Ca and Pr substitution promoted the cell performance in LnSr3Fe3O10-δ cathode for solid oxide fuel cells

The substitution of Ca for Sr in the LnSr_3-xCa_xFe₃O_10-δ (x = 0–1.5, Ln = La, Pr, and Sm), Ruddlesden-Popper (RP) intergrowth structure was investigated to determine how the physical and electrochemical properties of this potential cathode material in solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) are impacted. A small amount of Ca incorporated into the structure reduced the thermal expansion coefficient, improved the electrical conductivity, and increased power density by up to 30% of a La_0.8Sr_0.2Ga_0.8Mg_0.2O₃ electrolyte-supported single cell. The microstructure and oxygen permeability of the materials were independent of Ca substitution. A phase transformation of LaSr_3-xCa_xFe₃O_10-δ to perovskite was observed when the Ca composition of x > 1.0. Among the substitution of Pr and Sm for La in LaSr_2.7Ca_0.3Fe₃O_10-δ, only PrSr_2.7Ca_0.3Fe₃O_10-δ was pure with no phase transformation found. The co-substitution of Pr and Ca promoted the reduction of Fe, enhanced the oxygen permeation and active surface, and diminished the contact resistance at the cathode-electrolyte interlayer. The co-substitution of Ca and Pr delivered good electrochemical performance of approximately 354 mWcm⁻² at 800 °C on a 0.3 mm thick La_0.8Sr_0.2Ga_0.8Mg_0.2O₃ electrolyte-supported cell and the lowest area specific resistance (ASR).     

Synthesis and Photocatalytic Properties of Single Crystalline (Ga1-xZnx)(N1-xOx) Nanotubes

Recently, (Ga_1-xZn_x)(N_1-xO_x) has gained widespread attention as a comparatively high efficiency photocatalyst for visible-light-driven overall water splitting. Despite significant gains in efficiency over the past several years, a majority of the photogenerated carriers recombine within bulk powders. To improve the photocatalytic activity, we used an epitaxial casting method to synthesize single-crystalline, high surface area (Ga_1-xZn_x)(N_1-xO_x) nanotubes with ZnO compositions up to x=0.10. Individual nanotubes showed improved homogeneity over powder samples due to a well defined epitaxial interface for ZnO diffusion into GaN. Absorption measurements showed that the ZnO incorporation shifts the absorption into the visible region with a tail out to 500 nm. Gas chromatography (GC) was used to compare the solar water splitting activity of (Ga_1-xZn_x)(N_1-xO_x) nanotubes (x=0.05–0.10) with similar composition powders. Cocatalyst decorated samples were dispersed in aqueous solutions of CH₃OH and AgO₂CCH₃ to monitor the H⁺ reduction and H₂O oxidation half reactions, respectively. The nanotubes were found to have approximately 1.5–2 times higher photocatalytic activity than similar composition powders for the rate limiting H⁺ reduction half reaction. These results demonstrate that improvements in homogeneity and surface area using the nanotube geometry can enhance the photocatalytic activity of GaN:ZnO for solar water splitting.     

Fantastic valence impacts of Pr on microstructures and Faraday magneto-optical effects of transparent (Ho,Pr)2O3 ceramics

Polycrystalline magneto-optical (Ho_1-xPr_x)₂O₃ (x = 0.05?0.2) ceramics were fabricated by vacuum sintering using layered rare-earth hydroxides as the precursors, among which the 5 at.% Pr doped specimen exhibits the highest in-line transmittance of ～76.1 % at 700 nm (～94.5 % of the theoretical value of defect-free Ho₂O₃ single crystal) and the largest Verdet constant of ?82 ± 6 rad?T^?1 m^?1 at 1064 nm (～2.3 times that of the commercial Tb₃Ga₅O₁₂ crystal and ～1.8 times that of the pure Ho₂O₃ ceramic). More Pr addition not only leads to a higher thermal decomposition temperature for the precursor but also a decreasing particle size for the oxide. A 5 at.% Pr dopant in Ho₂O₃ matrix generally exists in the oxidation state of +3, while an increasing Pr concentration up to 10 at.% induces coexisting valences of +3 and +4. The grain growth was suppressed by the present Pr⁴⁺ based on interstitial mechanism. The substitution of Pr³⁺ for Ho³⁺ is helpful for the rising Verdet constant of the binary ceramic, but Pr⁴⁺ has little positive contribution to it.     

