Preparation and photocatalytic antibacterial mechanism of porous metastable β-Bi2O3 nanosheets

Effective and safe application of antibacterials has always been an important aspect for their usage. High-efficiency photocatalytic technology driven by visible light for antibacterial action constitutes a practical solution for antibacterial agents and will not harm the human body or the environment. While most studies on β-Bi₂O₃ materials with good photocatalytic properties under visible light are conducted in the field of optoelectronics, their potential and mechanism as photocatalytic antibacterial agents have not yet been fully explored. Herein, we report the performance of sheet-like metastable β-Bi₂O₃ material with rich oxygen vacancies and high electron-hole separation efficiency in antibacterial processes, as well as a preliminary exploration of its antibacterial mechanism. The results revealed that the antibacterial activity of the product against E. coli greatly improved in comparison with commercially available α-Bi₂O₃ owing to its excellent structure and optical properties. In addition, gradient experiments and scavenger experiments have confirmed that the main antibacterial effect of β-Bi₂O₃ originates from reactive oxygen species (ROS), and the superoxide radical, ·O₂⁻, of generated ROS is the key reactive species in the antibacterial process. Through the detection of lipid peroxidation and bacterial respiratory-chain dehydrogenase activity, several pathways were identified for the excellent antibacterial activity of the product.     

α-Bi2O3 nanosheets: An efficient material for sunlight-driven photocatalytic degradation of Rhodamine B

Herein, we report the sunlight driven photocatalytic degradation of toxic organic dye, Rhodamine B using α-Bi₂O₃ nanosheets as an effective photocatalyst. The α-Bi₂O₃ nanosheets were prepared by simple annealing assisted thermal decomposition method and characterized by several techniques in order to understand its morphological, compositional, structural and optical properties. Morphological, structural and compositional investigations confirmed the formation of sheet-like morphologies, high-crystalline monoclinic crystal structure, and pure α-Bi₂O₃, respectively. The synthesized α-Bi₂O₃ nanosheets exhibited a high photocatalytic degradation of a toxic organic dye, i.e. Rhodamine B (RhB). Under optimal reaction conditions, ～95% photocatalytic degradation of RhB (10 mg/L, pH 10) was observed in 180 min using 0.75 g/L catalyst dosage under sunlight irradiation. According to the findings, the synthesized catalyst had outstanding photocatalytic properties and can be used to cleanse textile wastewater under direct sunlight.     

Simultaneously enhanced electrical stability and nonlinearity in ZnO varistor ceramics: Role of Si-stabilized δ-Bi2O3 phase

In the present study, simultaneously enhanced electrical stability (low degradation rate of 8.0 × 10^?3 mA? h^1/2) and high nonlinear coefficient of 56 were obtained in ZnO varistors by doping SiO₂. To clarify the mechanism of enhanced properties, comprehensive microscopic analyses were studied. Particularly, the intrinsic point defects were quantitatively characterized for the first time. Results showed that the densities of zinc interstitials (Zn_i) and oxygen vacancies (V_o) were dramatically decreased, resulting in enhanced stability. Besides, reduced Zn_i and V_o decreased the total donor density, contributing to the improved barrier height and thus leading to enhanced nonlinearity. Combined with XRD and SEM results, it is deduced that such reduced Zn_i and V_o are attributed to the Si-stabilized high oxygen conducting δ-Bi₂O₃ phase. Furthermore, this elucidated mechanism, which has been long neglected in Si-doped varistors, may provide valuable insights into further developing high-performance ZnO varistors.     

