| 1. |
- Berger, Rolf, et al.
(författare)
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Copper extraction in TlCu3S2 -- a neutron diffraction and electronic calculation study
- 1994
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Ingår i: J Solid State Chem.. ; 112, s. 120-125
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The mechanism of the TlCu3S2/TlCu2S2 phase transformation has been studied experimentally by neutron diffraction and theoretically by three-dimensional Hueckel band calculations. Experiments show that only one of the sites is attacked during oxidative extraction of copper from TlCu3S2, the site that according to the calculations should be the most vulnerable. The results support a previously presented transformation mechanism model based on topotaxy.
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| 2. |
- Chen, Zheng, et al.
(författare)
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Graphitic nitrogen in carbon catalysts is important for the reduction of nitrite as revealed by naturally abundant N-15 NMR spectroscopy
- 2021
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Ingår i: Dalton Transactions. - : Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC). - 1477-9226 .- 1477-9234. ; :20
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Metal-free nitrogen-doped carbon is considered as a green functional material, but the structural determination of the atomic positions of nitrogen remains challenging. We recently demonstrated that directly-excited solid state N-15 NMR (ssNMR) spectroscopy is a powerful tool for the determination of such positions in N-doped carbon at natural N-15 isotope abundance. Here we report a green chemistry approach for the synthesis of N-doped carbon using cellulose as a precursor, and a study of the catalytic properties and atomic structures of the related catalyst. N-doped carbon (NH3) was obtained by the oxidation of cellulose with HNO3 followed by ammonolysis at 800 degrees C. It had a N content of 6.5 wt% and a surface area of 557 m(2) g(-1), and N-15 ssNMR spectroscopy provided evidence for graphitic nitrogen besides regular pyrrolic and pyridinic nitrogen. This structural determination allowed probing the role of graphitic nitrogen in electrocatalytic reactions, such as the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), oxygen evolution reaction (OER), and nitrite reduction reaction. The N-doped carbon catalyst (NH3) showed higher electrocatalytic activities in the OER and HER under alkaline conditions and higher activity for nitrite reduction, as compared with a catalyst prepared by the carbonization of HNO3-treated cellulose in N-2. The electrocatalytic selectivity for nitrite reduction of the N-doped carbon catalyst (NH3) was directly related to the graphitic nitrogen functions. Complementary structural analyses by means of C-13 and H-1 ssNMR, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Raman spectroscopy, and low-temperature N-2 adsorption were performed and provided support to the findings. The results show that directly-excited N-15 ssNMR spectroscopy at natural N-15 abundance is generally capable of providing information on N-doped carbon materials if relaxation properties are favorable. It is expected that this approach can be applied to a wide range of solids with an intermediate concentration of N atoms.
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| 3. |
- Chen, Zheng, et al.
(författare)
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Increased photocurrent of CuWO4 photoanodes by modification with the oxide carbodiimide Sn2O(NCN)
- 2020
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Ingår i: Dalton Transactions. - : Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC). - 1477-9226 .- 1477-9234. ; 49:11, s. 3450-3456
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Tin(ii) oxide carbodiimide is a novel prospective semiconductor material with a band gap of 2.1 eV and lies chemically between metal oxides and metal carbodiimides. We report on the photochemical properties of this oxide carbodiimide and apply the material to form a heterojunction with CuWO4 thin films for photoelectrochemical (PEC) water oxidation. Mott-Schottky experiments reveal that the title compound is an n-type semiconductor with a flat-band potential of -0.03 V and, as such, the position of the valence band edge would be suitable for photochemical water oxidation. Sn2O(NCN) increases the photocurrent of CuWO4 thin films from 32 mu A cm(-2) to 59 mu A cm(-2) at 1.23 V vs. reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE) in 0.1 M phosphate buffer (pH 7.0) under backlight AM 1.5G illumination. This upsurge in photocurrent originates in a synergistic effect between the oxide and oxide carbodiimide, because the heterojunction photoanode displays a higher current density than the sum of its individual components. Structural analysis by powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) reveals that Sn2O(NCN) forms a core-shell structure Sn2O(NCN)@SnPOx during the PEC water oxidation in phosphate buffer. The electrochemical activation is similar to the behavior of Mn(NCN) but different from Co(NCN).
