Nanocrystals of Ce1-xMnxO2-δ(x=0.00,0.05,0.10,0.15,and 0.20) were synthesized by a hydrothermal reaction route.The solid solutions crystallized in a cubic fluorite structure with a particle size in the range of 11～15 nm.The incorporation of Mn ions in CeO2 resulted in a lattice volume reduction.Mn ions showed a mixed valence state of +2,+3 and +4 in CeO2 lattice.An obvious red-shift of the absorption threshold edge was observed from the UV-visible spectrum.Compared with the bulk CeO2,Ce1-xMnxO2-δ nanocrystals exhibited a lower releasing oxygen temperature as indicated by TPR technique.
A series of Bi2O3 were prepared by a facile hydrothermal method using NaOH and ammonia as the mineralizers. The products were characterized by XRD, IR, UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectra, and photodegradation of Rhodamine B dye. Simply using NaOH to supply a strong base condition, single phase α-Bi2O3 was formed. When changing the amount of NaOH and ammonia, mixed phases of α-Bi2O3, (BiO)4CO3(OH)2 and Bi2O2CO3 were obtained. All samples were found to show photocatalytic activities towards the degradation of Rhodamine B dye under UV light irradiation, in which mixed phase samples showed higher activities than single phase α-Bi2O3 possibly owing to the synergistic effect of the mixed phases.
A series of Li4Ti5O12 materials were prepared by three different methods: solvo- thermal, sol-gel, and solid-state reaction methods. Phase composition, morphology, and particle sizes of the samples were studied by powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Electrochemical properties of the samples were investigated by charge-discharge tests. It is demonstrated that both sol-gel and solid-state reaction methods provided good control over the chemical composition and microstructure of the active material, in which sol-gel method yielded a fine Li4Ti5O12 spinel having an initial specific capacity of 146 mAh g-1 and low capacity fade during cycling. Comparatively, the solid-state method is simple and promising to prepare Li4Ti5O12 for commercial applications.
