Synthesis of activated carbon foams with high specific surface area using polyurethane elastomer templates for effective removal of methylene blue

Carbon foams have gained significant attention due to their tuneable properties that enable a wide range of applications including catalysis, energy storage and wastewater treatment. Novel synthesis pathways enable novel applications via yielding complex, hierarchical material structure. In this work, activated carbon foams (ACFs) were produced from waste polyurethane elastomer templates using different synthesis pathways, including a novel one-step method. Uniquely, the produced foams exhibited complex structure and contained carbon microspheres. The ACFs were synthesized by impregnating the elastomers in an acidified sucrose solution followed by direct activation using CO₂ at 1000 ℃. Different pyrolysis and activation conditions were investigated. The ACFs were characterized by a high specific surface area (S_BET) of 2172 m²/g and an enhanced pore volume of 1.08 cm³/g. Computer tomography and morphological studies revealed an inhomogeneous porous structure and the presence of numerous carbon spheres of varying sizes embedded in the porous network of the three-dimensional carbon foam. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Raman spectroscopy indicated that the obtained carbon foam was amorphous and of turbostratic structure. Moreover, the activation process enhanced the surface of the carbon foam, making it more hydrophilic via altering pore size distribution and introducing oxygen functional groups. In equilibrium, the adsorption of methylene blue on ACF followed the Langmuir isotherm model with a maximum adsorption capacity of 592 mg/g. Based on these results, the produced ACFs have potential applications as adsorbents, catalyst support and electrode material in energy storage systems.     

Digital compensation of pressure sensors in the time domain

This contribution presents an innovative technique to determine the transfer function of pneumatic and fast-response pressure probes. The dynamic response is determined experimentally with pressure step-tests. In the case of conventional instrumentation fast-opening valves or balloon explosions are used. For the fast-response pressure sensors, shock tube tests are performed. The response of the probe is fitted in the time domain with the response of an m-order linear system. This numerical system is then used to correct the lag and dynamic error of the measurement chain. Received: 27 November 2000 / Accepted: 4 July 2001     

Studies on self-assembly hydrothermal fabrication and thermal stability of Chromium oxyhydroxide nanomaterials synthesised from Chromium oxide colloids

Chromium oxyhydroxide nanomaterials with narrow size-distribution were synthesised through a simple hydrothermal method. Experimental conditions, such as reaction duration and pH values of the precipitation process and hydrothermal treatment played important roles in determining the nature of the final product chromium oxyhydroxide nanomaterials. The effect of these synthesis parameters were studied with the assistance of X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and thermogravimetric analyses. This research has developed a controllable synthesis of Chromium oxyhydroxide nanomaterials from Chromium oxide colloids.     

Strong influence of intramolecular Si⋯O proximity on reactivity: Systematic molecular structure,solvolysis, and mechanistic study of cyclic N-trimethylsilyl carboxamide derivatives

A comparative alcoholysis study of N-silylated derivatives of simple heterocyclic carboxamides (lactams, imides, ureas) is presented. The second-order rate constant values span a range as wide as three orders of magnitude. On the basis of DFT calculations, a good correlation between reactivity and the Si?O distance was found within each family of compounds. The viability of two different reaction pathways was evaluated using a detailed computational mechanistic study of the methanolysis of cyclic urea homologues. Peculiarities in the single-crystal X-ray diffraction structures of the trimethylsilyl and trimethylsiloxy phthalimides are also discussed.     

C-N Bond Formation by Consecutive Continuous-Flow Reductions towards A Medicinally Relevant Piperazine Derivative

A new, continuous-flow consecutive reduction method was developed for the C-N bond formation in the synthesis of the key intermediate of the antipsychotic drug cariprazine. The two-step procedure consists of a DIBAL-H mediated selective ester reduction conducted in a novel, miniature alternating diameter reactor, followed by reductive amination using catalytic hydrogenation on 5% Pt/C. The connection of the optimized modules was accomplished using an at-line extraction to prevent precipitation of the aluminum salt byproducts.