A comparative study of Ir/Ga<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript>, Pt/Ga<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript>, and Ru/Ga<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript> catalysts in selective hydrogenation of crotonaldehyde

Catalytic performance of gallia-supported iridium catalysts in the reaction of selective hydrogenation of crotonaldehyde in the gas phase was studied and compared to that of platinum and ruthenium catalysts. The best catalytic properties in terms of the selectivity to crotyl alcohol are shown by 5 wt % Pt/α-Ga₂O₃ and 5 wt % Ir/α-Ga₂O₃ catalysts prepared from nonchlorine precursors: Pt(acac)₂ and Ir(acac)₃, but for the 5 wt % Pt/α-Ga₂O₃ a very high selectivity of 75% at the high conversion (ca. 60%) is observed. A high selectivity of galia-supported iridium and platinum catalysts was explained by the surface reducibility of gallium oxide leading to covering (decoration) of platinum and iridium by gallium suboxides and the promoting effect of gallium.     

Pt 改性的高结晶度 TiO2 晶须的光催化性能

 以二钛酸钾 (K₂Ti₂O₅) 为前驱体, 通过离子交换和 800^oC 焙烧制备了 TiO₂晶须 (TiO₂(800^oC)), 并采用乙二醇胶体法, 在 TiO₂(800^oC) 样品上负载 1% Pt 纳米颗粒制成了 Pt/TiO₂(800^oC 催化剂. 采用 X 射线衍射、扫描电镜、透射电镜、X 荧光光谱和低温 N2 吸附-脱附等技术对催化剂进行了表征, 并考察了该催化剂光催化降解苯酚活性及稳定性. 结果表明, TiO₂(800^oC)样品为结晶度较高的纯锐钛矿 TiO₂, 载 Pt 后催化活性提高到原来的 2.3 倍, 具有很高的单位比表面积活性. 催化剂经 10 次重复使用后, Pt 流失量仅为 6%, 活性为新鲜催化剂的 91%. 而低结晶度的纯锐钛矿或混晶的 TiO₂ 负载 Pt 催化剂的活性和稳定性均不及 Pt/TiO₂(800^oC).     

Enzymatic Hydrolysis and Ethanol Fermentation of High Dry Matter Wet-Exploded Wheat Straw at Low Enzyme Loading

Wheat straw was pretreated by wet explosion using three different oxidizing agents (H₂O₂, O₂, and air). The effect of the pretreatment was evaluated based on glucose and xylose liberated during enzymatic hydrolysis. The results showed that pretreatment with the use of O₂ as oxidizing agent was the most efficient in enhancing overall convertibility of the raw material to sugars and minimizing generation of furfural as a by-product. For scale-up of the process, high dry matter (DM) concentrations of 15–20% will be necessary. However, high DM hydrolysis and fermentation are limited by high viscosity of the material, higher inhibition of the enzymes, and fermenting microorganism. The wet-explosion pretreatment method enabled relatively high yields from both enzymatic hydrolysis and simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF) to be obtained when performed on unwashed slurry with 14% DM and a low enzyme loading of 10 FPU/g cellulose in an industrial acceptable time frame of 96 h. Cellulose and hemicellulose conversion from enzymatic hydrolysis were 70 and 68%, respectively, and an overall ethanol yield from SSF was 68%.     

Experimental investigation on the mechanical properties of Co-polypropylene/GF/CaCO<Subscript>3</Subscript> hybrid nanocomposites

This study aimed to acquire a balance of mechanical properties comprising impact, tensile and flexural performances in PP based blend. In this respect, co-PP was employed as matrix because of its intrinsic high impact behavior. Hybrid nanocomposites based on co-PP and containing 10 wt % micron-sized short glass fibers (GF) and 2 to 8 wt % nano precipitated CaCO₃ (NPCC) particles were produced by applying a two-step melt compounding method. Maleic anhydride grafted polypropylene (MAPP) was used as compatibilizer. Strong glass fiber-matrix adhesion and relatively uniform distribution of nano-CaCO₃ particles were observed in SEM images. The maximum tensile strength was observed in co-PP hybrid nanocomposite containing 10 wt % glass fiber and 5 wt % nano-CaCO₃ which was 58% more than that of neat co-PP. Flexural strength raised as much as 11% by adding glass fiber. The maximum flexural strength was obtained by incorporating 10 wt % glass fiber and 8 wt % nano-CaCO₃ into co-PP matrix which was 24% higher than that of neat co-PP. The impact strength decreased upon addition of 10 wt % glass fiber and 5 and 8 wt % nano-CaCO₃, this was attributed to the inherent high impact behavior of co-PP as well as strong interfacial interaction between dispersed phases and polymeric matrix.     

