Facile synthesis of mesoporous ZSM-5 aided by sonication and its application for VOCs capture

Application of ultrasound power to the mother liquor is popular pretreatment for zeolite synthesis which offers a simple way of accelerating crystallization process and finetuning the properties of nanocrystalline zeolites. In this work, sonication-aided synthesis of mesoporous ZSM-5 at low temperature and ambient pressure was systematically studied, in an attempt to reach efficient and benign synthesis of zeolites with hierarchical pore structure, which has wide applications as catalysts and sorbents. The effects of sonication duration, power density, sonication temperature and seeding on the crystallization of ZSM-5 were investigated. The obtained samples were characterized by XRD, SEM, BET and VOCs capture. High quality mesoporous ZSM-5 can be obtained by a facile 5 d synthesis at 363 K, much faster than conventional hydrothermal synthesis. The reduced synthesis time was mainly attributed to the enhanced crystallization kinetics caused by the fragmentation of seeds and nuclei, while sonication radiation had little impact on the nucleation process. Compared with control sample, mesoporous ZSM-5 prepared by sonochemical method had higher surface area and mesoporosity which demonstrated improved adsorption performance for the capture of isopropanol.     

Sol-gel synthesis and dilute magnetism of nano MgO powder doped with Fe

Mg oxides doped with 1 % ⁵⁷Fe were prepared by a sol-gel method, and annealed at various temperatures. Nano-size Mg oxides were characterized by Mössbauer spectrometry, magnetization and XRD measurements. The crystalline size of MgO increases with increase of annealing temperature. Samples annealed at 600 °C and 800 °C gave only doublet peaks of paramagnetic Fe³⁺ in Mössbauer spectra although Fe³⁺ doping into MgO induced a distorted structure and showed weak ferromagnetism. It is considered that the magnetic property is due to defect induced magnetism by doping Fe³⁺ into MgO. For a sample heated at 1000 °C, it is found from low temperature Mössbauer spectra that Fe³⁺ species are located at the core and shell of fine MgFe₂O₄ grains and diluted in MgO matrix.     

Shuttle-like ZnO nano/microrods: Facile synthesis, optical characterization and high formaldehyde sensing properties

Shuttle-like ZnO nano/microrods were successfully synthesized via a low temperature (80 °C), “green” (without any organic solvent or surfactant) and simple hydrothermal process in the solution of zinc chloride and ammonia water. X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy indicated that the ZnO nano/microrods are a well-crystallized hexagonal wurtzite structure. Yet photoluminescence analysis showed that abundant intrinsic defects (52.97% electron donor defects and 45.49% electron acceptor defects) exist on the surface of ZnO crystals. Gas sensors based on the shuttle-like ZnO nano/microrods exhibited high sensitivity, rapid response-recovery and good selectivity to formaldehyde in the range of 10-1000 ppm at an optimum operating temperature of 400 °C. Through applying linear fitting to the plot of sensitivity versus formaldehyde concentration in logarithmic forms, the chemisorbed oxygen species on the ZnO surface were found to be O²⁻ (highly active among O₂, O₂⁻ and O⁻ species). Notably, formaldehyde can be easily distinguished from acetaldehyde with a selectivity of about 3. The high formaldehyde sensitivity is mainly attributed to the synergistic effect of abundant electron donor defects (52.97%) and highly active oxidants (surface adsorbed O²⁻ species) co-existed on the surfaces of ZnO.     

Dielectric properties of nano Si/C/N composite powder and nano SiC powder at high frequencies

The dielectric properties of nano Si/C/N composite powder and nano SiC powder at high frequencies have been studied. The nano Si/C/N composite powder and nano SiC powder were synthesized from hexamethyldisilazane ((Me₃Si)₂NH) (Me:CH₃) and SiH₄–C₂H₂, respectively, by a laser-induced gas-phase reaction. The complex permittivities of the nano Si/C/N composite powder and nano SiC powder were measured at a frequency range of 8.2–12.4 GHz. The real part (′) and imaginary part (″) of the complex permittivity, and dissipation factor (tg δ=″/′) of nano Si/C/N composite powder are much higher than those of nano SiC powder and bulk SiC, Si₃N₄, SiO₂, and Si, especially the tg δ. The promising features of nano Si/C/N composite powder would be due to more complicated Si, C, and N atomic chemical environment than in a mixture of pure SiC and Si₃N₄ phase. The charged defects and quasi-free electrons moved in response to the electric field, diffusion or polarization current resulted from the field propagation. Because there exists graphite in the nano Si/C/N composite powder, some charge carries are related to the sp³ dangling bonds (of silicon and carbon) and unsaturated sp² carbons. The high ″ and tg δ of nano Si/C/N composite powder were due to the dielectric relaxation. The nano Si/C/N composite powder would be a good candidate for electromagnetic interface shielding material.     

