Fabrication and characterization of three-dimensionally ordered macroporous niobium oxide

Three-dimensionally ordered macroporous (3-DOM) niobium oxide was fabricated by aqueous organic gel method through the interstitial spaces between polystyrene spheres assembled on glass substrates. Freshly precipitated hydrous niobium oxide (Nb₂O₅·nH₂O), which was prepared starting from Nb₂O₅, was used in combination with citric acid in an aqueous solution and then was transferred as a niobium source to synthesize 3-DOM Nb₂O₅. The morphologies of porous Nb₂O₅ were characterized by scanning electron microscope (SEM). The thermal decomposition and phase composition of 3-DOM Nb₂O₅ were investigated by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), Thermogravimetric–differential thermal analysis (TG–DTA), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS).     

Oxidation of ethylbenzene to styrene oxide in the presence of cellulose‐supported Pd magnetic nanoparticles

Palladium and Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles were deposited on N‐(2‐aminoethyl)acetamide‐functionalized cellulose for use in a catalytic reaction. The catalyst was characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, X‐ray diffraction, energy‐dispersive X‐ray analysis and transmission electron microscopy, and applied in the oxidation reaction of ethylbenzene at 100 °C using H₂O₂. Styrene oxide was obtained as the sole product of the oxidation reaction during 24 h. This reaction has some advantages such as one‐pot transformation of ethylbenzene to styrene oxide, high yield, excellent selectivity and magnetically recoverable catalyst. Also, the recovered catalyst could be used in the oxidation reaction four times without decrease in yield. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Photoelectron spectroscopy and diffraction of surface nanoscale NbO/Nb(110) structures

X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and diffraction (XPS and XPD) are applied to analyze oxygen-induced surface structures on the Nb(110) face formed due to oxygen segregation from the crystal bulk on thermal annealing to 2000 K in vacuum and/or oxygen adsorption in situ at temperatures above 1100 K. The Nb3d, O1s electronic states and valence band spectra of the NbO _x /Nb(110) surface are studied by XPS, and the results are compared with data for NbO, NbO₂, and Nb₂O₅ oxides. It is shown that niobium atoms entering the composition of surface oxide structures on Nb(110), from the standpoint of the nearest environment and chemical bond, are similar to metal states in NbO. The NbO _x layer thickness is estimated to be 0.5 nm. Two chemically inequivalent oxygen states are distinguished on Nb(110), which are, presumably, atomic chemisorbed oxygen on the parts of the clean surface of the Nb monolayer with hexagonal packing and oxygen in the composition of NbO _x -like linear clusters on Nb(110). A model of the NbO _x /Nb(110) surface takes into account a distortion of the structure of NbO _x clusters: a periodic vertical shift of metal atoms in Nb-chains and changes in Nb-O bond angles. Original Russian Text Copyright ? 2009 by M. V. Kuznetsov, A. S. Razinkin, and E. V. Shalaeva __________ Translated from Zhurnal Strukturnoi Khimii, Vol. 50, No. 3, pp. 536–543, May–June, 2009.     

Synthesis and Structural Characterization of New Divanada‐ and Diniobaboranes Containing Chalcogen Atoms

