Synthesis of functional hybrid silica scaffolds with controllable hierarchical porosity by dynamic templating

We report a facile one-pot synthesis of hierarchically porous scaffolds, with independent control over nanoparticle mesoporosity and scaffold macroporosity. Our technique combines the chemistry of mesoporous silica nanoparticles with the control afforded by dynamic templating of surfactant mesophases. These materials are readily functionalizable and allow controllable spatial variation in macroporosity.     

Synthesis and characterization of mesoporous ceria with hierarchical nanoarchitecture controlled by amino acids

In this work, we report the synthesis and characterization of mesoporous ceria with hierarchical nanoarchitectures controlled by amino acids. During the synthesis procedure, cerium oxalate precipitate was treated hydrothermally with different amino acids as crystallization modifiers, and hierarchically structured cerium oxalate precursors were obtained. Ceria can be produced after thermal decomposition of the cerium oxalate precursors. Structure and properties of the product were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Raman spectroscopy, N2 adsorption analysis, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) methods. The results indicate that the mesoporous ceria with hierarchical nanoarchitectures are composed of nanosized ceria crystallites as building units and possess high surface area and high concentration of oxygen vacancy. Depending on different amino acids as the crystallization modifiers, the ceria exhibit different morphologies, such as dendritic aggregation of rods, dumbbells of nanorod arrays, or aggregated spheres. It is proposed that both the type of functional side groups and the length of the side groups of the amino acids influence the morphologies of the ceria. Meanwhile, the solvent and hydrothermal treatment temperatures also play important roles in the morphological control. The method reported in this work would be regarded as a general way to fabricate mesoporous metal oxides with hierarchical nanoarchitectures.     

Investigation of various SiC materials by means of EPMA/WDS techniques

The microstructure and compositions of SiC materials from different sources and processing routes were investigated by means of EPMA/WDS and image analysis techniques. The influence of various sources of errors like carbon contamination and spectrometers defocusing on the analysis has been assessed.The presence of dissolved sintering aids, or impurities, and their distributions were investigated by EPMA/WDS. In addition, inhomogeneities, porosity agglomerations and heterogeneous inclusions were found in almost all the SiC materials, which are known to influence the corrosion and mechanical behavior of the material.Quantification of secondary phase contents was performed by means of image analysis, EPMA and, when possible, by density measurement. All methods are affected by errors of difficult assessment. In particular, the EPMA/WDS technique has to handle the problem of non homogeneous volumes of analysis. Two quantitative approaches were attempted, both based on the averaging of many points. In the first, the beam was highly focused. In the second approach, large areas (from 10 to 50 m in diameter) were illuminated. The errors and limits of these methods are discussed and the results compared.     

Synthesis and characterization of SBA-15 macrospheres with hierarchical pore structure

The new macroscopic-scale SBA-15 spheres with diameter of 0.2-0.5 mm are prepared by a sol-gel method,in which the tetrabutylorthosilicate(TBOS) is used as silicon source and triblock copolymer(P123) and polyoxyethylene octylphenol ether(OP- 10) are used as templates.The resulting spherical samples are characterized by XRD,N_2 adsorption-desorption,TEM and SEM methods.The results show that the inner structure of SBA-15 macrospheres has macroporous channels(0.5μm) and mesoporous skeleton(4-5 nm).These SBA...     

Synthesis and morphogenesis of organic polymer materials with hierarchical structures in biominerals

Synthesis and morphogenesis of polypyrrole (PPy) with hierarchical structures from nanoscopic to macroscopic scales have been achieved by using hierarchically organized architectures of biominerals. We adopted biominerals, such as a sea urchin spine and nacreous layer, having hierarchical architectures based on mesocrystals as model materials used for synthesis of an organic polymer. A sea urchin spine led to the formation of PPy macroscopic sponge structures consisting of nanosheets less than 100 nm in thickness with the mosaic interior of the nanoparticles. The morphologies of the resultant PPy hierarchical architectures can be tuned by the structural modification of the original biomineral with chemical and thermal treatments. In another case, a nacreous layer provided PPy porous nanosheets consisting of the nanoparticles. Conductive pathways were formed in these PPy hierarchical architectures. The nanoscale interspaces in the mesocrystal structures of biominerals are used for introduction and polymerization of the monomers, leading to the formation of hierarchically organized polymer architectures. These results show that functional organic materials with complex and nanoscale morphologies can be synthesized by using hierarchically organized architectures as observed in biominerals.     

