A critical assessment of the specific role of microwave irradiation in the synthesis of ZnO micro- and nanostructured materials

A rapid, microwave-assisted hydrothermal method has been developed to access ultrafine ZnO hexagonal microrods of about 3-4 μm in length and 200-300 nm in width by using a 1:5 zinc nitrate/urea precursor system. The size and morphology of these ZnO materials can be influenced by subtle changes in precursor concentration, solvent system, and reaction temperature. Optimized conditions involve the use of a 1:3 water/ethylene glycol solvent system and 10 min microwave heating at 150 °C in a dedicated single-mode microwave reactor with internal temperature control. Carefully executed control experiments ensuring identical heating and cooling profiles, stirring rates, and reactor geometries have demonstrated that for these preparations of ZnO microrods no differences between conventional and microwave dielectric heating are observed. The resulting ZnO microrods exhibited the same crystal phase, primary crystallite size, shape, and size distribution regardless of the heating mode. Similar results were obtained for the ultrafast preparation of ZnO nanoparticles with diameters of approximately 20 nm, synthesized by means of a nonaqueous sol-gel process at 200 °C from a Zn(acac)(2) (acac=acetylacetonate) precursor in benzyl alcohol. The specific role of microwave irradiation in enhancing these nanomaterial syntheses can thus be attributed to a purely thermal effect as a result of higher reaction temperatures, more rapid heating, and a better control of process parameters.     

A Critical Assessment of the Specific Role of Microwave Irradiation in the Synthesis of ZnO Micro‐ and Nanostructured Materials

A rapid, microwave‐assisted hydrothermal method has been developed to access ultrafine ZnO hexagonal microrods of about 3–4 μm in length and 200–300 nm in width by using a 1:5 zinc nitrate/urea precursor system. The size and morphology of these ZnO materials can be influenced by subtle changes in precursor concentration, solvent system, and reaction temperature. Optimized conditions involve the use of a 1:3 water/ethylene glycol solvent system and 10 min microwave heating at 150 °C in a dedicated single‐mode microwave reactor with internal temperature control. Carefully executed control experiments ensuring identical heating and cooling profiles, stirring rates, and reactor geometries have demonstrated that for these preparations of ZnO microrods no differences between conventional and microwave dielectric heating are observed. The resulting ZnO microrods exhibited the same crystal phase, primary crystallite size, shape, and size distribution regardless of the heating mode. Similar results were obtained for the ultrafast preparation of ZnO nanoparticles with diameters of approximately 20 nm, synthesized by means of a nonaqueous sol–gel process at 200 °C from a Zn(acac)₂ (acac=acetylacetonate) precursor in benzyl alcohol. The specific role of microwave irradiation in enhancing these nanomaterial syntheses can thus be attributed to a purely thermal effect as a result of higher reaction temperatures, more rapid heating, and a better control of process parameters.     

Synthesis of indium nanoparticles: digestive ripening under mild conditions

Here we report the synthesis of monodispersed indium nanoparticles by evaporation/condensation of indium shot using the solvated metal atom dispersion (SMAD) technique, followed by digestive ripening in low boiling point (BP 38 °C) methylene chloride and in a high boiling point (BP 110 °C) toluene solvent. The as-prepared SMAD indium nanoparticles are polydispersed with particle size ranging from 25 to 50 nm, but upon digestive ripening (heating of colloidal material at the boiling point of solvent in presence of excess surface active ligands) in methylene chloride, a remarkable reduction of particle size was achieved. In higher boiling solvent (toluene), where the indium nanoparticles at reflux temperature are probably melted, it does not allow the best result, and less monodispersity is achieved. We employed different surface active ligands (amine, phosphine, and mixed ligands) to passivate these indium nanoparticles. The temporal evolution of the surface plasmon of indium nanoparticles was monitored by in situ UV-vis spectroscopy, and particles were characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The merits of this synthesis procedure are the use of bulk indium as starting material, tuning the particle size in low boiling point solvent, particle size adjustment with the choice of ligand, and a possible scale up.     

