Effect of α-Hydroxyketones as Chelate Ligands on Dip-Coating of Zirconia Thin Films

The stabilization effects of -hydroxyketones such as acetoin, acetol, and their imine derivatives of monoethanolamine (MEA) on the 2-propanol solution of metal alkoxides (Al, Ti, Zr, Nb and Ta) were investigated. The hydroxyketones, especially acetoin which has a moderate boiling point around 150°C, were found to have a stabilization effect on the alkoxides of Ti^IV, Nb^V and Ta^V already in their molar ratios of 2, while the Zr^IV alkoxide was stabilized at the molar ratio of 4. By sol-gel processing using this acetoin-stabilized solution, crystallized ZrO₂ thin films could be prepared at temperatures as low as 400°C, which was lower than that from a diethanolamine (DEA)-stabilized precursor (450°C). The films prepared in this study showed a high transparency (more than 90%, UV-VIS spectroscopy), suggesting that the use of chelate ligands with low boiling points is a good way to lower the crystallization temperature of sol-gel-derived ZrO₂ thin films. The Zr complexes of the imines made by the reaction between the hydroxyketones and MEA were stable and photosensitive (<500 nm), making it possible to pattern ZrO₂ films by photo-irradiation of their gel films.     

Preparation of TiO2 Thin Film Photocatalysts by Dip Coating Using a Highly Viscous Solvent

TiO₂ thin film photocatalysts coated onto soda lime glass were prepared by a dip coating process using a highly viscous solvent. The source of the TiO₂ was tetraisopropyl orthotitanate, and -terpineol was used as the solvent. Two types of thin film preparation procedures based on dip coating (a sol-gel system and thermal decomposition system) were used to prepare the samples. TiO₂ thin films were obtained after calcination at 450°C for 1 hour. The film thickness obtained with a single dipping was proportional to the viscosity of the dip coating solutions. The obtained thin films were transparent with a thickness of 1 m. The crystal form of the obtained photocatalyst films was anatase alone. The thin films were formed with aggregated nano-sized TiO₂ single crystals (7–15 nm). The photocatalytic activity of the TiO₂ thin films, as evaluated by the photooxidation of NO (1 ppm) in dry air, was as high as our previous TiO₂ thin films prepared by the sol-gel method.     

Aqueous Titanate Sols from Ti Alkoxide-α-Hydroxycarboxylic Acid System and Preparation of Titania Films from the Sols

Aqueous titanate sols were prepared by reactions of titanium tetraisopropoxide (TIP) with -hydroxycarboxylic acids in water. IR and Raman spectra, and elemental analyses of the precipitates obtained from the sols revealed that the carboxylates were chelated to titanium but the Ti species were polymerized to form a cluster that had a colloidal nature. Spin-coating of titania (TiO₂) thin films from these sols was also examined. Interestingly, it was found that (004) preferentially oriented anatase films with refractive index of 2.54 were obtained from TIP-lactic acid-NH₃ (1:1:1, molar ratio) aqueous sol. This crystallographic orientation was characteristic of the TIP-lactic acid-NH₃ (1:1:1) system, and was not affected by the kinds of substrates used and the heating rate of the film. TEM observation indicated that small anatase grains had already formed at 200°C. Therefore, the crystallographic orientation might depend strongly on the structure of the chemical species of the precursor solutions.     

