Catalytic Activity and Morphological Properties of Ni/MgO Catalysts for the Oxidative Coupling of Methane

The catalytic activity of Ni/MgO catalysts was studied for the oxidative coupling of methane (OCM). The catalysts were characterized using transmission electron microscope (TEM) and XRD. The increase in C2+ selectivity of Ni/MgO was attributed to the presence of bulk dislocations and MgNiO₂ phase. This revised version was published online in June 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Synthesis and Characterization of Chromium-Based Catalysts for Ethylene-1-hexene Copolymers Preparation via In-Situ Polymerization of Ethylene

The tandem catalysis system including the trimerization catalyst of CrCl₃/SNS (SNS = bis-(2-pentylsulfanyl-ethyl)-amine) (Cat 1) and the copolymerization catalyst Cat 2 of Cr/SiO₂ (Grace 643) has been prepared and used to the synthesis of branched polyethylene. The optimum polymerization conditions were found to be as follows: chromium concentration 0.2 wt %, ethylene pressure 23 bar, solvent hexane, polymerization temperature 90°C, co-catalyst triethylaluminum. The optimally prepared polyethylene was characterized thermally and morphologically. Appearance of α and γ hydrogens in ethylene-1-hexene copolymer confirms the presence of branches in polyethylene backbone.     

Application of ion-imprinted polymer synthesized by precipitation polymerization as an efficient and selective sorbent for separation and pre-concentration of chromium ions from some real samples

In this study, a new Cr(III)-imprinted polymer (Cr(III)-IIP) is prepared from CrCl₃·6H₂O, methacrylic acid functional monomer, ethyleneglycoldimethacrylate cross-linking agent, 2,2?-azobisisobutyronitrile radical initiator and 2,2-(azanediylbis (ethane-2,1-diyl))bis(isoindoline-1,3-dione) ligand. To obtain the maximum adsorption capacity, the optimum condition was studied through pH, type and concentration of eluent, IIP weight, sample volume as well as the adsorption and desorption times. The Cr(III) ion content was determined via flame atomic absorption spectrometer. In optimum conditions, the adsorption capacity of the IIP for Cr(III) was obtained to be 74.65 mg g^?1, using 50 mg of IIP and the initial pH solution of 3.0. Both the adsorption and desorption times for quantitative analyses of Cr(III) ions were 15 and 5 min; respectively. After elution of the adsorbed ions by 3 mL of 4 mol L^?1 HNO₃ aqueous solution, the established IIP-based SPE procedure provides a reasonable pre-concentration factor of 100. The IIP-based pre-concentration method provides a low detection limit of 1.7 µg L^?1 with good repeatability (RSD?=?3.22%). Reusability studies confirmed that synthesis IIP is reusable and recoverable up to six cycles. According to the selectivity experiments, it was concluded that the prepared sorbent possesses more affinity toward Cr(III) ions than other ions such as Al³⁺, Pb²⁺, Cu²⁺, Mn²⁺, Fe²⁺, Zn²⁺, and Ni²⁺ ions. To evaluate the potential applicability of the proposed separation method, the pre-concentration and determination of trace amounts of Cr(III) were performed successfully in food samples with complex matrices, a bestial sample (i.e. cow liver) and an herbal product (i.e., broccoli) as real samples.     

Synthesis,antibacterial evaluation and survey on the thermophysical characteristics of novel medically applicable polyamides containing pharmaceutically outstanding triazole moieties

There are many different strategies to decrease the incidence of infection of medical device and food related containers. One way to prevent infection is by modifying the polymers used in making the devices and containers. Incorporation of antimicrobial agents in the bulk material or in formulations of medical devices production has been considered a viable alternative for systemic application of antibiotics. In this article, preparation of a series of triazole containing polymers, poly(triazole-amide-imide)s (PTAI)s and poly(triazole-amide) (PTA)s, and their monomers are reported. These polymers were readily soluble in a variety of organic solvents, showed significant thermal properties and also viscosities in the range of 0.55–0.66 dL/g. They have been tested against a range of Gram-positive and Gram-negative pathogens. The results indicated that these novel polymers containing triazole moiety in their repeating units can effectively control Gram-positive and negative pathogens and their physic-chemical properties besides their antibacterial characteristics make them unique candidate for using in the manufacturing of the medical devices.     

