TiN Nanoparticles Research Articles

High-Efficient Anti-Icing/Deicing Method Based on Graphene Foams.

Anti-icing/deicing has always been a focal issue in modern industries. A novel anti-icing/deicing material based on graphene foams (GF) is prepared in this paper, which integrates multiple functions, including electrothermal conversion, photothermal conversion, and superhydrophobicity. The GF sheet is used as a bottom layer bonded on the protected substrate, which is covered by a polymeric composite coating filled with TiN and SiO2 nanoparticles. Electric heating and light heating experiments are performed to study the anti-icing/deicing performances of such a GF-based material. It is found that, under the unique action of electric fields, a voltage of only 1 V is needed to increase the surface temperature from minus tens of degrees to the one above zero within 400 s, which is much lower than their previous counterparts of more than 10 V to achieve the same unfreezing effect. A slight increase of the applied voltage to 1.5 V can even result in a remarkable increase of the surface temperature from room temperature to more than 150 °C within 200 s, in contrast to existing electric heating techniques to attain peak temperatures of about 100 °C at the expense of tens of volts. Such performances enable the GF-based material to achieve an outstanding electrothermal energy conversion rate of more than 90%. Furthermore, with the help of sunlight illumination in addition to the electric power, not only can the critical voltage to prevent icing be reduced but also a much more rapid and adequate removal of ice or frost from the surface can be realized compared with the deicing/defrosting performance under either electric or light field alone. All of these results demonstrate the obvious advantages of the present method in superior energy utilization efficiency and universal applicability to dark and sunlight environments, which should be particularly useful for at-all-cost protection of key components in industrial equipment from icing.

Silymarin-Loaded Tin(IV) Nanoparticles Exhibit Enhanced Bioavailability and Antiproliferative Effects on Colorectal Cancer Cells.

Silymarin (SM) exhibits potential therapeutic effects due to having antioxidant activity. However, the low solubility and bioavailability of SM restrict its biological performance. To overcome this limitation, this study aimed to develop a nanoformulation composed of SM and dimethyltindichloride and investigate the effect of SM-loaded Sn nanoparticles on cancer cell growth and survival. An SM-Sn complex was synthesized and then characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), EDS-MAP, dynamic light scattering (DLS), and ζ-potential analysis. After that, the SW480 colorectal cancer cell line was treated with different concentrations of SM and the SM-Sn complex. Cell viability was examined through the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazole-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay, analyzing apoptosis, and live-dead assay. The lipid peroxidation rate was assessed through the measurement of thiobarbituric acid (TBA). Intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) level and cell population in the cell cycle were measured using a flow cytometry instrument. To evaluate the colonization ability of SW480 cells, a colony formation assay was performed. Gene expression analysis was also conducted using a real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique. The findings of this study revealed the effectiveness of the SM-Sn complex in decreasing SW480 cell viability by inducing cell death-associated mechanisms. We found that the SM-Sn complex increases intracellular ROS level and malondialdehyde (MDA) content. It was also revealed that the SM-Sn complex induces cell cycle arrest and the expression of apoptotic genes. In addition, the SM-Sn complex could effectively hinder SW480 cells from constituting colonies. We conclude that the use of tin(IV) as a scaffold for enhanced delivery of SM could be considered an efficient option for inhibiting cancer cell proliferation and survival.

Enhanced plasmonic photocatalytic performance of C doped TiN nanocrystals through ultrathin carbon layers

Carbon-doped TiN nanoparticles on an ultrathin carbon layer, were successfully used for photocatalytic dye degradation synthesised by a simple calcination process. The resulting catalyst exhibited remarkable plasmonic photocatalytic performance under visible light irradiation. In comparison with benchmark rutile TiO2 and g-C3N4/TiO2 heterostructure catalysts, the first-order reaction rate constant of the developed catalyst improved approximately 34.2 and 6.5 times, respectively. The doping concentration of carbon and the crystal size of TiN nanoparticles, predominantly influenced by the amount of urea and calcination temperature, were identified as crucial factors governing the plasmonic photocatalytic activity. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations indicated that the introduction of carbon-sp bands into the TiN band structure promoted interband excitation of electrons and facilitated the generation of hotter holes, thereby enhancing the degradation of dyes and ultimately contributing to the superior photocatalytic activity observed.

