Size dependent structural and electronic properties of MgO nanotube clusters

MgO nanotube clusters which cross sections are composed of two‐, three‐, four‐, and five‐membered rings are constructed and studied by the density functional theory at B3LYP/6‐31G(d) level. The variations of bond length present anisotropic effect. Three‐membered ring nanotube cluster is the most stable tube among these MgO isomers. Mixed covalent and ionic bonding always exists in MgO nanotube clusters. With increasing length of MgO nanotube clusters, the averaged atomic charge increases, and converge to 1.227; the s‐p separation of O bands decreases; whereas energy gap nearby frontier orbitals present dramatic difference corresponding to various structure family. It is possible that MgO nanotube clusters show electronic properties of semiconductor. An interpretation for MgO nanotube clusters fabricated by simply thermal methods is proposed. The structural and electronic properties of MgO nanotube clusters are discussed systematically in details. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2009     

DFT calculations of vibrational spectra and nonlinear optical properties for MgO nanotube clusters

The IR and Raman spectra, nonlinear optical properties of MgO nanotube clusters are studied by density-functional theory at B3LYP/6-31G(d) level. The IR spectra are match closely to those in the corresponding MgO cluster and bulk materials. The strongest peaks of the IR spectra are located in the range from 650 to 750 cm⁻¹. The Raman spectra are very sensitive to structural variations in MgO clusters, and redshift of vibrational frequency is observed in Raman spectra as increasing cluster length. The motion of the strongest peaks in spectra is discussed. The total dipole moment and the first hyperpolarizabilities oscillate between zero and a constant when the layer is grown for the layer dependence of symmetry in MgO nanotube clusters.     

Double stabilization of silver molecular clusters in thin films

The evolution of spectral and luminescent properties of Ag-containing composite coatings prepared by liquid technique has been studied. Double stabilization allows forming thin oxide films containing luminescent small Ag_n (n?<?5) molecular clusters using the liquid technique. These clusters are non-stable intermediate products during the formation of Ag nanoparticles from the ions and neutral atoms. It was found that small luminescent Ag_n molecular clusters (n?<?5) formed in the solutions at the presence of polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) remain in PVP/metal nitrates composite coatings and in the calcined metal oxide coatings. Spatial separation of small Ag molecular clusters in the coatings by the oxide nanoparticles of ZnO and MgO prohibits silver clusters growth and non-luminescent silver nanoparticles formation and allows saving coatings’ luminescence properties during thermal treatment.

     

Characteristics of bioactive glass coatings obtained by pulsed laser deposition

A type of bioglass (named Mg10) formed by the substitution of 10wt%Na₂O with MgO in Bioglass^® 45S5 was designed and coated on the substrate Ti6Al4V by pulsed laser deposition (PLD) technique. Scratch test results show that the bonding strength of Mg10 coating with the substrate is higher than that of 45S5 coating. The reason is that the thermal expansion coefficient of Mg10 matches that of Ti6Al4V more than that of 45S5. The in vitro behavior of the Mg10 bioglass coatings is similar to that of 45S5 bioglass coatings and follows the bioactive mechanism. The bioactivity level of Mg10 coating is lower than that of 45S5 coating. This could be attributed to the addition of Mg in Mg10, as part of Mg ions in the bioglass become network former, which decreases the Si‐O‐NBO/Si‐O‐Si (s) intensity ratio of the Mg10 coating. Therefore, substitution of 10wt%Na₂O with MgO on the base of Bioglass® 45S5 coatings can improve their long‐term stability while maintaining a good biological response. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

MgO‐ZrO2 Mixed Oxides as Effective and Reusable Base Catalysts for Glucose Isomerization into Fructose in Aqueous Media

MgO‐ZrO₂ mixed oxides prepared with different Mg/Zr atomic ratios (denoted as xMZ: where x is the atomic ratio of Mg/Zr) are investigated for the glucose isomerization to fructose in water at 95 °C. The highest fructose yield of 33 % is obtained over 0.76MZ with ≈74 % selectivity after 3 h. To gain insight into the structure–activity relationships, the prepared catalysts are characterized by N₂ physisorption, XRD, FTIR and CO₂‐TPD. The results indicate that the addition of MgO drastically changed the textual property of ZrO₂ and increased the number of basic sites. The kinetic studies revealed that the Lewis basic sites (cus‐O^2?) generated from the highly dispersed MgO are the active sites responsible for the enhanced isomerization activity. Notably, MZ is reusable for four runs without a significant decrease in catalyst activity. Accordingly, this study provides an easily prepared, cheap, and recyclable catalyst that may hold great potential for fructose production.     