A Sensitive and Renewable Chlortoluron Molecularly Imprinted Polymer Sensor Based on the Gate‐Controlled Catalytic Electrooxidation of H2O2 on Magnetic Nano‐NiO

A new sensor was fabricated by MIP synthesized on the surface of magnetic nickel(II) oxide (NiO) nanoparticles which based on the oxidation current change of H₂O₂. Chlortoluron was selected as template which can be detected indirectly by the decrease of the H₂O₂ oxidation current on the NiO nanoparticle‐modified GCE caused by the blocking access after rebinding. A high sensitivity was obtained because of the high catalytic effect of NiO nanoparticles on H₂O₂ oxidation. Chlortoluron was determined from 1.0×10^?8/L to 1.0×10^?4 mol/L, with a detection limit of 2.4×10^?9 mol/L. The proposed method combines the high sensitivity of the catalytic effect and the high selectivity of the MIP technique. Water samples were assayed using the MIP sensor, and recoveries of 96.9 % to 104.7 % were obtained.     

新型复合共沉淀法制备高能量/高功率型锂离子二次电池用5V正极材料LiNi_(0.5)Mn_(1.5)O_4及其电化学性能

在传统的固相法的基础上开发了新型复合共沉淀法制备LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4材料.新型复合共沉淀法采用(NH4)2CO3和(NH4)2C2O4共同作为沉淀剂,通过控制共沉淀反应条件,得到了具有均匀球形形貌的沉淀物颗粒.再通过与饱和氢氧化锂溶液的水热反应及高温反应,最终制备出具有球形次级形貌和纯相尖晶石结构的LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4材料.电化学测试表明,制备的LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4具有优异的电化学性能,其初始容量达到了141.4mAh·g-1.在0.3C、1C和3C倍率下经过200次循环后的容量分别为136.0 mAh·g-1(96.3%)、128.6 mAh·g-1(94.4%)和113.9 mAh·g-1(91.1%).通过高温反应及特殊的冷却处理,LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4在4.0 V低压区平台的容量损失得到了有效抑制.更重要的是,通过控制合成过程中的关键步骤,可实现半定量化控制材料结构中的原子有序排布程度,进而得到具有高能量密度和高功率密度的两种LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4材料,其能量密度和功率密度分别达到了648.6 mWh·g-1和7000 mW·g-1以上.     

Optimization of steam explosion to enhance hemicellulose recovery and enzymatic hydrolysis of cellulose in softwoods

A combination of Douglas fir heartwood and sapwood chips were steam pretreated under three conditions as measured by the Severity Factor (log R_o), which incorporated the time, temperature/pressure of pretreatment. By adjusting the steam pretreatment conditions, it was hoped to recover the majority of the hemicellulose component as monomers in the water-soluble stream, while providing a cellulosic-rich, water-insoluble fraction that could be readily hydrolyzed by cellulases. These three conditions were chosen to represent either high hemicellulose sugar recovery (low severity [L], log R_o=3.08), high-enzyme hydrolyzability of the cellulosic component (high severity [H], log R_o=4.21), and a compromise between the two conditions (medium severity [M], log R_o=3.45). The medium-severity pretreatment conditions (195°C, 4.5 min, 4.5% SO₂ logR_o=3.45) gave the best compromise in terms of relatively high hemicellulose recovery after stream pretreatment and the subsequent efficiency of enzymatic hydrolysis of the water-insoluble cellulosic fraction. The percent recovery of the original hemicellulose in the water-soluble fraction dropped significantly when the severity was increased (L-76.8%, M-64.7%, and H-37.5%). However, the ease of enzymatic hydrolysis of the cellulose-rich, water-insoluble fraction increased with increasing severity (L-24%, M-86.6%, and H-97.9%). Although more severe pretreatment conditions provided optimum hydrolysis of the cellulosic component, less severe conditions resulted in better recovery of the combined hemicellulose and cellulosic components.     