TiN nanoparticles/OMS-2 nanorods/carbonized wood composites for simultaneous solar water evaporation and abatement of volatile organic compound from undrinkable water

Severe air pollution, water pollution, and climate change have led to an increasing shortage of clean water. Solar interface water evaporation is becoming important to obtain distilled water from undrinkable water such as seawater and contaminated water. However, the as-obtained distilled water usually contains excessive volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which are serious harmful to human health. In this article, a novel bi-functional material is prepared by depositing manganese oxide octahedral molecular sieve (OMS-2) nanorods on carbonized wood (CW), which can simultaneously realize solar water evaporation and VOCs abatement. OMS-2 nanorods synthesized at lower hydrothermal temperature possess higher oxygen vacancy defects, which can improve not only the solar absorption and solar water evaporation rate but also solar driven photothermo-catalytic activity for the oxidation of VOCs. Doping TiN nanoparticles into CW/OMS-2 can further enhance the solar water evaporation performances and VOCs removal efficiencies because of its excellent solar absorption ability, which can further increase the temperature of OMS-2 catalyst and accelerate the solar water evaporation and the toluene degradation. The as-designed bifunctional composites possess an outstanding water evaporation rate over 1.436 kg m−2 h−1 and a toluene removal efficiency of 92.96% under 2.5 sun irradiation, indicating exciting prospects for efficiently producing clean water from undrinkable water with VOCs.

Elucidation of the synergistic mechanism of nano silicon carbide and titanium nitride as highly efficient additives of polyalphaolefin on strengthening the lubrication performance of movable contact interface

This study comprehensively investigated physicochemical and tribological performance of polyalphaolefin (PAO4) oil introducing oleic acid (OA)-functionalized SiC/TiN hybrid nanomaterials. The dispersion stability, wettability, thermal stability, and friction properties of the nanolubricants (NL) system were greatly improved following the application of hybrid NL. Additionally, the anti-wear and reducing-friction behavior were assessed via a four-ball tribometer. The results showed that the COF and WSD values of wear scar lubricated by hybrid NL were greatly reduced by approximately 32.7% and 35.1%, respectively, compared with the base oil. Finally, it is strongly confirmed that the significant improvement of friction performance is mainly due to improved interfacial effect of NL, the stable chemical tribo-film generated onto the friction surface, and the synergistic effect among SiC, TiN nanoparticles, and OA surfactant.

Preparation and characterization of novel SnO2-GO/TiO2NTs electrode for the degradation of electroplating effluents

A novel SnO2-loaded GO/TiO2NTs (nanotubes) electrode was synthesized by an anodization method for the electrochemical oxidation (EO) of heavy metals in the synthetic electroplating solution to improve the electrode's stability. The electrode morphology, structure, and characteristics were characterized with various spectroscopic and microscopic approaches to confirm the synthesis of the intended nanotube electrode material. The successful electrochemical deposition of GO on the TiO2 plate and subsequent SnO2 loading on the GO/TiO2NTs electrode was observed by FESEM analysis. EDS analysis confirmed that 3.76%wt of tin (Sn) nanoparticles were formed over the GO/TiO2 substrate. The crystallite size of SnO2-loaded GO/TiO2NTs, i.e., 16.90 nm, was confirmed by XRD analysis. For the first time, the performance of SnO2-loaded GO/TiO2NTs electrode was tested for the reduction of the aqueous solution, containing chromium (Cr)(VI), zinc (Zn), and citric acid (CA) as model pollutants. The effect of operating parameters like solution pH and current density (j) on degradation efficacy was studied. EO using SnO2-loaded GO/TiO2NTs led to > 98% degradation of heavy metal ions and > 88% degradation of chemical oxygen demand (COD) after 130 min of oxidation under optimized conditions (50.16 mA/cm2 current and pH 4). Furthermore, a reusability study of the synthesized electrode has also been conducted. The electrodes were durable enough to be used even after thirty cycles. Hence, this study demonstrates that combining titanium dioxide (TiO2) and graphene oxide (GO) embellished with tin oxide (SnO2) nanoparticles can be an efficient and cost-effective electrode for removing electroplating effluents.

