Fabrication and photovoltaic performance of hierarchically titanate tubular structures self-assembled by nanotubes and nanosheets

Hierarchically macro-/mesoporous titanate tubular structures (HTT) self-assembled by nanotubes and nanosheets were fabricated by hydrothermal treatment of titanate glycolate rods in 0.1 M NaOH aqueous solution. Double-layered dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) composed of a P25 nanoparticle (NP) underlayer and a tubular TiO(2) overlayer demonstrated an enhanced photovoltaic conversion efficiency of 6.2%.     

Layer-by-layer assembled multilayer films of titanate nanotubes, Ag- or Au-loaded nanotubes, and nanotubes/nanosheets with polycations

Aqueous suspensions of hydrothermally synthesized titanate nanotubes and poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride) (PDDA) have been employed to fabricate multilayer films on various substrates in a layer-by-layer fashion. Atomic force microscopy displays the dense coverage of the substrate surface by the nanotubes. UV-vis absorption spectroscopy confirms the consecutive growth of PDDA/nanotube layer pairs. Single crystalline Ag and Au nanoparticles with narrow size distribution spatially correlating with the nanotubes have been obtained by treating the nanotubes with AgNO(3) or HAuCl(4) aqueous solution followed by chemical reduction. The noble metal nanoparticles show a strong surface plasmon absorption band. A multilayer film construction of the noble-metal-loaded nanotubes has also been achieved. This process has been further extended to the heteroassembly of nanotubes/nanosheets in different layer sequences.     

Trace elements in tobacco and tobacco smoke by X-ray fluorescence technique

Trace elements in tobacco and tobacco smoke of a large number of commonly available brands of cigarettes were analyzed by energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence. This work supplements the data on same samples gathered by INAA and reported earlier. Data on some toxic elements like Pb, Cu and Ni that could not be measured by INAA are presented here. A number of chewing and snuff tobacco samples were also analyzed. The concentrations of Ca, K, Cl, Br, Cu, Fe, Ni, Pb, Rb, Sr, Ti and Zn in all these samples are presented and their relative hazards are discussed.     

A high-performance liquid chromatographic determination of major phenolic compounds in tobacco smoke

A high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) method is developed that simultaneously quantifies the dihydroxy compounds hydroquinone, resorcinol, and catechol and the monohydroxy compounds phenol, m + p-cresol and o-cresol in cigarette smoke. Particulate matter samples collected on Cambridge pads and in impingers by conventional trapping techniques are simply (no derivatization required) subjected to reversed-phase gradient liquid chromatography. Samples of both mainstream and sidestream smoke can be analyzed. Selective fluorescence detection is used to monitor the mobile phase effluent, by which these phenolic compounds are detected in the nanogram range. The detector response is linear, overall precision is good, and recoveries are greater than 95 percent. The total run time, excluding extraction, is one hour. The procedure has been applied to tobacco products whose smoke contains varying amounts of these phenols. Kentucky Reference Cigarette 1R4F was found to contain substantially more of these compounds than a new cigarette that heats but does not burn tobacco (New Cigarette). The method is compared with other procedures used to determine phenolics in cigarette smoke.     

Chlorine and bromine contents in tobacco and tobacco smoke

The chlorine and bromine contents in tobacco and tobacco smoke in both the particulate and gaseous phases were studied by neutronactivation analysis. Methyl chloride and methyl bromide concentrations were measured in the gaseous phase by gas-liquid chromatography — mass spectrometry. The chlorine and bromine contents in nine brands of cigarettes were on the average as follows: Tobacco—6600 ppm chlorine and 110 ppm bromine. Cigarette smoke, particulate phase—68 g chlorine and 1 g bromine per cigarette. Cigarette smoke, gaseous phase—90 g chlorine and 5 g bromine per cigarette. In the gaseous phase methyl chloride accounted for 60% of the total chlorine and methyl bromine for 80% of the total bromine.     

