Characteristics of x-ray attenuation in electrospun bismuth oxide/polylactic acid nanofibre mats

The characteristics of the X-ray attenuation in electrospun nano(n)- and micro(m)-Bi2O3/polylactic acid (PLA) nanofibre mats with different Bi2O3 loadings were compared as a function of energy using mammography (i.e. tube voltages of 22–49 kV) and X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) (7–20 keV). Results indicate that X-ray attenuation by electrospun n-Bi2O3/PLA nanofibre mats is distinctly higher than that of m-Bi2O3/PLA nanofibre mats at all energies investigated. In addition, with increasing filler loading (n-Bi2O3 or m-Bi2O3), the porosity of the nanofibre mats decreased, thus increasing the X-ray attenuation, except for the sample containing 38 wt% Bi2O3 (the highest loading in the present study). The latter showed higher porosity, with some beads formed, thus resulting in a sudden decrease in the X-ray attenuation

Effect of Chromium-Doping on the Crystallization and Phase Stability in Anodized TiO2 Nanotubes

Production of limitless hydrogen fuel by visible light splitting of water using the photo-electrochemical technology is cost-effective and sustainable. To make this an attractive viable technology will require the design of TiO2 photocatalyst capable of harnessing the energy of visible light. One possible solution is the doping of TiO2 to reduce its band gap. In this paper, the effect of Cr-doping by ion-implantation on the crystallisation and phase stability of TiO2 nanotubes at elevated temperature is described. The effect of Cr-doping on the resultant microstructures, phase changes and composition depth profiles are discussed in terms of synchrotron radiation diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and ion-beam analysis by Rutherford backscattering spectrometry