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| 4. |
- Chen, Zheng, et al.
(författare)
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Reaction pathways on N-substituted carbon catalysts during the electrochemical reduction of nitrate to ammonia
- 2022
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Ingår i: Catalysis Science & Technology. - : Royal Society of Chemistry. - 2044-4753 .- 2044-4761. ; 12:11, s. 3582-3593
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Electrochemical reduction of nitrate into ammonia is one potential strategy to valorize pollutants needed to close the nitrogen cycle. The understanding of carbonaceous materials as metal-free representatives of electrocatalysts is of high importance to ensure sufficient activity and target selectivity. We report on the role of defects in cellulose-derived nitrogen-doped carbon (NDC) materials, produced by ammonolysis at different temperatures, to obtain efficient electrocatalysts for the nitrate reduction reaction (NO3RR). Carbon catalyst ammonolysis at 800 °C (NDC-800) yields the highest electrochemical performance, exhibiting 73.1% NH4+ selectivity and nearly 100% NO3− reduction efficiency with a prolonged NO3RR time (48 h) at −1.5 V vs. Ag/AgCl in a 0.1 M Na2SO4 electrolyte. We provide support to our findings by undertaking complementary structural analyses with scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Raman spectroscopy, low-temperature N2 adsorption, and theoretical studies based on multi-scale/level calculations. Atomistic molecular dynamics simulations based on a reactive force field combined with quantum chemistry (QC) calculations on representative model systems suggest possible realistic scenarios of the material structure and reaction mechanisms of the NO3− reduction routes.
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| 5. |
- Chen, Zheng, et al.
(författare)
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Tailoring the Surface Properties of Bi2O2NCN by in Situ Activation for Augmented Photoelectrochemical Water Oxidation on WO3 and CuWO4 Heterojunction Photoanodes
- 2020
-
Ingår i: Inorganic Chemistry. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 0020-1669 .- 1520-510X. ; 59:18, s. 13589-13597
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Bismuth(III) oxide-carbodiimide (Bi2O2NCN) has been recently discovered as a novel mixed-anion semiconductor, which is structurally related to bismuth oxides and oxysulfides. Given the structural versatility of these layered structures, we investigated the unexplored photochemical properties of the target compound for photoelectrochemical (PEC) water oxidation. Although Bi2O2NCN does not generate a noticeable photocurrent as a single photoabsorber, the fabrication of heterojunctions with the WO3 thin film electrode shows an upsurge of current density from 0.9 to 1.1 mA cm–2 at 1.23 V vs reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE) under 1 sun (AM 1.5G) illumination in phosphate electrolyte (pH 7.0). Mechanistic analysis and structural analysis using powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and scanning transmission electron microscopy energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (STEM EDX) indicate that Bi2O2NCN transforms during operating conditions in situ to a core–shell structure Bi2O2NCN/BiPO4. When compared to WO3/BiPO4, the in situ electrolyte-activated WO3/Bi2O2NCN photoanode shows a higher photocurrent density due to superior charge separation across the oxide/oxide-carbodiimide interface layer. Changing the electrolyte from phosphate to sulfate results in a lower photocurrent and shows that the electrolyte determines the surface chemistry and mediates the PEC activity of the metal oxide-carbodiimide. A similar trend could be observed for CuWO4 thin film photoanodes. These results show the potential of metal oxide-carbodiimides as relatively novel representatives of mixed-anion compounds and shed light on the importance of the control over the surface chemistry to enable the in situ activation.
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| 6. |
- Corkett, Alex J., et al.
(författare)
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Band Gap Tuning in Bismuth Oxide Carbodiimide Bi2O2NCN
- 2019
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Ingår i: Inorganic Chemistry. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 0020-1669 .- 1520-510X. ; 58:9, s. 6467-6473
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Layered bismuth oxides exhibit a broad range of tunable physical properties as a result of their excellent structural versatility which facilitates compositional substitutions at both cationic and anionic positions. Here we expand this family in a new direction through the preparation of the first example of a bismuth-containing oxide carbodiimide, Bi2O2NCN, which assumes an extended variant of the anti-ThCr2Si2 structure-type adopted by Bi(2)O(2)Ch (Ch = Se or Te) oxide chalcogenides. Electronic structure calculations reveal the title compound to be an indirect band gap semiconductor with a band gap of approximately 1.4 eV, in good agreement with the measured value of 1.8 eV, and intermediate between that of structurally related Bi2O2S (1.12 eV) and beta-Bi2O3 (2.48 eV). Mott-Schottky experiments demonstrate Bi2O2NCN to be an n-type semiconductor with a conduction band edge position of -0.37 V vs reversible hydrogen electrode. This study highlights the pseudochalcogenide nature of the N-=C=N- carbodiimide anion, which may be substituted in place of oxide or chalcogenide anions in this and potentially other structural classes as an effective means of electronic tuning.