Electro-morphological,structural, thermal and ionic conduction properties of Gd/Pr co-doped ceria electrolytes exhibiting mixed Pr3+/Pr4+ cations

Gd_0.2-xPr_xCe_0.8O_1.90, (x?=?0, 0.02, 0.04, 0.06, 0.08, 0.10) has been synthesized by means of a simple co-precipitation route based on ammonium carbonate as the precipitating agent. The as-synthesized precursors are cerium-gadolinium-praseodymium amorphous hydroxycarbonates, which are nanometric in size with highly homogeneous morphology, leading to reactive doped and co-doped nanocrystalline (≈13?nm) ceria after a mild thermal treatment (2?h at 600?°C). The obtained results highlight the very positive effect of Pr on the powders’ sintering behaviour, which favour a better densification of the final pellets, thus improving both their microstructure (with relative densities of 97–99% after sintering at 1250?°C for 3?h) and electrochemical properties (up to 1.25·10–1?S?cm^?1 at 800?°C for sample 6Pr) compared to the state-of-art ceria-based electrolytes. Through a comprehensive characterization, a relation was formed between the Pr content and the microstructural features of the sintered pellets and their electrical behaviour. The amount of Pr doping was investigated over a wide range and 6?mol% has been established to be optimal (possessing the lowest electronic conductivity contribution). Definitely, these results indicate that Gd_0.2-xPr_xCe_0.8O_1.90 has an excellent set of characteristics, both microstructural and electrical, and a convenient fabrication process, thus making it perfectly suitable for IT-SOFC practical applications.     

Synthesis and luminescence characterization of Pr3+, Gd3+ co-doped SrF2 transparent ceramics

Pr³⁺, Gd³⁺ co-doped SrF₂ transparent ceramic, as the potential material for visible luminescent applications, was prepared by hot-pressing of precursor nanopowders. The microstructure, phase compositions, and in-line transmittance, as well as the photoluminescence properties were investigated systematically. Highly optical quality Pr,Gd:SrF₂ transparent ceramic with nearly pore-free microstructure was obtained at 800°C for 1.5 hours. The average in-line transmittance of the x at.% Pr, 6 at.% Gd:SrF₂ (x = 0.2, 0.5, 1.0, 2.0) transparent ceramics reached to 87.3 % in the infrared region. The photoluminescence spectra presented intense visible light emissions under the excitation of 444 nm, the main intrinsic emission bands located at 483 and 605 nm, which were attributed to the transitions of Pr³⁺: ³P₀ → ³H₄ and ¹D₂ → ³H₄, respectively. With the co-doping of Gd³⁺ ions, the emission intensity of the Pr:SrF₂ transparent ceramic was greatly enhanced. All the emission bands of x at.% Pr, 6 at.% Gd:SrF₂ transparent ceramics exhibited the highest luminescence intensity with the 1.0 at.% Pr³⁺ doping concentrations, whereas the lifetimes decreased dramatically with the Pr³⁺ doping contents increasing from 0.2 to 2.0 at.% due to its intense concentration quenching effect. The 1 at.% Pr, 6 at.% Gd:SrF₂ transparent ceramic is a promising material for visible luminescent device applications.     

