Europium and terbium-doped lanthanum hydroxycarbonate and lanthanum oxycarbonate nanoparticles were fabricated under two different reaction conditions using lanthanide acetate and urea as the starting materials. The photoluminescence properties of these hydroxycarbonate and oxycarbonate particles, and of their colloidal suspensions in water, were studied. The Eu(3+) (5)D(0)→(7)F(J) and Tb(3+) (...

Amorphous carbon nanotubes (ACNTs) with diameters in the range of 7-50 nm were used as absorber materials for electromagnetic waves. The electromagnetic wave absorbing composite films were prepared by a dip-coating method using a uniform mixture of rare earth lanthanum nitrate doped ACNTs and polyvinyl chloride (PVC). The microstructures of ACNTs and ACNT/PVC composites were characterized using...

In this communication we report the unexpected effect of ruthenium doping in sodium lightly doped manganites. This effect seems to be in contrast with the usual model applied to describe the effect of this magnetic ion into the manganite structure. We propose a possible compensation mechanism which seems also able to describe other peculiar features encountered in these materials.

The governing reaction mechanisms, and the electrode material compositions and structures, that controls the efficiency of the solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC) and solid oxide electrolysis cells (SOEC) need to be identified and well-understood for significant technological improvements. Our study on the oxygen electrodes focuses on specifically the effect of electrode crystal structure and morphol...

Solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) are promising electrochemical energy conversion devices owing to their high power generation efficiency and environmentally benign operation. Micro-tubular SOFCs, which have diameters ranging from a few millimeters to the sub-millimeter scale, offer several advantages over competing SOFCs such as high volumetric power density, good endurance against thermal cyclin...

One of the most promising anode materials for solid oxide electrolysis cell (SOEC) application is the Sr-doped LaMnO3 (LSM) which is known to have a high electronic conductivity but low ionic conductivity. To increase the ionic conductivity or diffusion of ions through the anode, Yttria-stabilized Zirconia (YSZ), which has good ionic conductivity, is proposed to be combined with LSM to create a...