Construction of Ti3C2/TiO2/TiN/polyaniline quaternary composite and its application in photocathodic protection coating for 304 stainless steel

A quaternary composite of Ti3C2/TiO2/TiN/polyaniline was synthesized by doping TiN nanoparticles on the calcined Ti3C2 MXene nanosheets, and then polyaniline was deposited through chemical oxidation. The bandgap and flat band potential of composite were determined by X-ray diffraction and ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy. In order to prepare photoanode and photocathodic protective coating, the quaternary composite was added to the polyvinyl alcohol solution and epoxy resin to. Photoelectrochemical results indicated that photoanode and relevant photocathodic protective coating had similar photocurrent with about 5 μA cm−2, but open circuit potential of the photocathodic protective coating was more negative than that of photoanode. The Rct of photoanode with illumination was 5.5 kΩ, while that of photocathodic coating was 136 kΩ. The 304 stainless steel could be well protected by the photoanode and photocathodic protective coating whether illumination or not, due to synergistic effect of local surface plasmonic resonance of TiN, “electron pool” of polyaniline and non-interfacial contact of TiO2 and MXene. Moreover, the epoxy resin in the photocathodic coating could act as a kind of physical barrier in the dark environment. Additionally, results of long-term protection test indicated that the photocathodic protective coating under intermittent illumination had better protection property than that of the coating without illumination.

Boosted Surface‐Redox Pseudocapacitance in 2D Mesoporous TiN for High‐Power Sodium‐Ion Capacitors

Pseudocapacitive materials with surface‐redox reactions are capable of realizing high capacities at ultrahigh rates; however, it remains a challenge in the synthesis of active components with high surface area to boost surface‐redox sodiation but restrain side reactions. Herein, a two‐step, topochemical synthesis of 2D mesoporous TiN (2D‐meso‐TiN) with high surface area and rich mesoporosities is presented. It is demonstrated that the sodium‐ion storage mechanism of TiN anode is based on the existence of surficial titanium oxides via redox reactions between Ti4+ and Ti3+. The interconnected, highly conductive 2D‐meso‐TiN with high surface area largely increases the pseudocapacitive capacities, leading to a high capacity of 160/93 mAh g−1 at 0.1/10 A g−1, which is much higher than 2D‐TiN (120/72 mAh g−1) and commercial TiN nanoparticles (57/30 mAh g−1). The surface‐redox (de)sodiation undergoes no destruction of crystalline TiN, which enables high initial coulombic efficiency and long‐term cycles. Furthermore, a novel hybrid sodium‐ion capacitor consisting of 2D‐meso‐TiN anode and Na3V2(PO4)3 cathode is assembled without any presodiation treatments. The hybrid capacitor delivers both high energy density (94 Wh kg−1 at 64 W kg−1) and high power density (38 Wh kg−1 at 4.4 kW kg−1), as well as long cycling stability.

TiN anchored mesoporous single-crystalline LaTiO2N with ohmic contact to expedite photocarrier separation for efficient photocatalytic water splitting

LaTiO2N is a promising photocatalyst for solar water splitting but is generally subject to a low activity due to inadequate separation of photocarriers (i.e. e- and h+). Loading noble metal cocatalysts such as Pt often has limited improvements because of their Schottky-type interfaces with LaTiO2N, resulting in a deficient electron collection at the surface catalytic sites. In this work, TiN nanoparticles have been firmly anchored at the surface of mesoporous single-crystalline LaTiO2N. As opposed to Pt, TiN has an ohmic contact with LaTiO2N due to a comparable work function and the structurally matched heterointerfaces. Such a tight and ohmic connection enables TiN to readily collect electrons from LaTiO2N, which in turn substantially improves the photocarrier separation and photocatalytic activity. These findings justify that TiN is an ideal relay for electron transfer between n-type semiconductors and noble metal cocatalysts which would otherwise be very difficult when the Schottky-type interfaces are formed.

