Correlation between the crystal structure and the Curie temperature in RCu(3)(Mn(3)Fe)O(12) (R = rare-earth) complex perovskites

New members of the family of complex-perovskite oxides with the formula RCu(3)(Mn(3)Fe)O(12) (R = Ce, Pr, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb, Lu and Y) have been synthesized and characterized. Polycrystalline samples have been prepared from citrate precursors treated under moderate pressure conditions (2-3.5 GPa) and 1000 °C in the presence of KClO(4) as an oxidizing agent. All the samples have been studied by neutron powder diffraction (NPD) at 300 K and 2 K. These oxides crystallize in the cubic space group Im3[combining macron] (no. 204). Mn(4+)/Mn(3+) and Fe(3+) occupy at random the octahedral B positions of the perovskite structure. These materials have also been characterized by magnetic and magnetotransport measurements. The observed enhancement of T(C) along the RCu(3)(Mn(3)Fe)O(12) series is understood as an effect of the chemical pressure on the (Mn,Fe)-O bonds as R(3+) size decreases. The semiconducting behaviour observed in all of the samples is related with the introduction of Fe at B position. Despite the drastic change of the transport properties, significant negative magnetoresistance values are observed in the Fe-containing compounds both at 10 K and 300 K.     

Benzene under high pressure: a story of molecular crystals transforming to saturated networks, with a possible intermediate metallic phase

In a theoretical study, benzene is compressed up to 300 GPa. The transformations found between molecular phases generally match the experimental findings in the moderate pressure regime (<20 GPa): phase I (Pbca) is found to be stable up to 4 GPa, while phase II (P4(3)2(1)2) is preferred in a narrow pressure range of 4-7 GPa. Phase III (P2(1)/c) is at lowest enthalpy at higher pressures. Above 50 GPa, phase V (P2(1) at 0 GPa; P2(1)/c at high pressure) comes into play, slightly more stable than phase III in the range of 50-80 GP, but unstable to rearrangement to a saturated, four-coordinate (at C), one-dimensional polymer. Actually, throughout the entire pressure range, crystals of graphane possess lower enthalpy than molecular benzene structures; a simple thermochemical argument is given for why this is so. In several of the benzene phases there nevertheless are substantial barriers to rearranging the molecules to a saturated polymer, especially at low temperatures. Even at room temperature these barriers should allow one to study the effect of pressure on the metastable molecular phases. Molecular phase III (P2(1)/c) is one such; it remains metastable to higher pressures up to ～200 GPa, at which point it too rearranges spontaneously to a saturated, tetracoordinate CH polymer. At 300 K the isomerization transition occurs at a lower pressure. Nevertheless, there may be a narrow region of pressure, between P = 180 and 200 GPa, where one could find a metallic, molecular benzene state. We explore several lower dimensional models for such a metallic benzene. We also probe the possible first steps in a localized, nucleated benzene polymerization by studying the dimerization of benzene molecules. Several new (C(6)H(6))(2) dimers are predicted.     

Pressure- and heat-induced insertion of CO2 into an auxetic small-pore zeolite

When the small-pore zeolite natrolite is compressed at ca. 1.5 GPa and heated to ca. 110 °C in the presence of CO(2), the unit cell volume of natrolite expands by 6.8% and ca. 12 wt % of CO(2) is contained in the expanded elliptical channels. This CO(2) insertion into natrolite is found to be reversible upon pressure release.     

From metastable to stable modifications-in situ Laue diffraction investigation of diffusion processes during the phase transitions of (GeTe)nSb2Te3 (6 < n < 15) crystals

Temperature dependent phase transitions of compounds (GeTe)(n)Sb(2)Te(3) (n = 6, 12, 15) have been investigated by in situ microfocus Laue diffraction. Diffusion processes involving cation defect ordering at ~300 °C lead to different nanostructures which are correlated to changes of the thermoelectric characteristics.     

