Synthesis, structural and electrical studies of Ba1−xSrxCe0.65Zr0.25Pr0.1O3−δ electrolyte materials for solid oxide fuel cells

This paper is discussed Sr doping effect on the microstructure, chemical stability and conductivity of Ba1−xSrxCe0.65Zr0.25Pr0.1O3−δ (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.2) electrolyte prepared by sol–gel method. The lattice constants and unit cell volumes are found to decrease as Sr atomic percentage increased in accordance with the Vegard law, confirming the formation of solid solution with orthorhombic structure. Among them all the synthesized samples are showed a conductivity with different atmosphere values at 500 °C. Ba0.92Sr0.08Ce0.65Zr0.25Pr0.1O3−δ recorded highest conductivity with a value of 3.3 × 10−6 S/cm (dry air) & 3.41 × 10−6 S/cm (wet air with 3% relative humidity) at 500 °C due to its smaller lattice volume, larger grain size and lower activation energy that led to excessive increase in conductivity. All pellets exhibited good chemical stability when exposed to air and H2O atmospheres. This study elucidates that the composition will be a promising electrolyte material for use as SOFC at intermediate temperatures if Sr doping is limited to small amounts. Keywords: Solid oxide fuel cell, Proton conducting electrolyte, Chemical stability, Sol–gel synthesis, BaCeO

Structural, morphological, impedance and magnetic studies of nanostructured LiNi0.45M0.1Mn0.45O2 (MCu and Al) cathode materials for lithium-ion batteries

Layered structure LiNi0.45M0.1Mn0.45O2 (MCu and Al) cathode materials for lithium-ion batteries are synthesized by solâgel auto combustion method. The structural, morphological, electrical and magnetic properties are examined by X-ray diffraction (XRD), field effect scanning electron microscope FESEM, FT-IR, EIS and ESR. XRD data revealed the rhombohedral and α-NaFeO2 structure with a space group R-3m. The electrical conductivity, dielectric constant, and dielectric loss are measured in the room temperature at a frequency ranging from 20 Hz to 1 MHz. The electrical conductivity of the compound is measured by AC impedance. An effective improvement in the electrical conductivity of order 5.42 Ã 10â6 S/cm is observed for the copper doped LNMO compounds. ESR spectra is recorded at room temperature on a Bruker EMX model X-band spectrometer operating at a frequency of 9.50 GHz. The critical dopants of Cu, with minimum g-factor and maximum line-width (W) are observed. Keywords: Solâgel, FESEM, AC impedance, ES

Effect of Fe doped and capping agent – Structural, optical, luminescence, and antibacterial activity of ZnO nanoparticles

Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) are indispensable materials for spectral and optical phenomena, prepared by a chemical precipitation method. We studied their properties resulting from different dopants in the nanoscale. The samples' structure, texture, energy band, and photoluminescence were examined using XRD, TEM, FTIR, PL, and UV–VIS spectroscopy. XRD shows the single hexagonal Wurtzite with crystallite sizes from 10.1 to 17.8 nm and the spherical shape particles. The octahedral sites at 470–489 cm−1 and the tetrahedral sites at 616 cm−1 were observed in the FTIR studies. PL showed a wider bandgap, better UV emission, and decreased defect density of the Fe doped than that of the pristine one. Fe-doped ZnO NPs are more active than pristine ZnO NPs for their quenching or absorbing properties, indicating their antibiotic properties