V<Subscript>3</Subscript>O<Subscript>7</Subscript> · H<Subscript>2</Subscript>O oxide nanostructures: Synthesis and study

Nanorods of orthorhombic V₃O₇ · H₂O with the parameters a = 16.805 Å, b = 9.428 Å, and c = 3.660 Å are prepared under hydrothermal conditions (T = 180–190°C, τ = 30–40 h) from the V₂O₅ · nH₂O/H₂C₂O₄ · 2H₂O composite. The particle diameter is 40–70 nm, and the length is several micrometers. The IR spectra, electric conductivity, and thermal properties of the nanorod powder are studied. In air V₃O₇ · H₂O begins to decompose at temperatures above 150°C, and at 350°C nanobelts V₂O₅ 40–100 nm wide and 40 µm long are formed. A mechanism of nanostructure formation is suggested.     

Synthesis of Fe<Subscript>3</Subscript>O<Subscript>4</Subscript>@Au core–shell nanoparticles

A new two-step synthesis of Fe₃O₄@Au core–shell nanoparticles stabilized in polyethylene glycol is described. The nanoparticles were characterized by transmission electron microscopy, X-ray powder diffraction, UV and Mössbauer spectroscopy. Fe₃O₄@Au nanoparticles featured both optical properties (they featured a plasmon resonance band) and magnetic properties (they responded to an external magnetic field), typical of individual gold and magnetite nanoparticles, respectively.     

Effects of Fe<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript> on the crystallization and structure of CaO–Fe<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript>–SiO<Subscript>2</Subscript> glass ceramics

Radiation-induced degradation of the weakly and strongly 4-vinylpyridine basic ion exchange resins by gamma radiolysis was investigated in the presence of air and liquid water. This study is focused on evaluating the radiolytic gases (H₂, CO, CO₂ and CH₄) and liquid products (water-solute TOC and NH₄ ⁺). The weakly basic resin yielded lower amounts of H₂ and CO and higher amounts of CO₂ than those of the strongly basic resin. Moreover, the strong basic resin tended to yield greater amounts of NH₄ ⁺. Resins were characterized by the FTIR spectroscopy technique and the results showed that the resins structures are relatively stable.     

Reduction of Oxide Mixtures of (Fe<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript> + CuO) and (Fe<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript> + Co<Subscript>3</Subscript>O<Subscript>4</Subscript>) by Low-Temperature Hydrogen Plasma

The paper presents experimental results pertaining to the reduction of oxide mixtures namely (Fe₂O₃ + CuO) and (Fe₂O₃ + Co₃O₄), by low-temperature hydrogen plasma in a microwave hydrogen plasma set-up, at microwave power 750 W and hydrogen flow rate 2.5 × 10^?6 m³ s^?1. The objective was to examine the effect of addition of CuO or Co₃O₄, on the reduction of Fe₂O₃. In the case of the Fe₂O₃ and CuO mixture, oxides were reduced to form Fe and Cu metals. Enhancement of reduction of iron oxide was marginal. However, in the case of the Fe₂O₃ and Co₃O₄ mixture, FeCo alloy was formed within compositions of Fe₇₀Co₃₀, to Fe₃₀Co₇₀. Since the temperature was below 841 K, no FeO formed during reduction and the sequence of Fe₂O₃ reduction was found to be Fe₂O₃ → Fe₃O₄ → Fe. Reduction of Co₃O₄ preceded that of Fe₂O₃. In the beginning, the reduction of oxides led to the formation of Fe–Co alloy that was rich in Co. Later Fe continued to enter into the alloy phase through diffusion and homogenization. The lattice strain of the alloy as a function of its composition was measured. In the oxide mixture in which excessive amount of Co₃O₄ was present, all the Co formed after reduction could not form the alloy and part of it appeared as FCC Co metal. The crystallite size of the alloy was in the range of 22–30 nm. The crystal size of the Fe–Co alloy reduced with an increase in Co concentration.     