The reaction of [Cp_nMCl_4?x] (M=V: n=2, x=2; M=Nb: n=1, x=0; Cp=η⁵‐C₅H₅) with LiBH₄ ? THF followed by thermolysis in the presence of dichalcogenide ligands E₂R₂ (E=S, Te; R=2,6‐(tBu)₂‐C₆H₂OH, Ph) and 2‐mercaptobenzothiazole (C₇H₅NS₂) yielded dimetallaheteroboranes [{CpV(μ‐TePh)}₂(μ₃‐Te)BH ? thf] ( 1 ), [(CpV)₂(BH₃S)₂] ( 2 ), [(CpNb)₂B₄H₁₀S] ( 3 ), [(CpNb)₂B₄H₁₁S(tBu)₂C₆H₂OH] ( 4 ), and [(CpNb)₂B₄H₁₁TePh] ( 5 ). In cluster 1 , the V₂BTe atoms define a tetrahedral framework in which the boron atom is linked to a THF molecule. Compound 2 can be described as a dimetallathiaborane that is built from two edge‐fused V₂BS tetrahedron clusters. Cluster 3 can be considered as an edge‐fused cluster in which a trigonal‐bipyramidal unit (Nb₂B₂S) has been fused with a tetrahedral core (Nb₂B₂) by means of a common Nb₂ edge. In addition, thermolysis of an in‐situ‐generated intermediate that was produced from the reaction of [Cp₂VCl₂] and LiBH₄ ? THF with excess BH₃ ? THF yielded oxavanadaborane [(CpV)₂B₃H₈(μ₃‐OEt)] ( 6 ) and divanadaborane cluster [(CpV)₂B₅H₁₁] ( 7 ). Cluster 7 exhibits a nido geometry with C_2v symmetry and it is isostructural with [(Cp*M)₂B₅H_9+n] (M=Cr, Mo, and W, n=0; M=Ta, n=2; Cp*=η⁵‐C₅Me₅). All of these new compounds have been characterized by ¹H NMR, ¹¹B NMR, and ¹³C NMR spectroscopy and elemental analysis and the structural types were established unequivocally by crystallographic analysis of compounds  1 – 4 , 6 , and 7 .     

Studies on Non-natural Deoxyammonium Cellulose

Summary: Ammonium group containing cellulose derivatives are prepared from homogeneously synthesized cellulose p-toluenesulfonic acid esters (tosyl cellulose) by conversion with sodium azide and subsequent reduction of the azido moiety applying NaBH₄/CoBr₂/2,2′-bipyridine as reagent. Regarding the tosylation, cellulose samples of different degree of polymerization and hemicellulose content possess a different reactivity. The deoxyamino cellulose is water soluble in the protonated state. Elemental analysis, FTIR- and NMR spectroscopy were carried out to analyze the degree of substitution and functionalization pattern. It was also studied to synthesize deoxyazido celluloses without isolation of the tosyl cellulose. However, a predominant formation of deoxychloro moieties occurs.     

Synthesis of self-assembled nanorod vanadium oxide bundles by sonochemical treatment

Self-assembled nanorod of vanadium oxide bundles were synthesized by treating bulk V₂O₅ with high intensity sonochemical technique. The synthesized materials were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), transmission electron microscope (TEM) and temperature-programmed reduction (TPR) in H₂. Catalytic behaviour of the materials over anaerobic n-butane oxidation was studied through temperature-programmed reaction (TPRn). Catalytic evaluation of the sonochemical treated V₂O₅ products was also studied on microreactor. XRD patterns of all the vanadium samples were perfectly indexed to V₂O₅. The morphologies of the nanorod vanadium oxides as shown in SEM and TEM depended on the duration of the ultrasound irradiation. Prolonging the ultrasound irradiation duration resulted in materials with uniform, well defined shapes and surface structures and smaller size of nanorod vanadium oxide bundles. H₂-TPR profiles showed that larger amount of oxygen species were removed from the nanorod V₂O₅ compared to the bulk. Furthermore, the nanorod vanadium oxide bundles, which were produced after 90, 120 and 180 min of sonochemical treatment, showed an additional reduction peak at lower temperature (850 K), suggesting the presence of some highly active oxygen species. TPRn in n-butane/He over these materials showed that the nanorod V₂O₅ with highly active oxygen species showed markedly higher activity than the bulk material, which was further proven by catalytic oxidation of n-butane.     

