Refinement Of Patterns Research Articles

Effect of Pr and Mn co-substitution on Structural and Optical Properties of Bismuth Ferrite

One of the most recent developments in the area of modern optics arises due to perovskite materials. The ABO3 perovskite materials like bismuth ferrite is an appealing alternative for various optical devices. Hence, in the present study, Praseodymium (Pr) and Manganese (Mn) co-substituted bismuth ferrite ceramics are prepared by the modified sol-gel method and the correlation between structural and optical properties with the variation in co-substitution concentration has been investigated. Rietveld refinement of X-ray diffraction patterns demonstrates a structural phase change in crystal symmetry from rhombohedral to orthorhombic phase with the increase in concentration for x ≥ 0.025. Lattice deformation in the co-substituted samples is confirmed by Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) and Raman spectra. UV–vis diffuse reflectance spectra confirm the strong absorption of light in the visible region. Furthermore, optical energy band gap decreases from 1.95 eV to 1.50 eV with increase in concentration from x = 0.000 to x = 0.100. The refractive index attains the maximum value i.e. 6.16 for x = 0.025 whereas it drops to minimum value of 4.06 for x = 0.100. This demonstrates that the structural modification in bismuth ferrite can be used to tune its optical parameters for the device applications.

Room temperature properties of microstructure and resistivity of alkaline earth – doped on lanthanide manganite

Microstructure of material has a strong relation with resistivity property. Here we report our interesting sample of La0.7(Sr1-xBax)0.3MnO3 (x = 0, 0.3, 0.6, and 0.9) material that has been synthesized by using sol-gel method successfully. All pattern of X-ray diffractometer (XRD) on the successful samples show that all samples are single phase confirmed without significant crystal disorder. The XRD pattern refinement yield that all samples formed R-3c space group with a rhombohedral structure. Although the substitution of Ba2+ to Sr2+ ions have significant difference in atomic radius; it does not change the crystal structure. However, the alkaline earth – doped on lanthanide manganite causes a change in lattice parameters which is followed by shifted of average crystal size, bond length, cell unit volume and bond angle at Mn-O-Mn. The microstructure results by means of scanning electron microscope (SEM) characterization shows that substitution of Ba2+ ions decrease the grain size and yield agglomeration. The relation on the microscopic result resistively confirmed by cryogenic magnetometer characterization in the concentration x = 0 has minimum resistivity of 1.28.10-3 Ωm and the maximum resistivity in the concentration x = 0.9 is 1.85.10-1 Ωm. The Ba2+ doped into Sr2+ in lanthanum manganite may cause a wider resistivity range.

Czochralski growth, optical and magneto-optical properties of Ce9.33(SiO4)6O2 crystal

Ce9.33(SiO4)6O2 (CSO) crystals were grown by the Czochralski (Cz) method. Rietveld refinement of XRD patterns confirmed the oxyapatite structure of CSO, XPS analysis revealed the valence of Ce ions in CSO crystals. Magnetization curve and temperature dependencies of the magnetic susceptibility were measured, paramagnetic behavior and magnetic anisotropy have been observed. Photoluminescence and Faraday rotation characteristics of the CSO crystal were investigated at room temperature. Verdet constants of CSO were about 1.6 times as large as those of TGG. Baesd on Van Vleck–Hebb theory, the effective transition wavelength and probability of CSO crystal were calculated and compared with other Ce3+-containing crystals. The absorption and magnetic circular dichroism (MCD) spectra of 4f→5d transitions in Ce3+ ions in CSO crystal were studied.