Pt/CNT纳米催化剂的微波快速合成及其对甲醇电化学氧化的电催化性能

碳纳米管 (CNT)作为制备新型催化剂载体已有广泛的研究 [1～ 8] ,例如 ,在其表面负载 Pt,Ru和Pt Ru后则具有良好的催化性能[1,2 ,6～ 8] .但在 CNT表面负载金属微粒的方法难以获得尺寸和形状均匀的纳米粒子 .因此 ,如何制备超细和均匀的纳米粒子是一项具有重要的学术意义和技术价值的工作 .我们利用微波加热的多元醇工艺合成了 XC-72碳负载铂纳米粒子的催化剂 ,并发现它对甲醇的氧化具有较高的电催化活性 [9] .本文进一步以 CNT作为载体 ,利用微波加热法快速合成了 Pt/ CNT纳米催化剂 ,并对其对甲醇电化学氧化的性能进行了初步研究 …     

Investigation of primary crystallite sizes in nanocrystalline ZnS powders: comparison of microwave assisted with conventional synthesis routes

ZnS powders with primary crystallite sizes of only a few nanometers were prepared by three different synthesis routes at temperatures below 130 degrees C. The reaction of zinc acetate dihydrate with thioacetamide (TAA) in the presence of pyridine and triphenylphosphite (TPP) was carried out using either conventional heating or microwave heating. The obtained powders exhibit sphalerite structure as determined by X-ray diffraction (XRD). The primary crystallites have diameters between 1 and 7 nm obtained by XRD. Small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) measurements were analyzed by the model-free inverse Fourier-transformation approach, as well as by a hard sphere-model from which particle size and polydispersity were extracted. The particle sizes by SAXS are in good agreement with the primary crystallite sizes obtained by XRD. It has been found that an increasing amount of sulfur and/or using microwave heating increases crystallite sizes. The presence of TPP decreases the particle sizes but no significant influence on the TPP concentration was observed. In the alternative third preparation route, hexamethyldisilathiane (HMDST) was used as precipitation reagent at ambient temperature, which leads to the smallest crystallite sizes of only 1 nm together with low polydispersities. Scanning electron microscopy, dynamic light scattering and UV-vis spectroscopy showed that all three synthesis routes lead to ZnS powders with aggregate sizes between 650 and 1200 nm. Both of the TAA-precipitation routes lead to spherical agglomerates which consist of spherical substructures, whereas the HMDST agglomerates are assembled from elongated objects.     

Controlled Synthesis of Water‐Dispersible Faceted Crystalline Copper Nanoparticles and Their Catalytic Properties

We report a solution‐phase synthetic route to copper nanoparticles with controllable size and shape. The synthesis of the nanoparticles is achieved by the reduction of copper(II) salt in aqueous solution with hydrazine under air atmosphere in the presence of poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) as capping agent. The results suggest that the pH plays a key role for the formation of pure copper nanoparticles, whereas the concentration of PAA is important for controlling the size and geometric shape of the nanoparticles. The average size of the copper nanoparticles can be varied from 30 to 80 nm, depending on the concentration of PAA. With a moderate amount of PAA, faceted crystalline copper nanoparticles are obtained. The as‐synthesized copper nanoparticles appear red in color and are stable for weeks, as confirmed by UV/Vis and X‐ray photoemission (XPS) spectroscopy. The faceted crystalline copper nanoparticles serve as an effective catalyst for N‐arylation of heterocycles, such as the C? N coupling reaction between p‐nitrobenzyl chloride and morpholine producing 4‐(4‐nitrophenyl)morpholine in an excellent yield under mild reaction conditions. Furthermore, the nanoparticles are proven to be versatile as they also effectively catalyze the three‐component, one‐pot Mannich reaction between p‐substituted benzaldehyde, aniline, and acetophenone affording a 100 % conversion of the limiting reactant (aniline).     

Copper(0) in the Ullmann heterocycle-aryl ether synthesis of 4-phenoxypyridine using multimode microwave heating

The action of nanoparticulate copper catalysts with a mean particle size of 10 nm in the Ullmann ether synthesis is reported using multimode microwave heating and employing stable chloropyridine salts and unactivated phenol, with stabilized copper nanoparticles outperforming other copper catalysts in terms of stability and reusability.     

