A novel method for hydrogen production from liquid ethanol/water at room temperature

We demonstrated that non-catalytic ethanol steam reforming proceeds efficiently and selectively without coking at the conditions of room temperature and atmospheric pressure using low-energy pulsed (LEP) discharge in combination with carbon fiber electrodes.     

A novel crownophane trapping CO2 as carbonic acid at room temperature

A 25 membered crownophane with two hydroxy and two amide groups around the cavity has been reported for the first time to be able to include carbonic acid formed from both carbon dioxide and water molecules to give a stable 1:1 complex at room temperature.     

One-pot syntheses of novel pyrazole-containing bisphosphonate esters at room temperature

An efficient general synthetic approach has been developed to synthesize pyrazole-containing bisphosphonate (N-BPs) esters from chromenone derivatives via a sequential two-step reaction in one pot at ambient temperature in good to excellent yields. This protocol provides a new convenient method to prepare lipophilic bisphosphonate precursors with potential activities.     

Regioselective synthesis of quinazoline containing novel monoaryl ethers at room temperature

We are herein reporting the regioselective synthesis of quinazoline containing novel monoaryl ethers (quinazoline‐O‐Ar) ( 3a‐3j ) at room temperature without any catalyst. From commercially available 2,4‐dichloro‐6,7‐dimethoxyquinazoline ( 1 ), 4‐chloro was selectively substituted with variety of electronically rich, electronically poor and electronically neutral phenols ( 2a‐2j ). Reaction was carried out in DMF and NaH for 4‐6 hours at room temperature in fairly good yield. The products were purified (>98% pure, hplc) by crystallization to avoid the use of column chromatography.     

Fabrication of colloidosomes at low temperature for the encapsulation of thermally sensitive compounds

A method using safe and mild conditions to prepare water-core colloidosomes of a few micrometers in size is examined. Using poly(styrene-co-butylacrylate) colloidal particles of 180 nm in size, with a low-temperature glass transition of 30 or 42 degrees C, the self-assembly into micrometer-sized water-core polymer shell particles is demonstrated. The effect of oil phase type, surfactant and cosolvent, sintering time, and the method of transfer into an aqueous phase are all examined. The work demonstrates the production of water-core rigid-shell colloidosomes at low temperatures, between 35 and 65 degrees C.     

Controlled one-step fabrication of highly oriented ZnO nanoneedle/nanorods arrays at near room temperature

Highly oriented ZnO nanoneedle/nanorods arrays have been fabricated by direct oxidation of zinc foil in alkaline zincate ion solution at near room temperature (20 degrees C for nanoneedles, 30 degrees C for nanorods).     

A novel strategy for boosting the photoluminescence quantum efficiency of CdSe nanocrystals at room temperature

Highly luminescent colloidal nanocrystals have wide applications in bioimaging and various optoelectronic devices.Herein we report a facile and mild procedure by combining S2-treatment and binary ligand passivation,which can efficiently enhance the luminescent property of CdSe nanocrystals at room temperature.The photoluminescence quantum yield of as-treated CdSe nanocrystals exhibits drastic enhancement(e.g.,188 times for CdSe nanorods)after this dual-passivation treatment.The methodology proposed here can be applied to various CdSe nanocrystals,regardless of their sizes,shapes,and crystal structures.     

Xenon porometry at room temperature

Xenon porometry is a method in which porous material is immersed in a medium and the properties of the material are studied by means of 129Xe nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) of xenon gas dissolved in the medium. For instance, the chemical shift of a particular signal (referred to as signal D) arising from xenon inside small pockets formed in the pores during the freezing of the confined medium is highly sensitive to the pore size. In the present study, we show that when naphthalene is used as the medium the pore size distribution of the material can be determined by measuring a single one-dimensional spectrum near room temperature and converting the chemical shift scale of signal D to the pore radius scale by using an experimentally determined correlation. A model has been developed that explains the curious behavior of the chemical shift of signal D as a function of pore radius. The other signals of the spectra measured at different temperatures have also been identified, and the influence of xenon pressure on the spectra has been studied. For comparison, 129Xe NMR spectra of pure xenon gas adsorbed to porous materials have been measured and analyzed.     

