A Study on the Effects of Carrier Gases on the Structure and Morphology of Carbon Nanotubes Prepared by Pyrolysis of Ferrocene and C2H2 Mixture

Carbon nanotubes （CNTs） were prepared using different carrier gases, with ferrocene as the catalyst precusor and acetylene as the carbon source. The effects of ammonia and nitrogen as carrier gases on the structure and morphology of CNTs were investigated. Transmission electron microscope （TEM）, high-resolution electron microscope （HRTEM）, scanning electron microscope （SEM） and X-ray diffraction （XRD） were employed to characterize the products and the catalyst. Experiment results show that the CNTs grown in N2 gas exhibited cylindrical and tubular structure, while a bamboo-like structure was observed for the CNTs grown in NH3 gas. Moreover, vertically aligned CNTs were obtained on an A12O3 disk when NH3 was used as the carrier gas. The carrier gas also exerted influence on the shape of the catalyst. Based on the theory of active centers of catalysis and combined with the particle shape of the catalyst, a growth model for the vertically aligned CNTs on the substrate is given.     

Determination of Polarity Terms of Some Nitrogen-Containing Surfactants and Simulated Hydrophobic Tail Models by Gas Chromatography

Some polarity terms of two groups of nitrogen-containing surfactants （ six alkanolamides and nine polyoxyethylenated long chain amines） are measured through gas chromatography. The apparent methanol carbon number （CMeOH） and polarity index （IP） values are determined on the investigated surfactants as stationary phases in packed columns. Similarly, CMeOH and IP values are determined on simulated hydrophobic tail （SHT）models. The obtained results reveal that the introduction of SHT approach permits the distinction between the polarities of different surfactants and their head groups. The measured polarity terms are discussed as related to hydrophile-lipophile balance （HLB） number and the hydrophobic group carbon number （RCN）. Some equations relating the measured polarity values and these variable have been developed.     

Are matrix isolated species really isolated? Infrared spectroscopic and theoretical studies of noble gas-transition metal oxide complexes

In this review, we summarize our recent results on matrix isolation infrared spectroscopic studies and theoretical investigations of noble gas-transition metal oxide complexes. The results show that some transition metal oxide species trapped in solid noble gas matrices are chemically coordinated by one or multiple noble gas atoms forming noble gas complexes and, hence, cannot be regarded as isolated species. Noble gas coordination alters the vibrational frequencies as well as the geometric and electronic s...     

Solvent Effect on Characteristic Vibration of IR Spectrum of 4,4'-Dibromodiphenyl Ether

The optimal geometry, IR spectrum and vibration assignment of 4,4＇-dibromodiphenyl ether（BDE-15） in gas phase were calculated via the density functional theory（DFT） at the level of B3LYP/6-3 l＋G（d）. Based on the vi- bration assignment, the calculation of vibration frequencies and intensities of 5 main vibration types of BDE-15 in 25 kinds of solvents was carried out by means of a self-consistent reaction field（SCRF） theoretical model at the level of B3LYP/6-31＋G（d） to analyze the solvent effect on the vibration of IR spectrum of BDE-15. To study the solvent ef- fect further, C--O asymmetric stretching vibration fluctuating, which is relatively acute in both vibration frequency and intensity, was selected as the characteristic vibration to establish different linear solvation energy relation（LSER） models for solvent categoring. Solvent parameters（a, /3, ~r＊）, acceptable number（AN） and quantitative structure- activity relationship（QSAR） models were established via chemical quantum parameters of solvent moleculer, which were first been introduced to investigate different solvent-solute interaction mechanisms in alcoholic and non-alcoholic solvents on molecular level. At last, a single solvent molecule was embedded in the framework of po- larizable continuum model（PCM） to validate the effect of hydrogen bonding on solvent-solute interaction in alcohol solvents. The obtained results show that 5 main vibration types of BDE-15 in different solvents have small variation range in frequency and intensity and all the vibration frequencies in solvents are lower than those in gas phase, de- creasing along with the increasing of the dielectric Constant（e） of solvents exponentially. In contrast, all the vibration intensities in solvents are greater than those in gas phase and present positive exponential trend. Twenty-five solvents were divided into two categories（non-alcoholic solvents and alcoholic solvents） by LSER. The CmO asymmetric stretching vibration was mainly reg     

Characterization and catalytic performance of CeO2-Co/SiO2 catalyst for Fischer-Tropsch synthesis using nitrogen-diluted synthesis gas over a laboratory scale fixed-bed reactor

