The polyanion-type cathode material of Li₃V₂(PO₄)₃ is an ideal cathode material for next-generation lithium-ion battery. It has attracted wide attention due to its comprehensive merits in high specific capacity, excellent structural stability, high operating-voltage, and low cost, etc. The structure, electrochemical properties, preparation methods, existing open questions and possible solutions of certain bottleneck issues of Li₃V₂(PO₄)₃ were discussed in detail in this paper. The research trends of Li₃V₂(PO₄)₃ cathode material was also prospected.

The structures and electronic properties of designed alloys La_0.75Mg_0.25Ni_3.5-xCo_x (x=0, 0.25, 0.5, 0.75) were theoretically investigated by using density functional theory (DFT) of plane wave pseudopotential method. Calculation results showed that, with the increasing Co content, the charge transfer on La atom and the number of states at Fermi level (N(EF)) first increase and then slightly decrease, reaching maximum values at x=0.5. Meanwhile, La_0.75Mg_0.25Ni_3.5-xCo_x　(x=0, 0.3, 0.5, 0.7) alloys were prepared through induced melting method. The effects of substitution Co for Ni on the structure and properties of the alloys were systematically investigated. X-ray diffraction results show that the majority phase in the alloys is Ce₂Ni₇-type AB_3.5 phase. The electrochemical analysis shows that both the discharge capacity and the cycling stability of the alloys reach the maximum values at x=0.5. It is observed from PCT measurements that the alloys can absorb hydrogen under 0.04–0.09 MPa hydrogen pressure at room temperature. Both the lowest absorption pressure of 0.04 MPa and the highest storage capacity of 1.587wt% were obtained with Co content of 0.5. The results clearly show that the property change of AB_3.5 alloys with Co content can be predicted by first principle based theoretical calculations.

(Mg_1-xSr_x)₂Al₄Si₅O₁₈ ceramics were fabricated by traditional ceramic sintering method. The phase transformation from β-Mg₂Al₄Si₅O₁₈ to α-Mg₂Al₄Si₅O₁₈ was accelerated and the width of sihtering range was boarded due to Sr ions doping. The XRD patterns show that the cordierite solid solution of (Mg,Sr)2Al4Si5O18 are kept in the range of 0≤x＜0.2, and the feldspar solid solution of (Sr,Mg)Al₂Si₂O₈ are kept in the range of 0.6＜x≤1.0. Meanwhile, the change of feldspar’s crystal cell volumes complies with Vegard’s rules. SEM image show that the porosity and microcracks of cordierite ceramics are well suppressed due to Sr doping. The growth and distribution of feldspar particles are promoted. The dielectric constants of (Mg_1-xSr_x)₂Al₄Si₅O₁₈ ceramics keep at vicinity of 7.0 in the range of 0≤x≤0.4, then increase to 8.5 at the range of 0.6≤x≤1.0. The quality factors (Q_f values) evidently increase from 24100 GHz at x=0 to 38900 GHz at x=0.2, then decrease continually to 14500 GHz at x=1.0.

ZnO powders were treated by mechanical milling. The structure and morphology of ZnO powders milled for different periods were characterized by XRD and SEM. The discharge behavior and cycle life of ZnO electrodes in Zn/Ni batteries were studied by galvanostatic charge and discharge tests. The incorporation of cycle voltammetry was adopted to investigate charge and discharge mechanisms of ZnO electrodes. The results showed that the grain size of the powders decreased from 135.6 nm to 17.9 nm while the lattice strain increased from 0.06% to 0.57% during milling, which could be attributed to the formation and movement of dislocations. The electrochemical reaction activity of ZnO powders was improved by mechanical milling, resulting in an increase of discharge capacity. ZnO powders milled for 100 h shows a high discharge capacity of 300.6 mAh/g, which is 50 mAh/g higher than that of the unmilled ZnO powders.