Preparation and Characterization of TiO2 Thin Films by Sol-Gel Method

Titanium dioxide (TiO₂) thin films have been deposited on silicon and glass substrates by the sol-gel process using titanium iso-propoxide [Ti(O-i-C₃H₇)₄]. The bond configuration of the TiO₂ thin films was analyzed by using FTIR in the wavenumber range from 400 to 4000 cm^–1. The spectral transmittance of as-deposited TiO₂ films deposited on fused silica glass was measured in the wavelength range from 200 to 900 nm. X-ray diffraction measurements were performed to determine the crystallinity of the TiO₂ films. As-deposited films were amorphous. As the film was annealed at higher temperature, the structure was transformed from amorphous to the anatase crystalline state. The chemical composition of the deposited film was investigated using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The films are essentially stoichiometric with carbon as the dominant impurity on the surface. Raman spectra show the characteristic of TiO₂ anatase phase. The electrical properties of the TiO₂ films were measured using capacitance-voltage (C-V) and current-voltage techniques. From C-V measurements, the dielectric constants were calculated to be approximately 26 for the as-deposited films and 75–82 for films annealed at 700°C in different atmosphere. For the as-deposited samples, the breakdown voltage was 2.7 MV/cm, and for an electric field of 1 MV/cm, the leakage current was 5 × 10^–5 A/cm² and the resistivity was 2.2 × 10¹⁰ -cm.     

An EELS and EXELFS study of amorphous hydrogenated silicon carbide

A series of thin films of amorphous hydrogenated silicon carbide (a-SiCH) produced by RF plasma decomposition of propane and silane has been studied by electron energy-loss spectroscopy (EELS) and extended energy-loss fine structure (EXELFS) studies. The composition of the films has been determined by EELS and the nearest neighbour spacings have been determined by EXELFS. These results, along with the energy of the plasmon loss peaks, have been compared with the deposition conditions for each film. The results show that for a large gas ratio (C₃H₈/(C₃H₈+SiH₄)) the films have a high proportion of carbon and are similar to a-CH in structure, whereas those films prepared with Y = 0.4 or 0.5 have nearest neighbour spacings consistent with those for tetrahedrally bonded carbon. The films prepared with lowest Y have nearest neighbour spacings similar to those for amorphous silicon carbide. The results for a-SiCH have been compared with the results of EELS and EXELFS of CVD diamond films, amorphous carbon and amorphous silicon.     

Epitaxially Grown LaSrCoO3 Thin Films on Various Substrates by the Sol-Gel Method

LaSrCoO₃ thin films have been prepared on various substrates by the sol-gel method using inorganic salts as starting materials. The crystallinity and in-plane alignment of the films were analyzed by X-ray diffraction -2 scans and scans (pole-figure analysis), respectively. Highly (h00)/(00l)-oriented LaSrCoO₃ films with crack-free surfaces were obtained by annealing at 800°C on SrTiO₃(100), while films grown on MgO(100) and Si(100) exhibited poor crystallinity. According to the X-ray diffraction -2 scan, crystallinity of the product films was found to depend on lattice-misfit values between the films and the substrates used. On the contrary, the lattice-misfit values were less effective to the epitaxy of the LSCO film. Epitaxial film grown on SrTiO₃ annealed at 800°C was found by reciprocal-space mapping (-2 scan) analysis to consist of the pseudocubic phase.     

Structure and Specific Heat of Disordered and Ordered Titanium Monoxide TiOy

The structure of disordered and ordered titanium monoxide containing structural vacancies in both sublattices was studied by Xray diffraction. The symmetry of the monoclinic Ti₅O₅ superstructure (space group C2/m) was analyzed. The type and channel of the TiO_y–Ti₅O₅ disorder–order transition was determined. The distribution functions of Ti and O atoms in the metal and nonmetal sublattices of titanium monoxide were calculated. The specific heats of TiO_y titanium monoxides (0.8< y< 1.27) were measured by differential scanning calorimetry for the disordered and ordered states in the range from 340 to 600 K. The dependences of the specific heat, enthalpy, and entropy on the composition and structure of TiO_y were found for the first time. A notable effect of the structural state on the specific heat was detected. In the indicated temperature range, the C _p (T) dependence is adequately described by a function that accounts for the Debye effect and the electronic specific heat.     