Cooperative effects of surface plasmon resonance and type-II band alignment to significantly boost photoelectrochemical H2 generation of TiO2/CdS/TiN nanorod array photoanode

Here, we demonstrate for the first time a novel ternary TiO2/CdS/TiN nanorod array (NRA) photoanode for high-efficiency photoelectrochemical H2 generation under bias-free simulated sunlight illumination. The ternary photoanode was constructed through modifying TiO2 nanorod arrays with two-dimensional (2D) CdS nanosheets and nonmetal plasmonic TiN nanoparticles. In this novel photoanode, 2D CdS nanosheets with large surface area not only improve visible light absorption, but also extend the contact area with TiO2 to form type-II band structure favorable for the separation and transfer of photogenerated electron-hole pairs. Moreover, 2D CdS nanosheets provide more sites to absorb TiN nanoparticles to further boost photon energy utilization via surface plasmon resonance-induced hot electron injection. The TiO2/CdS/TiN NRA photoanode achieved an average H2 generation rate of 129.6 μmol cm−2 h−1, 4.2 times that of TiO2 NRA photoanode. Substantially boosted photoelectrochemical H2 generation of the TiO2/CdS/TiN NRA photoanode is attributed to effective hot-electron injection and charge separation.

Titanium Nitride Nanorods Array-Decorated Graphite Felt as Highly Efficient Negative Electrode for Iron-Chromium Redox Flow Battery.

Iron-chromium redox flow batteries have attracted widespread attention because of their low cost. However, the performance of these batteries is still lower than that of vanadium redox flow batteries due to the poor electrochemical activity of Cr3+ /Cr2+ redox couples on graphite felt electrodes. Herein, binder-free TiN nanorods array-decorated 3D graphite felt composite electrode-is demonstrated. The dendrite-like TiN nanorods array increases the specific surface area of the electrode. The nitrogen and oxygen elements on the surface provide more adsorption sites and electrochemically active sites for Cr3+ /Cr2+ . The contact resistance of the composite electrode is effectively reduced and its homogeneity and stability are improved by avoiding the use of a binder and mixing process. A battery prepared using the TiN nanorods array-decorated 3D graphite felt electrode has enabled the maximum power density to be 427 mW·cm-2 , which is 74.0% higher than a battery assembled with TiN nanoparticles bonded to graphite felt. At a current density of 80 mA·cm-2 , the TiN nanorods battery exhibits the highest coulombic efficiency of 93.0%, voltage efficiency of 90.4%, and energy efficiency of 84.1%. Moreover, the battery efficiency and composite electrode structure remains stable during a redox flow battery cycle test.

Optimization of TiN-based ultra-flexible materials for photothermal and solar harvesting applications

We propose a theoretical model to investigate photothermal heating of ultra-flexible metamaterials, which are obtained by randomly mixing TiN nanoparticles in polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS). Due to the plasmonic properties of TiN nanoparticles, incident light can be perfectly absorbed in a broadband range (300-3000 nm) to generate heat within these metamaterials. Under irradiation of an 808 nm near-infrared laser with different intensities, our predicted temperature rises as a function of time agree well with recent experimental data. For a given laser intensity, the temperature rise varies non-monotonically with the concentration of TiN nanoparticles. Increasing the TiN concentration leads to a decrease in the heating process since the thermal conductivity grows. A small TiN concentration significantly reduces the absorbed energy and, thus, the system is less heated. When we apply this model to solar heating, we find that the temperature rise is no longer non-monotonic, and the heating efficiency is much lower than in the laser case. Our studies would provide good guidance for future experimental studies on the photothermal heating of broadband perfect absorbers.

The Effect of TiN Nanoparticles on the Structure and Mechanical Properties of the Porous–Solid Steel Joint Formed by Laser-Beam Welding

The Effect of TiN Nanoparticles on the Structure and Mechanical Properties of the Porous–Solid Steel Joint Formed by Laser-Beam Welding

The Effect of TiN Nanoparticles on the Structure and Mechanical Properties of the Porous–Solid Steel Joint Formed by Laser-Beam Welding

The formation of a crystal structure and properties of a welded joint between a porous stainless steel plate and a solid plate of greater thickness with the use of nanomodifying additives has been experimentally investigated. To obtain a high-quality butt joint of the plates, the end layer of the solid plate was found to have been penetrated. The laser beam axis is shifted from the boundary of the plate joint by some distance, which is necessary to compensate the (material of) metal during the melting of the porous plate. The application ofnanomodifying additives reduces the grain size of the weld structure, which, in turn, has a positive effect on the mechanical properties of the resulting joint. The results of tensile strength tests have shown that the failureof nanomodified samples, unlike unmodified ones, occurred only in the main porous metal. The average value of the tensile strength is 89.5 MPa.