Aged titania nanoparticles: the simultaneous control of local and long-range properties

TiO(2) nanoparticles are obtained by combining a sol-gel preparative route with hydrothermal aging steps, performed in mild conditions, of varying time lengths. Both aged and un-aged samples are thermally treated at 300 and 600 degrees C, for the same length of time. The crystal structures, the phase composition, and crystallite sizes are analyzed by powder X-ray diffraction. Raman spectra of anatase nanocrystals with average sizes of 7-10 nm are reported and the correlation between the Raman band shape of the main feature at 144 cm(-1) and the crystallite size is discussed. Nitrogen physisorption by Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) method is adopted to evaluate the particles surface area and mesopore size and size distribution. The role played by the hydrothermal step in affecting the physicochemical properties of the powders is discussed also with respect to the H(2)O/TiO(2) interactions as apparent from Raman spectroscopy investigations of the O-H stretching range (3000-3800 cm(-1)).     

Monodispersed PEG‐b‐PSt nanoparticles prepared by atom transfer radical emulsion polymerization under microwave irradiation

Atom transfer radical emulsion polymerization of styrene using PEG‐Cl as macroinitiator under microwave irradiation was successfully conducted and monodispersed nanoparticles were prepared. The PEG‐Cl macroinitiator was synthesized, and confirmed by FTIR spectrum. The structure of the PEG‐b‐PSt diblock copolymer was characterized by ¹H‐NMR and the number of styrene unit in the diblock copolymer was calculated. The morphology, size, and size distribution of the nanoparticles were characterized by transmission electron microscope (TEM) and photon correlation spectroscopy (PCS). The effects of the ratio of macroinitiator and monomer, the ratio of catalyst and macroinitiator on the size and size distribution of nanoparticles were investigated. It was found that the diameters of PEG‐b‐PSt nanoparticles prepared under microwave irradiation were smaller (<50 nm) and more monodispersed than those prepared with conventional heating. Moreover, with the increasing of the ratio of St/PEG‐Cl, the hydrodynamic diameters (D_h) of the nanoparticles increased and the poly index decreased, both D_h and poly index of the nanoparticles prepared under microwave irradiation were smaller then those prepared with conventional heating; as the concentration of catalyst increased, the D_h of the nanoparticles decreased and the poly index of the nanoparticles increased. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 46: 481–488, 2008     

Transformation of indium nanoparticles to β-indium sulfide: digestive ripening and visible light-induced photocatalytic properties

We report the transformation of polydispersed dodecanethiol stabilized indium nanoparticles, obtained from bulk indium shot by evaporation/condensation solvated metal atom dispersion (SMAD) technique, into highly monodispersed partially alkyl thiolate-capped β-indiumsulfide (In(2)S(3)) by a postpreparative digestive ripening in high boiling point t-butyltoluene (190 °C) solvent. Upon digestive ripening, the as-prepared polydispersed black indium nanoparticles showed a characteristic color transition from black to cream, pale yellow, yellow, and finally to brown, indicating the transformation of the indium metal nanoparticles into intermediates composed of indium thiolates, sulfides, and polysulfides, and finally into the product In(2)S(3) nanoparticles whose surfaces are partially capped with thiolates. The transformed product (In(2)S(3)) was characterized with UV-vis, XRD, EDX, SEM, XPS, and TEM. From XRD and TEM measurements, the average size of the transformed In(2)S(3) nanoparticles is 5 nm. The optical absorbance of the as-prepared sample showed absorption peaks around 538 and 613 nm; upon digestive ripening these two peaks disappeared and stabilized at 375 nm, providing evidence of strong quantum confinement of excitons. The visible light-induced photocatalytic activity test with the In(2)S(3) nanoparticles showed that 95% of Rhodamine B (RhB) dye degraded after 100 min of irradiation with visible light.     

