistry

The high purity electrolytic iron was made from scrap iron chips. Electrolytic conditions of pure iron were determined in chloride baths and the highest purity was 99.983% by chemical analysis. Pure iron had very compact texture and high mechanical strength by SEM figures of cross section. In deaerated 0.5 kmol·m^-3 H₂SO₄ and 0.5 kmol·m^-3 NaCl solutions, the corrosion rate of iron decreased with increasing purity.

Study For The Cathodic Behavior Of Active Chlorine On 316l Ss Electrode Surface, Hui Yu, Ming-Xian Sun, Yan Ma, Xiao-Bin Wang

Journal of Electrochemistry

The cathodic reducing reactions of active chlorine on 316 L SS electrode surface have been investigated by electrochemical techniques. The open circuit potential shifted positively and the limited diffusion current density increased significantly with the increasing content of active chlorine in the 3.5% sodium chloride solution. The two cathodic reduction processes of HClO and ClO^- exhibited on the surface of electrode with the active chlorine added to the 3.5%sodium chloride solution and the corresponding potentials of the two reducing reactions were confirmed. The linear relationship of the mass transport-limited Faradaic current, Id vs. the square root of the angular …

Ultrafine Nife2o4 Powder Fabricated From Reverse Microemulsion Process, Jiye Fang, Narayan Shama, Le Duc Tung, Eun Young Shin, Charles J. O'Connor, Kevin L. Stokes, Gabriel Caruntu, John B. Wiley, Leonard Spinu, Jinke Tang

Physics Faculty Publications

NiFe2O4 ultrafine powder with high crystallinity has been prepared through a reverse microemulsion route. The composition in starting solution was optimized, and the resulting NiFe2O4 was formed at temperature of around 550–600 °C, which is much lower than that observed from the solid-state reaction. Magnetic investigation indicates that samples are soft-magnetic materials with low coercivity and with the saturation magnetization close to the bulk value of Ni ferrite.

Self-Assembly Of Fept Nanoparticles Into Nanorings, Weilie L. Zhou, Jibao He, Jiye Fang, Tuyet-Anh Huynh, Trevor J. Kennedy, Kevin L. Stokes, Charles J. O'Connor

Physics Faculty Publications

The application of nanoparticles as quantum dots in nanoelectronics demands their arrangement in ordered arrays. Shape controlled self-assembly is a challenge due to the difficulties of obtaining proper self-assembling parameters, such as solvent concentration, organic ligands, and nanoparticle size. In this article, hard magnetic FePt nanoparticles were synthesized using a combination approach of reduction and thermal decomposition. The nanoparticles are about 4.5 nm and appeared as truncated octahedral enclosed by the

{100} and {111}

crystal facets of fcc structure. The nanoparticles are of hexagonal close packing and orient randomly in the self-assembly nanoarrays.  By diluting the solution for large-area self-assembly, …

Detection And Analysis Of Sec1 Immunological Reaction By Afm And Electrochemical Method, Sa-Ying Dong, Hong-Ren Wang

Journal of Electrochemistry

The goals of this work were to demonstrate the ability of atomic force microscopy (AFM) to detect various immunological processes between antibodies and antigens.A sensor was designed by covalently linking the antibody of staphylococcal enterotoxin Cl (SEC1) on the self-assembled gold surface. This sensor permitted detection of antibody-antigen recognition events which were highly correlated with the topography under different conditions. The statistic data of AFM were analysed. As control experiments, nonspecific antigens and lower concentration SEC1 antigens were directly observed. In addition, an acidic solution was used to break the antigen-antibody pair and made the sensor reuse. Electrochemical evidence was …

Preparation And Electrochemical Lithium Intercalation Performance Of Different Shaped Carbon Nanotube, Mao-Hui Chen, Zhen-Cai Huang, Guo-Tao Wu, Jin-Kua You, Zu-Geng Lin

Journal of Electrochemistry

In the present work, different shaped carbon nanotubes were produced by the general CVD and the template method at different temperature (600 ℃,700 ℃) with the reaction gas of acetylene. The morphology, structure and the electrochemical lithium intercalation performance were comparatively studied and characterized by TEM, HRTEM, SEM, XRD, Raman techniques and Charge/Discharge Test. It was found that the different preparation methods and temperatures all had an obvious effect on these properties of carbon nanotubes. In our samples, with the increase of preparation temperature, the degree of crystallinity decreased, and the reversible specific capacity increased respectively.

