Effect of the composition of the reaction atmosphere on the thermal stability of highly dispersed gold particles on an oxide support (Au/Al<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript> system)

Metal gold particles were supported onto the surface of aluminum oxide by physical vapor deposition. The effects of thermal treatments at 30?800°C both in a vacuum and in an atmosphere of O₂ (5 mbar), CO (5 mbar), or a mixture of CO + O₂ (5 mbar of each) on the samples of Au/Al₂O₃ were studied by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. An increase in the Au4f line intensity in the course of gold deposition was accompanied by a shift of this line toward smaller binding energy. Upon the supporting of a maximum quantity of gold, the binding energy E _b(Au4f _7/2) became smaller than the value characteristic of the bulk metal. It was hypothesized that this can be explained by the formation of negatively charged Au^δ? particles due to electron density transfer from the support to the particles of gold. In the course of the heating of Au/Al₂O₃ in a vacuum or in a reaction atmosphere, the agglomeration of small gold particles occurred; this fact manifested itself in a decrease in the atomic ratio [Au]/[Al]. In all of the atmospheres, the Au particles supported on Al₂O₃ exhibited high thermal stability; considerable changes in the ratio [Au]/[Al] were observed only at temperatures higher than 600°C.     

Synergetic effect in PdAu/CeO<Subscript>2</Subscript> catalysts for the low-temperature oxidation of CO

Gold-palladium catalysts supported on cerium oxide were synthesized with the double complex salts. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and other physicochemical methods (TEM, TPR) were used to demonstrate that synthesis of highly active palladium catalysts requires the oxidative treatment stimulating the formation of a catalytically active surface solid solution Pd _x Ce_1?x O₂, which is responsible for the lowtemperature activity (LTA) in the reaction CO + O₂. In the case of gold catalysts, active sites for the lowtemperature oxidation of CO are represented by gold nanoparticles and its cationic interface species. Simultaneous deposition of two metals increases the catalyst LTA due to interaction of both gold and palladium with the support surface to form a Pd_1?x CexO₂ solid solution and cationic interface species of palladium and gold on the boundary of Pd-Au alloy particles anchored on the solid solution surface.     

Gold catalysts supported on ZnO/Al<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript> for low-temperature CO oxidation

Gold catalysts with loadings ranging from 0.5 to 7.0 wt% on a ZnO/Al₂O₃ support were prepared by the deposition–precipitation method (Au/ZnO/Al₂O₃) with ammonium bicarbonate as the precipitation agent and were evaluated for performance in CO oxidation. These catalysts were characterized by inductively coupled plasma-atom emission spectrometry, temperature programmed reduction, and scanning transmission electron microscopy. The catalytic activity for CO oxidation was measured using a flow reactor under atmospheric pressure. Catalytic activity was found to be strongly dependent on the reduction property of oxygen adsorbed on the gold surface, which related to gold particle size. Higher catalytic activity was found when the gold particles had an average diameter of 3–5 nm; in this range, gold catalysts were more active than the Pt/ZnO/Al₂O₃ catalyst in CO oxidation. Au/ZnO/Al₂O₃ catalyst with small amount of ZnO is more active than Au/Al₂O₃ catalyst due to higher dispersion of gold particles.     

Electrochemical sensor using graphene/Fe<Subscript>3</Subscript>O<Subscript>4</Subscript> nanosheets functionalized with garlic extract for the detection of lead ion

Based on the modulated electronic properties of Fe₃O₄-graphene (Fe₃O₄/GN composite) as well as the outstanding complexation between Pb²⁺ and natural substances garlic extract (GE), a novel electrochemical sensor for the determination of Pb²⁺ in wastewater was prepared by immobilization of Fe₃O₄/GN composite integrated with GE onto the surface of glassy carbon electrode (GCE). Fe₃O₄/GN composite was employed as an electrochemical active probe for enhancing electrical response by facilitating charge transfer while GE was used to improve the selectivity and sensitivity of the proposed sensor to Pb²⁺ assay. The electrochemical sensing performance toward Pb²⁺ was appraised by cyclic voltammetry (CV), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), and square wave voltammetry (SWV). Under the optimized condition, the sensor exhibited two dynamic linear ranges (LDR) including 0.001 to 0.5 nM and 0.5 to 1000 nM with excellent low detection limit (LOD) of 0.0123 pM (S/N =?3) and quantification limit (LOQ) of 0.41 pM (S/N =?10). Meanwhile, it displayed remarkable stability, reproducibility (RSD of 3.61%, n =?3), and selectivity toward the assay for the 100-fold higher concentration of other heavy metal ions. Furthermore, the novel sensor has been successfully employed to detect Pb²⁺ from real water samples with satisfactory results.     

