Journal of Sol-Gel Science and Technology最新文献

{"title":"Unveiling Bi-functional potential of ZnMoO4-enriched nanoflakes modified electrodes for efficient photocatalysis and supercapacitors","authors":"Sufyan Ashraf,&nbsp;Zeshan Ali Sandhu,&nbsp;Muhammad Asam Raza,&nbsp;Ali Haider Bhalli,&nbsp;Muhammad Hamayun,&nbsp;Adnan Ashraf,&nbsp;Abdullah G. Al-Sehemi","doi":"10.1007/s10971-024-06500-y","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10971-024-06500-y","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The sol-gel method was used to synthesize pure ZnO and MoO₄@ZnO nanostructures for dual functionality in supercapacitors and photocatalysis. The material properties were examined using photoluminescence spectroscopy (PL), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction spectroscopy (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDX). A PL study showed the presence of an intense peak centering approximately around 405 nm, which is primarily due to the near-band edge emission of ZnO excitonic recombination. XRD confirmed the formation of the ZnMoO₄ crystal system. The SEM showed uniformed nano-flakes which was validated by EDX analysis having typical peaks of Zn, O, and Mo. The synthesized materials were evaluated for bi-functional application, including energy storage and photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue (MB) under solar irradiation. The 5% MoO₄@ZnO nanomaterials showed uniform nanoflakes morphology with remarkable photocatalytic as well as electrochemical excellence. Notably, the 5% MoO₄@ZnO nanomaterial degraded MB about 90.02% within 200 min. Galvanostatic charge discharge (GCD) exhibited an outstanding specific capacitance of 1026 F/g at 1 A/g for 5% MoO₄@ZnO. The columbic efficiency of the 5% MoO₄@ZnO electrode material was assessed until 2000 cycles, that retains its stability about 87%. The cyclic voltammetry was also assessed for the calculation of specific capacitance and energy density. The 5% MoO₄@ZnO depicted excellent capacitance and energy density about 915.62 F/g and 53.72 Wh/kg respectively. This study showed that 5% MoO₄@ZnO is a suitable candidate with the exceptional dual function that can be employed for the development of next-generation energy storage and photocatalysis.</p><h3>Graphical Abstract</h3><div><figure><div><div><picture><source><img></source></picture></div></div></figure></div></div>","PeriodicalId":664,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Sol-Gel Science and Technology","volume":"112 1","pages":"25 - 43"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2024-08-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141943827","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Zn-doped manganese tetroxide/graphene oxide cathode materials for high-performance aqueous zinc-ion battery","authors":"Linheng Ge,&nbsp;Hong Zhang,&nbsp;Zirui Wang,&nbsp;Qingli Gao,&nbsp;Manman Ren,&nbsp;Xiaoxia Cai,&nbsp;Qinze Liu,&nbsp;Weiliang Liu,&nbsp;Jinshui Yao","doi":"10.1007/s10971-024-06499-2","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10971-024-06499-2","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Due to its abundant zinc resources, high safety and low cost, aqueous zinc-ion batteries (AZIBs) are considered one of the most interesting lithium-ion battery replacement technologies. Herein, a novel Zn-doped cathode material is achieved via pre-intercalation of Zn²⁺ into the prepared manganese tetroxide (Mn₃O₄)/graphene oxide (GO). The pre-intercalation of Zn²⁺ effectively increases the lattice spacing of Mn₃O₄ and reduces the barrier of insertion/extraction of Zn²⁺, thus improving the kinetic properties of the material. Meanwhile, the conductive carbon skeleton GO successfully combines with polyethyleneimine and Mn₃O₄, which can expand electron and ion conductivity and avoid chemical bulk change. This unique structure enables the Zn-doped cathode a reversible specific capacity with excellent performance (170 mAh g⁻¹ at 200 mA g⁻¹). Furthermore, the diffusion coefficient of the Zn-doped cathode is 10⁻⁹–10⁻¹⁰cm⁻² s⁻¹. Therefore, this study introduces a viable approach for the practical implementation of advanced electrode materials in AZIBs applications.