Preparation of nanometer-sized In2O3 particles by a reverse microemulsion method

Nanometer-sized indium oxide (In(2)O(3)) particles have been prepared by chemical reaction of inorganic indium compounds and ammonia gas in a reverse microemulsion system consisting of water, Triton X-100 (surfactant), n-heptanol (co-surfactant), and n-octane (oil). Precursor hydroxides precipitated in the droplets of water-in-oil (W/O) microemulsion were calcined at different temperatures to form indium oxide powder. The factors affecting the particle size have been discussed; the calcination temperature is considered to be the important factor for controlling the size. In(2)O(3) calcined at 400 degrees C had a spherical form and a narrow size distribution. Calcination at 800 degrees C led to the formation of particles not only of irregular shape, but also of a wide size distribution. With the increase in calcination temperature from 400 to 800 degrees C, the average size of the particles grew from 7 to about 40 nm. The species of reactants used in the aqueous phase had a significant effect on the size of the particles. The average diameter of In(2)O(3) particles derived from reactant InCl(3) was 7 nm; that of particles derived from In(NO(3))(3) was 15 nm. The In(2)O(3) nanoparticles were characterized by transmission electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction. The phase behavior of the microemulsions is discussed.     

Photochemical synthesis of copper nanoparticles in aqueous polystyrene dispersions

Photochemical deposition of copper nanoparticles onto polystyrene surface under monochromatic (λ 254 nm) and unfiltered irradiation was studied. The kinetic parameters of this process depending on the concentration of copper(II) coordination compound and the size of polystyrene microspheres were determined. A procedure was tested for the preparation of monodisperse copper nanoparticles from colloidal copper chemically synthesized in ethylene glycol matrix in the presence of polystyrene with a microsphere size of 100 nm.     

Defects in divided zinc-copper aluminate spinels: structural features and optical absorption properties

Zn1-xCuxAl2O4 (0 < or = x < 0.30) compounds have been synthesized by polyesterification using metallic salts and annealing at low temperatures as well as by conventional solid state. XRD-powder data refinements (Rietveld method) have demonstrated that both compound series crystallize in the spinel structure (Fd3m) and exhibit similar inversion rates. This low-temperature route lead to metastable phases with crystallite sizes around 40 nm whereas particle sizes are larger than 1 moicrom in the case of solid-state route. This preparative method largely described in the literature allows stabilizing reduced copper states thanks to the presence of reductive organic species, which are decomposed below T = 700 degrees C. The absorption spectra of the x = 0.15 composition exhibit strong differences depending on the synthesis route. These differences can be explained by the occurrence of Cu2+/Cu+ mixed valencies in compounds prepared by the low-temperature route; 33% of monovalent copper has been identified in the x = 0.15 composition prepared by low-temperature process, whereas the solid-state compound contains only divalent copper. Reductive properties of polyesterification reaction implying citric acid and low annealing temperature (T = 700 degrees C) are mainly responsible of the occurrence of the Cu2+/Cu+ mixed valencies. Actually, the annealing under air at T = 1000 degrees C of divided zinc-copper aluminates prepared at low temperatures (T = 700 degrees C) leads to the oxidation reaction Cu+ --> Cu2+ + e- confirmed by the evolution of magnetic measurements, ESR spectra, and optical absorption properties. Defects such as oxygen vacancies in the anionic network leading to reduction in the cations coordination number could also explain the strong evolution of optical absorption spectra especially around lambda = 700 nm where intervalencies transfer (Cu+/Cu2+) as well as intra-atomic d-d transitions (Cu2+ in a 5-fold coordination) can occur. Finally the occurrence of monovalent and divalent copper at the surface of such divided oxides, probably in tetrahedral sites, has been demonstrated by FTIR spectroscopy using the co-adsorption of CO and NO as probe molecules.     