Synthesis and characterization of epoxy resin-montmorillonite nanocomposites obtained by frontal polymerization

Frontal polymerization, a method that allows to convert a monomer into a polymer exploiting the exothermicity of the self-same polymerization reaction, has been conveniently used for the easy and fast preparation of epoxy resin-montmorillonite nanocomposites. The obtained materials have shown characteristics similar or even better than those prepared by the conventional polymerization routes. The synthetic methods and the thorough characterization of the obtained nanocomposites are described. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 45: 2204–2211, 2007     

兼具高孔隙率和梯度孔隙结构的多孔钯块材的制备、表征及其电化学性能研究

钯材料广泛用于氢同位素储存和分离、催化和传感等领域.传统的负载钯催化材料具有优异的乙醇和甲醇等电化学催化氧化性能.除此之外,负载钯催化材料还具有优异的甲烷催化燃烧性能.然而,很多研究显示负载钯催化材料存在很多不足,例如在工程应用过程中不稳定,纳米颗粒会发生聚集和长大,进而引起材料性能急剧下降等.不同于钯片、海绵钯粉末和负载钯催化材料,多孔钯具有三维连通的孔隙结构,可避免团聚现象的发生.同时,多孔钯还具有一些特殊的物理化学性能.研究表明,梯度孔隙结构是一种高效的电化学催化结构.因而近年来很多研究者都致力于探索具有高孔隙率和梯度孔隙结构多孔钯块材的制备方法.已有的研究包括造孔剂法和模板法等,但上述方法制得的多孔钯块材均存在比表面积低或难以获得块体材料缺点.我们研究组发展了一种制备兼具高孔隙率和梯度孔隙结构的多孔钯块材的新方法.即通过以一定粒度的NaCl颗粒作为造孔剂放电等离子烧结制备PdAl合金复合块材,然后通过去离子水溶解获得多孔PdAl合金,最后经过在盐酸溶液中去合金化得到具有数十微米的宏观大孔和约10纳米的纳米孔等梯度孔隙结构的多孔钯块材.当造孔剂添加量为20 vol.%,制得了孔隙率高达88%且完整的多孔钯块材.对该多孔钯块材的力学性能进行了测试,其压缩强度为0.5 MPa.对该块材进行氮吸附测试,测试结果显示其比表面积达到54 m2/g.我们进一步对该多孔钯块材的乙醇电化学催化氧化性能进行了研究.对不同扫描速度下多孔钯块材在KOH(1 mol/L)+乙醇(0.8 mol/L)溶液中电催化活性进行分析.随着扫描速率从10 mV/s提高到50 mV/s,正扫描峰电流密度也逐渐提高,且峰电位向正电位方向移动.对峰电流密度和扫描速率的平方根进行拟合,发现它们之间存在明显的线性关系,表明该电催化氧化行为是一个受扩散控制的过程.随着溶液中乙醇浓度不断增加,正扫描方向乙醇氧化峰的峰电流呈现出先增大后减小的趋势.这是因为乙醇基和羟基在钯表面的竞争性吸附造成的.当乙醇浓度较高时,乙醇基会占据钯表面大量的活性位,从而阻碍和抑制羟基的吸附.此时,羟基在钯表面的吸附成为电氧化反应的控制因素.因此,只有选择合适的乙醇浓度,才能更好地发挥材料的电催化性能.当乙醇浓度为2 mol/L时,峰电流最大,达到120 mA/cm2,表明多孔钯块材具有优异的电催化性能,这与该材料的梯度孔隙结构、高比表面积和高孔隙率密切相关.进一步对多孔钯块材的催化稳定性进行研究.该多孔钯块材显示出了优异的催化稳定性,当经过50次循环后,乙醇氧化峰的峰电流仅下降到~110 mA/cm2.     

