Effect of trace metals on reactive crystallization of gypsum

The effect of Fe²⁺, Fe³⁺, and Cr³⁺ ions on crystallization of calcium sulfate dihydrate (gypsum) produced by the reaction between calcium hydroxide suspension and sulphuric acid solution was investigated at 3.5 pH and 65°C in the absence and presence of 2500 ppm citric acid concentration. Crystal size distributions, filtration rates, and morphology of gypsum were determined and discussed as a function of ion concentration. Average particle size of gypsum was not affected significantly by the presence of Fe²⁺, Fe³⁺, and Cr³⁺ ions individually. Variation of gypsum morphology depending on ion concentration affected the filtration characteristics. The presence of Fe³⁺ or Cr³⁺ ions besides 2500 ppm citric acid influenced both average particle size and filtration characteristics. The effect of citric acid on gypsum morphology was suppressed at high Fe³⁺ and Cr³⁺ ion concentrations. The change of morphology is related to the complex formation between Fe³⁺ or Cr³⁺ ions and citric acid at high ion concentrations. (© 2007 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Crystallization of calcium sulfate dihydrate at different supersaturation ratios and different free sulfate concentrations

Free Sulfate is a major parameter affecting gypsum crystallization during phosphoric acid production. Gypsum crystal size, shape and filtration rate are significantly affected by the concentration of free sulfate. It is, therefore, important to evaluate the effectiveness of different sulfate levels from 1.5% to 3.5% on induction time and gypsum morphology. The crystallization of gypsum was carried out under simulated conditions of phosphoric acid production by the dihydrate process. Calcium hydrogen phosphate and sulfuric acid were mixed with dilute phosphoric acid at 80 °C, and the turbidity of the reaction mixture was measured at different time periods to calculate the induction time of gypsum crystals formation. With increasing free sulfate concentration, the induction time was significantly decreased. Chemical processing of Central and South Florida phosphate concentrates under different concentrations of free sulfate from 1.5% to 5.5% was carried out. The change on crystal size distribution and filtration rate were traced with free sulfate concentrations. The results show that, filtration rate of phosphogypsum was correlated to the mean diameter of crystals. In addition, induction time and co‐crystallized (lattice) P₂O₅ % in gypsum are decreased with increasing free sulfate content from 1.5% to 3.5%. Morphology of formed gypsum crystals at different sulfate contents and different supersaturation ratios are investigated. (© 2004 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Effect of citric acid and starch as emulsifier on phase formation and crystallite size of lanthanum oxide nanoparticles

Lanthanum oxide nanoparticles were synthesized via thermal decomposition method of the lanthanum nitrate in the presence of citric acid or starch as emulsifier. The effects of emulsifier and calcination temperature were investigated on the phase transformation and particle size distribution of the products. La₂O₃ nanoparticles were synthesized by drying lanthanum precursor and emulsifier solution, followed by calcination process at 600 and 900°C, respectively. Products were characterized by Fourier Transform Infrared (FT‐IR) spectroscopy, X‐ray diffraction (XRD), thermal analysis (TG/DTA) and nitrogen adsorption method (porous characteristics). The morphology of the samples analyzed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Average crystallite size of the products was calculated by XRD data and average particle size was measured from the TEM micrographs. Lanthanum dioxycarbonate in different forms of the tetragonal and monoclinic is crystallized in the presence of citric acid and starch during the calcination at 600°C, respectively. The hexagonal structure, however, is detected as the only crystalline phase formed by calcination at 900°C.     

Calcium oxalate crystallization in the presence of amino acids,proteins and carboxylic acids

Reactive crystallization of calcium oxalate was investigated in the presence of amino acids, proteins and carboxylic acids at different pH and temperatures. Average particle size, filtration rates of calcium oxalate crystals obtained in the absence and presence of additives were determined. The influence of pH, temperatures and additives on crystal morphology of calcium oxalate were also investigated and discussed by SEM analysis. TG‐DTA, FT/IR and XRD analysis were carried out for all investigated conditions. Average particle size of calcium oxalate was affected significantly by the additive type and concentration. Variation of crystal morphology depending on type and concentration of the additives affected the filtration characteristics. Majority of calcium oxalate crystals occurred in the form of calcium oxalate monohydrate except those in the presence of tartaric acid. TG‐DTA, FT/IR and XRD analysis proved that calcium oxalate monohydrate and calcium oxalate dihydrate mixtures are formed in the presence of tartaric acid. The effect of all additives on scale formation was also investigated. (© 2009 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Effect of citric acid and 1,2‐dihydroxybenzene 3,5‐disulfonic acid on crystallization of calcium sulfate dihydrate under simulated conditions of phosphoric acid production

