Evolution of surface chemistry during sintering of water-atomized iron and low-alloyed steel powder

Water-atomized iron and steel powder is commonly used as the base material for powder metallurgy (PM) of ferrous components. The powder surface chemistry is characterized by a thin surface oxide layer and more thermodynamically stable oxide particulates whose extent, distribution, and composition change during the sintering cycle due to a complex set of oxidation–reduction reactions. In this study, the surface chemistry of iron and steel powder was investigated by combined surface and thermal analysis. The progressive reduction of oxides was studied using model sintering cycles in hydrogen atmospheres in a thermogravimetric (TG) setup, with experiments ended at intermediate steps (500–1300°C) of the heating stage. The surface chemistry of the samples was then investigated by means of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) to reveal changes that occurred during heating. The results show that reduction of the surface oxide layer occurs at relatively lower temperature for the steel powder, attributed to an influence of chromium, which is supported by a strong increase in Cr content immediately after oxide layer reduction. The reduction of the stable oxide particulates was shifted to higher temperatures, reflecting their higher thermodynamic stability. A complementary vacuum annealing treatment at 800°C was performed in a furnace directly connected to the XPS instrument allowing for sample transfer in vacuum. The results showed that Fe oxides were completely reduced, with segregation and growth of Cr and Mn oxides on the particle surfaces. This underlines the sequential reduction of oxides during sintering that reflects the thermodynamic stability and availability of oxide-forming elements.     

Structural evolution of Pt/ceria–zirconia TWC catalysts during the oxidation of carbon monoxide

The structural evolution of two Pt/ceria–zirconia catalysts, characterized by different amounts of supported Pt, was monitored by in situ X-ray diffraction during the anaerobic oxidation of CO at different temperatures. In a first phase, oxygen coming from the surface layers of the ceria–zirconia mixed oxide is consumed and no structural variation of the support is observed. After this induction time, bulk reduction of Pt/ceria–zirconia takes place as a step-like process, while the CO₂ production continues at a nearly constant rate. This behavior is totally different from that of the metal-free support in similar reaction conditions, that show a gradual bulk reduction. In repeated oxidation–reduction cycles, it was observed that the induction time in Pt/ceria–zirconia is a function of the thermal history, of the amount of supported Pt and of the structural evolution of the samples.     

In situ XRD study of nanocrystalline cobalt oxide reduction

The reduction of nanocrystalline cobalt oxide samples (single-phase and supported on γ-Al₂O₃) was studied using in situ X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. The atomic structures of single-phase and supported Co₃O₄ samples were refined, and the occurrence of cationic vacancies was demonstrated. A set of methods (XRD, temperature-programmed reduction, and differential dissolution) was used to find that the reduction of supported and unsupported model cobalt oxide was considerably different. The single-phase sample was reduced in undiluted hydrogen to cobalt metal with a hexagonal closely packed structure. The reduction of the supported sample (unlike the single-phase sample) occurred through the formation of a crystalline CoO phase to the formation of cobalt metal with a face-centered cubic structure. Interaction of cobalt oxide with the γ-Al₂O₃ support, which hinders the reduction to cobalt metal, was detected.     

Temperature‐programmed reduction of silver(I) oxide using a titania‐supported silver catalyst under a H2 atmosphere

Reduction kinetics of silver(I) oxide using a titania‐supported silver catalyst was analyzed using temperature‐programmed reduction (TPR) with hydrogen as a reducing gas. Ag₂O reduction to Ag was observed in all samples as a single reduction step occurring at two reduction peaks. Observation of these reduction peaks indicates the existence of different lattice oxygen species, that is, surface and bulk, which are, respectively, attributed to surficial and pore‐deposited Ag₂O aggregates. The powdered samples exhibited high reducibility with average final oxidation states ranging from 0 to +0.18. The apparent activation energies for Ag₂O reduction to Ag metal were 73.35 and 81.71 kJ/mol for surficial and pore‐deposited Ag₂O aggregates, respectively. In this study, a unimolecular decay model was reported to accurately describe the reduction mechanism of Ag/TiO₂ catalysts. Hence, this would also infer that the catalyst reduction is rate‐limited by the nucleation of Ag metal instead of the topochemical reaction and the diffusion of hydrogen and oxygen molecules.     

