Graphene oxides as support for the synthesis of nickel sulfide–indium oxide nanocomposites for photocatalytic,antibacterial and antioxidant performances

NiS (nickel sulfide)–In₂O₃ (indium oxide) nanostructures and NiS–In₂O₃ decorated on graphene oxide (GO) were demonstrated by ultrasonic/hydrothermal method. The structural study demonstrates the preparation of bixbyite and hexagonal phase of In₂O₃ and NiS for all of the synthesized catalysts. The band gap of the synthesized catalyst was determined to be in the range of 2.30–3.00 eV. A morphological evaluation by field emission scanning electron microscopy of NiS–In₂O₃ decorated on graphene oxide shows support for the NiS–In₂O₃ on the graphene oxide layer. Different test parameters were performed to study the phase and morphology. The particle sizes of the In₂O₃, NiS–In₂O₃ and NiS–In₂O₃/GO nanocomposites were 56.0, 62.0 and 66.0 nm, respectively. The photocatalytic performance of NiS–In₂O₃/GO nanocomposites was examined for the degradation of methylene blue dye under a UV lamp. The prepared sample shows 98.25% photocatalytic degradation within 40 min and at pH 9. With the presence the NiS and GO, the photo-degradation capacities of In₂O₃ and NiS–In₂O₃ are improved owing to the low band gap being calculated in UV–vis DRS analysis. The high ratio of NiS causes the highest photocatalytic properties of NiS–In₂O₃ nanocomposites owing to the enhancement of charge separation efficiency and generation of hydroxyl radicals. This study presents a facile and low-cost method to prepare highly active NiS–In₂O₃/GO nanocomposites. The antibacterial data indicate the significant properties of NiS–In₂O₃/GO nanocomposites for this study.     

Effect of the Nature of the Carrier in Cobalt Containing Oxide Systems in the Selective Reduction of NO with Methane

The catalytic properties of cobalt containing samples based on zirconium dioxide, aluminum oxide, and the binary systems ZrO₂-Al₂O₃ and ZrO₂-zeolite in the selective reduction of NO with methane have been studied. The catalytic activity of the binary systems ZrO₂-zeolite are non-additive with respect to the composition of the carrier.     

Effect of the nature of anions of aluminum salts used to synthesize a precursor of the Al<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript>-ZrO<Subscript>2</Subscript> ceramics on the stabilization of the tetragonal modification of zirconium dioxide

Samples of a precursor for an aluminum oxide ceramics reinforced with zirconium oxide were synthesized by hydrolysis of various aluminum salts in the presence of a ZrO₂ sol under conditions of urea decomposition at 90°C and pH < 4 maintained, with hydrolysis products deposited onto the surface of ZrO₂ sol particles. It was found that the nature of a salt anion affects the interaction of hydrolysis products of the aluminum cation with the surface of ZrO₂ sol particles. The structure of products formed in thermal treatment of samples of a precursor for Al₂O₃-ZrO₂ (T = 1250°C) was characterized by X-ray phase analysis and scanning electron microscopy. The phase transition temperatures of the oxides Al₂O₃ and ZrO₂ contained in the precursor were estimated using the results of thermal analysis of the samples in the temperature range 20–1300°C.     

Synthesis of a precursor for an alumina ceramic reinforced by zirconium dioxide from inorganic compounds in the presence of urea

Samples of a precursor for an alumina ceramic reinforced by zirconium dioxide were synthesized. The samples have a uniform structure and are characterized by high ratios of the tetragonal and monoclinic modifications of ZrO₂, tlm, after a thermal treatment (1250°C). The structure of samples in the system Al₂O₃-ZrO₂ is formed under conditions favorable for deposition of products of hydrolysis of Al(III) ions on the surface of ZrO₂ sol particles in decomposition of urea. The coating of ZrO₂ sol particles by products of hydrolysis of Al(III) salts was confirmed by electrophoresis. The size distribution of particles of the in?dividual ZrO₂ sol was determined by small-angle X-ray scattering. The structure of the products formed in thermal treatment of samples of mixed oxides Al₂O₃-ZrO₂ was characterized by X-ray phase analysis and scanning electron microscopy. The porosity and specific surface area of a thermally treated sample was determined by measuring nitrogen absorption isotherms.     