Comprehensive performance evaluation of Ti3C2 MXene/TiN composite nanofluids for photo thermal conversion

The in-depth development of solar photothermal conversion will help to alleviate the energy crisis and promote the realization of the goal of “carbon neutralization.” Composite nanofluids have been paid more attention to in photothermal conversion because of their comprehensive properties. In this study, the performances of the water-based Ti3C2 MXene/TiN composite nanofluids in photothermal utilization were comprehensively tested and analyzed, then compared horizontally with the single-component nanofluids. The results showed that adding the TiN nanoparticles improved the stability of the composite nanofluids under light conditions. In addition, the composite nanofluids’ thermal conductivity and optical absorption capacity were positively correlated with the proportion of the Ti3C2 nanoparticles. The two materials showed a strong complementarity in the numerical simulation band. Moreover, the simulation results also showed that the optical properties of the composite nanofluids were related to the spatial arrangement between the particles. Based on the above factors, the 20 ppm Ti3C2 MXene/TiN = 7:3 composite nanofluid achieved the maximum photothermal conversion efficiency of 63.7%, which was 3.35% and 5.11% higher than that of the Ti3C2 MXene and TiN nanofluids, respectively. The photothermal conversion cost analysis showed that adding TiN nanoparticles reduced the usage cost of the composite nanofluids. This work provides an effective method for optimizing the photothermal conversion performance of nanofluids based on two-dimensional materials and provides a strategy for explaining the photothermal conversion mechanism with the help of micro-nano optical simulation.

Phosphorous incorporation into palladium tin nanoparticles for the electrocatalytic formate oxidation reaction

The deployment of direct formate fuel cells (DFFCs) relies on the development of active and stable catalysts for the formate oxidation reaction (FOR). Palladium, providing effective full oxidation of formate to CO2, has been widely used as FOR catalyst, but it suffers from low stability, moderate activity, and high cost. Herein, we detail a colloidal synthesis route for the incorporation of P on Pd2Sn nanoparticles. These nanoparticles are dispersed on carbon black and the obtained composite is used as electrocatalytic material for the FOR. The Pd2Sn0.8P-based electrodes present outstanding catalytic activities with record mass current densities up to 10.0 A mgPd-1, well above those of Pd1.6Sn/C reference electrode. These high current densities are further enhanced by increasing the temperature from 25 °C to 40 °C. The Pd2Sn0.8P electrode also allows for slowing down the rapid current decay that generally happens during operation and can be rapidly re-activated through potential cycling. The excellent catalytic performance obtained is rationalized using density functional theory (DFT) calculations.

Nanomechanical and Electrochemical Corrosion Testing of Nanocomposite Coating Obtained on AZ31 via Plasma Electrolytic Oxidation Containing TiN and SiC Nanoparticles

Lightweight magnesium alloys offer excellent benefits over Al alloys due to their high specific strength and damping properties, but they are more prone to galvanic corrosion. Plasma electrolytic oxidation (PEO) coatings reinforced by nanoparticles have been shown to improve corrosion resistance and possess better mechanical properties. A lot of research has been published that focuses on the effect of nanoparticle concentration in the PEO electrolyte solution, and the type of nanoparticle, on the properties obtained. The aim of paper is to study the effect of processing time on the nanoparticle-reinforced PEO coating on AZ31 magnesium alloy. TiN and SiC nanoparticles were produced using plasma chemical synthesis and added to KOH-based electrolyte to develop PEO coatings. The concentration of nanoparticles was kept constant at 0.5 g/L and the treatment time was varied as follows: 1, 2, 3, 5, and 10 min. The coatings were tested for their microstructure, phase, chemical makeup, nano-mechanical properties, and corrosion resistance. Nanoparticles were found to be clustered in the coating and spread unevenly but led to a decrease in the size and number of pores on the PEO coating surface. The corrosion resistance and nano-mechanical properties of the coating improved with treatment time. The hardness and contact modulus of coatings with TiN particles were 26.7 and 25.2% greater than those with SiC particles. Addition of TiN nanoparticles resulted in improved corrosion resistance of the PEO coatings when the processing time was 5 or 10 min. The lowest corrosion rate of 6.3 × 10−5 mm/yr was obtained for TiN-added PEO coating processed for 10 min.

