Origin of Polarization in Bismuth Sodium Titanate-Based Ceramics.

The classical view of the structural changes that occur at the ferroelectric transition in perovskite-structured systems, such as BaTiO, is that polarization occurs due to the off-center displacement of the B-site cations. Here, we show that in the bismuth sodium titanate (BNT)-based composition 0.2(BaSrTiO)-0.

Structure-Property Relationships for the Electronic Applications of Bis-Adduct Isomers of Phenyl-C Butyric Acid Methyl Ester.

Higher adducts of a fullerene, such as the bis-adduct of PCBM (bis-PCBM), can be used to achieve shallower molecular orbital energy levels than, for example, PCBM or C Substituting the bis-adduct for the parent fullerene is useful to increase the open-circuit voltage of organic solar cells or achieve better energy alignment as electron transport layers in, for example, perovskite solar cells. However, bis-PCBM is usually synthesized as a mixture of structural isomers, which can lead to both energetic and morphological disorder, negatively affecting device performance. Here, we present a comprehensive study on the molecular properties of 19 pure bis-isomers of PCBM using a variety of characterization methods, including ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy, thermal gravimetric analysis, differential scanning calorimetry, single crystal structure, and (time-dependent) density functional theory calculation.

Pillared Vanadium Molybdenum Disulfide Nanosheets: Toward High-Performance Cathodes for Magnesium-Ion Batteries.

If magnesium-ion batteries (MIBs) are to be seriously considered for next-generation energy storage, then a number of major obstacles need to be overcome. The lack of reversible cathode materials with sufficient capacity and cycle life is one of these challenges. Here, we report a new MIB cathode constructed of vertically stacked vanadium molybdenum sulfide (VMS) nanosheets toward addressing this challenge.

Structure and Conductivity in LISICON Analogues within the LiGeO-LiMoO System.

New solid electrolytes are crucial for the development of all-solid-state lithium batteries with advantages in safety and energy densities over current liquid electrolyte systems. While some of the best solid-state Li-ion conductors are based on sulfides, their air sensitivity makes them less commercially attractive, and attention is refocusing on air-stable oxide-based systems. Among these, the LISICON-structured systems, such as LiZnGeO and LiVGeO, have been relatively well studied.

Highly porous phosphate-based glasses for controlled delivery of antibacterial Cu ions prepared sol-gel chemistry.

Mesoporous glasses are a promising class of bioresorbable biomaterials characterized by high surface area and extended porosity in the range of 2 to 50 nm. These peculiar properties make them ideal materials for the controlled release of therapeutic ions and molecules. Whilst mesoporous silicate-based glasses (MSG) have been widely investigated, much less work has been done on mesoporous phosphate-based glasses (MPG).