Papers by Author: Atsunori Matsuda

Abstract: Photocatalytic titania coatings loaded with palladium catalyst were prepared onto soda-lime glass substrates by using a low temperature synthesis for application of optical hydrogen gas sensor. Titania coatings were formed on the glass substrate by a sol-gel spin-coating process followed by a hot water treatment at 55°C. Metallic palladium nanoparticles were deposited onto the titania coatings, which obtained with addition of poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) and without PEG after the hot water treatment, by means of a photodeposition technique at room temperature using UV-light irradiation. The whole fabrication process was carried out under atmospheric pressure. The Pd-photodeposited titania coating obtained with addition of PEG after hot water treatment showed higher hydrogen sensing properties than that obtained without PEG.

Abstract: The formation of self-aligned titania and zirconia nanotubes is achieved by the anodisation of Ti and Zr in a fluorine contained electrochemical bath. The anodic oxidation was performed at 30 V for 60 min in a two-electrode glycerol (15% water) bath containing varying amount of NH4F. Despite the fact that a self-aligned nanotubular structure is formed on both titanium and zirconium, the dimensions of zirconia and titania nanotubes are different under the same anodisation parameters. It appears that by using 30 V as the anodisation voltage, the diameter of zirconia nanotubes (30-60 nm) is much smaller compared to that of titania nanotubes (80-100 nm). The length of zirconia nanotubes in the bath consisting of 0.7 g NH4F is 3 µm whereas titania nanotubes formed in the same bath have a length of ~700 nm. The fundamental difference between the nanotubes formed on titanium and zirconium may be related to the rate of oxidation, initial oxide formation during anodisation, pits formation and rate of pits growth for pores formation and stabilisation. Moreover, investigation on the crystallinity of the nanotubes reveals that titania nanotubes are weakly crystalline with crystallite sizes of <5 nm. Whereas, zirconia nanotubes are much more crystalline in cubic modification. The stabilisation of the high temperature phase is thought to originate from the size of the nanotubes walls and the deficiency in oxygen during the growth of the anodic oxide by anodisation.

Abstract: Gold nanorods (GNRs) were deposited in ordered mesoporous silica SBA-15 by a liquid-phase synthesis. The X-ray diffraction pattern of GNRs-deposited SBA-15 (GNRs/SBA-15) confirmed that the mesoporous structure of the SBA-15 was maintained even after depositing GNRs in the SBA-15 pores. Laser irradiation and heat treatment for GNRs/SBA-15 were carried out to check the effect on the GNRs morphology alteration. These treatments were found to shorten the length of the GNRs in SBA-15, leading to a blue shift of the surface plasmon resonance wavelength of the GNRs. Especially, heat treatment at high temperatures, e.g. at 500 °C, showed unique result that the inner wall of SBA-15 was collapsed by the overgrowth of gold nanoparticles.

Abstract: Palladium (Pd) nanoparticles were prepared on photocatalytic TiO2-coated glass substrate by a photodeposition process and the optical hydrogen sensing properties were examined at room temperature. The TiO2 coatings were prepared on a non-alkaline glass substrate by a sol-gel process and hot water treatment. Pd nanoparticles were deposited on the TiO2 film by photodeposition using UV light. The obtained Pd/TiO2 thin film showed remarkable optical transmittance response to hydrogen gas at room temperature. The normalized transmittance of the Pd/TiO2 thin film at a wavelength of 640 nm decreased to 0.9 on exposing the film to hydrogen gas for only 5 s. This transmittance decrease is considered to be due to a gaschromic effect of the TiO2 photocatalytic coating.

Abstract: The surface modification of SiC powder with an alumina precursor was achieved by a sol-gel method to apply the electrophoretic deposition (EPD) technique to the shaping of the SiC powder. The isoelectric point of the surface-modified SiC powder with sol-gel-derived alumina precursor was shifted to around pH 9, which is close to that of alumina. The alumina-coated SiC deposited on a cathodic substrate by EPD. The green compact of surface-modified SiC powder was sintered by hot pressing in an argon atmosphere at 2000oC.

Abstract: Titanate nanosheet thick films were prepared on indium-tin oxide (ITO)-coated glass substrates by electrophoretic deposition. Three types of sols with different preparation procedures and pH values were prepared. In the case of titanate nanosheet films prepared from a sol with pH=7.0, surface of the films was flat and nanosheets which deposited on substrates were uniformly dense. Titanate nanosheet thick film deposited from the sol using dimethyl ethanol amine for the exfoliation showed a high photocatalytic activity due to the high crystallinity

Abstract: Preparation of monodispersed inorganic-organic hybrid particles has become one of the most attractive research topics in recent years. In this study, phenylsilsesquioxane (PhSiO3/2) particles were synthesized from phenyltriethoxysilane (PhSi(OEt)3), ethanol (EtOH), hydrochloric acid for hydrolysis and ammonia water for polycondensation by the sol-gel method. Spherical PhSiO3/2 particles were obtainable by varying the mole ratios of EtOH, H2O, HCl and NH3, to PhSi(OEt)3. The particle size was changed from 0.1 to 5.0 .m with the mole ratio. Under the optimum conditions, monodispersed particles with 1.50 .m in diameter and 0.05 of normalized standard deviation were successfully prepared.

Abstract: Anatase nanocrystals were formed on sol-gel derived SiO2-TiO2 coatings with water vapor or hot water treatments. The anatase nanocrystals were precipitated through hydrolysis of Si-O-Ti bonds, dissolution of SiO2 component, migration of hydrolyzed titania species, and nucleation and growth. The process temperatures can be lowered below 60oC, which should open new applications. It was found that the crystal habit of titania was changes from roundish anatase to sheet-like titania by applying vibration during the hot water treatment. The nanosheets were identified as hydrated titania, TiO2 . mH2O, with layerd structure. The coatings of hydrated titania showed high photocatalytic activities and excellent antifogging properties due to their unique morphology.

Abstract: The contact deformation mechanisms of a superplastic ceramic, 3Y-TZP (3mol % yttria-partially stabilized tetragonal zirconia polycrystals) are examined in indentation creep tests at high temperatures. A large discrepancy between the uniaxial compression and the pyramidal indentation contact behaviors is observed. The indentation creep curves exhibit a hardening behavior, i.e., the penetration rate decreases as the penetration depth and/or the creep time increases. This fact implied that the cooperative grain-boundary sliding (CGBS) in a microscopically localized region, such as the sub-surface contact region beneath a pyramidal indenter, is very limited through the microscopic processes of localized grain interlocking.

Abstract: Methylsilsesquioxane films were formed on glass substrates by dropping a sol prepared from methyltriethoxysilane and then heat-treated in an oven. Nanoindentation test was performed to assess the elastoplastic properties of the films, including the relative residual depth ξr, Meyer hardness HM, work-of-indentation WI and the elastic modulus E’. The values of ξr, HM and WI were obtained by a Berkovich indenter and E’ was determined by a spherical indenter on the basis of Hertz elastic theory. ξr decreased with the increase in the heat treatment time, whereas HM , WI and E’ significantly increased with the time. The changes in the mechanical properties with the heat treatment time well reflected the evolution of the Si-O-Si network structure in methylsilsequioxane film.