In-Cu/SiO2催化剂用于醋酸甲酯加氢反应制乙醇

工业上常用玉米生产乙醇,从而造成粮食和燃料的选择两难局面.随着页岩气研究的不断深入以及全球可观的煤炭存量,用醋酸甲酯加氢制乙醇已引起广泛关注.铜基催化剂对酯加氢生成醇有高的转化率和选择性,其中铜铬催化剂性能较高,但铬对人体和环境的潜在危害限制了其广泛应用.Cu/SiO2催化剂价格低廉,环境友好,但其稳定性较差,容易失活不利于工业上应用.因此人们对Cu/SiO2催化剂进行改性.本文采用氨蒸法制备了一系列掺杂不同量氧化铟(In2O3)的Cu催化剂(In-Cu/SiO2).采用X射线衍射(XRD)、氮气吸脱附、氢气程序升温脱附(H2-TPD)、傅里叶变换红外光谱(FT-IR)、X射线光电子能谱(XPS)、透射电子显微镜(TEM)以及电感耦合等离子体发射光谱(ICP-OES)等手段对催化剂进行了表征,同时评价了催化剂的活性和稳定性.结果发现,In2O3的改性提高了Cu/SiO2催化剂在醋酸甲酯加氢制乙醇反应中的活性和稳定性; 其中当添加1%In2O3时,醋酸甲酯转化率从83.7%提高至97.8% (反应温度523 K,反应压力3 MPa,氢酯摩尔比15,液时空速2 h?1),且对液时空速的变化耐受性比较强.当液时空速大于3 h?1时,随着液时空速的增加,Cu/SiO2催化剂的活性和选择性急剧下降,而1In-Cu/SiO2催化剂变化相对较小.TEM和XRD结果表明,适量In2O3的掺入改善了Cu/SiO2催化剂活性组分的分散性,铜粒径变小;FT-IR和N2O化学吸附结果显示,In2O3的加入使得页硅酸铜含量增加,从而有效地抑制了催化剂还原过程中铜的聚合,因此催化剂性能提高.XPS结果表明,表面Cu0和Cu+活性位点之间的协同作用有助于改善催化剂性能.Cu/SiO2和1In-Cu/SiO2催化剂100 h的稳定性测试发现,Cu/SiO2催化剂的失活主要是由于活性组分颗粒尺寸聚集变大和表面Cu0和Cu+分布的破坏所致; 而1In-Cu/SiO2催化剂物化性质几乎保持不变,表明适量的In2O3可稳定Cu/SiO2催化剂,延长其使用寿命.由此推断,In2O3可能作为一种隔离剂以抑制铜纳米粒子的热迁移和聚集,从而有效地提高Cu/SiO2催化剂活性和稳定性.     

微波法合成纳米金胶体颗粒的调控研究

用微波法制备高分子聚合物稳定的纳米金胶体颗粒, 制得的金纳米颗粒的平均粒径在5～120 nm之间. 考察了醇还原剂以及碱对金颗粒形成的影响, 使用透射电子显微镜、紫外可见分光光度计进行表征. 结果表明, 微波法制备的金胶体颗粒具有粒径小、分散性好的特点. 金颗粒的尺寸和形状随醇还原剂的种类及碱(NaOH)用量的不同而有明显的变化. 紫外可见吸收光谱表明, 在反应物中加入碱的体系, 金颗粒的形成速度明显加快, 且利于圆球形金颗粒的形成.     

Synthesis of size-controlled and shaped copper nanoparticles

The synthesis of stable, monodisperse, shaped copper nanoparticles has been difficult, partially because of copper's propensity for oxidation. This article reports the findings of an investigation of a synthetic route for the synthesis of size-controllable and potentially shape-controllable molecularly capped copper nanoparticles. The approach involved the manipulation of reaction temperature for the synthesis of copper nanoparticles in organic solvents in the presence of amine and acid capping agents. By manipulating the reaction temperature, this route has been demonstrated for the production of copper nanoparticles ranging from 5 to 25 nm. The size dependence of the melting temperature of copper nanoparticles, especially for surface melting, is believed to play an important role in interparticle coalescence, leading to size growth as the reaction temperature is increased. Control of the reaction temperature and capping molecules has also been demonstrated to produce copper nanoparticles with different shapes such as rods and cubes. The previously proposed combination of the selective formation of a seed precursor and a selective growth direction due to the preferential adsorption of capping agents on certain nanocrystal facets is believed to be responsible for shape formation by kinetically controlling the growth rates of crystal facets. The nanoparticles are characterized using TEM, XRD, and UV-visible techniques. A mechanistic consideration of the size control and shape formation is also discussed.     