Synthesis and characterization of ultrafine spinel ferrite obtained by precursor combustion technique

Nanoparticles of the spinel ferrite, Co_0.6Ni_0.4Fe₂O₄ have been synthesized by the precursor combustion technique. This synthetic route makes use of a novel precursor viz. metal fumarato hydrazinate which decomposes autocatalytically after ignition to yield nanosized spinel ferrite. The X-ray powder diffraction of the ??as prepared?? oxide confirms the formation of monophasic nanocrystalline cobalt nickel ferrite. The thermal decomposition of the precursor has been studied by isothermal, thermogravimetric and differential thermal analysis. The precursor has also been characterized by FTIR, and chemical analysis and its chemical composition has been fixed as Co_0.6Ni_0.4Fe₂(C₄H₂O₄)₃·6N₂H₄. The Curie temperature of the ??as prepared?? oxide was determined by ac susceptibility measurements.     

TiO2 anatase-based membranes with hierarchical porosity and photocatalytic properties

Taking benefit of previously obtained results, stable complex organic-inorganic hybrid suspensions are successfully prepared by mixing a polystyrene latex aqueous suspension, a titania hydrosol and a nonionic triblock copolymer. These suspensions can be then deposited as thin films on dense or porous substrates. Solvent evaporation induces the formation of spherical micelles by self-assembly of the amphiphilic molecules during the drying of the films. Two types of isolated spherical macropores (few ten nanometers) and mesopores (4-5 nm) are generated inside the layers by the thermal removal of the polystyrene particles and of the micelles, respectively. The remaining inorganic network exhibits an additional interconnected microporosity with a mean pore size of 1.5 nm, resulting from the aggregation of the anatase nanoparticles. A complete removal of the templating units at low temperature is possible using the photocatalytic properties of the anatase network. Such layers exhibit attractive properties for the design of ceramic membranes. They can be advantageously used in order to increase the permeability of the separative layer and to reduce the number of intermediate layers of these asymmetric structures.     

Study of secondary porosity by SAXS and N2 adsorption in composite materials obtained from a Cuban natural clinoptilolite

In this work, a study of the secondary porosity of two zeolite-based composites is carried out by small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) and N₂ adsorption at 77 K. The composites were obtained by the inclusion of ZnO nanoparticles in a Cuban natural clinoptilolite by mechanosynthesis and ‘in situ’ methods. It was observed a decrease in the specific surface area as a result of ZnO nanoparticles inclusion from 149 m² g⁻¹ in the started material to 60 m² g⁻¹ in the composite prepared by in situ method, whereas the mesopore diameter remained almost constant. The results confirmed the presence of mesopores with diameter between 3 and 36 nm, with good match by both methodologies. These materials were developed in view of their future application as catalysts and adsorbents, where the presence of secondary porosity is key to favor the diffusion processes.     

Synthesis and characterization of V-MFI obtained in fluoride-containing medium

Crystallization fields for the formation of V-MFI were determined from gels of composition: xNa₂O–yVO₂–7NaF–ySO₃–zSiO₂–2TPABr–260H₂O at 190 °C with 3.6≤x≤14.4 and 2.1≤y≤7.1 for z=12.0 and with 0.3≤y≤4.2 and 4.0≤z≤12.0 for x=3.6; TPA=tetrapropylammonium ions. The crystallization curves were analysed together with the various intermediate phases using XRD, pH of mother liquors, thermal analysis and SEM. The final samples were analysed, in addition, by multinuclear NMR. It is concluded, that V can be introduced into the MFI framework as V(IV) ions, accompanied by the presence of two SiOH defect groups per V atom introduced. The ⁵¹V-NMR signal due to V(V) can only be detected when additional vanadium-containing siliceous phases are formed.     