Selective oxidation of alcohols with H2O2 catalyzed by zinc polyoxometalate immobilized on multi-wall carbon nanotubes modified with ionic liquid

In this work, acid functionalized multi-wall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) were modified with imidazolium-based ionic liquids. The selective oxidation of various alcohols with hydrogen peroxide catalyzed by[PZnMo₂W₉O₃₉]^5-, ZnPOM, supported on ionic liquids-modified with MWCNTs, MWCNTAPIB, is reported. This catalyst[ZnPOM@APIB-MWCNT], was characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and FT-IR spectroscopic methods. This heterogeneous catalyst exhibited high stability and reusability in the oxidation reaction without loss of its catalytic performance.     

Magnetically nano core–shell Fe<Subscript>3</Subscript>O<Subscript>4</Subscript>@Cu(OH)<Subscript>x</Subscript>: a highly efficient and reusable catalyst for rapid and green reduction of nitro compounds

Magnetically separable nano core–shell Fe₃O₄@Cu(OH)_x with 22 % Cu content was prepared by the addition of sodium hydroxide to a mixture of CuCl₂·2H₂O and nano Fe₃O₄ in water. Characterization of the impregnated copper hydroxide was carried out by X-ray fluorescence (XRF), X-ray diffraction (XRD) atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), value stream mapping (VSM) and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) analysis. The core–shell nanocatalyst exhibited the excellent catalytic activity toward reduction of various nitro compounds to the corresponding amines with NaBH₄. All reactions were carried out in H₂O (55–60 °C) within 3–15 min to afford amines in high to excellent yields. Reusability of core–shell Cu(OH)_x catalyst was examined 9 times without significant loss of its catalytic activity.     

Synthesis of new dyes containing double tetrazole groups for sensitization of TiO<Subscript>2</Subscript> nanoparticles in dye-sensitized solar cells

Di(1H-tetrazol-5-yl)methane is employed as a new electron acceptor group in the synthesis of two metal-free organic dyes containing triphenylamine donor group. Dye-sensitized nanocrystalline TiO₂ solar cell (DSSC) applying these novel dyes is constructed for consideration of their photovoltaic properties. The electronic properties of the dyes are also considered with the aid of theoretical calculations. The DSSC constructed from 4-(2,2-di(1H-tetrazol-5-yl)vinyl)-N,N-diphenylaniline (T1) shows a short-circuit photocurrent density of 13.38 mA cm^?2, an open circuit voltage of 578 mV, and a fill factor of 0.54, with a resulted solar energy-to-electricity conversion efficiency of 4.18% under simulated 1 sun irradiation (100 mW cm^?2). This result reveals that the dye with the di(1H-tetrazol-5-yl)methane anchoring group injects more electrons to the conduction band of TiO₂ in comparison with its analogs with single tetrazole ring in their anchoring group. It is found that in spite of a red-shift of the absorption spectrum resulted from the lengthening of the molecule, the dye with two di(1H-tetrazol-5-yl)methane groups gives lower performance than the dye with a single electron acceptor.     

Atom transfer radical polymerization of methyl methacrylate using copper-based homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysts

This study aimed at polymerization of methyl methacrylate with novel catalysts in the atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) condition at 90 °C. This was accomplished using CuBr/N-(2-aminoethyl)-3-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane (CuBr–AEAPTMS) as a homogeneous catalyst and one time with CuBr@AEAPTMS/SBA-15 as a heterogeneous catalyst. Catalysts were characterized using TGA, FT-IR, and UV–Vis spectroscopy. The structural analysis of the polymer was carried out by ¹³C NMR spectroscopy and GPC. Three characteristic parts of polymer produced by ATRP method including the initiator, monomer units, and end group was shown in ¹³C NMR spectra. In addition, the presence of C–Br unit showed that the polymerization process is alive. The ¹H NMR analysis was used for kinetic investigation of methyl methacrylate polymerization with homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysts that showed high monomer conversion (98 and 90% after 35 min, respectively) and good control of molecular weight with a dispersity (Р= 1.5–1.7). In addition, the plot of ln ([monomer]₀/[monomer] _t ) versus time gave linear relationships indicating a constant concentration of the propagating species throughout the polymerization. Finally, the results of the polymerization using heterogeneous catalyst compared with homogeneous catalyst revealed that it was according to ATRP method.