Chemical deposition of zirconium doped tin silicate ion-exchanger and its characterization

Doping of inorganic ion-exchange material tin silicate with zirconium ion by sol-gel technique was conducted for the production of a novel ion-exchanger. Undoped and doped tin silicate has been characterized by elemental analysis (X-ray fluorescence), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), thermal analysis and X-ray diffraction studies. The structures of two ion-exchangers were identified and the empirical formulas found as SnSi₂O₆·6H₂O and SnZr₄Si₄O₁₂·16H₂O for tin silicate and zirconium doped tin silicate, respectively. The effect of zirconium ion concentration of the doped tin silicate on the crystalline size and strain of tin silicate was investigated. The probable structure of both materials was assessed by the ChemDraw Ultra program. Finally, application of these materials for the treatment of radionuclides in terms of capacity measurements was investigated.     

Effect of synthesis conditions for phosphated mesoporous zirconium dioxide on formation of its structure and adsorption properties

We have used X-ray phase analysis, temperature programmed desorption of argon, and IR spectroscopy to study the conditions and characteristics of formation and the adsorption and acidic properties of mesoporous phosphated zirconium dioxide. We have established that treatment of a mesostructural and mesoporous hydrogel of zirconium hydroxide with a solution of orthophosphoric acid not only promotes stabilization of the mesostructure and the texture when detemplated, but also functionalization of the zirconium dioxide surface. __________ Translated from Teoreticheskaya i éksperimental’naya Khimiya, Vol. 42, No. 1, pp. 49–54, January–February, 2006.     

Porous nanocomposites of zirconium dioxide and silicate

Highly porous nanocomposites of zirconium dioxide and silicate are synthesised in an aqueous system from an inorganic salt of zirconium; the nanacomposites, with tailorable pore structures, exhibit superior performance as catalyst supports.     

Template-free synthesis and characterization of mesoporous tungsten nitride nanoplates

We report well-defined mesoporous β-W(2)N nanoplates prepared by using layered WO(3)·H(2)O without templates. The tungsten nitride nanoplates exhibit typical mesoporous structures with size-controlled monomodal pore distributions.     

Flow analysis of silicate rocks for zirconium

A flow analysis system involving the on-line configuration of an anion-exchange column has been examined to enrich and determine trace concentrations of zirconium of several ppm to hundred ppm levels in silicate rocks and minerals. About 100 mg of sample is decomposed by fusion with a mixture of boric acid and lithium carbonate and taken up with 1M hydrochloric acid to a total of 100 ml. Depending upon the concentration of zirconium, either a 1- or 4-ml aliquot is introduced into an aqueous carrier stream, merged with sulphuric acid and passed through a small volume anion-exchange column. The enriched zirconium is then back eluted with hydrochloric acid, colour-developed with Arsenazo III, and detected spectrophotometrically at 665 nm.     

A facile synthesis of bimodal mesoporous silica and its replication for bimodal mesoporous carbon

Bimodal mesoporous silica material composed of 30-40 nm sized nanoparticles with 3.5 nm sized three-dimensionally interconnected mesopores was synthesized under neutral conditions using sodium silicate as a silica source. Using the bimodal mesoporous silica as a template, bimodal mesoporous carbon having 4 nm sized framework mesopores and approximately 30 nm sized textural pores was synthesized.     