Preparation and Characterization of Mg‐Zr Mixed Oxide Aerogels and Their Application as Aldol Condensation Catalysts

A series of Mg‐Zr mixed oxides with different nominal Mg/ (Mg+Zr) atomic ratios, namely 0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.4, 0.85, and 1, is prepared by alcogel methodology and fundamental insights into the phases obtained and resulting active sites are studied. Characterization is performed by X‐ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy, N₂ adsorption–desorption isotherms, and thermal and chemical analysis. Cubic Mg_xZr_1?xO_2?x solid solution, which results from the dissolution of Mg²⁺ cations within the cubic ZrO₂ structure, is the main phase detected for the solids with theoretical Mg/ (Mg+Zr) atomic ratio ≤0.4. In contrast, the cubic periclase (c‐MgO) phase derived from hydroxynitrates or hydroxy precursors predominates in the solid with Mg/(Mg+Zr)=0.85. c‐MgO is also incipiently detected in samples with Mg/(Mg+Zr)=0.2 and 0.4, but in these solids the c‐MgO phase mostly arises from the segregation of Mg atoms out of the alcogel‐derived c‐Mg_xZr_1?xO_2?x phase during the calcination process, and therefore the species c‐MgO and c‐Mg_xZr_1?xO_2?x are in close contact. Regarding the intrinsic activity in furfural–acetone aldol condensation in the aqueous phase, these Mg? O? Zr sites located at the interface between c‐Mg_xZr_1?xO_2?x and segregated c‐MgO display a much larger intrinsic activity than the other noninterface sites that are present in these catalysts: Mg? O? Mg sites on c‐MgO and Mg? O? Zr sites on c‐Mg_xZr_1?xO_2?x. The very active Mg? O? Zr sites rapidly deactivate in the furfural–acetone condensation due to the leaching of active phases, deposition of heavy hydrocarbonaceous compounds, and hydration of the c‐MgO phase. Nonetheless, these Mg‐Zr materials with very high specific surface areas would be suitable solid catalysts for other relevant reactions catalyzed by strong basic sites in nonaqueous environments.     

碳纳米管膜分离Li+/Mg2+的分子动力学模拟

采用"扶手椅"型碳纳米管建立了连续的碳纳米管膜模型,利用分子动力学模拟方法研究了Li+和Mg2+在膜中的传导行为.模拟研究了不同管径的碳纳米管CNTs(7,7),(8,8),(9,9),(10,10),(11,11)对Li+和Mg2+的通透性,检测了两种离子进入管内时的平均力势,探索了两种离子在碳纳米管内的径向、轴向密度分布,观测了个别离子在管内的运动轨迹.结果表明,模拟中CNTs(9,9)用于有效分离Li+和Mg2+的效果较好.管径不同,导致Li+和Mg2+通量不同,平均力势(PMF)差值不同,同时离子的轨迹和径向、轴向密度分布也有所差异.总之,碳纳米管是一种可将Li+和Mg2+分离的潜在材料.     

Optical and chemical studies of II–VI compound clusters

Recent experimental results on the structural, chemical, and optical properties of II–VI compound clusters containing between 2 and 24 molecules are presented. Stability patterns in the mass spectra of MgO clusters correlate with stable structures predicted for ionic clusters. The time dependence of H₂O adsorption onto MgO clusters is measured and found to vary strongly as a function of the number of adsorbed molecules. A sharp peak in the photodissociation probability is observed for metal-excess SrO and CaO cluster ions near 2.0 eV.     

Structural transition to electrolyte-water solvent and changes in the molecular dynamics of water and properties of solutions

A model of concentration transition “ions and complexes in a water structure → ionic and ionicaqueous clusters → polymer structures of salt and crystal hydrate melts” is suggested. The appearance of cluster nanostructures outside the first zone of a waterlike structure is regarded as a general characteristic of solutions. The characteristics of solutions, phase equilibria, and salts of complex composition are interpreted based on this model. Investigation of the complex dielectric constant of electrolytic solutions in the SHF and EHF bands (7–119 GHz) at high concentrations showed that there are two dispersion regions in which the relaxation times differ by a factor of 5–10. Relaxation processes are separated, the numbers of molecules in hydration shells are calculated, and relaxation times are determined for bulky tetrahedral water with hydration shells of ions, for clusters, and for ionicaqueous polymer chains. It is shown that the two structure subsystems of water molecules in concentrated solutions may be described using the limited rotator/generalized diffusion molecular model. Translated fromZhumal Strukturnoi Khimii, Vol. 39, No. 5, pp. 851–863, September–October, 1998.     

