Key techniques to control porous microsphere morphology in S/O/W emulsion system

A solid-in-oil-in-water (S/O/W) emulsion system has been developed to prepare porous polymeric microspheres. The obtained microspheres showed unique core–shell structure with a dense core and a surface porous layer. The emulsion system has two processes. In the first process, S/O/W₁ viscous emulsion is prepared by dropping of S/O phase in the first water phase (W₁). In the second process, the S/O/W₁ emulsion is poured to another water phase (W₂) as S/O/W₁/W₂ emulsion. During the process, S/O/W₁ droplet becomes microsphere after organic medium completely diffusion. Emulsion techniques have various effective combinations such as additive and process conditions to design microsphere morphology. With regards to the proposed S/O/W system, addition of the solid phase in the system is a key factor to form the porous structure. When the medium diffusion starts, the solid makes W₁ phase kept inside the S/O/W₁ droplet. The remained W₁ phase changes surface porous layer after purification. Affinity between the solid and oil phase should be adjusted as well. In this study, an optimization of the emulsion system was attempted considering solubility parameter and polarity. Additionally, it is found that process conditions could help to design microsphere morphology such as pore size and porous layer thickness.     

Synthesis of Flower-like NaY(MoO4)2 and Optical Property of NaY(MoO4)2:Eu3+

Flower-like NaY(MoO₄)₂ particles were synthesized through a microwave-assisted hydrother-mal process followed by a subsequent calcination process. The products were characterized by X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, field-emission scanning electron mi-croscopy. The possible formation mechanism of the flower-like NaY(MoO₄)₂ precursor was proposed. The NaY(MoO₄)₂:Eu³⁺ phosphors were also prepared and their luminescence properties showed the NaY(MoO₄)₂:Eu³⁺ materials with the emission peak at 612 nm had potential application as a red phosphor for white light-emitting diodes. Furthermore, the microwave-assisted hydrothermal process followed by a subsequent calcination process could be extended to prepare the other lanthanide molybdates with the flower-like morphology.     

Molecular beam chemiluminescence. Three-body processes in the micro-torr region: The Ba + X2(Cl2, Br2, I2) → BaX*2 reactions

The intensity of the chemiluminescence continua from the title reactions was measured in crossed effusive molecular beams as a function of halogen beam flux. The dominant quadratic pressure dependence of the Ba + Cl₂, Br₂, I₂ reactions at halogen densities as low as ≈ 10¹¹ molecules/cm³ indicates a three-body process (rapid collissional stabilization of a very long-lived collision complex) as the major mode of MX^*₂ formation, while a two-body process is discernible at the lowest X₂ gas densities. The mechanism is discussed in some detail.     

New process of low-temperature methanol synthesis from CO/CO2/H2 based on dual-catalysis

A new process of low-temperature methanol synthesis from CO/CO₂/H₂ based on dual-catalysis has been developed. Some alcohols, especially 2-alcohol, were found to have high catalytic promoting effect on the synthesis of methanol from CO hydrogenation. At 443 K and 5 MPa, the synthesis of methanol could process high effectively, resulting from the synergic catalysis of Cu/ZnO solid catalyst and 2-alcohol solvent catalyst. The primary results showed that when 2-butanol was used as reaction solvent, the one-pass average yield and the selectivity of methanol, in 40 h continuous reaction at temperature as low as 443 K and 5 MPa, were high up to 46.51% and 98.94% respectively. The catalytic activity was stable and the reaction temperature was 80 K or so lower than that in current industry synthesis process. This new process hopefully will become a practical method for methanol synthesis at low temperature.     

Production of electronically excited iodine atoms I(5p52P12) by collisional release in molecular I2

The appearance rate of 1^* (5p⁵²P_{$\text{1}\text{2}$}) following laser photolysis of molecular I₂ 1.2 kT below the dissociation limit o the I₂ (B³ Π_ou+) state has been monitored by time-resolved atomic absorption as a function of I₂ pressure. Data were also taken with N₂ as an added gas. The results confirm the production of I^* from the B state by a collisional process and reveal an additional process by which I^* continues to appear for several hundred nanoseconds after the laser pulse even at N₂ pressures as high as 750 torr.     

Propane oxidation with chemically bound oxygen on Pt/TiO2/Al2O3 and Pt/CeO2/Al2O3 catalysts

Possible mechanisms are suggested for propane oxidation on Pt/TiO₂/Al₂O₃ and Pt/CeO₂/Al₂O₃ catalysts in the cyclic reactant supply mode. As compared to the steady-state process, the process conducted as catalyst oxidation-reduction cycles results in a very different product composition: it is more selective toward partial oxidation products and yields much smaller amounts of complete oxidation products. It is established by isothermal and temperature-programmed oxygen desorption that, under the reaction conditions examined, the oxygen desorbed from the catalyst surface into the gas phase makes a negligible contribution to propane oxidation. It is proved by XPS that propane oxidation is due to the chemically bound oxygen of the catalyst. The hypothetical mechanism of the process includes propane activation on Pt followed by the transfer of the activated species to the oxygen-storing component (TiO₂ or CeO₂), where the intermediates are oxidized by chemically bound oxygen.     