Structure and electronic properties of δ-Bi2O3 tuned by vacancy and doping: A first-principles study

Pure Bi₂O₃ with high ionic conductivities is considered as a candidate material for an electrolyte in solid oxide fuel cells and oxygen separation membranes. However, its lower structural and thermal stability prevent it application in ion conductivity and photocatalysis at suitable temperatures. Metal oxides are usually used to stabilize its structure to lower temperatures and the underlying mechanism is still unclear. To shed light on the issue, vacancy ordered structures of pure and doped δ-Bi₂O₃ have been studied by first-principles calculations. It have been shown that the structure with combined <110> and <111> vacancy arrangements is energetically favorable compared to either <100>, <110> or <111> vacancy ordered structures. Electronic structure analyses have further verified that δ-Bi₂O₃ has a semiconductor character with an energy gap of 2.0 eV, consistent with the experiment results. The site occupation of doping ions is further analyzed by formation energy, geometry and electronic structures. It is evident that the substitution sites of doping ions depend on the type of the doping ions. The ions with large ion sizes tend to occupy the Bi(2) sites while the ions with small ion sizes tend to occupy the Bi(1) sites. At the same time, the probability of the Y ions occupying the oxygen vacancy sites and the optical properties of the Y-doped Bi₂O₃ are explored. Our investigations reveal that the electronic structure of oxides could be tuned by vacancy and interstitial defects for better conductivity, photocatalytic properties.     

ZnO–SnO2 nanocubes for fluorescence sensing and dye degradation applications

ZnO–SnO₂ nanocubes were used as promising material for efficient sensing of p-nitrophenol and faster photocatalytic degradations of dyes like methyl orange (MO), methylene Blue (MB) and acid orange 74 (AO74). ZnO–SnO₂ nanocubes were prepared by the facile solution process at 50 °C using Zn(NO₃)₂·6H₂O and SnCl₂·2H₂O as a precursor in the presence of ethylenediammine. The synthesized material was examined for its morphological, structural, crystalline, optical, vibrational, and compositional studies by using field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and photoluminescence spectroscopy. FESEM studies revealed the formation of well-defined ZnO–SnO₂ nanocubes where the structural examinations revealed the formation of a crystalline tetragonal rutile phase for SnO₂ with some crystal sites doped with Zn. The as-synthesized nanocubes were explored for their photocatalytic activities towards three different dye viz. MO, MB, and AO74. Practically, complete degradation of AO74 was seen within 4 minutes of photo-irradiation in the presence of 0.05 g ZnO–SnO₂ nanocubes. However, 97.17% and 41.63% degradations were observed for MB and MO within 15 and 60 minutes, respectively. All the dye degradation processes followed the pseudo-first-order kinetic model. Moreover, the as-synthesized nanocubes were utilized to fabricate highly sensitive and selective fluorescent chemical sensor for the detection of p-nitrophenol (PNP). ZnO–SnO₂ nanocubes showed a very low detection limit of 4.09 μM for the detection of PNP as calculated according to the 3σ IUPAC criteria. Further, the as-synthesized ZnO–SnO₂ nanotubes were found to be highly selective for p-nitrophenol as compared to the other two isomers.     

α-Bi2O3/β-Ni(OH)2 composites: Effective solar light photocatalysts for organic pollutants degradation

α-Bi₂O₃/β-Ni(OH)₂ composites exhibited perfect photocatalytic properties for organic pollutants degradation under sunlight irradiation. Pure α-Bi₂O₃ and β-Ni(OH)₂ were prepared by coprecipitation method and then mechanically mixed in different proportions to form α-Bi₂O₃/β-Ni(OH)₂ composites. The XRD and FTIR analyses have well emphasized the formation of monoclinic α-Bi₂O₃ and hexagonal β-Ni(OH)₂ phases with high crystallinity. The SEM micrographs of α-Bi₂O₃ and β-Ni(OH)₂ powders displayed a rod and sheet shaped grains, respectively. The band gap of the pure α-Bi₂O₃ was estimated to be 2.87 eV. Pure β-Ni(OH)₂ revealed three absorption bands in the UV–visible light region. α-Bi₂O₃/β-Ni(OH)₂ composites have a more intense absorption in the visible light region compared to pure α-Bi₂O₃ sample. Modification of α-Bi₂O₃ by β-Ni(OH)₂ induced a superior photocatalytic activity especially at β-Ni(OH)₂ content of 12 wt% in α-Bi₂O₃ (BN-12 composite). This composite showed high efficiencies of 99%, 96%, 91% and 90% for methylene blue, Congo red, methyl orange and 4-niropheniol degradation in 80, 80, 180 and 300 min under sunlight irradiation, respectively. The remarkable photocatalytic activity of the α-Bi₂O₃/β-Ni(OH)₂ composite was attributed to the new states in charge separation, charge transportation and the intensive absorption of visible light. α-Bi₂O₃/β-Ni(OH)₂ composite (BN-12) has a great potential in removing of cationic and anionic dyes beside phenolic compounds from wastewater.     