Synthesis and Structure/Property Relationships of Regioselective 2‐O‐, 3‐O‐ and 6‐O‐Ethyl Celluloses

Regioselectively ethylated celluloses, 2‐O‐ ( 1 ), 3‐O‐ ( 2 ), and 6‐O‐ethyl‐ ( 3 ) celluloses were synthesized via ring‐opening polymerization of glucopyranose orthopivalate derivatives. The number‐average degrees of polymerization (DP_ns) of compounds 1 and 2 were calculated to be 10.6 and 49.4, respectively. Three kinds of compound 3 with different DP_ns were prepared: DP_ns = 12.9 ( 3‐1 ), 60.3 ( 3‐2 ), and 36.1 ( 3‐3 ). The 2‐O‐, 3‐O‐, and 6‐O‐ethylcelluloses were soluble in water, confirmed by NMR analysis. Furthermore, the 3‐O‐ ( 2 ), and 6‐O‐ethyl‐ ( 3‐2 ) celluloses showed thermo‐responsive aggregation behavior and had a lower critical solution temperature (LCST) at about 40 °C and 70 °C, respectively, based on the results from turbidity tests and DSC measurements. The 6‐O‐ethyl‐cellulose ( 3‐3 ) with DP_n = 36.1 and DP_w = 54.6 showed gelation behavior over approx 70 °C, whereas the 6‐O‐ethyl‐celluloses 3‐1 and 3‐2 with lower and higher molecular weight, such as DP_ns 12.9 and 60.3, did not show gelation behavior at this temperature. It was revealed that the position of ethyl group affected the phase transition temperature. According to our experiments, the 3‐O‐ethyl and 6‐O‐ethyl groups along the cellulose chains caused the thermo‐responsive property of their aqueous solutions. The appropriate DP of the regioselective 6‐O‐ethyl‐cellulose existed for gelation of the aqueous solution.

     

Immobilization of urease on composite fibre by using a gel formation of cellulose acetate and titanium iso-propoxide

Urease was entrap-immobilized on composite gel fibre of cellulose acetate and TiO₂. The immobilization can be easily performed under mild conditions. The gel fibre is stable in high ionic solutions and in phosphate solutions with a range of pH 6–8.The pH and thermal stabilities of immobilized urease were higher than those of the native one.     

Double stabilization of silver molecular clusters in thin films

The evolution of spectral and luminescent properties of Ag-containing composite coatings prepared by liquid technique has been studied. Double stabilization allows forming thin oxide films containing luminescent small Ag_n (n?<?5) molecular clusters using the liquid technique. These clusters are non-stable intermediate products during the formation of Ag nanoparticles from the ions and neutral atoms. It was found that small luminescent Ag_n molecular clusters (n?<?5) formed in the solutions at the presence of polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) remain in PVP/metal nitrates composite coatings and in the calcined metal oxide coatings. Spatial separation of small Ag molecular clusters in the coatings by the oxide nanoparticles of ZnO and MgO prohibits silver clusters growth and non-luminescent silver nanoparticles formation and allows saving coatings’ luminescence properties during thermal treatment.

     

X‐ray diffraction study of the thermal expansion behavior of cellulose triacetate I

Highly crystalline samples of cellulose triacetate I (CTA I) were prepared from highly crystalline algal cellulose by heterogeneous acetylation. X‐ray diffraction of the prepared samples was carried out in a helium atmosphere at temperatures ranging from 20 to 250 °C. Changes in seven d‐spacings were observed with increasing temperature due to thermal expansion of the CTA I crystals. Unit cell parameters at specific temperatures were determined from these d‐spacings by the least squares method, and then thermal expansion coefficients (TECs) were calculated. The linear TECs of the a, b, and c axes were α_a = 19.3 × 10^?5 °C^?1, α_b = 0.3 × 10^?5 °C^?1 (T < 130 °C), α_b = ?2.5 × 10^?5 °C^?1 (T > 130 °C), and α_c = ?1.9 × 10^?5 °C^?1, respectively. The volume TEC was β = 15.6 × 10^?5 °C^?1, which is about 1.4 and 2.2 times greater than that of cellulose I_β and cellulose III_I, respectively. This large thermal expansion could occur because no hydrogen bonding exists in CTA I. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 47: 517–523, 2009     