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| 7. |
- Jacobs, Philipp, et al.
(författare)
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A Rietveld refinement method for angular- and wavelength-dispersive neutron time-of-flight powder diffraction data.
- 2015
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Ingår i: Journal of Applied Crystallography. - 1600-5767. ; 48:Pt 6, s. 1627-1636
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This paper introduces a two-dimensional extension of the well established Rietveld refinement method for modeling neutron time-of-flight powder diffraction data. The novel approach takes into account the variation of two parameters, diffraction angle 2θ and wavelength λ, to optimally adapt to the varying resolution function in diffraction experiments. By doing so, the refinement against angular- and wavelength-dispersive data gets rid of common data-reduction steps and also avoids the loss of high-resolution information typically introduced by integration. In a case study using a numerically simulated diffraction pattern of Rh0.81Fe3.19N taking into account the layout of the future POWTEX instrument, the profile function as parameterized in 2θ and λ is extracted. As a proof-of-concept, the resulting instrument parameterization is then utilized to perform a typical refinement of the angular- and wavelength-dispersive diffraction pattern of CuNCN, yielding excellent residuals within feasible computational efforts. Another proof-of-concept is carried out by applying the same approach to a real neutron diffraction data set of CuNCN obtained from the POWGEN instrument at the Spallation Neutron Source in Oak Ridge. The paper highlights the general importance of the novel approach for data analysis at neutron time-of-flight diffractometers and its possible inclusion within existing Rietveld software packages.
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| 8. |
- Jacobs, Philipp, et al.
(författare)
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Instrumental resolution as a function of scattering angle and wavelength as exemplified for the POWGEN instrument
- 2017
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Ingår i: Journal of Applied Crystallography. - 0021-8898. ; 50:3, s. 866-875
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The method of angular- and wavelength-dispersive (e.g. two-dimensional) Rietveld refinement is a new and emerging tool for the analysis of neutron diffraction data measured at time-of-flight instruments with large area detectors. Following the approach for one-dimensional refinements (using either scattering angle or time of flight), the first step at each beam time cycle is the calibration of the instrument including the determination of instrumental contributions to the peak shape variation to be expected for diffraction patterns measured by the users. The aim of this work is to provide the users with calibration files and - for the later Rietveld refinement of the measured data - with an instrumental resolution file (IRF). This article will elaborate on the necessary steps to generate such an IRF for the angular- and wavelength-dispersive case, exemplified for the POWGEN instrument. A dataset measured on a standard diamond sample is used to extract the profile function in the two-dimensional case. It is found that the variation of reflection width with 2gθ and λ can be expressed by the standard equation used for evaluating the instrumental resolution, which yields a substantially more fundamental approach to the parameterization of the instrumental contribution to the peak shape. Geometrical considerations of the POWGEN instrument and sample effects lead to values for Δgθ, Δt and ΔL that yield a very good match to the extracted FWHM values. In a final step the refinement results are compared with the one-dimensional, i.e. diffraction-focused, case.A fundamental description of the instrument resolution file is elaborated for the angular- and wavelength-dispersive cases of Rietveld refinement, exemplified for the POWGEN instrument. It is shown how to refine the necessary profile function parameters from a dataset measured on a diamond reference sample. The analysis is performed in a two-dimensional refinement space based on the convenient variables d and d?.
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| 9. |
- Junaid, Muhammad, et al.
