Amorphous sol-gel titania modified with heteropolyacids

Samples of amorphous sol-gel titania were prepared at 50%wt with tungstophosphoric or molybdophosphoric acid. The resulting gels were dried and annealed at 100, 150 and 200°C and studied by FT-IR, UV-Vis, EPR, TGA and Raman spectroscopy. By FT-IR the evolution of the stretching vibration of the OH groups (3450–3700 cm⁻¹) was followed. The intensity of this band decreased as the annealing temperature increased. With UV-Vis spectroscopy the band gap was determined for each sample, and the Eg was found between 2.72 and 3.38 eV. Raman spectroscopy revealed the formation of Mo—O—Ti and W—O—Ti—O bonds. An intense EPR signal at g = 1.998 was observed during annealing of the samples. Amorphous solids with a significant number of vacancies and promising photocatalytic properties were obtained.     

Synthesis and properties of a microporous carbon material as a catalyst support for fuel cells

It is stated that one-dimensional conductivity in amorphous microporous carbon material (AMCM) samples is associated with the considerable imperfection of graphene fragments in the carbon material rather than the presence of unshared electrons. It is likely that the graphene fragments are formed upon the carbonization of a carbon precursor accompanied by the partial or complete removal of precursor heteroatoms. It is hypothesized that the presence of localized unpaired electrons, which give EPR spectra, is due to the formation of local defects in carbene fragments. Thus, the effects of the value of conductivity and the concentration of unpaired electrons on the power output of a fuel cell cannot be distinguished based on the experimental data with the use of an AMCM as a catalyst support. The interaction of localized paramagnetic centers with electron gas can be interpreted in terms of the C-S relaxation model.     

Synthesis of electrospun BaSrTiO<Subscript>3</Subscript>/PVP nanofibers

Ba_1−x Sr _x TiO₃(x = 0–0.5, BST) nanofibers with diameters of 150–210 nm were prepared by using electrospun BST/polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) composite fibers by calcination for 2 h at temperatures in the range of 650–800 °C in air. The morphology and crystal structure of calcined BST/PVP nanofibers were characterized as functions of calcination temperature and Sr content with an aid of XRD, FT-IR, and TEM. Although several unknown XRD peaks were detected when the fibers were calcined at temperatures less than 750 °C, they disappeared with increasing the temperature (above 750 °C) due to its thermal decomposition and complete reaction in the formation of BST. In addition, the FT-IR studies of BST/PVP fibers revealed that the intensities of the O–H stretching vibration bands (at 3430 and 1425 cm⁻¹) became weaker with increasing the calcination temperature and a broad band at 540 cm⁻¹, Ti–O vibration, appeared sharper and narrower after calcination above 750 °C due to the formation of metal oxide bonds. However, no effect of Sr content on the crystal structure of the composites was detected.     

Aminoxyl Radicals from N-Phenyl-1-(2-oxo-1-azacycloalkyl)-methanesulfonamides

The synthesis and reaction with two oxidation agents is described for N-phenyl-1-(2-oxo-1-azacycloalkyl)methanesulfonamides. Their oxidation was carried out using RO_2^·R{\rm O}_{2^\bullet} radicals and 3-chloroperbenzoic acid. In both cases, the EPR spectra of corresponding aminoxyl radicals were recorded. Their simulation confirmed that the –SO₂– group in the neighbourhood of the – NO^·{{\rm NO}^\bullet} – fragment does not prevent the interaction of the unpaired electron with the methylene protons and the nitrogen atom of the heterocyclic ring.     

Übergangsmetallkomplexe mit Nitronylnitroxylradikalliganden

The stable free radicals, the isomers of 4,4,5,5-tetramethylimidazoline-1-oxyl-3-oxide with the 2-substituentR (R=para-,meta-,ortho-pyridyl), have been prepared and used as ligands in copper(II), palladium(II) and platinum(II) complexes. The magnetic moments and the EPR spectra of the complexes and the free radicals have been investigated. Most of the complexes show a considerable intramolecular interaction between the radicalic groups of the ligands. No intramolecular interaction was found, however, between the transition metal ions and the unpaired electrons of the ligands. But by analysis of the EPR spectra in the solid state there was found in some cases an intermolecular interaction between the metal ion [copper(II)] and the unpaired electrons of the ligands.

