Attenuated total reflectance fourier transform infrared analysis of fly ash geopolymer gel aging

Structural changes in fly ash geopolymers activated with different sodium hydroxide and silicate concentrations are investigated using attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy over a period of 200 days. A strong correlation is found between the concentration of silicate monomer in the activating solution and the position of the main Si-O-T stretching band in the FTIR spectrum, which gives an indication of the relative changes in the gel Si/Al ratio. The FTIR spectra of geopolymer samples with activating solution concentrations of up to 1.2 M SiO2 indicate that an Al-rich gel forms before the final gel composition is reached. The time required for the system to reach a steady gel composition depends on the silicate activating solution concentration and speciation. Geopolymers activated with solutions containing predominantly high-order silicate species rapidly reach a steady gel composition without first forming an Al-rich gel. A minimum silicate monomer concentration of approximately 0.6 M is required to shift the geopolymer synthesis mechanism from hydroxide activation to silicate activation. Silicate speciation in the activating solutions also affects zeolite formation and geopolymer microstructures, with a more homogeneous microstructure and less zeolite formation observed at a higher SiO2 content.     

The effect of an activation solution with siliceous species on the chemical reactivity and mechanical properties of geopolymers

Precursors are critical parameters in geopolymerization mechanisms because they govern the reaction kinetics as well as the working properties of the final materials. This study focuses on the effect of alkaline solutions on geopolymer formation. Toward this end, several geopolymer samples were synthesized from the same metakaolin and various alkaline solutions. First, the solutions were characterized by thermogravimetric analysis as well as DTA–TGA, infrared spectroscopy, and MAS-NMR spectrometry. The structural evolution of the formed geopolymers was investigated using infrared spectroscopy. The measurement of mechanical strength was tested by compression. The results provide evidence of relationships between the chemical composition, the extent of depolymerization of the alkaline solutions, the kinetics of Si–O–Si bond substitution by Si–O–Al and the compressive strength. For a given aluminosilicate source, the nature and the quantity of siliceous species in the activation solution appear to lead to variation in the reactivity and, consequently, to the formation of various networks that control the kinetics of formation of geopolymers and their mechanical properties.

     

Synthesis of consolidated materials from alkaline solutions and metakaolin: existence of domains in the Al–Si–K/O ternary diagram

The activation of metakaolin using an alkaline solution is a method for producing high quality consolidated materials. Si, Al and K are the main factors that influence the nature of the consolidated materials. This study focuses on the effects of the composites on the final network formation. Two types of alkaline solutions, one (S_c) based on a commercial potassium silicate solution and the other (S _l ) synthesized by mixing KOH and amorphous silica, were studied, and their effects on the network formation of consolidated materials were compared and discussed. Four types of materials were observed and identified based on different Si, Al and K contents, including a geopolymer, gel, sedimented materials and hardening materials. These behaviors are manifested in the various polycondensation mechanisms and microstructures, which were characterized using FTIR spectroscopy, thermal analysis, X-ray diffraction measurements and Scanning electron microscope observations. The influence of Si, Al and K is discussed according to network formation.     

Geomaterial foams: role assignment of raw materials in the network formation

The geomaterial foams studied is based on geopolymerization reactions, which is a type of geosynthesis that involves silico-aluminates. Its study during formation has however revealed a different behavior than geopolymer, suggesting the formation of various networks. This work investigates the interaction between initial compounds (metakaolin, silica fume, potassium-based solution) by a kind of mixture decomposition to ultimately understand the formation mechanism of foam. The structural evolution was determined using thermal analysis, FTIR spectroscopy and ²⁷Al and ²⁹Si MAS-NMR measurements. The use of different raw materials in combination with various solutions demonstrates the formation of various species in solution. The reactivity of the solution will then evolve in different ways. The Si/K ratio controlled the type of species created and, particularly, the reactivity in the mixture. From the various reactions of dissolution and polycondensation that were deduced, we could identify the composition of the four networks (K_0.5SiAl_0.75O_6.8H_8.6; K₂Si₂O₅; KAlSi₂O₄,1.5H₂O; and amorphous silica) constituting the foam.     

