Simple enhanced charge density of chitosan film by the embedded ion method for the flexible triboelectric nanogenerator.

This research proposed a simple ionic embedded method to improve electrical output performance by adding surface charges of cationic chitosan (CS) biopolymer for compatible utilization of the triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG). By simply embedding cationic salts, the TENG performance was enhanced by over four times more than that with pristine CS. Moreover, by modifying roughness on the film surface, the optimized condition of R-CS/3 %CaCl2 reached the highest VOC and ISC of ~149 V and ~15 µA, respectively, thus exceeding the output from pristine R-CS TENG by four- and three times of ⁓38 V and ⁓5.1 µA. The maximum power output of 400 µW/cm2 can be observed at the 10 MΩ external load resistance. Finally, by integrating an automatic self-charge pumping (ASCP) module, the ASCP/CS-TENG provided highly efficient VOC and ISC output power by over 1.3 times more than the R-CS/3 %CaCl2 TENG and could light up 72 light emitting diodes (LEDs) easily.

Structural and Compositional Characteristics of Ball-Milled Lepidocrocite Alkali Titanate and the Correlation to Its Surface Acidic-Basic Properties.

The studies on mechanical treatments of layered alkali metal oxides are limited despite their diverse compositions/structures and potential for property tuning. In this work, we vibratory mill Cs0.7Zn0.35Ti1.65O4, K0.8Zn0.4Ti1.6O4, and Cs2Ti6O13 for up to 4 h, during which the lepidocrocite-type structure and the plate-like morphology are well preserved. X-ray diffraction (XRD) indicates a tiny (≤0.6 Å) interlayer expansion accompanied by the enhancement of the preferred orientation along the stacking direction. Chemical analyses across multiple length scales suggest Cs deintercalation, elemental redistributions, and bulk-to-surface (or crystal edge) Cs migration. This ball-milling-induced Cs-rich moiety partially blocks the surface acid sites, although the solids still show a dominating acidic character. The ball-milled samples Cs0.7-pZn0.35-qTi1.65O4-δ contain vacancies between the sheets (p) and at the sheets (q and δ). It is deduced from Sanderson's electronegativity equalization principle and experimentally verified by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) that ball milling increases (decreases) the partial charge at the surface acidic Ti4+/Zn2+ (basic O2-) sites. These nonporous solids (≤20 m2·g-1) contain water sorbed on the external surface as high as 1.1 mol·mol-1, which is comparable to that in a water-intercalated sample. Our work expands the current understanding of the reactivity vs robustness in layered alkali titanates under physically demanding conditions, complementing knowledge gathered via the soft chemistry approach.

AC Conductivity and Dielectric Properties of Lepidocrocite-type Alkali Titanate Tunable by Interlayer Cation and Intralayer Metal.

The lepidocrocite-type layered alkali titanate AxMyTi2-yO4 has diverse chemical compositions with variation in charge per formula unit x, the interlayer cation A+, and the intralayer metal M. Despite this multivariable nature, the composition dependence of physical properties is not well explored. We report herein the AC conductivity and the complementary dielectric properties of Cs0.7M0.35Ti1.65O4, K0.8M0.4Ti1.6O4 (M = Zn, Ni), and the mixed-interlayer ion Cs0.6K0.1Zn0.35Ti1.65O4. For Cs0.7Zn0.35Ti1.65O4, the total AC conductivity is ∼7 × 10-8 to 2 × 10-6 S·cm-1 at 200-350 °C, associating with an activation energy Ea ∼ 865 meV. Meanwhile, the conductivity of K0.8Zn0.4Ti1.6O4 is higher by 1 order of magnitude at much lower temperature (25-150 °C) and a smaller Ea ∼ 250 meV. This difference originates from the compositional robustness of the cesium-containing samples, contrasting with the sintering-induced changes in the potassium analogues. For the latter, the loss of the interlayer K+ ion results in (i) generation of carriers due to charge compensation, (ii) reduction of sheet charge density and weakening of electrostatic attraction, and (iii) widening of the interlayer distance, all contributing to a lower Ea in K0.8M0.4Ti1.6O4. The angular frequency dependence of conductivity, dielectric permittivity (up to a colossal value of 109), and dielectric loss follows the universal power law. Our work demonstrates the potential of simple compositional variation for electrical properties tuning, prompting a more in-depth investigation covering a wider range of possible candidates of x, A+, and M in lepidocrocite titanate.

The effect of thai glutinous rice starch on the synthesis of lead zirconate (PbZrO3) nanofibers via the electrospinning method.

This study synthesized blended lead zirconate (PbZrO3;PZ)/poly(ethylene oxide)(PEO)/Glutinous rice starch (GRS) nanofibers by the electrospinning method. A number of parameters such as the ratio between PEO and GRS and calcination temperature have been studied. The as-spun PZ/PEO/GRS composite and PZ fibers were characterized by TG-DTA, X-ray diffraction, FT-IR and SEM, respectively. SEM results showed that smooth and continuous fibers were obtained at the volume ratio of 10:2:1, PZ/PEO/GRS. After calcination of the as-spun PZ/PEO/GRS composite nanofibers at 650 degrees C for 4 h, PZ nanofibers with perovskite structure were obtained successfully. The fibers had a uniform and smooth surface without grain boundaries. However, when the calcination temperature increased to 750 degrees C and 850 degrees C, the fiber represented a necklace-like structure with grain boundaries arranged by grain to grain unit cell clusters.