Synthesis and properties of magnetic superhydrophobic mesoporous Fe<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript>–SiO<Subscript>2</Subscript> composites

Ways to obtain Fe₂O₃–SiO₂ iron-containing silica composites with organized mesoporous structure (MCM-41) and large specific surface area (up to 1476 m² g^–1) were considered. The influence exerted by the method used to synthesize the materials on their structure, texture characteristics, particle size, and magnetic properties were studied. The aggregative stability of samples was examined. It was shown that treatment of the resulting composites with compounds from the chlorosilane group affects their hydrophobic properties.     

Preparation and characterization of rapid magnetic recyclable Fe<Subscript>3</Subscript>O<Subscript>4</Subscript>@SiO<Subscript>2</Subscript>@TiO<Subscript>2</Subscript>–Sn photocatalyst

Effective procedure to synthesize Fe₃O₄@SiO₂@TiO₂–Sn magnetically separable photocatalyst by a combination of co-precipitation, sol–gel and photodeposition methods was introduced. Products were characterized by XRD, SEM, VSM, EDS, DRS, TEM, ICP-OES and IR techniques. The dimensions of catalyst particle size were evaluated by scanning electron microscopy, and results approved nanoscale size for product. In addition, studying the magnetic nature by VSM analysis showed superparamagnetic properties for all samples. XRD pattern indicates that TiO₂ coated on Fe₃O₄@SiO₂ core well crystallized at 400 °C in anatase phase. Synthesized photocatalyst shows good photocatalytic performance in decolorization of rhodamine B aqueous solution. The composite nanoparticles showed high recycling efficiency and stability over five separation cycles.     

Sol–gel synthesis and characterization of Fe<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript> · CeO<Subscript>2</Subscript> doped with Pr ceramic pigments

Undoped x · α-Fe₂O₃ y · CeO₂ and doped with praseodymium ceramic pigments were obtained by the sol–gel method after heat treatment at 800 °C for 2 h. These pigments were characterized by XRD, nitrogen adsorption, scanning electron microscopy, ultraviolet-visible absorption spectroscopy and colorimetrical measurements. Red and brown colors with several tonalities were observed after changes with Ce and Pr concentration.     

Thermodynamic Properties and Thermal Expansion of Tm<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript> · 2ZrO<Subscript>2</Subscript> Solid Solution

The isobaric heat capacity of Tm₂O₃ · 2ZrO₂ solid solution was measured by adiabatic calorimetry and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and smoothed values of the enthalpy changes, entropy, and reduced Gibbs free energy in the temperature range 8–1200 K were calculated. Thermal expansion was studied by X-ray diffraction in the temperature range 298–1173 K.     

Effect of ZrO<Subscript>2</Subscript> on Catalyst Structure and Catalytic Sulfur-Resistant Methanation Performance of MoO<Subscript>3</Subscript>/ZrO<Subscript>2</Subscript>–Al<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript> Catalysts

A series of MoO₃/ZrO₂–Al₂O₃ catalysts was prepared and investigated in the sulfur-resistant methanation aimed at production of synthetic natural gas. Different methods including impregnation, deposition precipitation, and co-precipitation were used for preparing ZrO₂–Al₂O₃ composite supports. These composite supports and their corresponding Mo-based catalysts were investigated in the sulfur-resistant methanation, and characterized by N₂ adsorption–desorption, XRD and H₂-TPR. The results indicated that adding ZrO₂ promoted MoO3dispersion and decreased the interaction between Mo species and support in the MoO₃/ZrO₂–Al₂O₃ catalysts. The co-precipitation method was favorable for obtaining smaller ZrO₂ particle size and improving textural properties of support, such as better MoO₃ dispersion and increased concentration of Mo⁶⁺ species in octahedral coordination to oxygen. It was found that the MoO₃/ZrO₂–Al₂O₃ catalyst with ZrO₂Al₂O₃ composite support prepared by co-precipitation method exhibited the best catalytic activity. The ZrO₂ content in the ZrO₂Al₂O₃ composite support was further optimized. The MoO₃/ZrO₂–Al₂O₃ with 15 wt % ZrO₂ loading exhibited the highest sulfur-resistant CO methanation activity, and excess ZrO₂ reduced the specific surface area and enhanced the interaction between Mo species and support. The N₂ adsorption-desorption results indicated that the presence of ZrO₂ in excessive amounts decreased the specific surface area since some amounts of ZrO₂ form aggregates on the surface of the support. The XRD and H₂-TPR results showed that with the increasing ZrO₂ content, ZrO₂ particle size increased. These led to the formation of coordinated tetrahedrally Mo⁶⁺(T) species and crystalline MoO₃, and this development was unfavorable for improving the sulfur-resistant methanation performance of MoO₃/ZrO₂–Al₂O₃ catalyst.     