(författare)
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Structural, mechanical, and magnetic properties of GaFe3N thin films
- 2016
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Ingår i: Journal of Vacuum Science & Technology. A. Vacuum, Surfaces, and Films. - : American Vacuum Society. - 0734-2101 .- 1520-8559. ; 34:4
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Using the density-functional theory, the structural, mechanical, and magnetic properties were investigated for different GaFe3N configurations: ferromagnetic, ferrimagnetic, paramagnetic, and nonmagnetic. Ferrimagnetic and high-spin ferromagnetic states exhibit the lowest energy and are the competing ground states as the total energy difference is 0.3 meV/atom only. All theoretically predicted values could be fully confirmed by experiments. For this, the authors synthesized phase pure, homogeneous, and continuous GaFe3N films by combinatorial reactive direct current magnetron sputtering. Despite the low melting point of gallium, the authors succeeded in the growth of GaFe3N films at a temperature of 500 degrees C. Those thin films exhibit a lattice parameter of 3.794 angstrom and an elastic modulus of 226620 GPa. Magnetic susceptibility measurements evidence a magnetic phase transitions at 8.060.1 K. The nearly saturated magnetic moment at 65 T is about 1.6 mu B/Fe and is close to the theoretically determined magnetic moment for a ferrimagnetic ordering (1.72 lB/Fe).
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| 10. |
- Lu, Can, et al.
(författare)
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Fabrication of semi-transparent SrTaO2N photoanodes with a GaN underlayer grown via atomic layer deposition
- 2022
-
Ingår i: Green Chemistry Letters and Reviews. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1751-8253 .- 1751-7192. ; 15:3, s. 658-670
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Quaternary metal oxynitride-based photoanodes with a large light transmittance are promising for high solar-to-hydrogen (STH) conversion efficiency in photoelectrochemical (PEC) tandem cells. Transparent substrates to support PEC water-splitting were fabricated using atomic layer deposition (ALD) to synthesize 30 and 60 nm GaN on SiC substrates. A generalized approach was used to grow a quaternary metal oxynitride, i.e. SrTaO2N thin film on the GaN/SiC substrates. The transparency above 60% in the wide solar spectrum highlights its availability of transmitting visible light to the rear side. A photocurrent onset at ca. −0.4 V vs. reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE) was achieved by the SrTaO2N/GaN/SiC photoanodes in a 0.1 M NaOH electrolyte under simulated solar irradiation. This paves the way for the construction of hierarchically nanostructured tandem PEC cells. This work demonstrates the viability of integrating ALD in constructing substrates for semi-transparent quaternary metal oxynitride photoanodes.
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| 11. |
- Lu, Can, et al.
(författare)
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Nanostructured core-shell metal borides-oxides as highly efficient electrocatalysts for photoelectrochemical water oxidation
- 2020
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Ingår i: Nanoscale. - : Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC). - 2040-3364 .- 2040-3372. ; 12:5, s. 3121-3128
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Oxygen evolution reaction (OER) catalysts are critical components of photoanodes for photoelectrochemical (PEC) water oxidation. Herein, nanostructured metal boride MB (M = Co, Fe) electrocatalysts, which have been synthesized by a Sn/SnCl2 redox assisted solid-state method, were integrated with WO3 thin films to build heterojunction photoanodes. As-obtained MB modified WO3 photoanodes exhibit enhanced charge carrier transport, amended separation of photogenerated electrons and holes, prolonged hole lifetime and increased charge carrier density. Surface modification of CoB and FeB significantly enhances the photocurrent density of WO3 photoanodes from 0.53 to 0.83 and 0.85 mA cm(-2), respectively, in transient chronoamperometry (CA) at 1.23 V vs. RHE (V-RHE) under interrupted illumination in 0.1 M Na2SO4 electrolyte (pH 7), corresponding to an increase of 1.6 relative to pristine WO3. In contrast, the pristine MB thin film electrodes do not produce noticeable photocurrent during water oxidation. The metal boride catalysts transform in situ to a core-shell structure with a metal boride core and a metal oxide (MO, M = Co, Fe) surface layer. When coupled to WO3 thin films, the CoB@CoOx nanostructures exhibit a higher catalytic enhancement than corresponding pure cobalt borate (Co-B-i) and cobalt hydroxide (Co(OH)(x)) electrocatalysts. Our results emphasize the role of the semiconductor-electrocatalyst interface for photoelectrodes and their high dependency on materials combination.
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| 12. |
- Lu, Can, et al.