Chemical looping combustion characteristics of coal with Fe<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript> oxygen carrier

Chemical looping combustion (CLC) by direct use of coal as fuel is promising with its prominent advantages, but insufficient conversion of coal in the CLC system is a great limitation. In this research, in order to explore the limiting factor inherent for coal conversion in the CLC system, from the perspective of chemical structure of coal, reaction of a selected Chinese typical coal (designated as LZ) with Fe₂O₃ was systematically investigated. Thermogravimetric investigation of LZ coal reaction with Fe₂O₃ at the oxygen excess number Φ = 1.0 indicated that after dehydration, there existed three discernible reaction stages as observed, which were attributed to the combined reactions of Fe₂O₃ with the primary and secondary gaseous products evolved from LZ coal. Meanwhile, the Fe₂O₃ provided should be controlled around Φ = 1.0 aiming at effective conversion of LZ coal and simultaneous proper utilization of Fe₂O₃. And then, both gaseous Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy analysis of the gaseous and solid products formed from reaction of LZ coal with Fe₂O₃ at Φ = 1.0 indicated that full conversion of LZ coal was not reached with a little unconverted CO occurring, though partial Fe₂O₃ was over reduced to lower valence of oxides than Fe₃O₄. Furthermore, in order to explore the insufficient conversion of LZ coal at the molecular scale, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis revealed the distribution and evolution of the carbon functional groups involved in LZ coal after its reaction with Fe₂O₃ and further found that effective conversion of the aromatic/aliphatic C=C/C–H groups in LZ coal was the rate-limited step at the molecular scale with the relative content of these groups still dominated around 59% after LZ coal reaction with Fe₂O₃. Finally, solid IR (infrared) analysis and quantitative evaluation of the solid products of LZ coal reaction with Fe₂O₃ indicated that the length of aliphatic C–H groups decreased due to its partial disintegration, while the aromatization of the residual char was aggravated with the higher relative IR intensity ratio of the aromatic C=C groups, which reduced the reactivity of LZ residual char and hindered the full conversion of LZ coal.     

High-temperature heat capacity and thermodynamic properties of pyrovanadate Pb<Subscript>2</Subscript>V<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>7</Subscript> and orthovanadate Pb<Subscript>3</Subscript>(VO<Subscript>4</Subscript>)<Subscript>2</Subscript>

The heat capacities of Pb₂V₂O₇ and Pb₃(VO₄)₂ as a function of temperature in the range 350–965 K have been studied by the differential scanning calorimetry method. The C_P = f(T) curve for Pb₂V₂O₇ is described by the equation C_p = (230.76 ± 0.51) + (73.60 ± 0.50)×10^-3T ? (18.38 ± 0.54)×10⁵T^-2 in the entire temperature range. For Pb₃(VO₄)₂, there is a well-pronounced extreme point in the C_P = f(T) curve at T = 371.5 K, which is caused by the existence of a structural phase transition. The thermodynamic properties of the oxide compounds have been calculated.     

Preparation and characterization of Fe<Subscript>3</Subscript>O<Subscript>4</Subscript>composite particles

Using Fe₃O₄ nano-particles as seeds, a new type of Fe₃O₄/Au composite particles with core/shell structure and diameter of about 170 nm was prepared by reduction of Au³⁺ with hydroxylamine in an aqueous solution. Particle size analyzer and transmission electron microscope were used to analyze the size distribution and microstructure of the particles in different conditions. The result showed that the magnetically responsive property and suspension stability of Fe₃O₄ seeds as well as reduction conditions of Au³⁺to Au⁰are the main factors which are crucial for obtaining a colloid of the Fe₃O₄/Au composite particles with uniform particle dispersion, excellent stability, homogeneity in particle sizes, and effective response to an external magnet in aqueous suspension solutions. UV-Vis analysis revealed that there is a characteristic peak of Fe₃O₄/Au fluid. For particles with d(0.5)=168 nm, the λmax is 625 nm.     

