Pyridine solvated dioxouranium complex with salen ligand: Synthesis,characterization and luminescence properties

A new derivative of dioxouranium(VI) salen complex, [UO2(L)(pyridine)], where [L = N,N′-Bis(2-hydroxybenzylidene)-2,2-dimethyl-1,3-propanediamine] is synthesized and characterized by elemental analysis (C, H, N), FT-IR, ESI-MS spectrometry, UV/Vis, fluorescence, ¹H and ¹³C NMR spectroscopy and thermal gravimetric (TG) study. Furthermore, the single crystal X-ray diffraction measurements of the complex were carried out at 100 and 273 K. The crystal structure measurements revealed that the complex has distorted pentagonal bipyramidal geometry with uranium atom located at the centre and bonded to two phenoxy oxygen and two azomethine nitrogen in tetradenate fashion and one nitrogen from pyridine making it seven coordinated. In addition, the photoluminescence property of the complex was also recorded.     

Hydrophobic modification of nanocellulose and all-cellulose composite films using deep eutectic solvent as a reaction medium

Cellulose - In this work, deep eutectic solvent (DES) based on imidazole and triethylmethylammonium chloride was used as a reaction medium for the esterification of cellulose nanofiber (CNF) and...     

Nanoscopic Porous Iridium/Iridium Dioxide Superstructures (15 nm): Synthesis and Thermal Conversion by In Situ Transmission Electron Microscopy

Porous particle superstructures of about 15 nm diameter, consisting of ultrasmall nanoparticles of iridium and iridium dioxide, are prepared through the reduction of sodium hexachloridoiridate(+IV) with sodium citrate/sodium borohydride in water. The water-dispersible porous particles contain about 20 wt % poly(N-vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP), which was added for colloidal stabilization. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy confirms the presence of both iridium and iridium dioxide primary particles (1–2 nm) in each porous superstructure. The internal porosity (≈58 vol%) is demonstrated by electron tomography. In situ transmission electron microscopy up to 1000 °C under oxygen, nitrogen, argon/hydrogen (all at 1 bar), and vacuum shows that the porous particles undergo sintering and subsequent compaction upon heating, a process that starts at around 250 °C and is completed at around 800 °C. Finally, well-crystalline iridium dioxide is obtained under all four environments. The catalytic activity of the as-prepared porous superstructures in electrochemical water splitting (oxygen evolution reaction; OER) is reduced considerably upon heating owing to sintering of the pores and loss of internal surface area.     

EELS measurements of boron concentration profiles in p-a-Si and nip a-Si solar cells

The p-type Si layer in a-Si and μc-Si solar cells on foil needs to fulfil several important requirements. The layer is necessary to create the electric field that separates the photo-generated charge carriers; the doping also increases the conductivity to conduct the photocurrent to the front contact; on the other hand, the p-layer should transmit the incident light efficiently to the intrinsic absorber layer. We show that it is possible to study TEM samples prepared, for analysis of possible layer defects, by focussed ion beam milling to detect boron and carbon concentrations as low as 10²⁰ cm^-3, using core-loss EELS combined with numerical analysis. We control the band gap and activation energy of p-a-SiC by varying the B₂H₆ and CH₄ flow during deposition in the process chamber. We have found a linear relation between the activation energy of the dark conductivity E_act and the optical band gap E₀₄. Modelling shows that the optimum efficiency in nip solar cells is obtained when the p-a-SiC band gap is slightly larger than the band gap of the absorber layer. We have assessed the potential of core-loss EELS for detecting B and C concentrations as low as 10²⁰ cm^-3 in a spatially resolved manner, and of low-loss EELS as a probe of the local variations in plasmon energy.     

In situ detection of a single carotenoid crystal in a plant cell using Raman microspectroscopy

It is the first report of direct, in situ detection of carotenoids at the subcellular level by using Raman microspectroscopy. Single crystals sequestered in a carrot cell were measured using FT-Raman spectrometer equipped with a microscope and 40× objective. The observed characteristic bands centered at 1518 cm⁻¹ and 1156 cm⁻¹ proved the crystals were composed of carotenoids with β-carotene being predominant. The obtained results show the potential of Raman microspectroscopy for identification and analysis of compounds localized in cytoplasm by taking measurements directly from a single plant cell.     

