Air-monitoring of volatile aromatic compounds in the town of Viterbo

Results obtained by using Analyst, a long term diffusive sampler, for monitoring volatile aromatic compound in the town of Viterbo are presented. Benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and also the three xylene isomers are evaluated during six months of measurements. The obtained values and also the ratios of some pollutants are reported and discussed.     

Iodonium zwitterions

The first example of a diaryl zwitterionic iodonium compound having the anionic function directly on the aromatic ring is described. Compound 2, Ph-I(+)-C₆H₄-4-SO₂N(−)SO₂CF₃, is obtained in excellent yield and its X-ray structure was determined. 2 and the many analogues that can be prepared have excellent potential as photoacid generators (PAGs) in microlithography.     

Preparation of highly dispersed CuO catalysts on oxide supports for de-NO(x) reactions

CuO based catalysts dispersed on silica-alumina supports at low (0.56 wt.%) and high (13 wt.%) Al(2)O(3) content were prepared by adsorption method with or without ultrasound treatment. The catalysts obtained were studied in their bulk (atomic absorption, X-ray diffraction, temperature programmed reduction) and surface (N(2) adsorption and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy) properties. Significant differences between the series of catalysts prepared over the two supports in terms of size of the CuO aggregates and of their redox properties were evidenced. All the catalysts were tested in the selective catalytic reduction of NO(x) using C(2)H(4) as reducing species (HC-SCR process) in highly oxidant atmosphere. The CuO-catalysts prepared using ultrasounds were the most active. Moreover, they displayed a peculiar activity being able to activate NO both by reducing it to N(2), in larger extent, and by oxidizing it to NO(2).     

Tuning of long-wavelength emission in InxGa1−xAs quantum dot structures

This work explores the conditions to obtain the extension of the PL emission beyond 1.3 μm in InGaAs quantum dot (QD) structures growth by MOCVD. We found that, by controlling the In incorporation in the barrier embedding the QDs, the wavelength emission can be continuously tuned from 1.25 μm up to 1.4 μm at room temperature. However, the increase in the overall strain of the structures limits the possibility to increase the maximum gain in the QD active device, where an optical density as high as possible is required. By exploring the kinetics of QD surface reconstruction during the GaAs overgrowth, we are able to obtain, for the first time, emission beyond 1.3 μm from InGaAs QDs grown on GaAs matrix. The wavelength is tuned from 1.26 μm up to 1.33 μm and significant improvements in terms of line shape narrowing and room temperature efficiency are obtained. The temperature-dependent quenching of the emission efficiency is reduced down to a factor of 3, the best value ever reported for QD structures emitting at 1.3 μm.