A comprehensive study on MnZn ferrite materials with high saturation magnetic induction intensity and high permeability for magnetic field energy harvesting

Manganese-zinc (MnZn) ferrites have important applications in energy conversion, transmission, and harvesting. MnZn ferrite for magnetic field energy harvesting is expected to enhance the saturation magnetic induction (Bs), initial permeability (μi), and Curie temperature (Tc) aspects simultaneously, which is beneficial to the energy harvesting efficiency and safety of the device. In this paper, various formulations of MnZn ferrite samples were prepared by the conventional oxide ceramic process. The cation distribution was determined through Rietveld refinement of XRD patterns Based on this, the M–T curves were fitted by combining Néel molecular field theory with Brillouin functions. The greatest influence on the Curie temperature was found to be the molecular field coefficient between the A and B sites. The magnetization mechanism of MnZn ferrite was comprehensively analyzed by fitting the complex permeability spectrum, magnetocrystalline anisotropy constant, and magnetostriction coefficient. The ratio of domain wall displacement magnetization to domain rotation magnetization shows an increasing and then decreasing trend with Fe content, while |K1| shows an opposite trend. Finally, MnZn ferrite materials with excellent overall performance (Bs = 505mT, μi = 9016, Tc = 447 K) were prepared by investigating the magnetization mechanism.

Structure, dielectric and ferroelectric Properties of (1-x)K0.5Na0.5NbO3 – xBi0.5Na0.5TiO3(0 ≤ x≤ 0.1) Solid Solution

In this study, we prepared lead-free (1-x)K0.5Na0.5NbO3 – xBi0.5Na0.5TiO3 ceramics (KNNBTx) with x = 0, 0.025, 0.05, 0.075, 0.1 using the conventional solid-state reaction method. Scanning electron microscopy analysis revealed dense ceramics with a notable decrease of the average grain size from 3 μm for x = 0–0.3 μm for x ≥ 0.050. X-ray diffraction pattern refinement unveiled that the pure KNN possessed an orthorhombic Amm2 symmetry. In contrast, the KNNBT0.100 composition displayed a tetragonal P4mm symmetry, while the KNNBT0.025 composition exhibited a monoclinic Pm symmetry, suggesting the stabilization of an intermediate phase between the orthorhombic and tetragonal symmetries for x = 0.025. Dielectric measurements indicated that the introduction of small cations in A and B sites of the KNN matrix induced a diffusive phase transition. According to the modified Curie–Weiss law (named also Uchino and Nomura function), the degree of diffuseness (γ) increased from γ = 1.45 to γ 1.74 with increasing x. Raman spectroscopy revealed a frequency upshift of the vibration modes along with broadening of the modes as the NBT composition increased, indicating increased structural disorder in the perovskite structure. Temperature-dependent Raman spectra exhibited the persistence of certain modes at higher temperatures due to the off-centering of cations at A and B sites, a result of the induced substitution-induced disorder in the KNN matrix. Temperature dependent of Raman modes’ frequency have shown substantial modifications at temperatures close to the critical temperatures identified by dielectric measurements. Ferroelectric measurements demonstrated that the incorporation of NBT into the KNN matrix led to significant alterations in the polarization and ferroelectric characteristics of the parent ceramic (pure KNN). As the NBT content increased, the remanent polarization decreased from 13.1 to 3.6 μC/cm2, and the P-E curves became pinched/distorted, indicating a disruption in the long-range order of KNN due to structural and grain size modifications.

Modulating the magnetic anisotropy in SmCo/Co nanocomposites through alteration in spin–orbit coupling

In the present work, one-dimensional (1-D) as-synthesized SmCo/Co magnetic nanocomposites were prepared through magnetically-assisted chemical reduction method. The samples were prepared with the varying reaction times between 1 and 10 h labelled as SC1, SC2, SC5, SC7 and SC10. The Rietveld refinement of XRD patterns revealed the presence of Sm(OH)3 (P63/m), hcp-Co (P63/mmc), cubic-Co (Fm-3 m) and Sm2Co17 (P63/mmc) phases with varying phase fractions. The nanocomposites were found to possess the highest aspect ratio (∼7) with lowest crystallite size (∼50 nm) along with the highest developed lattice strain in SC5. The decisive influence of the reaction time was observed on the magnetic response of the samples indicating highest saturation magnetization of ∼ 150 emu/g and effective magnetic anisotropy of ∼ 1.5 x 106 erg/cm3 in SC5. The generalized form of Bloch law was employed to study the origin of magnetic anisotropy determined as spin–orbit coupling which was found to be highest in SC5. It was suggested that the enhanced magnetic properties of the nanocomposites are attributable to the high fraction of magnetic phases with the soft magnetic character and coupling between multiple phases.