Size dependent catalysis with CTAB-stabilized gold nanoparticles

CTAB-stabilized gold nanoparticles were synthesized by applying the seeding-growth approach in order to gain information about the size dependence of the catalytic reduction of p-nitrophenol to p-aminophenol with sodium borohydride. Five different colloidal solutions of stabilized gold nanoparticles have been characterized by TEM, AFM, UV-Vis, SAXS, and DLS for their particle size distributions. Gold nanoparticles (mean sizes: 3.5, 10, 13, 28, 56 nm diameter) were tested for their catalytic efficiency. Kinetic data were acquired by UV-Vis spectroscopy at different temperatures between 25 and 45 °C. By studying the p-nitrophenol to p-aminophenol reaction kinetics we determined the nanoparticle size which is needed to gain the fastest conversion under ambient conditions in the liquid phase. Unexpectedly, CTAB-stabilized gold nanoparticles with a diameter of 13 nm are most efficient.     

Sol-gel low-temperature synthesis of stable anatase-type TiO2 nanoparticles under different conditions and its photocatalytic activity

In this work, TiO(2) nanoparticles in anatase phase was prepared by sol-gel low temperature method from titanium tetra-isopropoxide (TTIP) as titanium precursor in the presence of acetic acid (AcOH). The effects of synthesis parameters such as AcOH and water ratios, sol formation time, synthesis and calcination temperature on the photocatalytic activity of TiO(2) nanoparticles were evaluated. The resulting nanoparticles were characterized by X-ray diffraction, UV-Vis reflectance spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller techniques. Photocatalytic activity of anatase TiO(2) nanoparticles determined in the removal of C. I. Acid Red 27 (AR27) under UV light irradiation. Results indicate that with increasing AcOH/TTIP molar ratio from 1 to 10, sol formation time from 1 to 3 h and synthesis temperature from 0 to 25°C, increases crystallite size of synthesized nanoparticles. It was found that optimal conditions for low temperature preparation of anatase-type TiO(2) nanoparticles with high photocatalytic activity were as follows: TTIP:AcOH:water molar ratio 1:1:200, sol formation time 1 h, synthesis temperature 0°C and calcination temperature 450°C.     

Microwave synthesis of polymer-embedded Pt-Ru catalyst for direct methanol fuel cell

Platinum-ruthenium nanoparticles stabilized within a conductive polymer matrix are prepared using microwave heating. Polypyrrole di(2-ethylhexyl) sulfosuccinate, or PPyDEHS, has been chosen for its known electrical conductivity, thermal stability, and solubility in polar organic solvents. A scalable and quick two-step process is proposed to fabricate alloyed nanoparticles dispersed in PPyDEHS. First a mixture of PPyDEHS and metallic precursors is heated in a microwave under reflux conditions. Then the nanoparticles are extracted by centrifugation. Physical characterization by TEM shows that crystalline and monodisperse alloyed nanoparticles with an average size of 2.8 nm are obtained. Diffraction data show that crystallite size is around 2.0 nm. Methanol electro-oxidation data allow us to propose these novel materials as potential candidates for direct methanol fuel cells (DMFC) application. The observed decrease in sulfur content in the polymer upon incorporation of PtRu nanoparticles may have adversely affected the measured catalytic activity by decreasing the conductivity of PPyDEHS. Higher concentration of polymer leads to lower catalyst activity. Design and synthesis of novel conductive polymers is needed at this point to enhance the catalytic properties of these hybrid materials.     

粒径可控的纳米铁酸铋的制备及其光催化性能

采用改进的聚丙烯酰胺凝胶法制备了BiFeO3纳米颗粒,利用热重-差热、红外光谱及X射线衍射等手段研究了干凝胶的热分解及BiFeO3的成相过程.结果表明,在600℃煅烧可制备出高纯的BiFeO3纳米颗粒.同时发现,随着双丙烯酰胺含量的增加,所得样品晶粒尺寸逐渐减小,从而制备出平均粒径约52～110nm的系列BiFeO3颗...