(författare)
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NiO/Poly(4-alkylthiazole) Hybrid Interface for Promoting Spatial Charge Separation in Photoelectrochemical Water Reduction
- 2020
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Ingår i: ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 1944-8244 .- 1944-8252. ; 12:26, s. 29173-29180
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Conjugated polymers are emerging as alternatives to inorganic semiconductors for the photoelectrochemical water splitting. Herein, semi-transparent poly(4-alkylthiazole) layers with different trialkylsilyloxymethyl (R3SiOCH2-) side chains (PTzTNB, R = n-butyl; PTzTHX, R = n-hexyl) are applied to functionalize NiO thin films to build hybrid photocathodes. The hybrid interface allows for the effective spatial separation of the photoexcited carriers. Specifically, the PTzTHX-deposited composite photocathode increases the photocurrent density 6- and 2-fold at 0 V versus the reversible hydrogen electrode in comparison to the pristine NiO and PTzTHX photocathodes, respectively. This is also reflected in the substantial anodic shift of onset potential under simulated Air Mass 1.5 Global illumination, owing to the prolonged lifetime, augmented density, and alleviated recombination of photogenerated electrons. Additionally, coupling the inorganic and organic components also enhances the photoabsorption and amends the stability of the photocathode-driven system. This work demonstrates the feasibility of poly(4-alkylthiazole)s as an effective alternative to known inorganic semiconductor materials. We highlight the interface alignment for polymer-based photoelectrodes.
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| 13. |
- Lu, Can, et al.
(författare)
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Semi Transparent Three-Dimensional Macroporous Quaternary Oxynitride Photoanodes for Photoelectrochemical Water Oxidation
- 2022
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Ingår i: Chemistry of Materials. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 0897-4756 .- 1520-5002. ; 34:15, s. 6902-6911
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Semi transparent three-dimensional macroporous (3DM) photoanodes based on quaternary oxynitrides have the potential to simultaneously realize superior light harvesting and efficient charge transfer in a tandem photoelectrochemical (PEC) cell. A 3DM CaTaO2N photoanode was prepared for the first time on a GaN/Al2O3 substrate via a chemical route, and it exhibits a high transmittance of > 60% in the wide solar spectrum and a photoresponse onset at -0.3 V versus the reversible hydrogen electrode (V-RHE) under simulated solar illumination. In particular, a plateau photocurrent density of 0.21 mA cm(-2) was achieved at a low potential of 0.4 V-RHE , which was 1.6-fold and more than 50-fold higher than a two-dimensional macroporous (2DM) CaTaO2N/GaN/Al2O3 photoanode and a conventional particle-based CaTaO2N/GaN/Al2O3 photoanode, respectively. The bicontinuous, interconnected pore structure within this 3DM film can improve charge carrier separation and collection by reducing the average diffusion distance for minority carriers toward the electrolyte. Optical measurements and simulations verified the enhanced sunlight harvesting in the 3DM photoanode, which was ascribed to the concentrated distribution of the electric field and multiple scattering. This study provides guidance for future synthesis of highly efficient semitransparent 3DM quaternary oxynitride-based photoanodes for a tandem PEC device.
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| 14. |
- Lu, Can, et al.
(författare)
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Sensibilization of p-NiO with ZnSe/CdS and CdS/ZnSe quantum dots for photoelectrochemical water reduction
- 2021
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Ingår i: Nanoscale. - : Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC). - 2040-3364 .- 2040-3372. ; 13:2, s. 869-877
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Core/shell quantum dots (QDs) paired with semiconductor photocathodes for water reduction have rarely been implemented so far. We demonstrate the integration of ZnSe/CdS and CdS/ZnSe QDs with porous p-type NiO photocathodes for water reduction. The QDs demonstrate appreciable enhancement in water-reduction efficiency, as compared with the bare NiO. Despite their different structure, both QDs generate comparable photocurrent enhancement, yielding a 3.8- and 3.2-fold improvement for the ZnSe/CdS@NiO and CdS/ZnSe@NiO system, respectively. Unraveling the carrier kinetics at the interface of these hybrid photocathodes is therefore critical for the development of efficient photoelectrochemical (PEC) proton reduction. In addition to examining the carrier dynamics by the Mott–Schottky technique and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), we performed theoretical modelling for the distribution density of the carriers with respect to electron and hole wave functions. The electrons are found to be delocalized through the whole shell and can directly actuate the PEC-related process in the ZnSe/CdS QDs. The holes as the more localized carriers in the core have to tunnel through the shell before injecting into the hole transport layer (NiO). Our results emphasize the role of interfacial effects in core/shell QDs-based multi-heterojunction photocathodes.
