ABSTRACT
Al0.10Ti0.30V0.25Zr0.10Nb0.25 was prepared to evaluate the effect of 10% aluminum into the previously reported quaternary alloy, Ti0.325V0.275Zr0.125Nb0.275. The as-cast quinary alloy formed a single-phase body centered cubic solid solution and transformed into a body centered tetragonal after hydrogenation. The alloy had a storage capacity of 1.6 H/M (2.6 wt.%) with fast absorption kinetics at room temperature, reaching full capacity within the first 10 min. The major improvements of Al addition (10%) were related to the desorption and cycling properties of the material. The temperature for hydrogen release was significantly decreased by around 100 °C, and the quinary alloy showed superior cycling stability and higher reversible storage capacity than its quaternary counterpart, 94% and 85% of their respective initial capacity, after 20 hydrogenation cycles without phase decomposition.
ABSTRACT
We explore the arguably most fundamental aspect of energy-transfer upconversion (ETU), namely the dependence of upconversion luminescence from a higher-energy level, following ETU excitation from a metastable lower-energy level, on direct luminescence from that metastable level. We investigate ETU among neighboring Nd3+ ions in single crystals of GdVO4 and LaSc3(BO3)4 with different doping concentrations by measuring, after short-pulse laser excitation with different pump energies, the infrared luminescence decay from the metastable 4F3/2 level and the yellow upconversion luminescence decay from the 4G7/2 level. We observe a highly super-quadratic dependence of upconversion on direct luminescence intensity. We conclude that the commonly assumed quadratic law of ETU, as proposed by Grant's model and frequently employed in rate-equation simulations, is inadequate to the description of ETU processes. Whereas Zubenko's model, which considers a finite migration rate, provides significantly better fits to the experimental luminescence-decay curves, also this model cannot accurately reproduce the measured decay curves, partly because it does not take the non-homogeneous distribution of active ions into account.
ABSTRACT
While the overwhelming number of papers on multi-principal-element alloys (MPEAs) focus on the mechanical and microstructural properties, there has been growing interest in these alloys as solid-state hydrogen stores. We report here the synthesis optimization, the physicochemical and the hydrogen sorption properties of Ti0.325V0.275Zr0.125Nb0.275. This alloy was prepared by two methods, high temperature arc melting and ball milling under Ar, and crystallizes into a single-phase bcc structure. This MPEA shows a single transition from the initial bcc phase to a final bct dihydride and a maximum uptake of 1.7 H/M (2.5 wt%). Interestingly, the bct dihydride phase can be directly obtained by reactive ball milling under hydrogen pressure. The hydrogen desorption properties of the hydrides obtained by hydrogenation of the alloy prepared by arc melting or ball milling and by reactive ball milling have been compared. The best hydrogen sorption properties are shown by the material prepared by reactive ball milling. Despite a fading of the capacity for the first cycles, the reversible capacity of the latter material stabilizes around 2 wt%. To complement the experimental approach, a theoretical investigation combining a random distribution technique and first principle calculation was done to estimate the stability of the hydride.
Subject(s)
Alloys/chemistry , Hydrogen/chemistry , Nanostructures/chemistry , Adsorption , Alloys/chemical synthesis , Crystallization , Materials Testing , Surface Properties , Vanadium/chemistryABSTRACT
The preparation of a new trisodium triborate, Na(3)[B(3)O(4)(OH)(4)], and its complete characterization in terms of molecular structure and thermal behavior are reported. Synthesis of this compound was achieved either by NaBH(4) hydrolysis or by thermal treatment of Na[B(OH)(4)].2H(2)O. The crystal structure was determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The trisodium triborate crystallized in the monoclinic system (a = 12.8274(6) A, b = 7.7276(4) A, c = 6.9690(3) A, and beta = 98.161(3) degrees ), space group Cc, Z = 2. The structure of Na(3)[B(3)O(4)(OH)(4)] comprised [B(3)O(4)(OH)(4)](3-) polyanions, based on B-O-containing rings with two tetracoordinated boron atoms and one tricoordinated boron atom in the fragments BO(2)(OH)(2) and BO(3), respectively. These polyanions are interconnected by four intermolecular hydrogen bonds and presented a tilt of 10.470(4) degrees compared to the a axis. Thus, they are stacked by rotation of about 180 degrees around an axis defined by the three-coordinated boron atoms and parallel to the c axis. Such polyanions were only observed previously in two synthetic compounds, M(3)[B(3)O(4)(OH)(4)].2H(2)O with M = K and Rb, which were isostructural. The originality of the present work was the synthesis and the description of a different crystallographic structure containing this polyanion. Characteristic peaks ranging from 500 to 1500 cm(-1) and around 3300 cm(-1) highlighted the presence of the B-O rings and hydroxyl groups, respectively. The decomposition temperature T = 155 degrees C was obtained by thermogravimetric analysis, and the following equivalent formula in terms of hydration degree was proposed: NaBO(2).(2)/(3)H(2)O. Na(3)[B(3)O(4)(OH)(4)] decomposed into Na(3)[B(3)O(5)(OH)(2)] in equilibrium with its vapor.