The surface species of CO hydrogenation on CeO2-Co/SiO2 catalyst were investigated using the techniques of temperature programmed reaction and transient response method. The results indicated that the formation of H2O and CO2 was the competitive reaction for the surface oxygen species, CH4 was produced via the hydrogenation of carbon species step by step, and C2 products were formed by the polymerization of surface-active carbon species （-CH2-）. Hydrogen assisted the dissociation of CO. The hydrogenation of surface carbon species was the rate-limiting step in the hydrogenation of CO over CeO2-Co/SiO2 catalyst. The investigation of total pressure, gas hourly space velocity （GHSV）, and product distribution using nitrogen-rich synthesis gas as feedstock over a laboratory scale fixed-bed reactor indicated that total pressure and GHSV had a significant effect on the catalytic performance of CeO2-Co/SiO2 catalyst. The removal of heat and control of the reaction temperature were extremely critical steps, which required lower GHSV and appropriate CO conversion to avoid the deactivation of the catalyst. The feedstock of nitrogen-rich synthesis gas was favorable to increase the conversion of CO, but there was a shift of product distribution toward the light hydrocarbon. The nitrogen-rich synthesis gas was feasible for F-T synthesis for the utilization of remote natural gas.     

Direct electrocatalytic reduction of p-nitrophenol at room temperature ionic liquid modified electrode

Direct electrochemical reduction ofp-nitrophenol （PNP） was investigated on a room temperature ionic liquid N-butylpyridinium hexafluorophosphate （BPPF6） modified carbon paste electrode （CILE）. The cathodic peak potential was positively shifted and the peak currents were increased compared to that obtained on traditional carbon paste electrode （CPE）. The results indicated that the presence of ionic liquid BPPF6 on the electrode surface showed excellent catalytic ability to the electrochemical reduction of PNP. The electrochemical behaviors of PNP on the CILE were investigated by cyclic voltammetry and the conditions such as the scan rate, the buffer pH, the substrate concentration were optimized. The electrochemical parameters were further calculated with the results of the electron transfer number （n）, the charge-transfer coefficient （α） and the surface concentration （Гr） as 1.76, 0.37 and 2.47 × 10^-9 mol/cm^2, respectively, for the selected reductive peak. The results indicated that PNP showed an irreversible adsorption-controlled electrode process on the CILE.     

Effects of Current on Microcosmic Properties of Catalyst and Reforming of Bio-oil

Highly effective production of hydrogen from bio-oil was achieved by using a low-temperature electrochemical catalytic reforming approach over the conventional Ni-based reforming catalyst （NiO-Al2O3）, where an AC electronic current passed through the catalyst bed. The promoting effects of current on the bio-oil reforming were studied. It was found that the performance of the bio-oil reforming was remarkably enhanced by the current which passed through the catalyst. The effects of currents on the microcosmic properties of the catalyst, including the Brunauer-Emmett-Teller （BET） surface area, pore diameter, pore volume, the size of the crystallites and the reduction level of NiO into Ni, were carefully characterized by BET, X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscope. The desorption of the thermal electrons from the electrified catalyst was directly observed by the TOF （time of flight） measurements. The mechanism of the electrochemical catalytic reforming of bio-oil is discussed based on the above investigation.     

Effect of operating conditions and potassium content on Fischer-Tropsch liquid products produced by potassium-promoted iron catalysts

The dependencies of Fischer-Tropsch synthesis liquid hydrocarbon product distribution on operating pressure and temperature have been studied over three potassium-promoted iron catalysts with increasing potassium molar content. The study followed an experimental planning and the results were analyzed based on surface response methodology. The effects of different operating conditions and potassium contents on the liquid product distribution were compared based on number average carbon number and dispersion. Results showed that high pressures （25 to 30 arm） favored the production of waxes that could be converted into liquid fuels through hydrocracking, while greater direct selectivity towards diesel was favored by low pressure （20 arm） using catalysts with low potassium to iron molar ratios. The liquid product distribution produced using an iron catalyst with high potassium content presented higher number-average number of carbons when compared to the distribution obtained using an iron catalyst with low potassium content.     

Methane hydrate formation and dissociation in synthetic seawater

The formation and dissociation of methane gas hydrate at an interface between synthetic seawater (SSW) and methane gas have been experimentally investigated in the present work. The amount of gas consumed during hydrate formation has been calculated using the real gas equation. Induction time for the formation of hydrate is found to depend on the degree of subcooling. All the experiments were conducted in quiescent system with initial cell pressure of 11.14 MPa. Salinity effects on the onset pressure and temperature of hydrate formation are also observed. The dissociation enthalpies of methane hydrate in synthetic seawater were determined by Clausius-Clapeyron equation based on the measured phase equilibrium data. The dissociation data have been analyzed by existing models and compared with the reported data.     

