Wuhan University of Technology

About: Wuhan University of Technology is a education organization based out in Wuhan, China. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Microstructure & Photocatalysis. The organization has 40384 authors who have published 36724 publications receiving 575695 citations. The organization is also known as: WUT.

Anatase TiO 2 nanosheets with exposed (001) facets: improved photoelectric conversion efficiency in dye -sensitized solar cells

Abstract: Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) are fabricated based on anatase TiO2 nanosheets (TiO2-NSs) with exposed {001} facets, which were obtained by a simple one-pot hydrothermal route using HF as a morphology controlling agent and Ti(OC4H9)4 as precursor. The prepared samples were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, UV-vis absorption spectroscopy and N2 adsorption-desorption isotherms. The photoelectric conversion performances of TiO2-NSs solar cells are also compared with TiO2 nanoparticles (TiO2-NPs) and commercial-grade Degussa P25 TiO2 nanoparticle (P25) solar cells at the same film thickness, and their photoelectric conversion efficiencies (η) are 4.56, 4.24 and 3.64%, respectively. The enhanced performance of the TiO2-NS solar cell is due to their good crystallization, high pore volume, large particle size and enhanced light scattering. The prepared TiO2 nanosheet film electrode should also find wide-ranging potential applications in various fields including photocatalysis, catalysis, electrochemistry, separation, purification and so on.

Carbon-Stabilized High-Capacity Ferroferric Oxide Nanorod Array for Flexible Solid-State Alkaline Battery–Supercapacitor Hybrid Device with High Environmental Suitability

Abstract: Iron oxides are promising to be utilized in rechargeable alkaline battery with high capacity upon complete redox reaction (Fe3+ Fe0). However, their practical application has been hampered by the poor structural stability during cycling, presenting a challenge that is particularly huge when binder-free electrode is employed. This paper proposes a “carbon shell-protection” solution and reports on a ferroferric oxide–carbon (Fe3O4–C) binder-free nanorod array anode exhibiting much improved cyclic stability (from only hundreds of times to >5000 times), excellent rate performance, and a high capacity of ≈7776.36 C cm−3 (≈0.4278 C cm−2; 247.5 mAh g−1, 71.4% of the theoretical value) in alkaline electrolyte. Furthermore, by pairing with a capacitive carbon nanotubes (CNTs) film cathode, a unique flexible solid-state rechargeable alkaline battery-supercapacitor hybrid device (≈360 μm thickness) is assembled. It delivers high energy and power densities (1.56 mWh cm−3; 0.48 W cm−3/≈4.8 s charging), surpassing many recently reported flexible supercapacitors. The highest energy density value even approaches that of Li thin-film batteries and is about several times that of the commercial 5.5 V/100 mF supercapacitor. In particular, the hybrid device still maintains good electrochemical attributes in cases of substantially bending, high mechanical pressure, and elevated temperature (up to 80 °C), demonstrating high environmental suitability.

Ag2CrO4/g-C3N4/graphene oxide ternary nanocomposite Z-scheme photocatalyst with enhanced CO2 reduction activity

Abstract: Graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4)-based photocatalysts holds great promise on photocatalytic CO2 conversion into solar fules; however, the efficiency of pristine g-C3N4 is currently limited by its poor visible light absorption and rapid charge recombination. Employing silver chromate (Ag2CrO4) nanoparticles as photosensitizer and graphene oxide (GO) as cocatalyst, a novel ternary Ag2CrO4/g-C3N4/GO composite photocatalyst was fabricated for photocatalytic CO2 reduction into methanol (CH3OH) and methane (CH4). The ternary composites exhibited an enhanced CO2 conversion activity with a turnover frequency of 0.30 h–1, which was 2.3 times that of pristine g-C3N4 under simulated sunlight irradiation. The enhanced photocatalytic activity was due to broadened light absorption, higher CO2 adsorption and more efficient charge separation. Specifically, due to the matched band structure and appropriate loading ratio of Ag2CrO4, a direct Z-scheme Ag2CrO4/g-C3N4 heterojunction is formed, driven by the internal electric field across the Ag2CrO4/g-C3N4 interface. The formation of the direct Z-scheme heterojunction is substantiated by radical scavenging experiments and density functional theory calculations, and it benefits the photocatalytic reaction by accelerating the charge separation and improving the redox ability. Furthermore, GO cocatalyst not only promotes the charge transfer but also provides plentiful CO2 adsorption and catalytic sites. This work exemplifies the facile development of ternary g-C3N4-based photocatalysts with high CO2-conversion activity by coupling a small amount of Ag-based photosensitizer and metal-free cocatalyst.

High‐Performance Aqueous Zinc–Ion Battery Based on Layered H2V3O8 Nanowire Cathode

Abstract: Rechargeable aqueous zinc-ion batteries have offered an alternative for large-scale energy storage owing to their low cost and material abundance. However, developing suitable cathode materials with excellent performance remains great challenges, resulting from the high polarization of zinc ion. In this work, an aqueous zinc-ion battery is designed and constructed based on H2 V3 O8 nanowire cathode, Zn(CF3 SO3 )2 aqueous electrolyte, and zinc anode, which exhibits the capacity of 423.8 mA h g-1 at 0.1 A g-1 , and excellent cycling stability with a capacity retention of 94.3% over 1000 cycles. The remarkable electrochemical performance is attributed to the layered structure of H2 V3 O8 with large interlayer spacing, which enables the intercalation/de-intercalation of zinc ions with a slight change of the structure. The results demonstrate that exploration of the materials with large interlayer spacing is an effective strategy for improving electrochemical stability of electrodes for aqueous Zn ion batteries.

Superparamagnetic enhancement of thermoelectric performance

Abstract: The ability to control chemical and physical structuring at the nanometre scale is important for developing high-performance thermoelectric materials. Progress in this area has been achieved mainly by enhancing phonon scattering and consequently decreasing the thermal conductivity of the lattice through the design of either interface structures at nanometre or mesoscopic length scales or multiscale hierarchical architectures. A nanostructuring approach that enables electron transport as well as phonon transport to be manipulated could potentially lead to further enhancements in thermoelectric performance. Here we show that by embedding nanoparticles of a soft magnetic material in a thermoelectric matrix we achieve dual control of phonon- and electron-transport properties. The properties of the nanoparticles-in particular, their superparamagnetic behaviour (in which the nanoparticles can be magnetized similarly to a paramagnet under an external magnetic field)-lead to three kinds of thermoelectromagnetic effect: charge transfer from the magnetic inclusions to the matrix; multiple scattering of electrons by superparamagnetic fluctuations; and enhanced phonon scattering as a result of both the magnetic fluctuations and the nanostructures themselves. We show that together these effects can effectively manipulate electron and phonon transport at nanometre and mesoscopic length scales and thereby improve the thermoelectric performance of the resulting nanocomposites.