ZnO/TiO₂ nanotubes were prepared using ZnO nanorods as raw materials, which were synthesized by hydrothermal methods. Then its performance as an electrode of a dye-sensitized solar cell was investigated. The obtained products were characterized by SEM, XRD, EDX and N₂ adsorption. Furthermore, the photoelectric properties of ZnO/TiO₂ nanotubes film electrodes calcined at different temperatures were investigated by UV-Vis adsorption spectra and electrochemical workstation. It is found that the DSSC based on ZnO/TiO₂ nanotubes calcined at 600℃ have optimum photoelectric properties, J_sc=2.28 mA/cm² and V_oc= 0.631 V, yielding the 0.66% maximum conversion efficiency. Additionally, after TiCl₄ posttreatment, the performance of DSSC made from ZnO/TiO₂ nanotubes are improved obviously and the photoelectric conversion efficiency is up to 1.06%.

Graphite oxide/ZnO was prepared at low temperature (80℃) with graphite oxide (GO) and zinc sulfate heptahydrate (ZnSO4·7H2O) as initial reactants. The graphene/ZnO (GNS/ZnO) was then prepared by a low-temperature chemical exfoliation method. The as-prepared GNS/ZnO was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscope (FT-IR), thermo-gravimetric analysis (TG), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Raman spectra (RS), scanning electron microscope (SEM) and transmission electron microscope (TEM), respectively. The results indicate that graphite oxide is completely reduced to graphene and the well-dispersed ZnO nanoparticles are successfully deposited on graphene sheets as spacers to keep the neighboring sheets separate. Photoluminescence spectra of ZnO and GNS/ZnO nanocomposites display the ?uorescence quenching property of GNS/ZnO, implying that the GNS/ZnO nanocomposites are expected for practical use in the field of photoelectronics.

A novel hybrid material based on graphene oxide was synthesized by utilizing organic synthesis and supramolecular self-assembly techniques. And the structures of graphene derivatives and product were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscope (TEM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Thermogravimetric analysis (TG) shows that introduction of organic groups would significantly enhance the thermal stability of derivatives based on graphene oxide in the range of 50-400℃. The nanomaterial obtained has great potential practical significance and theoretical value to develop organic-inorganic hybrid materials based on graphene with novel features.

The chemical nature of depleted uranium is very active and susceptible to oxidation in nature environment. CrN_x films were prepared by unbalanced magnetron sputtering ion plating at different N₂ flow on the surface of depleted uranium to improve its corrosion resistance. The surface morphology, phase structure, chemical state and corrosion behavior of CrN_x films were characterized by SEM, XRD, XPS, and polarization curves (E/I). The results show that, phase structure of CrN_x film prepared at 10 sccm N₂ flow is composed primarily of the bcc α-Cr. With the increasing of N₂ flow, the phase structures transform to HCP-Cr₂N and fcc CrN, which preferred orientation transforms from Cr(110) to Cr₂N(111) and CrN(200). When N₂ flow increases from 10 sccm to 50 sccm, the Cr2p3/2 XPS peaks move toward high binding energy side, the content of metal Cr decreases and the content of nitride chromium increases. When N2 flow increases to 30 sccm, CrN_x film has fine grain and better density, its corrosion potential increases to 550 mV and corrosion current density decreases two orders of magnitude. After deposited CrN_x film by unbalanced magnetron sputtering, the corrosion resistance of depleted uranium is effectively improved.

Nitrogen-doped 6H-SiC crystal with the diameter of 2-inch was grown along [0001] direction by physical vapor transport method. The spatial distribution of different polytypes such as 6H-SiC, 4H-SiC and 15R-SiC was characterized by mapping Raman spectra. The formation and evolution of different polytypes were investigated during the growth progress. 15R-SiC and 4H-SiC were observed in the as-grown 6H-SiC single crystal. Two different polytype regions are observed from the spatial distribution of different polytypes. One region originates from the growth interface of different polytypes. This region has higher nitrogen doping level and carrier concentration, and the area will become large during the growth process. The other region is dominated by 15R-SiC which appears in the main 6H-SiC due to the perturbation in growth temperature, pressure, etc. This region has less effect on the crystal quality, which could be inhibited by increasing the growth temperature.

The effect of optical basicity on near infrared (NIR) luminescence properties of bismuth-doped aluminophosphate glasses was investigated. The result show that with increase in the radius of alkali metal ions in glass host, the intensity of NIR emission band at about 1300 nm from Bi ions increases, while the intensity of NIR emission band at 1100 nm decreases. The dependence of intensity of NIR emission band at 1300 nm on the optical basicity of glass host is found to be opposite to those in previous reports as well as to that of NIR emission band at 1100 nm. The infrared emissions peaked at 1100 and 1300 nm may originate from different valent Bi ion, and the relationship between optical basicity and infrared luminescence of bismuth-doped aluminophosphate glasses can be due to the reduction effect of glass matrix.