Fabrication and electrical properties of Bi2-xSbxTe3 ternary nanopillars array films

Highly oriented Bi_2-xSb_xTe₃ (x?=?0, 0.7, 1.1, 1.5, 2) ternary nanocrystalline films were fabricated using vacuum thermal evaporation method. Microstructures and morphologies indicate that Bi_2-xSb_xTe₃ films have pure rhombohedral phase with well-ordered nanopillars array. Bi, Sb and Te atoms uniformly distributed throughtout films with no precipitation. Electrical conductivity of Bi_2-xSb_xTe₃ films transforms from n-type to p-type when x?>?1.1. Metal-insulator transition was observed due to the incorporation of Sb in Bi₂Te₃. Bi_2-xSb_xTe₃ film with x?=?1.5 exhibits optimized electrical properties with maximum electrical conductivity σ of 2.95?×?10⁵ S?m^?1 at T?=?300?K, which is approximately ten times higher than that of the undoped Bi₂Te₃ film, and three times higher than previous report for Bi_0.5Sb_1.5Te₃ films and bulk materials. The maximum power factor PF of Bi_0.5Sb_1.5Te₃ nanopillars array film is about 3.83?μW?cm^?1 K^?2 at T?=?475?K. Highly oriented (Bi,Sb)₂Te₃ nanocrystalline films with tuned electronic transport properties have potentials in thermoelectric devices.     

Color-tunable up-conversion luminescence of Zn(AlxGa1-x)2O4:Yb3+,Tm3+,Er3+ powders

Color-tunable up-conversion powder phosphors Zn(Al_xGa_1-x)₂O₄: Yb³⁺,Tm³⁺,Er³⁺ were synthesized via high temperature solid-state reaction. Also, the morphological and structural characterization, up-conversion luminescent properties were all investigated in this paper. In brief, under the excitation of a 980?nm laser, all powders have same emission peaks containing blue emission at 477?nm (attributed to ¹G₄→³H₆ transition of Tm³⁺ ions), green emission at 526?nm and 549?nm (attributed to ²H_11/2→ ⁴I_15/2 and ⁴S_3/2→⁴I_15/2 transition of Er³⁺ ions respectively), red emission at about 659?nm and 694?nm (attributed to ⁴F_9/2→⁴I_15/2 transition of Er³⁺ ions and ³F₃→³H₆ transition of Tm³⁺ ions, respectively), which are not changed after the doping of Al³⁺ ions. However, the doping of Al³⁺ ions can enhance the up-conversion luminescent intensity and efficiency, while the emission color of as-prepared powder phosphors can be tunable by controlling the doping amount of Al³⁺ ions. Taking Zn(Al_0.5Ga_0.5)₂O₄:Yb,Tm,Er as the cut-off value, the emissions have clear blue-shift firstly and then show obvious red-shift with the increasing doping of Al³⁺ ions. Stated thus, pink emission in ZnAl₂O₄:Yb,Tm,Er, purplish pink emission in ZnGa₂O₄:Yb,Tm,Er and Zn(Al_0.9Ga_0.1)₂O₄:Yb,Tm,Er, purple emission in Zn(Al_0.1Ga_0.9)₂O₄:Yb,Tm,Er and Zn(Al_0.3Ga_0.7)₂O₄:Yb,Tm,Er, purplish blue emission in Zn(Al_0.7Ga_0.3)₂O₄:Yb,Tm,Er, blue emission in Zn(Al_0.5Ga_0.5)₂O₄:Yb,Tm,Er can be observed, which confirm the potential applications of as-prepared Zn(Al_xGa_1-x)₂O₄:Yb³⁺,Tm³⁺,Er³⁺ powder phosphors in luminous paint, infrared detection and so on.     