三维微纳米制造技术在癌症生物物理研究中的应用

癌症致命的主要原因是癌细胞在临床上的转移性. 癌细胞的侵袭和转移是一个非常复杂的三维过程, 但现有的癌症研究在活体上有诸多观测和操作上的困难. 而体外实验又通常在培养皿中进行, 其二维的生长环境已完全不能满足对癌细胞空间转移性的深入研究, 故在活体外构建出癌细胞侵袭和转移的三维物理模型具有十分重要的意义. 然而如何在体外尽可能真实地模拟体内癌细胞的生长微环境一直是困扰科学家的难题. 本文系统介绍了三维微纳米制造的几种主流技术, 探讨了它们在癌症生物物理研究中的应用和发展. 在此基础上为了在未来实现对体外三维模型的制造、观测和精确操作, 文章还创新性地提出了一种结合紫外线固化生物型水凝胶的三维成型技术、光片三维成像技术以及微纳米探针控制技术的一体化研究平台. 这些先进的技术和理念, 势必会逐步升级现有传统的癌症研究手段, 为未来理解和治疗癌症揭开全新的篇章.     

Facile synthesis of Ag-reduced graphene oxide hybrids and their application in electromagnetic interference shielding

A fast and environmentally friendly method was proposed toward one-pot synthesis of Ag-reduced graphene oxide (Ag-RGO) hybrids by a chemical reduction method assisted by microwave irradiation treatment with the use of sodium citrate as green reductant. The as-synthesized samples were characterized systematically, and the results indicated the successful synthesis of Ag-RGO. Ag-RGO was further applied as filler in polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) matrix polymer composites, and their electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding performance was investigated. The prepared Ag-RGO/PMMA composites with 3.0 vol% Ag-RGO exhibited an excellent EMI shielding effectiveness (EMI SE) of average 26.8 dB in the 8–12 GHz X-band range, which outperformed the RGO/PMMA composites (18.4 dB) with bare RGO as fillers.     

PVA nano composite membrane for DMFC application

A new PEM composite membrane comprising of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), sulfonic acid functionalized CNT and fluorinated MMT has been fabricated. Composite polymer membrane has been prepared by simple solution casting method. Composite properties have been evaluated by using thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and FTIR techniques. The proton conductivity, methanol crossover and water uptake properties of newly fabricated membrane have been studied. The polymer membrane shows good thermal properties. The water content is in the range of 35-45%. Especially, it has been found that the fluorinated MMT used in this study plays a decisive role in water uptake and acts as a hydrophobic surface for controlling the swelling. The proton conductivities and the methanol permeabilities of all the membranes are in the range of 10^− 3 to 10^− 2 S/cm and 2.08 × 10^− 6 cm²/s at room temperature, respectively.     

Hot-pressing of bimodally distributed magnesium fluoride powder

In the present study, nearly dense polycrystalline magnesium fluoride ceramics were fabricated by hot-press sintering, using bimodal size distribution MgF₂ powder. Densification was carried out at 710 °C under 300 MPa pressure for 60 min. The effect of weight percent of ultrafine powder on densification and also transparency, hardness and density of the samples produced are discussed. The results shown that sample with 15 wt.% ultrafine component, has the highest transparency, density, hardness, and a well developed microstructure, containing the lowest amount of porosities with small size.     

Ultrasonic-assisted preparation of nano eggshell powder: A novel catalyst in green and high efficient synthesis of 2-aminochromenes

The nano eggshell powder (NESP) has been prepared by ultrasound irradiation and used as a novel and biodegradable catalyst with high catalytic activity and reusability in green synthesis of 2-aminochromenes via condensation of α- or β-phathol, malononitrile and aromatic aldehydes at 120 °C under solvent-free conditions. The reaction proceeds to completion within 10–35 min in 91–98% yield. Nano eggshell catalyst was characterized by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray powder diffraction, IR spectroscopy and X-ray fluorescence, thermal gravimetric, surface area and elemental analyses. In addition, the catalytic activity and chemical structure of nano-sized eggshell were compared with pure CaCO₃.     