In situ Raman and in situ XRD analysis of PdO reduction and Pd° oxidation supported on γ-Al2O3 catalyst under different atmospheres

Reduction of Pd° and decomposition of palladium oxide supported on γ-alumina were studied at atmospheric pressure under different atmospheres (H(2), CH(4), He) over a 4 wt% Pd/Al(2)O(3) catalyst (mean palladium particle size: 5 nm with 50% of small particles of size below 5 nm). During temperature programmed tests (reduction, decomposition and oxidation) the crystal domain behaviour of the PdO/Pd° phase was evaluated by in situ Raman spectroscopy and in situ XRD analysis. Under H(2)/N(2), the reduction of small PdO particles (<5 nm) occurs at room temperature, whereas reduction of larger particles (>5 nm) starts at 100 °C and is achieved at 150 °C. Subsequent oxidation in O(2)/N(2) leads to reoxidation of small crystal domain at ambient temperature while oxidation of large particles starts at 300 °C. Under CH(4)/N(2), the small particle reduction occurs between 240 and 250 °C while large particle reduction is fast and occurs between 280 and 290 °C. Subsequent reoxidation of the catalyst reduced in CH(4)/N(2) shows that small and large particle oxidation of Pd° starts also at 300 °C. Under He, no small particle decomposition is observed probably due to strong interactions between particles and support whereas large particle reduction occurs between 700 and 750 °C. After thermal decomposition under He, the oxidation starts at 300 °C. Thus, the reduction phenomenon (small and large crystal domain) depends on the nature of the reducing agent (H(2), CH(4), He). However, whatever the reduction or decomposition treatment or the crystal domain, Pd° oxidation starts at 300 °C and is completed only at temperatures higher than 550 °C. Under lean conditions, with or without water, the palladium consists of reduced sites of palladium (Pd°, Pd(δ+) with δ < 2 or PdO(x) with x < 1) randomly distributed on palladium particles.     

1-Amino-1-hydrazino-2,2-dinitroethene and corresponding salts: synthesis, characterization, and thermolysis studies

Synthesis, characterization, and thermolysis studies of 1-amino-1-hydrazino-2,2-dinitroethene (2) and salts thereof are reported. These compounds have been fully characterized by IR and NMR spectroscopy, elemental analysis, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), density, and impact sensitivity measurements. Compound 2 decomposes at 124.5 °C (DSC) and the salts decompose over the range 138.6-181.6 °C, thus showing higher thermostability. The calculated detonation pressures (P) for these salts range from 27.2 to 37.8 GPa, and detonation velocities (vD) fall between 8424 to 9482 m s(-1); these properties make them competitive energetic materials.     

Development of robust organosilica membranes for reverse osmosis

Hybrid organically bridged silica membranes have attracted considerable attention because of their high performances in a variety of applications. Development of robust reverse osmosis (RO) membranes to withstand aggressive operating conditions is still a major challenge. Here, a new type of microporous organosilica membrane has been developed and applied in reverse osmosis. Sol-gel derived organosilica RO membranes reject isopropanol with rejection higher than 95%, demonstrating superior molecular sieving ability for neutral solutes of low molecular weight. Due to the introduction of an inherently stable hybrid network structure, the membrane withstands higher temperatures in comparison with commercial polyamide RO membranes, and is resistant to water to at least 90 °C with no obvious changes in filtration performance. Furthermore, both an accelerated chlorine-resistance test and Fourier transform infrared analysis confirm excellent chlorine stability in this material, which demonstrates promise for a new generation of chlorine-resistant RO membrane materials.     

Sonochemical synthesis and properties of nanoparticles of FeSbO4

A sonochemical method was employed to prepare reactive nanoparticles of FeSbO(4) at 300 °C, which is the lowest calcination temperature reported so far for preparing FeSbO(4). A systematic evolution of the FeSbO(4) phase formation as a function of temperature was monitored by in situ synchrotron X-ray measurements. The 300 and 450 °C calcined powders exhibited specific surface areas of 116 and 75 m(2)/g, respectively. The X-ray photoelectron spectra analysis confirmed the presence of mainly Fe(3+) and Sb(5+) in the calcined powder. The response of the fabricated sensors (using both 300 and 450 °C calcined powders) toward 1000 ppm and 1, 2, 4, and 8% hydrogen, respectively, has been monitored at various operating temperatures. The sensors fabricated using 300 °C calcined powder exhibited a response of 76% toward 4% H(2) gas at an operating temperature of 300 °C, while those fabricated using 450 °C calcined powder exhibited a higher response of 91% with a quick recovery toward 4% H(2) gas at 300 °C. The results confirmed that a higher calcination temperature was preferred to achieve better sensitivity and selectivity toward hydrogen in comparison to other reducing gases such as butane and methane. The experimental results confirmed that the sonochemical process can be easily used to prepare FeSbO(4) nanoparticles for various catalytic applications as demonstrated. Here, we project FeSbO(4) as a new class of material exhibiting high sensitivity toward a wide range of hydrogen gas. Such sensors that could detect high concentrations of hydrogen may find application in nuclear reactors where there will be a leakage of hydrogen.     