Effect of dopant on ferroelectric,dielectric and photocatalytic properties of Co–La-doped dysprosium chromite prepared via microemulsion route

In the current study, pristine and a series of La and Co-doped dysprosium chromite (Dy_1-yLa_yCr_1-xCo_xO₃) nanoparticles have been fabricated via a facile microemulsion technique. The influence of doping was evaluated based on structural, ferroelectric, dielectric, and photocatalytic properties. The prepared nanoparticles were characterized by XRD, SEM, Raman, and UV–Vis techniques. XRD patterns confirm the synthesis of a monophase orthorhombic structure with space group Pbnm with an average crystalline size in the 18–37 nm range. The saturation polarization (Ps), remanence (Pr), and coercivity (Hc) were determined using a hysteresis loop, and it was observed that by increasing the concentration of dopants, the value of Ps and Pr were improved. According to the PL spectra, highly substituted materials had a low recombination rate and higher charge separation (e^? - h⁺), which was ultimately accountable for higher photocatalytic activity. The dielectric loss decreases with frequency and dopant concentration. The photocatalytic activity of Dy_1-yLa_yCr_1-xCo_xO₃ was investigated against Crystal Violet (CV) dye under sunlight irradiation. The Dy_1-yLa_yCr_1-xCo_xO₃ furnished a 70% dye degradation in 90 min, which is attributed to the tunned bandgap and efficient electron-hole pair separation and the photocatalytic activity under visible light making Dy_1-yLa_yCr_1-xCo_xO₃ a promising photocatalyst for dye removal from wastewater.     

Selective oxidation of hydrogen sulfide containing excess water and ammonia over Bi-V-Sb-O catalysts

We investigated the selective oxidation of hydrogen sulfide to elemental sulfur and ammonium thiosulfate by using Bi₄V_2-xSb_xO_11-y catalysts. The catalysts were prepared by the calcination of a homogeneous mixture of Bi₂O₃, V₂O₅, and Sb₂O₃ obtained by ball-milling adequate amounts of the three oxides. The main phases detected by XRD analysis were Bi₄V₂O₁₁, Bi_1.33V₂O₆, BiSbO₄ and BiVO₄. They showed good H₂S conversion with less than 2% of SO₂ selectivity with a feed composition of H₂S/O₂/NH₃/H₂O/He=5/2.5/5/60/27.5 and GHSV=12,000 h^-1 in the temperature ranges of 220–260 ‡C. The highest H₂S conversion was obtained for x=0.2 in Bi₄V_2-xSb_xO_11-y catalyst. TPR/TPO results showed that this catalyst had the highest amount of oxygen consumption. XPS analysis before and after reaction confirmed the least reduction of vanadium oxide phase for this catalyst during the reaction. It means that the catalyst with x=0.2 had the highest reoxidation capacity among the Bi₄V_2-xSb_xO_11-y catalysts.     

Photoluminescence properties of Pr3+ ion-doped YInGe2O7 phosphor under an ultraviolet irradiation

Pr³⁺ ion-doped YinGe₂O₇ phosphors are synthesized by a vibrating milled solid state reaction. There is a red shift for the excitation peak for the charge transfer transition between In³⁺ and O^2- ion because the numbers of oxygen vacancies change the structure, which leads to a change in the crystal field. The results indicate that the emission spectra for the YinGe₂O₇:Pr samples under an excitation of 263 nm exhibit two dominant peaks at 486 and 604 nm, which are respectively assigned to the ³P₀→³H₄ and ¹D₂→³H₄ transitions. The chromaticity coordinate for (Y_1?xPr_x)InGe₂O₇ phosphors varies with the Pr³⁺ doping concentration, from white, to greenish, to blueish. This has a potential application as a white light emitting phosphor for ultraviolet light-emitting diodes.     