Layered silicate/epoxy nanocomposites: synthesis,characterization and properties

Novel epoxy‐clay nanocomposites have been prepared by epoxy and organoclays. Polyoxypropylene triamine (Jeffamine T‐403), primary polyethertriamine (Jeffamine T‐5000) and three types of polyoxypropylene diamine (Jeffamine D‐230, D‐400, D‐2000) with different molecular weight were used to treat Na‐montmorillonite (MMT) to form organoclays. The preparation involves the ion exchange of Na⁺ in MMT with the organic ammonium group in Jeffamine compounds. X‐ray diffraction (XRD) confirms the intercalation of these organic moieties to form Jeffamine‐MMT intercalates. Jeffamine D‐230 was used as a swelling agent for the organoclay and curing agent. It was established that the d₀₀₁ spacing of MMT in epoxy‐clay nanocomposites depends on the silicate modification. Although XRD data did not show any apparent order of the clay layers in the T5000‐MMT/epoxy nanocomposite, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) revealed the presence of multiplets with an average size of 5 nm and the average spacing between multiplets falls in the range of 100 Å. The multiplets clustered into mineral rich domains with an average size of 140 nm. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) reveals the absence of mineral aggregate. Nanocomposites exhibit significant increase in thermal stability in comparison to the original epoxy. The effect of the organoclay on the hardness and toughness properties of crosslinked polymer matrix was studied. The hardness of all the resulting materials was enhanced with the inclusion of organoclay. A three‐fold increase in the energy required for breaking the test specimen was found for T5000‐MMT/epoxy containing 7 wt% of organoclay as compared to that of pure epoxy. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Adsorption of trimethylamine on zirconium silicate and polyethylene powder surfaces

Sorptive interactions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) with indoor surfaces play a major role in inhalation exposure to these species. Using ZrSiO₄ and polyethylene (PE) to model mineral surfaces and carpeting, respectively, the adsorption behavior of gaseous trimethylamine (TMA) was examined under conditions of 80% relative humidity (RH) in N₂ and in the presence of 1000 ppm CO₂ or NH₃. TMA adsorption and desorption behavior were studied using attenuated total reflection infrared (ATR-IR) and X-ray photoelectron (XPS) spectroscopies. Spectral data revealed that TMA adsorbed on both surfaces in a protonated state. Stronger adsorption was observed to occur on ZrSiO₄. XPS scans indicate that the “dry” ZrSiO₄ surface maintains OH groups available for bonding, supporting earlier research showing that partition coefficients increase as RH decreases.     

孔壁富含微孔有序介孔材料的设计合成及表征

通过调节水热处理溶液的酸度和温度,进而调控材料孔壁上硅羟基与模板剂的相互作用以及模板剂亲水嵌段嵌入到孔壁内的量,制备出了墙壁富含微孔的有序介孔材料SBA-15.氮气吸附测试表明,当水热处理溶液的pH值和温度分别为2.2和100℃时,经300℃焙烧脱除模板剂后的样品具有较高的微孔含量,其微孔体积为0.176cm3/g,占总孔体积的21.6%.     

Synthesis of mesoporous aluminophosphate (AlPO) and investigation of zirconium incorporation into mesoporous AlPOs

Mesoporous aluminophosphate materials with variable amounts of zirconium have been synthesized at room temperature using a nonionic surfactant tri-block copolymer (PEO(20)PPO(70)PEO(20)) as the structure-directing agent. Powder X-ray diffraction of as-synthesized and calcined AlPO and ZrAlPO mesoporous materials shows a single broad peak near 2theta = 2.5 degrees, indicative of the average pore-pore correlation distance. Electron probe microanalysis shows that the ratio of P/Al in the powders is approximately 0.5, far lower than 1.0 for an ideal aluminophosphate framework. XRD, TEM, and N2 adsorption data indicate that the calcined samples consist of wormlike tubular materials having surface areas >350 m2/g and pores in the mesopore range. Electron spin resonance (ESR) studies of the gamma-irradiated and evacuated ZrAlPO samples show signals due to Zr3+ that increase with Zr content in addition to signals due to framework defects (i.e., V centers) and H atoms. The line shape and g values observed for Zr3+ are best explained as arising from a trivalent zirconium ion situated at the framework tetrahedral sites.     