Luminescence properties of Eu3+- and Tb3+-doped δ-Bi2O3 stabilized by Th4+ substitution

The extent of incorporating Eu³⁺ and Tb³⁺ for bismuth in the oxygen-deficient fluorite structured Bi_0.50Th_0.50O_y has been examined together with the comprehension of their luminescence characteristics. The samples were synthesized by solution combustion method from which doping limits of Eu³⁺ and Tb³⁺, respectively, in the fluorite structure was determined. Uniform distribution of constituent elements was confirmed from elemental mapping. Doping Eu³⁺ and Tb³⁺-ions introduced compressive strain and oxygen vacancies in the system. Raman spectra of doped samples confirmed the fluorite structure and revealed the existence of oxygen vacancies in them. While Tb-doped samples showed a systematic decrease in band gap with increase in dopant concentration, such systematic variation was not observed for Eu-doped samples. Conclusions about the local site symmetry around Eu³⁺ and Tb³⁺ ions in the defect fluorite structure have been drawn from the photoluminescent spectral analysis of doped samples. Energy transfer from Bi³⁺ to Eu³⁺ and Tb³⁺-has been observed in these samples. The Judd-Ofelt analysis has been carried out to understand luminescence characteristics in these samples.     

Composite soft template-assisted construction of a flower-like β-Bi2O3/Bi2O2CO3 heterojunction photocatalyst for the enhanced simulated sunlight photocatalytic degradation of tetracycline

A three-dimensional (3D) flower-like β-Bi₂O₃/Bi₂O₂CO₃ heterojunction photocatalyst was synthesized via decomposition of the precursor fabricated using a composite soft template, which was constructed from dl-aspartic acid and nonionic amphiphilic triblock copolymer (Pluronic F127). The morphology, phase structure, composition, effect of reactant concentration, and possible formation mechanism were systematically studied. The results showed that dl-aspartic acid was chosen as the coordination- and structure-directing agent, while F127 was used as the capping agent during preparation of the precursor. The as-prepared flower-like β-Bi₂O₃/Bi₂O₂CO₃ heterojunction obtained after calcination of the self-sacrificing precursor at 290 °C showed excellent photocatalytic performance in the degradation of the refractory colorless antibiotic agent tetracycline (TC) under simulated sunlight irradiation, with 98.79% TC degradation being achieved within 60 min of irradiation. This excellent photocatalytic performance was attributed to the narrow band gap, heterojunction structure, and 3D hierarchical structure. The results further revealed that photogenerated holes (h⁺) and hydroxyl radicals (^•OH) dominated the photocatalytic process. Furthermore, the β-Bi₂O₃/Bi₂O₂CO₃ heterojunction catalyst was not photocorroded after six consecutive cycles, suggesting an excellent photostability.     

Fabrication of mesoporous Cr2O3 with highly distributed α-Fe2O3 and Pt nanoparticles for ultrafast H2 evolution rate