Effect of 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate on the formation rate of CO2 hydrate

The effect of the addition of 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate （[C4mim][BF4]） on the formation rates of CO2 hydrates was investigate. The isothermal and isobaric methods were used to measure the formation rates of CO2 hydrates. As compared to those of pure water, the data of phase equilibrium changed greatly. The effects of pressure, temperature, and the concentration of [C4mim][BF4] aqueous solution on the formation rates of CO2 hydrates were investigated. With a constant concentration of [C4mim][BF4], the rate of gas consumption was enhanced with the lowering of experimental temperature. However, a decrease in pressure exerted an opposite effect on the rate of gas consumption. Moreover, the addition of [C4mim][BF4] raised the equilibrium pressure of hydrate formation at the same temperature.     

A theoretical study of the cohesion of noble gases on graphite

The interactions of the noble gases with a graphene sheet are investigated theoretically. The short range repulsive interaction between the noble gas and each carbon atom is described using Hartree-Fock atomic densities and a local density functional theory with the exchange functional corrected for the finite range of the interaction by introducing a Rae-type correction depending on the effective number of electrons. The long range interactions are introduced as the sum of the Axilrod-Teller triple-dipole interaction plus the dipole-dipole and dipole-quadrupole dispersive attractions damped according to the theory of Jacobi and Csanak. The energy arising from the interactions between the permanent quadrupoles on the carbon atoms with the dipole they induce on the noble gas is negligible, being nonzero only on account of the atomistic structure of graphene. The mobile and delocalized nature of the graphene pi electrons causes the effective number of electrons to be around 500 rather than that of 12 appropriate for a system of entirely localized interactions with individual carbon atoms. Inclusion of the Axilrod-Teller term is required to obtain reliable predictions for the binding energies and equilibrium geometries. Absorption of a noble gas atom is predicted to occur at the site above the center of a six membered ring although this is preferred over two other sites by only about 5 meV. The methods presented for generating all the potentials can be applied to derive the interactions between any ion and carbon atom in the wall of a single-walled nanotube. Knowledge of these interactions is required to study the alkali halide nanocrystals encapsulated in single-walled carbon nanotubes of current interest.     

Periodicity in the formulae of carbonyls and the electronic basis of the Periodic Table

The basis of the Periodic Table is discussed. Electronic configuration recurs in only 21 out of the 32 groups. A better basis is derived by considering the highest classical valency (v) exhibited by an element and a new measure, the highest valency in carbonyl compounds (v*). This leads to a table based on the number of outer electrons possessed by an atom (N) and the number of electrons required for it to achieve an inert (noble) gas configuration (N*). Periodicity of these is nearly complete. The new basis helps to settle the question of the best form of table and related issues.     

Investigating the nature of intermolecular and intramolecular bonds in noble gas containing molecules

This article presents a theoretical study on a number of selected noble gas containing systems of the general formula FNgR and NgR (Ng = He, Ne, Ar, Kr, Xe and R = CH₃, CN, CCH, BO, BNH, H, BeO, and AuF). The principal structures, bond energies, spectroscopic, and electronic properties of 28 noble gas containing molecules were investigated using density functional theory at the BMK level. Quantum theory of atoms in molecules, natural bond orbital, and several other analysis methods have been used to provide more insight into the nature of noble gas bonds. Although both F? Ng and Ng? R bonds in the investigated molecules are assigned to have partially covalent and partially electrostatic nature, the covalent character is dominant in Ng? R bonds. In the second part, the intermolecular interactions between FNgR molecules and hydrogen fluoride are overviewed with emphasis on the hydrogen bonding through the fluorine side of noble gas molecule with hydrogen of HF. The calculated interaction energies were found to decrease in magnitude going down the noble gas series. For all noble gases, the strongest hydrogen bond has been observed in the case R=CH₃. On the contrary, using R=CN in the FNgR moiety weakens the interaction strength. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Electron dynamics of image potential states in weakly bound adsorbate layers: A short review

Image potential states on physisorbate-covered metal surfaces are fascinating model systems for the transition from the quasi-free behavior of electrons at bare metal surfaces towards the molecular electronics in more complex organic overlayers. This article discusses the fundamental properties of these systems and the experimental highlights in the study of rare gas and simple molecular overlayers on noble metal surfaces since the early 90s.     