Phase composition and catalytic properties of ZrO2 and CeO2-ZrO2 in the ketonization of pentanoic acid to 5-nonanone

The phase composition, microstructure, and catalytic properties of the samples of ZrO₂ and CeO₂-ZrO₂ calcined in air at 450–500°C in the ketonization reaction of pentanoic acid were studied. It was found that ZrO₂ of tetragonal and monoclinic modifications is characterized by sufficiently high activity and selectivity for 5-nonanone; the yield of 5-nonanone was 66.3–64.9%. The modification of zirconium dioxide with cerium oxide leads to the formation of a substitutional solid solution based on tetragonal ZrO₂. Upon the addition of CeO₂ in an optimum amount of 10 wt % to zirconium dioxide, an increase in the conversion of pentanoic acid was observed with the retention of high selectivity for the target product, which led to an increase in the yield of 5-nonanone to 73.3%. Based on the results of physicochemical studies performed by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction analysis, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, the physicochemical and catalytic properties of the test catalysts were compared.     

The effect of the carrier nature and the method of preparation of oxide catalysts containing indium on their activity in the selective catalytic reduction of nitrogen monoxide with C<Subscript>1</Subscript>-C<Subscript>4</Subscript> hydrocarbons

The activity of samples containing indium in the selective catalytic reduction (SCR) of NO with C₁-C₄ hydrocarbons depends on nature of the carrier, Al₂O₃, ZrO₂, the quantity of indium oxide, and the method of its introduction. The most active catalysts (2.5–5.0% In₂O₃/Al₂O₃) are stable to water and are characterized by a large overall concentration of oxide centers. __________ Translated from Teoreticheskaya i éksperimental’naya Khimiya, Vol. 43, No. 2, pp. 107–111, March–April, 2007.     

Hydrothermal Synthesis of Mixed Oxide Compositions of Cobalt-Zirconium and their Catalytic Activity in the Decomposition of Hydrogen Peroxide

The article presents the results of research on the hydrothermal synthesis of nanoscale oxide of cobalt and zirconium and their mixed oxide compositions. The synthesized samples have been characterized by the X-ray phase, scanning electron microscopy and nitrogen adsorption-desorption methods; the composition of the samples has been determined by chemical analysis methods, and their catalytic activity in the decomposition of hydrogen peroxide has been studied. It has been shown that during synthesis, highly dispersed cobalt and zirconium oxide are formed, and the sample of the composition (mol %): Co₃O₄(88)−ZrO₂(12) has the highest specific surface area (181.2 m²/g) and the highest activity (K=6.18 ⋅ 10⁻² s⁻¹) against the decomposition of hydrogen peroxide. The increasing of the ZrO₂ content in oxide compositions reduces their catalytic activity. The particle size in the synthesized samples is 7–38 nm.     

Phase relations in the ZrO2-FeO system

We present the results of the investigation of the ZrO₂-FeO system under an inert atmosphere. We have refined the position of the eutectic point, which lies at 1332 ± 5°C and 10.3 ± 0.6 mol % ZrO₂. The iron oxide solubility boundaries in zirconium dioxide have been determined over a wide temperature range taking into account the polymorphism in ZrO₂. A phase diagram for the system has been designed.     