Monolayer cuprous chloride dispersed on pillared clays for olefin-paraffin separations by π-complexation

New adsorbents containing cuprous chloride dispersed on pillared interlayered clays (PILC) have been prepared and studied for olefin-paraffin separations. High surface-area PILC's were synthesized with different metal oxide (Al₂O₃, Fe₂O₃, TiO₂ and ZrO₂) as the intercalating pillars. Cuprous chloride was dispersed in a submonolayer form on these PILC's. Pure-component isotherms were measured for C₂H₄, C₂H₆, C₃H₆ and C₃H₈ at 25°C and 60°C. All sorbents exhibited high C₂H₄/C₂H₆ and C₃H₆/C₃H₈ ratios with significantly high amounts of olefins adsorbed. The best sorbent was CuCl/TiO₂-PILC which showed a C₂H₄/C₂H₆ ratio of 5.3 and C₃H₆/C₃H₈=2.9 at 25°C. In all cases, olefins adsorbed by -complexation with Cu(I) ion, reflected by heats of adsorption in the range 10.7–13.7 kcal/mol, as compared to 4.8–6.9 kcal/mol for the physical adsorption of the paraffins. The -complexation was fully reversible, limited only by the rates of pore diffusion. Diffusion of C₂'s was rapid while for C₃'s the diffusion reached 60% completion in approximately 6 min. Comparing these results with those of CuCl/-Al₂O₃, the olefin/paraffin adsorption ratios were not as high as those of the later. However, the olefin isotherms on the PILC-supported CuCl displayed the desirable feature of having a steeper portion above the knee of the isotherm (the knee occurred at below 0.1 atm). This was a useful feature for separation because it yielded a larger working capacity. The steeper isotherm was attributed to a higher degree of energy heterogeneity as the PILC contained both surfaces of pillars and clay layers as opposed to only -Al₂O₃.     

Staged Development of Modified Silicon Dioxide Films

The hydrolytic generation of SiO₂ films from chlorosilanes or alkoxysilanes is interrupted by incorporating labile organic groups which stop SiO₂ formation at a processable prepolymer stage. The monomers for the prepolymer have electron withdrawing substituents in the -position. The organic groups are removed from the prepolymer at low temperature, extruding ethylene. The formation of SiO₂ proceeds by intramolecular condensation of the electronegative substituents which are now in a hydrolytically unstable bond with silicon and hydroxyl groups or ambient moisture. Films of the prepolymer spun onto silicon wafers are converted into uniform SiO₂-rich films at temperatures between 150–400°C.     

Complexation of monosubstituted benzenes and methanes by cyclotetrachromotropylene in aqueous solution: Substituent effects on π-π and Ch-π interactions

The stability constantsK of 11 complexes formed in aqueous solution between several monosubstituted benzenes (C₆H₅X) and methanes (CH₃X) as guests and cyclotetrachromotropylene as host were determined by proton NMR spectroscopy. Variations ofK with the substituent X are attributed to the electronic effect of X and the presence of C–H or aromatic bonds, if any, interacting with the host bonds.     

In Situ Crystallization of Bacterial Cellulose III. Influences of Different Polymeric Additives on the Formation of Microfibrils as Revealed by Transmission Electron Microscopy

Effects of polymer additives on the formation of microfibrils of bacterial cellulose have been examined by transmission electron microscopy. Among additives with different degrees of polymerization (DP) or substitution (DS), carboxymethyl cellulose sodium salt (CMC) with DP = 80 and DS = 0.57 is the most effective in producing separate, smaller-size microfibrils. By increasing the concentration of this CMC from 0.1 to 1.5%, the percentage of microfibrils measuring 3–7 nm wide is increased and levels off at around 1.0%. Other polymer additives such as xyloglucan are less effective than CMC in producing microfibrils with smaller sizes and the resulting microfibrils still tend to aggregate. The number of charged substituents and the molecular weight seem to be important factors in the production of highly separate smaller-size microfibrils. The reduction in average microfibril size is well correlated to the decrease in mass fraction of cellulose I in bacterial cellulose crystals. On the basis of these results, the mechanism of the crystallization of celluloses I and I is discussed. The effect of colony types, smooth and rough, on the formation of microfibrils in the presence of CMC is also described.     