Synthesis and characterization of ion-exchangeable titanate nanotubes

Titanate nanotubes were synthesized under hydrothermal conditions. The optimized synthesis (100-180 degrees C, longer than 48 h), thermal and hydrothermal stability, ion exchangeability and consequent magnetic and optical properties of the titanate nanotubes were systematically studied in this paper. First, nanotubes with monodisperse pore-size distribution were prepared. The formation mechanism of the titanate nanotubes was also studied. Second, the thermal and hydrothermal stability were characterized with X-ray diffraction (XRD), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), and Raman spectroscopy. Results showed that sodium ions played a significant role in the stability of the frameworks. Third, the selective ion exchangeability was demonstrated with a series of ions. The ion substitution also enlarged the BET surface area of the titanate nanotubes to 240 m(2) x g(-1). Combination of these two features implied that these nanotubes might be functionalized by substitution of different transitional-metal ions and consequently used for selective catalysis. Magnetism, photoluminescence, and UV/Vis spectra of the substituted titanate nanotubes revealed that the magnetic and optical properties of the nanotubes were modifiable.     

Determination of ammonia in tobacco and smoke

A gas chromatographic method has been developed for the determination of ammonia in tobacco and smoke. Ammonia is liberated from tobacco by a microdiffusion technique using a Conway diffusion cell. Bubbler traps containing dilute sulphuric acid are used to collect the ammonia from smoke.     

Preparation of polystyrene-grafted titanate nanotubes by in situ atom transfer radical polymerization

This work successfully prepared nanohybrids by in situ atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) of styrene from titanate nanotubes (TNTs). Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR), pronton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H NMR), and thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) were used to verify the successful graft of polystyrene (PS) chains from TNTs. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) dis-played that the obtained PS-g-TNTs nanohybrids had a core-shell structure of TNT core and PS shell. The grafted PS ...     

Selective accumulation of harmful compounds by the DNA-inorganic hybrid-immobilized glass bead

Previously, we reported the DNA-inorganic hybrid material including double-stranded DNA by mixing the aqueous DNA solution and silane coupling reagents. Here, we immobilized the DNA-inorganic hybrid material onto the glass bead and prepared the DNA-immobilized glass bead column. The DNA-immobilized glass beads were stable in water and the amount of eluted DNA from the DNA-glass beads did not change for more than 1 week. Additionally, this DNA-immobilized column selectively accumulated the harmful compounds with the planar structure, such as dioxin- and polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB)-derivatives, and these accumulation percentages were 50-70%. Furthermore, the DNA-immobilized glass bead was recycled nine times by the application of ethanol solution and the accumulative ratio was maintained at more than 60% and did not appear to be decreasing. Therefore, these DNA-columns might have a potential for the selective removal and separation of DNA-intercalating molecules and harmful compounds with the planar structure from experimental or industrial drainages.     

Significant improvements in mechanical property and water stability of chitosan by carbon nanotubes

In this work, high storage modulus and high water stability of chitosan was prepared by incorporating chitosan-grafted carbon nanotubes (CNTs-g-CS). This dramatically improved mechanical property and water stability of chitosan would broaden its biochemical and electrochemical applications. The methodology adopted here by incorporating the CNTs-g-CS allowed a high amount of CNTs incorporation in chitosan without phase separations and enabled the preparations of a durable chitosan/CNTs nanocomposite-modified electrode for biosensor uses. The CNTs-g-CS was synthesized by grafting chitosan onto the carboxylated CNTs in acetic acid-added aqueous solution at 98 °C for 24 h. Thermal gravimetric analysis showed that the content of the chitosan grafts on the CNTs was about 25 wt% of the synthesized CNTs-g-CS. As compared with the ungrafted CNTs, the CNTs-g-CS exhibited a significantly improved dispersion in the chitosan matrix, as examined by optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy, resulting in significantly improved storage modulus and water stability of the chitosan nanocomposites as revealed by dynamic mechanical analysis and water treatments data, respectively. The storage modulus was significantly up by 134% from 6.4 GPa for the pure chitosan to 15 GPa for the chitosan nanocomposite containing 40 wt% CNTs-g-CS. The water stability of the chitosan nanocomposite films was significantly up from less than 12 h for the chitosan containing various amounts of ungrafted CNTs to at least 48 h for the chitosan containing 20, 30, and 40 wt% CNTs-g-CS.     

Structural evaluation and photocatalytic properties of Pt-supported titanate nanotubes

Pt nanocrystal-supported titanate nanotubes as a photocatalyst were prepared by hydrothermal treatment and subsequent heat-treatment in H₂ atmosphere (H₂ reduction) of a mixture of these titanate nanotubes and H₂PtCl₆. TEM results showed that Pt nanoparticles (a few nm in diameter and 5 to 10 nm in length) with good crystallinity were entrapped inside titanate naotubes and were closely precipitated on the surface of titanate nanotubes. These Pt nanocrystal-supported titanate nanotubes possessed the high ability for HCHO decomposition.     