Ru/CeO2催化剂催化苯乙烯氢甲氧基羰基化反应高选择性制备直链酯类化合物

酯类化合物在工业上具有广泛应用,例如可用于合成香水、调味剂(味精)、洗涤剂和表面活性剂等.其中,烯烃的氢烷氧基羰基化反应是一种合成酯类化合物的重要方法,其低消耗、100%的原子经济性和原料的易获得等优势使其在制备酯类化合物中成为一个有效且实际可行的方法.对于该反应,文献多采用Pd或Rh的络合均相催化剂,其中控制反应过程中直链酯类化合物(L)和支链酯类化合物(B)的选择性是一项颇具挑战性的课题.虽然目前可通过配体的设计和修饰来调节,但多集中在均相催化体系,因此在选择性调变方面的研究仍很欠缺.相对于均相催化,多相催化由于产物易分离和提纯、催化剂可循环使用等优势而逐渐引起了研究者的广泛关注.在多相催化体系中, Pd负载在强酸性树脂作为催化剂已被应用于苯乙烯氢甲氧基羰基化反应,但在该反应中支链酯类化合物为主要产物.因此,寻找一个可有效改善多相反应体系中选择性问题的方法是非常有意义的.在本研究工作中,我们分别以CeO2纳米颗粒(NP)、CeO2纳米棒(Rod)和CeO2纳米立方体为载体,利用浸渍法制备了Ru/CeO2、Ru/CeO2-rod和Ru/CeO2-cube三种催化剂,并进一步用于苯乙烯氢甲氧基羰基化反应.探究了CO压力、反应温度和反应时间对三种催化剂催化苯乙烯氢甲氧基羰基化反应的影响.结果表明, Ru/CeO2作为多相催化剂催化苯乙烯氢甲氧基羰基化反应时,苯乙烯选择性高于99%,直链酯选择性为83%,支链酯选择性为12%.机理研究表明,该反应为自由基机理.动力学分析表明,该反应的反应活化能为48.50 k Jmol^–1.结合三种催化剂的反应活性以及HRTEM结构表征结果可知,该反应中L/B比值与Ru的尺寸有较大关系.进一步的拉曼表征和NH3-TPD表征结果证明, Ru的尺寸与金属-载体之间的相互作用以及催化剂表面的氧空位浓度有直接关系.     

Spherical silica particles decorated with graphene oxide nanosheets as a new sorbent in inorganic trace analysis

Graphene oxide (GO) is a novel material with excellent adsorptive properties. However, the very small particles of GO can cause serious problems is solid-phase extraction (SPE) such as the high pressure in SPE system and the adsorbent loss through pores of frit. These problems can be overcome by covalently binding GO nanosheets to a support. In this paper, GO was covalently bonded to spherical silica by coupling the amino groups of spherical aminosilica and the carboxyl groups of GO (GO@SiO₂). The successful immobilization of GO nanosheets on the aminosilica was confirmed by scanning electron microscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The spherical particle covered by GO with crumpled silk wave-like carbon sheets are an ideal sorbent for SPE of metal ions. The wrinkled structure of the coating results in large surface area and a high extractive capacity. The adsorption bath experiment shows that Cu(II) and Pb(II) can be quantitatively adsorbed at pH 5.5 with maximum adsorption capacity of 6.0 and 13.6 mg g⁻¹, respectively. Such features of GO nanosheets as softness and flexibility allow achieving excellent contact with analyzed solution in flow-rate conditions. In consequence, the metal ions can be quantitatively preconcentrated from high volume of aqueous samples with excellent flow-rate. SPE column is very stable and several adsorption–elution cycles can be performed without any loss of adsorptive properties. The GO@SiO₂ was used for analysis of various water samples by flame atomic absorption spectrometry with excellent enrichment factors (200–250) and detection limits (0.084 and 0.27 ng mL⁻¹ for Cu(II) and Pb(II), respectively).     

Garlic Powder as a Safe Environment Green Corrosion Inhibitor for Mild Steel in Acidic Media; Adsorption and Quantum Chemical Studies

The corrosion inhibition of mild steel in H3PO4 solution by garlic powder was investigated using weight loss and polarization techniques. The adsorption of garlic powder was found to obey Langmuir adsorption isotherm. Maximum inhibition efficiency was 75% at 50 °C and 250 ppm inhibitor concentration. The values of heat of adsorption were negative indicating the spontaneous adsorption process. Quantum chemical calculations were used successfully to evaluate the theoretical inhibitor efficiency. Mathematical and statistical analyses were also used to represent the corrosion rate data with high correlation coefficients. Polarization measurements showed that garlic powder was a mixed — type inhibitor.