Synthesis and High-Temperature Heat Capacity of Y<Subscript>2</Subscript>Ge<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>7</Subscript>

Yttrium germanate Y₂Ge₂O₇ was prepared by solid-phase synthesis from a stoichiometric Y₂O₃–GeO₂ mixture under multistage calcination in air within a temperature range of 1273–1473 K. The molar heat capacity of polycrystalline samples was measured by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and the C _P = f(T) dependence was used to calculate the thermodynamic properties of yttrium digermanates, such as the enthalpy and entropy changes and the reduced Gibbs energy.     

Synthesis and electrochemical properties of Li-rich Li[Ni<Subscript>0.5</Subscript>Co<Subscript>0.2</Subscript>Mn<Subscript>0.3</Subscript>]O<Subscript>2</Subscript> for pouch-typed cell

Layered transition metal oxide LiNi _x Co _y MnzO₂ cathode materials with different Li amount were successfully synthesized via co-precipitation method. Monodispersed Li[Ni_0.5Co_0.2Mn_0.3]O₂ and Li-rich Li_1.1[Ni_0.5Co_0.2Mn_0.3]O₂ spherical agglomeration consisted of secondary particles, which is favorable for the higher tap-density of materials, can be easily obtained. The pouch-typed cells with obtained materials were assembled to investigate electrochemical performance at level of full-cell. The results show that the assembled pouch-typed full-cells with Li-rich sample present higher capacity, better rate capability and cycle life.     

Electronic structure of Ti<Subscript>4</Subscript>Fe<Subscript>2</Subscript>O as determined from <Emphasis Type="Italic">ab initio</Emphasis> calculations and X-ray spectroscopy studies

The TiL _α, FeL _α and OK _α ultrasoft X-ray emission bands obtained in experiment reflect, respectively, the energy distribution of mainly the Ti3d, Fe3d and O2p electronic states in Ti₄Fe₂O compound, which is an efficient hydrogen absorber for energy cells. Full and partial densities of electronic states for all atoms constituting the indicated oxide were calculated by a modified method of associated plane waves (APW) using the WIEN2k software package. The APW calculation data for Ti₄Fe₂O compound as well as superposition of TiL _α, FeL _α and OK _α ultrasoft X-ray emission bands on a single energy scale indicate that O2p states in the oxide are localized mainly near the bottom of the valence band, the major contribution near the ceiling of the valence band belonging to Fe3d and Ti3d states. According to the APW calculation, the major contribution to the bottom of Ti₄Fe₂O conduction band is made by Fe3d* and Ti3d* states. The APW data for Ti₄Fe₂O are supported by the cluster calculation performed for this compound using a FEFF82 software package.     

High-temperature heat capacity and thermodynamic properties of Pb<Subscript>4</Subscript>V<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>9</Subscript> and Pb<Subscript>8</Subscript>V<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>13</Subscript>

The molar heat capacity of Pb₄V₂O₉ and Pb₈V₂O₁₃ in the temperature range 350–1000 K was measured by differential scanning calorimetry. It was determined that the plot C_p = f(T) for Pb₈V₂O₁₃ has an extremum within the range 416–516 K, which is due to a phase transition. A correlation was found between the heat capacity and composition of oxides in the PbO–V₂O₅ system. The data obtained allowed one to predict the specific heat capacity value for Pb(VO₃)₂.     

Mechanism of formation of the complex oxide Gd<Subscript>2</Subscript>SrFe<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>7</Subscript>

The mechanism of formation of the perovskite-like layered structure of the oxide Gd₂SrFe₂O₇ was studied. The limiting stages are those of formation of phases with perovskite (GdFeO₃, SrFeO_3?x ) and K₂NiF₄ (GdSrFeO₄) structures. The Mössbauer study has shown that iron atoms exist in a heterovalent state (Fe³⁺ and Fe⁴⁺) only in the structure of SrFeO_3?x ).     

