Graphene-based nanocomposites have proven to be very promising materials for gas sensing applications. In this paper, we present a general approach for the preparation of graphene-WO(3) nanocomposites. Graphene-WO(3) nanocomposite thin-layer sensors were prepared by drop coating the dispersed solution onto the alumina substrate. These nanocomposites were used for the detection of NO(2) for the first time. TEM micrographs revealed that WO(3) nanoparticles were well distributed on graphene nanosheets. Three different compositions (0.2, 0.5 and 0.1 wt%) of graphene with WO(3) were used for the gas sensing measurements. It was observed that the sensor response to NO(2) increased nearly three times in the case of graphene-WO(3) nanocomposite layer as compared to a pure WO(3) layer at room temperature. The best response of the graphene-WO(3) nanocomposite was obtained at 250 °C.
Manganese-doped sodium zinc phosphate (NaZnPO 4 :Mn) phosphor with exceptional features having ultra-violet (UV) to visible absorption (300-470 nm), yellow-green (~543 nm) broad-band photoluminescence (PL) and appreciable color co-ordinates (x=0.39, y=0.58) is reported. It has a crystal structure consisting of discrete PO 4 tetrahedra linked by ZnO 4 and NaO 4 distorted tetrahedral such that three tetrahedra, one of each kind, share
Nowadays more attention has been paid to the growth of organic nonlinear optical single crystals due to their high nonlinear optical efficiency and fairly good optical damage threshold comparable to that of inorganic counterparts. The organic nonlinear optical single crystals of benzimidazole (BMZ) grown by the slow evaporation solution growth technique (SEST) and the vertical Bridgman technique (VBT) were characterized, and their results have been compared. Characterization has been made by high-resolution X-ray diffractometry (HRXRD), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), laser damage threshold, microhardness, and second-harmonic generation (SHG) measurement studies. The high-resolution X-ray diffraction curves (DCs) recorded by an inhouse developed multicrystal X-ray diffractometer (MCD) revealed that the crystals grown by both methods contain internal structural grain boundaries. However, VBT crystals normally contain multiple low angle (tilt angle R g 1 arc min) boundaries due to thermal stress caused during the cooling cycle by the difference in the lattice expansion coefficients of the glass tube and the crystal, whereas SEST crystals were found to contain only one very low angle (R < 1 arc min) boundary probably due to entrapment of solvent in the crystal during growth. From FTIR studies, it was found that the packing of molecules is more dense in the case of VBT-grown crystals than the case of SEST-grown crystals. From the Vicker's microhardness measurements made along the [100] direction, superior mechanical behavior is observed in VBT crystals than in SEST crystals. The mechanical behavior is correlated with their laser damage threshold values.
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