Synthesis of hexamethylene-1,6-dicarbamate by methoxycarbonylation of 1,6-hexamethylene diamine with dimethyl carbonate over bulk and hybrid heteropoly acid catalyst

Synthesis of HDC by methoxycarbonylation of HDA with DMC was carried out over the bulk and hybrid heteropoly acid (HPA) catalyst. The catalysts were systematically characterized by XRD, FTIR, SEM and NH₃-TPD techniques. The by-products produced in the reaction were identified and a possible reaction pathway was proposed based on the by-products analysis. The performances of bulk and hybrid HPA catalysts were evaluated. The H₄[SiW₁₂O₄₀] catalyst revealed high performance compared with other catalysts and its high performance was attributed to its acidic properties. Effects of reaction parameters and reusability of the H₄[SiW₁₂O₄₀] catalyst were also investigated. Under the optimized reaction conditions, HDA conversion reached 93.2% with 64.8% HDC selectivity and only 3.8% by-product selectivity. Moreover, a possible reaction mechanism was proposed for the synthesis of HDC over H₄[SiW₁₂O₄₀] catalyst.     

Effect of decomposition of catalyst precursor on Ni/CeO2 activity for CO methanation

CO methanation on Ni/CeO₂ has recently received increasing attention. However, the low-temperature activity and carbon resistance of Ni/CeO₂ still need to be improved. In this study, plasma decomposition of nickel nitrate was performed at ca. 150°C and atmospheric pressure. This was followed by hydrogen reduction at 500 °C in the absence of plasma, and a highly dispersed Ni/CeO₂ catalyst was obtained with improved CO adsorption and enhanced metal-support interaction. The plasma-decomposed catalyst showed significantly improved low-temperature activity with high methane selectivity (up to 100%) and enhanced carbon resistance for CO methanation. For example, at 250°C, the plasma-decomposed catalyst showed a CO conversion of 96.8% with high methane selectivity (almost 100%), whereas the CO conversion was only 14.7% for a thermally decomposed catalyst.     

Fe3O4-Lignin@Pd-NPs: A highly efficient,magnetically recoverable and recyclable catalyst for Mizoroki-Heck reaction under solvent-free conditions

Palladium nanoparticles ( Pd-NPs ) were synthesized under green conditions in water by chemical reduction of PdCl₂ with NaOH and supported by Fe ₃ O ₄ -Lignin . Fe ₃ O ₄ -Lignin is an organic–inorganic hybrid core-shell was synthesized by sonication of a mixture of Fe ₃ O ₄ -NPs (20 nm) and alkali lignin. The new materials Fe ₃ O ₄ -Lignin and Fe ₃ O ₄ -Lignin@Pd-NPs were characterized by PXRD, SEM and FT-IR spectroscopy. The Fe ₃ O ₄ -Lignin@Pd-NPs was further confirmed by UV–Visible spectroscopy, TEM, EDX, HRICP-AES and TGA/DTA. The average size of Pd-NPs determined from PXRD was 5–10 nm. The amount of palladium loaded on Fe ₃ O ₄ -Lignin obtained from EDX analysis was 26.63% by mass. The amount of Fe and Pd present in the catalyst obtained from HRICP-AES was 11.88 (wt. %) and 10.90 (wt. %) respectively per gram of lignin. The catalytic potential of Fe ₃ O ₄ -Lignin@Pd-NPs was evaluated in Mizoroki-Heck C-C coupling reaction. During the optimization studies of reaction between iodobenzene and n-butyl acrylate in various solvents and under solvent-free but aerobic conditions using various inorganic and organic bases, the product n-butyl 3-phenylprop-2-enoate ( 1a ) obtained was as high as 95% in highly polar solvents as short as in 10 min and 99% under solvent-free conditions in 3 min at 140 °C using n-Pr₃N as base. The scope of the above catalyst was investigated in the Mizoroki-Heck reaction of various aryl/heterocyclic halides and n-butyl acrylate/styrene under optimized solvent-less conditions. The corresponding products were obtained in high yields (73–99%). The catalyst recovered by magnetic decantation was reused for five times in the C-C coupling reaction between iodobenzene and n-butyl acrylate which yielded 90–95% of the desired product, 1a .     