Variable optical properties of La0.5Sr0.5Co1-xNixO3-δ for high-temperature resistant code application

La_0.5Sr_0.5Co_1-xNi_xO_3-δ (x = 0, 0.1, 0.3, 0.5) ceramics were prepared via tape casting and solid state reaction process. The influence of Ni concentration on the optical properties of La_0.5Sr_0.5Co_1-xNi_xO_3-δ has been investigated. Results showed that the reflectance in the range of 0.3–15 μm decreased with the increment of Ni concentration, thereby causing a change in the color phase parameters and emissivity. Based on the difference in L* values and emissivity, the letters (HOT) and QR codes (NJTECH) were fabricated. The developed letters and QR codes could be identified both at room and high temperatures. Furthermore, the QR codes were read out successfully even underwent heat treatment at 1000 °C. The results in this work demonstrate a new application of La_0.5Sr_0.5Co_1-xNi_xO_3-δ ceramics.     

Investigation of the Ga-Sb-S chalcogenide glass with low thermo-optic coefficient as an acousto-optic material

In this study, two series of Ga_xSb_40-xS₆₀ (x = 4, 6, 8, 10 mol%) and Ga_ySb₃₆S_64-y (y = 3, 5, 6 mol%) glasses were prepared and the relationship between their compositional and acousto-optic (AO) properties was investigated systematically for the first time. In the Ga_ySb₃₆S_64-y system, the AO figure of merit (M₂) increased as the Ga increased, and the maximum M₂ of the Ga₆Sb₃₆S₅₈ glass was 455.78 × 10^?18 s³/g, which is ～301 times greater than that of fused silica and ～2.5 times greater than that of As₂S₃ chalcogenide (ChG) glass at 1550 nm. However, its thermo-optic coefficients (dn/dT) varied greatly (32.1 × 10^?6 °C^?1–57.2 × 10^?6 °C^?1), and acoustic attenuations (α) at 10 MHz were high, from 5.446 dB/cm to 7.274 dB/cm. In the Ga_xSb_40-xS₆₀ glass system, the M₂ value and α at different ultrasonic frequencies gradually decreased with the improvement of Ga. Compared with the Ga_ySb₃₆S_64-y system, the Ga_xSb_40-xS₆₀ glass system had lower α (at 10 MHz) and dn/dT, which are 5.001 dB/cm–5.563 dB/cm and 17.3 × 10^?6 °C^?1–55.6 × 10^?6 °C^?1, respectively. These results provide a significant reference for the further development of novel ChG glasses and help expand their application fields.     

A new family of Cu-doped lanthanum silicate apatites as electrolyte materials for SOFCs: Synthesis,structural and electrical properties

La_9.67Si_6-xCu_xO_26.5-x (LSC, x = 0, 0.1, 0.3 and 0.5) are synthesized by a citric-nitrate method. Substitution Si with Cu promotes the densification process of silicate apatite. Unit cell parameters and volume increase linearly with Cu content. The Rietveld refinement reveals a much more distorted (Si,Cu)O₄ tetrahedra in the oxygen stoichiometric La_9.67Si_5.5Cu_0.5O₂₆ sample. The structural observation from high temperature XRD implies a second-order phase transition in La_9.67Si_5.5Cu_0.5O₂₆. Cu-doping decreases the activation energy of oxygen ion conduction and increases the conductivity of LSC materials in the temperature range of 550–800 °C. La_9.67Si_5.5Cu_0.5O₂₆ shows the conductivity values of 29.3 and 12.3 mS cm⁻¹ at 800 °C and 650 °C, respectively. The oxygen ion transference number of La_9.67Si_5.5Cu_0.5O₂₆ is higher than 0.99. These attractive properties make the La_9.67Si_5.5Cu_0.5O₂₆ a promising oxygen ion conducting electrolyte for applications of solid oxide fuel cells, oxygen sensors, oxygen separation membranes, etc.     