The Thermal Decomposition of Magnesium(II) Complexes with Acetic and Halogenacetic Acids

Thermogravimetry (TG), differential thermal analysis (DTA) and other analytical methods have been applied to the investigation of the thermal behaviour and structure of the compounds Mg(Ac)₂ × 2H₂ O(I), Mg(ClAc)₂ ×2H₂ O(II) and Mg(Cl₂ Ac)₂ ×H₂ O(III) (Ac =CH₃ COO⁻ , ClAc =ClCH2COO⁻ , Cl ₂ Ac =Cl₂ CHCOO⁻ ). The solid phased intermediate and resultant products of thermolysis had been identified. The possible scheme of destruction of the complexes is suggested. The halogenacetato magnesium complexes (II–III) are thermally more stable than the acetatomagnesium complex I. The final products of the decomposition of compounds were MgO. Infrared (IR) data suggest to a unidentate coordination of carboxylate ions to magnesium ions in complexes I–III. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

New Molecular Cage Clusters of Pb by Encapsulation of Mg

Endohedral clusters formed from the Zintl ions Pb₁₀^2? and Pb₁₂^2? are particularly stable and therefore suitable for the assembly of larger aggregates. We therefore investigate the formation of Mg‐doped lead clusters in the gas phase, and demonstrate that a whole series of new molecular cage clusters of lead can be generated by encapsulation of magnesium. Mass spectrometry reveals that some of the cluster compounds, with one and two Mg atoms attached to the lead clusters, display large intensities compared to the pure lead clusters, which indicates that the compound clusters are particularly stable. The magnesium‐doped lead‐cluster assemblies were further analyzed within a molecular‐beam electric deflection experiment. Almost vanishing permanent dipole moments for MgPb_10–16 support the idea that a single Mg atom could be encapsulated within a highly symmetric lead cage, which results in structures with not only enhanced stability but also increased symmetry compared to the pure lead clusters Pb_N.     

Theoretical EHT study of oxidative coupling of methane on pure MgO and MgO doped with Li and Na

On the basis of Extended Hückel Theory, empirical studies on the oxidative coupling of methane with MgO pure and MgO doped with Li and Na are presented. The results obtained from the two-dimensional energy surfaces calculated for the interaction between linear clusters of these oxides and the methane molecule show a qualitative agreement with the experimental behaviour reported for these catalysts. The calculated activation energy barriers are in accord with the relative activities of these oxides (Li/MgO > Na/ MgO > MgO) and are of the same order of magnitude as the experimentally determined activation energies.     

Coordination behavior of the core and valence levels of low-coordinated oxygen ions on the surface of magnesium oxide

For low-coordinated (N=2,3,4,5) oxygen ions on the surface and in the bulk of magnesium oxide, the behavior of the core O1s- and valence O2s-, O2p-levels is considered. The MgO ₆ ¹⁰⁻ , OMg ₆ ¹⁰⁺ , Mg₁₃O ₁₄ ²⁻ , O₁₃Mg ₁₄ ²⁺ , Mg₄O ₇ ⁶⁻ , and OMg ₂ ²⁺ clusters are calculated by the SCF-Xα-SW method. The binding energies of oxygen 1s-, 2s-, and 2p-states decrease with coordination. This coordination dependence is explained by the greater change of the Madelung potential as compared to variations of the purely electronic terms of the binding energies of oxygen ions. The dependence of oxygen atomic charges and relaxation energies on coordination is also discussed. Institute of Catalysis, Siberian Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences. Translated fromZhurnal Strukturnoi Khimii, Vol. 36, No. 1, pp. 16–26, January–February, 1995. Translated by the authors     

Density Functional Theory Study on Electronic and Magnetic Properties of Mn-doped (MgO)n (n=2-10) Clusters

We study the geometries, stabilities, electronic and magnetic properties of (MgO)_n (n=2-10) clusters doped with a single Mn atom using the density functional theory with the gener-alized gradient approximation. The optimized geometries show that the impurity Mn atom prefers to replace the Mg atom which has low coordination number in all the lowest-energy MnMg_n-1O_n (n=2-10) structures. The stability analysis clearly represents that the aver-age binding energies of the doped clusters are larger than those of the corresponding pure (MgO)_n clusters. Maximum peaks of the second order energy differences are observed for MnMg_n-1O_n clusters at n=6, 9, implying that these clusters exhibit higher stability than their neighboring clusters. In addition, all the Mn-doped Mg clusters exhibit high total magnetic moments with the exception of MnMgO₂ which has 3.00 μB. Their magnetic be-havior is attributed to the impurity Mn atom, the charge transfer modes, and the size of MnMg_n-1O_n clusters.     