In the present contribution, p-n type heterojunction α-Fe₂O₃/Cr₂O₃ S-scheme system photocatalyst has been fabricated utilizing a sol-gel approach with assisted nonionic surfactant for a highly effective H₂ evolution rate under visible illumination. Pt NPs have been reduced by photodeposition during the photocatalytic reaction to collect Pt@α-Fe2O3/Cr2O3 finally. XRD analysis of Fe₂O₃/Cr₂O₃ nanocomposites verified the construction of Fe₂O₃ and Cr₂O₃ with rhombohedral phases. TEM images of Cr₂O₃ NPs were almost spherical and uniform in shape and size (20 ± 5 nm), and very small Fe₂O₃ NPs (3-5 nm) were distributed on the mesoporous Cr₂O₃ networks. The obtained α-Fe₂O₃/Cr₂O₃ photocatalyst exhibited noteworthy photocatalytic H₂ evolution with high efficiency and stability for 45 h. Interestingly, the photocatalytic H₂ evolution rate gradually boosted with the extent of Fe₂O₃ percentage up to 15% and its rate of 2215.4 μmol g^-1h^-1, which was fostered 7.25 folds larger than that of Cr₂O₃ NPs (305.7 μmol g^-1h^-1). The enhancement H₂ evolution rate of Fe₂O₃/Cr₂O₃ photocatalyst in comparison with bare Cr₂O₃ NPs was ascribed to facilitate the separation of photocarriers and existing considerable reactive sites. In addition, constructing n-type Fe₂O₃ and p-type Cr₂O₃ with close contact is essential in improving the H₂ evolution rate. The possible photocatalytic mechanism over Fe₂O₃/Cr₂O₃ nanocomposite was addressed based on electrochemical measurements. The construction of the S-scheme system of Fe₂O₃/Cr₂O₃ nanocomposite could be suggested to improve the separation of photocarriers through optimal transfer channels owing to the formation of synergistic characteristics. Our results provide avenues for constructing stable photocatalysts with high efficiency for H₂ evolution through visible exposure.     

Bioactive nanoglasses and xerogels (SiO2–CaO and SiO2–CaO–P2O5) as promising candidates for biomedical applications

A binary and ternary system of highly bioactive nanoparticles of xerogel (88SiO₂–12CaO (wt.%), solvXG88, 78SiO₂–16CaO–6P₂O₅, solvXG78P6) and glass (69SiO₂–25CaO–6P₂O_5, solvBG69P6) were prepared following an unconventional solvothermal path of the synthesis. These nanosized (<50 nm), non-spherical in shape and mesoporous materials with different compositions greatly enhanced the formation process of hydroxyapatite (HA) in simulated physiological fluids compared to reference 45S5 glass, commonly used in orthopedics and dentistry. The deposition of a HA layer on the glasses was analyzed by various techniques, namely XRD, IR-ATR, ³¹P CP-MAS NMR, EDS analyses, SEM, and HR-TEM imaging. For both types of nanoparticles (glass and obtained at lower temperature xerogels) superior apatite-mineralization ability in time as short as 4 h in the physiological-like buffer was achieved thus, exceeded the bioactivity of the 45S5 glass. This unique bioactivity was complemented by biocompatibility with human dermal fibroblasts and MC3T3 mouse osteoblast precursors, verified in a wide range of concentrations, as well as hemocompatibility studies. The most promising candidate which can compete with clinically used Bioglass is solvXG78P6.     

Effect of Ta2O5 addition on the structure,crystallization mechanism,and properties of CaO–B2O3–SiO2 glasses for LTCC applications

CaO–B₂O₃–SiO₂–Ta₂O₅ (CBST) glass-ceramics, with different Ta₂O₅ content, (up to 6 mol%), have been prepared by using glass melt quenching followed by heat treatment between 800 and 880 °C. The Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) results showed that the stronger the attraction of Ta⁵⁺ to the oxygens in the BO₃^3? and SiO₃^2? structures, the more easily the B–O and Si–O bonds will be destroyed. The underlying reason is most probably the high field strength of Ta⁵⁺, which results in a weakening of the vibration intensities of the [BO₃] and [SiO₄] units. Moreover, the Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) results showed that the softening point (T_g), crystallization starting temperature (T_c1), and exothermic crystallization peak temperature (T_p1), of the CaSiO₃ phase, shifted to higher values with the addition of Ta₂O₅. Also, the crystallization activation energy (E_a) and the glass stability factor (ΔT) of the CaSiO₃ phase increased, which indicated that the CaSiO₃ phase of the glass became inhibited by the addition of Ta₂O_5. It was, thus, obvious that there was a need of glass characterization. The results of the crystallization kinetics showed that the critical cooling rate decreased with the addition of Ta₂O₅, which indicated that the viscosity of the system had increased. The CBST glass-ceramics, containing 1 mol% Ta₂O_5, that were sintered at 875 °C for 15 min showed excellent dielectric properties: ε_r = 6.22 and tanδ = 1.19 × 10^?3 (1 MHz). To sum up, CaO–B₂O₃–SiO₂–Ta₂O₅ glass-ceramics are potential low temperature co-fired ceramic substrate materials.     

