Alkoxy-derived fine powders of simple and complex oxides

Fine powders of ZrO₂, ZrO₂-Y₂O₃, BaTi_1–x Zr _x O₃ have been obtained by hydrolysis of alkoxides. For preparation of ZrO₂-based materials precipitation from the partially hydrolyzed alkoxides solutions (sols) has been used. Barium titanate-based materials were obtained by hydroxide-alkoxide route with quick hydrolysis of titanium butoxide by excess of water on the first stage. The effect of the hydrolysis conditions on the size, shape, and specific surface area of the oxide powders has been discussed. Some considerations on comparison of the two hydrolytic techniques have been suggested.     

EXAFS study of zirconium alkoxides as precursor in the sol-gel process: I. Structure investigation of the pure alkoxides

The properties of materials obtained by sol-gel processing show a certain dependence on the type of metal alkoxide and the solvent. Some authors assumed that these effects are caused by the degree of oligomerization of the metal alkoxides and their solvation. In order to obtain information on the structure and molecular complexity of the metal alkoxide we performed an EXAFS study on primary zirconium alkoxides Zr(OR)₄, with OR = n-propoxide and n-butoxide in solution of their parent alcohol. The EXAFS data for zirconium iso-propoxide have been used as a reference, because its solid state structure is known from X-ray analysis. The Zr-Zr correlations which were observed for all investigated systems provide evidence for an oligomeric structure. Because the analysis of the co-ordination spheres around the central Zr-atom revealed different Zr-O bond lengths, some of the formerly postulated structure models can be ruled out. We propose solvated dimers or trimers or mixtures of both species as possible structures of zirconium propoxide and zirconium butoxide in solution of their parent alcohol.     

Synthesis and characterization of novel renewable polyesters based on 2,5‐furandicarboxylic acid and 2,3‐butanediol

Novel polyesters from 2,5‐furandicarboxylic acid or 2,5‐dimethyl‐furandicarboxylate and 2,3‐butanediol have been synthesized via bulk polycondensation catalyzed by titanium (IV) n‐butoxide, tin (IV) ethylhexanoate, or zirconium (IV) butoxide. The polymers were analyzed by size exclusion chromatography, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), matrix‐assisted laser ionization‐desorption time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry, electrospray ionization time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry, electrospray ionization quadruple time‐of‐flight mass spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, and differential scanning calorimetry. Fully bio‐based polyesters with number average molecular weights ranging from 2 to 7 kg/mol were obtained which can be suitable for coating applications. The analysis of their thermal properties proved that these polyesters are thermally stable up to 270–300 °C, whereas their glass transition temperature (T_g) values were found between 70 and 110 °C. Furthermore, a material was prepared with a molecular weight of 13 kg/mol, with a T_g of 113 °C. This high T_g would make this material possibly suitable for hot‐fill applications. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2013     

Effect of Zirconia Precursor on the Properties of ZrO2-SiO2 Sol-Gel Oxides

Sol-gel zirconia-silica oxides were synthesized with two zirconium precursors, zirconium n-butoxide and zirconium acetylacetonate, and two different hydrolysis catalysts, HCl and H₂SO₄. The samples prepared with HCl were additionally sulfated with a 1 M solution of H₂SO₄. Characterization was performed with FTIR and ²⁹Si-MAS-NMR spectroscopy, as well as with nitrogen adsorption. Because zirconium and silicon alkoxides have different hydrolysis rates, it was necessary to perform a pre-hydrolysis of the silicon alkoxide before mixing. The atom distribution in the ZrO₂-SiO₂ system depended on the zirconium precursor, which also determined the zirconium incorporation in the silica lattice, which was greater for zirconium acetylacetonate. The zirconium precursor also was responsible for the silanol concentration, which increases when samples were sulfated. Sulfating stabilizes the specific surface area. On sulfate samples calcined at 800°C BET areas larger than 500 m²/g were obtained.     