     

Aminoxyl Radicals from N-Phenyl-1-(2-oxo-1-azacycloalkyl)-methanesulfonamides

Summary. The synthesis and reaction with two oxidation agents is described for N-phenyl-1-(2-oxo-1-azacycloalkyl)methanesulfonamides. Their oxidation was carried out using radicals and 3-chloroperbenzoic acid. In both cases, the EPR spectra of corresponding aminoxyl radicals were recorded. Their simulation confirmed that the –SO₂– group in the neighbourhood of the – – fragment does not prevent the interaction of the unpaired electron with the methylene protons and the nitrogen atom of the heterocyclic ring.     

Studies on complexation of cobalt with bioligand

The present work discusses the complexation behavior of bioligand cysteine with cobalt and the immobilization of this complex (Co–Cys) onto a biocompatible ligand and common drug base, polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP). The complexation behavior has been studied by radiometric method and UV–Vis spectrophotometry. The radiometric method involves dialysis of ⁶⁰Co–Cys–PVP complex against triple distilled water which subsequently gives the dynamic dissociation constant (k _d) of the complex. The half life of ⁶⁰Co–Cys–PVP complex calculated from k _d value is 22.6 h against triple distilled water at pH 8.5. The UV–Vis spectra analysis confirms the complexation of Co with cysteine at this pH and also indicates that the cysteine ligated Co(II) centers easily get oxidised to Co(III) centers (low spin, d⁶) in the presence of air at alkaline pH showing no d–d transitions.     

Structure and photochromic properties of molybdenumphosphoric acid/TiO<Subscript>2</Subscript> composite films

TiO₂ sol-gel composite films with dropping molybdenumphosphoric acid (PMoA) have been prepared by sol-gel method. The structure and constitute of composite thin films were studied with Fourier transforms infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) atomic force microscopy (AFM), and X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns, respectively. The photochromic behavior and mechanism of composite thin films were investigated with ultraviolet-visible spectra (UV-vis) and electron spin resonance (ESR). FT-IR results showed that the Keggin geometry of PMoA was still preserved inside PMoA/TiO₂ composite thin films, and a charge transfer bridge was built at the interface of PMoA and TiO₂ through the Mo-O-Ti bond. Surface topography of the composite film showed obvious changes before/after adding PMoA, and the surface topography of composite films showed obvious changes before/after irradiating as well. Composite thin film had reversible photochromic properties. Irradiated with UV light, transparent films changed from colorless to blue and they can bleach completely with ambient air in the dark. ESR results showed that TiO₂ were excitated by UV light to produce electrons, which deoxidized PMoA to produce heteropolyblues. The photochromic process of PMoA/TiO₂ system was carried through electron transfer mechanism.     

ZnO-latex hybrids obtained by polymer-controlled crystallization: a spectroscopic investigation

Micro- and submicrosized ZnO-polymer hybrid materials were synthesized by precipitating zinc oxide from an aqueous medium in the presence of poly(styrene-acrylic acid) latex nanoparticles, prepared by miniemulsion polymerization. Up to 10 wt % of the latex becomes incorporated into the crystals. Although the long-range order of the inorganic material is essentially not altered by the polymer, studies by photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) show that the latex particles influence the optical and paramagnetic properties of the hybrids, which can be correlated with changes in the defect structure. Typical PL emission spectra showed a narrow UV peak and a defect-related broad band in the green-yellow spectral region. The former emission is attributed to exciton recombination, whereas the latter seems to be related with deep-level donors. Latex acts as a quencher of the visible emission, and compared to pure ZnO, ZnO-latex hybrids show a significantly lower PL intensity in the visible range. A noticeable dynamic behavior of the PL, clearly more remarkable in the presence of latex, was observed, and it is explained in terms of photodesorption of oxygen adsorbed at surface positions. EPR provided additional information about crystal defects and species with unpaired electrons. All EPR spectra showed a single signal at g approximately 1.96, whose intensity and temperature dependence did not correlate with those of the PL visible band. These findings indicate that the green-yellow emission and the EPR signal of our samples have a different physical origins.     