Observation of weak ferromagnetism in the antiferromagnetic host and large electronic heat capacity in β-Mn-type structured Mn3Al alloy

Numerous interesting features of antiferromagnets open up the possibility of designing new antiferromagnetic materials that can be useful for spintronic device applications. Here we present the structural, magnetic, thermal and electrical transport properties of polycrystalline Mn3Al alloys prepared by arc melting. Rietveld refinement of the room temperature X-Ray diffraction patterns reveals that the arc-melted Mn3Al crystallizes in a β Mn phase (space group 213). Detailed analysis of the magnetic data suggests for a dominant antiferromagnetic ordering. However, an in-homogenous magnetic disorder is observed in the system having a weak ferromagnetic phase in the antiferromagnetic host. In spite of the strong spin fluctuations in this system, the signature of spin glass-like nature in these alloys are not observed as probed by the frequency-dependent AC-Susceptibility measurements. Furthermore, the heat capacity was insensitive to the applied field of 3 Tesla with a negligible magnetic contribution suggesting a large electronic contribution to the heat capacity in these alloys. This work provides a useful insight into the tunable physical properties of the Heusler alloys for exploring antiferromagnetic based spintronic applications.

Vacancy ordering in zirconium carbide with different carbon contents

Zirconium carbide (ZrCx) ceramics with different carbon contents were prepared by reactive hot-pressing. The rock-salt structure of ZrCx was the only phase detected by x-ray diffraction of the hot pressed ceramics. The relative densities of ZrCx decreased as carbon content increased, in general. The actual carbon contents were measured by completely oxidizing the ZrCx ceramics to ZrO2. For most compositions, the actual carbon contents were higher than nominal batched compositions, presumably due to carbon uptake from the graphite furnace and hot press dies. Selected area electron diffraction and neutron powder diffraction revealed the presence of carbon vacancy ordering in ZrCx for 0.6 < x < 0.75. Rietveld refinement of the neutron diffraction patterns determined that the crystal structure of the ordered phase was hexagonal, and the carbon site occupancies were higher than nominal batched carbon stoichiometry.

Investigation on bio-synthesized Ni- and Al-doped cobalt ferrite using lemon juice as eco-fuel

Pure and doped cobalt ferrite (CoFe2O4) nanoparticles were prepared using sol-gel auto-combustion route with the aid of lemon juice as eco-fuel. In this study, Ni2+ and Al3+ ions were chosen as the dopants. The cubic spinel crystal structure of the synthesized ferrite samples was elucidated from the powder X-ray diffraction analysis. The crystallographic parameters associated with the samples were obtained from the Rietveld profile refinement of the diffraction patterns. The precise lattice parameter obtained from the Nelson-Riley extrapolation method is found nearly matches with the lattice parameter obtained from the Rietveld refinement of respective samples. The average crystallite size and microstrain accompanying with the samples were estimated from various methods such as via the Debye-Scherrer method, Williamson-Hall analysis and size-strain plot. By employing Tauc’s plot method, the optical parameters such as the direct bandgap, sub-bandgap and the Urbach energy of all the samples were calculated by analyzing the UV-Visible reflectance spectra. The room temperature magnetic properties of all the samples were estimated from the vibrating sample magnetometry. The nature of magnetic hysteresis revealed the semi-hard ferrimagnetism of the prepared cobalt ferrite samples. Also, the variation of magnetic properties with doping was analyzed. The weakening of interaction among the ions in tetrahedral and octahedral sites causes a decrease in the values of remanent magnetization, saturation magnetization and coercivity of doped samples.

Facile synthesis of lanthanum-doped SrTiO3 nanocubes mediated by cetyltrimethylammonium bromide and tert-butylamine under solvothermal condition and their tunable electrical properties

The electrical conductivity of low concentrations of lanthanum-doped SrTiO3 nanocube ceramics synthesized using the facile solvothermal method in mixed organic and inorganic solvents with cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) as a capping agent and tert-butyl amine (TBA) as a mineralizer was investigated. X-ray diffraction patterns confirmed the formation of a high-purity perovskite phase, corresponding to the standard data and the pattern refinement results. The particles of the sample were nanocubes, whereas the La-doped SrTiO3 sample particles were more uniform in size and shape, as shown in TEM images. The FT-IR spectrum confirmed the vibration of the CH3-N+ groups from CTAB and TBA, indicating an electrostatic interaction between their functional groups and the particle surface. Substitution of La3+ ions at low concentrations increased electrical conductivity compared to the undoped SrTiO3 sample. Lanthanum donates excess electrons, thereby increasing the number of electron carriers, which causes a reduction in the band gap energy according to the UV-DRS spectrum analysis using the Tauc equation.