Subsolidus phase relations in the Al<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript>-Li<Subscript>2</Subscript>O-Ta<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>5</Subscript> (Nb<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>5</Subscript>) systems

The phase composition has been studied and an equilibrium phase diagram has been designed for the Al₂O₃-Li₂O-R₂O₅ (R = Ta or Nb) systems in the subsolidus region up to 1000°C and 85 mol % Li₂O. New phases with the composition Li_1+x Al_1?x O_2?x , where x = 0–0.67, have been found.     

Crystal structures of Ti(NH<Subscript>4</Subscript>)<Subscript>2</Subscript>P<Subscript>4</Subscript>O<Subscript>13</Subscript> and Sn(NH<Subscript>4</Subscript>)<Subscript>2</Subscript>P<Subscript>4</Subscript>O<Subscript>13</Subscript>

The characteristics of crystal structures of the titanium(IV) diammonium (Ti(NH₄)₂P₄O₁₃) and tin(IV) diammonium (Sn(NH₄)₂P₄O₁₃) tetraphosphates, which are isostructural with similar silicon(IV) and germanium(IV) salts, have been obtained by the Rietveld method using X-ray powder diffraction data. The compounds crystallize in the triclinic system, space group P \(\overline 1 \), Z = 2, a = 15.0291(7) Å, b = 7.9236(4) Å, c = 5.0754(3) Å, α = 99.168(3)°, β = 97.059(3)°, γ = 83.459(3)° for Ti(NH₄)₂P₄O₁₃ and a = 15.1454(7) Å, b = 8.0103(5) Å, c = 5.1053(3) Å, α = 99.898(6)°, β = 96.806(3)°, γ = 83.881(4)° for Sn(NH₄)₂P₄O₁₃. The structure is refined in the isotropic approximation using the pseudo-Voigt function: R _p = 0.077, R _Bragg = 0.045, R _F = 0.057 for Ti(NH₄)₂P₄O₁₃; R _p = 0.082, R _Bragg = 0.044, R _F = 0.046 for Sn(NH₄)₂P₄O₁₃. The hydrogen atoms of the ammonium cations are placed in the calculated positions. A comparative analysis of the structures of the compounds of the M^IV(NH₄)₂P₄O₁₃ (M^IV = Si, Ge, Ti, Sn) series has been carried out.     

Interactions in the Al<Subscript>2</Subscript>TiO<Subscript>5</Subscript>-Ti<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript> System

Interactions in the Al₂TiO₅-Ti₂O₃ system were studied and the regions of existence of Al_2?2xTi _2x ³⁺ Ti⁴⁺O₅ solid solutions with a pseudobrookite structure were determined.     

An XPS and STM Study of Oxidized Platinum Particles Formed by the Interaction between Pt/HOPG with NO<Subscript>2</Subscript>

X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) (with AlK_α and AgL_α radiations) and scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) were used to study the interaction of two model samples prepared by vacuum evaporation of platinum on highly oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) with NO₂ at room temperature. According to STM data, platinum evaporation on the graphite surface produced particles of a flattened shape. In the Pt/HOPGS1 sample with a lower concentration of platinum, the average diameter of particles d and the height-to-diameter ratio h/d were 2.8 nm and 0.29, respectively. In the Pt/HOPG-S2 sample with a higher concentration of platinum, the average values of d and h/d were 5.1 nm and 0.32. When the samples interacted with NO₂ (P ≈ 3 × 10^–6 mbar), the particles of metallic platinum completely converted to the particles of PtO_2· Upon oxidation, the shape of larger platinum particles in the Pt/HOPG-S2 sample did not change, although for the dispersed particles in the Pt/HOPG-S1 samples under these conditions, the h/d ratio increases. The reduction of oxide to metal particles on heating the Pt/HOPG-S1 sample in vacuum at 460°С is accompanied by an increase in the size of particles. Their shape became more round compared to the initial one. It was found that X-ray radiation affects the state of platinum in the oxidized sample by reducing the surface layer of PtO₂ to PtO.     