Continuous Flow Reactor for Hydroxylation of Benzene to Phenol by Hydrogen Peroxide

The direct hydroxylation of benzene to phenol catalyzed by activated carbon-supported Fe (Fe/AC) in acetonitrile using H₂O₂ as the oxidant was studied in a continuous flow reactor. Results showed that the continuous operation could obtain high phenol yield of 28.1%, coupled with the turnover frequency of 3 h^-1, and high selectivity of 98% under mild condition. The catalyst was characterized by N₂ adsorption/desorption, Boehm titration, X-ray photoelectron spectra, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. It was observed that iron may interact with the carboxyl group forming iron-carboxylate like species, which act as the active phase. The apparent activation energy obtained by fitting an Arrhenius model to the experimental data was 13.4 kJ/mol. The reaction order was calculated to be about 1, 0.2 for benzene and 0.7 for H₂O₂.     

Metallacarboranes as Photoredox Catalysts in Water

Metallacarboranes with the shape of the Greek letter θ, such as [Co(C₂B₉H₁₁)₂]⁻, were tested, for the first time, as efficient photoredox catalysts in the oxidation of aromatic and aliphatic alcohols in water. Their efficiency is linked to their high solubility in water, their high oxidizing power (Co^4+/3+), and their absence of fluorescence on excitation, among others. In most of the studied examples, using a catalyst load of 0.4 mol % gave high yields of 90–95 % with selectivity greater than 99 %. By reducing the catalyst load to 0.01 mol %, quantitative conversion of reactants to products was achieved, in some cases with greater than 99 % yield, high catalyst efficiency reaching a turnover number of 10 000, and a higher yield with a 45 times lower concentration of catalyst. The metallacarboranes can be recovered easily by precipitation on addition of [NMe₄]Cl. A pathway for the photoredox-catalyzed oxidation of alcohols is proposed.     

Solvothermal synthesis of WO3/TiO2/carbon fiber composite photocatalysts for enhanced performance under sunlight illumination

Carbon fiber (CF)‐based WO₃/TiO₂ composite catalysts (WO₃/TiO₂/CF) were successfully synthesized by solvothermal method. The catalysts were characterized by XPS, SEM, BET, XRD, FTIR, Raman and UV–Vis. The analyses confirmed the WO₃/TiO₂ nanoparticles with high crystallinity deposited on the carbon structure. The photocatalytic degradation of Orange II azo dye under UV and sunlight illumination with the synthesized catalyst was explored. The composite catalyst displayed high performance (85%) for Orange II degradation while that of for WO₃/TiO₂ was found as 76%. The effects of CF amount, solution pH, initial dye concentration and catalyst dose on photocatalytic performance were studied. It was found that the degradation efficiency increased from 68% to 90% with the increasing CF amount from 3 wt% to 5 wt%, while the further increase in CF amount (7–10 wt%) decreased the photodegradation due to the blocking the active sites of WO₃/TiO₂. The enhanced photocatalytic efficiency was mainly attributed to the electrical properties of the CF and reduced bandgap.     