Synthesis of Na0.02Bi0.98FeO3-δ through the standardized preparation of BiFeO3

This research describes the synthesis of the ferroelectric perovskite Na0.02Bi0.98FeO3-δ using a low-cost solid-state method starting from a bismuth ferrite BiFeO3 structure in order to obtain a material with improved properties for photovoltaic applications. The synthesized materials were characterized by X-ray Diffraction (XRD) technique to determine the effective synthesis conditions for six undoped BiFeO3 samples obtained at different calcination temperatures and quantified by Rietveld® refinement of diffraction patterns, finding homogeneous phase formation at 810 °C under laboratory conditions. The effective synthesis temperature allowed obtaining a stable perovskite-type material, doped with Na+ and its structural characterization by XRD showed a structural modification in the unit cell with respect to BiFeO3 due to the incorporation of sodium cation. The binding energies determined by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) confirmed the formation of the main crystalline phase and the insertion of Na+ cations inside perovskite structure. The morphological characterization by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) of the synthesized material showed the formation of two stable morphologies: Bi2Fe4O9 and Na0.02Bi0.98FeO3-δ as the predominant phase. The optical characterization by Raman spectroscopy allowed identifying variations in the vibration modes of the perovskite doped with respect to undoped bismuth ferrite. The variation of the optical bandgap was determined using the Tauc’s equation and the electrical characterization by solid state electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (SS-EIS) demonstrated an increase in electrical conductivity, at room temperature, by the Na+ doped perovskite, proving an optimal behavior for its potential uses as a semiconductor. The results indicate that the current methodology is promising for the low-cost production of Na0.02Bi0.98FeO3-δ type perovskites for photovoltaic applications.

Structural, magnetic, and metal-carboxylate interactions investigations in alginate-encapsulated MFe2O4 (M = Co, Ni, Zn)

Magnetic ferrites nanoparticles (MFNs) MFe2O4 (M = Co, Ni, Zn) were synthesized via coprecipitation method and then encapsulated by Alginate polymer through cross-linking in aqueous calcium chloride solution. The obtained products were characterized by XRD, SEM, FTIR spectroscopy, TGA, and VSM. X-ray diffraction results indicate a decrease in diffractions picks intensities after encapsulating the MFNs with Alginate. Furthermore, cation distribution among interstitial sites was determined and it indicates an average inversion degree of 0.017, 0.142, and 0.8 for CoFe2O4, NiFe2O4, and ZnFe2O4 respectively, these values are in good agreement with the Rietveld refinement of X-ray diffraction patterns. The interaction of MFNs surface and the carboxylic group of alginates was investigated in detail for the first time, FTIR spectroscopy and VSM were used for this purpose. Therefore, from the wavenumber separation Δ values, between the frequencies of the characteristic peaks for asymmetric and COO− stretching vibration and symmetric COO− stretching vibration, we found 185.16 for Na-Alginate, 177.45 cm−1 for Alg@CoFe and Alg@Ni, while Alg@Zn have a wavenumber separation of 192.88 cm−1, which is characteristic to bidentate chelating coordination. The study of magnetic properties reveals a decrease of saturation magnetization after the encapsulation of nanoparticles, from 80.86, 47.17, and 4.36 emu/g for CoFe2O4, NiFe2O4 and ZnFe2O4 respectively to reach 18.43, 13.53, and 0.69 for their corresponding beads. This decrease is explained by the interaction between COO− and the surface of the nanoparticles.