Characterization and Activity of Cu‐MnOx/γ‐Al2O3 Catalyst for Hydrogenation of Carbon Dioxide

The effect of manganese on the dispersion, reduction behavior and active states of surface of supported copper oxide catalysts have been investigated by XRD, temperature‐programmed reduction and XPS. The activity of methanol synthesis from CO₂/H₂ was also investigated. The catalytic activity over CuO‐MnO_x/γ‐Al₂O₃ catalyst for CO₂ hydrogenation is higher than that of CuO/γ‐Al₂O₃. The adding of manganese is beneficial in enhancing the dispersion of the supported copper oxide and make the TPR peak of the CuO‐MnK_x/γ‐Al₂O₃ catalyst different from the individual supported copper and manganese oxide catalysts, which indicates that there exists strong interaction between the copper and manganese oxide. For the CuO/γ‐Al₂O₃ catalyst there are two reducible copper oxide species; α and β peaks are attributed to the reduction of highly dispersed copper oxide species and bulk CuO species, respectively. For the CuO‐MnO_x/γ‐Al₂O₃ catalyst, four reduction peaks are observed, α peak is attributed to the dispersed copper oxide species; β peak is ascribed to the bulk CuO; γ peak is attributed to the reduction of high dispersed CuO interacting with manganese; δ peak may be the reduction of the manganese oxide interacting with copper oxide. XPS results show that Cu⁺ mostly existed on the working surface of the Cu‐Mn/γ‐Al₂O₃ catalysts. The activity was promoted by Cu with positive charge which was formed by means of long path exchange function between Cu? O? Mn. These results indicate that there is synergistic interaction between the copper and manganese oxide, which is responsible for the high activity of CO₂ hydrogenation.     

Effect of a structure-size factor on the catalytic properties of complex oxide compositions in the reaction of deep methane oxidation

The following catalysts for deep methane oxidation were studied using X-ray diffraction analysis, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, temperature-programmed reduction with hydrogen, and temperature-programmed ammonia desorption: highly dispersed supported aluminum-manganese and cobalt-zirconium catalysts; bulk and supported nanosized spinel ferrites. It was found that structure-size factors in complex oxide nanocomposites are responsible for differences in the catalytic properties (activity and thermal stability). The efficiency of the supported ferrite and cobalt-zirconium catalysts depends on both the oxygen-catalyst bond strength and the acid properties of catalyst surfaces.     

担载型钴镍金属氧化物催化剂上CH4还原NO反应研究

ＮＯｘ是大气的主要污染物之一,近年来,利用甲烷选择还原ＮＯｘ引起了广泛关注,研究发现,Ｃｏ、Ｍｎ和Ｎｉ离子交换的ＺＳＭ－５分子筛具有较高的活性［１～３］．但金属离子交换的分子筛催化剂有热稳定性差、易失活等缺点．最近已有金属氧化物用作甲烷还原ＮＯｘ反应...     

Effect of pretreatment of graphite oxide on activity of platinum supported catalysts in liquid-phase hydrogenation

The effect of the reduction procedure of graphite oxide (GO) on activity of platinum supported catalysts in liquid-phase hydrogenation of nitrobenzene and dec-1-ene was studied. The following methods were applied to prepare the catalysts: simultaneous reduction of graphite oxide and H₂PtCl₆; deposition of platinum on graphite oxide which was preliminary subjected to reduction with sodium tetrahydroborate or hydrazine hydrate, or to thermal reduction at 1000 and 1050 °С. It was shown that at equal Pt particles size of ca. 2 nm the catalyst supported on thermally reduced graphite oxide is more active in the model reactions than the catalysts supported on chemically reduced graphite oxide. The catalyst prepared by simultaneous reduction was the least active.     

不同温度下生成的过渡金属表面氧化物的热稳定性研究

不久前本文作者等首次观察到金属钴表面氧化物的热稳定性与其氧化温度密切相关。研究对象包括多晶钴片和蒸镀的钴薄膜。它们无论是被纯氧氧化或是被空气氧化,其结果相同:室温表面氧化钴在真空中300℃加热时很容易被还原成金属钴,而对250℃形成的表面氧化钴作同样的真空热处理则不能被还原成金属钴,鉴于该现象在多相催化、金属氧化和腐蚀,电子学表面器件等研究领域中的意义,本文用X射线光电子能谱(XPS)等方法研究     

High temperature properties of by-product cold bonded pellets containing blast furnace flue dust

