Electrodeposition,properties, and composition of rhenium–nickel alloys

The process of deposition of the Re–Ni alloy, its current efficiency, and the alloy composition are studied as a function of the current density and the solution temperature. The hydrogen content in the deposits, their surface morphology, internal structure, and properties as the cathodic material for HER are examined. It is assumed that besides the high rhenium content, the high catalytic activity of nickel–rhenium alloys is associated with the high degree of their structural disordering.     

Polypyrrole–gold nanostructured composite,active and durable electrocatalytic material

The consequences of treatment of gold nanocrystals present in polypyrrole–gold composites and electrodeposited gold nanocrystals (PPY–Au and Au NPs) with OH radicals generated in Fenton’s reaction were investigated. Particularly, the changes in the morphology and the electrochemical properties of those materials are shown. For both materials, the etching effect was noticed. Contrary to significantly reduced catalytic activity, the changes observed in size and shape of gold nanostructures were less pronounced. In the case of PPY–Au composite material, the etching effects were less intense. Even after a 60-min radical treatment of the PPY–Au composite material, the gold–nanocrystal catalytic activity remained high. The limited dissolution of the gold nanocrystals in the PPY–Au composites, compared to bare Au NPs, can be explained by the presence of the polymer which served as a kind of protective barrier against the oxidizing agent. A decrease in the electrocatalytic properties vs. the electrooxidation of ethanol of both forms of gold nanocrystals were observed after the treatment with hydroxyl radicals.     

Hollow nanodendritic nickel oxide networks prepared by dealloying of nickel–copper alloy

Three-dimensional hollow nanorod network of nickel has been produced by a dealloying process of the electrodeposited nickel–copper alloy with nanodendritic structure. The nanostructured nickel was subsequently heat treated to form the nickel oxide with little change in the original structure. The resulting sample was tested as the high rate anode in a rechargeable lithium battery. It shows the exceptional rate capability, far exceeding that of the counterpart of nickel–copper oxide network with normal solid branches: reversible capacity at the rate of 20.9 A g^?1 is approximately 70 % of the capacity at 0.26 A g^?1 rate.     

Nano-titanium oxide doped with gold,silver, and palladium — synthesis and structural characterization

Nano-titania doped with noble metals (Au/TiO₂, Ag/TiO₂, Pd/TiO₂) has been synthesized by mild hydrolysis of the mixture of metal salts or complexes and titanium isopropoxide ((iPr-O)₄Ti). After thermal decomposition of the obtained precursors, nanomaterials were formed. Morphological characterization of the nanomaterials was provided by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and stereological analysis, determining the BET specific surface area, and BJH nanoporosity (pore volume, pore size). It has been found that the structure of nanomaterials (size of nanoparticles and agglomerates) depended strongly on the method of the (iPr-O)₄Ti hydrolysis. A minor dependence on the kind of solvents and precursors of noble metals was observed. The presence of doping metal nanoparticles was confirmed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). Nanomaterial phases were identified by X-ray diffraction (XRD). According to the XRD patterns, Ag/TiO₂ and Pd/TiO₂ products with doping metals in their oxidized form contain Ag-Ti and Pd-Ti phases. Peaks of the metal oxides Ag₂O and PdO are absent in the XRD patterns. The average size of TiO₂ nanoparticles is situated in the region of 20–60 nm, whereas metals are present as about 10–15 nm sized particles and fine nanoparticles.     

Glass transition, fragility, and structural features of amorphous nickel–tellurate–vanadate samples

The experimental FTIR spectra and DSC curves of the ternary 40TeO₂–(60?x)V₂O₅–xNiO glasses with 0 ≤ x ≤ 30 (in mol%) have been investigated. The glass transition properties that have been measured and reported in this paper, include the glass transition temperature (T _g), glass transition width (ΔT _g), heat capacity change at glass transition (ΔC _P) and Fragility (F). Thermal stability, fragility, and glass-forming tendency of these glasses have been estimated. Also, Poisson’s ratio (μ) and IR spectra of the presented systems have been investigated, to determine relationship between chemical composition and the thermal stability or to interpret the structure of glass. In addition, Makishima and Makenzie’s theory was applied for determination of Young’s modulus, bulk modulus, and shear modulus, indicating a strong relation between elastic properties and structure of glass. In general, results of this work show that glasses with x = 0 and 30 have the highest shear and young’s modulus which make them as suitable candidate for the manufacture of strong glass fibers in technological applications; but it should be mentioned that glass with x = 30 has higher handling temperature and super resistance against thermal shock.     