Na-MMT掺杂对PMA/PVP复合膜结构及光致变色性能的影响研究

将钠基膨润土(Na-MMT)掺入磷钼酸/聚乙烯基吡咯烷酮(PMA/PVP)体系中,利用透射电子显微镜(TEM)、原子力显微镜(AFM)、红外光谱(FTIR)、热重-差热(TG-DTA)、紫外-可见吸收光谱(UV-Vis)、X射线光电子能谱(XPS)等手段对复合薄膜的结构、热稳定性和光致变色性能进行了研究.红外光谱结果表明keggin结构磷钼酸和聚乙烯吡咯烷酮的基本结构在复合膜中仍然存在,复合膜中高分子与质子结合,以阳离子的形式与杂多阴离子成盐.Na-MMT的掺杂未对复合膜中PVP和PMA间的相互作用产生影响,但其掺杂提高了复合膜的热稳定性.在紫外光照下,复合膜由无色变为蓝色,杂多酸被还原产生杂多蓝.Na-MMT的掺杂降低了复合膜的光致变色响应性,这是由于多酸分子与钠基膨润土之间发生阳离子交换作用导致的.     

Preparation and photochromic properties of nanocomposites based on chemically cross-linked polyvinyl alcohol and phosphotungstic acid

Nanocomposite films based on cross-linked polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and phosphotungstic acid (PTA), in which PTA plays the roles of photochromic component and catalyst of the chemical cross-linking of PVA with glutaric aldehyde (GA), were synthesized. The formation of chemical cross-links in a polymer matrix of nanocomposite films occurring during their formation from PVA-PTA-GA aqueous solutions, was confirmed by IR spectroscopy. It was found that the cross-linkage of a polymer matrix imparts water resistance to PVA/PTA nanocomposites and changes their photochromic properties. By analyzing the electronic absorption spectra of photocolored films, it was shown that PTA anions in the matrix of non-cross-linked PVA upon photoreduction receive only one electron, while not only one-electron but the two-electron reduction of PVA anions occurs in a cross-linked PVA matrix. The photocolorabilty of films based on cross-linked PVA is thus two times higher than that of films based on non-cross-linked PVA. It was found that the rate of discoloration of photocolored PVA/PTA films increases with an increase in the degree of cross-linking of a polymer matrix.     

Enhancement of corrosion resistance of electrocodeposited Ni–SiC composites by magnetic field

The corrosion behavior and surface morphology of Ni–SiC composite coatings produced by electrodeposition with the aid of magnetic field were studied. The results of the electrochemical analysis including polarization resistance and potentiodynamic polarization curves showed that a magnetic field of 0.1 T could significantly improve the corrosion resistance of the composite. The electrochemical impedance spectra revealed that a passive layer was formed on the surface of the Ni–SiC coating with the magnetic field. The microstructures of electrodeposited Ni–SiC composite coatings were also examined. More SiC particles were found to be incorporated into the coating with the presence of magnetic field, which was considered to be one of the reasons for the enhancement of corrosion resistance as SiC particles were reported to be corrosion inhibitors. Contribution to special issue “Magnetic field effects in Electrochemistry”     

Polymeric and monomeric dipicolinate complexes with 4-hydroxymethyl pyridine: spectral, structural, thermal and electrochemical characterization

