ZnO particles are successfully synthesized at 150 oC for 30 min using zinc acetate as the Zn source and 1,4- butanediol as solvent using a relatively facile and convenient glycol process. The effect of ammonium hydroxide amounts on the growth behavior and the morphological evolution of ZnO particles are investigated. The prepared ZnO nanoparticle with hexagonal structure exhibits a quasi-spherical shape with an average crystallite size of approximately 30 nm. It is also demonstrated that the morphology of ZnO particles can be controlled by 1,4-butanediol with an additive of ammonium hydroxide. The morphologies of ZnO particles are changed sequentially from a quasi-spherical shape to a rod-like shape and a hexagonal rod shape with a truncated pyramidal tip, exhibiting preferential growth along the [001] direction with increasing ammonium hydroxide amounts. It is demonstrated that much higher OH− amounts can produce a nano-tip shape grown along the [001] direction at the corners and center of the (001) top polar plane, and a flat hexagonal symmetry shape of the bottom polar plane on ZnO hexagonal prisms. The results indicate that the presence of NH4+ and OH− ions in the solution greatly affects the growth behaviors of ZnO particles. A sharp near-band-edge (NBE) emission peak centered at 383 nm in the UV region and a weak broad peak in the visible region between 450 nm and 700 nm are shown in the PL spectra of the ZnO synthesized using the glycol process, regardless of adding ammonium hydroxide. Although the broad peak of the deep-level-emission (DLE) increases with the addition of ammonium hydroxide, it is suggested that the prominent NBE emission peaks indicate that ZnO nanoparticles with good crystallization are obtained under these conditions.

Oxide coatings are formed on die-cast AZ91D Mg alloy through an environmentally friendly plasma electrolytic oxidation(PEO) process using an electrolytic solution of NaAlO2, KOH, and KF. The effects of PEO condition with different duty cycles (10 %, 20 %, and 40 %) and frequencies(500 Hz, 1,000 Hz, and 2,000 Hz) on the crystal phase, composition, microstructure, and micro-hardness properties of the oxide coatings are investigated. The oxide coatings on die-cast AZ91D Mg alloy mainly consist of MgO and MgAl2O4 phases. The proportion of each crystalline phase depends on various electrical parameters, such as duty cycle and frequency. The surfaces of oxide coatings exhibit as craters of pancake-shaped oxide melting and solidification particles. The pore size and surface roughness of the oxide coating increase considerably with increase in the number of duty cycles, while the densification and thickness of oxide coatings increase progressively. Differences in the growth mechanism may be attributed to differences in oxide growth during PEO treatment that occur because the applied operating voltage is insufficient to reach breakdown voltage at higher frequencies. PEO treatment also results in the oxide coating having strong adhesion properties on the Mg alloy. The micro-hardness at the cross-section of oxide coatings is much higher not only compared to that on the surface but also compared to that of the conventional anodizing oxide coatings. The oxide coatings are found to improve the micro-hardness with the increase in the number of duty cycles, which suggests that various electrical parameters, such as duty cycle and frequency, are among the key factors controlling the structural and physical properties of the oxide coating.

Spherical Li3V2(PO4)3 (LVP) and carbon-coated LVP with a monoclinic phase for the cathode materials are synthesized by a hydrothermal method using N2H4 as the reducing agent and saccharose as the carbon source. The results show that single phase monoclinic LVP without impurity phases such as LiV(P2O7), Li(VO)(PO4) and Li3(PO4) can be obtained after calcination at 800 oC for 4 h. SEM and TEM images show that the particle sizes are 0.5~2 μm and the thickness of the amorphous carbon layer is approximately 3~4 nm. CV curves for the test cell are recorded in the potential ranges of 3.0~4.3 V and 3.0~4.8 V at a scan rate of 0.01 mV s–1 and at room temperature. At potentials between 3.0 and 4.8 V, the third Li+ ions from the carbon-coated LVP can be completely extracted, at voltages close to 4.51 V. The carbon-coated LVP exhibits an initial specific discharge capacity of 118 mAh g–1 in the voltage region of 3.0 to 4.3 V at a current rate of 0.2 C. The results indicate that the reducing agent and carbon source can affect the crystal structure and electrochemical properties of the cathode materials.

Oxide layers were formed by an environmentally friendly plasma electrolytic oxidation (PEO) process on AZ91 Mg alloy. PEO treatment also resulted in strong adhesion between the oxide layer and the substrate. The influence of the KF electrolytic solution and the structure, composition, microstructure, and micro-hardness properties of the oxide layer were investigated. It was found that the addition of KF instead of KOH to the Na2SiO3 electrolytic solution increased the electrical conductivity. The oxide layers were mainly composed of MgO and Mg2SiO4 phases. The oxide layers exhibited solidification particles and pancake-shaped oxide melting. The pore size and surface roughness of the oxide layer decreased considerably with an increase in the concentration of KF, while densification of the oxide layers increased. It is shown that the addition of KF to the basis electrolyte resulted in fabricating of an oxide layer with higher surface hardness and smoother surface roughness on Mg alloys by the PEO process. The uniform thickness of the oxide layer formed on the Mg alloy substrates was largely determined by the electrolytic solution with KF, which suggests that the composition of the electrolytic solution is one of the key factors controlling the uniform thickness of the oxide layer.

Impedancemetric NOx (NO and NO2) gas sensors were designed with a stacked-layer structure and fabricated using LaCrxCo1-xO3 (x = 0, 0.2, 0.5, 0.8 and 1) as the receptor material and Li1.3Al0.3Ti1.7(PO4)3 plates as the solid-electrolyte transducer material. The LaCrxCo1-xO3 layers were prepared with a polymeric precursor method that used ethylene glycol as the solvent, acetyl acetone as the chelating agent, and polyvinylpyrrolidone as the polymer additive. The effects of the Co concentration on the structural, morphological, and NOx sensing properties of the LaCrxCo1-xO3 powders were investigated with powder Xray diffraction, field emission scanning electron microscopy, and its response to 20~250 ppm of NOx at 400 oC (for 1 kHz and 0.5 V), respectively. When the as-prepared precursors were calcined at 700 oC, only a single phase was detected, which corresponded to a perovskite-type structure. The XRD results showed that as the Co concentration of the LaCrxCo1-xO3 powders increased, the crystal structure was transformed from an orthorhombic phase to a rhombohedral phase. Moreover, the LaCrxCo1-xO3 powders with 0 ≤ x < 0.8 had a rhombohedral symmetry. The size of the particles in the LaCrxCo1-xO3 powders increased from 0.1 to 0.5 μm as the Co concentration increased. The sensing performance of the stack-structured LaCrxCo1-xO3/Li1.3Al0.3Ti1.7(PO4)3 sensors was found to divide the impedance component between the resistance and capacitance. The response of these sensors to NO gas was more sensitive than that to NO2 gas. Compared to other impedancemetric sensors, the LaCr0.8Co0.2O3/Li1.3Al0.3Ti1.7(PO4)3 sensor exhibited good reversibility and reliable sensingresponse properties for NOx gases.