SBA-15负载的Cu(Ⅱ)席夫碱配合物催化的苯乙烯氧化反应制备苯甲醛

采用一步法将原硅酸四乙酯与3-氨丙基三乙氧基硅烷在表面活性剂P123作用下,酸性共水解制备出氨基功能化的介孔分子筛SBA-15(NH2-SBA-15),再利用其中氨基与水杨醛的缩合反应制备SBA-15固载的席夫碱,该席夫碱与Cu(NO3)2溶液反应最终制成固定于SBA-15的Cu(II)席夫碱配合物多相催化剂Cu-SBA-15.采用X射线衍射、红外光谱仪、紫外可见分光光度计、场发射电镜、透射电镜、N2吸附-脱附、元素分析、原子发射光谱和热重分析对催化剂进行了表征,并将此催化剂用于无有机溶剂条件下催化氧化苯乙烯制备苯甲醛,考察了反应时间、反应温度、H2O2用量、水的用量、催化剂用量对反应的影响.当反应温度为100°C,反应时间8 h,H2O2与苯乙烯的摩尔比为2:1,不额外添加溶剂,且催化剂用量为3.8 wt%时,苯乙烯的转化率最高为84.4%,苯甲醛选择性为83.9%,催化剂的TOF值为261.1 h–1,并且重复使用3次后活性没有明显下降.规则的孔道、较大的比表面积以及分布均匀的活性中心可能是催化剂活性提高的原因.     

Catalytic Performance of Modified HMCM‐22 Catalysts in Xylene Isomerization

HMCM‐22 catalysts modified with La₂O₃ (5% La) and MgO (≈0.87% Mg) were prepared respectively by impregnation method, and were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, X‐ray diffraction, N₂ physical adsorption‐desorption and temperature‐programmed desorption of NH₃. The effect of supported metallic oxides (La₂O₃, MgO) on catalytic performance in xylene isomerization of C8 aromatics (ethylbenzene, m‐xylene and o‐xylene) was investigated in detail. The experimental results showed that 5% La/HMCM‐22 catalyst had higher isomerization activity and stronger shape‐selectivity than 0.87% Mg/HMCM‐22 catalyst, owing to its more acid sites and smaller pore size. And the loading amount of La was optimized to be about 7%. Moreover, supporting metal over 7% La/HMCM‐22, respectively with 0.3% Pt, 3% Ni and 3% Mo, was carried out to prepare bifunctional isomerization catalysts. In comparison, 3% Mo/7% La/HMCM‐22 showed the best catalytic performance with both high activity and high selectivity, with the low hydrocracking of m‐xylene and o‐xylene. Besides, the optimal reaction conditions were found: 340°C, 1.5 MPa H₂, WHSV 4 h^?1 and H₂/C8 4 mol/mol. Under the above conditions, ethylbenzene conversion was up to 20%, para‐selectivity was over 23% with low xylene loss of 2.9%.     

Phase composition and catalytic properties of ZrO2 and CeO2-ZrO2 in the ketonization of pentanoic acid to 5-nonanone

The phase composition, microstructure, and catalytic properties of the samples of ZrO₂ and CeO₂-ZrO₂ calcined in air at 450–500°C in the ketonization reaction of pentanoic acid were studied. It was found that ZrO₂ of tetragonal and monoclinic modifications is characterized by sufficiently high activity and selectivity for 5-nonanone; the yield of 5-nonanone was 66.3–64.9%. The modification of zirconium dioxide with cerium oxide leads to the formation of a substitutional solid solution based on tetragonal ZrO₂. Upon the addition of CeO₂ in an optimum amount of 10 wt % to zirconium dioxide, an increase in the conversion of pentanoic acid was observed with the retention of high selectivity for the target product, which led to an increase in the yield of 5-nonanone to 73.3%. Based on the results of physicochemical studies performed by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction analysis, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, the physicochemical and catalytic properties of the test catalysts were compared.     

Evaluation of sample preparation methods for elastomer digestion for further halogens determination

In this work, three sample preparation methods were evaluated for further halogen determination in elastomers containing high concentrations of carbon black. Samples of nitrile-butadiene rubber, styrene-butadiene rubber, and ethylene-propylene-diene monomer elastomers were decomposed using oxygen flask combustion and microwave-induced combustion (MIC) for further Br and Cl determination by ion chromatography (IC), inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP OES), and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Extraction assisted by microwave radiation in closed vessels was also evaluated using water or alkaline solution. Digestion by MIC was carried out using 50 mmol l⁻¹ (NH₄)₂CO₃ as the absorbing solution. The effect of the reflux step was also evaluated. Accuracy was evaluated using certified reference materials with polymeric matrix composition and by comparison of results using neutron activation analysis. Agreement for Br and Cl was better than 95% by MIC using 5 min of reflux, and no statistical difference was found using IC, ICP OES, and ICP-MS for determination of both analytes. For MIC, the relative standard deviation (RSD) was lower than 5%. Using extraction in closed vessels, a high amount of residues was observed, and recoveries were lower than 45% for both analytes. For oxygen flask combustion, the agreement was similar using MIC but RSD was higher (20%). The residual carbon content, an important parameter used to evaluate the digestion efficiency, was always below 1% for MIC. Using MIC, it was possible to digest elastomers with high efficiency, resulting in a single solution suitable for halogen determination by different techniques.     