Polymeric copper(II), [Cu(μ-dpc)(μ-4-hymp)] _n (1), and monomeric nickel(II), [Ni(dpc)(4-hymp)(H₂O)₂]·H₂O (2), (dpc: dipicolinate, 4-hymp: 4-hydroxymethyl pyridine), dipicolinate complexes have been prepared and characterized by spectroscopic (IR, UV–Vis, EPR), thermal (TG/DTA), X-ray diffraction technique and electrochemical methods. In both the dipicolinate complexes, the dpc dianion acts as a tridentate ligand. In polymeric copper(II) complex, the 4-hymp and dpc ligands adopt a bridging position between the Cu(II) centers, forming the elongated octahedral geometry. The polymeric chains are linked to one another via O–H···O hydrogen bond interactions, forming the 3-D polymeric structure. The Ni(II) ion is bonded to dpc ligand through pyridine N atom together with one O atom of each carboxylate group, two aqua ligands and N pyridine atom of 4-hymp, forming the distorted octahedral geometry. The Ni(II) complexes are connected to one another via O–H···O hydrogen bonds, forming R ₄²(18) motifs in 2-D pattern. The powder EPR spectra of copper(II) complex have indicated that the paramagnetic center is in rhombic symmetry with the Cu²⁺ ion having distorted octahedral geometry. IR and UV–Vis spectroscopes all agree with the observed crystal structure.     

Photoregulation of polymer conformation by photochromic moieties. II. Cationic and neutral moieties on an anionic polymer

Abstract— Photoregulation of the conformation of poly (methacrylic acid) (PMA) in the range 4·5 < pH > 6·5 has been achieved by means of the cationic photochromic ligand, p-phenyl-azophenyl trimethyl ammonium iodide (PTA), as well as by means of copolymerization of methacrylic acid (MA) with the neutral photochromic co-monomer, p-phenyl azomethacrylanilid (PM). At degrees of ionization α, corresponding to the conformational unfolding of PMA, the pK_app is 0·2 units higher when the ligand PTA is trans than when PTA is in the photostationary 80%“cis” state. Equilibrium dialysis shows that the binding of PTA is independent of the cis/trans ratio at high α (after the conformational unfolding), but at lower αtrans-PTA binds positively and cis-PTA negatively. In the transition region, the presence of non-polar trans-azo ligand is therefore held responsible for a shift of the conformational equilibrium toward the more compact, folded form, which is harder to ionize than the unfolded form. Because of the relation pK_app# pH + log [(1 –α)/α], the degree of ionization of PMA, and thus the polymer conformation, as reflected in the reduced viscosity, can be photochemically regulated in pH buffers. At pH # 5·5 (α# 0·20) a maximal relative shift of Δα/α= 20 per cent was found, with a corresponding relative shift in reduced viscosity of 20·5 per cent. In the photochromic copolymer a pK_app switch of similar magnitude was found. In this case the azo-moiety is permanently affixed to the PMA so that the photosensitivity of the pK_app in the range of the conformational unfolding is due to a shift in the conformational equilibrium induced by the presence of non-polar trans-azo and polar “cis” azo, respectively. In both cases only about 1 photochromic moiety per 100 monomer units is capable of appreciably shifting the conformational manifold of PMA and/or the degree of ionization in constant pH buffers, provided one stays close to the unfolding transition. Mention is made of the implications for photoregulation of the permeability of, and the potential across. model membranes made of photochromic PMA molecules.     

MIR and NIR spectroscopy of sol–gel hydrotalcites with various trivalent cations

Three different hydrotalcites were synthesized from magnesium ethoxide, and aluminium, gallium and indium acetylacetonate, using the sol–gel technique. The colloid suspensions initially obtained were gelled and separated by centrifugation. XRD diffraction patterns confirmed that all solids thus obtained possessed a hydrotalcite structure. The resulting hydrotalcites were characterized by mid-infrared (MIR) and near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopies. The two types of spectra were found not to depend on the synthetic medium or trivalent metal used and were thus quite similar. The MIR spectra for the three solids included a strong band at 3500–3000 cm⁻¹ due to stretching vibrations of the different types of O–H groups in them. The signal at about 1370 cm⁻¹ observed for all solids indicates that the sole interlayer anion present was carbonate. The NIR spectra exhibited the bands for the first and second overtone of the O–H stretching vibration in addition to various combination bands.     

