Magnetically Induced CO2 Methanation Using Exchange‐Coupled Spinel Ferrites in Cuboctahedron‐Shaped Nanocrystals

Magnetically induced catalysis can be promoted taking advantage of optimal heating properties from the magnetic nanoparticles to be employed. However, when unprotected, these heating agents that are usually air‐sensitive, get sintered under the harsh catalytic conditions. In this context, we present, to the best of our knowledge, the first example of air‐stable magnetic nanoparticles that: 1) show excellent performance as heating agents in the CO₂ methanation catalyzed by Ni/SiRAlOx, with CH₄ yields above 95 %, and 2) do not sinter under reaction conditions. To attain both characteristics we demonstrate, first the exchange‐coupled magnetic approach as an alternative and effective way to tune the magnetic response and heating efficiency, and second, the chemical stability of cuboctahedron‐shaped core–shell hard CoFe₂O₄–soft Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles.     

Concentration–polarization effect of poly(sodium styrene sulfonate) on size distribution of colloidal silver nanoparticles during diafiltration experiments

Polyelectrolyte (PEL)-based dual systems and nanoparticles (NPs) are two topics which have generated great interest as a result of their many and novel applications. Here, PEL–NPs system which appears transitorily when a high molecular weight PEL solution is mixed with metal NP colloidal dispersions during diafiltration is studied. The aim of this paper was to analyze the concentration–polarization effect of PEL molecules on size distribution of NPs capable to pass through the ultrafiltration membrane. Poly(sodium styrene sulfonate) (PSSNa) and silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) were used as PEL and metal NP colloidal dispersion, respectively. It was seen that particle size decreased from 42.4?±?37.8 to 10.1?±?0.7 nm in the presence of PSSNa and concentration–polarization. In addition, our results indicate that polarization–concentration phenomenon can be used to modify the size distribution of NP colloidal dispersions, that by changes of polarization–concentration features is possible the modification of NP size in the permeate during diafiltration experiments and that in presence of concentration–polarization, PSSNa was only a modifier factor of medium. In addition, it was observed that exclusion size of ultrafiltration membrane is an important element for establishing of particle size in the permeate.     

High-pressure magnetic and structural properties of TiOX (X=Cl,Br)

We report high-pressure diffraction and magnetization measurements to demonstrate that the partial collapse of electronic gap at high-pressure insulator to metal transition reported in TiOCl (C. Kuntscher et al. Phys. Rev. B 74 184402 (2006).) corresponds to a Ti³⁺–Ti³⁺ dimerization at room temperature within the space group P2₁/m. The shortest Ti–Ti distance is comparable to that of the Ti metal, but a Peierls-like distortion prevents a metallic behaviour.     

Functionalization and Evaluation of Inorganic Adsorbents for the Removal of Cadmium in Wastewater

This study presents the feasibility of using various functionalized substrates, Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles (NPs) and Al₂O₃ spheres, for the removal of Cd from aqueous solution. To improve the materials’ affinity to Cd, we explored four different surface modifications, namely (3-Aminopropyl) triethoxysilane (APTES), L-Cysteine (Cys) and 3-(triethoxysilyl) propylsuccinic anhydride (CAS). Particles were characterized by FTIR, FIB-SEM and DLS and studied for their ability to remove metal ions. Modified NPs with APTES proved to be effective for Cd removal with efficiencies of up to 94%, and retention ratios up to 0.49 mg of Cd per g of NPs. Batch adsorption experiments investigated the influence of pH, contact time, and adsorbent dose on Cd adsorption. Additionally, the recyclability of the adsorbent and its potential phytotoxicity and animal toxicity effects were explored. The Langmuir, Freundlich, pseudo-first-order and pseudo-second-order models were applied to describe the behavior of the Cd adsorption processes. The adsorption and desorption results showed that Fe₃O₄ NPs modified with APTES are promising low-cost platforms with low phytotoxicity for highly efficient heavy metal removal in wastewater.     

