In this investigation, Bi2MoO6 deposited graphene nanocomposite (BMG) was synthesized using a simple microwave assisted hydrothermal synthesis method. The synthesized BMG nanocomposite was characterized by X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray analysis, and photocurrent analysis. The study revealed that the catalysts prepared have high crystalline nature, enhanced light responsive property, high catalytic activity, and good stability. XRD results of BMG composite exhibit a koechlinite phase of Bi2MoO6. The surface property is shown by SEM and TEM, which confirmed a homogenous composition in the bulk particles of Bi2MoO6 and nanosheets of graphene. The catalytic behavior was investigated by the decomposition of Rhodamine B as a standard dye. The results exhibit excellent yields of product derivatives at mild conditions under ultrasonic/visible light-medium. Approximately 1.6-times-enhanced sono-photocatalytic activity was observed by introduction of Bi2MoO6 on graphene nanosheet compared with control sample P25 during 50 min test.
Bullets flying with a light from the back are called “tracers”. Tracers are ignited by the combustion gas of the propellant and emit bright light that allows the shooter to visually trace the flight path. Therefore, tracers mark the firing point for allies to assist shooters to hit target quickly and accurately. Conventional tracers are constructed with a mixture of an oxidizing agent, raw metal, and organic fuel. Upon ignition, the inside of the gun can be easily contaminated by the by-products, which can lead to firearm failure during long-term shooting. Moreover, there is a fire risk such as forest fires due to residual flames at impact site. Therefore, it is necessary to develop non-combustion type luminous material; however, this material must still use the heat generated from the propellant, so-called “thermoluminescence (TL)”. This study aims to compare the TL emission of Dy3+, La3+ and Ho3+ doped MgB4O7 phosphors prepared by solid state reaction. The crystal structures of samples were determined by X-ray diffraction and matched with the standard pattern of MgB4O7. Luminescence of various doses (200 ~ 15,000 Gy) of gamma irradiated Dy3+, La3+ and Ho3+ (at different concentrations of 5, 10, 15 and 20 %) doped MgB4O7 were recorded using a luminance/color meter. The intensity of TL yellowish (CIE x = 0.401 ~ 0.486, y = 0.410 ~ 0.488) emission became stronger as the temperature increased and the total gamma-ray dose increased.
To improve light absorption ability in the visible light region and the efficiency of the charge transfer reaction, Pd nanoparticles decorated with reduced TiO2 nanotube photocatalyst were synthesized. The reduced TiO2 nanotube photocatalyst was fabricated by anodic oxidation of Ti plate, followed by an electrochemical reduction process using applied cathodic potential. For TiO2 photocatalyst electrochemically reduced using an applied voltage of -1.3 V for 10 min, 38% of Ti4+ ions on TiO2 surface were converted to Ti3+ ion. The formation of Ti3+ species leads to the decrease in the band gap energy, resulting in an increase in the light absorption ability in the visible range. To obtain better photocatalytic efficiency, Pd nanoparticles were decorated through photoreduction process on the surface of reduced TiO2 nanotube photocatalyst (r10-TNT). The Pd nanoparticles decorated with reduced TiO2 nanotube photocatalyst exhibited enhanced photocurrent response, and high efficiency and rate constant for aniline blue degradation; these were ascribed to the synergistic effect of the new electronic state of the TiO2 band gap energy induced by formation of Ti3+ species on TiO2, and by improvement of the charge transfer reaction.
Fly ash is a by-product of coal fired electrical power plants and used as a material for cement and concrete; particularly, imported fly ash is mainly applied for cement production. Main objectives of this article are to replace domestic fly ash with an imported source. To verify the possibility of domestic fly ash as a material for cement from the aspect of chemical composition and physical properties, we manufactured various kinds of cement, such as using only natural raw material, shale, and partial replacement with domestic and imported fly ash. When we used the domestic and imported fly ash, there were no specific problems in terms of clinker synthesis or cement manufacturing in relation to the natural material, shale. In conclusion, domestic fly ash has been confirmed as an alternative raw material for cement because 7 days and 28 days compressive strength values were better than those of reference cement using natural raw material, on top of the process issue.