Electrochemical production of NH2• radicals by the system Cu2+/VO2+/NH2OH and their reactions with benzene and toluene

Electroinitiated production of NH₂^. radicals was demonstrated to occur in aqueous acid solution when in the system Cu²⁺/VO²⁺/NH₂OH Cu²⁺ is reduced to metallic copper on a mercury cathode. The first stage of this process involves the reduction of vanadyl to V³⁺ by metallic copper. The electrochemical system Cu²⁺/VO²⁺ was demonstrated to follow a depolarization scheme of the type of the catalyzed electrode process.For the reaction Cu+2 VO²⁺k₁→Cu²⁺+2 V³⁺ a k₁ value of 32 M^?1 s^?1 at 50°C was calculated.The second stage of the process is the reduction of NH₂OH by V³⁺ to give aminyl radicals. In presence of benzene and toluene these radicals add to the aromatic ring to give new radicals which are oxidized by Cu²⁺ to the corresponding amines.The cuzrent yield of this process attains values as high as 70%. The yield dependence on H₂SO₄ concentration, electrolytic current and dioxane concentration is discussed.     

Sonogashira reaction on pyridinium N-heteroarylaminides

The reactivity of N-(5-iodopyridin-2-yl)aminide in a copper-free Sonogashira cross-coupling process is reported. The reaction proceeds on using PdCl₂(PPh₃)₂ and DABCO as the base under microwave irradiation in acetonitrile or water as solvents. The process can also be carried out by traditional heating in acetonitrile on using Pd(AcO)₂/DABCO with Cs₂CO₃.     

具有光催化性能的TiO_2-SiO_2/TiO_2两层增透膜的设计与制备

采用膜层设计理论设计了以TiO2为内层膜,TiO2-SiO2复合膜为外层膜的两层增透膜,以钛酸丁酯(TBOT)和正硅酸乙酯(TEOS)作为前驱体,采用溶胶-凝胶法制备了TiO2溶胶以及SiO2溶胶,将两种溶胶按比例混合得到了TiO2-SiO2复合溶胶,在高硼硅玻璃上镀膜测试。透过率测试结果表明,在波长为550 nm处的透过率最高能达到99.4%。在光催化实验中,采用罗丹明B模拟有机污染物,考察了TiO2对光催化反应的影响。结果表明,在TiO2存在的情况下,罗丹明B的降解速度大大提高,光催化效率显著增加。     

具有光催化性能的TiO2-SiO2/TiO2两层增透膜的设计与制备

采用膜层设计理论设计了以TiO₂为内层膜,TiO₂-SiO₂复合膜为外层膜的两层增透膜,以钛酸丁酯（TBOT）和正硅酸乙酯（TEOS）作为前驱体,采用溶胶-凝胶法制备了TiO₂溶胶以及SiO₂溶胶,将两种溶胶按比例混合得到了TiO₂-SiO₂复合溶胶,在高硼硅玻璃上镀膜测试。透过率测试结果表明,在波长为550nm处的透过率最高能达到99.4%。在光催化实验中,采用罗丹明B模拟有机污染物,考察了TiO₂对光催化反应的影响。结果表明,在TiO₂存在的情况下,罗丹明B的降解速度大大提高,光催化效率显著增加。     

Photoluminescence and energy transfer in Tb/Mn co-doped ZnAl2O4 glass ceramics

We report on Tb³⁺ as efficient sensitizer for red photoemission from Mn²⁺-centers in ZnO-B₂O₃-Al₂O₃-Si₂O-Na₂O-SrO glasses and corresponding gahnite glass ceramics. In comparison to singly or co-doped glasses, the glass ceramics exhibit significantly increased emission intensity. Structural considerations, ESR, and dynamic luminescence spectroscopy indicate partial incorporation of Mn²⁺ as well as Tb³⁺ into the crystalline phase, the former on octahedral Zn²⁺-sites. Interionic distance and charge transfer probability between both species depend on crystallization conditions. This enables control of the energy transfer process and, hence, tunability of the color of photoemission by simultaneous emission from Tb³⁺ and Mn²⁺ centers. Concentration quenching in Mn²⁺-singly doped materials was found at a critical dopant concentration of about 1.0 mol%. The energy transfer process was studied in detail by dynamic as well as static luminescence spectroscopy. Spectroscopic results suggest the application of the studied materials as single or dual-mode emitting phosphor for luminescent lighting.     