Electrodeposited paint-and-varnish nickel–polymer coatings

Specific features of preparation of paint-and-varnish nickel–polymer coatings by joint cathodic electrodeposition of an amine-containing oligomeric electrolyte and nickel were studied. The coatings obtained exhibit layer-by-layer heterogeneity, with the lowest layer constituted by an intermetallic compound of nickel with iron. The coatings are characterized by higher degree of cross-linking compared to the polymer coatings without nickel. A paint-and-varnish formulation based on a nickel–polymer film-forming agent was developed for electrodeposition of corrosion- and wear-resistant coatings.     

Electrogenerated nickel(0) catalyzed carbon dioxide incorporation into α,ω-diynes

Electrogenerated low-valent nickel complexes are active catalysts for carbon dioxide incorporation into α,ω-diynes. A strong influence of the nature of the ligand on the selectivity of this carboxylation has been observed.     

Electrocatalytic oxidation of alcohols on gold in alkaline media: base or gold catalysis?

On the basis of a comparison of the oxidation activity of a series of similar alcohols with varying pK(a) on gold electrodes in alkaline solution, we find that the first deprotonation is base catalyzed, and the second deprotonation is fast but gold catalyzed. The base catalysis follows a Hammett-type correlation with pK(a), and dominates overall reactivity for a series of similar alcohols. The high oxidation activity on gold compared to platinum for some of the alcohols is related to the high resistance of gold toward the formation of poisoning surface oxides. These results indicate that base catalysis is the main driver behind the high oxidation activity of many organic fuels on fuel cell anodes in alkaline media, and not the catalyst interaction with hydroxide.     

Lantern-type dinickel complexes: An exploration of possibilities for nickel–nickel bonding with bridging bidentate ligands

Many binuclear nickel complexes have Ni Ni distances suggesting Ni Ni covalent bonds, including lantern-type complexes with bridging bidentate ligands. This DFT study treats tetragonal, trigonal, and digonal lantern-type complexes with the formamidinate, guanidinate, and formate ligands, besides some others. Formal bond orders (ranging from zero to two) are assigned to all the Ni Ni bonds on the basis of MO occupancy considerations. A VB-based electron counting approach assigns plausible resonance structures to the dinickel cores. Model tetragonal complexes with the dimethylformamidinate and the dithioformate ligands have singlet ground states whose non-covalently bonded Ni Ni distances are close to those in their experimentally known counterparts. Trigonal dinickel complexes are unknown, but are predicted to have quartet ground states with Ni Ni bonds of order 0.5. The model digonal complexes are predicted to have triplet ground states, but the predicted Ni Ni bond lengths are longer than those found in their experimentally known counterparts. This could owe to inadequate treatment of electron correlation by DFT in these short Ni Ni bonds with their multiconfigurational character. All the Ni Ni bond distances here are categorized into ranges according to the Ni Ni bond orders of 0, 0.5, 1, 1.5, and 2, no Ni Ni bonds of order higher than two being identified. The Ni Ni bonds of given order in these lantern-type complexes are consistently shorter than the corresponding Ni Ni bonds in dinickel complexes having carbonyl ligands, attributable to the metal metal bond lengthening effect of CO ligands.     

A new preparation method of gold nanoparticles by intra-reduction of sodium gold（I） sulfite

In this study, well-dispersed gold nanoparticles were prepared by using intra-molecular reduction of sodium gold sulfite, without using additional reductants and chloride free. The technical parameters including transformation temperature, pH, and concentration were optimized by the single-factor method as 90 C, pH 1, and 0.01 mmol/L [Na3Au（SO3）2], respectively. The resultant colloidal transmission electron microscopy images （TEM） and UV-vis absorption spectrophotometer spectra were acquired to check their properties, and the results show this kind of colloidal gold is controlled to 6 nm in sizes and has good stability in solution.     

