Keggin-type polyoxometalates (H ₃ PMo ₁₂ O ₄₀ , H ₃ PW ₁₂ O ₄₀ and H ₄ SiW ₁₂ O ₄₀ ) were supported chemically on silicacoated perovskite-type LaMnO ₃ nanoparticles for the removal of organic pollutants in water.

In this contribution, various Ti thin substrates were explored and compared for the anodic growth of self-organized TiO2 nanotube layers for the first time. In order to evaluate differences in the electrochemical anodization characteristics and the tube dimensions, five different Ti substrates from four established suppliers were anodized in the widely used ethylene glycol electrolytes containing 88 mM NH4F and 1,5 vol.% water. Two anodizations were carried out to elucidate an influence of the pre-anodized substrates used for the second anodization. By thorough evaluation of the nanotube dimensions, large variations between the dimensions of the nanotubes were found for the different substrates, ranging from ∼32 μm to ∼50 μm for the nanotube length and from ∼109 nm to ∼127 nm for the nanotube diameter after the second anodization. Upon AFM measurements, Goodfellow Ti substrates (99.99% purity), yielded the smoothest surface and the highest degree of ordering from all substrates. Moreover, considerably different consumption of Ti substrates via anodization was revealed by profilometric measurements between the original non-anodized part of the Ti substrates, and the anodized part after the removal of the nanotube layer. Orientation imaging microscopy revealed considerable differences in the size and orientation of the substrate grains

The relationship between the microstructure of Ti substrates and the anodic growth of self-organized TiO2 nanotube layers obtained upon their anodization in the ethylene glycol based electrolytes on these substrates is reported for the first time. Polished Ti sheets with mirror-like surface as well as unpolished Ti foils were considered in this work. Grains with a wide range of crystallographic orientations and sizes were revealed by Electron Backscatter Diffraction (EBSD) and correlated with nanotube growth on both types of substrates. A preferred grain orientation with [0 0 0 1] axis perpendicular to the surface was observed on all substrates. Surfaces of all substrates were anodized for 18 h in ethylene glycol electrolytes containing 88 mM NH4F and 1.5% water and thoroughly inspected by SEM. By a precise comparison of Ti substrates before and after anodization, the uniformity of produced self-organized TiO2 nanotube layers was evaluated in regard to the specific orientation of individual grains. Grains with [0 0 0 1] axis perpendicular to the surface turned out to be the most growth-promoting orientation on polished substrates. No orientation was found to be strictly growth-retarding, but sufficient anodization time (24 h) was needed to obtain uniform nanotube layers on all grains without remnant porous initial oxide. In contrast with polished Ti sheets, no specific orientation was found to significantly promote or retard the nanotube growth in the case of unpolished Ti foils. Finally, the difference between the average nanotube diameters of nanotubes grown on various grains was investigated showing non-negligible differences in the diameter for different grain orientations and substrates

The development of intrinsic vacancies in SnSe single crystals was investigated as a function of annealing temperature by means of positron annihilation spectroscopy accompanied by transport measurements. It has been demonstrated that two types of vacancies are present in single-crystalline SnSe. While Sn vacancies dominate in the low-temperature region, Se vacancies and vacancy clusters govern the high-temperature region. These findings are supported by theoretical calculations enabling direct detection and quantification of the most favorable type of vacancies. The experiments show that Sn vacancies couple with one or more Se vacancies with increasing temperature to form vacancy clusters. Interestingly, the clusters survive the α→β transition at ≈800 K and even grow in size with temperature. The concentration of both Se vacancies and vacancy clusters increases with temperature, similar to thermoelectric performance. This indicates that the extraordinary thermoelectric properties of SnSe are related to point defects. We suggest that either these defects vary the band structure in favor of high thermoelectric performance or introduce an energy-dependent scattering of free carriers realizing, in fact, energy filtering of the free carriers. Cluster defects account for the glasslike thermal conductivity of SnSe at elevated temperatures.