The effect of citric acid and 1,2‐dihydroxybenzene 3,5‐disulfonic acid (DHBDSA), as additives, on the crystallization of gypsum was studied under simulated conditions of the of phosphoric acid production. Calcium hydrogen phosphate and sulfuric acid were mixed with dilute phosphoric acid at 80 °C, and the turbidity of the reaction mixture was measured at different time periods to calculate the induction time of gypsum crystals formation. Addition of citric acid increased the induction time and decreased the growth efficiency while addition of DHBDSA decreased the induction time and increased the growth efficiency compared with in absence of additives. The crystals mean and median diameters were found to decrease in the presence of citric acid and increased in the presence of DHBDSA. The surface energy decreased with citric acid and increased with DHBDSA compared to the baseline (without additives). Interestingly, the majority of the formed crystals are tabular with DHBDSA and needle‐like type with citric acid and baseline     

Structural and spectral studies on gypsum crystals under simulated conditions of phosphoric acid production with and without organic and inorganic additives

In the dihydrate process to produce phosphoric acid, phosphate ore [Ca₁₀F₂(PO₄)₆] is leached with sulfuric and weak phosphoric acids to produce phosphoric acid and gypsum as a by‐product. Crystallization of gypsum occurs as the leaching is taking place. The effect of organic and inorganic additives on the structure and spectrum of gypsum crystals under simulated conditions of phosphoric acid production is studied using x‐ray diffraction and infrared spectroscopy. Structure and spectrum of formed gypsum crystals in the absence of additives are slightly different from the standard gypsum crystals (card No. 6‐0046), which reflect the effect of preparation medium on the crystal structure of gypsum crystals. Presence of additives such as cetyl trimethyl ammonium bromide and 1,2‐dihydroxybenzene‐3,5‐disulfonic acid, Al³⁺ and Mg²⁺ increase the crystallinity of gypsum, while presence of additives such as citric acid and sodium dodecyl sulfate decrease the crystallinity of gypsum. Presence of Al³⁺ and Mg²⁺ as additives lead to the formation of calcium sulfate hemihydrate beside calcium sulfate dihydrate. Presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate as an additive inhibits the crystallization of gypsum and leads to the formation of anhydrite and calcium sulfate hemihydrate.     

Well‐defined Sb2S3 nanostructures: citric acid‐assisted synthesis,electrochemical hydrogen storage properties

Well‐defined (three‐dimensional) 3‐D dandelion‐like Sb₂S₃ nanostructures consisted of numerous nanorods have been achieved via a facile citric acid‐assisted solvothermal process. The as‐prepared products were characterized by X‐ray diffraction (XRD), field‐emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and high‐resolution TEM (HRTEM), respectively. The influence factors of the formation of the hierarchical Sb₂S₃ nanostructures are discussed in details based on FESEM characterizations. By simply controlling the quantity of citric acid, the nucleation and growth process can be readily tuned, which brings the different morphologies and nanostructures of the final products. On the basis of a series of contrastive experiments, the aggregation‐based process and anisotropic growth mechanism are reasonably proposed to understand the formation mechanism of Sb₂S₃ hierarchical architectures with distinctive morphologies including nanorods, and dandelion‐like nanostructures. Charge‐discharge curves of the obtained Sb₂S₃ nanostructures were measured to investigate their electrochemical hydrogen storage behaviors. It revealed that the morphology played a key role on the hydrogen storage capacity of Sb₂S₃ nanostructure. The dandelion‐like Sb₂S₃ nanostructures exhibited higher hydrogen storage capacity (108 mAh g⁻¹) than that of Sb₂S₃ nanorods (95 mAh g⁻¹) at room temperature.     

synthesis of high‐quality crystalline α‐MoO3 nanobelts

High‐quality crystalline MoO₃ nanobelts were successfully fabricated with a facile hydrothermal route by using common and inexpensive NaCl as a capping agent. The products are thoroughly characterized by the combination of different techniques. The results indicate that as‐prepared MoO₃ nanobelts have an orthorhombic crystal structure (α‐MoO₃) with growth preferential in the [001] direction, the size of the obtained MoO₃ nanobelts ranges from 200 nm to 300 nm in width and micrometers in length. The effects of the amount of NaCl on the morphology and size of the resultant MoO₃ were also investigated, it is clearly shown that the presence of appropriate amount of NaCl plays a crucial role in controlling the size and morphology of the obtained MoO₃. (© 2011 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Controlled synthesis of barium chromate microcrystals

Barium chromate (BaCrO₄) microcrystals with various morphologies such as shuttle‐like, x‐shaped, ellipsoid, leaf‐like crystals were synthesized from aqueous solutions using poly (sodium 4‐styrenesulfonate) (PSS) as template agent at room temperature. The characterization results show that pH values and concentrations of reactants and PSS are important parameters in the morphology and size evolution of BaCrO₄. The possible formation mechanism of BaCrO₄ crystals with different morphologies was proposed. PSS complexes Ba²⁺ first, then affects the nucleation and crystallization process by interacting with the plane face of crystal, which finally results in various morphologies and sizes of crystals. In addition, the possible mechanism of photoluminescence (PL) spectra was also proposed.     