Electrospray mass spectrometry study of tiopronin monolayer-protected gold nanoclusters

Electrospray ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (ESI-TOF MS) and gel permeation chromatography (GPC) were used to study the synthesis of a series of tiopronin monolayer-protected gold nanoclusters (MPCs) and to monitor their postsynthesis peptide ligand place-exchange reactions. All mass spectra identified the presence of cyclic gold(I)-thiolates with a strong preference for tetrameric species. During the synthesis of pre-monolayer-protected nanoclusters (pre-MPCs), esterified gold(I)-thiolate tetramers were initially observed in minor abundance (with respect to disulfide bridged tiopronin species) before dramatically increasing in abundance and precipitating from solution. After conversion of pre-MPCs to MPCs, ESI-TOF mass spectra demonstrated an overall predominance of tetrameric species with conversion from ester-terminated end groups to carboxyl-terminated end groups. Further modifications were performed through postsynthesis ligand place-exchange reactions to validate the existence of the tetramers. This work suggests that monolayer protection is accomplished by cyclized gold(I)-thiolate tetramers on the gold core surface, and/or that gold(I)-thiolates are a basic building block within the nanoparticles.     

Novel Foaming-Agent Free Insulating Geopolymer Based on Industrial Fly Ash and Rice Husk

This study highlights the synthesis of a new thermal insulating geopolymer based on the alkaline activation of fly ashes. A porous geopolymer material can be prepared without the addition of a foaming agent, using high ratio solution/ashes (activating solutions used are water, sodium or potassium hydroxide). In order to increase the porosity of the material and to make it more ecological, rice husks are incorporated into the formulation. The geopolymer materials were prepared at room temperature and dried at moderate temperature (105 °C) by a simple procedure. The microstructural characteristics of these new porous geopolymers were assessed by optical microscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and X-ray fluorescence (XRF). Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) was used to confirm the geopolymerisation. The effect of the ratio solution/ashes and the percentage of the rice husk addition on thermal and mechanical analysis was evaluated. An insulating material for a solution/ashes ratio of 0.9 and a rice husk content of 15% having a λ value of 0.087 W/(m·K), a porosity of 61.4% and an Rc value of 0.1 MPa was successfully prepared.     

Structure formation in heavy metal oxyhydrates at low rates of gel formation

Oxyhydrate gels have a hydrophilic surface, due to which they undergo destruction and secondary polymerization in aqueous media. Prolonged storage in aqueous solution gives rise to regions with selfsimilar helical ordering in gels. Structuring of this kind is also observed when synthesis is conducted under conditions that provide low gelation rates. Electromagnetic UV and visible radiation is another means to change the gel structure; it makes the oligomer species pass into the excited state, due to which one of the directions of structuring becomes dominant. This work summarizes the results of computer simulation of gel agglomerates. For oxyhydrate systems, helical ordering was found to be one of the local energy minima. The units of a macrohelix can lie at various angles relative to one another, and they can change, after absorption of energy, the helix pitch and the order of elements in the helix.     

Temperature-responsive hydrogels from cellulose

The aim of this work is to prepare the temperature-responsive cellulosic hydrogels undergoing a large volume change in an aqueous solution on heating or cooling. To this end, we prepared 0-methyl cellulose (MC) and O-(Z-hydroxy-3-butoxypropyl) cellulose (HBPC) which precipitate out of solution on heating without forming gel. MC and HBPC derivatives prepared by homogeneous reactions were proved to be promising raw materials for the cellulosic hydrogels mentioned above. The results on the phase separation of the derivatives were discussed in terms of the distribution of substituents along the cellulose chain and in the anhydroglucose units.     