Cathodoluminescence mapping and thermoluminescence of Pr3+ doped in a CaTiO3/CaGa2O4 composite phosphor

In order to probe the properties of the one pot prepared composite phosphor of CaTiO₃ and CaGa₂O₄, cathodoluminescence mapping, thermoluminescence and lifetime measurements were carried out. The structural study showed both irregular and rod shaped particles, which match with CaTiO₃ and CaGa₂O₄, respectively, according the x-ray maps. The cathodoluminescence spectrum showed emission peaks from ³P₀→³H₄ and ¹D₂→³H₄ transitions, with the earlier transition completely absent in CaTiO₃:Pr emission at room temperature. The diffuse reflectance spectrum showed a shifted band of the inter-valence charge transfer from 360 nm to 388 nm, which is not observable for CaTiO₃:Pr³⁺and CaGa₂O₄:Pr³⁺. Additionally, the phosphorescence decay curve was recorded and the presence of electron trapping centers was confirmed using thermoluminescence spectroscopy.     

Gd3+ doping induced microstructural evolution and enhanced visible luminescence of Pr3+ activated calcium fluoride transparent ceramics

Transparent Pr³⁺ doped Ca_1-xGd_xF_2+x (x = 0, 0.01, 0.03, 0.06, 0.10, 0.15) polycrystalline ceramics with fine-grained microstructures were prepared by the hot-pressing method. The dependence of microstructure, optical transmittance, luminescence performances and mechanical properties on the Gd³⁺ concentrations for Pr³⁺:Ca_1-xGd_xF_2+x transparent ceramics were investigated. The Gd³⁺ ions show positive effects on the microhardness of Pr³⁺:Ca_1-xGd_xF_2+x transparent ceramics as a result of the decrease in the grain sizes. Excited by the Xenon lamp of 444 nm, typical visible emissions located at 484 nm, 598 nm and 642 nm were observed. Furthermore, the incorporation of Gd³⁺ ions can greatly enhance the photoluminescence performance owing to the improvement in the concentration quenching effect. The quenching concentration of Pr³⁺ ions in CaF₂ transparent ceramics increased to 1 at.% as a result of the positive effect of Gd³⁺ codoping. The energy transfer mechanism of Pr³⁺ in the Pr³⁺:Ca_1-xGd_xF_2+x transparent ceramics has been investigated and discussed.     

Electrical properties of La2-xPrxTi2O7 (x = 0–0.3) ceramics

The electrical properties of La₂Ti₂O₇ (LTO) ceramics have been enhanced through the substitution of La³⁺ ions by Pr³⁺ ions. Almost all doped Pr³⁺ ions will get at A - site without causing a change on monoclinic phase of LTO. The average grain size is 17.8 μm for La_1.9Pr_0.1Ti₂O₇ ceramics. The relaxation activation energy which is contributed by defect dipoles that are formed from TiO₆ oxygen octahedrons’ distortions in grains is 1.6 eV for La_1.8Pr_0.2Ti₂O₇ ceramics. This kind of defects will be activated from 520 °C and completely be activated until 650 °C. The piezoelectric coefficient d₃₃ = 3.0 pC/N of La_2-xPr_xTi₂O₇ ceramics maintains stable when the Pr³⁺ doping content x ranging from 0.1 to 0.3.     

Study on La2(Hf1-xTix)2O7 (x ≤ 0.20) pyrochlores for potential thermal/environmental barrier coating applications

Lanthanum hafnate (La₂Hf₂O₇) with a pyrochlore structure has excellent high temperature stability and low thermal conductivity, which is promising for thermal/environmental barrier coatings (T/EBCs) applications. To reduce its thermal expansion coefficient (TEC) so as to better match SiC_f/SiC composites, a smaller tetravalent dopant Ti⁴⁺ has been introduced in the Hf-sites to form La₂(Hf_1-xTi_x)₂O₇ (x ≤ 0.20). The phase composition and microstructure confirms that La₂(Hf_1-xTi_x)₂O₇ solid solutions possess a pure pyrochlore structure. With an increase of x, their TECs are decreasing consistently, whilst their thermal conductivities of La₂(Hf_1-xTi_x)₂O₇ are slightly increasing at high temperature but still much lower than those of meta-stable yttria partially stabilized zirconia, both of which are attributing to an increase of elastic modulus after Ti⁴⁺ doping on Hf-sites. The extremely excellent high temperature stability, relatively low thermal conductivities and low TECs suggest that La₂(Hf_1-xTi_x)₂O₇ is a prospective candidate material for T/EBC applications.     