Adsorption properties of gases on mesoporous chromium silicate

The properties of nitrogen, carbon dioxide, and nitrogen dioxide adsorption onto mesoporous chromium silicates were studied by measurements of both the adsorption isotherms and the IR spectra. The pore sizes of two types of chromium silicates, Cr-FSM-16 (Si/Cr=170 (Cr-FSM-16 [170]) and 390 (Cr-FSM-16 [390])), which contain different amount of Cr, were 2.75 nm. BET surface areas of Cr-FSM-16 were 590 m2/g and they were smaller than that onto FSM-16. The initial heat of adsorption of nitrogen onto Cr-FSM-16 was higher than that onto FSM-16. But the initial heat of adsorption of carbon dioxide onto Cr-FSM-16 was smaller than that onto FSM-16. These results indicated that Cr in Cr-FSM-16 decreased adsorption interaction with carbon dioxide. When nitrogen dioxide was adsorbed on FSM-16 and Cr-FSM-16 at 303 K under no light, an absorption band of nitrogen monoxide adsorbed was measured by IR spectroscopy. This decomposition of nitrogen dioxide by FSM-16 and Cr-FSM-16 was caused by SiOH and Cr, respectively.     

FTIR spectroscopic study of titanium-containing mesoporous silicate materials

The surface acidity of different mesoporous titanium-silicates, such as well-organized hexagonally packed Ti-MMM, Ti-MMM-2, Ti-SBA-15, and amorphous TiO(2)-SiO(2) mixed oxides (aerogels and xerogels), was studied by means of FTIR spectroscopy of CO adsorbed at 80 K and CD(3)CN adsorbed at 293 K. The surface hydroxyl groups of mesoporous titanium-silicates with 2-7 wt % Ti revealed a Br?nsted acidity slightly higher to that of pure silicate. TiO(2)-SiO(2) xerogels revealed the highest Br?nsted acidity among the titanium-silicates studied. CO adsorption revealed two additional sites on the surface in comparison to pure silicate, characterized by nu(CO) from 2185 (high pressure) to 2178 (low pressure) cm(-1) and from 2174 (high pressure) to 2170 (low pressure) cm(-1). These bands are due to CO adsorbed on isolated titanium cations in the silica surrounding or having one Ti(4+) cation in their second coordination sphere and due to CO interactions with Ti-OH groups, respectively. CD(3)CN adsorption similarly revealed the existence of two additional sites, which were not detected for pure silicate: at 2289 cm(-1) due to CD(3)CN interaction with titanol groups and from 2306 (low pressure) to 2300 (high pressure) cm(-1) due to acetonitrile interaction with isolated framework titanium cations with probably one Ti(4+) cation in their second coordination shell. The spectroscopic results are compared with computational data obtained on cluster models of titanium-silicate with different titanium content. According to the IR data, the Ti accessibility on the surfaces for mesoporous titanium-silicates with similar Ti loading (2 wt %) was found to fall in the order TiO(2)-SiO(2) aerogel approximately TiO(2)-SiO(2) xerogel > Ti-MMM approximately Ti-MMM-2 > Ti-SBA-15. This order (except TiO(2)-SiO(2) xerogel) correlates with the catalytic activity found previously for titanium-silicates in 2,3,6-trimethylphenol oxidation with H(2)O(2).     

Interface synthesis of mesoporous MnO2 and its electrochemical capacitive behaviors

Mesoporous MnO(2) has been synthesized by means of a novel, facile, and template-free method by virtue of a soft interface between CCl(4) and H(2)O without any surfactants or organometallic precursors or ligands. X-ray diffraction spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy analysis, scanning electron microscopy, and an ASAP2010 autoadsorption analyzer were applied to investigate the composition and microstructure of the as-synthesized MnO(2). The structure characterizations indicated a good mesoporous structure for as-prepared MnO(2) with an adsorption average pore diameter of 9.7 nm, mesoporous volume of 0.58 cm(3) g(-1), and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller specific surface area of 239 m(2) g(-1). Electrochemical properties of the mesoporous MnO(2) were elucidated by cyclic voltammograms, galvanostatic charge-discharge, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy in 1 M Na(2)SO(4) electrolyte. Electrochemical data analysis demonstrated that as-synthesized MnO(2) had good capacitive behavior due to its unique mesoporous structure. A specific capacitance of ca. 220 F g(-1) could still be delivered for the mesoporous MnO(2) even at a scan rate of 100 mV s(-1).     