Mass spectrometric study of MgO clusters produced by the gas aggregation technique

Gas phase (MgO) _n ⁺ and (MgO) _n Mg⁺ clusters were produced in a gas aggregation source and studied by using laser-ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry. A MgO molecule apparently serves as the nucleus for cluster growth, to which Mg and O atoms add. The heat generated by the formation of metal-oxygen bonds, and that added to the cluster by ionization leads to the production of clusters with the stoichiometry of the stable high-temperature oxide. The abundance maxima observed in the mass spectra indicate that the clusters form compact cubic structures similar to pieces of the MgO crystal lattice. The primary fragmentation channel responsible for the observed patterns is probably the loss of MgO monomers.     

Computer simulation of oxygen and nitrate ion absorption by water clusters

Using the molecular dynamics method, the joint absorption of oxygen and nitrate ions by water clusters is studied in terms of the polarizable model of flexible molecules. Significant fluctuations are observed in the number of hydrogen bonds in the clusters during the addition of NO₃⁻ ions to water-oxygen aggregates. Dielectric permittivity noticeably changes upon the addition of O₂ molecules to water clusters and nitrate ions to oxygen-containing water clusters. After the absorption of oxygen molecules and nitrate ions, water clusters markedly lose the ability to IR absorption. The Raman spectrum of a medium formed from disperse aqueous system, oxygen, and nitrate ions displays a greater number of bands than the spectrum of a system of pure water clusters.     

Iron Oxide Supported on Al2O3 Catalyst for Methane Decomposition Reaction: Effect of MgO Additive and Calcination Temperature

Production of hydrogen is a challenging task and have significant impact in the recent scenario. The alumina supported iron oxide nanoparticle synthesized using non‐ionic surfactant Triton‐X was found very effective for steady production of hydrogen through methane decomposition reaction. The high surface area, easily reducible catalyst calcined at 500 °C and 800 °C temperature showed steady activity towards methane decomposition reaction. At a higher reaction temperature there was catalyst deactivation. The doping of MgO facilitated particle growth rendering the poor catalytic activity. The TPR study showed that reducibility of TPR was difficult in presence of MgO additive. The formation of Fe? Mg? Al solid solution confirmed by XRD study was found mainly responsible for the lower catalytic activity. The bamboo‐shaped carbon nanotube formed from 20 % Fe/Al₂O₃ catalyst which is mainly because of the poor wetting property of quasi‐liquid metal and carbon nanotube.     

硝酸镁在γ-Al2O3上的热分解及MgO/γ-Al2O3

研究了不同载量时Mg(NO     

Fe/Co alloys for the catalytic chemical vapor deposition synthesis of single- and double-walled carbon nanotubes (CNTs). 1. The CNT-Fe/Co-MgO system

Mg(0.90)Fe(x)Co(y)O (x + y = 0.1) solid solutions were synthesized by the ureic combustion route. Upon reduction at 1000 degrees C in H2-CH4 of these powders, Fe/Co alloy nanoparticles are formed, which are involved in the formation of carbon nanotubes, which are mostly single and double walled, with an average diameter close to 2.5 nm. Characterizations of the materials are performed using 57Fe M?ssbauer spectroscopy and electron microscopy, and a well-established macroscopic method, based on specific-surface-area measurements, was applied to quantify the carbon quality and the nanotubes quantity. A detailed investigation of the Fe/Co alloys' formation and composition is reported. An increasing fraction of Co2+ ions hinders the dissolution of iron in the MgO lattice and favors the formation of MgFe2O4-like particles in the oxide powders. Upon reduction, these particles form alpha-Fe/Co particles with a size and composition (close to Fe(0.50)Co(0.50)) adequate for the increased production of carbon nanotubes. However, larger particles are also produced resulting in the formation of undesirable carbon species. The highest CNT quantity and carbon quality are eventually obtained upon reduction of the iron-free Mg(0.90)Co(0.10)O solid solution, in the absence of clusters of metal ions in the starting material.     

On the synthesis and characterization of ZnO/MgO nanocomposite by thermal evaporation technique

ZnO/MgO nanocomposites have been synthesized by an easy and cost effective thermal evaporation technique. Various growth temperatures ranging from 800 to 900 °C were tried. It is observed that the process temperature plays a key role in the formation of ZnO/MgO nanocomposite and the proper formation of ZnO/MgO nanocomposite occurs at 875 °C temperature as confirmed by X-ray diffraction studies. Scanning electron microscopic images indicate that the ZnO/MgO nanocomposite is formed as agglomerated nanoparticles distributed over a large area. Energy dispersive X-ray analyses also reveal that the Mg composition in the synthesized nanocomposite strongly depends on the process temperature. Photoluminescence (PL) spectrum exhibits a blue shift for the ZnO/MgO nanocomposite synthesized at 875 °C indicating the incorporation of Mg into the ZnO crystal lattice. A higher PL intensity ratio of band-edge to deep band emission has been observed for this sample indicating the presence of low crystalline defects.