Linear magnetoelectric coupling and type-II multiferroic order in NiMn2O4

We report an unexplored type-II multiferroic order in NiMn2O4, exhibiting strong linear magnetoelectric coupling above liquid-nitrogen (LN) temperature. The compound becomes ferroelectric at ∼100 K, coinciding with ferrimagnetic ordering, with a polarization value of ∼535 μC/m2 for a poling field of 5 kV/cm. At LN temperature, the polarization value increases linearly (∼21%) with a magnetic field up to 30 kOe. Rietveld refinement of neutron diffraction patterns reveals a ferrimagnetic model with antiparallel moments at tetrahedral and octahedral sites, as well as a canting of octahedral moment persisting up to ∼100 K. Low-temperature synchrotron diffraction confirms a step-like oxygen displacement during multiferroic ordering, suggesting that the Dzyaloshinskii–Moriya interaction polarizes the intervening oxygen atoms through magnetostriction, providing a microscopic mechanism for spontaneous electric polarization in this linear magnetoelectric multiferroic compound.

Occupancies of tetra- and octahedral sites in CoFe2O4 nanoparticles: The effect of the sintering temperature

A temperature factor is one of the main parameters in the synthesis of nanoparticles and can affect considerably the arrangement of atoms in the lattice. In the system of magnetically hard CoFe2O4 spinel ferrite, the distribution of cations directly determines the magnetic properties of the sample. It was studied, on products of co-precipitation synthesis followed by a temperature dependent sinterization, by x-ray diffraction (XRD), x-ray absorption (XAS) using synchrotron radiation, vibrating sample magnetometry, and 57Fe Mössbauer spectroscopy (MS). From the Rietveld refinement of XRD patterns, the site occupancies reveal the following trend: with a decrease in the sintering temperature, the inversion degree parameter γ, which is a fraction of Co ions residing in the octahedral sites, decreases. For the highest sintering temperature explored in this work, 1000 °C, γ ≈ 0.83 giving rise to (Co0.17Fe0.83)A[Co0.83Fe1.27]BO4 formulation. For the lowest sintering temperature explored, 500 °C, the inversion degree is approximately 0.69 giving rise to (Co0.31Fe0.69)A[Co0.69Fe1.31]BO4 formulation. The propensity for the cationic arrangement was also confirmed by MS. Qualitative analysis of XAS at Co L3,2 edges strongly supports the tendency observed by XRD: the lower the sintering temperature, the more Co ions tend to occupy the tetrahedral sites. The magnetic behavior of the samples is consistent with the particle size which was determined by transmission/scanning electron microscopies. The particle size is the product of different sintering temperatures after the primary synthesis.

Preparation of Tilted Grating Structure by Nanoimprinting Material with High Refractive Index

The vigorous development of the semiconductor industry has made people’s demand for semiconductor devices increasingly high, but with the shrinking specifications of components, traditional lithography technology has been unable to adapt to the needs of pattern refinement. In optical lithography, it is difficult to produce patterns with feature dimensions of less than 7 nm. Nano-embossing lithography technology, as the next generation of lithography technology, has reached a feature size of less than 5 nm, and even according to relevant reports, the processing accuracy of the technology has reached 2 nm. In this paper, we experimentally illustrate the structural change trend of the inclined grating structure after continuous imprinting, so that the structural height will show a downward trend with the increase of the number of embossing, and the line width of the structural plane will show an upward trend. The best effect is obtained by obtaining high refractive index glue 133 repetitive imprinting two kinds of inclined grating structures. And the nature of the embossing adhesive is proportional to its refractive index, and the higher the refractive index of the embossing adhesive with better imprinting properties.

Synthesis, structural, impedance, optical, Mössbauer characterizations and magnetic studies of Pb-containing germanate compounds