Synthesis,Structure and Solid-Phase Transformations of Fe Nitrosyl Complex Na<Subscript>2</Subscript>[Fe<Subscript>2</Subscript>(S<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript>)<Subscript>2</Subscript>(NO)<Subscript>4</Subscript>] · 4H<Subscript>2</Subscript>O

Binuclear iron nitrosyl complex Na₂[Fe₂(S₂O₃)₂(NO)₄] · 4H₂O (I) was synthesized by the reaction of iron(II) sulfate with sodium thiosulfate in the flow of NO gas. According to X-ray diffraction data, the [Fe₂(S₂O₃)₂(NO)₄]^2– anion has binuclear centrosymmetric structure with Fe atoms bonded by the µ-S atoms of thiosulfate groups. The isomeric shift for complex I =0.168(1) mm/s and quadrupole splitting E _Q =1.288 mm/s at T=80 K. When heated, complex I transforms to Na₂[Fe₂(S₂O₃)₂(NO)₄] (II), whose unit cell parameters found by X-ray diffraction method differ from those of complex I. The process of transformation of I to II was studied by calorimetric method. Complex I transforms to complex II without chemical decomposition, which was confirmed by IR and mass spectroscopy data.__________Translated from Koordinatsionnaya Khimiya, Vol. 31, No. 5, 2005, pp. 323–328.Original Russian Text Copyright © 2005 by Sanina, Aldoshin, Rudneva, Golovina, Shilov, Shulga, Martynenko, Ovanesyan.     

Synthesis and properties of γ-Ga<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript>–Al<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript> solid solutions

The textural and structural properties of mixed oxides Ga₂O₃–Al₂O₃, obtained via impregnating γ-Al₂O₃ with a solution of Ga(NO₃)₃ and subsequent heat treatment, are studied. According to the results from X-ray powder diffraction, gallium ions are incorporated into the structure of aluminum oxide to form a solid solution of spinel-type γ-Ga₂O₃–Al₂O₃ up to a Ga₂O₃ content of 50 wt % of the total weight of the sample, accompanied by a reduction in the specific surface area, volume, and average pore diameter. It is concluded that when the Ga₂O₃ content exceeds 50 wt %, the β-Ga₂O₃ phase is observed along with γ-Ga₂O₃–Al₂O₃ solid solution. ⁷¹Ga and ²⁷Al NMR spectroscopy shows that gallium replaces aluminum atoms from the tetrahedral position to the octahedral coordination in the structure of γ-Ga₂O₃–Al₂O₃.     

Formation of solid solutions of multiferroics in the Bi<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript>–Nd<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript>–Fe<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript> system

The sequence of phases appearance during the formation of Bi_1–xNd_xFeO₃ solid solutions in powder oxides mixtures of bismuth, neodymium, and iron has been determined. It has been shown that the closeness of the reaction mixture composition to that of the individual compound (BiFeO₃ or NdFeO₃) is essential for the realization of the series of phase transformations yielding solid solutions of multiferroics Bi_1–xNd_xFeO₃ as the final product, due to the prevalence of various interphase contacts in the starting reaction zone.     