In this investigation, the fundamental reactions occurring during the heat treatment of cold bonded pellets (CBP) comprised of iron and steelmaking by-products have been studied. Blast furnace (BF) flue dust, which contains fractions of coal and coke particles, has been included in the CBP blend as a source of solid reductant. Thermal analysis was performed on CBP samples in inert atmosphere at a heating rate of 10 °C/min in order to observe their high temperature properties, specifically, the mechanisms of self-reduction within CBPs. Both endothermic and exothermic reactions were observed during heating. The gases generated during thermal analysis were analyzed using a quadropole mass spectrometer (QMS). Furthermore, CBP samples heated to several different temperatures and quenched in argon were analyzed using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Results from this investigation demonstrate that the decomposition of hydrates and carbonates in CBP samples contribute, as gaseous intermediates, to an earlier reduction of contained iron oxides. The gaseous intermediates are responsible for an initial gasification of carbon contained in blast furnace flue dust leading to low temperature iron oxide reduction. The step-wise reduction of iron oxides in CBPs at the given conditions begins at ∼500 °C and is nearly completed at 1200 °C. This work can help to provide a fundamental understanding of the reduction characteristics of iron and steelmaking by-product agglomerates.     

Determination of the chemical nature of active surface sites present on bulk mixed metal oxide catalysts

CH3OH temperature programmed surface reaction (TPSR) spectroscopy was employed to determine the chemical nature of active surface sites for bulk mixed metal oxide catalysts. The CH3OH-TPSR spectra peak temperature, Tp, for model supported metal oxides and bulk, pure metal oxides was found to be sensitive to the specific surface metal oxide as well as its oxidation state. The catalytic activity of the surface metal oxide sites was found to decrease upon reduction of these sites and the most active surface sites were the fully oxidized surface cations. The surface V5+ sites were found to be more active than the surface Mo6+ sites, which in turn were significantly more active than the surface Nb5+ and Te4+ sites. Furthermore, the reaction products formed also reflected the chemical nature of surface active sites. Surface redox sites are able to liberate oxygen and yield H2CO, while surface acidic sites are not able to liberate oxygen, contain either H+ or oxygen vacancies, and produce CH3OCH3. Surface V5+, Mo6+, and Te4+ sites behave as redox sites, and surface Nb5+ sites are Lewis acid sites. This experimental information was used to determine the chemical nature of the different surface cations in bulk Mo-V-Te-Nb-Ox mixed oxide catalysts (Mo(0.6)V(1.5)Ox, Mo(1.0)V(0.5)Te(0.16)Ox, Mo(1.0)V(0.3)Te(0.16)Nb(0.12)Ox). The bulk Mo(0.6)V(1.5)Ox and Mo(1.0)V(0.5)Te(0.16)Ox mixed oxide catalytic characteristics were dominated by the catalytic properties of the surface V5+ redox sites. The surface enrichment of these bulk mixed oxide by surface V5+ is related to its high mobility, V5+ possesses the lowest Tammann temperature among the different oxide cations, and the lower surface free energy associated with the surface termination of V=O bonds. The quaternary bulk Mo(1.0)V(0.3)Te(0.16)Nb(0.12)Ox mixed oxide possessed both surface redox and acidic sites. The surface redox sites reflect the characteristics of surface V5+ and the surface acidic sites reflect the properties normally associated with supported Mo6+. The major roles of Nb5+ and Te4+ appear to be that of ligand promoters for the more active surface V and Mo sites. These reactivity trends for CH3OH ODH parallel the reactivity trends of propane ODH because of their similar rate-determining step involving cleavage of a C-H bond. This novel CH3OH-TPSR spectroscopic method is a universal method that has also been successfully applied to other bulk mixed metal oxide systems to determine the chemical nature of the active surface sites.     

Thermal decomposition of uranyl nitrate hexahydrate

TG-DTA-EGA studies have shown that anhydrous uranyl nitrate cannot be obtained by thermal decomposition of uranyl nitrate hexahydrate. Hydrolysis and polymerization of the salt during dehydration resulted in hydroxynitrates which decomposed in multiple steps with the evolution of oxides of nitrogen and water. The extent of hydrolysis dependend on the sample size, heating rate and nature of sample containment. Large samples on decomposition at relatively high heating rates showed evolution of nitric oxide even above 500°C. Infrared studies on the residues prepared at various temperatures supported the conclusions.     