Binding Characteristics of CoPc/SnO2 by In-situ Process and Photocatalytic Activity under Visible Light Irradiation

Cobalt phthalocyanine (CoPc) was synthesized and self-assembled on the surface of nanoscale tin dioxide (SnO₂) by in-situ process, marked as i, and Co-O interaction was verified to conjugate axially between macromolecule (CoPc) and SnO₂ in CoPc/SnO₂(i). The results indicated that the binding constant of CoPc/SnO₂(i) was two-order higher than that of CoPc/SnO₂(d) synthesized by dipping process, marked as d, while the numbers of binding sites were comparable in both samples. The degradation rate in the photocatalytic activity of CoPc/SnO₂(i) was 32.5% higher than that of CoPc/SnO₂(d) under visible-light irradiation for 150 min due to the effective electron separation and energy injection from LUMO of CoPc to conduction band of SnO₂ for CoPc/SnO₂(i) based on the strong interaction between CoPc and SnO₂. The degradation recyclability of CoPc/SnO₂(i) retained 48.8% in 10 times under the same circular photocatalytic process.     

Development of Fe3O4-poly(l-lactide) magnetic microparticles in supercritical CO2

The Fe₃O₄-poly(l-lactide) (Fe₃O₄-PLLA) magnetic microparticles were successfully prepared in a process of solution-enhanced dispersion by supercritical CO₂ (SEDS), and their morphology, particle size, magnetic mass content, surface atom distribution and magnetic properties were characterized. Indomethacin (Indo) was used as a drug model to produce drug-polymer magnetic composite microparticles. The resulting Fe₃O₄-PLLA microparticles with mean size of 803 nm had good magnetic property and a saturation magnetization of 24.99 emu/g. The X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) test indicated that most of the Fe₃O₄ were encapsulated by PLLA, which indicated that the Fe₃O₄-PLLA magnetic microparticles had a core–shell structure. After further loading with drug, the Indo-Fe₃O₄-PLLA microparticles had a bigger mean size of 901 nm, and the Fourier transform infrared spectrometer (FTIR) analysis demonstrated that the SEDS process was a typical physical coating process to produce drug-polymer magnetic composite microparticles, which is favorable for drugs since there is no change in chemistry. The in vitro cytotoxicity test showed that the Fe₃O₄-PLLA magnetic microparticles had no cytotoxicity and were biocompatible, which means there is potential for biomedical application.     

Preparation and mechanism of Fe3O4/Au core/shell super-paramagnetic microspheres

In the presence of Fe₃O₄ nano-particles, a new type of super-paramagnetic Fe₃O₄/Au microspheres with core/shell structures was prepared by reduction of Au³⁺ with hydroxylamine. The formation mechanism of the core/shell microspheres was studied in some detail. It was shown that the formation of the complex microspheres can be divided into two periods, that is, surface reaction-controlled process and diffusion-controlled process. The relative time lasted by either process depends upon the amount of Fe₃O₄ added and the initial concentration of Au³⁺. XPS analysis revealed that along with increasing in coating amount, the strength of the characteristic peaks of Au increased, and the Auger peaks of Fe weakened and even disappeared. Size distribution analysis showed that the core/shell microspheres are of an average diameter of 180 nm, a little bit larger than those before coating.     

Synthesis and surface treatment of LiNi1/3Co1/3Mn1/3O2 cathode materials for Li-ion batteries

In order to shorten process time and possibly reduce synthesis cost of LiNi_1/3Co_1/3Mn_1/3O₂, the cathode material was prepared by solution combustion and microwave synthesis routes with reduced duration of calcination. The products were also surface-modified with Al₂O₃ by a mechano-thermal coating process to enhance cyclability. The structure and morphology of the bare and the surface-modified LiNi_1/3Co_1/3Mn_1/3O₂ samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction, field-emission scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, energy-dispersive spectroscopy, and differential scanning calorimetry techniques. At a 0.1-C rate and between 4.6 and 2.5 V, the products delivered a first-cycle discharge capacity of as much as 195 mA h/g. Surface modification of LiNi_1/3Co_1/3Mn_1/3O₂ with alumina resulted in improved cyclability.     