The orthorhombic antiferromagnetic germanate minerals Pb2Fe2Ge2O9 and Pb2Mn2Ge2O9 have been prepared via solid state reaction procedure. An extensive study of structural, dielectric, optical and magnetic properties of both the germanates have been investigated by employing different measurements such as X-ray diffraction, FTIR, SEM, impedance, UV–Vis–NIR & Mössbauer spectroscopic and magnetometary. Rietveld refinement of room temperature XRD patterns revealed that both the compounds crystallize in the orthorhombic space group Pbcn. FTIR spectrum exhibits the presence of M−O & Ge–O bonds which confirms strong chemical bonding. Morphological analysis through SEM showed good crystallinity of both the samples. The variation of dielectric constant, loss tangent and impedance with frequency have been studied and it has been established that both the germanates are semiconducting at 300K (RT) which may be attributed to the stacking of ions at grain boundaries. The optical band gaps estimated by UV–Vis–NIR spectroscopic measurements further confirms the semiconducting nature of the prepared germanates. 57Fe Mössbauer spectroscopic measurement on synthesized Pb2Fe2Ge2O9 sample was carried out at RT. The obtained values of IS and QS showed that iron is in Fe3+ high spin state (t2g3eg2,s=5/2) and occupy two different sites, Fe1 and Fe2. The field dependent magnetization measurements show that both the compounds display dominant paramagnetic nature at 300K. The temperature dependent magnetization data reveal very sharp first order type AFM to PM transition at TN ∼50K and TN ∼8K for Pb2Fe2Ge2O9 and Pb2Mn2Ge2O9, respectively, and weak FM nature below Neel temperature. The field dependent properties of both the compounds have been analyzed by drawing the M versus H plots at low and room temperatures. The values of calculated effective magnetic moment 6.07μB and 3.95μB for Fe3+ and Mn3+ ions are in the high spin states (t2g3eg2,s=5/2 and )t2g3eg1,s=2.

Influence of Mn-doping on the structure, high-temperature dielectric, and conductive properties of NaNbO3 ceramics

Single phase NaNb1−xMnxO3 (NMn) with x = 0.00−0.06 ceramics were synthesized using solid state reaction technique at 1150 °C sintering temperature. The Rietveld refinement of XRD patterns of NMn ceramics confirms the orthorhombic phase symmetry with Pbma space group. The field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) reveals that grains become denser and larger with doping. The dielectric constant (ϵ′) and tangent loss (tan δ) study has been done at room temperature to 500 °C over a wide frequency in both cooling and heating mode. The anomaly at high temperature region in temperature dependent dielectric constant (ϵ′) plot in both thermal cycle attributes to the P(AFE)-R(AFE) polymorphic phase transition. The relaxor nature of the studied samples strongly depends on dopant concentration and applied field. The impedance analysis reveals negative temperature coefficient of resistance (NTCR) behaviour of material. The Nyquist study suggests the non-Debye characteristic of the dielectric relaxation in NMn ceramics.

Analyzing the role of Ni dopant to change the structural, optical and photocatalytic properties of SnO2 nanoparticles

SnO2 and 5 wt% Ni doped SnO2 nanoparticles (SnO2:Ni NPs) were successfully synthesised by a template-free hydrothermal method. X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns depicted polycrystalline nature of the NPs in rutile-type cassiterite phase with dominant (110) and (101) Bragg diffraction peaks. Rietveld refinement of XRD patterns supported single phase tetragonal crystal structure having space group P42/m n m. With Ni doping, crystallite size of NPs decreased from 39 nm to 35 nm whereas lattice strain increased from 3.56 × 10−3 to 3.99 × 10−3. This is attributed to the substitution of Sn4+ ion by Ni2+ ions. The morphology of the SnO2 NPs also changed from regular spherical shape to elongated irregular shape upon Ni doping. The dominant Raman peak obtained at 634 cm−1 matched with the signature peak for rutile SnO2 (Raman A1g mode). Further, we observed disappearance of E g mode due to Ni doping, which indicated the formation of oxygen vacancies. Also, XPS analysis indicated an increase of oxygen vacancy concentration in the doped NPs due to charge imbalance between Sn4+ and Ni2+. The direct optical band gap of SnO2 increased from 3.97 eV to 4.11 eV when doped with 5 wt% Ni and it is ascribed to Burstein–Moss effect. Irrespective of higher optical band gap of SnO2:Ni NPs, they showed enhanced photocatalytic activity to degrade Rhodamine B (RhB) dye molecules under UV-visible irradiation. The first order kinetic reaction rate constants for degradation of RhB were found to be 0.014 min−1 and 0.045 min−1 in case of SnO2 and SnO2:Ni NPs respectively. The enhanced photocatalytic activity in SnO2:Ni NPs is explained by relating to the formation of more oxygen vacancies and chemisorptions of O2 and H2O molecules followed by generation of radicals. This work demonstrates the superiority of SnO2:Ni NPs for use as photocatalytic material for industrial waste water treatment.