Hardness and Young's modulus of transcrystalline polypropylene by Vickers and Knoop microindentation

A study of the anisotropic microhardness and Young's modulus of transcrystalline isotactic polypropylene grown from the surface of high modulus carbon fibers is described. Static microindentation experiments were performed with Knoop and Vickers tips. The Young's moduli of the transcrystalline region were estimated from Knoop microindentation data by using a method recently developed in our laboratory. Data for the different lamellar directions were generated using the Knoop tip, which is sensitive to material anisotropy. We found that the hardness and Young's modulus of the transcrystalline layer are higher by up to 30% when the longer diagonal of the probing Knoop tip is perpendicular to the transcrystalline growth direction, compared to when the diagonal is parallel to that direction. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci B: Polym Phys 37: 523–530, 1999     

Substoichiometric TiCl4-mediated vicinal difunctionalization of α,β-acetylenic ketones for the synthesis of β-halo Baylis–Hillman olefins

A substoichiometric amount of titanium tetrachloride was found to be effective to promote and participate in the tandem α-hydroxyalkylation/β-chlorination of α,β-acetylenic ketones in the presence of (n-Bu)₄NI. This method provides the concise synthesis of (E)-β-halo Baylis–Hillman adducts. No β-iodo products were detected when using this combination of halogen sources. The reaction process involves 1,4-addition of chloro anion released from TiCl₄ onto α,β-acetylenic ketones to give TiCl₃–allenolate intermediates followed by the titanium Lewis acid-promoted carbonyl addition. Modest to good yields (53–77%) and excellent E/Z stereoselectivity (>95%) have been obtained for 10 examples.     

Structural, electronic and elastic properties of MAX phases M2GaN (M = Ti, V and Cr)

Based on first-principles total energy calculations, we have investigated the systematic trends for structural, electronic and elastic properties of the MAX phases M₂GaN depending on the type of M transition metal (M are Ti, V and Cr). The optimized zero pressure geometrical parameters: the two unit cell lengths (a, c), the internal coordinate z and the bulk modulus are calculated. The results for the lattice constants are in agreement with the available experimental data. The band structures show that all studied materials are electrical conductors. The analysis of the site-projected l-decomposed density of states shows that bonding is due to M d-N p and M d-Ga p hybridizations. The elastic constants are calculated using the static finite strain technique. The shear modulus C₄₄, which is directly related to the hardness, reaches its maximum when the valence electron concentration is in the range 10.5–11.0. The isotropic elastic moduli, namely, bulk modulus (B), shear modulus (G), Young's modulus (E) and Poisson's ratio (σ) are calculated in framework of the Voigt–Reuss–Hill approximation for ideal polycrystalline M₂GaN aggregates. We estimated the Debye temperature of M₂GaN from the average sound velocity. This is the first quantitative theoretical prediction of the electronic structures, and elastic constants and related properties for Ti₂GaN, V₂GaN and Cr₂GaN compounds that require experimental confirmation.     

Silica-Zirconia Sol–Gel Coatings Obtained by Different Synthesis Routes

Homogeneous xSiO₂-(1−x)ZrO₂ coatings have been prepared onto glass-slides, monocrystalline Si and stainless steel (AISI 304) using sols prepared via acid and basic catalysis. Zirconium tetrabutoxide (TBOZr), zirconium n-propoxide (TPZ), tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) and methyltriethoxysilane (MTES) were used as precursors of zirconia and silica, respectively. The different parameters involved in the synthesis procedure, as molar ratios H₂O/alkoxides, NaOH/alkoxides, and sintering temperature have been analysed, correlating the stability and rheological properties of the sols. The evolution and structure of the sols and coatings have been studied by FTIR. Coatings have been prepared by dipping from acid and basic sols. Electrophoretic Deposition (EPD) technique has also been used to prepare coatings onto stainless steel from basic particulate sols in order to increase the critical thickness. A maximum thickness of 0.5 μ m was reached by both dipping and EPD process for 75SiO₂: 25 ZrO₂ composition. The critical thickness decreases with ZrO₂ amount depending strongly of the drying conditions. Si–O–Zr bonds have been identified by FTIR, indicating the existence of mixed network Si–O–Zr in the coatings obtained by the different routes. Crystallisation of ZrO₂(t) was only observed at high sintering temperature (900^∘C) by FTIR and confirmed by DRX.     