Hydrocracking vegetable oil on borate-containing catalysts: Effect of nature of support

The structure, texture, and acid properties of platinum catalysts on oxide (Al₂O₃, ZrO₂, ZrO₂–Al₂O₃) and borate-containing supports (B₂O₃–Al₂O₃, B₂O₃–ZrO₂) are studied. The catalysts are tested in the process of hydrocracking sunflower-seed oil at 380°C, 4.0 MPa, and a weight stock feed rate of 1.0 h^–1. It has been found that aluminum oxide (A) contains the γ-Al₂O₃ phase, zirconium dioxide (Z) includes 85 and 15 rel. % of the monoclinic (M) and tetragonal (T) phases, respectively, while zirconium dioxide with the addition of 2.5 wt % Al₂O₃ (ZA) comprises 14 and 86 rel. % of the M–ZrO₂ and T–ZrO₂ phases, respectively. The B₂O₃–Al₂O₃ (BA) and B₂O₃–ZrO₂ (BZ) systems modified with boron oxide (20 wt %) are X-ray amorphous. A Pt/BA catalyst differs from a Pt/A catalyst, while a Pt/BZ catalyst has a larger specific surface area and acidity than Pt/Z and Pt/ZA catalysts and contains Bronsted acidic centers (BACs) along with Lewis acidic centers (LACs). Only LACs are present on the surface of Pt/A, Pt/Z, and Pt/ZA catalysts. The LAC/BAC ratio in Pt/BA and Pt/BZ catalysts is 0.3 and 1.0, respectively. All the catalysts provide complete oil conversion to give C₅₊ hydrocarbons with a yield of 81.7–87.3 wt %. Pt/A catalyzes mainly decarboxylation and hydrogenation–dehydration reactions, while Pt/Z and Pt/ZA provide decarboxylation. The yield of diesel fraction reaches 71.8–73.9 wt % with an n-alkane content of 94.0–95.9 wt %. One-stage oil hydrocracking with the prevalence of hydrodecarbonylation and hydrogenation–dehydration reactions occurs on Pt/BA and Pt/BZ catalysts for 20 h to give the yield of the diesel fraction of at least 81.4 and 74.4 wt % and the total content of iso-alkanes and cycloalkanes of at least 28.3 and 60.7 wt %, respectively.     

氧化铟八面体、纳米带、锯齿状纳米线和纳米链的可控合成

在N₂/H₂O混合气流中将硅片上金覆盖的金属铟颗粒加热到800 ℃制备出了不同形貌的In₂O₃纳米结构, 在距铟源不同距离处依次得到In₂O₃的八面体、纳米带、锯齿状纳米线和纳米链. 采用拉曼光谱、扫描电镜、X射线衍射和透射电镜对产物进行了表征分析. 结果表明, 八面体、纳米带、锯齿状纳米线和纳米链均为立方相单晶结构的In₂O₃. 基于气-固和气-液-固生长机理详细分析了八面体、纳米带、锯齿状纳米线和纳米链的生长过程, 提出了不同形貌In₂O₃纳米结构的生长模式.     

Mass Spectrometric and Photoelectron Spectroscopic Studies of Zirconium Oxide Molecular and Cluster Anions

We present a preliminary report on our mass spectrometric and photoelectron spectroscopic studies of zirconium oxide molecular and cluster anions using a newly built laser vaporization/time-of-flight/magnetic bottle, negative ion photoelectron spectrometer. This work was motivated in part by evidence which suggests that zirconium dioxide catalyzes the radiolysis of interfacial water. We present our mass spectrometric observations of oxygen-rich zirconium oxide cluster anions and our photoelectron spectra of ZrO^– and ZrO ₂ ^– . From the photoelectron spectrum of ZrO^–, the adiabatic electron affinity of ZrO was determined to be 1.3±0.3 eV, and from this value, the dissociation energy of ZrO^– (into Zr and O^–) was found to be 7.8±0.3 eV. From the photoelectron spectrum of ZrO₂, the adiabatic electron affinity of ZrO₂ was determined to be 1.8±0.4 eV.     