Entropy of Badminton Strike Positions

The aim of the current study was twofold: (i) to investigate the distribution of the strike positions of badminton players while quantifying the corresponding standard entropy and using an alternative metric (spatial entropy) related to winning and losing points and random positions; and (ii) to evaluate the standard entropy of the receiving positions. With the datasets of 259 badminton matches, we focused on the positions of players’ strokes and the outcome of each point. First, we identified those regions of the court from which hits were most likely to be struck. Second, we computed the standard entropy of stroke positions, and then the spatial entropy, which also considers the order and clustering of the hitting locations in a two-dimensional Euclidean space. Both entropy quantifiers revealed high uncertainty in the striking position; however, specific court locations (i.e., the four corners) are preferred over the rest. When the outcome of each point was taken into account, we observed that the hitting patterns with lower entropy were associated with higher probabilities of winning points. On the contrary, players striking from more random positions were more prone to losing the points.     

Highly Sensitive and Selective Glucose Biosensing at Carbon Paste Electrodes Modified with Electrogenerated Magnetite Nanoparticles and Glucose Oxidase

This work reports the advantages of carbon paste electrodes modified with electrogenerated magnetite nanoparticles. The nanoparticles present catalytic activity towards hydrogen peroxide reduction. The incorporation of glucose oxidase (GOx) and magnetite in a carbon paste matrix have made possible the development of an efficient glucose biosensor. The effect of the amount of GOx and magnetite present in the composite on the response of the biosensor was critically evaluated. The biosensors demonstrated to be highly selective, with negligible interference of ascorbic acid and uric acid. The proposed biosensor was challenged with human blood serum demonstrating an excellent correlation with the spectrophotometric method.     

Spectroscopic studies of stratum corneum model membrane from Bothrops jararaca treated with cationic surfactant

This research employed FT-Raman and PAS-FTIR spectroscopic techniques to evaluate the interaction of cetyl trimethyl ammonium chloride (CTAC), a cationic surfactant, on the stratum corneum (SC) of shed snake skins from Bothrops jararaca, used as model membranes. Surfactant aqueous solutions (50.0 and 0.78 gl(-1)) with neutral pH were applied on the samples with intervals of 4, 8 (whole SC) and 12h (SC tape-stripped). Samples presented modifications of the topography for all conditions of the assays and the monomers of the surfactant, instead of the micelles, seemed to interact with the keratin. The SC model membranes treated with CTAC have had an augment of water content (except for whole SC treated for 8h) indicated by the expansion of the band 3600-3300 cm(-1), mainly for the tape-stripped samples after 12h treatment. Concentration appeared to be an important factor related to an increase of the tissue hydration.     

Determination of Cd and Pb in biological reference materials by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry: A comparison of three ultrasonic-based sample treatment procedures

Three different ultrasonic-based sample treatment approaches, the automated ultrasonic slurry sampling, the ultrasonic assisted acid solid-liquid extraction (ASLE) and the enzymatic probe sonication (EPS) were compared and discussed for the determination of Cd and Pb by ET-AAS in biological reference materials. The sample mass chosen to perform the analysis was 10 mg and the liquid volume was 1 ml of nitric acid 1 M. The best results were obtained with the slurry procedure with which it was possible accurate and precise determination of the Cd and Pb content in four of the five reference materials studied. Optimum performance (total metal extraction) of ASLE assisted by ultrasound for Cd was only achieved in two of the four materials assessed whereas total Pb recovery was only possible in three of the five samples. Total extraction with the enzymatic probe sonication was only obtained for Cd in oyster tissue. Neither ASLE nor EPS were able to extract Cd or Pb from spruce needles. Pb concentration obtained after EPS was found to be highly dependent from sample centrifugation speed and time.     

Analytical applications of a carbon nanotubes composite modified with copper microparticles as detector in flow systems

A simple microchip electrophoresis-laser-induced fluorescence device was constructed and used for separation and determination of catecholamines. On the fabricated glass chip, an extra optical fiber insertion channel, which was perpendicular and extremely close to the separation channel, was directly integrated by nothing operations more than design features on the photomask. The utilization of optical fiber to transmit the excitation light and the integration fiber channel make the fluorescence detection system simple and disposable. For electrophoresis, optimization of separation conditions was investigated for reaching high separation efficiency and sensitivity. A separation efficiency as high as 10⁶ theoretical plate numbers could be obtained for the analytes.