One template synthesis of raspberry-like hierarchical siliceous hollow spheres

We report the synthesis of raspberry-like hierarchical siliceous hollow spheres (HSHS) via a one-pot, one template approach. The siliceous species and block copolymer molecules self-assemble simultaneously into composite spherical micelles and vesicles in solution. The colloidal interaction between spheres with different sizes gives rise to the final HSHS structure with a raspberry morphology.     

非硅基介孔材料和介孔复合体的合成与特性

非硅基介孔材料和介孔复合体的合成与特性;介孔固体;介孔复合体;二氧化钛薄膜;液晶模板机理     

Synthesis and characterization of silica gel from siliceous sands of southern Tunisia

The present work aimed to achieve valorization of Albian sands for the preparation of sodium silicates that are commonly used as a precursor to prepare silica gel. A siliceous sand sample was mixed with sodium carbonate and heated at a high temperature (1060 °C) to prepare sodium silicates. The sodium silicates were dissolved in distilled water to obtain high quality sodium silicate solution. Hydrochloric acid was then slowly added to the hydrated sodium silicates to obtain silica gel. The collected raw siliceous sands, as well as the prepared silica gels, were characterized by different techniques, such as X-ray fluorescence (XRF), X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and thermal analysis (DSC). XRF confirmed that the detrital sand deposits of southern Tunisia contain high amounts of silica, with content ranging from 88.8% to 97.5%. The internal porosity varied between 17% and 22%, and the specific surface area was less than 5 m²/g. After the treatment described above, it was observed that the porosity of the obtained silica gel reached 57% and the specific surface area exceeded 340 m²/g. Nitrogen adsorption isotherms showed that the prepared silica gels are microporous and mesoporous materials with high adsorption capacities. These results suggest that the obtained silica gels are promising materials for numerous environmental applications.     

氟离子对无胺法合成高硅丝光沸石的结构导向作用

 在含氟无胺体系中合成了高硅丝光沸石，研究了合成条件对丝光沸石产物的影响．结果表明，投料n（SiO2）／n（Al2O3）＝20～200时，控制晶化条件可得到高硅丝光沸石纯相．由含氟无胺体系中丝光沸石的热力学稳定相区可见，氟离子的引入对方沸石的生成的相区无影响，ZSM－5和镁碱沸石生成的相区消失，丝光沸石生成的相区扩大，石英生成的相区缩小，且基本上变为两相共存区．合成产物丝光沸石的硅铝比随着氟硅比的升高同步增大，证明氟离子在无胺合成高硅丝光沸石时具有结构导向作用．     

Solid-state NMR study of geopolymer prepared by sol-gel chemistry

Geopolymers are a new class of materials formed by the condensation of aluminosilicates and silicates obtained from natural minerals or industrial wastes. In this work, the sol-gel method is used to synthesize precursor materials for the preparation of geopolymers. The geopolymer samples prepared by our synthetic route have been characterized by a series of physical techniques, including Fourier-transform infrared, X-ray diffraction, and multinuclear solid-state NMR. The results are very similar to those obtained for the geopolymers prepared from natural kaolinite. We believe that our synthetic approach can offer a good opportunity for the medical applications of geopolymer.     

Using Polymer-Colloid Complexes for Obtaining Mesoporous Aluminium Oxide by the Template Sol-Gel Method

The paper reports the results of using polymer-colloid complexes in solutions in order to control textural properties of mesoporous aluminium oxide in the sol–gel synthesis process. Polyethyleneimine, cetyltrimethylammonium chloride, as well as a polymer-colloid complex formed by their interaction in the solution were used as pore-forming templates. The mesoporous aluminium oxides synthesized in this work had a narrow pore size distribution and a large surface area. The application of different templates made it possible to affect the mechanism of supramolecular self–assembly of materials, namely by controlling the pore sizes. When the polymer-colloid complex was used as the template for the formation of aluminium oxide nanostructures, 6 nm cylindrical pores were formed, while using individual templates led to the formation of 8–13 nm mesopores. Identifying the formation mechanism of a certain pore type will make it possible to use these materials in specific reactions.     