Growth of big single crystals of a new magnetic superconducting double perovskite Ba2PrRu1–xCuxO6

Single crystals of Ba₂PrRu_1–xCu_xO₆ with x = 0 to 0.2, have been grown from high temperature solutions of a mixture of PbO‐PbF₂ in the temperature range 1100–1200 °C. Thin crystals with mostly a hexagonal and triangular plate like habit measuring up to 1–2 mm across and 0.1–0.2 mm thick were obtained. The size, quality and morphology of the crystals were improved by varying the solution volume as well as additives like B₂O₃. Large crystals measuring up to 3 mm across and 0.3 to 0.5 mm thick were obtained with 5–7 wt% solute concentration and 0.51 wt% of B₂O₃. The ZFC curves exhibit a spin glass like behavior with x = 0 and a superconducting transition at 8 to 11 K depending on x = 0.05 to 0.1. The transition was also influenced by the growth temperature and post growth annealing. Powder x‐ray diffraction, EDS and Raman spectroscopic measurements confirm the presence of Cu in the crystals. (© 2006 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Ionic liquid‐assisted hydrothermal synthesis of γ‐Al2O3hierarchical nanostructures

The boehmite (Al₂O₃·H₂O) hierarchical nanostructure with spindle‐like morphology has been successfully synthesized via ionic liquid‐assisted hydrothermal synthetic method under mild condition using an ionic liquid 1‐butyl‐3‐dimethylimidazolium bromide ([Bmim][Br]) as a template. The proposed formation mechanism has been investigated and the hydrogen bond‐co‐π–π stack mechanism is used to be responsible for the present formation of the precursor hierarchical nanostructure. The γ‐Al₂O₃ hierarchical nanostructure was obtained by calcining the as‐synthesized precursor at 500 °C for 2 h, preserving the same morphology. (© 2010 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Effect of different fuels on the strontium hexaferrite nanopowder synthesized by a surfactant-assisted sol–gel auto-combustion method

In this research a sol–gel auto-combustion route has been proposed to synthesize strontium hexaferrite nanopowder, using metal nitrates, ammonia as pH adjusting agent, n-decyltrimethylammonium bromide as a cationic surfactant and different fuels such as citric acid, glycine, acetylacetone and oxalic acid. The formation temperature of strontium hexaferrite and its crystallite size in presence of different fuels were compared together. The results showed the lowest formation temperature as well as the smallest crystallite size in the presence of citric acid as 900 °C and 37.3 nm respectively.     

Growth,Ferroelectric Properties,and Phonon Modes of YMnO3 Single Crystal

YMnO₃ single crystals were grown by flux method and plate‐like single crystals with the c‐axis perpendicular to the surfaces were obtained. The maximum size of these crystals was about 2 × 2 × 0.07 mm³. Ferroelectric properties were measured at various frequencies and abnormal behavior at the low frequencies were observed and discussed using non‐linear current‐voltage behavior. Raman and IR spectra were obtained, and those results were compared with previous work.     

Influence of essential and non‐essential amino acids on calcium oxalate crystallization

The investigation on the mechanism of nucleation and growth of crystals at organic‐inorganic interfaces is crucial for understanding biological and physiological calcification processes such as the formation of urinary stones. The effects of five different amino acids on the crystallization of calcium oxalate have been investigated at pH 4.5 and 37 °C in aqueous solutions in the batch type crystallizer. The products were characterized by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Fourier Transfer Infrared Spectroscopy (FT/IR) and X‐Ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. Crystal size distribution (CSD) and filtration rate measurements were done. In order to determine the adsorption characteristics of amino acids on the calcium oxalate crystal surfaces, zeta potential measurements were also done and discussed. The results indicate that in the presence of all investigated amino acids, calcium oxalate monohydrate (COM) crystals were preferentially produced, but the crystal morphology varied with amino acid types and concentrations. Various crystal morphologies such as elongated hexagonal, coffin or platy habits were observed. In the presence of all investigated amino acids, the calcium oxalate crystallized in a monohydrate form. Electrostatic/ionic interaction, different adsorption properties and special functional effects of amino acids led to find different crystal morphology. (© 2010 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Low temperature synthesis of spindle‐like ZnO nanostructures under microwave irradiation