</p><h3>Graphical Abstract</h3><div><figure><div><div><picture><source><img></source></picture></div></div></figure></div></div>","PeriodicalId":664,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Sol-Gel Science and Technology","volume":"112 1","pages":"15 - 24"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2024-08-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141943760","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Evolution of perovskite nanocrystals in hot injection process with various ligand-rich systems","authors":"Huazheng Li, Gaoling Zhao, Bin Song, Zhoujian Mao, Yixiao Qian, Weixia Dong, Gaorong Han","doi":"10.1007/s10971-024-06507-5","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s10971-024-06507-5","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Colloidal CsPbBr₃ perovskite nanocrystals have attracted much attention due to their unique physical and chemical properties. As an important factor to control the crystalline phase and morphology of perovskite, the mechanism of the action of the crystal surface ligands, however, still remains unclear. In this work, the variation of the crystalline phase and morphology with reaction time in the conventional hot injection method was studied, and the ligands on various crystals were characterized. Based on above work, a hot injection process with various ligand-rich system was proposed. Oleic acid (OA) and oleylamine (OAm) were employed to replace octadecene (ODE) as the solvent. The relationship between OA/OAm ratio and the composition and structure of the product was studied, and a variety of perovskite structures with different components, crystalline phases and morphologies were obtained. Moreover, the binding modes between ligands and surfaces of different perovskite nanocrystals were further explored by using first-principles simulation. This work helps further understand the role of OA, OAm and other ligands in perovskite nanocrystal formation and proposes an approach for the controlled synthesis of perovskite nanocrystals.</p><h3 data-test=\"abstract-sub-heading\">Graphical Abstract</h3>","PeriodicalId":664,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Sol-Gel Science and Technology","volume":"23 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2024-08-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141943830","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Synergistic effects of Al and Co co-doping on structural, electrical and luminescence properties of gallium ferrites synthesized by sol-gel method","authors":"Pritam Das, Nandni Sharma, Kulwinder Singh, Sur Sharma Kongbrailatpam, Sawini, Mukul Kumar, Sanjeev Kumar, Ashish Kumar Mall, Deepak Kumar, Suresh Ghotekar","doi":"10.1007/s10971-024-06498-3","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s10971-024-06498-3","url":null,"abstract":"<p>In the present manuscript, synergic impacts of aluminum and cobalt co-doping on the structural, optical, P-E and leakage current densities of gallium ferrite (GFO) have been investigated. We have synthesized polycrystalline Ga_1-xAl_xFeO₃ (x = 0.0, 0.50) and Ga_0.5Al_0.5Fe_1-yCo_yO₃ (y = 0, 0.025, 0.05) samples using the sol-gel method. XRD analysis shows the orthorhombic crystal structure corresponding to the Pc21n space group with no secondary or impurity peaks. The unit cell volume decreases with Al and Co co-doping in GFO. The leakage current density is significantly decreased (2.71 × 10⁻⁸ A/cm²) when Al and Co are co-doped in GFO. The ferroelectricity at room temperature is confirmed by the P-E measurements of the Al and Co co-doped GFO samples. The co-doped GFO samples showed better ferroelectric properties compared to bare sample. At room temperature, photoluminescence (PL) spectra have been recorded using 440 nm excitation for the reflection detections of Al and Co replacements on GFO. By using PL emission spectral analysis, the site disorder and cation redistribution have been also verified.</p><h3 data-test=\"abstract-sub-heading\">Graphical Abstract</h3>","PeriodicalId":664,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Sol-Gel Science and Technology","volume":"43 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2024-08-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141943828","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"La+3-doped CoFe2O4@MXene bifunctional electrocatalyst for superior OER and HER activity","authors":"Sheraz Yousaf,&nbsp;Safaa N. Abdou,&nbsp;Muhammad Afaq,&nbsp;Mohamed M. Ibrahim,&nbsp;Imran Shakir,&nbsp;Salah M. El-Bahy,&nbsp;Iqbal Ahmad,&nbsp;Muhammad Shahid,&nbsp;Muhammad Farooq Warsi","doi":"10.1007/s10971-024-06504-8","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10971-024-06504-8","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The