Capacitive and textural characteristics of manganese oxide prepared by anodic deposition: effects of manganese precursors and oxide thickness

The influence of manganese precursors on the deposition rate of hydrous manganese oxide in the amorphous form (denoted as a-MnO_x·nH₂O) and the effect of oxide thickness on the electrochemical properties of a-MnO_x·nH₂O, for application as electrochemical supercapacitors, were systematically investigated in this work. The results showed that Mn(CH₃COO)₂·4H₂O is a more promising precursor because of its high deposition rate at much lower potentials in comparison with MnSO₄·5H₂O, MnCl₂·4H₂O, and Mn(NO₃)₂·4H₂O. The capacitive characteristics of a-MnO_x·nH₂O were found to be independent of precursors, probably due to the fact that the mean oxidation state of Mn is not significantly affected by changing the anions of manganese precursors (from the XPS results). The capacity of oxide deposits was found to be proportional to the charge density of deposition (i.e., loading) of a-MnO_x·nH₂O when it was equal to or less than a critical value (ca. 3.5 C cm^–2), while poorer capacitive behavior with a lower capacity was clearly found beyond this critical value. The a-MnO_x·nH₂O deposit with 3.5 C cm^–2, exhibiting an acceptable capacitive performance, showed the highest capacity of energy storage for supercapacitors.     

Carbon Electrodes Modified by Nanoscopic Iron(III) Oxides to Assemble Chemical Sensors for the Hydrogen Peroxide Amperometric Detection

In this study we show that nanoparticles of various ferric oxides (hematite, maghemite, amorphous Fe₂O₃, β‐Fe₂O₃ and ferrihydrite) incorporated into carbon paste exhibit electro‐catalytic properties towards hydrogen peroxide reduction. The modified paste electrode performances were evaluated and compared with those obtained with Prussian Blue‐modified carbon paste electrode, which represents an excellent chemical mediator towards the H₂O₂ redox reaction (as widely described in literature). The best catalytic activity was found for carbon paste modified by amorphous ferric oxide with 2–4 nm particle size, which was further tested for possible application as hydrogen peroxide sensor. At pH 7, the limit of detection was 2×10^?5 M H₂O₂ (S/N=3), the calibration curves were linear upto 8.5 mM H₂O₂ (R²=0.998), the measurement reproducibility (RSD=97%, n=4), the interelectrode reproducibility (RSD=16%, n_electrodes=5) and <3 s response time.     

Preparation and Characterization of Nanocomposites of Carboxymethyl Cellulose Reinforced with Cellulose Nanocrystals

Summary: Cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) were extracted from Kraft pulp of Eucalyptus urograndis. The CNC were isolated by acid hydrolysis with H₂SO₄ 64% (w/w) solution, for 20 minutes at 45 °C. The morphology and crystallinity of the CNC were investigated by atomic force microscopy (AFM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD), respectively. The AFM image supports the evidence for the development of crystals of cellulose in nanometric scale. These nanoparticles were used as reinforcement material in carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) matrix. Nanocomposites films were prepared by casting. The nanocomposites were characterized by thermal (TGA) and mechanical (DMA) analyses. A large reinforcing effect of the filler was observed. The tensile strength of nanocomposites was significantly improved by 107%, the elongation at break decreased by 48% and the thermal resistance increased slightly. The improvements in thermo-mechanical properties suggest a close association between filler and matrix.     