A simple and general microwave route is developed to synthesize nanostructured ZnO using Zn(acac)₂·H₂O (acac = acetylacetonate) as a single source precursor. The reaction time has a great influence on the morphology of the ZnO nanostructures and an interesting spindle‐like nanostructure is obtained. The microstructure and morphology of the synthesized materials are investigated by X‐ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), field‐emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), high‐resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) and selected area electron diffraction (SAED). It is found that all of them with hexagonal wurtzite phase are of single crystalline structure in nature. Ultraviolet–visible (UV‐vis) absorption spectra of these ZnO nanostructures are investigated and a possible formation mechanism for the spindle‐like ZnO nanostructures is also proposed.     

Preparation of calcium carbonate crystals in the presence of trisodium citrate

The dumbbell‐like calcium carbonate (CaCO₃) crystals were synthesized in the presence of trisodium citrate. Different morphologies were obtained by changing the reaction temperature and the trisodium citrate concentration. The obtained samples were characterized by means of X‐ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results showed that the morphology of CaCO₃ crystals was markedly affected by the reaction temperature and citrate anion concentration. The possible growth mechanism of CaCO₃ crystals was proposed. (© 2010 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Effect of citric acid concentration as emulsifier on perovskite phase formation of nano‐sized SrMnO3 and SrCoO3 samples

In this study the effects of citric acid concentration, used as organic emulsifier, on the perovskite phase formation of the nano strontium manganite or cobaltite samples were studied. Stoichiometric perovskites in the absence and presence of citric acid were prepared by drying a solution containing molar ratio of Sr(NO₃)₂/Mn(NO₃)₂·4H₂O and Sr(NO₃)₂/Co(NO₃)₂·6H₂O = 1 followed by calcination at 900 °C for 5 h. Citric acid concentration, selected to be 0.0, 0.3, 0.6, 1.0, 1.3, 2.5 and 5 times of the total number of moles of the nitrate ions. The results revealed that increase in the citric acid concentration, larger than number of moles of the nitrate ions equivalent, deteriorates the perovskite phase formation. Instead, a new phase of carbonates and metal oxides are appeared. (© 2010 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Controllable one‐step synthesis of CuO,Cu2O and Cu

In the present report, CuO, Cu₂O and Cu have been successfully synthesized through a facile, one‐step hydrothermal method at a relative low temperature by controlling only the concentration of citric acid. Compared with other synthetic methods, the present method is mild, high‐efficient and nontoxic. The crystal structure and morphology of the as prepared samples were characterized by X‐ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy, respectively. The mechanism for the crystal phase and morphological changes with different citric acid concentrations were discussed. The possible reaction process of the synthesis was also studied on the basis of the experimental results. We hope that this facile, one‐step hydrothermal method could be used in controlling synthesis of other metals and metal oxides under appropriate experimental conditions.     

Size and morphology controlled synthesis of barium sulfate

In this work submicron barium sulfate (BaSO₄) particles were synthesized successfully by chemical precipitation technique. We focused on the effects of pH and additives on the size and morphology of BaSO₄ crystals. Polyacrylic acid, polyvinyl sulfonic acid and ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid were used as crystal growth modifiers. BaSO₄ crystals were characterized using scanning electron microscopy, X‐ray diffraction, and Fourier transform infrared resonance techniques. The results show that the submicron BaSO₄ particles have been synthesized successfully and the particle size of the barium sulfate was effectively controlled under the experimental conditions. Experimental studies revealed that the additive concentration and pH had great effect on the morphology and size of barium sulfate.     

Crystallization of silicalite‐1 from clear synthesis solutions: Effect of template concentration on crystallization rate and crystal size

Synthesis of silicalite‐1 powders and membranes from initially clear solutions with different tetrapropylammonium hydroxide or bromide concentrations was studied. While tetrapropylammonium bromide acts only as template, tetrapropylammonium hydroxide provides both the template and hydroxyl ions to the synthesis medium. The effects of template and hydroxyl ion concentration on the product yield, crystallization rate and crystal size were investigated. Pure and highly crystalline silicalite‐1 was obtained with all compositions. The nucleation time decreases from 100 h to 20 h and the crystal size decreases from 3.5 μm to 0.35 μm as the template amount x is increased from 5 to 30 moles at a batch composition of 80SiO₂.xTPAOH.1500H₂O at 95 °C. Yield of silicalite‐1 passes through a maximum at intermediate TPA concentration. (© 2009 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)