Synthesis and characterization of protonated zirconium trisilicate and its exchange phases with strontium

A partially protonated form of the mineral umbite has been prepared by ion exchange of K2ZrSi3O9 x H2O with acetic acid. The protonated phase, compound 1, is assigned the formula H1.45K0.55ZrSi3O9 x 2 H2O and crystallizes in the space group P2(1)/c with unit cell dimensions of a = 7.1002(2), b = 10.1163(3), c = 13.1742(5), and beta = 91.181(1) degrees. The characteristic building blocks of the acid phase are almost identical to those of the parent compound. The framework is composed of polymeric chains of trisilicate groups linked by zirconium atoms, resulting in zeolite-type channels. When viewed down the a axis, two unique ion-exchange channels can be seen. Site 1 is marked by a 12-membered ring and contains 2 cations. Site 2, a 16-membered ring, contains 4 water molecules. Compound 2, consists of a mixed Sr2+ and K+ phase synthesized from 1 by ion exchange with Sr(NO3)2. Compound 2 has the formula K0.34Sr0.83ZrSi3O9 x 1.8 H2O and crystallizes in the same space group P2(1)/c. It has cell dimensions of a = 7.1386(3), b = 10.2304(4), c = 13.1522(4), and beta = 90.222(1) degrees. The Sr2+ cations are distributed evenly among the two exchange sites, showing no preference for either cavity. Compound 3 is the fully substituted Sr phase, SrZrSi3O9 x 2 H2O, and retains the same space group as that of the previous two compounds having unit cell dimensions of a = 7.1425(5), b = 10.2108(8), c = 13.0693(6), and beta = 90.283(1) degrees. The strontium cations show a slight affinity for ion-exchange site 2, having a higher occupancy of 0.535, while site 1 is occupied by the remainder of the Sr2+ cations with an occupancy of 0.465. Batch uptake studies demonstrate a selectivity series among alkaline earth cations of Ba2+ > Sr2+ > Ca2+ > Mg2+.     

Facile synthesis and characterization of novel mesoporous and mesorelief oxides with gyroidal structures.

In this paper, we bring forward an effective strategy, solvothermal postsynthesis, to prepare ordered mesoporous silica materials with highly branched channels. Structural characterizations indicate that the titled mesoporous materials basically have the cubic double gyroidal (space group Ia-3d) structure with small fraction of distortions. The mesopore sizes and surface areas can be up to 8.8 nm and 540 m2/g, respectively, when microwave digestion is employed to remove the organic templates. A phase transition model is proposed, and possible explanations for the successful phase transition are elucidated. The results show that the flexible inorganic framework, high content of organic matrix, and nonpenetration of poly(ethylene oxide) segments may facilitate the structural evolution. This new synthetic strategy can also be extended to the preparation of other double gyroidal silica-based mesoporous materials, such as metal and nonmetal ions doped silica and organo-functionalized silica materials. The prepared 3D mesoporous silica can be further utilized to fabricate various ordered crystalline gyroidal metal oxide "negatives". The mesorelief "negatives" (Co3O4 and In2O3 are detailed here) prepared by impregnation and thermolysis procedures exhibit undisplaced, displaced, and uncoupled enantiomeric gyroidal subframeworks. It has been found that the amount of metal oxide precursors (hydrated metal nitrates) greatly influence the (sub)framework structure and single crystallinity of the mesorelief metal oxide particles. The single crystalline gyroidal metal oxides are ordered both at mesoscale and atomic scale. However, these orders are not commensurate with each other.     

Quantitative TEM analysis of a hexagonal mesoporous silicate structure

TEM analysis of mesoporous materials is generally undertaken to give qualitative results. Accurate quantitative analysis is demonstrated in this study. A systematic image analysis of a powder form of a hexagonal mesoporous material known as KIT-6 is conducted using a transmission electron microscope (TEM). Three types of image contrast typically appear in this material (a hexagonal honeycomb structure, wide and narrow parallel lines). The honeycomb face is used to characterise this material in terms of a conventional 2-D hexagonal structure and the d-spacings for the (100) and (110) planes are experimentally measured in varying focus conditions. A tilting experiment is conducted to determine how the angle of tilt affects the line spacing and their visibility. Tilting has very little effect on the line spacing, whereas it affects the visibility of both the wide and narrow lines by limiting an angle range of visibility. The hexagonal lattice structure parameter determined by TEM method is found to be approximately 7% lower than that calculated by low-angle X-ray diffraction. Thus we conclude that TEM data can be used to determine the geometry and dimensions of hexagonal mesoporous silica materials, with a small error in the hexagonal lattice parameter.     