ZrO<Subscript>2</Subscript> and Cu/ZrO<Subscript>2</Subscript> Sol–Gel Materials Spectroscopic Characterization

Copper-doped zirconia (1% mol) and zirconia powders were prepared by the sol–gel process, using zirconium n-butoxide and copper nitrate as precursors. The resulting xerogels are nanocrystalline and exhibit different properties from the corresponding microcrystalline materials. The copper nitrate salt was dissolved and co-gelled in situ at the initial stage of the reaction. The properties of the resulting materials were studied by XRD, FTIR and UV-Vis. The as-prepared samples were amorphous and crystallized to the tetragonal zirconia phase at 400 °C. At temperatures higher than 600 °C, the monoclinic phase was also obtained. No evidence of discrete crystalline copper compounds was observed, consistent with good dispersion of the dopant. Several bands were observed by FTIR in the 4400–3000 cm^–1 region, which diminishes in intensity and shifted to higher wavenumbers with heating. The bandgap energy (E_g) was strongly modulated by the presence of the dopant and heating temperature, with increasing temperature leading to a corresponding decrease in E_g.     

Behavior of Porous Titanium and Catalytically Active Electrodes Based on It in Acidic Chloride Solutions

The behavior of porous titanium and electrodes based on it, which are activated with Pt, Au, RuO₂, Co₃O₄, and MnO₂, in 20-% LiCl solution (pH –0.4 to –0.5) is studied. On porous titanium in the potential ranges 0.1 < E< 0.5 and 0.5 < E< 1.1 V (NHE), the formation of titanium hydrides and passive oxide layers, respectively, is observed; the processes decay with time. In the ranges E< 0.1 and E> 1.1 V, the dissolved oxygen reduction and chlorine evolution, respectively, are observed on porous titanium at high overpotentials. On porous titanium activated with thin-layer Pt, Au, and RuO₂coatings, the functional Evs. pH dependence, which is typical for these electrocatalysts, breaks down due to the conjugate reactions of titanium oxidation. On porous titanium activated with Co₃O₄and MnO₂, at pH below unity, chlorine evolution is observed; its rate is limited by the chlorine mass transfer into the bulk solution. Under a gas-diffusion control, the chlorine evolution rate is determined by the diffusion of absorbed hydrogen chloride. The conditions of application of porous titanium as the support for catalytically active electrodes of electrochemical sensors in acidic chloride solutions are considered.     

Multi-component hybrid inorganic–organic–inorganic particles with various metal oxide outer shells

Non-agglomerated hybrid particles of 200 nm diameter with an outer metal oxide shell were prepared by reacting the COOH groups of poly((S)-N-dicarbazolyl-lysine)-covered silica particles with metal alkoxides, such as titanium, zirconium and aluminum alkoxides, followed by sol–gel processing. With tetraethoxysilane (Si(OEt)₄), the silica particle core was growing rather than forming an external metal oxide shell, as observed for the other tested metal alkoxides.     

Solvothermal synthesis of large surface area zirconia

The reaction of zirconium n-propoxide in glycol at 300°C yielded microcrystalline tetragonal zirconia (ZrO₂). The crystallite size of the product depended on the carbon number of the glycol and increased in the following order (carbon number of glycol): 2<6<4, which suggested that the heterolytic cleavage of O-C bond of gylcoxide formed by transesterification is the prime factor for the formation of the product. In toluene, zirconium isopropoxide also gave tetragonal zirconia at 300°C, and zirconium tert-butoxide decomposed at 200°C yielding amorphous zirconia, while zirconium n-propoxide was stable at 300°C. These results suggest that the reaction in toluene depends on the structure of the alkyl group of the alkoxides. Thus-obtained tetragonal zirconias maintained large surface areas (90–160 m²/g) even after calcination at 500°C.     