碳纳米片-碳纳米管复合材料的一步合成及其场 发射性质研究

利用等离子体化学气相沉积技术, 在引入Ti过渡层后的Co膜表面一步制备出碳纳米片-碳纳米管复合材料, 研究了Co膜厚度对复合材料形貌及场发射性质的影响. 当Co薄膜厚度为11 nm时, 得到了垂直基片定向生长的碳纳米管和碳纳米片复合物, 此时, 碳纳米片分布在碳纳米管的管壁上和管的顶端, 样品的场发射性能最佳.     

一种FBG重构算法及其应用

从耦合模理论和传输矩阵方法出发,介绍了一种设计复杂光纤光栅的有效的简单方法。该方法只考虑光栅内部的一级反射,发现滤波器的反射谱和FBG的耦合函数间存在近似的傅里叶变换关系,能简单快速地对弱反射光栅进行设计。该方法的有效性通过设计光纤通信系统中常用的两种色散补偿器得以体现:第一种色散补偿器的色散值在3dB带宽内恒为17ps/nm,另一种则为具有线性色散斜率的色散补偿器。数值仿真结果表明:此方法可以有效地从反射信息中提取光纤光栅参数,能够应用在利用光纤光栅反射特性的复杂滤波器的设计中。     

Design of LICVD equipment for preparation of nano powder and study on laser threshold

A laser-induced chemical vapor deposition (LICVD) nanometer equipment is designed and fabricated. The design conception of key parts is expatiated. The energy threshold of SiH4 decomposing is studied. In the condition of same reactive gas flux, the laser energy threshold decreases with the increase of SiH4 concentration. In the condition of same SiH4 concentration, with the increase of reactive gas flux, the laser energy threshold which induces SiH4 decomposition increases linearly at the beginning, and when the flux is more than 100 ml/min, it turns to increase slowly. The factors which influence the laser threshold are analyzed.     

Facile synthesis and characterization of SnTe films

In this paper, we reported a novel, simple, and cost-effective route to SnTe films. The films were prepared by a chemical bath method, at room temperature and ambient pressure, using conventional chemicals as starting materials with or without surfactant. The films were characterized by X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and field-emission scanning electron microscopy, respectively. The SnTe film deposited without surfactant consists of nanoparticles (∼100 nm). The film deposited using polyethyleneglycol (PEG) as the surfactant consists of nanoparticles with size of ∼25 nm, whereas the film deposited using polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) as the surfactant consists of rough rod-like nanostructures (∼50 in diameter and ∼500 nm in length), besides nanoparticles (∼40-180 nm). The SnTe film deposited with PEG is smoother and denser. The formation mechanism of the SnTe films was proposed.     

Sonochemical synthesis of aluminium and aluminium hybrids for remediation of toxic metals

Spherical shaped nano-size aluminium oxide and its hybrids with indole and indole derivatives have been synthesized using sol–gel and post grafting methods coupled with sonication (Branson Digital SonifierS-250D; 20 kHz; 40%) for the remediation of toxic metals (lead and mercury). Different spectroscopic techniques (FTIR, SEM, BET, XRD, and XPS) have been applied to assess the properties of synthesized aluminium oxide and its hybrids. FTIR spectra showed the absorption bands of aluminium oxide (Al-O-Al) and aluminium hybrids (Al-O-C) at 800–400 cm⁻¹ and 1650–1100 cm⁻¹ region, respectively. SEM showed spherical shaped clusters of aluminium oxide which changed into the net-shape structure after the hybrid synthesis. It is worth noting that sonication energy increases the total surface area of aluminium oxide when it gets hybridized with indole and its derivatives from 82 m²/g to 167 m²/g; it also improved the product yield from 68% to 78%. Simultaneously, FTIR, SEM and BET analysis of non-sonicated aluminium oxide and its hybrids were also recorded for comparison. While XRD and XPS analysis were only conducted for sonicated aluminium oxide and its hybrids to manifest the structural and compositional properties. XRD patterns indexed as the cubic crystal system with an average 41 nm crystallite size of sonicated aluminium oxide which remains unaffected after hybrid synthesis. A survey scan under XPS confirmed the presence of all expected elements (aluminium, oxygen, carbon, nitrogen) and deconvolution of each recorded peak showed binding of element with its neighboring elements. The performance of aluminium oxide and its hybrids synthesize with and without sonication are also evaluated using a time-dependent batch adsorption protocol optimize for one hour. The maximum adsorption of lead (37%) and mercury (40%) are found onto sonicated aluminium oxide. The sonicated aluminium hybrids showed 43–63% of lead and 55–67% of mercury at pH 7. The fitness of experimental data using adsorption kinetics and isotherms revealed that adsorption follows Pseudo-second-order kinetic, Langmuir, and Freundlich isotherms.     