Sol–gel synthesis and characterization of polycrystalline GdFeO<Subscript>3</Subscript> and Gd<Subscript>3</Subscript>Fe<Subscript>5</Subscript>O<Subscript>12</Subscript> thin films

Thin films of the perovskite and garnet structured gadolinium ferrites GdFeO₃ and Gd₃Fe₅O₁₂ have been synthesized by a sol–gel method, based on stoichiometric mixtures of acetyl acetone chelated Gd³⁺ and Fe³⁺ dissolved in 2-methoxy ethanol. After spin coating onto Si wafers, and heating in air at 700 °C for 20 h, neatly grown essentially single phase films were obtained. From X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy an iron deficiency is observed in the uppermost layer of both films, implying that the crystallites preferably end in planes rich in Gd and O but not in Fe. The films were also characterized by X-ray powder diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, infrared spectroscopy, and magnetic measurements.     

Structural and optical characterization of sol–gel derived boron doped Fe<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript> nanostructured films

Pure and boron (B) doped iron oxide (Fe₂O₃) nanostructured thin films were prepared by sol–gel spin coating method. The effects of B (0.1, 0.2, 0.5 and 1 %) content on the crystallinity and morphological properties of Fe₂O₃ films were investigated by X-ray diffractometer and atomic force microscopy. X-ray diffraction patterns revealed that the Fe₂O₃ films have a rhombohedral crystalline phase of α-Fe₂O₃ phase (hematite) with nanostructure and their crystallite size (D) is changed from 27 ± 2 to 45 ± 5 nm with B dopant content. The minimum crystallite size value of 27 ± 2 nm was obtained for 0.2 % B doped Fe₂O₃ film. Carrying out UV–VIS absorption study for both doped and undoped films at room temperature, it was realized that allowed optical transitions may be direct or indirect transitions. The direct and indirect energy gap values for pure Fe₂O₃ were obtained to be 2.07 and 1.95 eV, respectively. The optical band gap value of the films was changed with 0.1 % B doping to reach 1.86 eV for direct band gap and 1.66 eV in case of indirect band gap.     

Synthesis of Fe<Subscript>3</Subscript>O<Subscript>4</Subscript>—Ag nanocomposites and their application to enzymeless hydrogen peroxide detection

To achieve highly sensitive nonenzymatic detection of H₂O₂, a novel electrochemical sensor based on Fe₃O₄-Ag nanocomposites was developed. Nanocomposites were synthesized by reducing [Ag(NH₃)₂]⁺ at the gas/liquid interface in the presence of silver seeds and confirmed by transmission electron microscopy and X-ray diffractometry. Electrochemical investigations indicate that the sensor is able to detect H₂O₂ within a wide linear range of 0.5 μM to 4.0 mM, sensitivity of 135.4 μA mM^?1 cm^?2 and low detection limit of 0.2 μM (S/N = 3). Additionally, the sensor exhibits good anti-interference ability, stability and repeatability. These results show that the Fe₃O₄-Ag nanocomposite is a promising electrocatalytic material for sensors construction.     

Synthesis and characterization of Pd nanoparticle-modified magnetic Sm<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript>–ZrO<Subscript>2</Subscript> as effective multifunctional catalyst for reduction of 2-nitrophenol and degradation of organic dyes

In this study, Pd nanoparticle-modified magnetic Sm₂O₃–ZrO₂ material (Pd–Fe₃O₄–Sm₂O₃–ZrO₂) as multifunctional catalyst was fabricated and used for catalytic reduction of 2-nitrophenol compound, degradation of methylene blue and rhodamine B dyes, which are toxic pollutants. The magnetic material was used for the first time as a catalyst for the reduction and degradation studies. Pd nanoparticle-modified magnetic Sm₂O₃–ZrO₂ catalyst was prepared using the deposition–precipitation methods and were characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, atomic absorption spectrometry, Raman spectroscopy and BET surface analyzer. The Pd nanoparticle-modified magnetic Sm₂O₃–ZrO₂ material can lead to high catalytic activity for the reduction of 2-nitrophenol and degradation of rhodamine B and methylene blue with >?95% conversion within ~?2 and 80 s even when the content of Pd in it is as low as 5.8 wt%.     