Enhanced NiO Dispersion on a High Surface Area Pillared Heterostructure Covered by Niobium Leads to Optimal Behaviour in the Oxidative Dehydrogenation of Ethane

A Nb-containing siliceous porous clay heterostructure (PCH) with Nb contents from 0 to 30 wt %) was prepared from a bentonite and used as support in the preparation of supported NiO catalysts with NiO loading from 15 to 80 wt %. Supports and NiO-containing catalysts were characterised by several physicochemical techniques and tested in the oxidative dehydrogenation (ODH) of ethane. The characterisation studies on Nb-containing supports showed the presence of well-anchored Nb⁵⁺ species without the formation of Nb₂O₅ crystals. High dispersion of nickel oxide with low crystallinity was observed for the Nb-containing PCH supports. In addition, when NiO is supported on these Nb-containing porous clays, it is more effective in the ODH of ethane (ethylene selectivity of ca. 90 %) than NiO supported on the corresponding Nb-free siliceous PCH or on Nb₂O₅ (ethylene selectivities of ca. 30 and 60 %, respectively). Factors such as the NiO–Nb⁵⁺ interaction, the NiO particle size and the properties of surface Niⁿ⁺ species were shown to determine the catalytic performance.     

Fine Tuning of Metallaborane Geometries: Chemistry of Metallaboranes of Early Transition Metals Derived from Metal Halides and Monoborane Reagents

Reaction of [Cp_nMCl_4?x] (M=V: n=x=2; M=Nb: n=1, x=0) or [Cp*TaCl₄] (Cp=η⁵‐C₅H₅, Cp*=η⁵‐C₅Me₅), with [LiBH₄?thf] at ?70 °C followed by thermolysis at 85 °C in the presence of [BH₃?thf] yielded the hydrogen‐rich metallaboranes [(CpM)₂(B₂H₆)₂] ( 1 : M=V; 2 : M = Nb) and [(Cp*Ta)₂(B₂H₆)₂] ( 3 ) in modest to high yields. Complexes 1 and 3 are the first structurally characterized compounds with a metal–metal bond bridged by two hexahydroborate (B₂H₆) groups forming a symmetrical complex. Addition of [BH₃?thf] to 3 results in formation of a metallaborane [(Cp*Ta)₂B₄H₈(μ‐BH₄)] ( 4 ) containing a tetrahydroborate ligand, [BH₄]^?, bound exo to the bicapped tetrahedral cage [(Cp*Ta)₂B₄H₈] by two Ta‐H‐B bridge bonds. The interesting structural feature of 4 is the coordination of the bridging tetrahydroborate group, which has two B? H bonds coordinated to the tantalum atoms. All these new metallaboranes have been characterized by mass, ¹H, ¹¹B, and ¹³C NMR spectroscopy and elemental analysis and the structural types were established unequivocally by crystallographic analysis of 1 – 4 .     

Structure and properties of regenerated cellulose/tourmaline nanocrystal composite films

Nanocomposite films were successfully prepared from cellulose and tourmaline nanocrystals with mean diameters of 70 nm in a 1.5 M NaOH/0.65 M thiourea aqueous solution by coagulation with 5 wt % CaCl₂ and then a 3 wt % HCl aqueous solution for 2 min. The structure and properties of the composite films were characterized by X‐ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and tensile testing. The results indicated that the tourmaline nanocrystals were dispersed in a cellulose matrix, maintaining the original structure of the nanocrystals in the composite films. The loss peaks (tan δ) in the DMA spectra and the decomposition temperatures in the DSC curves of the composite films were significantly shifted toward low temperatures, suggesting that the nanocrystals broke the partial intermolecular hydrogen bonds of cellulose, and this led to a reduction in the thermal stability. However, the nanocomposite films exhibited a homogeneous structure and dispersion of the nanocrystals. When the tourmaline content was in the range of 4–8 wt %, the composite films possessed good tensile strength (92–107 MPa) and exhibited obvious antibacterial action against Staphylococcus aureus. This work provides a potential way of preparing functional composite films or fibers from cellulose and nanoinorganic particles with NaOH/thiourea aqueous solutions. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 42: 367–373, 2004     

Methode zur Konstitutionsaufklärung von Celluloseformalen von niedrigem Substitutionsgrad. 29. Mitteilung über textilchemische Untersuchungen

A method is described which allows the determination of the hydroxyl group(s) in glucose units of cellulose which react with formaldehyde at low degrees of substitution (0.2 to 1.5% CH₂O on cellulose). It consists of permethylation of the cellulose by a sequence of two methylations with dimethylsulfate and NaOH (without solvent) followed by 2 exchange methylations with methyl iodide and sodium n-butoxide and further steps described earlier [2]. The results demonstrate that the use of the new permethylation method leads to a loss of material of less than 5%.     