Investigation on thermoelectric properties of screen-printed La1-xSrxCrO3-In2O3 thermocouples for high temperature sensing

La_1-xSr_xCrO₃-In₂O₃ thick film thermocouples were fabricated by screen-printing method for high temperature sensing and the effects of Sr²⁺ content were investigated systematically. All La_1-xSr_xCrO₃ thick films showed well crystallization with orthorhombic unit cell. Their average particle sizes showed the tendency of first increase then decrease gradually with the increase of Sr²⁺ content, and the maximum of average particle size was 1.76?μm. At the same time, the conductivities were improved with the increase of Sr²⁺ content. The thermoelectric properties of La_1-xSr_xCrO₃ depended on the Sr²⁺ content and the average Seebeck coefficients had an exponential decay tendency with the increase of Sr²⁺ content. For La_1-xSr_xCrO₃ (x?=?0.1–0.4)-In₂O₃ thermocouples, excellent repeatability and stability were observed through multi-cycles and long-time usage testing at high temperature. The La_0.7Sr_0.3CrO₃-In₂O₃ thick film thermocouple with excellent thermal stability (drift rate: 0.81?°C/h) and reliability makes it become a promising candidate high sensitivity thermal sensor.     

Frequency and temperature independent (Nb0.5Ga0.5)x(Ti0.9Zr0.1)1-xO2 ceramics with giant dielectric permittivity and low loss

Nb⁵⁺ and Ga³⁺ co-doped Ti_0.9Zr_0.1O₂ ceramics were synthesized using the conventional solid-state reaction method. Single rutile-liked phase of octahedron structure were identified for all compositions in (Nb_0.5Ga_0.5)_x(Ti_0.9Zr_0.1)_1-xO₂ (NGT) with x = 0.01 to 0.10 by X-ray diffraction patterns coupled with Rietveld refinement. Microstructural scanning image, together with energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDX), revealed good chemical homogeneity in NGT samples. A giant dielectric permittivity of 5 × 10⁴ and a low loss of 0.02 was obtained in NGT with x = 0.01 due to the contribution of electron-pinned and defect-dipole effect. Furthermore, a temperature (-20–120 °C), frequency (0.1–10⁴ Hz) and bias electric field (100–200 V/mm) independent dielectric permittivity and loss was found in this composition, which is critical for potential applications of supercapacitors.     

Subsolidus phase equilibria in the La2O3–Fe2O3–Sb2O5 system and characterization of layered ternary oxide LaFe0.5Sb1.5O6

Phase equilibria in the La₂O₃-Fe₂O₃–Sb₂O₅ system have been studied. The isothermal section was constructed at T=900 °С. The existence of the ternary oxide LaFe_0.5Sb_1.5O₆ was confirmed. The structure of this compound was solved using Rietveld refinement of synchrotron radiation-based powder XRD data. LaFe_0.5Sb_1.5O₆ crystallizes in a trigonal layered structure relating to PbSb₂O₆ type (space group P-31m, a=b=5.2446(3) Å, c=5.1930(3) Å, Z=1). The fine powder of LaFe_0.5Sb_1.5O₆ was prepared by molten salt synthesis. The compound was characterized by diffuse reflection and Mossbauer spectroscopy, magnetic measurements, scanning electron microscopy and photocatalytic tests. The magnetic behavior of LaFe_0.5Sb_1.5O₆ in the applied magnetic field H=5000 Oe is entirely paramagnetic. By contrast, in the small magnetic field H=100 Oe the magnetic data of LaFe_0.5Sb_1.5O₆ indicates an unusual critical behavior near phase transition at T<2 K.