Ab initio molecular dynamics simulations study on initial decompositions of β‐HMX at high temperature coupled with high pressures

We performed ab initio molecular dynamics simulations to investigate initial decomposition mechanisms and subsequent chemical processes of β‐HMX (cyclotetramethylene tetranitramine) (octahydro‐1,3,5,7‐tetranitro‐1,3,5,7‐tetrazocine) crystals at high temperature coupled with high pressures. It was found that the initial decomposition step is the simultaneous C–H and N–NO₂ bond cleavage at 3,500 K. When the pressure (1–10 GPa) is applied, the first reaction steps are primarily the C–N and C–H bond fission at 3,500 K. The C–H bond cleavage is a triggering decomposition step of the HMX crystals at 3,500 K coupled with 16 GPa. This indicates that the C–H bonds are much easier to be broken and the hydrogen radicals are much more active. The applied pressures (1–10 GPa) accelerate the decompositions of HMX at 3,500 K. The decomposition pathways and time evolution of the main chemical species demonstrate that the temperature is the foremost factor that affects the decomposition at high pressures (1–10 GPa). However, the decomposition of HMX is dependent on both the temperature (3,500 K) and the pressure (16 GPa). This work will enrich the knowledge of the decompositions of condensed energetic materials under extreme conditions.     

Origin of the monoclinic-to-monoclinic phase transition and evidence for the centrosymmetric crystal structure of BiMnO3

Structural properties of polycrystalline single-phased BiMnO3 samples prepared at 6 GPa and 1383 K have been studied by selected area electron diffraction (SAED), convergent beam electron diffraction (CBED), and the Rietveld method using neutron diffraction data measured at 300 and 550 K. The SAED and CBED data showed that BiMnO3 crystallizes in the centrosymmetric space group C2/c at 300 K. The crystallographic data are a = 9.5415(2) A, b = 5.61263(8) A, c = 9.8632(2) A, beta = 110.6584(12) degrees at 300 K and a = 9.5866(3) A, b = 5.59903(15) A, c = 9.7427(3) A, beta = 108.601(2) degrees at 550 K, Z = 8, space group C2/c. The analysis of Mn-O bond lengths suggested that the orbital order present in BiMnO3 at 300 K melts above TOO = 474 K. The phase transition at 474 K is of the first order and accompanied by a jump of magnetization and small changes of the effective magnetic moment and Weiss temperature, mueff = 4.69 microB and theta = 138.0 K at 300-450 K and mueff = 4.79 microB and theta = 132.6 K at 480-600 K.     

Temperature-controlled chiral and achiral copper tetrazolate metal-organic frameworks: syntheses, structures, and I2 adsorption

Four tetrazole-based three-dimensional (3D) metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), {[Cu(II)(btz)]·0.5H(2)O}(n) (1), [Cu(II)(btz)](n) (1'), {[Cu(II)(btz)]·0.5I(2)}(n) (1'·0.5I(2)), and [Cu(II)Cu(I)(2)(btz)(2)](n) (2) [H(2)btz = 1,5-bis(5-tetrazolo)-3-oxapentane)], have been successfully obtained and characterized by crystallography. Compound 1 features a chiral porous framework. The bulk crystallization of 1 is composed of enantiomers 1a (P4(1)) and 1b (P4(3)), which has been demonstrated by the crystal structure analyses of nine crystals of 1 randomly selected. The Cotton effect displayed in the solid-state circular dichroism spectrum of 1 is therefore attributed to enantiomeric excess rather than enantiopurity. The completely dehydrated phase of 1, that is, 1', can adsorb 0.5 I(2) molecule per formula unit to yield compound 1'·0.5I(2), which has been supported by single-crystal X-ray diffraction, elemental analysis, and thermogravimetric analysis. The locations of I(2) in the pores were unambiguously determined, and the interactions between I(2) molecules and the pore structures were investigated. Compound 2 crystallizes in an achiral C2/c space group. Interestingly, the formations of chiral 1 and achiral 2 significantly depend on the reaction temperature. Between 80 and 140 °C, we got compound 1 as the only product. At 150 °C, both 1 and 2 were in coexistence in the final product. From 160 to 180 °C, only compound 2 was obtained. More interestingly, treatment of the crystals of 1 or the mixture of 1 and 2 obtained at 150 °C in their mother liquor at 170 °C yielded the crystals of 2 in a single phase.     

Synthesis of silica supported AuCu nanoparticle catalysts and the effects of pretreatment conditions for the CO oxidation reaction

Supported gold nanoparticles have generated an immense interest in the field of catalysis due to their extremely high reactivity and selectivity. Recently, alloy nanoparticles of gold have received a lot of attention due to their enhanced catalytic properties. Here we report the synthesis of silica supported AuCu nanoparticles through the conversion of supported Au nanoparticles in a solution of Cu(C(2)H(3)O(2))(2) at 300 °C. The AuCu alloy structure was confirmed through powder XRD (which indicated a weakly ordered alloy phase), XANES, and EXAFS. It was also shown that heating the AuCu/SiO(2) in an O(2) atmosphere segregated the catalyst into a Au-CuO(x) heterostructure between 150 °C to 240 °C. Heating the catalyst in H(2) at 300 °C reduced the CuO(x) back to Cu(0) to reform the AuCu alloy phase. It was found that the AuCu/SiO(2) catalysts were inactive for CO oxidation. However, various pretreatment conditions were required to form a highly active and stable Au-CuO(x)/SiO(2) catalyst to achieve 100% CO conversion below room-temperature. This is explained by the in situ FTIR result, which shows that CO molecules can be chemisorbed and activated only on the Au-CuO(x)/SiO(2) catalyst but not on the AuCu/SiO(2) catalyst.     

New layered cobalt oxyfluoride, Sr2CoO3F

The first Ruddlesden-Popper type layered cobalt oxyfluoride, Sr(2)CoO(3)F, has been synthesized under a pressure of 6 GPa at 1700 °C and shown to adopt a K(2)NiF(4)-type structure with distorted square pyramidal coordination around Co and with O/F disorder at the apical sites.     

Luminescent materials of annealed Eu3+-exchanged zeolite L crystals

In this work, we report the luminescence behavior of Eu(3+)-exchanged zeolite L microcrystals annealed at different temperatures. SEM and XRD techniques were employed to characterize the samples. UV-vis absorption spectroscopy and luminescence spectroscopy were used to study the luminescence properties of the annealed materials. It is shown that Eu(3+)-exchanged zeolite L crystals are structurally stable at 800 °C, and that its structure is completely collapsed when annealed at 1100 °C. Calcination of Eu(3+)-exchanged zeolite L crystals at 700 °C leads to a strong violet-blue emission, while a strong red emission is observed when the sample is annealed at 1100 °C.     

Synthesis and structure of technetium trichloride

Technetium trichloride has been synthesized by reaction of Tc(2)(O(2)CCH(3))(4)Cl(2) with HCl(g) at 300 °C. The mechanism of formation mimics the one described earlier in the literature for rhenium. Tc(2)(O(2)CCH(3))(2)Cl(4) [P1?; a = 6.0303(12) ?, b = 6.5098(13) ?, c = 8.3072(16) ?, α = 112.082(2)°, β = 96.667(3)°, γ = 108.792(3)°; Tc-Tc = 2.150(1) ?] is formed as an intermediate in the reaction at 100 °C. Technetium trichloride is formed above 250 °C and is isostructural with its rhenium homologue. The structure consists of Tc(3)Cl(9) clusters [R3?m; a = b = 10.1035(19) ?, c = 20.120(8) ?], and the Tc-Tc separation is 2.444(1) ?. Calculations on TcX(3) (X = Cl, Br) have confirmed the stability of TcCl(3) and suggest the existence of a polymorph of TcBr(3) with the ReBr(3) structure.     

A facile method to tune zeolite L crystals with low aspect ratio

We demonstrate an alternative route to tune the morphology of zeolite L crystals using C(2)H(5)OH as the co-solvent in the synthesis gel. A low aspect ratio (0.2 to 0.4) of zeolite L crystals was obtained at lower synthesis temperature (150 °C) and shorter synthesis duration (3 days).     

Practical method transfer from high performance liquid chromatography to ultra-high performance liquid chromatography: the importance of frictional heating

In theory, with identical stationary phase chemistry, the transfer of an HPLC method to UHPLC conditions is straightforward and necessitates the calculation of new conditions based on column and instrument geometries. Occasionally, undesirable changes in selectivity, retention or efficiency have been reported and have been attributed to a frictional heating phenomenon that is due to the elevated generated pressure drop. In the present study, the frictional heating in a UHPLC system was evaluated experimentally under gradient elution conditions (acetonitrile/buffer at pH 3 and 9) with generated pressure drops in the range of 100-1000 bar on both 1.0mm and 2.1mm I.D. columns using a mixture of 10 representative basic, acidic and neutral pharmaceutical compounds. Under adiabatic conditions (i.e., still-air oven), the longitudinal temperature gradient was estimated at +4 °C, +8 °C and +16 °C at 300, 600 and 1000 bar, respectively, on a 2.1mm I.D. column using an empirical measurement procedure. With the 1.0mm I.D. column, these values were reduced to +3 °C, +6 °C and +12 °C, respectively. Finally, various approaches to eliminate or at least to reduce the effect of frictional heating are briefly discussed.     

高热稳定性二氧化硅包覆的Au25纳米簇的制备和催化应用

具有独特的电子和几何结构,原子精确控制的金纳米簇(<2 nm)成为一种新的具有广泛研究和应用前景的纳米催化剂.负载在氧化物表面的金纳米簇通常会在高于300°C时聚集或长大.人们已经通过多种方法成功制备了对于非原子精确控制的热稳定性的金纳米颗粒.主要包括利用金属与载体强相互作用,用可还原的金属氧化物来稳定金纳米颗粒;利用物理阻隔作用使用高比表面积的载体或制备核壳、纳米粒子镶嵌在载体中来稳定金纳米颗粒.对于原子精确控制的金纳米簇,由于其外边包覆着一层配体,将其负载到载体上时要保证配体不被破坏才能保证金纳米簇的结构完整性,负载后通常要除去配体才能使催化活性位曝露出来.目前,高热稳定性(>300°C)的金纳米簇的制备方法还较少.由于金与 SiO2相互作用较弱,将超小(<2 nm)的金纳米粒子包覆于其中非常困难.因此,本文首先制备了1.3 nm的含有硅酯键的巯基配体(3-巯丙基三甲氧基硅烷)保护的 Au25[SC3H6Si(OCH3)3]18,然后将其在刚成核的 SiO2表面与正硅酸四乙酯共水解,得到了既保留了 Au25的完整结构,又避免了 Au25之间相互水解的 Au25(SC3H6SiO3)18@SiO2纳米材料.漫反射固体紫外-可见光谱证明了 Au25在包覆完成后结构的完整性.透射电镜结果表明, Au25纳米簇焙烧至400°C未发生明显聚集长大.对硝基苯酚还原实验结果表明,不同温度处理后的 Au25@SiO2配体在200°C开始脱除,温度高于传统的负载型 Au25催化剂,表明 Au25是在 SiO2内部而不是在表面,从而使配体不易离去.400°C处理后的 Au25@SiO2对4-硝基苯酚还原表现出最高的反应活性,表明该纳米簇在400°C处理后没有发生明显聚集长大.     

Rich coordination of Nd3+ in Mg2Nd13(BO3)8(SiO4)4(OH)3, derived from high-pressure/high-temperature conditions

A neodymium borosilicate, Mg(2)Nd(13)(BO(3))(8)(SiO(4))(4)(OH)(3) (MgNdBSi-1), was obtained from a high-temperature (1400 °C), solid-state reaction under high-pressure conditions (4.5 GPa). MgNdBSi-1 contains six different types of Nd(3+) coordination environments with three different ligands: BO(3), SiO(4), and OH groups. Mg(2+) cations are only bond to BO(3) groups and form porous two-dimensional layers based on 12-membered ring fragments. Surprisingly, the OH groups are retained at high temperature and reside at the center of Mg-BO(3) rings.     

Synthesis and spectroscopic characterization of Cu(II) containing chlorocadmiumphosphate Cd(HPO4)Cl·[H3N(CH2)6NH3]0.5 crystals

Chlorocadmiumphosphate Cd(HPO(4))Cl·[H(3)N(CH(2))(6)NH(3)](0.5) crystals containing Cu(II) ions have been successfully synthesized at room temperature by using organic amine 1,6-diamino hexane as a template. The samples are characterized by X-ray powder diffraction, Thermal and spectroscopic studies. These are crystallizes in the monoclinic crystal system with cell dimensions: a=1.7697, b=0.6576, c=1.9026nm and β=106.5°. FT-IR spectrum showed the absorption bands related to PO(4), NH(3)(+) ions and other organic molecule vibrations originated from the templated molecule. The prepared crystals are stable at room temperature and as well as up to around 300°C which were confirmed by thermal analysis. Optical absorption and EPR studies suggest that Cu(II) ion enters in to the lattice as tetragonally distorted octahedral symmetry, for which crystal field and spin-Hamiltonian parameters are calculated. Bonding parameters are suggesting that there exists partial covalent nature between Cu(II) ions and ligands.