多孔雪花状氧化锌分级纳米结构的制备、表征及其光催化性能研究

在H2O和乙二醇(EG)构成的二元体系中,通过Zn AC2与NH4F和H2O的水热反应制备了六角雪花状Zn OHF。Zn OHF在空气中退火,制备出了由单晶Zn O纳米片构建的多孔六角雪花状Zn O。用X射线衍射(XRD),扫描电子显微镜(SEM),透射电子显微镜(TEM)及其热重等多种手段对产物进行结构表征,并提出了可能的化学反应。以甲基橙和酸性大红为例,研究了其光催化性能,结果表明,多孔雪花状Zn O是一种有效的光催化剂。     

Synthesis and characterization of nanosize nickel-doped cobalt ferrite obtained by precursor combustion method

Nanoparticles of the spinel ferrite, Co_1?x Ni _x Fe₂O₄ (x?=?0, 0.2, 0.3) have been synthesized by the precursor combustion technique. Novel precursors of metal fumarato-hydrazinate have been employed to yield the nanosized spinel ferrite. A characteristic feature of these precursors is that they decompose autocatalytically after ignition to give the monophasic nanocrystalline ferrite. This fact is corroborated by X-ray powder diffraction analysis. The thermal decomposition pattern of the precursors has been studied by isothermal thermogravimetric and differential thermal analysis. In order to fix the chemical composition, the precursors have been characterized by FTIR and chemical analysis and their chemical composition has been fixed accordingly. The Curie temperature of the ??as-prepared?? oxide was determined by alternating current susceptibility measurements.     

蒸汽辅助结晶法合成多级孔整体型ZSM-5分子筛

多级孔分子筛由于其高的比表面积、良好的传质性能和可调控的孔径等特性,引起了广大科研工作者的研究兴趣.近年来,通过选择性脱除骨架硅或铝,成功合成了多级孔沸石分子筛材料.但是由于骨架原子的脱除使分子筛的结晶度降低,进而使其催化效率降低.通过硬模板法(如炭黑、介孔硅球、气凝胶等),也用于合成多级孔沸石分子筛.然而,这种方法制备过程较为复杂,且成本较高.因此,亟需发展新的多级孔分子筛的制备方法.此外,在工业应用中,沸石分子筛催化剂通常需要做成整体柱状或片形以消除固定床反应器的床层压降.合成整体型沸石分子筛的传统方法是在沸石分子筛成型过程中添加SiO2和Al2O3等无机粘结剂.虽然该方法简单易行,但沸石分子筛的孔道结构容易被破坏,而且无机粘结剂的存在使分子筛活性中心的密度减少.为了解决这些问题,合成整体型多级孔沸石分子筛,不仅具有较强的机械稳定性,适应于工业,而且其多级孔道有利于分子的扩散,从而具有较高的催化活性.针对上述问题,我们以海绵作为模板,通过蒸汽辅助结晶(steam-assisted crystallization,SAC)方法,制备具有多级孔道的整体型ZSM-5分子筛.通过X射线衍射(XRD)、氮吸附脱附、扫描电子显微镜(SEM)、透射电子显微镜(TEM)、固态核磁共振和氨气的程序升温脱附(NH3-TPD)等手段对分子筛进行了结构与性质表征.XRD和固态核磁共振的结果表明,成功合成了不同Si/Al的ZSM-5分子筛.SEM和TEM结果进一步确定了合成的整体型多级孔ZSM-5分子筛(记作M-ZSM-n,n代表Si/Al的摩尔比),由于分子筛颗粒的堆积形成的介孔,海绵模板提供的固体骨架形成的大孔,分子筛本身的微孔,共同构成了微孔-介孔-大孔的整体型ZSM-5分子筛.透射电子显微镜上配备的X射线能谱仪(EDS)结果表明,分子筛中的Si和Al元素能够均匀的分布.氮吸附脱附证明所得整体型分子筛具有明显的介孔结构.NH3-TPD结果表明,不同Si/Al的整体型多级孔ZSM-5分子筛具有不同强度的酸性,其酸性强度:ZSM-5(60)相似文献   

Synthesis and morphological characterization of nanocrystalline powders obtained by a gas condensation method

The preparation of nanocrystalline powders of Fe and Fe50Ni50 has been performed by a gas-condensation method under pure helium atmosphere. The characterization of the prepared materials which was carried out by means of Transmission Electron Microscopy, X-rays diffraction and Mössbauer Spectrometry, evidences for the presence of oxide phases. Fe and FeNi based ultrafine particles are observed with a size comprised within the range 10–70 nm and they occur as clusters or chains.     