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| 15. |
- Ma, Zili, et al.
(författare)
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CeTiO2N oxynitride perovskite : paramagnetic N-14 MAS NMR without paramagnetic shifts
- 2021
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Ingår i: Zeitschrift für Naturforschung. B, A journal of chemical sciences. - : Walter de Gruyter GmbH. - 0932-0776 .- 1865-7117. ; 76:5, s. 275-280
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- N-14 magic-angle spinning (MAS) nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectra of diamagnetic LaTiO2N perovskite oxynitride and its paramagnetic counterpart CeTiO2N are presented. The latter, to the best of our knowledge, constitutes the first high-resolution N-14 MAS NMR spectrum collected from a paramagnetic solid material. The unpaired 4f-electrons in CeTiO2N do not induce a paramagnetic N-14 NMR shift. This is remarkable given the direct Ce-N contacts in the structure for which ab initio calculations predict substantial Ce -> N-14 contact shift interaction. The same effect is revealed with N-14 MAS NMR for SrWO2N (unpaired 5d-electrons).
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| 16. |
- Ma, Zili, et al.
(författare)
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Combining Electrocatalysts and Biobased Adsorbents for Sustainable Denitrification
- 2021
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Ingår i: ACS Sustainable Chemistry and Engineering. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 2168-0485. ; 9:10, s. 3651-3660
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Efficient treatment of domestic and industrial wastewater is one of the major challenges of the 21st century. Among the inorganic pollutants, nitrogen species are significant contaminants and the management of the nitrogen cycle is one the most crucial parts of wastewater purification. Herein, we report an integrated method that minimizes the amount of chemicals used, can be empowered by renewable energy, uses renewables materials for ammonia recovery, and is scalable. Complete denitrification of wastewater was achieved by combining electrochemical and adsorption treatment for real wastewater samples from the Stockholm water pilot plant. About 98% of nitrate was selectively converted to ammonia over abundant copper electrocatalysts in the presence of Na2SO4-supporting electrolyte at -0.6 V vs reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE) within 3 h. The valorized nitrate in the form of ammonia could be recovered by means of cheap kraft lignin-SiO2 sorbents to achieve total denitrification. The presented method is economically feasible, scalable, and contributes to sustainable recycling within a circular economy.
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| 17. |
- Ma, Zili, et al.
(författare)
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Elucidation of the Active Sites for Monodisperse FePt and Pt Nanocrystal Catalysts for p-WSe2 Photocathodes
- 2020
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Ingår i: The Journal of Physical Chemistry C. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 1932-7447 .- 1932-7455. ; 124:22, s. 11877-11885
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The two-dimensional p-type semiconductor WSe2 is a promising candidate for photo-electrochemical (PEC) H-2 generation. Despite its high absorption coefficient, the PEC hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) efficiency is low and necessitates a catalyst to achieve higher photocurrents. Here, we investigate the monodisperse spherical alloy FePt and pure Pt nanocrystals (NCs) as catalysts for the PEC HER on p-WSe2 single-crystal photocathodes. After deposition of Pt or FePt, photocurrents of -0.27 and -4.0 mA cm(-2) at 0 V versus the reversible hydrogen electrode were achieved for the HER, which were 7.4 and 15 times higher compared to pristine WSe2 single crystals, respectively. Calculations at the density functional theory level show that the water adsorption and thus enhanced H2O dissociation are preferential on FePt in comparison to Pt. The edge sites of both Pt and FePt have a more negative adsorption energy than the (111) and (100) facets, indicating that the edges are the preferential sites for hydrogen production. The computational results show that the size of the Pt NC, within the range of Pt-55 (1.1 nm) and Pt-147 (1.6 nm), does not significantly influence the mechanism for the HER on the NCs.
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| 18. |
- Ma, Zili, et al.