Biomimetic Approach to the Formation of Titanium Dioxide Thin Films by Using Poly(2‐(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate)

We demonstrate that the biomimetic method—which has been used for the formation of silica thin films—also could be applied directly to the formation of titanium dioxide (TiO₂) thin films, which are technologically important materials because of their applications to photocatalytic purifiers, photochemical solar cells, and others. After generation of poly(2‐(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate) (PDMAEMA) films on gold surfaces by surface‐initiated polymerization, titanium bis(ammonium lactato)dihydroxide was used as a precursor of TiO₂. The TiO₂/PDMAEMA films were successfully formed on the surfaces in aqueous solution at neutral pH (pH 6.7) and room temperature, and were characterized by X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and X‐ray diffractometry. The formed TiO₂ films have an amorphous nature and large area uniformity in thickness. The degree of crystallization was controlled by annealing. We also investigated the pH effect and the phosphate incorporation in the films by using phosphate‐buffered solutions. The TiO₂ films were formed in all the employed pH values in the range of 2 to 12, but phosphate anions were found to be incorporated into the films facilely only at low pH.     

Synthesis of α,ω-dichloropermethyloligosilanes by reactions of polydimethylsilane with metal chlorides

The reactions of high-molecular-weight polydimethylsilane with metal chlorides in variable oxidation states at high temperature in the absence of a solvent afford mixtures of ,-dichloropermethyloligosilanes Cl(Me₂Si) _m Cl (m= 2—9). The influence of the reaction conditions (temperature, reaction time, and the reagent ratio) on the composition and yields of the reaction products was examined.     

Spin-crossover complexes in solution,II solvent effects on the high spin-low spin-equilibrium of [Fe(bzimpy)2](ClO4)2

Summary The influence of the solvent on the spin-equilibrium of [Fe(bzimpy)₂](ClO₄)₂ (bzimpy=2,6-bis(benzimidazol-2-yl)pyridine) has been investigated in several nonaqueous solvents by means of UV-Vis spectroscopy and magnetic susceptibility measurements. In methanol, a bis-tris ligation equilibrium is found. Both, the FeL ₂ ²⁺ and FeL ₃ ²⁺ species show spin-crossover behaviour in solution. Photometric and magnetic properties of the complex in various solvents are related. The spin-equilibrium of [Fe(bzimpy)₂](ClO₄)₂ shows the strongest sensitivity towards changes of the solvent that has ever been observed for spin-crossover compounds. Increase in solvent donor number (DN) from DN=14.1 (Acetonitril) to DN=19.1 (Methanol) causes a shift from _exp=4.21 (78% High-Spin (HS)) to _exp=3.0 (56% HS). In solvents with DN 30 deprotonation of the complex occurs yielding a low-spin species. The solvent effects are discussed in terms of the donor-acceptor concept.Dedicated to Professor Harry J. Emeléus with heartiest congratulations to his 90^th birthday on 22^th June 1993.     

Reactions of dodecacarbonyltriruthenium with α,β-unsaturated ketones. Crystal and molecular structures of two reaction products

The thermal reactions of Ru₃(CO)₁₂ with RCOCH=CHPh (R=Me, p-MeC₆H₄) in hydrocarbon solvents lead to the formation of a series of complexes, several of which have been isolated as individual compounds by chromatography. The dinuclear complex Ru₂(-H)(CO)₆(-MeCOCH=CPh) and the tetranuclear complex Ru₄(-H)(-CO)(CO)₇(p-MeC ₆H₄ COCH=CPh)(-p-MeC₆H₄COCH=CPh)(₄-p-MeC₆H₃COCH=CHPh) are characterized by an X-ray structural study. The structures of other reaction products are discussed on the basis of spectral data. The reactions are accompanied by reduction of the starting enones to the corresponding unsaturated ketones.Translated fromIzvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 7, pp. 1285–1293, July, 1993.     