Continuous flow synthesis of porous materials

Porous materials play an important role in chemical catalysis,separation and other industrial applications.High-efficiency preparation of porous materials has become an active research area.Conventional synthesis of porous materials has been dominated by one-pot solution processing conditions carried out by bulk mixing under conventional electric heating via hydrothermal,solvothermal or ionothermal reactions where high temperatures and pressures are the standard.Continuous flow synthesis has many key advantages in terms of efficient mass and heat transfer,precise control of residence times,improved opportunities for automation and feedback control of synthesis,scaling-up reactions and improved safety parameters compared to above mentioned conventional batch scale synthetic methods.In this review,continuous flow synthesis of various crystalline porous materials such as metal-organic frameworks(MOFs),covalent-organic frameworks(COFs),porous organic cages and zeolites is discussed.Combination of microfluidic methods with other techniques are also shown including various heating ways and various methods of substrate adding.     

Synthesis of dye functionalized xerogels via nucleophilic aromatic substitution of fluoro aromatic compounds with aminosilanes

The one-pot synthesis of inorganic–organic hybrid materials via combination of sol–gel process and nucleophilic aromatic substitution reaction of various fluoro aromatic compounds and 3-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane has been studied. Both, nucleophilic aromatic substitution reaction and sol–gel process can be accomplished in the same reaction vessel due to the sol–gel precursor tetraethoxysilane acting as solvent during the first reaction step. Hydrogen fluoride, which forms as a by-product of the substitution reaction, is trapped by both silane species present and subsequently serves as catalyst during the sol–gel process. The obtained materials can be classified as type II xerogels, because of the covalent linkage between organic chromophor and inorganic silicon network. Fluoro aromatic compounds with different reactivities for nucleophilic aromatic substitution reactions containing azo, azomethine, and diphenylamine groups were used in order to (1) demonstrate the synthetic concept and (2) fine-tune the optical properties of the resulting chromophoric xerogels. The final chromophor content within the xerogels was varied by modifying the ratio of organosilicon precursor and tetraethoxysilane. All obtained organic–inorganic hybrid materials were characterized in detail using solid state NMR- and UV/vis spectroscopy. Latter one gave experimental confirmation of the partial hydrolysis of azomethine dyes in the xerogels, while no decomposition of azo or diphenylamine dyes was observed.     

Time‐Resolved In Situ MAS NMR Monitoring of the Nucleation and Growth of Zeolite BEA Catalysts under Hydrothermal Conditions

Time‐resolved ¹³C, ²³Na, ²⁷Al, and ²⁹Si MAS NMR has been applied in situ for monitoring the hydrothermal synthesis of zeolite BEA. Isotopic labelling with ²⁹Si and ¹³C isotopes has been used to follow the fate of siliceous species and structure directing agent ((¹³CH₃−CH₂)₄NOH). Two mechanistic pathways, namely solution‐mediated and solid–solid hydrogel rearrangement have been distinguished for two synthesis procedures studied. The mechanisms of structure‐directing behavior of TEA⁺ cations in two reaction pathways have been elucidated. The results show that multinuclear MAS NMR can serve as a superior tool for monitoring hydrothermal synthesis of various solids including zeolites, zeotypes, mesoporous materials, metal–organic frameworks and so on and for the design of novel outstanding materials for different applications.     