The Mutual Conversion of CO2 and CO in Dielectric Barrier Discharge (DBD)

Non-equilibrium plasma, which was engendered by dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) was used to analyze the mutual conversion between CO₂ and CO. The results showed that the conversion ratio of CO increased monotonously with the increasing voltage. But CO₂ was not so. Its conversion ratio reached maximum when the voltage was 3600 V in Ar system. It also showed that the existence of water molecules was more advanageous for the conversion of CO to CO₂ in Air system than in oxygen system, and the conversion ratio could reach 75.8% when the relative humidity was 100%. We also discussed the energy yield and energy efficiency, and the result was that high voltage and high concentration of reactant was disadvantageous for energy utilization.     

Optimization of the fractional precipitation of paclitaxel from a Taxus chinensis cell culture using response surface methodology and its isolation by consecutive high‐speed countercurrent chromatography

A consecutive preparation method for the isolation and purification of paclitaxel from the Taxus Chinensis cell culture was developed in this study. The process involved alkaline Al₂O₃ chromatography, fractional precipitation, and high‐speed countercurrent chromatography. The original cell culture materials were first extracted with methanol using ultrasound‐assisted extraction, and then the extract (the content of paclitaxel is 1.5%) was separated by alkaline Al₂O₃ column chromatography. Subsequently, fractional precipitation was used to obtain paclitaxel. In particular, response surface methodology was used to optimize the factors of fractional precipitation (methanol concentration, material‐to‐solvent ratio, and precipitating time were optimized as 48.14%, 8.85 mg/mL, and 48.71 h, respectively) and the yield of fractional precipitation product was 30.64 ± 0.60 mg (the content of paclitaxel is 89.3%, 27.37 ± 0.54 mg) from a 100 mg fraction by Al₂O₃ column separation (the content of paclitaxel is 32.4%). Then, the product was used for further isolation by high‐speed countercurrent chromatography. About 1.00 g paclitaxel (200 ± 2 mg in each loading) with a purity up to 99.61% was isolated from 1.25 g of fractional precipitation product with a solvent system of n‐hexane/ethyl acetate/methanol/water (1.2:1.8:1.5:1.5, v/v/v/v) in one run of five consecutive sample loadings without exchanging a new solvent system.     

Simultaneous removal of NO<Subscript><Emphasis Type="Italic">x</Emphasis></Subscript> and SO<Subscript>2</Subscript> by low-temperature selective catalytic reduction over modified activated carbon catalysts

A series of modified porous activated carbon (AC) catalysts prepared by impregnation were investigated for the low-temperature (≤250°C) selective catalytic reduction (SCR) of NO _x with NH₃ with simultaneous removal of SO₂. The effects of various preparation conditions and reaction conditions on NO and SO₂ conversions were observed, such as support type, active components, copper loading, calcination temperature and presence of H₂O and O₂. The modified AC catalysts were characterized by BET, XRD, TG and TPX methods. The activity test results showed that the optimal catalyst is 15% Cu/WCSAC which can provide 52% NO conversion and 68% SO₂ conversion simultaneously at 175°C with a space velocity of 30000 h^?1, and the optimal calcination temperature was 500°C. The presence of H₂O could inhibit NO conversion and promote the SO₂ conversion. The effect of O₂ (0–5%) was evaluated, and the NO and SO₂ conversions were best when the concentration of O₂ was 3%. Research demonstrated that Cu/WCSAC catalyst was a kind of potential catalysts due to the amorphous phase, high specific areas and high active ability.