New approach to fabricate nanoporous gold film

A simple preparation of ultrathin nanoporous gold film was described. Copper and gold were used to fabricate Cu-Au alloy film sthrough vacuum deposition. The formation of nanoporous gold films from the alloy films involved thermal process and chemical etch by hydrochloric acid or by nitric acid. The free-standing nanoporous gold films have been analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray photoelectron spectrometer (XPS) and surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS). It was noted that the nanoporous gold film etched by hydrochloric acid is uniform with a cover of fog-like moieties.     

Raman and infrared spectroscopy of α and β phases of thin nickel hydroxide films electrochemically formed on nickel

The present work utilizes Raman and infrared (IR) spectroscopy, supported by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) to re-examine the fine structural details of Ni(OH)(2), which is a key material in many energy-related applications. This work also unifies the large body of literature on the topic. Samples were prepared by the galvanostatic basification of nickel salts and by aging the deposits in hot KOH solutions. A simplified model is presented consisting of two fundamental phases (α and β) of Ni(OH)(2) and a range of possible structural disorder arising from factors such as impurities, hydration, and crystal defects. For the first time, all of the lattice modes of β-Ni(OH)(2) have been identified and assigned using factor group analysis. Ni(OH)(2) films can be rapidly identified in pure and mixed samples using Raman or IR spectroscopy by measuring their strong O-H stretching modes, which act as fingerprints. Thus, this work establishes methods to measure the phase, or phases, and disorder at a Ni(OH)(2) sample surface and to correlate desired chemical properties to their structural origins.     

Where gold meets a hydrogen bond?

This is a short survey of the area of the hydrogen bonding where the noble and coinage metal gold enters its manifold of the proton acceptors. It is largely focused on the nonconventional hydrogen bonds that are formed in the complexes of the auride anion Au⁻ with HF, (HF)₂, H₂O, (H₂O)₂, NH₃, and (NH₃)₂, as mostly experimentally investigated to date. A thorough comparison of the experimental and computational data on these nonconventional hydrogen bonds is the main motif of the present work.     

Chiral and Achiral Bis（2-oxazolinylphenolato）nickel（Ⅱ） Complexes-Synthesis, Crystal Structure, and Catalytic Properties

Introduction Oxidation was a very important reaction both in synthetic pathways and in industrial processes. Metal-catalyzed oxidation provided excellent alternatives in synthetic processes. However, molecular oxygen has been applied only in a limited number of metal-catalyzed oxidations, because it was very difficult to activate molecular oxygen and most of transition metal complexes were sensitive to oxygen. It was noted that metal-catalyzed Baeyer-Villiger oxidation was a convenient method…     

Nanoporous gold electrode prepared from gold compact disk as the anode for the microbial fuel cell

The electrodes (anode and cathode) have an important role in the efficiency of a microbial fuel cell (MFC), as they can determine the rate of charge transfer in an electrochemical process. In this study, nanoporous gold electrode, prepared from commercially available gold-made compact disk, is utilized as the anode in a two-chamber MFC. The performance of nanoporous gold electrode in the MFC is compared with that of gold film, carbon felt and acid-heat-treated carbon felt electrodes which are usually employed as the anode in the MFCs. Electrochemical surface area of nanoporous gold electrode exhibits a 7.96-fold increase rather than gold film electrode. Scanning electron microscopy analysis also indicates the homogeneous biofilm is formed on the surface of nanoporous gold electrode, while the biofilm formed at the surface of acid-heat-treated carbon felt electrode shows rough structure. Electrochemical studies show although modifications applied on carbon felt electrodes improve its performance, nanoporous gold electrode, due to its structure and better electrochemical properties, acts more efficiently as the MFC’s anode. The maximum power density produced by nanoporous gold anode is 4.71 mW m^?2 at current density of 16.00 mA m^?2, while this value for acid-heat-treated carbon felt anode is 3.551 mW m^?2 at current density of 9.58 mA m^?2.     