Conformational relaxation and water penetration coupled to ionization of internal groups in proteins

Molecular dynamics simulations were used to examine the effects of ionization of internal groups on the structures of eighteen variants of staphylococcal nuclease (SNase) with internal Lys, Asp, or Glu. In most cases the RMSD values of internal ionizable side chains were larger when the ionizable moieties were charged than when they were neutral. Calculations of solvent-accessible surface area showed that the internal ionizable side chains were buried in the protein interior when they were neutral and moved toward crevices and toward the protein-water interface when they were charged. The only exceptions are Lys-36, Lys-62, and Lys-103, which remained buried even after charging. With the exception of Lys-38, the number of internal water molecules surrounding the ionizable group increased upon charging: the average number of water oxygen atoms within the first hydration shell increased by 1.7 for Lys residues, by 5.2 for Asp residues, and by 3.2 for Glu residues. The polarity of the microenvironment of the ionizable group also increased when the groups were charged: the average number of polar atoms of any kind within the first hydration shell increased by 2.7 for Lys residues, by 4.8 for Asp residues, and by 4.0 for Glu residues. An unexpected correlation was observed between the absolute value of the shifts in pK(a) values measured experimentally, and several parameters of structural relaxation: the net difference in the polarity of the microenvironment of the charged and neutral forms of the ionizable groups, the net difference in hydration of the charged and neutral forms of the ionizable groups, and the difference in RMSD values of the charged and neutral forms of the ionizable groups. The effects of ionization of internal groups on the conformation of the backbone were noticeable but mostly small and localized to the area immediately next to the internal ionizable moiety. Some variants did exhibit local unfolding.     

Plasmonic photocatalysts: harvesting visible light with noble metal nanoparticles

The efforts to produce photocatalysts operating efficiently under visible light have led to a number of plasmonic photocatalysts, in which noble metal nanoparticles are deposited on the surface of polar semiconductor or insulator particles. In the metal-semiconductor composite photocatalysts, the noble metal nanoparticles act as a major component for harvesting visible light due to their surface plasmon resonance while the metal-semiconductor interface efficiently separates the photogenerated electrons and holes. In this article, we survey various plasmonic photocatalysts that have been prepared and characterized in recent years.     

Noble gas-transition-metal complexes: coordination of VO2 and VO4 by Ar and Xe atoms in solid noble gas matrixes

The matrix isolation infrared spectroscopic and quantum chemical calculation results indicate that vanadium oxides, VO2 and VO4, coordinate noble gas atoms in forming noble gas complexes. The results showed that VO2 coordinates two Ar or Xe atoms and that VO4 coordinates one Ar or Xe atom in solid noble gas matrixes. Hence, the VO2 and VO4 molecules trapped in solid noble gas matrixes should be regarded as the VO2(Ng)2 and VO4(Ng) (Ng = Ar or Xe) complexes. The total V-Ng binding energies were predicted to be 12.8, 18.2, 5.0, and 7.3 kcal/mol, respectively, for the VO2(Ar)2, VO2(Xe)2, VO4(Ar), and VO4(Xe) complexes at the CCSD(T)//B3LYP level of theory.     

Rydberg Matter Clusters: Theory of Interaction and Sorption Properties

Sorption capacity of Rydberg matter (RM) clusters is examined for both electronegative and neutral molecules. Sorption isotherm of RM has been determined as a function of gas pressure and time. It is shown that chemisorption is characteristic for electronegative molecules whereas molecules with no affinity to electrons are absorbed by physisorption mechanism. Sorption capacity of RM is shown to be highest for physisorption mechanism. Absorption of molecules by RM clusters can be used either to detect condensed RM formation or both to maintain high vacuum conditions and high purity of noble gas atmospheres. Sorption capacity of RM can significantly exceed conventional getter sorption capacities.     

Matrix isolation infrared spectroscopic and theoretical study of NgMO (Ng = Ar, Kr, Xe; M = Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni) complexes

The matrix isolation infrared spectroscopic and quantum chemical calculation results indicate that late transition metal monoxides CrO through NiO coordinate one noble gas atom in forming the NgMO complexes (Ng = Ar, Kr, Xe; M = Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni) in solid noble gas matrixes. Hence, the late transition metal monoxides previously characterized in solid noble gas matrixes should be regarded as the NgMO complexes, which were predicted to be linear. The M-Ng bond distances decrease, while the M-Ng binding energies increase from NgCrO to NgNiO. In contrast, the early transition metal monoxides, ScO, TiO, and VO, are not able to form similar noble gas atom complexes.