Grain growth kinetics and growth mechanism of columnar Al2O3 crystals in xNb2O5–7.5La2O3-Al2O3 ceramic composites

xNb₂O₅–7.5La₂O₃-Al₂O₃ ceramic composites with in-situ-grown columnar Al₂O₃ crystals were successfully prepared by microwave sintering at 1450–1525?°C using α-Al₂O₃, Nb₂O₅, and La₂O₃ powders as raw materials. X-ray diffraction results indicated that the main phases were Al₂O₃, LaNbO₄, and Nb₂O₅ in the prepared samples. A field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM) showed that the Al₂O₃ crystals appeared as columnar in the structure. Moreover, the grain size of the columnar Al₂O₃ crystals increased with the Nb₂O₅ content. The ratio of the major axis to the minor axis of the crystals was largest when the Nb₂O₅ content was 15?vol%. Furthermore, the grain-growth kinetics index (n), growth activation energy (Q), and growth mechanism of the columnar Al₂O₃ crystals were studied. The results indicated that the Nb₂O₅ addition could promote formation and growth of columnar Al₂O₃ crystals, and the grain-growth activation energy indicated that the dissolution process controls the crystal growth. The growth mechanism of the columnar Al₂O₃ crystals was also studied. The present work demonstrated that Nb₂O₅ is a good additive for the preparation of Nb₂O₅–7.5La₂O₃-Al₂O₃ composite ceramics with columnar Al₂O₃ crystals.     

Synthesis of α-β Bi2O3 heterojunction photocatalyst and evaluation of reaction mechanism for degradation of RhB dye under natural sunlight

A few biphasic nano composites containing α and β Bi₂O₃ of varying composition were synthesized by facile solvothermal method without using any capping agent and further calcination. X-ray diffraction, microscopic and spectroscopic techniques were employed for characterization of the as synthesized catalysts which are used as photocatalysts in degradation of pollutant, Rhodamine B (RhB) dye. The band gap of the nanocatalysts as calculated from tauc plot varies within 2.35–2.58 eV for β-form and 2.85–3.19 eV for α-form in the α-β Bi₂O₃ hetrojunctions. The operational parameters that influence the degradation process were optimized. The best catalyst dosage and pH are 0.5 gL^-1 and 4 respectively and the best concentration of H₂O₂ when added is 2 mM for 10 ppm aqueous solution of dye. Among different heterojunctions, the best catalyst which is produced from bismuth nitrate concentration of 0.05 M, degrades RhB up to 99.6% at pH 4 under 120 min sunlight irradiation. The effects of addition inorganic salts in RhB dye solution were also examined. The radical trapping experiments have been applied to explore the involved and main species responsible for degradation. The identification of degradation products of RhB was analyzed and the plausible mechanistic pathway is drawn from HPLC and HRMS. It shows that the degradation of RhB proceeds via initial generation of N-deethylated products followed by ring opening ones, which indicates the photosensitization induced photocatalytic mechanism of the reaction.     