The etching characteristics of the AgInSbTe phase change film as a new thermal lithography material were studied. The amorphous AgInSbTe film was deposited by using radio frequency magnetron sputtering method at room temperature, and then crystallized by vacuum-annealing. Using sodium hydroxide aqueous solution as etchant, influences of annealing temperature, etchant concentration and etching time on etching properties of the amorphous and crystalline AgInSbTe films were investigated. Experimental results indicate that the etching rate of the amorphous AgInSbTe film is lower than 0.04 nm/s in 0.001 mol/L sodium hydroxide solution. After vacuum-annealing, the etching rate of the film increases markedly and the etching selectivity between the crystalline and amorphous films increases with the increase of the annealing temperature. At the etching time of  20 min, the etching rate of the crystalline AgInSbTe film annealed at 300℃ is 45 times higher than that of the amorphous film. The surface quality of the AgInSbTe film after etching is good, and the surface roughness is less than 1nm in the area of 10 μm×10 μm. The wet-etching mechanism of the AgInSbTe film in sodium hydroxide solution is discussed.

The effect of chemical etching processes on phosphate laser glass surfaces was investigated. Under different process conditions (e.g. sonication and agitation), conventionally polished and subsequently washed phosphate glass plates were treated by submerging in both HCl and KOH solution either with or without BaCl₂. Subsequently, Raman spectra and X-ray photoelectron spectroscope (XPS) of the treated surfaces were measured. The precipitation of metal cations and depolymerization of the glass network structure are the two main chemical reactions in both solutions: One refers to the substitution of P-O-H for P-O-M, the other is that the Q² tetrahedra, the basic structural unit of the original metaphosphate glass, has gradually been replaced by the Q¹ or Q⁰ tetrahedra. Finally, the reaction models of phosphate laser glasses dissolved in both HCl and KOH solution are proposed.

Columnar crystal structured TiO₂ thin films were prepared on the FTO (SnO₂: F) low-emissivity coated glass substrates, obtaining double-layer structure FTO/TiO₂ coated glass samples. The effect of TiO₂ film thickness on the photocatalytic activity, the low-emissivity performance and light transmission properties of the FTO/TiO₂ coated glass samples was investigated. The results showed that the photocatalytic activity of the samples increased firstly and then decrease with the increase of the film thickness. The best catalytic activity was observed for the sample coated with 300 nm TiO₂ film. The low-emissivity properties of the samples declined as the TiO₂ film thickness increased. The sample still have some low-emissivity performance when the TiO₂ film thickness is 300 nm, while the light transmittance of the samples have little relations with the TiO₂ films thickness. The visible light transmittances of the samples remain at about 72% with a smooth surface. The average surface roughness of the sample is about 1 nm. The FTO/TiO₂ coated glass has photocatalytic self-cleaning properties with excellent low emissive performance and light transmittance property, thus guaranteeing good application prospects.

Using anodized 6061 aluminum alloy and pure aluminum as the templates, TiO₂ thin films were prepared through a liquid deposition method. The TiO₂ thin film fabricated on the 6061 aluminum alloy substrates appears as bamboo-like structures with holes, whereas that prepared on anodized pure aluminum substrate has one-dimensional tubular structures. The main reason is that magnesium in aluminum alloy is oxidized to form magnesium oxide which has a lower volume than that of Al₂O₃. The photocatalytic ability of the TiO₂ films prepared on the aluminum alloy is superior to that of the films fabricated on the pure aluminum. TiO₂ prepared on aluminum alloy has higher specific surface area due to its bamboo-like structures with holes, leading to better performance in the degradation of methylene blue. The photocatalytic performance of the TiO₂ by the degradation of aqueous methylene blue is in accordance with the first kinetic equation. TiO₂ films deposited in 0.1 mol/L (NH₄) TiF₆ solution obtain the best photocatalytic performance at apparent reaction rate of 0.00444/min.