Novel cobalt lead ferrite (CPFO)/Ps nanocomposites with enhanced structure, optical and dielectric properties

Hexa-spinel ferrite nanoparticles of Cobalt Lead Ferrite (CPFO) were prepared by a flash auto combustion method, while xCPFO/PS (x = 0, 2.5, 5, and 7.5 wt%) nanocomposite films were synthesized by casting method. The diffraction pattern and Rietveld refinement of CPFO nanoparticles proved that they have a face-centred cubic spinel and a hexagonal structure. HRTEM micrographs of cobalt lead ferrite (CPFO) nanoparticles show an average particle size of around 30 nm. FESEM cross-section images of CPFO/PS nanocomposite films showed CPFO nanoparticles dispersed in the PS matrix. All optical characteristics of the synthesized nanocomposite films, including absorbance, transmittance, direct and indirect energy band gap, Urbach energy, excitation coefficient, and refractive index, were investigated using a UV-visible spectrophotometer examination. The direct optical energy band gap lowered from 4.533 eV to 4.368 eV, and the indirect energy optical bandgap lowered from 4.337 eV to 4.146 eV, while the Urbach energy increased from 0.103 eV to 0.209 eV with increasing the nanofillers from 0 to 7.5 wt%. Broadband dielectric spectroscopy was used over a wide frequency range (0.1 Hz–1 MHz). The dielectric real permittivity (ε′), the dissipation factor tan (δ) and the electric modulus (M′&M′′) measurements were studied. CPFO nanoparticles’ addition significantly enhanced the dielectric real permittivity (ε′), the dissipation factor tan (δ), and the ac conductivity of all nanocomposites.

Neodymium-Doped Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles Catalytic Cathode for Enhanced Efficiency of Microbial Desalination Cells

The Microbial Desalination Cell is a novel method for desalinating water that also generates energy via substrate oxidation. The MDC comprises three chambers: the anode chamber, the desalination chamber, and the cathode chamber. The fundamental problem with the technology is that it generates very little power during the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). One solution to this issue is to use a highly active cathode catalyst, which effectively increases the ORR rate. Neodymium-doped ZnO nanoparticles were produced and employed as a cathode catalyst in the three-chambered MDC1 to improve performance. Zn1−xNdxO nanocrystalline samples containing x = 0.0, 0.03, 0.6, and 0.10 were synthesized efficiently through the cost-efficient sol-gel method. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray diffraction techniques revealed the nanocrystalline nature and the phase purity of the Zn1−xNdxO samples. The structural properties of ZnO nanostructured materials were elucidated by Rietveld refinement of the XRD patterns, which showed displacement of Zn and O ions and revealed changes in the electron density around the Zn-O bond with Nd substitution. The local features of light emission from Zn1−xNdxO samples have been studied with photoluminescence. The UV and green-yellow emissions originate from the exciton transition and the transition between the Nd3+ deep level, oxygen vacancy and interstitial oxygen. The results were compared to MDC-2, which did not have a catalyst on the cathode. Both MDCs were tested using a saline water solution containing 15 g/L of NaCl to measure their desalination performance. The better reduction kinetics was confirmed by cyclic voltammetry of the MDC-1 cathode. MDC-1 had a higher desalination efficiency (77.02% ± 2.0%) due to the presence of an Nd-doped ZnO catalyst than MDC-2 (59.3% ± 8.3%). MDC-1’s maximum power density of 3.65 W/m3 was 2.78 times greater than MDC-2’s (0.78 W/m3). Furthermore, the coulombic efficiency of MDC-1 was found to be (8.8 ± 0.3%), which was much higher than that of MDC-2 (4.56 ± 0.2%). As a result, the Nd-doped ZnO-based catalyst developed in this study can potentially improve ORR in MDC cathodes, enabling them to generate more power.