Preparation and Characterization of Chiral Oxazaborolidine Complex Immobilized SBA‐15 and Its Application in the Asymmetric Reduction of Prochiral Ketones

The immobilization of chiral oxazaborolidine complex in the well‐ordered mesochannels of SBA‐15 is demonstrated by a postsynthetic approach using 3‐aminopropyltriethoxysilane as a reactive surface modifier. The immobilized catalysts are characterized by various techniques, such as XRD, nitrogen adsorption, HRSEM, UV/Vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, and FTIR spectroscopy. The catalysts are used for the enantioselective reduction of aromatic prochiral ketones. The activity of the chiral oxazaborolidine complex immobilized SBA‐15 catalysts is also compared with that of the pure chiral oxazaborolidine complex, which is a homogeneous catalyst. It is found that the activity of the chiral complex immobilized SBA‐15 heterogeneous catalyst is comparable with that of the homogeneous catalyst.     

Electrochemical supercapacitor studies of hierarchical structured Co2+-substituted SnO2 nanoparticles by a hydrothermal method

Hierarchical structured Co-doped SnO₂ nanoparticles are prepared by a low temperature hydrothermal process. The structural and surface morphologies of the SnO₂ and Sn_1?xCo_xO₂ nanoparticles are studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The Sn_1?xCo_xO₂ nanoparticles form with a tetragonal rutile structure during the hydrothermal process without further calcination. The pseudocapacitance behavior of the Sn_1?xCo_xO₂ nanoparticles is characterized by cyclic voltammetry (CV) in 1.0 M H₂SO₄ electrolyte. The specific capacitance (SC) is found to increase with an increase in cobalt content. A maximum SC of 840 F g^?1 is obtained for a Sn_0.96Co_0.04O₂ composite at a 10 mV s^?1 scan rate.     

Effect of external pressure on Tc of as‐grown and thermally treated superconducting Rbx Fe2–ySe2 single crystals

We report on the effect of external pressure on the superconducting transition temperature (T_c) of as‐grown and thermally treated single crystals of superconducting iron chalcogenide Rb_0.85Fe_1.9Se₂. The superconducting transition temperature of 27.1 K at ambient pressure for the as‐grown sample was found to increase up to 33.2 K for the sample annealed for 3 h at 215 °C in vacuum. An increase of T_c up to 28.2 K was observed for the as‐grown sample at a pressure of 0.83 GPa. For all the studied crystals, annealed in the temperature range between 215 °C and 290 °C, the external pressure seems to decrease the superconducting transition temperature and a negative pressure coefficient of T_c was observed. (© 2012 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

A simple spectrophotometric method for the determination of zirconium in U–Zr alloy samples in presence of fluoride ions

Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry - A spectrophotometric method, circumventing interference from F− ions, during estimation of Zr in U-Zr alloy fuel, has been developed....     

Hyperfine interactions in (CuFe2O4)1 − x (SnO2) x (x = 0, 1, 5, 10 and 20 wt.%) nanocomposites studied by Mössbauer spectroscopy

A series of (CuFe₂O₄)_1???x (SnO₂) _x nanocomposites (x = 0, 1, 5, 10, 20 wt.%) have been prepared by urea–nitrate combustion method. The room temperature Mössbauer spectra of CuFe₂O₄ and (CuFe₂O₄)_0.99(SnO₂)_0.01 contained two sextets while remaining samples contained at least four sextets with additional doublet indicating the presence of paramagnetic phase. The variations of isomer shift, quadruple splitting and magnetic hyperfine field values were found with the addition of SnO₂.     

Semiconductor laser crystallization of a-Si:H on conducting tin-oxide-coated glass for solar cell and display applications

Semiconductor laser (=805 nm) crystallization of hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) deposited on a low-cost fluoride-doped tin-oxide-coated glass substrate is demonstrated. X-ray diffraction confirms that the structure of the polycrystalline silicon thus formed shows (111), (220), and (311) peaks. A sharp Raman peak at 520 cm^-1 further confirms the crystallization. Atomic force microscope images of a Secco-etched laser-treated sample reveal the granular structure of the poly-Si. Grains as big as 10 times the film thickness are readily obtained and sample as thick as 5000 Å is easily crystallized. The method can be extended to films with a thickness of several microns. PACS 42.55.Px; 42.62.Cf; 81.05.Gc     

Modelling of the plasma-substrate interaction and prediction of substrate temperature during the plasma heating

Temperature of the substrate during plasma heating and spraying plays an important role on quality of the substrate and coating. In this study a three dimensional numerical model is developed to simulate the Ar-N₂ plasma jet and conjugate heat transfer between plasma and substrate. The influencing of operating parameters on thermal flux from the plasma to the substrate and substrate temperature are discussed. Transient simulations are carried out to predict the substrate temperature with heating time. The arc current, gas flow rate, stand-off distance, substrate material and environment around the substrate significantly affect the thermal flux to the substrate. Heat flux to the substrate cannot be neglected in the coating built-up models. Present model is validated by comparing the results of present model with previous predictions and measurements.     

Synthesis and Characterization of Rare Earth Orthovanadate (RVO4; R = La, Ce, Nd, Sm, Eu & Gd) Nanorods/Nanocrystals/Nanospindles by a Facile Sonochemical Method and Their Catalytic Properties

We report herein on an efficient sonochemical method for the synthesis of rare earth orthovanadate nanorods/nanoparticles/nanospindles, (general formula RVO₄; R = La, Ce, Nd, Sm, Eu and Gd). TGA, XRD, FTIR, Raman, UV–Vis, and TEM studies are employed for their characterization and for understanding their morphologies. In order to vary the textural properties of the rare earth vanadates, two surfactants, polyethylene glycol (PEG) and amphiphilic triblock copolymer Pluronic P123, are chosen in the preparation. While the sonochemical synthesis in the presence of PEG results in the formation of nearly spherical nanoparticles of LaVO₄, CeVO₄, SmVO₄ and EuVO₄, the same technique yields nanorods and nanospindles of NdVO₄ and GdVO₄, respectively. When P123 is used as the surfactant, the morphologies of RVO₄ are strikingly different, and in most cases nanorods and nanospindles are formed. The photocatalytic activities of the rare earth orthovanadate have been evaluated by studying the degradation of methylene blue, and CeVO₄ seems to be the best catalyst in the heterogeneous photolysis. The electrocatalytic activity of the vanadates has been examined by studying the hydrogen evolution reaction using a linear sweep voltammogram technique in 1 M of a H₂SO₄ solution. GdVO₄ seems to be the best electrocatalyst. Electronic supplementary material  The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.