Dealing with a local heating effect when measuring catalytic solids in a reactor with Raman spectroscopy

In continuation of our previous work on the applicability of the G(R(infinity)) correction factor for the quantification of Raman spectra of coke during propane dehydrogenation experiments (Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 2005, 7, 211), research has been carried out on the potential of this correction factor for the quantification of supported metal oxides during reduction experiments. For this purpose, supported chromium oxide catalysts have been studied by combined in situ Raman and UV-Vis spectroscopy during temperature programmed reduction experiments with hydrogen as reducing agent. The goal was to quantify on-line the amount of Cr(6+) in a reactor based on the measured in situ Raman spectra. During these experiments, a significant temperature effect was observed, which has been investigated in more detail with a thermal imaging technique. The results revealed a temperature 'on the spot' that can exceed 100 degrees C. It implies that Raman spectroscopy can have a considerable effect on the local reaction conditions and explains observed inconsistencies between the in situ UV-Vis and Raman data. In order to minimize this heating effect, reduction of the laser power, mathematical matching of the spectroscopic data, a different cell design and a change in reaction conditions has been evaluated. It is demonstrated that increasing the reactor temperature is the most feasible method to solve the heating problem. Next, it allows the application of in situ Raman spectroscopy in a reliable quantitative way without the need of an internal standard.     

Surface Compositions of Oxide Supported Bimetallic Catalysts: A Compared Study by High‐Sensitivity Low Energy Ion Scattering Spectroscopy and X‐Ray Photoemission Spectroscopy

It is well known that there is a critical relationship between the surface composition and catalytic performance for a bimetallic catalyst. However, in most cases, the surface composition is obviously different from that of the bulk. Moreover, the surface is normally reconstructed under reaction conditions. In this personal account, our recent progresses in determining the surface compositions of oxide supported bimetal catalysts by high‐sensitivity low energy ion scattering spectroscopy (HS‐LEIS) and X‐ray photoemission spectroscopy (XPS) are summarized. Phase diagrams of the surface compositions under various conditions as a function of the bulk composition are established and compared. It is found that oxidation induces de‐alloying and enrichment of PdO, CuO, SnO₂ on the surface, while H₂ reduction results in re‐alloying. The addition of the second component not only modifies the nature of the active site, but also varies the dispersion of the active components. The support effects are discussed. The compared studies reveal that HS‐LEIS can achieve a more reliable surface composition for oxide supported catalysts.     

Characterization and study of microwave activation effects on the polystyrene tacticity

¹³C Nuclear magnetic resonance proved to be an advantageous tool to determine the stereoregularity of polystyrene polymers. The latter was achieved through the analysis of the signal of the quaternary carbon and that of the carbon-p in the aromatic ring too. Styrene was polymerized through microwaves and conventional heating activation using two different polymerization techniques: emulsion and bulk. Microwave activation was performed in a mono-modal type device under the following experimental conditions: various initiator concentrations, an average irradiation power of 50?W, temperature of 70°C, and using a batch reactor for emulsion and bulk experiments. The results obtained in these experiments were compared with those obtained by conventional heating activation polymerization under the same initiator concentration and temperature conditions. Microwave-activated reactions resulted in shorter reaction times and higher yields. The tacticity of the polymer samples was not significantly altered, which lead to the conclusion that, in this case, the stereoregularity of polystyrene was not influenced by microwave irradiation.     

Effect of surface modification on magnetization of iron oxide nanoparticle colloids

Magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles have numerous applications in the biomedical field, some more mature, such as contrast agents in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and some emerging, such as heating agents in hyperthermia for cancer therapy. In all of these applications, the magnetic particles are coated with surfactants and polymers to enhance biocompatibility, prevent agglomeration, and add functionality. However, the coatings may interact with the surface atoms of the magnetic core and form a magnetically disordered layer, reducing the total amount of the magnetic phase, which is the key parameter in many applications. In the current study, amine and carboxyl functionalized and bare iron oxide nanoparticles, all suspended in water, were purchased and characterized. The presence of the coatings in commercial samples was verified with X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The class of iron oxide (magnetite) was verified via Raman spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction. In addition to these, in-house prepared iron oxide nanoparticles coated with oleic acid and suspended in heptane and hexane were also investigated. The saturation magnetization obtained from vibrating sample magnetometry (VSM) measurements was used to determine the effective concentration of magnetic phase in all samples. The Tiron chelation test was then utilized to check the real concentration of the iron oxide in the suspension. The difference between the concentration results from VSM and the Tiron test confirmed the reduction of magnetic phase of magnetic core in the presence of coatings and different suspension media. For the biocompatible coatings, the largest reduction was experienced by amine particles, where the ratio of the effective weight of magnetic phase reported to the real weight was 0.5. Carboxyl-coated samples experienced smaller reduction with a ratio of 0.64. Uncoated sample also exhibits a reduction with a ratio of 0.6. Oleic acid covered samples show a solvent-depended reduction with a ratio of 0.5 in heptane and 0.4 in hexane. The corresponding effective thickness of the nonmagnetic layer between magnetic core and surface coating was calculated by fitting experimentally measured magnetization to the modified Langevin equation.     

