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Solar water splitting is one of the key steps in artificial photosynthesis for future carbon-neutral, storable and sustainable source of energy. Here we show that one of the major obstacles for achieving efficient and stable overall water splitting over the emerging nanostructured photocatalyst is directly related to the uncontrolled surface charge properties. By tuning the Fermi level on the nonpolar surfaces of gallium nitride nanowire arrays, we demonstrate that the quantum efficiency can be enhanced by more than two orders of magnitude. The internal quantum efficiency and activity on p -type gallium nitride nanowires can reach ~51% and ~4.0 mol hydrogen h −1  g −1 , respectively. The nanowires remain virtually unchanged after over 50,000 μmol gas (hydrogen and oxygen) is produced, which is more than 10,000 times the amount of photocatalyst itself (~4.6 μmol). The essential role of Fermi-level tuning in balancing redox reactions and in enhancing the efficiency and stability is also elucidated. One of the obstacles in implementing solar water splitting is the requirement for materials with high internal quantum efficiency. Here, the authors investigate the effects of magnesium doping on the Fermi levels of gallium nitride nanowires, and tune this value to maximize redox efficiency.

Solar water splitting for hydrogen generation can be a potential source of renewable energy for the future. Here we show that efficient and stable stoichiometric dissociation of water into hydrogen and oxygen can be achieved under visible light by eradicating the potential barrier on nonpolar surfaces of indium gallium nitride nanowires through controlled p -type dopant incorporation. An apparent quantum efficiency of ∼12.3% is achieved for overall neutral (pH∼7.0) water splitting under visible light illumination (400–475 nm). Moreover, using a double-band p- type gallium nitride/indium gallium nitride nanowire heterostructure, we show a solar-to-hydrogen conversion efficiency of ∼1.8% under concentrated sunlight. The dominant effect of near-surface band structure in transforming the photocatalytic performance is elucidated. The stability and efficiency of this recyclable, wafer-level nanoscale metal-nitride photocatalyst in neutral water demonstrates their potential use for large-scale solar-fuel conversion. Solar water splitting for hydrogen generation may be a future source of renewable energy. Here, the authors demonstrate that controlled p -type doping of metal-nitride nanowires can eradicate surface potential barriers and promotes stable stoichiometric dissociation of water under visible light.

We propose a innovative concept to boost the electrochemical performance of cathode composite electrodes using surface-modified carbons with hydrophilic moieties to increase their dispersion in a Lithium Nickel Manganese Cobalt Oxide (NMC) cathode and in-situ generate Li-rich carbon surfaces. Using a rapid aqueous process, the hydrophilic carbon is effectively dispersed in NMC particles followed by the conversion of its acid surface groups (e.g. –COOH), which interact with the NMC particles due to their basicity, into grafted Li salt (–COO − Li + ). The solid-state batteries prepared using the cathode composites with surface-modified carbon exhibit better electrochemical performance. Such modified carbons led to a better electronic conduction path as well as facilitating Li + ions transfer at the carbon/NMC interface due to the presence of lithiated carboxylate groups on their surface.

Extended abstract of a paper presented at Microscopy and Microanalysis 2012 in Phoenix, Arizona, USA, July 29 – August 2, 2012.

Extended abstract of a paper presented at Microscopy and Microanalysis 2012 in Phoenix, Arizona, USA, July 29 – August 2, 2012.

Pressure tubes holding the uranium rods of a CANDU (CANada Deuterium Uranium) reactor show deformation with time in service. At a certain point, this deformation becomes too severe and the tubes must be decommissioned. This reduces the reactor’s energy output. It has been observed that the microstructure of the pressure tubes is indicative of creep behavior. This paper presents the image analysis procedure used to characterize the level of anisotropy and the α-phase dimension of the Zr-2.5Nb alloy used in pressure tubes. The techniques used to evaluate experimental error and to correct for sampling bias are also explained.

Extended abstract of a paper presented at Microscopy and Microanalysis 2009 in Richmond, Virginia, USA, July 26 – July 30, 2009

Extended abstract of a paper presented at Microscopy and Microanalysis 2012 in Phoenix, Arizona, USA, July 29 – August 2, 2012.