High-temperature heat capacity of stannates Er<Subscript>2</Subscript>Sn<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>7</Subscript> and Tm<Subscript>2</Subscript>Sn<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>7</Subscript>

Erbium stannate Er₂Sn₂O₇ and thulium stannate Tm₂Sn₂O₇ with a pyrochlore-type structure were produced by solid-phase synthesis by calcining stoichiometric mixtures of the respective oxides in air at 1473 K for 240 and 200 h. The high-temperature heat capacity of Er2Sn2O7 and Tm₂Sn₂O₇ was studied by differential thermal calorimetry at 353–1000 K. From the experimental dependences C _P = f(T), the thermodynamic functions (enthalpy change, entropy change, and reduced Gibbs free energy) of oxide compounds were calculated.     

Crystal and molecular structure of [Au(C<Subscript>14</Subscript>H<Subscript>24</Subscript>N<Subscript>4</Subscript>)][H<Subscript>3</Subscript>O](ClO<Subscript>4</Subscript>)<Subscript>4</Subscript>

The crystal and molecular structure of doubly protonated tetraazamacrocyclic complex of gold(III) [Au(C₁₄H₂₄N₄)][H₃O](ClO₄)₄ has been determined. The crystals are monoclinic: a = 11.158(2) Å, b = 8.243(1) Å, c = 14.756(2) Å; β = 98.65(1)°, V = 1341.8(3) ų, Z = 2, ρ(calc) = 1.134 g/cm³, space group P2₁/n. The structure is built of almost flat centrosymmetrical Au(C₁₄H₂₄N₄)]³⁺ and [H₃O]⁺ cations and [ClO₄]^? anions. The gold atom is coordinated with four nitrogen atoms of the ligand forming a flat square. The coordinated ligand is protonated at its γ-carbon atoms of the two six-membered chelate rings. The Au-N bond lengths are almost identical (the mean value is 1.994 Å). The six-membered rings of the complex contain C=N diimine bonds. The [H₃O]⁺ oxonium ion has H-bonds with the oxygen atoms of perchlorate ions.     

Facile synthesis of Fe<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript>/Cu<Subscript>2</Subscript>O nanocomposite and its visible light photocatalytic activity for the degradation of cationic dyes

Iron oxide-loaded Cu₂O photocatalysts were prepared by a facile hydrothermal method. The binary mixed metal oxide photocatalyst was characterized by XRD, FE-SEM, FTIR, UV–Vis-DRS, particle size and zeta potential measurements. XRD analysis showed that Fe₂O₃/Cu₂O catalysts were phase pure and highly crystalline in nature. FE-SEM images revealed the formation of nanospherical Fe₂O₃ over the Cu₂O surface during hydrothermal reaction. From UV–Vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy studies, the optical band gap of the Fe₂O₃/Cu₂O photocatalyst was found to be slightly red-shifted to 1.85 eV, after loading of Fe₂O₃. The zeta potential analysis revealed that the surface of the Fe₂O₃/Cu₂O photocatalyst was negatively charged in neutral solution. The loading of n-type Fe₂O₃ on p-type Cu₂O augments the charge carrier separation at the interface, which was evident from the enhanced photodegradation of organic pollutants (Methylene blue and Rhodamine B dyes) under visible light irradiation.     

Refinement of LiFe<Subscript>5</Subscript>O<Subscript>8</Subscript> crystal structure

The crystal structure and the formation conditions of crystals of the LiFe₅O₈ ordered phase obtained from the solution-melt of the Bi₂O₃-Fe₂O₃-B₂O₃-LiCl quadruple system are refined. The crystals are black, octahedral, of cubic symmetry (space group P4₃32). Unit cell parameters: a = 8.3339(1) Å, V = 578.82(1) ų, Z = 4, d _calc = 4.753 g/cm³. From 6046 of the collected array I _hkl 358 are independent (R _int = 0.0321). As a result of anisotropic refinement of structural parameters, R ₁ factor is found to be 0.0186 (wR ₂ = 0.0467). Lithium atoms are in octahedral environment, Li-O is 2.109(1) Å; iron atoms are of two types: in octahedra with Fe-O (by two) distances of 1.9586(9) Å, 2.0152(9) Å, and 2.0652(10) Å and tetrahedra with Fe-O (three) 1.8848(10) Å and 1.914(2) Å. The structure is of inverted spinel type.