A tetragonal form of dysprosium orthomolybdate at room temperature

In the present tetragonal modification of dysprosium orthomolybdate, Dy₂(MoO₄)₃, the Dy, one Mo and one O atom are located on a mirror plane with Wyckoff symbol 4e, while another Mo atom is located on a fourfold inverse axis, Wyckoff symbol 2a. A single crystal was selected from a polycrystalline mixture of the Dy₂O₃–ZrO₂–MoO₃ system and was stable at room temperature for at least three months. The structure refinement does not indicate the presence of Zr on the Dy sites (to within 1% accuracy). Thus, the stabilization of the tetragonal form is due to disordered positions for a second O atom and split positions for a third O atom that also maintain the DyO₇ coordination, which is not expected for short Dy—O distances [2.243 (6)–2.393 (5) Å].     

A novel ZrGeO4 catalyst for degradation of organic dye pollutants at room temperature without light illumination

ABSTRACT

New catalysts satisfying simultaneously pollutant-removing and energy-saving have great potential in numerous environmental applications. To develop catalysts effective in decomposing organic dye pollutants under the energy-saving conditions of catalytic wet air oxidation (CWAO), herein we synthesized a new ZrGeO₄ catalyst. The catalytic performance of the ZrGeO₄ sample is superior to the previous CeGeO₄ and ZrHIO₆·4H₂O analogues in degrading rhodamine B (RhB) and methylene blue (MB). After being recycled for 3 times in the degradation experiments, the ZrGeO₄ catalyst did not undergo obvious loss in activity and change in chemical composition. The main active species for the dye degradation over ZrGeO₄ were also investigated.     

A convenient palladium-catalyzed aerobic oxidation of alcohols at room temperature

A simple Pd-catalyzed aerobic oxidation of benzylic and aliphatic alcohols to the corresponding aldehydes and ketones at room temperature is described.     

A facile electrochemical synthesis of covellite nanomaterials at room temperature

A novel method for the electrochemical synthesis of covellite (CuS) nanoparticles (NPs) in aqueous phase was developed. In this experiment, thioglycerol (TG) is used as the catalyst for the hydrolysis of sodium thiosulfate, the sulfur source for the synthesis of CuS. Cu foil, which acts as the sacrificing anode, is oxidized to Cu²⁺ by applying a potential of 0.5 V while OH^- was produced on the cathode surface at the same time. The production of OH^- facilitates the reaction between Cu²⁺ and thiosulfate under the catalysis of TG. The evolution of hydrogen bubbles effectively prevents the deposition of copper sulfide on the cathode. Copper sulfide sols of “golden-brown”, and “dark-green” forms can be obtained by varying the concentration of TG. The “golden-brown” copper sulfide sols are also observed to convert to the green form with time, and the rate of this conversion process is faster at higher temperatures. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and chemical analysis indicate that the “dark-green” form of product is pure hexagonal phase CuS. The obtained CuS NPs were covered by a layer of TG as suggested by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) data. The size and morphology of the particles are studied by transmission electron microscope (TEM).     

A novel method for the fabrication of monodisperse hollow silica spheres

In this paper, we report a novel method for the fabrication of small monodisperse hollow silica spheres. In this approach, when silica shells were coated on polystyrene particles by the sol-gel method, the polystyrene cores were dissolved subsequently, even synchronously, in the same medium to form monodisperse hollow spheres. Neither additional dissolution nor a calcination process was needed to remove the polystyrene cores. Transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and porosity measurements were used to characterize the monodisperse hollow silica spheres.     

