Tunable assembly of vanadium dioxide nanoparticles to create porous film for energy-saving applications.

Nanoparticle-assembled vanadium dioxide (VO2) films have been easily prepared with the assistance of cetyltrimethylammonium vanadate (CTAV) precursor which exhibits self-assembly properties. The obtained VO2 film has a micro/nano hierarchical porous structure, so its visible-light transmittance is significantly improved (∼25% increased compared to continuous film). The VO2 particle density as well as the film porosity can be facilely controlled by adjusting experimental parameters such as dip-coating speed.

One-step high-temperature solvothermal synthesis of TiO2/sulfide nanocomposite spheres and their solar visible-light applications.

A one-step high-temperature hydrated-sulfate assisted solvothermal method has been developed to synthesize TiO(2)/sulfide nanocomposite spheres. Different hybrid spheres of TiO(2)/CdS, TiO(2)/Cu(2)S, TiO(2)/FeS, TiO(2)/Co(9)S(8), and TiO(2)/ZnS were readily prepared by exploiting different hydrated sulfate. The hydrated sulfate has been proved to play multifunctional roles during the synthetic process, such as spherical template, water supplier, and composition controller.

Ta2O5 nanowires: a novel synthetic method and their solar energy utilization.

Single-crystalline uniform Ta(2)O(5) nanowires are prepared by a novel synthetic route. The formation of the nanowires involves an oriented attachment process caused by the reduction of surface energy. The nanowires are successfully applied to photocatalytic H(2) evolution, contaminant degradation, and dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs).

Biomolecule-assisted route to prepare titania mesoporous hollow structures.

Amino acids, as a particularly important type of biomolecules, have been used as multifunctional templates to intelligently construct mesoporous TiO(2) hollow structures through a simple solvothermal reaction. The structure-directing behaviors of various amino acids were systematically investigated, and it was found that these biomolecules possess the general capability to assist mesoporous TiO(2) hollow-sphere formation. At the same time, the nanostructures of the obtained TiO(2) are highly dependent on the isoelectric points (pI) of amino acids.

Intelligent hydrated-sulfate template assisted preparation of nanoporous TiO(2) spheres and their visible-light application.

Hydrated metal sulfates (MSO(4)·xH(2)O, M = Zn, Fe, Co, Mg, etc.) were proposed to be intelligent templates to solvothermally synthesize nanoporous TiO(2) spheres with tunable chamber structures from hollow to solid and hybrid compositions. During the reaction, hydrated sulfate serves simultaneously as spherical template, water supplier, and composition controller, and it can be easily removed by washing.