Synthesis of carbon nitride hollow microspheres with highly hierarchical porosity templated by poly (ionic liquid) for photocatalytic hydrogen evolution

Hydrogen, as a sustainable and clean energy, has been considered as a promising candidate to replace fossil fuels. And it is meaningful to fabricate the photocatalysts to drive photocatalytic water splitting leading to hydrogen production. Herein, a facile approach was developed by the means of the template effect of poly (ionic liquid) and self-assembly of cyanuric acid and melamine through hydrogen bonds, to obtain carbon nitride hollow microspheres with highly hierarchical porosity. The influence of poly (ionic liquid) concentration on the structure and photocatalytic activity of as-prepared carbon nitride was investigated. The optimized carbon nitride hollow microspheres possessed the multiple porous channels and improved surface area (71 m²/g) due to the decomposition of poly (ionic liquid) and cyanuric acid-melamine supramolecular aggregates. Moreover, the as-prepared carbon nitride hollow microspheres exhibited a remarkable catalytic activity in the photocatalytic hydrogen evolution reaction under visible light irradiation. Especially, the sample CN-0.02 exhibits the highest hydrogen evolution rate (90.1 μmol h⁻¹). The outstanding photocatalytic activity is attributed to the high specific surface area, broad light absorption range and fast separation rate of photogenerated electron–hole pairs. This novel method opens up a new way toward the development of highly-active photocatalysts for water splitting.     

Synthesis and characterization of alumina- and zirconia-based powders obtained by the ultrasonic spray pyrolysis

The ultrasonic spray pyrolysis (USP) technique was used for synthesis of alumina- and zirconia-based powders. The starting agents were aqueous solutions, atomized by the ultrasonic spray generator and pyrolized in the furnace under the open-air conditions. The powders prepared by USP were in the form of solid and hollow aggregates (spheres) consisted of nanosize amorphous grains as determined by the microscopy and the X-ray diffraction techniques. The alumina-based powders were consolidated by the pulse plasma sintering resulting in single-phase materials. Different behavior of solid and hollow particles during the isostatic sintering is found; a higher degree of deformation of spheres is observed in the second case.     

Thermal analysis techniques for characterization of polymer materials

Routine DSC and TGA techniques, used to characterise polymer thermal stability, have been further used for assessment of comparative thermal stability of various polymer materials and for prediction of material lifetimes. The following materials were investigated: (1) commercial and experimental polymer materials - results for poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) and bisphenol A polycarbonate (PC) are presented; (2) a polydimethylsiloxane-polytetrafluoroethylene (SIL-PTFE) coating system; and (3) commercially available linear low density polyethylene (PE-LLD), unmodified and modified chemically and physically. The plot of reciprocal temperature of initial decomposition 1/T_di vs log heating rate β has been recommended for assessment of comparative thermal stability. The lifetime of polymer materials was calculated from the plots of log time-to-failure, log t_f, vs reciprocal temperature 1/T, where t_f values were obtained using T_di from TGA measurements or directly from the oxidation induction time (OIT) data as criteria for initial deterioration of polymer thermal stability. The following sequences of increasing thermal stability were found for investigated materials:

(1)

PVC ? PC;

(2)

SIL < SIL-PTFE 20% < SIL-PTFE 50% ? PTFE;

(3)

(B) PE-LLD, grafted < (A) PE-LLD, unmodified < (C) PE-LLD, filled.

The lifetime of polymer materials predicted from the plots of log t_f vs 1/T are in reasonable agreement with experimental data and users' observations, e.g. approximately 1 year for PC and unmodified PE-LLD both at 373 K (100 °C) and for PVC at temperature of outdoor conditions about 298 K (25 °C).