The development of advanced materials to improve the efficiency of photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting paves the way for widespread renewable energy technologies. Efficient photoanodes with strong absorbance in visible light increases the effectiveness of solar energy conversion systems. MoS2 in a two-dimensional semiconductor that has excellent absorption performance in visible light and high catalytic activity, showing considerable potential as an agent of PEC water splitting. In this study, we successfully modulated the MoS2 morphology on indium tin oxide substrate by using the metalorganic chemical vapor deposition method, and applied the PEC application. The PEC photocurrent of the vertically grown MoS2 nanosheet structure significantly increased relative to that of MoS2 nanoparticles because of the efficient transfer of charge carriers and high-density active sites. The enhanced photocurrent was attributed to the efficient charge separation and improved light absorption of the MoS2 nanosheet structure. Meanwhile, the photocurrent property of thick nanosheets decreased because of the limit imposed by the diffusion lengths of carriers. This study proposes a valuable photoelectrode design with suitable nanosheet morphology for efficient PEC water splitting.
Breakthrough analysis has widely been explored for the dynamic separation of gaseous mixtures in porous materials. In general, breakthrough experiments measure the components of a flowing gas when a gaseous mixture is injected into a column filled with an adsorbent material. In this paper, we report on the design and fabrication of a breakthrough curve measurement device to study the dynamic adsorptive separation of hydrogen isotopologues in porous materials. Using the designed system, an experiment was conducted involving a 1:1 mixture of hydrogen and deuterium passed through a column filled with zeolite 13X (1 g). At room temperature, both hydrogen and deuterium were adsorbed in negligible amounts; however, at a temperature of 77 K, deuterium was preferentially adsorbed over hydrogen. The selectivity was different from that in the existing literature due to the different sample shapes, measurement methods, and column structures, but was at a similar level to that of cryogenic distillation (1.5).
Transition metal carbides (TMCs) are used to process difficult-to-cut materials due to the trend of requiring superior wear and corrosion properties compared to those of cemented carbides used in the cutting industry. In this study, TMC (TiC, TaC, Mo2C, and NbC)-based cermets were consolidated by spark plasma sintering at 1,300 oC (60 oCmin) with a pressure of 60 MPa with Co addition. The sintering behavior of TMCs depended exponentially on the function of the sintering exponent. The Mo2C-6Co cermet was fully densified, with a relative density of 100.0 %. The Co-binder penetrated the hard phase (carbides) by dissolving and re-precipitating, which completely densified the material. The mechanical properties of the TMCs were determined according to their grain size and elastic modulus: TiC-6Co showed the highest hardness of 1,872.9 MPa, while NbC-6Co showed the highest fracture toughness of 10.6 MPa*m1/2. The strengthened grain boundaries due to high interfacial energy could cause a high elastic modules; therefore, TiC-6Co showed a value of 452 ± 12 GPa.
Generally, Au electrodes are the preferred top metal electrodes in most perovskite solar cells (PSCs) because of their appropriate work function for hole transportation and their resistance to metal-halide formation. However, for the commercialization of PSCs, the development of alternative metal electrodes for Au is essential to decrease their fabrication cost. Ag electrodes are considered one of the most suitable alternatives for Au electrodes because they are relatively cheaper and can provide the necessary stability for oxidation. However, Ag electrodes require an aging-induced recovery process and react with halides from perovskite layers. Herein, we propose a bilayer Au/Ag electrode to overcome the limitations of single Au and Ag metal electrodes. The performance of PSCs based on bilayer electrodes is comparable to that of PSCs with Au electrodes. Furthermore, by using the bilayer electrode, we can eliminate the aging process, normally an essential process for Ag electrodes. This study not only demonstrates an effective method to substitute for expensive Au electrodes but also provides a possibility to overcome the limitations of Ag electrodes.