State of phosphorus in sorbents based on titanium and zirconium phosphates from 31P NMR spectroscopy data

A ³¹P NMR method has been used to study sorbents based on titanium and zirconium phosphates synthesized by bulk mixing the reagents and treatment of x-ray amorphous TiO₂, rutile and ZrO₂ by phosphoric acid. In the bulk titanium and zirconium phosphates the phosphorus occurs in four different states, phosphate groups bonded through cross-linking oxygen atoms with one, two, and three atoms of the metal and molecules of phosphoric acid trapped in the matrix of the sorbent in the synthesis process. It is established that the method of grafting the phosphate groups to the surfaces of the hydrated TiO₂ and ZrO₂ is determined by the crystalline and chemical properties of the surfaces.Translated from Teoreticheskaya i Éksperimental'naya Khimiya, Vol. 24, No. 5, pp. 633–636, September–October, 1988.     

Bestimmung von Spuren Titan und Zirkonium in Molybd?n und Wolfram bzw. deren Sauerstoffverbindungen durch R?ntgenfluorescenz-Spektralanalyse (RFA)

Zusammenfassung Eine Methode zur Bestimmung von Mikrogramm-Mengen Titan und Zirkonium in metallischem Molybdän und Wolfram bzw. in den Ausgangsstoffen MoO₃ bzw. WO₃ und H₂WO₄ wird vorgestellt. Die Methode beruht auf der Trennung der Titan- und Zirkoniumspuren von der Molybdänbzw. Wolframmatrix, wobei die Trennung durch Mitfällung der Spurenverunreinigungen erfolgt; als Kollektor findet Kobalthydroxid Verwendung. Die so erhaltenen Hydroxidniederschläge werden auf Filterpapier gesammelt und nach Trocknen derselben durch RFA vermessen. Mit dieser Arbeitstechnik erhält man bis zu 1 · 10^–4 g Titan bzw. Zirkonium Eichgeraden; die Erfassungsgrenze für Titan kann mit 3,4 · 10^–8 g, die für Zirkonium mit 5,0 · 10^–7 g angegeben werden. Die Gesamtdauer für eine Einzelanalyse beträgt etwa 45 min, wobei aber mehrere Proben gleichzeitig analysiert werden können.

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Determination of trace impurities of titanium and zirconium in molybdenum and tungsten and their oxygen compounds by X-ray fluorescence spectrometry

A method for the determination of trace impurities of titanium and zirconium in metallic molybdenum and tungsten or in their basic products MoO₃, WO₃ and H₂WO₄ is presented. The method is based on coprecipitation of the trace impurities titanium and zirconium with cobalt hydroxide as carrier from molybdenum and tungsten matrices. The hydroxide precipitates are collected on filter paper and measured by XRF after drying. In that way it is possible to get linear calibration curves up to 1 · 10^–4 g; the limits of detection are determined to be 3.4 · 10^–3 g for titanium and 5.0 · 10^–7 g for zirconium. About 45 min are necessary for one analysis, but several samples can be analysed simultaneously.

     

Instantaneous strain recovery elasticity and endothermic heat change in nylon-6 monofilaments and silicone rubbers

The instantaneous elastic moduli for a nylon-6 monofilament were derived on strain recoveries right after creep, stress relaxation, and rapid elongation,E _c ,E _s andE _e , respectively. It was found that during strain recoveryE _s (>E _e ) andE _e increase monotonically with increasing load,m ₁, on the sample. The extrapolated value of E_s atm ₁=0 g is almost equal to Young's modulus, 4.06 GPa. The value ofE _c also increased with increasingm ₁, and atm ₁=600 g (1.93 t cm^–2) reached about 14 GPa. The endothermic heat change right after creep, stress relaxation or rapid elongation,Q, was negligibly small. For comparison,E _s ,E _c andQ were also investigated for silicone rubber. It was found thatE _s (53.8 M Pa at the draw ratioD=1.2) decreased abruptly atD=1.3. In the range ofD=1.4–1.9,E _s was only 22.6 MPa. In the case of stress relaxation,Q increased with increasingD from 4 J mol^–1 (atD=1.2) to 56 J mol^–1 (atD=1.9). FurthermoreE _c (5.58 MPa atm ₁=133.8 g (429.4 kg cm^–2)) increased gradually with increasing m₁ and attained 16.6 MPa atm ₁=548.4 g (1.76 t cm^–2). In the case of creep,Q was in the range of 0–11.5 J mol^–1 and larger when larger loads,m ₂ were removed during the later stages of creep.Dedicated to Professor Bernhard Wunderlich on the occasion of his 65th birthdayThe author wishes to thank Mr. Keizi Igarashi and Mr. Tetsuya Yasui for helping in the experiments.     