Fluorescence probing investigation of the mechanism of formation of MSU-type mesoporous silica prepared in fluoride medium

The mechanism of formation of a MSU-type siliceous material from tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) in the presence of the nonionic surfactant tergitol T-15-S-12, sulfuric acid, and sodium fluoride has been investigated using mainly fluorescence probing techniques and, to a lesser extent, dynamic light scattering (DLS) and 29Si NMR spectroscopy. The tergitol micelles present in the systems obtained by progressively generating the reaction mixture giving rise to the mesostructured material by adding to an appropriate tergitol solution sulfuric acid, TEOS, and NaF were characterized by fluorescence probing (micelle aggregation number, micropolarity, and microviscosity) and also by dynamic light scattering (apparent micelle diameter). 29Si NMR experiments were also performed on selected systems after hydrolysis of the TEOS. The fluorescence probing techniques were also used to follow the changes of micelle characteristics with time during the evolution of the full reaction mixture from a limpid solution to a system containing a minor amount of condensed siliceous material. The synthesized solid material was characterized by X-ray diffraction and nitrogen adsorption-desorption analyses. The micelle aggregation number N was found to change only little, and the micropolarity remained constant when going from the tergitol solution to the full reaction mixture. The results of DLS measurements agree with this finding. Besides, while the condensation of silica took place after addition of NaF, the N value increased only very little with time up to the point where a small amount of mesostructured material precipitated out. These results indicate that the interaction between tergitol micelles and the siliceous species formed in the system by the hydrolysis of TEOS and also between micelles and the growing siliceous species must be very weak. As in our previous studies of the mechanism of formation of MCM41-type material from sodium silicate in the presence of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide, it appears that the locus of formation of the mesostructured material is not the micelle surface but the bulk phase. Micelles only act as reservoirs of surfactant providing surfactant monomer that binds to the growing siliceous species.     

Initial stages of SBA-15 synthesis: an overview

This work presents an overview of the data obtained for SBA-15 synthesis under the reaction conditions using synchrotron based small angle X-ray scattering and small angle neutron scattering. Three major stages in the synthesis of SBA-15 materials proceeding according to the cooperative self-assembly mechanism have been identified, and the structures of the intermediates species have been established. Our in situ time-resolved neutron scattering experiments demonstrate that only spherical micelles of the templating agent are present in the synthesis mixture during the first stage of the reaction. According to the neutron scattering and X-ray scattering data, in the second stage of the reaction the formation of hybrid organic-inorganic micelles is accompanied with the transformation from spherical to cylindrical micelles, which takes place before the precipitation of the ordered SBA-15 phase. During the third stage, these micelles aggregate into a two-dimensional hexagonal structure, confirming that the precipitation takes place as the result of self-assembly of the hybrid cylindrical micelles. As the synthesis proceeds, the voids between the cylinders are filled with the silicate species which undergo condensation reactions resulting in cross-linking and covalent bonding, leading to the formation of highly ordered SBA-15 mesostructure. This work demonstrates that valuable structural information can be obtained from X-ray and neutron scattering characterisation of complex systems containing periodic phases with d-spacing values up to 30 nm, and that both techniques are powerful means for in situ monitoring of the formation of nanostructured materials.     

Hollow STW-Type Zeolite Single Crystals with Aluminum Gradient for Highly Selective Production of p-Xylene from Methanol-Toluene Alkylation

Zeolites with uniform micropores are important shape-selective catalysts. However, the external acid sites of zeolites have a negative impact on shape-selective catalysis, and the microporosity may lead to serious diffusion limitation. Herein, we report on the direct synthesis of hierarchical hollow STW-type zeolite single crystals with a siliceous exterior. In an alkalinous fluoride medium, the nucleation of highly siliceous STW zeolites takes place first, and the nanocrystals are preferentially aligned on the outer surface of the gel agglomerates to grow into single crystalline shells upon crystallization. The lagged crystallization of the internal Al-rich amorphous gels onto the inner surface of nanocrystalline zeolite shells leads to the formation of hollow cavities in the core of the zeolite crystals. The hollow zeolite single crystals possess a low-to-high aluminum gradient from the surface to the core, resulting in an intrinsic inert external surface, and exhibit superior catalytic performance in toluene methylation reactions.