Facile synthesis of flower-like nickel nanocrystals and properties

A solvo-hydrothermal synthesis approach for the preparation of a new type of flowerlike nickel nanostructure is reported. The as-synthesized flower-like nickel nanocrystallites were characterized by X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. The nickel flowers modified glassy carbon electrode can be prepared and used to detect methanol and ethanol in the solution. The results show that the nickel flowers give a very high activity for detecting the methanol and ethanol, which provide a new application of nickel flowers. Compared with that of bulk nickel, thus-prepared nickel flowers showed a much enhanced coercivity.     

Facile sonochemical synthesis of nanosized InP and GaP

A novel sonochemical method for the preparation of MP (M = Ga, In) nanocrystalline materials has been developed. The procedure consists of the in situ synthesis of sodium phosphide and its subsequent reaction with the appropriate metal chloride using ultrasound. The products were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction, electron microscopy, and energy dispersive X-ray microanalysis (EDX). The choice of solvent and the use of high-power ultrasound are both important in the formation of the products.     

Pulsed wire discharge for nanosize powder synthesis

The pulsed wire discharge, as one of the well-developed pulsed power technologies, has been successfully applied to nanosize powder production. In the demonstration experiments, the discharge was carried out with the peak current of ~10 kA, the pulse length of ~20 μs, and the pulse energy of ~80 J. Nanosize powders of metals (Al, Fe, Cu, Mo, and Pb), metal oxides (Al₂O₃, TiO₂, Fe ₂O₃, NiO, ZrO₂, SnO₂, and PbO), and metal nitrides (TiN, ZrN, Ta₂N) have been synthesized by pulsed discharge of metal wires in argon, oxygen, or nitrogen. The typical powder production rate was ~5 mg/pulse. The results of surface-area measurement have given the average powder sizes in the range of 20~70 nm, depending on the material of the powder     

Synthesis of nano hydroxyapatite powder that simulate teeth particle morphology and composition

A simple sol–gel precipitation technique to synthesize nano hydroxyapatite (HA) particles (30 nm) that show similar morphology, size and crystallinity to HA crystals of human teeth is reported. Calcium nitrate tetrahydrate and potassium dihydrogenphosphate were used as calcium and phosphorus precursors, respectively. Double distilled water was used as a diluting media for HA sol preparation and ammonia was used to adjust the pH to 11. After aging, the HA gel was dried at 40 °C and calcined to different temperatures ranging from 200 to 600 °C. The dried and calcined powders were characterized for phase composition using X-ray diffractrometry, and Fourier transform infra-red spectroscopy. The particle size and morphology was studied using Transmission electron microscopy. The particle size distribution analysis of HA powders showed skewed distribution plot. The phase and particle characterization studied above showed that HA calcined at 600 °C simulate HA crystals of teeth.     

Facile synthesis and electrochemical properties of octahedral gold nanocrystals

High-yield octahedral gold nanocrystals of ~45 nm in size have been facilely synthesized by one-pot reduction of HAuCl₄ using formic acid in cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) aqueous solution. The results showed that CTAB can promote the formation of single-crystalline nucleation and preferentially adsorb on the (111) planes of gold nanocrystals, resulting in the formation of octahedral gold nanocrystals. Formic acid acted as not only a mild reducing agent, but also could promote the formation of (111) facet. The octahedral gold nanocrystals exhibited similar cyclic voltammetry (CV) curves to single-crystal Au (111) electrode and excellent electrocatalytic activity for methanol oxidation. This synthetic strategy may open new route for facile synthesis of shape-controlled metal nanoparticles.