Theoretical DFT study of the structure and chemical activity of small indium(III) oxide clusters

The B3LYP/Lanl2dz and B3LYP/SDD levels of DFT have been used to describe the structural properties of small stoichiometric indium(III) oxide clusters. It was shown that the most stable structures for the monomer and dimer are linear and cubic, respectively, in origin. The most stable trimer is due to the formation of three eight-membered and two six-membered rings with alternation of In and O atoms. Among neutral and monocation tetrameric structures, formation of an ??arrowhead?? isomer is energetically less favorable than the global minimum structure that has eight six-membered and six four-membered rings. In the pentamer and octamer, a few centers of higher coordination number and a variety of In?CO bond lengths are observed. The other centers cannot be fitted to the characteristic bixbyite structure, however, so the larger octamer cannot be a good model for mimicking the properties of the In₂O₃ crystal structure. An H-terminated cluster model consisting of In₁₃O₂₇H₁₅ is proposed that well describes basic features of indium oxide and tin-doped indium oxide (ITO) structures.     

Photoreduction of carbon dioxide by hydrogen and methane

Zirconium oxide is active for photoreduction of gaseous carbon dioxide to carbon monoxide with hydrogen. A stable surface species arises under the photoreduction of CO₂ on zirconium oxide, and it is identified as surface formate by infrared spectroscopy. Adsorbed CO₂ is converted to formate by photoreaction with hydrogen. The surface formate is a true reaction intermediate since CO is formed by the photoreaction of formate and CO₂; surface formate works as a reductant of carbon dioxide to yield carbon monoxide. The dependence on the wavelength of irradiation light shows that a bulk ZrO₂ is not a photoactive species. When ZrO₂ adsorbs CO₂ a new band appears in photoluminescence excitation spectrum. The photoactive species in the reaction that CO₂+H₂ yields HCOO⁻ is presumably formed by the adsorption of CO₂ on ZrO₂ surface. Hydrogen molecules play a role to supply an atomic hydrogen. Therefore, methane molecules can also be used as a reductant of carbon dioxide.     

Electronic structure and ionic conductivity in calcium- and yttrium-stabilized zirconium dioxide

The electronic structure, chemical bonding, and ionic transport were investigated for ZrO₂ polymorphs and solid solutions ZrO₂-Ca0 and ZrO₂-Y₂O₃ using the LMTO ab initio self-consistent method in a tight binding approximation and Hückel’s semiempirical method. In stabilized zirconium dioxide, ionic conductivity is mainly due to vacancies in the oxygen sublattice. The mechanism of the fluorite stmcture by calcium and yttrium impurities is considered. The nonlinear variation of the ionic conductivity of ZrO₂ is interpreted as a function of the phase composition of solid solutions. The clusterization effect is first supported by ab initio calculations. Translated fromZhumal Stivktumoi Khimii, Vol. 41, No. 2, pp. 229–239, March-April, 2(XX).     

Study on combustion property and synergistic effect of intumescent flame retardant styrene butadiene rubber with metallic oxides

Effect of metallic oxides on flame retardancy and the thermal stability of styrene butadiene rubber (SBR) composites based on ammonium polyphosphate (APP) and pentaerythritol (PER) was studied by the limiting oxygen index (LOI), UL 94, the cone calorimeter tests, and thermogravimetry analysis (TGA), respectively. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and wide‐angle X‐ray diffraction (WAXD) were used to analyze the morphological structure and the component of the residue chars formed from the SBR composites accordingly. The addition of zirconium dioxide (ZrO₂) at a loading of 3.4 phr could improve the UL 94 test rating of the composite to V‐0. The TGA data illustrated that the metallic oxides could enhance the thermal stability of the SBR/Intumescent flame retardant additives (IFRs) composites at high temperature and increase the residue. Cone calorimeter test gave much clear evidence that the incorporation of ZrO₂ into SBR/IFRs composites resulted in the significant deduction of the heat release rate (HRR) values, and the SEM images showed that the char layers of the composites containing the metallic oxides became more compact. From the WAXD pattern, zirconium phosphate (ZrP₂O₇) may be formed by the reaction between ZrO₂ and APP. Due to the addition of ZrO₂ and the formation of ZrP₂O₇, the flame retardancy of the composite was improved. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Electronic Interactions on Platinum/(Metal-Oxide)-Based Photocatalysts Boost Selective Photoreduction of CO2 to CH4