Dynamics of the NbCl5‐Catalyzed Cycloaddition of Propylene Oxide and CO2: Assessing the Dual Role of the Nucleophilic Co‐Catalysts

A mechanistic study on the synthesis of propylene carbonate (PC) from CO₂ and propylene oxide (PO) catalyzed by NbCl₅ and organic nucleophiles such as 4‐dimethylaminopyridine (DMAP) or tetra‐n‐butylammonium bromide (NBu₄Br) is reported. A combination of in situ spectroscopic techniques and kinetic studies has been used to provide detailed insight into the reaction mechanism, the formation of intermediates, and interactions between the reaction partners. The results of DFT calculations support the experimental observations and allow us to propose a mechanism for this reaction.     

Dilute solution properties of cellulose in LiOH/urea aqueous system

Cellulose was dissolved rapidly in 4.6 wt % LiOH/15 wt % urea aqueous solution and precooled to –10 °C to create a colorless transparent solution. ¹³C‐NMR spectrum proved that it is a direct solvent for cellulose rather than a derivative aqueous solution system. The result from transmission electron microscope showed a good dispersion of the cellulose molecules in the dilute solution at molecular level. Weight‐average molecular weight (M_w), root mean square radius of gyration (〈s²〉_z^1/2), and intrinsic viscosity ([η]) of cellulose in LiOH/urea aqueous solution were examined with laser light scattering and viscometry. The Mark–Houwink equation for cellulose in 4.6 wt % LiOH/15 wt % urea aqueous solution was established to be [η] = 3.72 × 10^?2 M in the M_w region from 2.7 × 10⁴ to 4.12 × 10⁵. The persistence length (q), molar mass per unit contour length (M_L), and characteristic ratio (C_∞) of cellulose in the dilute solution were given as 6.1 nm, 358 nm^?1, and 20.8, respectively. The experimental data of the molecular parameters of cellulose agreed with the Yamakawa–Fujii theory of the worm‐like chain, indicating that the LiOH/urea aqueous solution was a desirable solvent system of cellulose. The results revealed that the cellulose exists as semistiff‐chains in the LiOH/urea aqueous solution. The cellulose solution was stable during measurement and storage stage. This work provided a new colorless, easy‐to‐prepare, and nontoxic solvent system that can be used with facilities to investigate the chain conformation and molecular weight of cellulose. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 44: 3093–3101, 2006     

Evaluation of the sealed‐tube low‐temperature combustion method for the 13C/12C and 2H/1H ratio determinations of cellulose nitrate

Traditionally‐suggested combustion time of 1 h at 550°C) with the sealed‐tube combustion method for determining the ¹³C/ ¹²C ratio of cellulose nitrate or other nitrogen‐containing components could produce large negative deviation up to 1°. Three types of cellulose are used to ascertain possible causes. The presence of nitrous oxide (N₂O) formed during combustion is most likely responsible for this deviation. Prolongation of the combustion time (at least 5 h at 550°C) and intimate contact between copper oxide and organic matter can greatly improve the analysis precision and effectively reduce this deviation to an acceptable level. Regardless of scattered carbon isotope data, hydrogen isotope data are all reproducible within 2° when this method is coupled with the high temperature uranium reduction method. Thus, care should be taken for determining carbon and nitrogen isotope compositions of nitrogen‐containing substances using the low temperature sealed‐tube combustion method.