Synthesis and characterization of spinel-type CuAl<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>4</Subscript> nanocrystalline by modified sol–gel method

Nanocrystalline Copper aluminate (CuAl₂O₄) was prepared by sol–gel technique using aluminum nitrate, copper nitrate, diethylene glycol monoethyl ether and citric acid were used as precursor materials. This method starts from of the precursor complex, and involves formation of homogeneous solid intermediates, reducing atomic diffusion processes during thermal treatment. The formation of pure crystallized CuAl₂O₄ nanocrystals occurred when the precursor was heat-treated at 600 °C in air for 2 h. The stages of the formation of CuAl₂O₄, as well as the characterization of the resulting compounds were done using thermo–gravimetric analysis, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The products were analyzed by transmission electron microscopy and ultraviolet–visible (UV–Vis) spectroscopy to be round, about 17–26 nm in size and E _g = 2.10 eV.     

Synthesis of TCPP–Fe<Subscript>3</Subscript>O<Subscript>4</Subscript>@S/RGO and its application for purification of water

A one-step green-chemistry method was applied to prepare sulfur/reduced graphene oxide (S/RGO). The synthesized S/RGO was modified by 5,10,15,20-tetrakis(4-carboxyphenyl)porphyrin (TCPP) and Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles to form TCPP–Fe₃O₄@S/RGO. The prepared composites were investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) mapping, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) imaging. Diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS) was used to determine the photocatalytic ability of S/RGO and TCPP–Fe₃O₄@S/RGO. In addition, photocatalytic degradation of a hazardous dye (methylene blue) by the TCPP–Fe₃O₄@S/RGO composite under visible-light irradiation is reported. The results demonstrate synthesis of TCPP–Fe₃O₄@S/RGO by an environmentally friendly method with excellent degradation effect.     

Structural and Temperature Dependent Electrical Conductivity Properties of Dy<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript>–Sm<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript> CO-Doped Bi<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript>

In the present work, Dy₂O₃ and Sm₂O₃ double-doped Bi₂O₃-based materials are synthesized by exploiting the solid-state synthesis method. The structural and temperature dependent electrical properties of these ternary ceramic samples, which are candidate materials for solid oxide fuel cell (SOFCs) electrolyte, are determined by means of a powder X-ray diffractometer (XRD), the four point-probe method (FPPM), and the thermal-gravimetry/differential thermal analysis (TG/DTA). As a result of the XRD measurements, the fluorite-type fcc δ-phase with a stable structure is obtained for higher values of the dopant oxide material, which are the samples with the maximum content of fixed 20% Dy₂O₃ and 15% and 20% Sm₂O₃. The samples with the stable δ-phase structure have higher conductivities. The highest electrical conductivity is found for the (Bi₂O₃)0.6(Dy₂O₃)_0.2(Sm₂O₃)_0.2 sample, which was 2.5×10^–2 (Ohm cm)^–1 at 750 °C. The activation energies are also calculated from the Arrhenius charts, which were determined from the FPPM measurements. The lowest activation energy is found as 0.85 eV for the sample with the highest electrical conductivity.     

Preparation and characterization of Ba<Subscript>2</Subscript>Co<Subscript>2</Subscript>Fe<Subscript>12</Subscript>O<Subscript>22</Subscript> ferrite via glucose sol–gel method

Ba₂Co₂Fe₁₂O₂₂ (Co₂Y) was synthesized by sol–gel method using glucose as chelating agent. X-Ray diffraction studies indicate that sintering temperature as low as 950 °C is sufficient to produce Co₂Y ferrites. Co₂Y ferrites calcined at 1,000 °C exhibit good magnetic prosperities in high frequency, with the resonance frequency up to 11 GHz and intrinsic permeability about 5 even at 6 GHz. The heat-treated temperature dependence of coercivity, initial permeability and resonance frequency is close related to the particle shape and size.