(författare)
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Exploring the Origins of Improved Photocurrent by Acidic Treatment for Quaternary Tantalum-Based Oxynitride Photoanodes on the Example of CaTaO2N
- 2020
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Ingår i: The Journal of Physical Chemistry C. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 1932-7447 .- 1932-7455. ; 124:1, s. 152-160
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Quaternary tantalum-based oxynitrides ATa(O,N)(3),with electronic band gaps between 1.8 and 2.4 eV, are promising materials for photochemical water-splitting. The tailoring of their surface properties is a critical aspect to obtain efficient hole extraction. We report on the origin of improved photoelectrochemical (PEC) water oxidation by means of acidic treatment for this class of compounds on the example of cubic CaTaO2N particles. We address the effect of acidic treatment by using complementary physical characterization techniques, such as X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, H-1 and N-1 solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, electron microscopy, and electronic band structure calculations at the density functional theory level. In combination with PEC measurements, solid-state NMR indicates that the restructured surface displays a meaningfully higher concentration of terminating OH groups. Subsequent deposition of a nickel borate (NiBi;) catalyst on the acid-treated surface yields a higher percentual upsurge of photocurrent in comparison to pristine CaTaO2N. Our results highlight the application of solid-state NMR spectroscopy for understanding the semiconductor-catalyst interface in photochemical devices.
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| 19. |
- Ma, Zili, et al.
(författare)
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Quaternary Core-Shell Oxynitride Nanowire Photoanode Containing a Hole-Extraction Gradient for Photoelectrochemical Water Oxidation
- 2019
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Ingår i: ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 1944-8244 .- 1944-8252. ; 11:21, s. 19077-19086
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- A nanowire photoanode SrTaO2N, a semiconductor suitable for overall water-splitting with a band gap of 2.3 eV, was coated with functional overlayers to yield a core-shell structure while maintaining its one-dimensional morphology. The nanowires were grown hydrothermally on tantalum, and the perovskite-related oxynitride structure was obtained by nitridation. Three functional overlayers have been deposited on the nanowires to enhance the efficiency of photoelectrochemical (PEC) water oxidation. The deposition of TiOx protects the oxynitride from photocorrosion and suppresses charge-carrier recombination at the surface. Ni(OH)(x) acts a hole-storage layer and decreases the dark-current contribution. This leads to a significantly improved extraction of photogenerated holes to the electrode-electrolyte surface. The photocurrents can be increased by the deposition of a cobalt phosphate (CoPi) layer as a cocatalyst. The heterojunction nanowire photoanode generates a current density of 0.27 mA cm(-2) at 1.23 V vs the reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE) under simulated sunlight (AM 1.5G). Simultaneously, the dark-current contribution, a common problem for oxynitride photoanodes grown on metallic substrates, is almost completely minimized. This is the first report of a quaternary oxynitride nanowire photoanode in core-shell geometry containing functional overlayers for synergetic hole extraction and an electrocatalyst.
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| 20. |
- Ma, Zili, et al.
(författare)
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Semi-transparent quaternary oxynitride photoanodes on GaN underlayers
- 2020
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Ingår i: Chemical Communications. - : Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC). - 1359-7345 .- 1364-548X. ; 56:86, s. 13193-13196
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Conformal atomic layer deposition (ALD) technique is employed to make semi-transparent TaOxNy, providing the possibility to build semi-transparent oxy(nitride) heterojunction photoanodes on conductive substrates. A generalized approach was developed to manufacture semi-transparent quaternary metal oxynitrides on conductive substrates beyond semi-transparent binary Ta3N5 photoanodes aiming for wireless tandem photoelectrochemical (PEC) cells.
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| 21. |
- Ma, Zili, et al.
(författare)
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Structural evolution of CrN nanocube electrocatalysts during nitrogen reduction reaction
- 2020
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Ingår i: Nanoscale. - : Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC). - 2040-3364 .- 2040-3372. ; 12:37, s. 19276-19283
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Metal nitrides have been suggested as prospective catalysts for the electrochemical nitrogen reduction reaction (NRR) in order to obtain ammonia at room temperature under ambient pressure. Herein, we report that templated chromium nitride porous microspheres built up by nanocubes (NCs) are an efficient noble-metal-free electrocatalyst for NRR. The CrN NCs catalyst exhibits both a high stability and NH(3)yield of 31.11 mu g h(-1)mg(cat.)(-1)with a Faradaic efficiency (FE) of 16.6% in 0.1 M HCl electrolyte. Complementary physical characterization techniques demonstrate partial oxidation of the pristine CrN NCs during reaction. Structural characterization by means of scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) combining electron energy loss spectrum (EELS) and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) analysis reveals the NC structure to consist of an O-rich core and N-rich shell after NRR. This gradient distribution of nitrogen within the CrN NCs upon completed NRR is distinct to previously reported metal nitride NRR catalysts, because no significant loss of nitrogen occurs at the catalyst surface.