Nano-Sized Cobalt-Based Oxides As Negative Electrode For Lithium-Ion Batteries, Feng Huang, Zheng-Yong Yuan, Yun-Hong Zhou, Ju-Tang Sun

Journal of Electrochemistry

Nanosized cobalt-based oxide (Co₃O₄, CoB_1.36O_2.8 and CoB_0.5Al_0.1O_1.5) samples were prepared by rheological phase method and were tested as anodes in secondary lithium batteries. The cells were cycled between 0.01V and 3.00 V. The best electrochemical performance was obtained from the Co₃O₄ cell, which retained 95% of its initial capacity (931 mAh/g) after 30 cycles. The doping of B, Al reduced the reversible capacity during the first discharge/charge cycle, and the quantity of reversible capacity reduced with B, Al increasing. The modifying structures at difference …

Electrochemical Preparation And Reaction Mechanism Of Nanocrystalline Nio, Jia-Shan Gu, Ai-Jie Han, Xing-Fu Zhou, Dao-Bao Chu, Chang-Jian Lin

Journal of Electrochemistry

Metallic nickel was electrochemically dissolved in absolute ethanol and acetylacetone mixed solutions and in the presence of Bu₄NBr (as an electron-conductive additive). The electrolyte solution containing the precursor was then directly hydrolyzed to obtain nanocrystalline NiO. The precursor was characterized by FTIR, HNMR, Raman spectra and the nano-powder was characterized by XRD and TEM. The results showed that the NiO powder after calcined at 450 ℃ had formed the cubic NaCl structure and the nanocrystalline NiO prepared by this method had narrow size distribution of 10～15 nm. Moreover, the product yield could be improved by controlling temperature below …

Facilitated K+ Ion Transfer By Db18c6 Across The Micro Liquid/Liquid Interface, Dong-Ping Zhan, Bing-Liang Wu

Journal of Electrochemistry

A novel microcavity Ag|AgCl electrode was fabricated to construct the micro-interface of two immiscible electrolyte solutions(ITIES). The transfer reactions of K⁺ ion facilitated by DB18C6 across the water/1,2-DCE interface was investigated with the three-electrodes system. The corresponding reaction parameters were derived from the voltammetric data. The results showed that the microcavity electrode would be a useful and efficient tool to investigate the charge transfer reactions at ITIES.

Pure Hap Film Prepared By Direct Electrodepositing On Metallic Surface And Its Mechanism, Hao-Bing Hu, Chang-Jian Lin, Fei Chen, Ren Hu, Ming Guo

Journal of Electrochemistry

In controlling concentration of Ca²⁺ and PO₄^3- in electrodeposition solution, the HAP film on Ti alloy has been deposited directly. Using XRD and SEM we have learned that prepared HAP is intact in crystal and equal in dimension. Thermodynamic calculation indicated that the HAP is easer formation of than that TCP of. With the XRD, SEM analyses and thermodynamic calculation, the electrodeposition mechanism has been discussed. It was proved that electrodepositon is a two-stage process and formation of HAP is a direct process from solution ions to HAP crystal without precursor.

Syntheses And Photoluminescence Of Zinc Oxide Polyaniline Coaxial Nanowires And Their Array, Zhi-Xin Zheng, Yan-Yan Xi, Ping Dong, Huai-Guo Huang, Jian-Zhang Zhou, Lin-Lin Wu, Zhong-Hua Lin

Journal of Electrochemistry

A novel nanomaterial, zinc oxide (ZnO) and polyaniline (PANI) coaxial nanowires and their array in the template, was synthesized using anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) membrane as template. The morphology of these coaxial nanowires was observed with transmission electron microscope (TEM). The experiments on photoluminescence (PL) of coaxial nanowires and their array in AAO membrane show that the visible emission band of ZnO shifts from 530 nm to 400 nm and the luminescence is enhanced for the coaxial nanowires array in AAO membrane,and the visible emission band shifts to a lower wavelergth (385 nm) for coatial nanowires in NaOH solution. Possible …

The Preparation And Characterization Of Growing Preferentially Cds Nanopartile Film, Huai-Guo Huang, Yan-Yan Xi, Zhi-Xin Zheng, Jia-Wei Yan, Jian-Zhang Zhou, Ling-Ling Wu, Zhong-Hua Lin

Journal of Electrochemistry

CdS nanoparticle films were prepared on the PANI film, PATP film, Au film and ITO respectively by constant current deposition or current impulse method, and their structure and character were also studied. The results show that the substrates influence the structure and character of CdS particle film.

