Synthesis and Properties of Ni-doped Goethite and Ni-doped Hematite Nanorods

Ni-doped goethite (α-FeOOH) nanorods were synthesized from mixed Fe(III)-Ni(II) nitrate solutions with various Ni/(Ni+Fe) ratios (0, 5, 10, 20, 33 and 50 mol % Ni) by hydrothermal precipitation in a highly alkaline medium using the strong organic alkali, tetramethylammonium hydroxide (TMAH). Ni-doped hematite (α-Fe2O3) nanorods were obtained by calcination of Ni-doped goethite nanorods at 400 °C. The Ni 2+ -for-Fe 3+ substitution in goethite and hematite was confirmed by determination of the unit cell expansion (due to the difference in the ionic radii of Fe 3+ and Ni 2+ ) using XRPD and determination of the reduction of a hyperfine magnetic field (due to the difference in magnetic moments of Fe 3+ and Ni 2+ ) using Mössbauer spectroscopy. Single-phase goethite nanorods were found in samples containing 0 or 5 mol % Ni. A higher Ni content in the precipitation system (10 mol % or more) resulted in a higher Ni 2+ -for-Fe 3+ substitution in goethite, and larger Ni-doped goethite nanorods, though with the presence of low crystalline Ni-containing ferrihydrite and Ni ferrite (NiFe2O4) as additional phases. Significant changes in FT-IR and UV-Vis-NIR spectra of prepared samples were observed with increasing Ni content. Electrochemical measurements of samples showed a strong increase in oxygen evolution reaction (OER) electrocatalytic activity with increasing Ni content. © 2018 Croatian Chemical Society. All Rights Reserved

Winter warming offsets one half of the spring warming effects on leaf unfolding

Winter temperature-related chilling and spring temperature-related forcing are two major environmental cues shaping the leaf-out date of temperate species. To what degree insufficient chilling caused by winter warming would slow phenological responses to spring warming remains unclear. Using 27,071 time series of leaf-out dates for 16 tree species in Europe, we constructed a phenological model based on the linear or exponential function between the chilling accumulation (CA) and forcing requirements (FR) of leaf-out. We further used the phenological model to quantify the relative contributions of chilling and forcing on past and future spring phenological change. The results showed that the delaying effect of decreased chilling on the leaf-out date was prevalent in natural conditions, as more than 99% of time series exhibited a negative relationship between CA and FR. The reduction in chilling linked to winter warming from 1951 to 2014 could offset about one half of the spring phenological advance caused by the increase in forcing. In future warming scenarios, if the same model is used and a linear, stable correlation between CA and FR is assumed, declining chilling will continuously offset the advance of leaf-out to a similar degree. Our study stresses the importance of assessing the antagonistic effects of winter and spring warming on leaf-out phenology. Spring warming advances leaf-unfolding time of temperate species, while winter warming acts to delay it by reducing chilling. Using leaf-out data of 16 European species, we showed that decreased chilling could offset about one-half of the spring phenological advance caused by the increase in forcing. If a stable correlation between chilling accumulation and forcing requirement is assumed, declining chilling will continuously offset the advance of leaf-out to a similar degree. Our study stresses the importance of assessing the antagonistic effects of winter and spring warming on leaf-out phenology

Data on: Winter warming offset one half of the spring warming effects on leaf unfolding

[Methods See the Materials and methods section in the original paper.[Usage Notes] Microsoft Excel are required to open the data files.This dataset is the data used to create figures in paper of Global change biology entitled "Data on Winter warming offset one half of the spring warming effects on leaf unfolding", we constructed a phenological model based on the linear or exponential function between the chilling accumulation (CA) and forcing requirements (FR) of leaf-out. We further used the phenological model to quantify the relative contributions of chilling and forcing on past and future spring phenological change. The results showed that the delaying effect of decreased chilling on the leaf-out date was prevalent in natural conditions, as more than 99% of time series exhibited a negative relationship between CA and FR. The reduction in chilling linked to winter warming from 1951-2014 could offset about one half of the spring phenological advance caused by the increase in forcing. In future warming scenarios, if the same model is used and a linear, stable correlation between CA and FR is assumed, declining chilling will continuously offset the advance of leaf-out to a similar degree. Our study stresses the importance of assessing the antagonistic effects of winter and spring warming on leaf-out phenology.National Key R&D Program of China, Award: 2018YFA0606102. National Natural Science Foundation of China, Award: 41871032. Youth Innovation Promotion Association, CAS, Award: 2018070. National Natural Science Foundation of China, Award: 42125101.Peer reviewe

Data on: Winter warming offset one half of the spring warming effects on leaf unfolding

[Methods See the Materials and methods section in the original paper.[Usage Notes] Microsoft Excel are required to open the data files.This dataset is the data used to create figures in paper of Global change biology entitled "Data on Winter warming offset one half of the spring warming effects on leaf unfolding", we constructed a phenological model based on the linear or exponential function between the chilling accumulation (CA) and forcing requirements (FR) of leaf-out. We further used the phenological model to quantify the relative contributions of chilling and forcing on past and future spring phenological change. The results showed that the delaying effect of decreased chilling on the leaf-out date was prevalent in natural conditions, as more than 99% of time series exhibited a negative relationship between CA and FR. The reduction in chilling linked to winter warming from 1951-2014 could offset about one half of the spring phenological advance caused by the increase in forcing. In future warming scenarios, if the same model is used and a linear, stable correlation between CA and FR is assumed, declining chilling will continuously offset the advance of leaf-out to a similar degree. Our study stresses the importance of assessing the antagonistic effects of winter and spring warming on leaf-out phenology.National Key R&D Program of China, Award: 2018YFA0606102. National Natural Science Foundation of China, Award: 41871032. Youth Innovation Promotion Association, CAS, Award: 2018070. National Natural Science Foundation of China, Award: 42125101.Peer reviewe

Influence of Fe(III) doping on the crystal structure and properties of hydrothermally prepared β-Ni(OH) 2 nanostructures

This paper systematically examines the influence of the level of Fe(III) doping on the crystal structure and other properties of Ni(OH)(2). Reference beta-Ni(OH)(2) and Fe-doped Ni(OH)(2) samples were synthesized by hydrothermal precipitation of mixed Ni(II) and Fe(III) nitrate aqueous solutions in a highly alkaline medium. The samples were investigated using X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD), scanning and transmission electron microscopy (FE-SEM and TEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), Mossbauer spectroscopy, magnetic measurements, Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, ultraviolet-visible-near infrared (UV-Vis-NIR) spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and electrochemical measurements. Incorporation of Fe in beta-Ni(OH)(2) by cation substitution was confirmed from the shifts in position of XRPD lines due to the difference in the ionic radius of Fe3+ and Ni-2. The Fe-3-for-Ni2+ substitution in beta-Ni(OH)(2) caused formation of an interstratifled structure with beta-Ni(OH)(2) and alpha-Ni(OH)(2) structural units interconnected within the same structural layers and crystallites. Mossbauer spectra revealed the presence of Fe3+ ions in highly distorted octahedral sites, presumably at the boundary between the alpha-Ni(OH)(2) and beta-Ni(OH)(2) structural units within the same structural layer. Electrochemical measurements showed significant increase in oxygen evolution reaction (OER) catalytic activity of Fe-doped Ni(OH)(2) compared to pure phase. (C) 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved