---
_id: '10327'
abstract:
- lang: eng
  text: Composite materials offer numerous advantages in a wide range of applications,
    including thermoelectrics. Here, semiconductor–metal composites are produced by
    just blending nanoparticles of a sulfide semiconductor obtained in aqueous solution
    and at room temperature with a metallic Cu powder. The obtained blend is annealed
    in a reducing atmosphere and afterward consolidated into dense polycrystalline
    pellets through spark plasma sintering (SPS). We observe that, during the annealing
    process, the presence of metallic copper activates a partial reduction of the
    PbS, resulting in the formation of PbS–Pb–CuxS composites. The presence of metallic
    lead during the SPS process habilitates the liquid-phase sintering of the composite.
    Besides, by comparing the transport properties of PbS, the PbS–Pb–CuxS composites,
    and PbS–CuxS composites obtained by blending PbS and CuxS nanoparticles, we demonstrate
    that the presence of metallic lead decisively contributes to a strong increase
    of the charge carrier concentration through spillover of charge carriers enabled
    by the low work function of lead. The increase in charge carrier concentration
    translates into much higher electrical conductivities and moderately lower Seebeck
    coefficients. These properties translate into power factors up to 2.1 mW m–1 K–2
    at ambient temperature, well above those of PbS and PbS + CuxS. Additionally,
    the presence of multiple phases in the final composite results in a notable decrease
    in the lattice thermal conductivity. Overall, the introduction of metallic copper
    in the initial blend results in a significant improvement of the thermoelectric
    performance of PbS, reaching a dimensionless thermoelectric figure of merit ZT
    = 1.1 at 750 K, which represents about a 400% increase over bare PbS. Besides,
    an average ZTave = 0.72 in the temperature range 320–773 K is demonstrated.
acknowledgement: This work was supported by the European Regional Development Funds.
  M.L., Y.Z., X.H., and K.X. thank the China Scholarship Council for scholarship support.
  M. I. has been financially supported by IST Austria and the Werner Siemens Foundation.
  Y.L. acknowledges funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation
  program under the Marie Sklodowska-Curie grant agreement No. 754411. J.L. is a Serra
  Húnter fellow and is grateful to ICREA Academia program and projects MICINN/FEDER
  RTI2018-093996-B-C31 and GC 2017 SGR 128. ICN2 acknowledges funding from Generalitat
  de Catalunya 2017 SGR 327 and the Spanish MINECO project NANOGEN (PID2020-116093RB-C43).
  ICN2 was supported by the Severo Ochoa program from Spanish MINECO (grant no. SEV-2017-0706)
  and was funded by the CERCA Programme/Generalitat de Catalunya. X.H. thanks China
  Scholarship Council for scholarship support (201804910551). Part of the present
  work was performed in the framework of Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona Materials
  Science Ph.D. program.
article_processing_charge: No
article_type: original
author:
- first_name: Mengyao
  full_name: Li, Mengyao
  last_name: Li
- first_name: Yu
  full_name: Liu, Yu
  id: 2A70014E-F248-11E8-B48F-1D18A9856A87
  last_name: Liu
  orcid: 0000-0001-7313-6740
- first_name: Yu
  full_name: Zhang, Yu
  last_name: Zhang
- first_name: Xu
  full_name: Han, Xu
  last_name: Han
- first_name: Ke
  full_name: Xiao, Ke
  last_name: Xiao
- first_name: Mehran
  full_name: Nabahat, Mehran
  last_name: Nabahat
- first_name: Jordi
  full_name: Arbiol, Jordi
  last_name: Arbiol
- first_name: Jordi
  full_name: Llorca, Jordi
  last_name: Llorca
- first_name: Maria
  full_name: Ibáñez, Maria
  id: 43C61214-F248-11E8-B48F-1D18A9856A87
  last_name: Ibáñez
  orcid: 0000-0001-5013-2843
- first_name: Andreu
  full_name: Cabot, Andreu
  last_name: Cabot
citation:
  ama: Li M, Liu Y, Zhang Y, et al. PbS–Pb–CuxS composites for thermoelectric application.
    <i>ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces</i>. 2021;13(43):51373–51382. doi:<a href="https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.1c15609">10.1021/acsami.1c15609</a>
  apa: Li, M., Liu, Y., Zhang, Y., Han, X., Xiao, K., Nabahat, M., … Cabot, A. (2021).
    PbS–Pb–CuxS composites for thermoelectric application. <i>ACS Applied Materials
    and Interfaces</i>. American Chemical Society. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.1c15609">https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.1c15609</a>
  chicago: Li, Mengyao, Yu Liu, Yu Zhang, Xu Han, Ke Xiao, Mehran Nabahat, Jordi Arbiol,
    Jordi Llorca, Maria Ibáñez, and Andreu Cabot. “PbS–Pb–CuxS Composites for Thermoelectric
    Application.” <i>ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces</i>. American Chemical Society,
    2021. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.1c15609">https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.1c15609</a>.
  ieee: M. Li <i>et al.</i>, “PbS–Pb–CuxS composites for thermoelectric application,”
    <i>ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces</i>, vol. 13, no. 43. American Chemical
    Society, pp. 51373–51382, 2021.
  ista: Li M, Liu Y, Zhang Y, Han X, Xiao K, Nabahat M, Arbiol J, Llorca J, Ibáñez
    M, Cabot A. 2021. PbS–Pb–CuxS composites for thermoelectric application. ACS Applied
    Materials and Interfaces. 13(43), 51373–51382.
  mla: Li, Mengyao, et al. “PbS–Pb–CuxS Composites for Thermoelectric Application.”
    <i>ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces</i>, vol. 13, no. 43, American Chemical
    Society, 2021, pp. 51373–51382, doi:<a href="https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.1c15609">10.1021/acsami.1c15609</a>.
  short: M. Li, Y. Liu, Y. Zhang, X. Han, K. Xiao, M. Nabahat, J. Arbiol, J. Llorca,
    M. Ibáñez, A. Cabot, ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces 13 (2021) 51373–51382.
corr_author: '1'
das_tickbox: '1'
date_created: 2021-11-21T23:01:30Z
date_published: 2021-10-19T00:00:00Z
date_updated: 2026-07-06T12:15:05Z
day: '19'
department:
- _id: MaIb
doi: 10.1021/acsami.1c15609
ec_funded: 1
external_id:
  isi:
  - '000715852100070'
  pmid:
  - '34665616'
intvolume: '        13'
isi: 1
issue: '43'
keyword:
- CuxS
- PbS
- energy conversion
- nanocomposite
- nanoparticle
- solution synthesis
- thermoelectric
language:
- iso: eng
main_file_link:
- open_access: '1'
  url: https://upcommons.upc.edu/bitstream/2117/363528/1/Pb%20mengyao.pdf
month: '10'
oa: 1
oa_version: Submitted Version
page: 51373–51382
pmid: 1
project:
- _id: 260C2330-B435-11E9-9278-68D0E5697425
  call_identifier: H2020
  grant_number: '754411'
  name: ISTplus - Postdoctoral Fellowships
- _id: 9B8F7476-BA93-11EA-9121-9846C619BF3A
  name: 'HighTE: The Werner Siemens Laboratory for the High Throughput Discovery of
    Semiconductors for Waste Heat Recovery'
publication: ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces
publication_identifier:
  eissn:
  - 1944-8252
  issn:
  - 1944-8244
publication_status: published
publisher: American Chemical Society
quality_controlled: '1'
scopus_import: '1'
status: public
title: PbS–Pb–CuxS composites for thermoelectric application
type: journal_article
user_id: 2DF688A6-F248-11E8-B48F-1D18A9856A87
volume: 13
year: '2021'
...
---
OA_type: closed access
_id: '371'
abstract:
- lang: eng
  text: The design and engineering of earth-abundant catalysts that are both cost-effective
    and highly active for water splitting are crucial challenges in a number of energy
    conversion and storage technologies. In this direction, herein we report the synthesis
    of Fe3O4@NiFexOy core-shell nanoheterostructures and the characterization of their
    electrocatalytic performance toward the oxygen evolution reaction (OER). Such
    nanoparticles (NPs) were produced by a two-step synthesis procedure involving
    the colloidal synthesis of Fe3O4 nanocubes with a defective shell and the posterior
    diffusion of nickel cations within this defective shell. Fe3O4@NiFexOy NPs were
    subsequently spin-coated over ITO-covered glass and their electrocatalytic activity
    toward water oxidation in carbonate electrolyte was characterized. Fe3O4@NiFexOy
    catalysts reached current densities above 1 mA/cm2 with a 410 mV overpotential
    and Tafel slopes of 48 mV/dec, which is among the best electrocatalytic performances
    reported in carbonate electrolyte.
acknowledgement: "This work was supported by the European Regional Development Funds
  and the Spanish MINECO project BOOSTER, TNT-FUELS, e-TNT, Severo Ochoa Program (MINECO,
  Grant SEV-2013-0295), and PEC?CO2. Z.L. thanks the China Scholarship Council for
  scholarship support. P.G. acknowledges the People Programme (Marie Curie Actions)
  of the FP7/2007-2013 European Union Program (TECNIOspring grant agreement no. 600388)
  and the Agency for Business Competitiveness of the Government of Catalonia, ACCIO.
  M.I. thanks AGAUR for Beatriu de Pinos postdoctoral grant (2013 BP-A00344).\r\n\r\n"
article_processing_charge: No
article_type: original
author:
- first_name: Zhishan
  full_name: Luo, Zhishan
  last_name: Luo
- first_name: Sara
  full_name: Márti Sánchez, Sara
  last_name: Márti Sánchez
- first_name: Raquel
  full_name: Nafria, Raquel
  last_name: Nafria
- first_name: Gihan
  full_name: Joshua, Gihan
  last_name: Joshua
- first_name: Maria
  full_name: De La Mata, Maria
  last_name: De La Mata
- first_name: Pablo
  full_name: Guardia, Pablo
  last_name: Guardia
- first_name: Christina
  full_name: Flox, Christina
  last_name: Flox
- first_name: Carlos
  full_name: Martínez Boubeta, Carlos
  last_name: Martínez Boubeta
- first_name: Konstantinos
  full_name: Simeonidis, Konstantinos
  last_name: Simeonidis
- first_name: Jordi
  full_name: Llorca, Jordi
  last_name: Llorca
- first_name: Joan
  full_name: Morante, Joan
  last_name: Morante
- first_name: Jordi
  full_name: Arbiol, Jordi
  last_name: Arbiol
- first_name: Maria
  full_name: Ibanez Sabate, Maria
  id: 43C61214-F248-11E8-B48F-1D18A9856A87
  last_name: Ibanez Sabate
  orcid: 0000-0001-5013-2843
- first_name: Andreu
  full_name: Cabot, Andreu
  last_name: Cabot
citation:
  ama: Luo Z, Márti Sánchez S, Nafria R, et al. Fe3O4@NiFexOy nanoparticles with enhanced
    electrocatalytic properties for oxygen evolution in carbonate electrolyte. <i>Applied
    Materials and Interfaces</i>. 2016;8(43):29461-29469. doi:<a href="https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.6b09888">10.1021/acsami.6b09888</a>
  apa: Luo, Z., Márti Sánchez, S., Nafria, R., Joshua, G., De La Mata, M., Guardia,
    P., … Cabot, A. (2016). Fe3O4@NiFexOy nanoparticles with enhanced electrocatalytic
    properties for oxygen evolution in carbonate electrolyte. <i>Applied Materials
    and Interfaces</i>. American Chemical Society. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.6b09888">https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.6b09888</a>
  chicago: Luo, Zhishan, Sara Márti Sánchez, Raquel Nafria, Gihan Joshua, Maria De
    La Mata, Pablo Guardia, Christina Flox, et al. “Fe3O4@NiFexOy Nanoparticles with
    Enhanced Electrocatalytic Properties for Oxygen Evolution in Carbonate Electrolyte.”
    <i>Applied Materials and Interfaces</i>. American Chemical Society, 2016. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.6b09888">https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.6b09888</a>.
  ieee: Z. Luo <i>et al.</i>, “Fe3O4@NiFexOy nanoparticles with enhanced electrocatalytic
    properties for oxygen evolution in carbonate electrolyte,” <i>Applied Materials
    and Interfaces</i>, vol. 8, no. 43. American Chemical Society, pp. 29461–29469,
    2016.
  ista: Luo Z, Márti Sánchez S, Nafria R, Joshua G, De La Mata M, Guardia P, Flox
    C, Martínez Boubeta C, Simeonidis K, Llorca J, Morante J, Arbiol J, Ibáñez M,
    Cabot A. 2016. Fe3O4@NiFexOy nanoparticles with enhanced electrocatalytic properties
    for oxygen evolution in carbonate electrolyte. Applied Materials and Interfaces.
    8(43), 29461–29469.
  mla: Luo, Zhishan, et al. “Fe3O4@NiFexOy Nanoparticles with Enhanced Electrocatalytic
    Properties for Oxygen Evolution in Carbonate Electrolyte.” <i>Applied Materials
    and Interfaces</i>, vol. 8, no. 43, American Chemical Society, 2016, pp. 29461–69,
    doi:<a href="https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.6b09888">10.1021/acsami.6b09888</a>.
  short: Z. Luo, S. Márti Sánchez, R. Nafria, G. Joshua, M. De La Mata, P. Guardia,
    C. Flox, C. Martínez Boubeta, K. Simeonidis, J. Llorca, J. Morante, J. Arbiol,
    M. Ibáñez, A. Cabot, Applied Materials and Interfaces 8 (2016) 29461–29469.
date_created: 2018-12-11T11:46:05Z
date_published: 2016-11-02T00:00:00Z
date_updated: 2026-05-13T13:32:06Z
day: '02'
doi: 10.1021/acsami.6b09888
extern: '1'
external_id:
  pmid:
  - '27730808'
intvolume: '         8'
issue: '43'
keyword:
- nanoparticle
- iron oxide
- magnetite
- core−shell nanostructure
- electrocatalysts
- oxygen evolution reaction
- OER
language:
- iso: eng
month: '11'
oa_version: None
page: 29461 - 29469
pmid: 1
publication: Applied Materials and Interfaces
publication_identifier:
  eissn:
  - 1944-8252
  issn:
  - 1944-8244
publication_status: published
publisher: American Chemical Society
publist_id: '7458'
quality_controlled: '1'
scopus_import: '1'
status: public
title: Fe3O4@NiFexOy nanoparticles with enhanced electrocatalytic properties for oxygen
  evolution in carbonate electrolyte
type: journal_article
user_id: ba8df636-2132-11f1-aed0-ed93e2281fdd
volume: 8
year: '2016'
...
---
OA_place: repository
OA_type: green
_id: '382'
abstract:
- lang: eng
  text: Mn3O4@CoMn2O4 nanoparticles (NPs) were produced at low temperature and ambient
    atmosphere using a one-pot two-step synthesis protocol involving the cation exchange
    of Mn by Co in preformed Mn3O4 NPs. Selecting the proper cobalt precursor, the
    nucleation of CoxOy crystallites at the Mn3O4@CoMn2O4 surface could be simultaneously
    promoted to form Mn3O4@CoMn2O4–CoxOy NPs. Such heterostructured NPs were investigated
    for oxygen reduction and evolution reactions (ORR, OER) in alkaline solution.
    Mn3O4@CoMn2O4–CoxOy NPs with [Co]/[Mn] = 1 showed low overpotentials of 0.31 V
    at −3 mA·cm–2 and a small Tafel slope of 52 mV·dec–1 for ORR, and overpotentials
    of 0.31 V at 10 mA·cm–2 and a Tafel slope of 81 mV·dec–1 for OER, thus outperforming
    commercial Pt-, IrO2-based and previously reported transition metal oxides. This
    cation-exchange-based synthesis protocol opens up a new approach to design novel
    heterostructured NPs as efficient nonprecious metal bifunctional oxygen catalysts.
acknowledgement: his work was supported by the European Regional Development Funds
  and the Spanish MINECO projects BOOSTER (ENE2013-46624-C4-3-R), TNT-FUELS (MAT2014-59961),
  e-TNT (MAT2014-59961-C2-2-R) and PEC-CO2 (ENE2012- 3651). Z.L. and Y.L. thank the
  China Scholarship Council for scholarship support. E.I. thanks AGAUR for his Ph.D.
  grant (FI-2013-B-00769). M.I. thanks AGAUR for the Beatriu de Pinos postdoctoral
  grant (2013 BP-A00344). S.M. acknowl- ́ edges funding from “Programa Internacional
  de Becas ‘la Caixa’-Severo Ochoa”. J.L. is a Serra Hunter Fellow and is ́ grateful
  to ICREA Academia program. We also acknowledge the funding from Generalitat de Catalunya
  2014 SGR 1638.
article_processing_charge: No
article_type: original
author:
- first_name: Zhishan
  full_name: Luo, Zhishan
  last_name: Luo
- first_name: Erdem
  full_name: Irtem, Erdem
  last_name: Irtem
- first_name: Maria
  full_name: Ibanez, Maria
  last_name: Ibanez
- first_name: Raquel
  full_name: Nafria, Raquel
  last_name: Nafria
- first_name: Sara
  full_name: Márti Sánchez, Sara
  last_name: Márti Sánchez
- first_name: Aziz
  full_name: Genç, Aziz
  last_name: Genç
- first_name: Maria
  full_name: De La Mata, Maria
  last_name: De La Mata
- first_name: Yu
  full_name: Liu, Yu
  id: 2A70014E-F248-11E8-B48F-1D18A9856A87
  last_name: Liu
  orcid: 0000-0001-7313-6740
- first_name: Doris
  full_name: Cadavid, Doris
  last_name: Cadavid
- first_name: Jordi
  full_name: Llorca, Jordi
  last_name: Llorca
- first_name: Jordi
  full_name: Arbiol, Jordi
  last_name: Arbiol
- first_name: Teresa
  full_name: Andreu, Teresa
  last_name: Andreu
- first_name: Joan
  full_name: Morante, Joan
  last_name: Morante
- first_name: Andreu
  full_name: Cabot, Andreu
  last_name: Cabot
citation:
  ama: 'Luo Z, Irtem E, Ibanez M, et al. Mn3O4@CoMn2O4–CoxOy nanoparticles: Partial
    cation exchange synthesis and electrocatalytic properties toward the oxygen reduction
    and evolution reactions. <i>Applied Materials and Interfaces</i>. 2016;8(27):17435-17444.