lanthanum doped cobalt ferrite (La⁺³-CoFe₂O₄) incorporated in MXene sheets bifunctional electrocatalyst was prepared and then subjected to various analyses to assess their structural, morphological, and functional group characteristics. X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) were employed for this purpose. The electrochemical performance of La-CoFe₂O₄@MXene was investigated in an alkaline solution to assess the bifunctional (OER/HER) performances. The results revealed that La-CoFe₂O₄@MXene exhibited significantly lower overpotential and a lesser Tafel slope during OER compared to both CoFe₂O₄ and La-CoFe₂O₄ materials. Similarly, during HER, La-CoFe₂O₄@MXene demonstrated superior performance. The electrochemical impedance (EIS) analysis was also conducted on all samples. These results indicated that the La-CoFe₂O₄@MXene electrocatalyst displayed reduced charge transfer resistance (2.18 Ω) and a higher exchange current density (2.94 mA cm⁻²) compared to its counterparts. These results collectively demonstrate the exceptional electrocatalytic behavior of La-CoFe₂O₄@MXene. This enhanced performance is likely attributable to the synergistic effect of lanthanum doping, which introduces defects into the material, and the presence of MXene sheets, which facilitates faster charge transfer within the electrocatalyst. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to explore La-CoFe₂O₄@MXene for water splitting. Our results demonstrate that this material requires significantly lower overpotential for OER and HER in an alkaline medium, showcasing its potential as an efficient and cost-effective catalyst for water splitting.</p><h3>Graphical Abstract</h3><div><figure><div><div><picture><source><img></source></picture></div></div></figure></div></div>","PeriodicalId":664,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Sol-Gel Science and Technology","volume":"112 1","pages":"1 - 14"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2024-08-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141943829","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Investigations on structural and magnetic behavior of LaPrCo1-xFexMnO6 double perovskite system","authors":"Reena Sharma,&nbsp;Neelam Hooda,&nbsp;Ashima Hooda,&nbsp;Satish Khasa","doi":"10.1007/s10971-024-06501-x","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10971-024-06501-x","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Double perovskite system LaPrCo_1-xFe_xMnO₆; (<i>x</i> = 0.2, 0.5, 0.8, &amp; 1.0) was synthesized by sol–gel method and its structural and magnetic properties were studied. XRD analysis followed by Rietveld refinement inveterate the phase formation without impurities and validated the co-existence of three phases; monoclinic (<i>P2</i>_<i>1</i><i>/n</i>, ordered), orthorhombic, and rhombohedral (<i>Pbnm &amp; R3c</i>, disordered). LPCFMO1 (<i>x</i> = 0.2) exhibited highest extent of ordering (monoclinic phase, 77.67%) of Co/Fe &amp; Mn ions at alternate octahedral sites among all prepared compositions. The crystallite size (<i>D</i>) and strain (<i>ε</i>), both showed an irregular trend with increase in iron content, and maximum strain (8.24 × 10⁻³) is observed for LPCFMO1 (<i>x</i> = 0.2) sample. The overlapping of Electron density gradients for upper and lower bounds in 2-D maps revealed crystallographic symmetry. XPS study confirmed the coexistence of different oxidation states of B/B’-site transition metal cations (Co, Fe &amp; Mn) in the prepared samples. BET analysis suggested that samples are mesoporous as pore size is &gt;2 nm. LPCFMO1 is observed to have maximum magnetization (<i>M</i>_<i>max</i>) of 40.43 emu/g which decreases continuously with increase in iron content and takes value 21.55 emu/g for LPFMO (<i>x</i> = 1.0). Antiferromagnetic coupling among Fe³⁺ and Mn³⁺ ions is responsible for the continuous decrease in <i>M</i>_<i>max</i> with increase in iron content. The multi-domain structure of the prepared samples makes them suitable for memory device application.