Study of Hollow ZnO Nanoparticles by Flame Spray Synthesis

Hollow ZnO nanoparticles prepared by flame spray synthesis(FSP) have been reported in this letter. By the results obtained from X-Ray diffraction(XRD) pattern and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy(HR-TEM) picture, it is concluded that the hollow ZnO nanoparticles were successfully synthesized at high temperature. The size of hollow nanoparticles distributed between 20 and 30 nm, and the formation mechanism of this hollow structure was discussed in the synthesis process. The strong ultra-visible(UV) emission was shown in photoluminescence(PL) spectra, while the mechanism had been explained in detail.

Tuning the Co Oxidation State in Ba0.5Sr0.5Co0.8Fe0.2O3-δ by Flame Spray Synthesis Towards High Oxygen Evolution Reaction Activity

The perovskite-type oxide Ba0.5Sr0.5Co0.8Fe0.2O3-δ (BSCF) is known as a highly active and stable oxygen evolution reaction (OER) electrocatalyst composited out of non-noble metals. The possibility of using the scalable flame spray synthesis (FSS) technique for the production of BSCF nanoparticles intensified the interest in this material for a future application in an alkaline water electrolyzer. A possible scale-up would require the optimization of the synthesis parameters to maximize the production rate. To further understand the influence of the synthesis parameters of the tunable FSS on the OER activity of BSCF, a systematic study was carried out by producing BSCF with different total metal concentrations (CTM), flow rates of the precursor solution (FRPS) and of the dispersion gas (FRDG). This study reveals that all three parameters have a direct impact on the OER activity of BSCF—measured in a rotating disc electrode (RDE) setup—due to the controllability of the initial Co and Fe oxidation state—indicated by X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) measurements—and with that also of the oxygen vacancy concentration in the as-synthesized BSCF. This controllability enables the optimization of the OER activity of BSCF and emphasizes the importance of having Co in a lower initial oxidation state for reaching a high electrocatalytic performance.

Process Design for Size-Controlled Flame Spray Synthesis of Li4Ti5O12 and Electrochemical Performance

Inexpensive synthesis of electroceramic materials is required for efficient energy storage. Here the design of a scalable process, flame spray pyrolysis (FSP), for synthesis of size-controlled nanomaterials is investigated focusing on understanding the role of air entrainment (AE) during their aerosol synthesis with emphasis on battery materials. The AE into the enclosed FSP reactor is analysed quantitatively by computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and calculated temperatures are verified by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Various Li4Ti5O12 (LTO) particle compositions are made and characterized by N2 adsorption, electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction while the electrochemical performance of LTO is tested at various charging rates. Increasing AE decreases recirculation in the enclosing tube leading to lower reactor temperatures and particle concentrations by air dilution as well as shorter and narrower residence time distributions. As a result, particle growth by coagulation - coalescence decreases leading to smaller primary particles that are mostly pure LTO exhibiting high C-rate performance with more than 120 mAh/g galvanostatic specific charge at 40C, outperforming commercial LTO. The effect of AE on FSP-made particle characteristics is demonstrated also in combustion synthesis of LiFePO4 and ZrO2.

Nanocrystalline TiO2/SnO2 heterostructures for gas sensing

The aim of this research is to study the role of nanocrystalline TiO2/SnO2 n–n heterojunctions for hydrogen sensing. Nanopowders of pure SnO2, 90 mol % SnO2/10 mol % TiO2, 10 mol % SnO2/90 mol % TiO2 and pure TiO2 have been obtained using flame spray synthesis (FSS). The samples have been characterized by BET, XRD, SEM, HR-TEM, Mössbauer effect and impedance spectroscopy. Gas-sensing experiments have been performed for H2 concentrations of 1–3000 ppm at 200–400 °C. The nanomaterials are well-crystallized, anatase TiO2, rutile TiO2 and cassiterite SnO2 polymorphic forms are present depending on the chemical composition of the powders. The crystallite sizes from XRD peak analysis are within the range of 3–27 nm. Tin exhibits only the oxidation state 4+. The H2 detection threshold for the studied TiO2/SnO2 heterostructures is lower than 1 ppm especially in the case of SnO2-rich samples. The recovery time of SnO2-based heterostructures, despite their large responses over the whole measuring range, is much longer than that of TiO2-rich samples at higher H2 flows. TiO2/SnO2 heterostructures can be intentionally modified for the improved H2 detection within both the small (1–50 ppm) and the large (50–3000 ppm) concentration range. The temperature T max at which the semiconducting behavior begins to prevail upon water desorption/oxygen adsorption depends on the TiO2/SnO2 composition. The electrical resistance of sensing materials exhibits a power-law dependence on the H2 partial pressure. This allows us to draw a conclusion about the first step in the gas sensing mechanism related to the adsorption of oxygen ions at the surface of nanomaterials.