Synthesis, structure and norbornene polymerization behavior of nickel complexes bearing two β-ketoiminato chelate ligands

A series of nickel(II) complexes bearing two nonsymmetric bidentate β-ketoiminato chelate ligands have been prepared, and the structures of complexes [(2,6-Me₂C₆H₃)NC(CH₃)C(H)C(Ph)O]₂Ni (4a) and [(2,6-Me₂C₆H₃)NC(CH₃)C(H)C(CF₃)O]₂Ni (4c) have been confirmed by X-ray crystallographic analysis. These nickel(II) complexes were investigated as catalysts for the vinylic polymerization of norbornene. Using modified methylaluminoxane (MMAO) as a cocatalyst, these complexes display very high activities and produce high molecular weight polymers. Catalytic activity of up to 1.16 × 10⁴ kg/mol_Ni · h and the viscosity-average molecular weight of polymer of up to 870 kg/mol were observed. Catalyst activity, polymer yield, and polymer molecular weight could be controlled over a wide range by the variation of the reaction parameters such as Al/Ni molar ratio, norbornene/catalyst molar ratio, monomer concentration, polymerization reaction temperature and time.     

Nitrogen-donor base adducts of bis(O,O′-di-isoamyldithiophosphato)nickel(II)

A series of Ni^II complexes with the O,O-di-isoamylester of dithiophosphoric acid and nitrogen-donor ligands of composition [Ni(i-Am₂dtp)₂(L)]; [dtp = O₂PS₂ ^–; L = 2,2-bipyridine (bpy); 1,10-phenanthroline (phen); 5-nitro-1,10-phenanthroline (nphen); 4,7-diphenyl-1,10-phenanthroline (baphen); 2,9-dimethyl-1,10-phenanthroline (neo), 2-aminomethylpyridine (amp), 2-(2-aminoethyl)pyridine (aep), 2,2-dipiridylamine (dpa), 1,2-diaminopropane (1,2-dap) or trans 1,2-diaminocyclohexane (dch)] have been prepared. The compounds have been characterized by elemental analyses (C,H,N,S), electronic and i.r. spectroscopy, magnetic and conductivity measurements and by cyclic voltammetry. The results show that all complexes behave as non-electrolytes in acetone. Electronic spectra and magnetic moments suggest a distorted cis-octahedral geometry around the Ni^II atom [_eff/_B <3.10, 3.40 >], except for [Ni(i-Am₂dtp)₂(aep)], where the measured temperature dependence of the magnetic susceptibility proved the tetrahedrally coordinated nickel [4.06 _eff/_B (298 K) – 3.20 _eff/_B (80 K)]. In the [Ni(i-Am₂dtp)₂(neo)] complex, the nickel atom is penta-coordinated. The X-ray crystal and molecular structure of [Ni(i-Am₂dtp)₂(1,2-dap)] has been determined.     

Thermodynamic properties of o-semiquinonato complexes of cobalt, nickel, and copper in the range T → 0 to 350 K

The heat capacity of bis(3,6-di-tert-butyl-o-benzosemiquinonato)copper, (triethylarsine)bis(3,6-di-tert-butyl-o-benzosemiquinonato)nickel, and (triphenylphosphine)bis(3,6-di-tert-butyl-o-benzosemiquinonato)cobalt was determined in the range of 0 to 350 K by precision adiabatic vacuum calorimetry. The temperature dependences of magnetic moments were studied for the last two complexes. The G-transition in nickel complex, which is presumably caused by a loosening of the molecular degrees of freedom, was determined. The standard thermodynamic functions of complexes were calculated according to the obtained data: C _p ^○ , H○(T)-H○(0), S○(T), and G○(T)-H○(0) for the range of T → 0 to 350 K. It was concluded that our analysis of low-temperature heat capacity based on the Debye theory of the heat capacity of solids and the multifractal model confirms the chain-layer topologies of the structures of the investigated complexes.