Anatase formation during the synthesis of mesoporous titania and its photocatalytic effect

Thermally stable mesoporous titania can be synthesized following different synthesis routes. In this paper, mesoporous titania was synthesized applying the evaporation-induced self-assembly (EISA) method. The mesostructured titania was treated with an NH(4)OH solution to increase the thermal stability. The influence of this postsynthesis treatment on the anatase formation was investigated using different initial synthesis conditions. Mesoporous titania was synthesized under both acidic and basic conditions, with hexadecylamine and cetyltrimethylammonium bromide as surfactants. The samples were investigated with FT-Raman to investigate when exactly anatase was formed during the synthesis. It will be shown that the anatase formation depends mainly on the initial synthesis conditions. This study shows that anatase can already be formed before calcination under certain circumstances. Furthermore, the accessibility of the anatase phase influenced the photocatalytic activity.     

Synthesis and characterization of silicate polymers

In this work an inorganic polymer is developed based on Elkem microsilica and potassium hydroxide. Using experimental data and the partial charge model a model for the gelation is suggested based on the hydrolysis and condensation reactions occurring during synthesis. In addition the optimal composition of the binder system was determined using compressive strength test and solubility experiments. Based on partial charge calculations and experimental data for the hydroxide concentration and the viscosity obtained in this study it is suggested that the polymerization of the inorganic polymer is determined by the concentration of silica species. It was found that the alkalinity has a crucial effect on the condensation process. The optimal potassium hydroxide concentration used in the synthesis of the inorganic polymer was found to be around 3.5 M, which resulted in a compressive strength of the product in the region of 50 MPa.     

介孔TiO2粉体的合成和表征及光催化性能研究

本文以甘油为结构导向剂,运用水热合成法制备了介孔二氧化钛粉体(MT),采用抽提和焙烧两种方法除去结构导向剂.分别对合成的样品、P25和商品TiO2粉末(PT)进行了XRD、TEM、TGA、N2等温吸附-脱附等实验表征,根据TGA计算了样品的表面羟基密度.研究了样品光催化降解甲基橙效率与其表面性质的关系.结果表明,经焙烧除去结构导向剂的样品的比表面最高,达285.3m2·g-1,孔径4nm～6nm,具有良好的光催化降解甲基橙性能.     

Preparation and characterization of a nitrogen-doped mesoporous carbon aerogel and its polymer precursor

Nitrogen-containing carbon aerogel was prepared from resorcinol–melamine–formaldehyde (R–M–F) polymer gel precursor. The polymer gel was supercritically dried with CO₂, and the carbonization of the resulting polymer aerogel under nitrogen atmosphere at 900 °C yielded the carbon aerogel. The polymer and carbon aerogels were characterized with TG/DTA–MS, low-temperature nitrogen adsorption/desorption (??196 °C), FTIR, Raman, powder XRD and SEM–EDX techniques. The thermal decomposition of the polymer aerogel had two major steps. The first step was at 150 °C, where the unreacted monomers and the residual solvent were released, and the second one at 300 °C, where the species belonging to the polymer network decomposition could be detected. The pyrolytic conversion of the polymer aerogel was successful, as 0.89 at.% nitrogen was retained in the carbon matrix. The nitrogen-doped carbon aerogel was amorphous and possessed a hierarchical porous structure. It had a significant specific surface area (890 m² g^?1) and pore volume (4.7 cm³ g^?1). TG/DTA–MS measurement revealed that during storage in ambient conditions surface functional groups formed, which were released upon annealing.