Kuei-Hsien Chen

Tin monosulfide (SnS), an affordable group IV-VI binary compound, has emerged as a promising semiconductor due to its abundance and low toxicity. The exceptionally low thermal conductivity from the strong lattice anharmonicity makes this material suitable for thermoelectric applications. However, the poor thermoelectric properties of polycrystalline, compared to its single-crystal counterpart, remain the challenge. Furthermore, the anisotropic performance based on the sintering process complicates the preparation of this polycrystalline material. In this study, we successfully improved the electrical transport properties of polycrystalline SnS by employing the in-plane transport properties with texture modulation from hot-pressing at 973 K. This enhancement led to the high electrical conductivity of ≈ 55 S cm−1 in polycrystalline Na-doped SnS observed at room temperature. Additionally, the hole carrier concentration of p-type SnS was further optimized by co-doping of Na and Ag. Our co-doped SnS exhibits a relatively high power factor peak of ≈ 4.49 μWcm−1K−2 at 473 K. With the significant improvement of the electrical conductivities, the thermal conductivities remained unaltered. This work successfully demonstrated a substantial enhancement by ∼66.7 % in the thermoelectric figure of merit (zT) from 0.18 to 0.3 at a relatively low temperature of 573 K in polycrystalline SnS via the microstructural modification from texturing and the optimization of carrier concentration from co-doping.

Single-atom-supported metal oxides have attracted extensive interest in energy catalysis, offering a promising avenue for mitigating greenhouse gas emissions and environmental pollution. This study presents a facile synthesis of single-atom Fe-modified Bi2WO6 photocatalysts. By carefully tuning the Fe ratios, the 1.5Fe-Bi2WO6 sample demonstrates exceptional photocatalytic efficiency in CO2 to CO reduction (36.78 μmol g−1). Additionally, an outstanding NO removal performance is also achieved through this photocatalyst with an impressively low conversion of toxic NO2 at just 0.37%. The reaction intermediates and mechanisms governing the photocatalytic reduction of CO2 into CO are elucidated using in situ DRIFTS and in situ XAS techniques. Regarding NO removal, the introduction of Fe single-atoms, along with induced oxygen vacancies, plays a pivotal role in facilitating the transformation of NO and NO2 into nitrate by stabilizing NO and NO2 species. Mechanistic insights into photocatalytic NO oxidation are garnered through scavenger trapping and EPR experiments employing DMPO. This study emphasizes single-atom-supported metal oxide's potential in sustainable chemistry and air purification, providing a promising solution for urgent environmental challenges.

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A fine control of carriers in solids is the most essential thing while exploring any functionality. For a ternary skutterudite like CoSn1·5Te1.5−x, which has been recently recognized as a potential material for thermoelectric conversion, the dominant carrier could be either electrons or holes via chemically tuning the quaternary Sn2Te2 rings in the structure. Both theoretical calculation and different spectroscopic probes, such as X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) were employed to unveil the conduction type switching details. On the other hand, a Ni-for-Co substitution was applied to enhance electronic transport, and thereby the thermoelectric power factor. Thanks to the substantial cut-off of lattice thermal conductivity by the characteristic Sn2Te2 rings in the skutterudite structure, ultimately a 70-fold increase in the dimensionless figure-of-merit (zT) is achieved at 723 K with the nominal composition Co0·95Ni0·05Sn1·5Te1.5.

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Pharmaceutical drugs' removal from wastewater by photocatalytic oxidation process is considered as an attractive approach and environmentally friendly solution. This report aims to appraise the practical application potential of Ag/g-C3N4/ZnO nanorods toward the wastewater treatment of the pharmaceutical industry. The catalysts are synthesized by straightforward and environmentally-friendly strategies. Specifically, g-C3N4/ZnO nanorods heterostructure is constructed by a simple self-assembly method, and then Ag nanoparticles are decorated on g-C3N4/ZnO nanorods by a photoreduction route. The results show that three commercial drugs (paracetamol, amoxicillin, and cefalexin) with high concentration (40 mg L−1) are significantly degraded in the existence of a small dosage of Ag/g-C3N4/ZnO nanorods (0.08 g L−1). The Ag/g-C3N4/ZnO nanorods photocatalyst exhibits degradation performance of paracetamol higher 3.8, 1.8, 1.3 times than pristine g-C3N4, ZnO nanorods, and g-C3N4/ZnO nanorods. Furthermore, Ag/g-C3N4/ZnO nanorods have an excellent reusability and a chemical stability that achieved paracetamol degradation efficiency of 78% and remained chemical structure of the photocatalyst after five cycles. In addition, the photocatalytic mechanism explanation and comparison of photocatalytic drugs’ degradation ability have also been discussed in this study.