Analysis of formaldehyde in tobacco smoke by high performance liquid chromatography

Formaldehyde in tobacco smoke is allowed to react with 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine to form the dinitrophenylhydrazone. This derivative is extracted with chloroform and concentrated. The residue in methylene chloride is separated and analyzed by high performance liquid chromatography. A column packed with 10-micron silica is used for separation. The internal standard is triphenylene. This method can also be used for the analysis of other carbonyl compounds in tobacco smoke that react to form hydrazone derivatives.     

Preparation of sodium titanate nanotubes modified by CdSe quantum dots and their photovoltaic characteristics

Sodium titanate nanotubes have been prepared and modified chemically with CdSe quantum dots (QDs) using bifunctional modifiers (HS-COOH). Their photovoltaic characteristics have also been studied. The results indicate that the surface photovoltage response of nanotubes extends to the visible light region, and the intensity of surface photovoltage is enhanced after modification with CdSe QDs. The field-induced surface photovoltage spectroscopy (FISPS) shows that sodium titanate nanotubes have different photovoltaic response before and after modification. That is, the surface photovoltaic re-sponse of pure sodium titanate nanotubes increases with the enhancement of positive applied bias and decreases with the enhancement of negative applied bias. Meanwhile, the surface photovoltaic re-sponse of CdSe modified sodium titanate nanotubes is different from that of the pure sodium titanate nanotubes. The whole spectrum increases with the enhancement of applied bias at the first stage. However, when the applied bias reaches a certain value, the surface photovoltage response keeps in-creasing in some spectrum regions, while decreasing in other spectrum regions. This novel phe-nomenon is explained by using an electric field induced dipole model.     

Preparation, characterization and thermal dehydration kinetics of titanate nanotubes

Titanate nanotubes were synthesized utilizing the hydrothermal method using titanium dioxide nanoparticles. The experiments were carried out considering the process as a function of reaction temperature, time, NaOH concentration and the acidity of the washing solution. The formation of titanate nanotubes was shown to be affected strongly by variations in any parameter. The optimum conditions for the synthesis of titanate nanotubes were determined to be a reaction temperature of 190 °C, and a reaction time of 12 h, using 10 M NaOH concentration and the washing solution to have a pH of 5.5. In addition, thermogravimetric analysis (TG/DTG) was used to investigate the thermal behaviour and dehydration kinetics of titanate nanotubes. In order to better understand their thermal behaviour, the thermal analysis of bulk hydrogen trititanate was performed. The values of the apparent activation energies of the first and second dehydration stages for titanate nanotubes were 81.44 ± 15.85 and 82.69 ± 7.46 kJ mol^?1, respectively. The values of the apparent activation energies of the first, second and third dehydration stages for bulk hydrogen trititanate were 115.93 ± 5.40, 137.58 ± 6.47 and 138.97 ± 8.47 kJ mol^?1, respectively.     

Confinement crystallization of poly(l-lactide) induced by multiwalled carbon nanotubes and graphene nanosheets

Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry - Two sets of multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs)/PLLA nanocomposites and graphene nanosheets (GNSs)/PLLA nanocomposites with various MWCNTs and GNSs...     

Determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in tobacco smoke

Improvements have been described in the apparatus and methods employed in determining polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in tobacco smoke by alumina-column chromatography and automatic ultra-violet spectrophotometry     

Comparative studies on electrochemical activity of graphene nanosheets and carbon nanotubes

This study compares the electrochemical activity of four kinds of carbon materials, i.e. single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs), pristine graphene oxide nanosheets (GONs), chemically reduced GONs, and electrochemically reduced GONs, with potassium ferricyanide (K₃Fe(CN)₆), β-nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH) and ascorbic acid (AA) as the redox probes. Cyclic voltammetry (CV) results demonstrate that the electron transfer kinetics of the redox probes employed here at the carbon materials essentially depend on the kind of the materials, of which the redox processes of the probes at SWNTs and electrochemically reduced GONs are faster than those at the pristine and chemically reduced GONs. The different electron transfer kinetics for the redox probes at the carbon materials studied here could be possibly ascribed to the synergetic effects of the surface chemistry (e.g., C/O ratio, presence of quinone-like groups, surface charge, and surface cleanness) and conductivity of the materials. This study could be potentially useful for understanding the structure/property relationship of the carbon materials and, based on this, for screening and synthesizing advanced carbon materials for electrochemical applications.