Sb2O3–ZnO nanospindles: A potential material for photocatalytic and sensing applications

This paper reports the facile synthesis, characterization and applications of Sb₂O₃–ZnO nanospindles. The nanospindles were synthesized by facile diethanolammine assisted hydrothermal process and characterized in detail in terms of their morphological, structural, compositional and optical properties. The detailed characterizations revealed that the prepared nanoellipsoids are well-crystalline, grown in high density and possessing good optical properties. Further, the as-synthesized Sb₂O₃–ZnO nanospindles were found to be an efficient photocatalyst for the degradation of methylene blue (MB) dye under UV light. Sb₂O₃–ZnO nanospindles were also used as an efficient electron mediator to fabricate a robust, highly sensitive and reproducible chemical sensor for the detection of thiourea in aqueous medium. The fabricated chemical sensor possesses high sensitivity of 6.54 µA mmol L⁻¹ cm⁻². The sensing calibration plot was found to be linear (R²=0.91423) over the large concentration range from 1.56 mmol L⁻¹ to 100 mmol L⁻¹. The obtained results confirmed that the Sb₂O₃–ZnO nanospindles may hold great potential for the removal of organic pollutants and for monitoring of thiourea in aqueous solution.     

Dielectric properties and related ferroelectric domain configurations in multiferroic BiFeO3–BaTiO3 solid solutions

Dielectric properties and ferroelectric domain configurations of multiferroic xBaTiO₃–(1 ? x)BiFeO₃ (x = 0.10–0.33) solid solutions synthesized by conventional solid-state reaction, were reported. A structural transition from rhombohedral to pseudo-cubic structures appeared around x = 0.33, and the formation of impurity phase of Bi₂Fe₄O₉ was effectively depressed by doping BaTiO₃. Dielectric constants of xBaTiO₃–(1 ? x)BiFeO₃ solid solutions decreased with increasing the frequency, and the degree of decrease was related to the doping content of BaTiO₃. Transmission electron microscopy images revealed that the ferroelectric domain configurations in the multiferroic BiFeO₃–BaTiO₃ solid solutions with rhombohedral symmetry, exhibited a wavy character whereas a predominant intricate domain structure with fluctuating mottled contrast was observed in the multiferroic BiFeO₃–BaTiO₃ solid solution with pseudo-cubic phase structure. The presence of 1/2{1 1 1} superlattice spots in the selected area electron diffraction patterns taken from the multiferroic BiFeO₃–BaTiO₃ solid solutions with rhombohedral symmetry indicated that the ordered regions have a doubled perovskite unit cell.     

Synthesis and characterization of α/β-Bi2O3 with enhanced photocatalytic activity for 17α-ethynylestradiol

The α/β-Bi₂O₃ photocatalyst was successfully synthesized by a novel solvothermal-calcination method. The physical and chemical properties of as-prepared samples were characterized based on XRD, XPS, SEM, TEM, EDS, BET, UV–vis DRS and PL techniques. The synthesized α/β-Bi₂O₃ photocatalyst exhibited enhanced photocatalytic activity for 17α-ethinylestradiol (EE2), and 96.9% of EE2 was degraded after only 24 min of visible-light irradiation using α/β-Bi₂O₃ as photocatalyst. The reaction rate constant over α/β-Bi₂O₃ photocatalyst was 1.42, 2.23, 9.22 and 54.1 times higher than pure β-Bi₂O₃, α-Bi₂O₃+β-Bi₂O₃, α-Bi₂O₃ and P25 respectively. Effect of catalyst dosage and pH value was investigated. The possible photocatalytic mechanism has been discussed on the basis of the theoretical calculation and the experimental results. α/β-Bi₂O₃ was a fairly stable and efficient photocatalyst under the studied experimental conditions, proving that the α/β-Bi₂O₃ photocatalyst was a promising photocatalyst for the practical application.     