Synthesis and characterization of CePO_4 nanowires via microemulsion method at room temperature

Uniform CePO_4 nanowires with diameter of about 25 nm were synthesized by the water-in-oil microemulsion method at room temperature from cerous chloride,sodium orthophosphate,sodium chloride,cyclohexane,Triton X-100 and cetyltrimethyl ammonium bromide(CTAB).The crystal structure and morphology of the nanowires were characterized by XRD and TEM, respectively.The UV-vis absorption was detected by UV-vis spectrophotometer techniques.The results showed that as-prepared nanowires with the hexagonal phase have...     

Thermal properties at room temperature of polytetrafluoroethylene

Through Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC), at least three room temperature transitions are clearly observable for native polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE). The influence of the thermal history on the room temperature transitions has been investigated. Possible interpretations for the lowest room temperature transition are suggested.

---

Zusammenfassung Bei der Untersuchung von nativen Polytetrafluoroethylen (PTFE) lassen sich im Raumtemperaturbereich zumindest drei Umwandlungen eindeutig beobachten. Der Einfluss der termischen Vorgeschichte von PTFE Proben auf die Umwandlungen im Raumtemperaturbereich wurde untersucht.Mögliche ErklÄrungen für den tiefstliegenden übergang im genannten Temperaturbereich werden vorgeschlagen.

---

---

Dr. G. Ajroldi and Prof. G. Guerra are gratefully acknowledged for useful advice and stimulating discussions.     

Crystallization-induced phosphorescence of benzils at room temperature

Efficient room temperature phosphorescence (RTP) is rarely observed in pure organic luminogens. However, we have newly observed that benzil and its derivatives are nonluminescent in solvents and thin layer chromatography (TLC) plates, but become highly phosphorescent in crystal state at room temperature, exhibiting typical crystallization-induced phosphorescence (CIP) characteristics. The CIP phenomenon is ascribed to the restriction of intramolecular rotations in crystals owing to effective intermolecular interactions. Such intermolecular interactions greatly rigidify the molecular conformation and significantly decrease the nonradiative deactivation channels of the triplet excitons, thus giving boosted phosphorescent emission at room temperature.     

Synthesis of zeolite nanocrystals at room temperature

Zeolite A nanoparticles were synthesized under room-temperature conditions from a very reactive organic-template-free gel system. The optimization of the syntheses parameters, namely, the composition of the initial system and the careful choice of the reactants, allowed the crystallization to be accomplished within 3 days. At this stage the individual zeolite crystals were in the range of 100-300 nm without well-developed crystal faces. The prolongation of the synthesis time up to 10 days led to formation of larger well-faceted cubic crystals averaging about 400-500 nm in size. The high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) study revealed that a thin layer of amorphous material covers the zeolite particles acting as a binder between individual zeolite crystals. The postsynthesis treatment of the product in NH(3) media under ultrasonic radiation disintegrated the loosely attached zeolite particles and decreased the fraction of zeolite A particles with low colloidal stability. The employed approach, however, did not result in complete disintegration of aggregated crystals. The zeolite crystals obtained under ambient conditions were characterized by XRD, SEM, dynamic light scattering, and N(2) adsorption measurements.     

A polar corundum oxide displaying weak ferromagnetism at room temperature

Combining long-range magnetic order with polarity in the same structure is a prerequisite for the design of (magnetoelectric) multiferroic materials. There are now several demonstrated strategies to achieve this goal, but retaining magnetic order above room temperature remains a difficult target. Iron oxides in the +3 oxidation state have high magnetic ordering temperatures due to the size of the coupled moments. Here we prepare and characterize ScFeO(3) (SFO), which under pressure and in strain-stabilized thin films adopts a polar variant of the corundum structure, one of the archetypal binary oxide structures. Polar corundum ScFeO(3) has a weak ferromagnetic ground state below 356 K-this is in contrast to the purely antiferromagnetic ground state adopted by the well-studied ferroelectric BiFeO(3).