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| 22. |
- Ma, Zili, et al.
(författare)
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Structural Properties of NdTiO2+xN1-x and Its Application as Photoanode
- 2021
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Ingår i: Inorganic Chemistry. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 0020-1669 .- 1520-510X. ; 60:2, s. 919-929
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Mixed-anion inorganic compounds offer diverse functionalities as a function of the different physicochemical characteristics of the secondary anion. The quaternary metal oxynitrides, which originate from substituting oxygen anions (O2-) in a parent oxide by nitrogen (N3-), are encouraging candidates for photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting because of their suitable and adjustable narrow band gap and relative negative conduction band (CB) edge. Given the known photochemical activity of LaTiO2N, we investigated the paramagnetic counterpart NdTiO2+xN1-x. The electronic structure was explored both experimentally and theoretically at the density functional theory (DFT) level. A band gap (E-g) of 2.17 eV was determined by means of ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) spectroscopy, and a relative negative flat band potential of -0.33 V vs reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE) was proposed via Mott-Schottky measurements. N-14 solid state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) signals from NdTiO2+xN1-x could not be detected, which indicates that NdTiO2+xN1-x is berthollide, in contrast to other structurally related metal oxynitrides. Although the bare particle-based photoanode did not exhibit a noticeable photocurrent, Nb2O5 and CoOx overlayers were deposited to extract holes and activate NdTiO2+xN1-x. Multiple electrochemical methods were employed to understand the key features required for this metal oxynitride to fabricate photoanodes.
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| 23. |
- Qiao, Xianji, et al.
(författare)
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Metathetic synthesis of lead cyanamide as a p-type semiconductor
- 2020
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Ingår i: Dalton Transactions. - : Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC). - 1477-9226 .- 1477-9234. ; 49:40, s. 14061-14067
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Lead cyanamide PbNCN was synthesized by solid-state metathesis between PbCl2 and Na2NCN in a 1 : 1 molar ratio, and its structure was confirmed from Rietveld refinement of X-ray data. Electronic-structure calculations of HSE06 density-functional type reveal PbNCN to be an indirect semiconductor with a band gap of 2.4 eV, in remarkable quantitative agreement with the measured value. Mott-Schottky experiments demonstrate PbNCN to be a p-type semiconductor with a flat-band potential of 2.3 eV vs. the reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE) which is commonly used to estimate the value of the valence band edge position. Moreover, thin films of powderous PbNCN were assembled into a photoelectrode for photoelectrochemical water splitting. On the example of p-type PbNCN, this study provides the first experimental evidence that MNCN compounds can be applied as photocathodes for reductive reactions in photoelectrochemical cells.
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| 24. |
- Ronneteg, Sabina, et al.
(författare)
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Changes of the magnetic interactions in TlCo2Se2 upon metal substitution
- 2006
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Ingår i: Journal of Magnetism and Magnetic Materials. - : Elsevier BV. - 0304-8853 .- 1873-4766. ; 303:1, s. 204-213
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Various solid solutions TlCo2−xMexSe2 (Me=Fe, Ni and Cu) have been investigated by neutron powder diffraction, supplemented by magnetometry. The incommensurate spin-helix running along the c-axis in tetragonal TlCo2Se2 prevails for low concentrations of copper and iron but changes pitch. In the copper case, only cobalt carries a magnetic moment. On nickel substitution, however, collinear antiferromagnetic coupling between the ferromagnetic layers occurs. The magnetic moment distribution between the two transition metals in the solid solution TlCo2−xNixSe2 was tentatively probed with first principle calculations on fictive ordered TlCoNiSe2, modelled by two types of superstructures. Also the ternary mother compounds, Pauli paramagnetic TlNi2Se2 and antiferromagnetic TlCo2Se2, were investigated with the same LMTO method.
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