PO43-掺杂Bi2O2CO3/Bi0的制备及其可见光催化性能

构建氧空位以及附着金属单质Bi(Bi⁰)是增强半导体材料光吸收性能、促进半导体光生载流子分离的有效方法。通过简单的共沉淀法及氢气热还原成功制备了PO₄^3-掺杂Bi₂O₂CO₃附着Bi⁰(Bi-P-BOC)的可见光催化剂,并对其在可见光下催化降解氧氟沙星(OFX)的性能及机理进行了研究。材料表征结果表明BOC随着PO₄^3-的均匀掺杂,可见光吸收能力增强,表面缺陷增多,比表面积增大。而随着氢气热还原,BOC表面形成 Bi⁰的同时也原位构建了大量的氧空位。可见光催化性能测试表明,Bi-P-BOC可以在180 min内降解约85%的OFX,降解速率为0.013 0 min^-1,是BOC降解速率的8倍。Bi-P-BOC光催化降解机理表明其具有更好的可见光吸收能力,Bi⁰以及氧空位的存在促进了光生载流子的分离,h+是其光催化降解过程中的主要的活性氧物种(ROS),此外,¹O₂和·O₂^-也对降解有一定贡献。     

An electrochemical impedance spectroscopic study of the transport properties of LiNi0.75Co0.25O2

Analysis of impedance spectra taken at closely spaced bias potential values on Li_xNi_0.75Co_0.25O₂ have been interpreted in terms of electronic and ionic transport properties of this electrode material. In the 0.9<x<1 range the material shows semi-conductive properties and the electronic conductivity dominates the transport. For x≤0.9, the properties change into those of a metal-like material in which the ionic conductivity becomes the limiting factor. The transition between these two limiting conditions clearly appears in the impedance spectra sequence. This transition is reversible since the same behaviour is observed during the lithium intercalation process as well as in the reverse lithium deintercalation process.     

Synthesis and properties of silica/polystyrene/polyaniline conductive composite particles

In this study, silica/polystyrene/polyaniline (SiO₂/PS/PANI) conductive composite particles were synthesized by four sequential reactions. The nanosized SiO₂ particles were synthesized from tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) by a sol–gel process with water as the solvent medium, followed by a surface modification with triethoxyvinylsilane; then the surface modified SiO₂ particles were used as seeds to synthesize SiO₂/PS composite particles with soapless seeded emulsion polymerization. Finally, the SiO₂/PS particles were used as seeds to synthesize the SiO₂/PS/PANI conductive composite particles. The sol–gel process of SiO₂, the effect of surface modification, and several other factors that influenced polymerization of styrene in the soapless seeded emulsion polymerization will be discussed. Either potassium persulfate (KPS) or 2,2′‐azobis(isobutyramidine) dihydrochloride (AIBA) was used as the initiator to synthesize the uniform SiO₂/PS particles successfully, and the cross‐section morphology of the SiO₂/PS particles was found to be of a core–shell structure, with SiO₂ as the core, and PS as the shell. The SiO₂/PS particles were well dispersed in many organic solvents. In the following step to synthesize SiO₂/PS/PANI conductive composite particles, sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) played an important role, specifically, to absorb aniline onto the surfaces of the SiO₂/PS particles to carry out the polymerization of aniline over the entire surface of the particles. The conductivity of the SiO₂/PS/PANI composite particles approached that of semiconductive materials. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 43: 342–354, 2005     

Structural manipulation of pyrochlores: Thermal evolution of metastable Gd2(Ti1−yZry)2O7 powders prepared by mechanical milling

The structural and microstructural characteristics of metastable Gd₂(Ti_1−yZr_y)₂O₇ powders prepared by mechanical milling have been studied by a combination of XRD and Raman spectroscopy. Irrespective of their Zr content, as-prepared powder phases present an anion-deficient fluorite-type of structure as opposed to the pyrochlore equilibrium configuration obtained for the same solid solution by other synthetic routes. These fluorites are stable versus thermal activation, at least up to temperatures of 800 °C. For the Ti-rich compositions, thermal treatments at higher temperatures facilitate the rearrangement of the cation and anion substructures and the relaxation of mechanochemically induced defects whereas for compositions with high Zr content, the fluorite crystal structure is retained even at temperatures as high as 1200 °C. Interestingly enough, transient pyrochlores showing a very unusual cation distribution were observed during the thermally induced defect-recovery process.     

Top-down synthesized TiO2 nanowires as a solid matrix for surface-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight (SALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry

Top-down synthesized TiO₂ nanowires are presented as an ideal solid matrix to analyze small biomolecules at a m/z of less than 500. The TiO₂ nanowires were synthesized as arrays using a modified hydrothermal process directly on the surface of a Ti plate. Finally, the feasibility of the TiO₂ nanowires in the anatase phase as a solid matrix. The crystal and electronic structures of the top-down TiO₂ nanowires were analyzed at each step of the hydrothermal process, and the optimal TiO₂ nanowires were identified by checking their performance toward the ionization of analytes in surface-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight (SALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry. Finally, the feasibility of the TiO₂ nanowires in the anatase phase as a solid matrix for SALDI-TOF mass spectrometry was demonstrated using eight types of amino acids and peptides as model analytes.