</p><h3>Graphical Abstract</h3><div><figure><div><div><picture><source><img></source></picture></div></div></figure></div></div>","PeriodicalId":664,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Sol-Gel Science and Technology","volume":"111 3","pages":"989 - 1004"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2024-08-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141943831","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Effect of direct and indirect in-situ sonochemical synthesis methods of MWCNTs–CoNiFerrite on the hydrogen storage","authors":"Saadoon M. Abdulkareem,&nbsp;Rusul Mohamed Alsaffar,&nbsp;Ghassan Hassan Abdul Razzaq,&nbsp;Jalal Hasan Mohammed,&nbsp;Tabarak Mohammed Awad,&nbsp;Mustafa A. Alheety,&nbsp;Leqaa A. Mohammed,&nbsp;Abdulwahhab H. Mageed,&nbsp;Ehab M. Ali,&nbsp;Adil Hussein Dalaf,&nbsp;Sarvesh Rustagi,&nbsp;Suresh Ghotekar","doi":"10.1007/s10971-024-06502-w","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10971-024-06502-w","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>This work includes the synthesis of MWCNTs–CoNiFerrite composites in two methods, direct method and indirect method; however, in both cases, ultrasound was used as an environmentally friendly method. These composites were characterized using XRD, SEM, and TEM to verify the compositional effects of both methods, which would have effects on hydrogen storage capacity. The XRD measurements showed that, in both cases, cobalt–nickel ferrite was formed on the carbon nanotubes. Furthermore, the SEM and TEM measurements proved that the composition of the resulting materials was different in shape and size. The prepared composites were used as new materials for hydrogen storage in the solid state, using two different temperatures, 298 and 77 K, at a pressure ranging from 0 to 900 mmHg. The results showed that the H₂ storage results reached 1.65 and 1.12 wt% at 77 K for both direct and indirect synthesized MWCNTs–CoNiFe₂O₄, respectively, which indicates the importance of the preparation method in the ability to store gases.</p><h3>Graphical Abstract</h3><div><figure><div><div><picture><source><img></source></picture></div></div></figure></div></div>","PeriodicalId":664,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Sol-Gel Science and Technology","volume":"111 3","pages":"979 - 988"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2024-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141882835","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"First principles study to investigate structural, optical properties and bandgap engineering of XSnI3(X=Rb, K, Tl, Cs) materials for solar cell applications","authors":"Muhammad Hasnain Jameel,&nbsp;Alaa Nihad Tuama,&nbsp;Aqeela Yasin,&nbsp;Mohd Zul Hilmi Bin Mayzan,&nbsp;Muhammad Sufi bin Roslan,&nbsp;Laith H. Alzubaidi","doi":"10.1007/s10971-024-06496-5","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10971-024-06496-5","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The PBE-GGA (Perdew Burke-Ernzerhof Generalized Gradient Approximation) for the exchange-correlation potentials, based on first-principles density functional theory (DFT) study is used to investigate the structural, optical, and electrical aspects of XSnI₃ (X = Rb, K, Tl, and Cs) materials. According to the DFT calculation, the energy band gaps (E_g) of XSnI₃ (X = Rb, K, Tl, and Cs) materials are 2.76, 2.01, 1.90, and 0.34 eV respectively. The direct energy bandgap (E_g) indicates that halide perovskite materials are appropriate semiconductors for solar cell application. A thorough analysis of optical conductivity indicates that, the optical conductance peaks of XSnI₃ (X = Rb, K, Tl, and Cs) halide perovskite materials reach maximum values of 2.3, 2.2, 4.5, and 5.2 eV, respectively, in the ultraviolet spectrum and shift slightly at higher energy bands. The maximal optical conductivity of XSnI₃ (X = Rb, K, Tl, and Cs) materials were (1.6 × 10⁵ <i>Ω</i>⁻¹ <i>cm</i>⁻¹, 1.8 × 10⁵ <i>Ω</i>⁻¹) <i>cm</i>⁻¹, 2.2 × 10⁵ <i>Ω</i>⁻¹ <i>cm</i>⁻¹ and 2.4 × 10⁵ <i>Ω</i>⁻¹ <i>cm</i>⁻¹ respectively. The XSnI₃ (X = Rb, K, Tl, and Cs) is a group of materials with enhanced surface area for light photon absorption and enhanced optical conductivity, energy absorption, and refractive index properties make them suitable for perovskite solar cell application.