Attenuation properties of epoxy-Ta2O5 and epoxy-Ta2O5-Bi2O3 composites at γ-ray energies 59.54 and 662 keV

Epoxy resin filled with suitable high Z elements can be a potential shield for X-rays and γ-rays. In this work, we present the γ-ray attenuation properties of epoxy composites filled with (0–30 wt%) Tantalum pentoxide (Ta₂O₅) and Ta₂O₅-Bi₂O_3, which were prepared by open mold cast technique. X-ray diffraction patterns showed crystalline peaks of Ta₂O₅ and bismuth oxide (Bi₂O₃) in the prepared epoxy-Ta₂O₅ and epoxy-Ta₂O₅-Bi₂O₃ composites. Homogeneity of the samples at higher filler wt% was revealed by SEM images. Mechanical characterization showed the enhanced mechanical strength of epoxy-Ta₂O₅-Bi₂O₃ composites compared to epoxy-Ta₂O₅. Higher storage modulus and glass transition temperature of the epoxy-Ta₂O₅-Bi₂O₃ composites showed enhanced stiffness and thermal stability when compared to neat and epoxy-Ta₂O₅. Decrease in the value of tan(δ) at higher content of filler loadings indicated the good adhesion between filler and matrix. Mass attenuation coefficients of epoxy-Ta₂O₅ (30 wt%) composites at γ-ray energies 59.54 and 662 keV were found to be 0.876 cm² g^–1 and 0.084 cm² g^–1, while that of epoxy-Ta₂O₅-Bi₂O₃ (30 wt% Bi₂O₃) composite were 1.271 cm² g^–1 and 0.088 cm² g^–1, respectively. The epoxy-5% Ta₂O₅-30% Bi₂O₃ composites with higher μ/ρ value and tensile strength may be a potential γ-ray shield in various radiation environments.     

Dy3+ doped LiCl–CaO–Bi2O3–B2O3 glasses for WLED applications

Dy³⁺ doped calcium bismuth borate glasses were synthesized in the composition range of xLiCl-(30 − x)CaO-20Bi₂O₃-50B₂O₃ + 1 mol% Dy₂O₃ (x = 0, 2, 5, 7, 10 and 15 mol%, LC0, LC2, LC5, LC7, LC10 and LC15 respectively) using conventional melt-quench technique. Broad XRD profiles confirmed non-crystalline nature of synthesized compositions. The compositional dependencies of structural changes (using FTIR spectra), thermal behavior (using DSC thermographs) and optical band gap (using UV–Vis–NIR spectra) were discussed. Photoluminescence (PL) excitation spectra recorded at 577 nm yielded six different excitation peaks belonging to Dy³⁺ ions. The PL emission spectra recorded at 451 nm were analyzed to extract different light emission parameters viz. Y/B ratio, color coordinates, correlated color temperature (CCT) following CIE 1931 chromaticity diagram. The emission colors were found to lie in white light region and lies very close to standard white light emission. The CCT of sample LC10 (5335 K) is closest to CCT of standard white light (5615 K) which depicted the optimized concentration of LiCl for application of these glasses in WLED application.     

Solvothermally grown WO3·H2O film and annealed WO3 film for wide-spectrum tunable electrochromic applications

Tungsten trioxide (WO₃) is a classical electrochromic (EC) material with advantages of abundant reserves, high coloration efficiency and cyclic stability. However, WO₃ films are often accompanied by a narrow spectrum of modulation due to a single-color change from transparent to blue. In this work, we report a wide-spectrum tunable WO₃·H₂O nanosheets EC film solvothermally grown on fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) glass. Interestingly, the crystalline WO₃·H₂O nanosheets film is transformed into amorphous WO₃ after annealing at 250 °C for 1 h. The amorphous film can be transformed into crystalline WO₃ film by increasing the annealing temperature to 450 °C. After annealing at 250 °C, the WO₃ film exhibits an optical modulation of 75.8% in a broad solar spectrum range of 380–1400 nm and blocks 88.9% of solar irradiance. Fast switching responses of 4.9 s for coloration and 6.0 s for bleaching, and a coloration efficiency of 86.4 cm² C⁻¹ are also achieved. Additionally, the WO₃ film annealed at 250 °C also demonstrates an excellent cyclic stability, where 99.6% of the initial optical modulation can be retained after 1500 cycles. This simple and mild solvothermal method used in this work provides a new idea for the preparation of wide-spectrum tunable WO₃ EC films.