EPR study of radiation damage to DNA irradiated with synchrotron soft X-rays around nitrogen and oxygen K-edge

In order to obtain detailed insights into the physicochemical mechanism of DNA damage induction, “in situ” measurement of electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) signal from DNA constituent nucleobases, guanine and adenine, has been performed in a vacuum using monochromatic synchrotron soft X-rays. We found that short-lived unpaired electron species arise only during irradiation to the evaporated thin film on a surface. The EPR spectrum of the short-lived species significantly depends on the photon energy irradiated, and the spin concentration obtained from the EPR spectra shows a similar fine structure to the X-ray photoabsorption spectra (X-ray absorption near edge structure; XANES). For the adenine sample, the spin concentration alters strikingly by water absorption on the sample surface. Trapping of photo- or Auger electrons into a newly generated potential in the nucleobases as the consequence of photoelectric effect is suggested as mechanisms of the induction of the short-lived species.     

Binuclear copper(II) complexes based on acyldihydrazones of imino-, oxo-, and thiodiacetic acids and 2-hydroxyacetophenone

The results of studying the binuclear copper(II) complexes with acyldihydrazones of amino-, oxo-, and thiodiacetic acids and 2-hydroxyacetophenone were described. The temperature variations of the EPR spectra of solutions with a seven-line hyperfine structure indicating an exchange character of interaction between unpaired electrons and the two equivalent nuclei of copper atoms were studied.     

己二酸合成中高岭土对催化活性组分的载体作用

以高岭土为载体、钨粉为催化剂前驱物,过氧钨酸为催化剂活性组分,经催化H2O2-环己酮的反应合成了己二酸.利用反应过程中催化活性组分在高岭土表面的选择性吸附,在反应完成后分离出负载过氧钨酸的高岭土并重复循环使用,考察了反应条件对己二酸收率的影响,并测定了过氧钨酸-高岭土的重复使用性能.采用红外光谱分析了高岭土及循环使用的过氧钨酸-高岭土的化学结构.结果表明,载体高岭土能够在反应过程中有效负载过氧钨酸,并且过氧钨酸-高岭土第4次循环利用后其产物的收率基本不随重复利用次数增加而发生变化.     

Spin probes in structure studies of petroleum mesophase pitch

The ESR spectra of petroleum pitch labeled with the stable copper-porphyrin complex and changes in the spectra due to pyrolysis are analyzed. It is concluded that the functions of carriers and traps for unpaired electrons in mesophase pitch are performed by anisotropic associates or crystallites sized about 2.0 nm. The intermodular interactions between the parallel layers of anisotropic associates may be significant. They increase when the molecular associates pass to the paramagnetic state and determine the preferable packing of the paramagnetic crystallites one over another. Translated fromZhurnal Strukturnoi Khimii, Vol. 38, No. 5, pp. 902–907, September-October, 1997.     

Ternary luminescent lanthanide-centered hybrids with organically modified titania and polymer units

Nicotinic acid (NA) is grafted to titanium alkoxide to achieve functional precursor Ti-NA, which then is coordinated to lanthanide ions (Tb³⁺/Eu³⁺) to prepare the binary titania hybrid materials Ti-NA-Eu/Ti-NA-Tb via a sol–gel process in the presence of water. Furthermore, two types of ternary titania hybrid materials, Ti-NA-Ln-PMAA/Ti-NA-Ln-PVP, are assembled by the introduction of the organic polymers polymethacrylic acid (PMAA)/polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) into the above system. The FTIR spectra of these titania hybrid materials confirm their basic composition, and the X-ray diffraction patterns reveal that they are amorphous. Luminescence spectra and lifetimes of these titania hybrids are recorded, revealing that these hybrid materials with organic polymers exhibit longer luminescence lifetimes and higher quantum efficiencies.