</p><h3>Graphical Abstract</h3><div><figure><div><div><picture><source><img></source></picture></div></div></figure></div></div>","PeriodicalId":664,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Sol-Gel Science and Technology","volume":"111 3","pages":"966 - 978"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2024-07-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141866816","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Calcium hydroxide aerogels and xerogels toward CO2 fixation: through an epoxide-mediated sol-gel reaction","authors":"Ryota Kobayashi, Shintaro Fujinari, Yasuaki Tokudome, Atsushi Nakahira","doi":"10.1007/s10971-024-06497-4","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s10971-024-06497-4","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Calcium-based CO₂ sorbents have garnered attention due to the capability of CO₂ separation through a process based on carbonation-calcination reaction from flue gas. Ca-based materials with high porosity, allowing for CO₂ diffusion and tolerance for volume change upon carbonation, would be promising for carbon capture and storage (CCS) applications. The present study focused on developing Ca-based aerogels and xerogels prepared through a sol-gel reaction toward CCS application. Calcium hydroxide aerogels and xerogels, which transform into CaO at a high temperature, were prepared through the epoxide-mediated sol-gel reaction using propylene oxide (PO). Two types of carboxylic acids, poly acrylic acid (PAA) and malonic acid (MA), were employed to inhibit the extensive crystal growth of calcium hydroxide in the initial step of the alkalization reaction induced by PO, resulting in the formation of nanocrystalline aerogels and xerogels through supercritical and ambient drying, respectively. The present systematic study revealed that the obtained xerogels prepared with MA exhibit relatively high CO₂ fixation characteristics thanks to the unique card-house nanostructure allowing for the formation of high porosity.</p><h3 data-test=\"abstract-sub-heading\">Graphical Abstract</h3>","PeriodicalId":664,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Sol-Gel Science and Technology","volume":"47 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2024-07-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141866812","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Transparent self-cleaning coating prepared from SiO2/B4C and SiO2/B4C/TiO2 for the solar cell","authors":"Hafize Nagehan Koysuren,&nbsp;Ozcan Koysuren","doi":"10.1007/s10971-024-06505-7","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10971-024-06505-7","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Transparent self-cleaning coatings based on photocatalytic activity have attracted great attention in recent years owing to their promising applications in many fields, such as solar cell cover glass. This study reports a simple method to prepare transparent self-cleaning silicon dioxide (SiO₂) coatings filled by boron carbide (B₄C) and titanium dioxide (TiO₂) nanoparticles. A sol-gel technique was used to synthesize a SiO₂ solution containing B₄C and TiO₂ nanoparticles, and a dip-coating technique was followed to coat the composite solution on glass slides. The SiO₂ coating was successfully obtained in the presence of both semiconductor nanoparticles as confirmed by FTIR and XRD measurements. Both the photocatalytic activity and self-cleaning property of the composite coatings were evaluated by photocatalytic degradation of a model dye, methylene blue, under visible light irradiation. The SiO₂ coating containing both B₄C and TiO₂ nanoparticles exhibited an improved photocatalytic activity compared to the SiO₂ coating including only B₄C. In particular, a 46% degradation rate of the model dye methylene blue was achieved for the SiO₂ coating containing 15 wt% B₄C and 5 wt% TiO₂ nanoparticles. Highly transparent composite coatings on glass slides were prepared. The SiO₂ coating containing both B₄C and TiO₂ nanoparticles was found to exhibit ~8% reduction in the optical transmission of the glass slide and ~1% reduction in the efficiency of a solar cell containing the coated glass slide. These findings demonstrated that the SiO₂ composite coatings have potential for self-cleaning applications in removing contaminants from the glass cover of the solar cell under visible light irradiation.</p><h3>Graphical Abstract</h3><div><figure><div><div><picture><source><img></source></picture></div></div></figure></div></div>","PeriodicalId":664,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Sol-Gel Science and Technology","volume":"111 3","pages":"955 - 965"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2024-07-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s10971-024-06505-7.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141866811","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}