Multiple attenuated total internal reflection spectra of ultrathin titanium oxide layers synthesized on a germanium surface

We have realized a vacuum variant for recording the multiple attenuated total internal reflection spectra of ultrathin (2–30 nm) layers of titanium dioxide directly over the course of their synthesis by the molecular lamination method on the surface of germanium single crystals. To a first approximation, there is a linear relationship between the intensity of the bands of the doublet at 890 and 820 cm^–1 (respectivelyv _as andv _s(Ti – O) and the number of molecular lamination cycles (thickness of the synthesized layers); deviations from linearity are due to the effects of the substrate and are expressed in changes in the shape of the contour of the doubletv _as/v _s for thicknesses <10 nm. Redistribution of the intensity in thev _as,v _s bands with an increase in thickness (>20 nm) of the titanium dioxide layer is due to the content of adsorbed H₂O and HCl molecules in the layer, desorption of which when the samples are heated leads to denser packing of the synthesized layers.Translated from Teoreticheskaya i Eksperimental'naya Khimiya, Vol. 26, No. 2, pp. 251–255, March–April, 1990.     

Microwave Spectrum of 1,3-Dioxolane. Potential Function of Hindered Pseudorotation and Molecular Conformation

Vibrational and rotational transitions of c type with 24 ≥ J ≥ 18 between the pseudorotational states v = 4 and v = 5 have been identified in the range 23 GHz–39 GHz of the microwave spectrum of 1,3-dioxolane (C₃H₆O₂); their frequencies have been measured. Spectrum analysis was performed using numerical diagonalization of the effective rotational Hamiltonian for three states: v = 4, 5, and 6 of hindered pseudorotation, and it gave the intervals ΔE ₄₅ = 331,023 MHz and ΔE ₅₆ = 298,771 MHz. The potential function of hindered pseudorotation was determined from the values of ΔE ₄₅ and Δ E ₅₆ and from the values of ΔE ₀₁, ΔE ₁₂, ΔE ₂₃, and ΔE ₇₈ found previously for the molecule; the molecular conformation has been established.Original Russian Text Copyright © 2004 by A. Kh. Mamleev, L. N. Gunderova, R. V. Galeev, and A. A. Shapkin__________Translated from Zhurnal Strukturnoi Khimii, Vol. 45, No. 6, pp. 1008–1012, November–December, 2004.     

Zirconium titanate synthesis by diethanol amine based sol-gel route

ZrTiO₄ powder are synthesized by a modified sol-gel route via bimetallic diethanol amine complex of zirconium and titanium alkoxides. Samples are cured at 140°C and calcined between 500–800°C. Powders are characterized with XRD, TGA, DTA, SEM and TEM methods. The ZrTiO₄ powders are obtained at 650°C from the amorphous form. No identified peaks can be attibuted to other phases, namely, zirconia and titania are not observed.     

The synthesis and polymerization behavior of bimetallic pyridine diamide complexes containing transition metal (Ti,Zr)

Titanium and zirconium complexes with a pyridine diamide ligand, [2,6-(RNCH₂)₂NC₅H₃]²⁻ (PDMP; R = 2,6-dimethylphenyl) have been synthesized and their catalytic behaviors investigated for ethylene polymerization. It was found that the zirconium complexes, [PDMP]ZrCl₂ (7) and [PDMP][ZrCl₃ × THF]₂ (8), gave higher activities than the titanium complexes, [PDMP]TiCl₂ (5) and [PDMP][TiCl₃]₂ (6). The bimetallic complexes (6, 8) gave higher activities than the corresponding monometallic complexes (5, 7). The titanium complexes gave polymers with higher molecular weight (M_w) than the zirconium complexes. The molecular weight distribution (M_w/M_n) of the polymers obtained from the pyridine diamide complexes were much broader than that of the normal metallocene catalysts. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 37: 3756–3762, 1999