Cu2ZnSnS4 (CZTS) has demonstrated excellent performance as an anode material for lithium-ion batteries. However, the repeated lithiation and delithiation create a cracking pattern and lead to island formation in the thin-film electrode, resulting in a capacity fading over cycling in lithium-ion batteries (LIB's). In order to control this crack behaviour, we introduce carbon into CZTS thin-films by a hydrothermal method to form CZTS@C composite. CZTS@C significantly reduced the crack pattern formation on the electrode surface as well as improved the conductivity of the CZTS@C electrode. At the early stages of lithiation and delithiation, the volume expansion and contraction of Li–CZTS@C create intra-granular cracking only at the surface level, and it offers a high capacity of about 785 mA h g−1 after 150 cycles at 1000 mA g−1 charging rate, excellent rate capability (942 mA h g−1, 678 mA h g−1 and 435 mA h g−1 at 500 mA g−1, 2000 mA g−1 and 5000 mA g−1), and superior cyclability (925 mA h g−1 even after 200 cycles at 500 mA g−1). The excellent electrochemical performance at high-current rates can be attributed to intra-granular cracking together with carbon coating that provides a short transportation length for both lithium ions and electrons. Moreover, the controlled cracking pattern formation in CZTS@C facilitates faster reaction kinetics, which open up a new solution for the development of high-power thin-film anodes for next-generation LIBs applications.

Tin-based composites are promising anode materials for high-performance lithium-ion batteries (LIBs); however, insufficient conductivity, as well as fatal volume expansion during cycling lead to poor electrochemical reversibility and cycling stability. In this work, we demonstrate the lithium-ion storage behaviors of SnS2 anode material deposited on different electrode supports. The SnS2 grown on 3D hierarchical carbon nanotube-carbon cloth composites (SnS2-CNT-CC) shows superior capacity retention and cycle stability, compared to that on planar Mo sheets and carbon cloth. The specific capacity of SnS2 on Mo, CC, and CNT-CC is around 240, 840, and 1250 g−1, respectively. The SnS2-CNT-CC electrode outperforms in the cyclic performance and rate capability compared to other electrode configurations due to the multi-electron pathway and high surface area derived from 3D hierarchical CNT-CC electrode support. Furthermore, a significant decrease in the charge transfer resistance is observed by utilizing 3D hierarchical CNT-CC electrode support. The use of 3D hierarchical structures as electrode support could be the best alternative to enhance the electrochemical performances for the next generation LIBs.

The conversion of CO2 into hydrocarbon fuels via the photocatalytic reaction route is considered a potential strategy to concurrently address serious energy crisis and greenhouse gas emission problems. Nevertheless, the generation of long-chain hydrocarbon products (Cn, n ≥ 2) from the visible-light-reactive photocatalytic CO2 reduction has also been considering a contemporary challenge. Herein, we indicate that Ag nanoparticles (Ag NPs) loaded gC3N4/ZnO nanorods heterojunction (Ag-gC3N4/ZnO NRs abbreviation) has extended photoactive range and enhanced specific surface area. The combination of Ag NPs and gC3N4/ZnO NRs significantly enhances photocatalytic CO2 reduction efficiency to form the acetone product. Detail, the acetone production efficiency of Ag-gC3N4/ZnO NRs is 8.4 and 7.5 times higher than pure ZnO NRs and gC3N4/ZnO NRs at the same condition, respectively. This study represents a potential approach toward higher-energy-value hydrocarbons production and greenhouse gas emission mitigation.

Bi doped Mg2Si0.4Sn0.6 had been synthesised in a high energy ball mill followed by compaction using a sintering hot press. The structural and compositional characterization of sintered mass indicated the formation of a highly densified single-phase product. The microstructure of the hot-pressed samples had been critically assessed. Thermoelectric properties were measured between room temperature and 723 K. A decrease in electrical conductivity was found with the increase in temperature but the Seebeck coefficient showed a reverse trend justifying the attainment of degenerate semiconducting behaviour. Meanwhile, the lattice thermal conductivity was subdued to 1.5 W/mK at 623 K. However, the highest zT value of 0.8 was achieved at 723 K. Moreover, the detailed X-ray photoelectron spectroscopic analysis was carried for the determination of binding energy of the constituent elements in the experimental alloy; it also provided the correct estimation of atomic percentage of the concerned elements. The Raman spectrum revealed a shift in F2g peak with respect to that of Mg2Sn and Mg2Si in correspondence with the composition of the synthesised alloy. The synthesised alloy showed micro and nano hardness of 3.7 and 4.03 GPa respectively, which implies that good mechanical strength could be achieved in the synthesised alloy.

BiCuSeO is a promising thermoelectric material having earth-abundant non-toxic constituents and favourable thermoelectric properties like ultra-low thermal conductivity. In this study, Mn+2 has been introduced at the Bi+3 site to increase hole concentration as well as Seebeck coefficient, through aliovalent doping and magnetic impurity incorporation respectively. Samples were prepared through two-step solid state synthesis with the composition Bi1-xMnxCuSeO (x = 0.0, 0.04, 0.06, 0.08, 0.10 and 0.12). X-ray diffraction patterns confirmed the tetragonal (space group: P4/nmm) crystal structure of BiCuSeO as well as phase purity of the samples. The Seebeck coefficient and electrical resistivity had a decreasing trend with increasing doping fraction owing to the generation of charge carriers. The samples with x = 0.04 and 0.06 showed temperature independent Seebeck coefficient above 523 K, which is a signature of small polaron hopping. While the Seebeck coefficient of the samples with x = 0.08, 0.10 and 0.12 increased above 523 K due to the combination of localized and extended states. The thermal conductivity was dominated by the lattice part of the thermal conductivity. As a result of moderate Seebeck coefficient and low electrical resistivity, the highest power factor of 0.284 mW m−1-K2 was obtained for the Bi0.92Mn0.08CuSeO at 773 K, leading to a maximum zT of 0.4 at 773.