Synthesis, structural characterisation and thermal decomposition studies of some 2,4′-bipyridyl complexes with cobalt(II), nickel(II) and copper(II)

2,4-Bipyridyl (2,4-bipy orL) complexes with cobalt(II), nickel(II) and copper(II) of the formulae M(2,4-bipy)₂(CH₃COO)₂·2H₂O (M(II) = Co, Ni, Cu), Co(2,4-bipy)₂SO₄·3H₂O or Ni(2,4-bipy)₂SO₄·4H₂O have been prepared and their IR and electronic (VIS) spectra are discussed. The thermal behaviour of the obtained compounds has also been studied. The intermediate products of decomposition at different temperatures have been characterized by chemical analysis and X-ray diffraction.We thank dr. A. Malinowska for performing VIS spectra. This work was supported by the KBN project No. PB 0636/P3/93/04.     

“Blue silver”: transformation of clusters and metal coagulation

The formation and transformations of blue silver ( _max 700 nm) during -irradiation of a weakly alkaline (pH 9) aqueous solution containing AgClO₄, polyacrylic acid (PAA), and isopropanol were studied. We believe that blue silver is a linear silver cluster stabilized on a polymeric molecule. During radiation-chemical reduction the cluster is transformed into new clusters ( _max = 365 and 460 nm). When all of the Ag⁺ ions present in the solution have been reduced, clusters coalesce and a new phase,i.e., colloidal silver particles, forms. The mechanism of the radiation-chemical transformations is discussed.Translated fromIzvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 1, pp. 35–37, January, 1995.     

Photobleaching of γ-Glycidoxypropyltrimethoxysilane-Chelated Metal Alkoxide Gel Films

Thick photosensitive inorganic-organic hybrid gel films are fabricated using a silica–PEO(poly(ethylene oxide)) polymeric network and several chelated metal alkoxides: Ti(OEt)₄, Al(OBu^sec)₃, Zr(OPr ⁿ )₄. The -glycidoxypropyltrimethoxysilane (GPTS) and the metal alkoxides stabilized by -ketoester or -diketone are used as precursors. The chelated metal complex in the gel films are photodecomposed and forms the oxide network by UV exposure. The photodecomposition of the chelate ring and the photobleaching of the UV absorption bands are investigated as a function of UV exposure time. The photobleaching rates with respect to chelating agents, metal alkoxides and photon energy are compared.     

Synthesis of γ-zirconium phosphate by the fluoro-complex method and the intercalation behavior of some α-diimines

The ammonium form of -zirconium phosphate has been synthesized by the direct precipitation method from fluorozirconate solution in the presence of ammonium dihydrogen phosphate. The hydrogen form Zr(HPO₄)₂ · 2H₂O, was obtained by acid treatment of the ammonium form -Zirconium phosphate , Zr(HPO₄)₂ · H₂O, with a relatively large particle size resulted from fluorozirconate solution in the presence of concentrated orthophosphoric acid. The intercalation behavior of such -diimines as 2,2-bipyridine (bpy) and 1,10-phenanthroline (phen) toward -zirconium phosphate was investigated, and it was found that about 0.2 mol of bpy and 0.5 mol of phen have been incorporated respectively per one mol of the host, with the expansion of interlayer distances. Further incorporation of Cu(H) ions into the interlayer space of these intercalates was possible. The bpy intercalate took up more Cu(II) ions than -zirconium phosphate, indicating that effective pillars are constructed between layers and the ion exchange of Cu(II) ions is facilitated thereby.     

Fabrication of Au/Titania Composite Nanodot Arrays from Au‐Loaded Block Copolymer Micellar Films

Summary: A simple route to an ordered array of metal/semiconductor oxide composite nanodots is presented. Micellar monolayer films of polystyrene‐block‐poly(2‐vinyl pyridine) (PS‐b‐P2VP) loaded with HAuCl₄ in the P2VP nanodomains are used as templates. TiO₂ is generated selectively within the polar P2VP domains of PS‐b‐P2VP/HAuCl₄ films by chemical vapor deposition of TiCl₄. Subsequent removal of the organic matrix by oxygen plasma or UV light leads to an array of Au/TiO₂ composite nanoparticles on the substrate surface.

Schematic illustration of the process to fabricate an array of Au/titania composite nanodots.