Photocurrent Enhancement By Ticl4 Post-Treatment For Tio2 Nanoporous Film Electrode, Yan-Jie Ren, Li Zhang, Sheng-Min Cai

Journal of Electrochemistry

Enhanced photocurrent in dye-sensitized photoelectrochemical cell was obtained by post-treating the TiO₂ nanoporous film electrode with TiCl₄. By investigating the effect of the post-treatment on surface area, pore size distribution, laser pulse induced current transient of the film electrode, photocurrent increase by the post-treatment was assigned to the improved electron percolation resulting from broadening of interparticle neck.

Raman Spectroscopic Study On Mechanism Of Aluminum Triphosphate Pigment, Zhi-Jun Gu, Yong-Gui Liao, Zhi-Gang Zhang, Qi-Long Guo, Fang-Teng Su

Journal of Electrochemistry

The painted steel sample whose coating contained anticorrosive pigment has been investigated by Raman spectroscopy. The protective mechanism of aluminum triphosphate pigment for A3 steel is proposed as follows: Aluminum triphosphate can be dissolved and arrive at the surface of the steel.The dissolved triphosphate ions can complex with ferric ions.And the new products, namely ferric triphosphate, can strongly adhere at the surface of the steel by chemical bonds slowly. At last, a compact protective film, which effectively separates the steel substrate from the aggressive media, is formed at the steel surface.

Further Evidence For Surface Properties Of Porous Silicon Resulting In Electroluminescence, Zhan-Jun Zhang, Bin Wu, Jing-Jian Li, Zhong-Fan Liu, Sheng-Min Cai

Journal of Electrochemistry

The electroluminescence of porous silicon in solutions at positive biases was investigated by luminescence spectrometer. The electroluminescence of porous silicon in solutions mainly depended on its surface properties. The elelctroluminescence was much enhanced when the sample of porous silicon was electrolyzed once again which had undergone an electroluminescence test. The tests of both cyclic voltammetry and the luminescence of the sample of porous silicon prepared by repeated electrolysis provided further evidence that the electroluminescence of porous silicon in solutions at positive biases stemmed from the oxidation of Si-H on the surface of porous silicon. The voltage tunable emitting for porous …

Synthesis And Magnetic Properties Of Copt–Poly(Methylmethacrylate) Nanostructured Composite Material, Jiye Fang, Kevin L. Stokes, Jibao He, Weillie L. Zhou, Charles J. O'Connor, Daniela Caruntu

Physics Faculty Publications

We have prepared nanometer-sized CoPt particles dispersed in a poly~methyl methacrylate~PMMA!matrix, as a novel nanostructured magnetic plastic, through a soft chemical processing route. In this work, CoPt nanoparticles were successfully synthesized from a solution phase reduction system in the presence of capping ligands and stabilizing agents at high temperature. The CoPt nanoparticles were annealed at 400 °C for 3 h, and were subsequently re-dispersed inmethylmethacrylate~monomer! . The polymerization was induced by a UV source and the hardness of final product was adjusted by varying the amount of monomeric cross-link agent. Annealed bare CoPt nanoparticles as a ‘‘core’’ material and CoPt–PMMA …

121.6 Nm Radiation Source For Advanced Lithography, Jianxun Yan, Ashraf El-Dakrouri, Mounir Laroussi, Mool C. Gupta

Electrical & Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

A vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) light source based on a high-pressure cylindrical dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) has been developed. Intense and spectrally clean Lyman-α line at 121.6 nm was obtained by operating a DBD discharge in neon with a small admixture of hydrogen. The spectrum, optical power, stability, and efficiency of the source were measured. The influence of the gas mixture and total gas pressure on the VUV intensity has been investigated. Maximum optical power of 3.2 W and spectral width 0.03 nm was achieved. Power stability of 2% for 100 h of operation has also been obtained. The newly developed …

Analyses On Spm Images And Theoretical Investigations On Oxygen Vacancy Concentration Of Light-Induced Nanostructured Titania Super Hydrophilic Films, Ren-Jie Zeng, Zhong-Hua Lin, Zhi-Min Fang

Journal of Electrochemistry

A typical nanostructured titania super hydrophilic film was chosen for general char2 acterization employing a Scanning Probe Microscope (SPM) and an electrochemical measurement system. Following from the principles of the solid state chemistry and nanomechanics, intensive theoretical. analyses on the SPM images, the oxygen vacancy concentration sand the mechanism of the super hydrophilicity were made; further illuminationsona reactionequation of titania defect formation, a tentative universal surface physical mode for the wet-ability, a concept, amphiphobic-ity, and surface design were carried out after the author’ sprevious introduction and proposal in the end of 1999.