Co、Mo掺杂对Ni／ZnO—ZrO2催化剂催化噻吩加氢脱硫性能的影响

采用固相合成法制备了ZnO—ZrO2载体,并采用浸渍法制备了镍基催化剂,以噻吩加氢脱硫反应为探针考察了Co、Mo的掺杂对Ni／ZnO—ZrO2催化性能的影响．采用NH,吸附红外光谱（IR）、程序升温脱附（TPD）、程序升温还原（TPR）、X射线衍射（XRD）等技术对催化剂进行了表征．研究结果表明,ZnO－ZrO2复合载体对噻吩加氢脱硫反应有一定的活性,反应温度为400℃时噻吩转化率为6．4％;Co的加入提高了Ni／ZnO-ZrO2的催化活性,噻吩转化率可达97．3％;相反,Mo的掺杂则降低了Ni／ZnO—ZrO2的催化活性,噻吩转化率为65．0％．这是由于Co的掺杂使活性组分Ni分散度提高,氧化态的Ni变得容易还原,在同样的还原条件下催化剂表面有更多的活性中心;而Mo掺杂则使Ni／ZnO—ZrO2催化剂中氧化态的Ni变得难以还原,部分以NiO形式存在,活性中心数量减少．三种催化剂表面均存在L酸中心,Co掺杂使Ni／ZnO-ZrO2催化剂表面弱酸中心和中等强度酸中心的强度及数量均增大．No掺杂则减弱了催化剂表面弱酸中心和中强酸中心的强度．对其酸量则影响不大．     

Surface and bulk morphology of cold-crystallized poly(ethylene terephthalate)

The morphology/habit of crystals of cold-crystallized poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) has been evaluated using scanning and transmission electron microscopy and using atomic force microscopy. The combination of different preparation and analysis techniques allowed assessing the structure at the nanometer scale of films of PET at both the surface and the bulk. It is found that crystals formed on heating the amorphous glass to a temperature higher than the glass transition temperature are of lamellar shape in the bulk and almost isometric habit at the surface. This finding is explained by different rates of nucleation/crystallization in the bulk and at the surface, being supported by the observation of nanometer-scale surface heterogeneities after quenching PET to ambient temperature before crystallization was initiated by heating.     

Effect of the Phase of Titanium Oxide on Metal-Support Interaction

The metal-support interaction in the system of platinum supported on titanium oxides of different crystalline structures was investigated. Titanium oxide powders used as supports were prepared by neutralization of TiOCl₂-analogue solution with either NaOH or NH₃ base at varied pH. Pt was introduced onto the supports by impregnation. The phenomenon of strong metal-support interaction (SMSI) was determined by the suppression of chemisorption of H₂ over samples reduced at 773 K, in comparison with the behavior of samples reduced at 473 K. The loss of adsorption capacity was proved not due to metal sintering by examining the recovery of adsorption capacity after reduction, reoxidation and reduction cycle, accompanied with examination of the size of Pt particle with an x-ray diffractiometer and a transmission-electron microscope. The results showed that SMSI phenomenon was common to Pt supported on titanium oxides of all the varied crystalline structures. However, the chemisorption capacity of Pt reduced at 473 K varied greatly with the sodium content in the supports, which in turns affects the crystalline structure of titanium oxide. These results are attributed mainly to electronic effect endowed by the support.     

The preparation of thin ordered transition metal oxide films on metal single crystals for surface science studies

In this paper the preparation, characterization and properties of metal oxide overlayers on dissimilar metal substrates is reviewed. It is shown that using a general recipe metal oxide surfaces can be produced, which are easily accessible with modern surface science techniques. Many different stoichiometries and structures of the oxides can be prepared by variation of the preparation conditions, that do or do not have a counterpart in bulk oxide surfaces. In addition information about the metal oxide surfaces is obtained without experimental problems such as sample mounting, sample heating and sample purity.