Photo-to-heat conversion of broadband metamaterial absorbers based on TiN nanoparticles under laser and solar illumination

We theoretically investigate photothermal heating of ultra-flexible metamaterials, which are obtained by randomly mixing TiN nanoparticles in polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS). Due to the plasmonic properties of TiN nanoparticles, incident light is perfectly absorbed in a broadband range (300–3000 nm) to generate heat within these metamaterials. Under irradiation of an 808 nm near-infrared laser with different intensities, our predicted temperature rises as a function of time agree well with recent experimental data. For a given laser intensity, the temperature rise varies non-monotonically with concentration of TiN nanoparticles because the enhancement of thermal conductivity and absorbed energy as adding plasmonic nanostructures leads to opposite effects on the heating process. When the model is extended to solar heating, photothermal behaviors are qualitatively similar but the temperature increase is less than 13 K. Our studies would provide good guidance for future experimental studies on the photo-to-heat conversion of broadband perfect absorbers.

Multifunctional α-MoO3 Nanobelt Interlayer with the Capacity Compensation Effect for High-Energy Lithium-Sulfur Batteries.

Spatial hindrance of lithium polysulfide (LiPS) diffusion by inserting a barrier interlayer has been deemed as an effective strategy to restrict the shuttle effect in lithium-sulfur batteries (LSBs). However, the extra interlayer without reversible capacity production inevitably reduces the actual energy density of the battery. Herein, a freestanding α-MoO3 nanobelt interlayer with the decoration of TiN nanoparticles and carbon nanotubes (denoted as MCT) is established. To investigate the capacity compensation effect of the MCT during cell operations, X-ray absorption near-edge spectrometry is conducted. It is revealed that MoO3 can sustain a reversible Li intercalation/deintercalation in a voltage range of 1.8-2.8 V, providing 180 mAh g-1 of extra capacity for compensating sulfur cathode. In addition, the adsorption of the lithiated α-MoO3 toward LiPSs is further evaluated. By matching a high-loading sulfur cathode (3.0 mg cm-2), a superior capacity of 713.3 mAh g-1 can be retained after 100 cycles under the MCT assistance.

Experimental investigation of convective heat transfer performance of TiN nanofluid charged U-pipe evacuated tube solar thermal collector

The present study investigates the convective heat transfer performance of the U-pipe evacuated tube solar thermal collector with TiN nanofluid. TiN nanoparticles 40–50 nm in size dispersed in distilled water at 0 %, 0.025 %, 0.050 %, 0.075 %, and 0.1 % volume concentrations. The TiN nanofluid's stability and thermophysical properties are measured experimentally. ASHRAE standard 93-2003 evaluates collector thermal performance. The convective heat transfer coefficient, friction factor characteristic, and solar thermal efficiency are investigated experimentally at volume concentrations of 0 %, 0.025 %, 0.050 %, 0.075 %, and 0.10 %, and mass flow rates of 0.25, 0.50, 0.75, and 1 LPM. The solar thermal collector performance is tested in Sangamner at latitudes of 19.576°N and 74.2070°E under outdoor test conditions. The TiN nanofluid with a 0.1 % volume concentration at a 1.25 LPM flow rate gives a 109.6 % enhancement in the convective heat transfer coefficient compared to water. The friction factor penalty of TiN nanofluid at 0.1 % volume concentration is 2.58 and 1.82 for water. At 0.1 % volume concentration, the solar thermal collector efficiency reaches 70.9 %. The correlation is proposed to determine the Nusselt number, friction factor, and solar thermal efficiency in laminar flow. The TiN nanofluid is recommended for industrial solar thermal applications because of its notable improvement in convective heat transfer performance despite the friction factor penalty.