    doi:<a href="https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.6b02786">10.1021/acsami.6b02786</a>'
  apa: 'Luo, Z., Irtem, E., Ibanez, M., Nafria, R., Márti Sánchez, S., Genç, A., …
    Cabot, A. (2016). Mn3O4@CoMn2O4–CoxOy nanoparticles: Partial cation exchange synthesis
    and electrocatalytic properties toward the oxygen reduction and evolution reactions.
    <i>Applied Materials and Interfaces</i>. American Chemical Society. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.6b02786">https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.6b02786</a>'
  chicago: 'Luo, Zhishan, Erdem Irtem, Maria Ibanez, Raquel Nafria, Sara Márti Sánchez,
    Aziz Genç, Maria De La Mata, et al. “Mn3O4@CoMn2O4–CoxOy Nanoparticles: Partial
    Cation Exchange Synthesis and Electrocatalytic Properties toward the Oxygen Reduction
    and Evolution Reactions.” <i>Applied Materials and Interfaces</i>. American Chemical
    Society, 2016. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.6b02786">https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.6b02786</a>.'
  ieee: 'Z. Luo <i>et al.</i>, “Mn3O4@CoMn2O4–CoxOy nanoparticles: Partial cation
    exchange synthesis and electrocatalytic properties toward the oxygen reduction
    and evolution reactions,” <i>Applied Materials and Interfaces</i>, vol. 8, no.
    27. American Chemical Society, pp. 17435–17444, 2016.'
  ista: 'Luo Z, Irtem E, Ibanez M, Nafria R, Márti Sánchez S, Genç A, De La Mata M,
    Liu Y, Cadavid D, Llorca J, Arbiol J, Andreu T, Morante J, Cabot A. 2016. Mn3O4@CoMn2O4–CoxOy
    nanoparticles: Partial cation exchange synthesis and electrocatalytic properties
    toward the oxygen reduction and evolution reactions. Applied Materials and Interfaces.
    8(27), 17435–17444.'
  mla: 'Luo, Zhishan, et al. “Mn3O4@CoMn2O4–CoxOy Nanoparticles: Partial Cation Exchange
    Synthesis and Electrocatalytic Properties toward the Oxygen Reduction and Evolution
    Reactions.” <i>Applied Materials and Interfaces</i>, vol. 8, no. 27, American
    Chemical Society, 2016, pp. 17435–44, doi:<a href="https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.6b02786">10.1021/acsami.6b02786</a>.'
  short: Z. Luo, E. Irtem, M. Ibanez, R. Nafria, S. Márti Sánchez, A. Genç, M. De
    La Mata, Y. Liu, D. Cadavid, J. Llorca, J. Arbiol, T. Andreu, J. Morante, A. Cabot,
    Applied Materials and Interfaces 8 (2016) 17435–17444.
date_created: 2018-12-11T11:46:09Z
date_published: 2016-06-20T00:00:00Z
date_updated: 2026-05-12T14:13:53Z
day: '20'
doi: 10.1021/acsami.6b02786
extern: '1'
external_id:
  pmid:
  - '27323284'
intvolume: '         8'
issue: '27'
keyword:
- nanoparticle
- ORR
- OER
- manganese oxide
- cobalt oxide
- colloidal
- electrocatalysis
- cation exchange
language:
- iso: eng
main_file_link:
- open_access: '1'
  url: https://hdl.handle.net/2117/104566
month: '06'
oa: 1
oa_version: Preprint
page: 17435 - 17444
pmid: 1
publication: Applied Materials and Interfaces
publication_identifier:
  eissn:
  - 1944-8252
  issn:
  - 1944-8244
publication_status: published
publisher: American Chemical Society
publist_id: '7447'
quality_controlled: '1'
scopus_import: '1'
status: public
title: 'Mn3O4@CoMn2O4–CoxOy nanoparticles: Partial cation exchange synthesis and electrocatalytic
  properties toward the oxygen reduction and evolution reactions'
type: journal_article
user_id: ba8df636-2132-11f1-aed0-ed93e2281fdd
volume: 8
year: '2016'
...