Effect of pressure on the structure of composite chitosan films obtained from solutions in carbonic acid

The effect of pressure in solutions of chitosan in carbonic acid with the AgNO₃ precursor on the structure of cast nanocomposite films with silver nanoparticles has been studied for the first time. The size of silver nanoparticles can be controlled by varying pressure in carbonic acid.     

Adsorption of anionic and cationic dyes by activated carbons, PVA hydrogels, and PVA/AC composite

The textural and adsorption characteristics of a series of activated carbons (ACs), porous poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) gels, and PVA/AC composites were studied using scanning electron microscopy, mercury porosimetry, adsorption of nitrogen (at 77.4 K), cationic methylene blue (MB), anionic methyl orange (MO), and Congo red (CR) from the aqueous solutions. Dye-PVA-AC-water interactions were modeled using the semiempirical quantum chemical method PM6. The percentage of dye removed (C(rem)) by the ACs was close to 100% at an equilibrium concentration (C(eq)) of less than 0.1 mM but decreased with increasing dye concentration. This decrease was stronger at C(eq) of less than 1 mM, and C(rem) was less than 50% at a C(eq) of 10-20 mM. For PVA and the PVA/AC composite containing C-7, the C(rem) values were minimal (<75%). The free energy distribution functions (f(ΔG)) for dye adsorption include one to three peaks in the -ΔG range of 1-60 kJ/mol, depending on the dye concentration range used and the spatial, charge symmetry of the hydrated dye ions and the structural characteristics of the adsorbents. The f(ΔG) shape is most complex for MO with the most asymmetrical geometry and charge distribution and adsorbed at concentrations over a large C(eq) range. For symmetrical CR ions, adsorbed over a narrow C(eq) range, the f(ΔG) plot includes mainly one narrow peak. MB has a minimal molecular size at a planar geometry (especially important for effective adsorption in slit-shaped pores) which explains its greater adsorptive capacity over that of MO or CR. Dye adsorption was greatest for ACs with the largest surface area but as molecular size increases adsorption depends to a greater extent on the pore size distribution in addition to total and nanopore surface areas and pore volume.     

Orthorhombic distortion energy for monatomic fcc crystals

The potential energy barrier and the geometry of the volume-conserving orthorhombic distortion for monatomic face-centered cubic (fcc) crystals in the absence of thermal motion have been investigated. It is shown that the orthorhombic transformation path can continuously transform a fcc crystal structure into six neighboring fcc crystal structures. Each of the new fcc lattices is equivalent to the original one but has a different orientation. The only difference of the six new fcc monatomic structures is that all the atoms change one pair of twelve atoms in the first coordination sphere into another pair and the structure has finite shear strains. The height of the potential energy barrier between the two neighboring stable fcc structures is calculated with the Morse and Mie two-body potentials under constant volume expansion or contraction. The barrier height is several times less than the energy corresponding to dilatations (the melting energy) where the lattice cohesion is lost. The total energy difference between body- and face-centered cubic crystal structures is equal to the minimum barrier height for large values of the effective radius of interatomic interaction. For small values of the radius, the minimum barrier height is less than this difference. The growth of the effective radius of the interatomic interaction decreases the height of the energy barrier. The height increases greatly with the volume contraction and decreases with the volume expansion of the fcc structures.Department of Mechanics and Mathematics, Moscow State Univesity, Moscow 117234, Russia. Published in Mekhanika Kompozitnykh Materialov, Vol. 34, No. 1, pp. 94–106, January–February, 1998.     

A method for determining the dynamic Young's modulus of curvilinear specimens

On the basis of a numerical solution of the problem of the natural frequencies of a rod shaped as the are of a circle, the authors suggest a method for determining the dynamic Young's modulus of a curvilinear specimen. They derive an approximate expression suitable for practical use. The results agree well with experiment.Moscow. Translated from Mekhanika Polimerov, No. 2, pp. 335–339, March–April, 1974.     

Strain‐Induced Isomerization in One‐Dimensional Metal–Organic Chains

The ability to use mechanical strain to steer chemical reactions creates completely new opportunities for solution‐ and solid‐phase synthesis of functional molecules and materials. However, this strategy is not readily applied in the bottom‐up on‐surface synthesis of well‐defined nanostructures. We report an internal strain‐induced skeletal rearrangement of one‐dimensional (1D) metal–organic chains (MOCs) via a concurrent atom shift and bond cleavage on Cu(111) at room temperature. The process involves Cu‐catalyzed debromination of organic monomers to generate 1,5‐dimethylnaphthalene diradicals that coordinate to Cu adatoms, forming MOCs with both homochiral and heterochiral naphthalene backbone arrangements. Bond‐resolved non‐contact atomic force microscopy imaging combined with density functional theory calculations showed that the relief of substrate‐induced internal strain drives the skeletal rearrangement of MOCs via 1,3‐H shifts and shift of Cu adatoms that enable migration of the monomer backbone toward an energetically favorable registry with the Cu(111) substrate. Our findings on this strain‐induced structural rearrangement in 1D systems will enrich the toolbox for on‐surface synthesis of novel functional materials and quantum nanostructures.     

Adsorption of ammonia on graphite oxide/aluminium polycation and graphite oxide/zirconium-aluminium polyoxycation composites

Graphite oxide (GO) synthesized from commercial graphite was modified with aluminium or zirconium-aluminium polyoxycations and then calcined at 350 degrees C. On the samples obtained adsorption of ammonia from moist air was investigated. The surface of materials before and after exposure to ammonia was characterized using adsorption of nitrogen, XRD, SEM, FTIR, TA, CHN analysis, and potentiometric titration. The results showed that in spite of the fact that graphite composites/pillared graphites (PG) have Keggin-like ions located between the layers, that space blocked for nitrogen molecules used to determine the specific surface area. During calcinations, the deflagration of layers occurred as a result of decomposition of epoxy groups. This results in formation of disordered graphitic carbons with some mesoporosity. Even though these materials were not porous, the significant amount of ammonia was retained on the surface. Since ammonia molecule is able to specifically interact with oxygen groups of graphite oxide and Br?nsted centers of inorganic pillars, it is likely intercalated between the composite layers. While the best performance was found for GO modified with aluminium-zirconium species, after calcinations the samples containing Keggin Al(13) like cations revealed the high capacity which is linked to the high acidity of incorporated inorganic compounds.