By supporting platinum (Pt) and cadmium sulfide (CdS) nanoparticles on indium oxide (In₂O₃), we fabricated a CdS/Pt/In₂O₃ photocatalyst. Selective photoreduction of carbon dioxide (CO₂) to methane (CH₄) was achieved on CdS/Pt/In₂O₃ with electronic Pt−In₂O₃ interactions, with CH₄ selectivity reaching to 100 %, which is higher than that on CdS/Pt/In₂O₃ without electronic Pt−In₂O₃ interactions (71.7 %). Moreover, the enhancement effect of electronic Pt-(metal-oxide) interactions on selective photoreduction of CO₂ to CH₄ also occurs by using other common metal oxides, such as photocatalyst supports, including titanium oxide, gallium oxide, zinc oxide, and tungsten oxide. The electronic Pt-(metal-oxide) interactions separate photogenerated electron-hole pairs and convert CO₂ into CO₂^δ−, which can be easily hydrogenated into CH₄ via a CO₂^δ−→HCOO*→HCO*→CH*→CH₄ path, thus boosting selective photoreduction of CO₂ to CH₄. This offers a new way to achieve selective photoreduction of CO₂.     

Role of graphene in structural transformation of zirconium oxide

Fine powders of zirconium oxide (ZrO₂) were prepared using zirconium oxychloride by combustion method. The crystalline size of pure ZrO₂ was in range of 14–45 nm. Graphene was incorporated in ZrO₂ using graphene oxide as precursor and reducing it with hydrazine hydrate. X-Ray diffraction, Fourier transform infra-red spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis and Raman spectroscopy methods were used to characterize the samples. The role of graphene in structural transformation of ZrO₂ to monoclinic phase was clearly observed.     

Structural features of ZrO2-Y2O3 and ZrO2-Gd2O3 nanoparticles formed under hydrothermal conditions

We synthesized nanoparticles of variable composition based on zirconium dioxide in the ZrO₂-Y₂O₃ (or Gd₂O₃)-H₂O systems under hydrothermal conditions. By X-ray diffraction and small-angle X-ray scattering studies revealed that the nanoparticles consist of crystalline core and amorphous shell. Increase of Y₂O₃ (or Gd₂O₃) content yields increases of shell size and decreases of core size. The effect is due to suppressed ZrO₂ crystallites growth caused by development of the shell preventing zirconium ions transport.     

Synthesis of substitutional solid solutions in Na2O-P2O5-In2O3-M 2 III O3 (MIII = Cr, Fe, and Mn) systems

Solid solutions based on Na₇(InP₂O₇)₄PO₄ and Na₃In₂(PO₄)₃, where chromium, iron, and manganese substitute for indium, have been prepared. When chromium and iron substitute for indium in Na₇(InP₂O₇)₄PO₄, a continuous solid solution series exists. When manganese substitutes for indium, it enters the compound in the oxidation state +3. The substitution of chromium for indium in Na₃In₂(PO₄)₃ occurs within the range from 0.11 to 0.74 (mol/mol), and that of iron for indium, from 0.09 to 0.62 (mol/mol). When manganese substitutes for indium, it enters the structure of the crystalline phase in insignificant amounts as a two-charged cation.     

负载钨催化剂的载体效应及其表面酸性

运用BET、XRD、FT-Raman以及微量吸附量热等手段对由浸渍三种晶型氧化锆及其前体氢氧化锆制备的负载钨催化剂的结构及其表面酸性进行了研究。结果表明起始原料和制备条件对氧化锆的结构有显著影响。浸渍在氢氧化锆上的钨物种会使氢氧化锆转变为四方晶型氧化锆。但浸渍于氧化锆上的钨物种使氧化锆发生晶型转变相对较难。负载钨催化剂表面强酸位的形成与载体晶型、表面钨物种WO_x以及WO_x与载体氧化锆之间的相互作用有关。催化剂上的强酸位可因残留的Na⁺离子所毒化或阻抑。少量Y³⁺离子对表面酸性则无明显影响。