Bi₂O₃ photocatalysts doped with different amounts of nitrogen were synthesized by a precipitation method using bismuth nitrate and hexamethylenetetramine as precursors. The as-synthesized samples were characterized and analyzed by XRD, FT-IR, XPS, UV-Vis and PL. The results indicate that the undoped Bi₂O₃ displays a single monoclinic phase. While the N-doped Bi₂O₃ samples are mixed crystals, which were composed of tetragonal β-Bi₂O₃ and Bi₅O₇NO₃ phases. The oxygen in the lattice of Bi₂O₃ is partially substituted by nitrogen atom, existed stably in the form of Bi-N bond. Meanwhile, nitrogen dopant promotes the formation of β-Bi₂O₃ phase. Compared with undoped Bi₂O₃, the light absorption property of N-doped Bi₂O₃ has apparently extended into visible light region and the fluorescence intensity decreases evidently. Furthermore, the photodegradation performance of methyl orange shows that N-doped Bi₂O₃ samples have excellent visible light photocatalytic activity.

Preparation of TiO₂ nano-particles with controllable surface charges for electrophoretic display was investigated in ethylene tetrachloride, Isopar H and dodecylbenzene, in which TiO₂ nano-particles were modified by anionic surfactants, cationic surfactants and polymers, respectively. The research results showed that TiO₂ nano-particles modified by cationic surfactants had negative charges in ethylene tetrachloride, while it had positive charges in Isopar H and dodecylbenzene, the nano-particles modified by anionic surfactants had the opposite character. The influence of concentration of charge control agents on TiO₂ nano-particles surface charges was discussed, in which TiO₂ nano-particles were modified by sodium dodecylbenzenesulphonate, hexadecyl trimethyl ammonium bromide and styrene/divinylbenzene, respectively. It was shown that ξ potential of TiO₂ nano-particles had a minimum value near the critical micelle concentrations of the charge control agents, and a regular change with the increasing concentration, while the property of ξ potential was still maintained. So, preparation of controllable surface charges of TiO₂ nano-particles can be achieved.v

The cefradine/montmorillonite compounds were prepared by pharmaceutical montmorillonite (MMT) and sodium-montmorillonite (Na-MMT) by the method of solution intercalation. The drug load was quantitatively measured by UV spectrophotometry. The structures of compounds were determined by X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) and Fourier transformed infrared (FT-IR) spectroscope. The results show that cefradine can be intercalated into MMT mainly due to ion exchange, which cannot intercalate into MMT by mechanically mixing. Pharmaceutical MMT shows better ion exchange property after sodium modification, which is easily intercalated. The basal spacing of pharmaceutical MMT changes little after intercalation in water, however, the basal spacing of Na-MMT and pharmaceutical MMT after sodium modification increase.

Mesoporous carbon CMK-3 was synthesized by using SBA-15 silica mesoporous as hard template and characterized through nitrogen adsorption/desorption and low angle X-ray diffraction. As-prepared material with large pores and high surface area was used to remove Orange G dye from aqueous solution. Adsorption experiments were carried out as batch studies at variety of contact times, pH, initial dye concentrations, temperatures and salt concentrations. Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm models were employed to simulate the equilibrium data of anionic dye. It was found that the equilibrium data were well represented by the Langmuir isotherm, yielding maximum monolayer adsorption capacity of 189 mg/g. Experimental data were analyzed using pseudo-first order and pseudo-second order kinetic models and obtained results indicated that kinetics followed a pseudo-second order equation.

A novel method of microwave irradiation assisted thermal decomposition to prepare metal oxide electrodes was proposed in this paper. The electrodes were prepared by the microwave irradiation and the dip-coating method, respectively. The as-prepared electrodes were characterized with scanning electron microscope (SEM), X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), linear sweep voltammetry and accelerated life test to find out the difference between the novel method and the traditional one. Wastewater degradation experiment was also carried out using the electrodes prepared with the above mentioned approaches, with Acid Red G as target pollutant. In comparison with the traditional dip-coating thermal decomposition method, the microwave irradiation method takes less time (2 h) and less complicated operation procedure. The results demonstrate that the electrode prepared by the novel microwave method is better in surface morphology, crystalline, stability and electro-catalytic property, comparing with that prepared by traditional method.