Nanosized rhodium oxide for water oxidation: An organometallic precursor for the preparation of rhodium oxide

Electrochemical production of hydrogen from water splitting is a promising process to allow storage of intermittent energies. However, anodic water oxidation, which is a complicated four‐proton, four‐electron transfer process, affects the efficiency of hydrogen generation due to the need to apply large overpotentials. Herein, we synthesized nanosized rhodium(III) oxide by the thermal decomposition of a known rhodium organometallic precursor and characterized it using scanning and transmission electron microscopies, powder X‐ray diffraction, energy‐dispersive X‐ray, diffuse reflectance infrared and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopies, and electrochemical methods. The results showed that the nanosized rhodium oxide is a promising catalyst for water oxidation.     

A Potentiometric Sensor for Cd2+ Based on Carbon Nanotube Paste Electrode Constructed from Room Temperature Ionic Liquid,Ionophore and Silica Nanoparticles

A novel and effective potentiometric sensor for the rapid determination of Cd²⁺ based on carbon paste electrode consisting of the room temperature ionic liquid 1‐butyl‐3‐methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate, multiwalled carbon nanotubes, silica nanoparticles and ionophore was constructed. The prepared composite has a low potential drift, high selectivity and fast response time, which leads to a more stable potential signal. A linear dynamic range of 4.50×10^?9–1.00×10^?1 mol L^?1 with a detection limit of 2.00×10^?9 mol L^?1 was obtained. The modified electrode was successfully applied to the accurate determination of trace amounts of Cd²⁺ in environmental and biological samples.     

A novel needle trap sorbent based on carbon nanotube-sol-gel for microextraction of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from aquatic media

A new type of composite material based on carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and sol–gel chemistry was prepared and used as sorbent for needle trap device (NTD). The synthesized composite was prepared in a way to disperse CNTs molecules in a sol–gel polymeric network. CNT/silica composites with different CNT doping levels were successfully prepared, and the extraction capability of each composite was evaluated. Effects of surfactant and the oxidation duration of CNTs on the extraction efficiency of synthesized composites were also investigated. The applicability of the synthesized sorbent was examined by developing a method based on needle trap extraction (NTE) and gas chromatography mass spectrometry detection (GC–MS) for the determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in aqueous samples. Important parameters influencing the extraction process were optimized and an extraction time of 30 min at 50 °C and sampling flow rate of 2.5 mL min⁻¹ gave maximum peak area, when NaCl (15%, w/v) was added to the aqueous sample. The linearity for acenaphthene, acenaphthylene and fluorene was in the concentration range of 0.01–20 ng mL⁻¹ and for naphthalene and anthracene was in the range of 0.1–50 ng mL⁻¹. Limits of detection was 0.001 ng mL⁻¹, for acenaphthene, acenaphthylene and fluorene, and 0.01 ng mL⁻¹, for naphthalene and anthracene using time-scheduled selected ion monitoring (SIM) mode, and the RSD% values (n = 3) were all below 11.2% at the 1 ng mL⁻¹ level. The developed method was successfully applied to real water samples while the relative recovery percentages obtained for the spiked water samples were from 73.8 to 113.8%.     

New Grafted Nanosilica-Based Sorbent for Needle Trap Extraction of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons from Water Samples Followed by GC/MS

In this work, the preparation of a new grafted nanosilica-based sorbent was extensively investigated. An inexpensive modifier, cis-9-octadecenoic acid (oleic acid) was selected to be grafted on the surface of the nanosilica particles as the support. The grafting process was accurately confirmed by Fourier transform infra-red spectrometry (FT-IR). Applicability of the prepared sorbent was thoroughly examined by needle trap extraction (NTE) method. The grafted sorbent was dispersed in the appropriate solvent and carefully packed inside a steel needle. Feasibility of the method was completely examined using polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), as model compounds. For extraction of analytes from aqueous samples, the prepared needle trap device (NTD) was placed in the headspace of the sample and another needle was also inserted into the sample solution to purge the circulating headspace into the sample. For increasing the extraction efficiency, influencing parameters including extraction time and temperature, flow rate of analyte through the needle trap, the ionic strength, desorption temperature, and time were optimized. The limit of detection (LOD) and relative standard deviation (RSD) values of the method under optimized conditions were 2?C5 ng L^?1 and 1.1?C4.8%, respectively. The RSD% for fluorene was somewhat higher and a value of 16.8% at 40 ng L^?1 was achieved. Finally the developed method was applied to the analysis of tap water and Zayandeh-roud river samples and the relative recovery (RR %) values were found to be in the range of 77?C109%, under the optimized conditions.     

Surface tension of non-ideal binary and ternary liquid mixtures at various temperatures and p = 81.5 kPa

Experimental surface tensions for binary mixtures (1,2-ethandiol + water), (1,2-ethandiol + acetonitrile), and (acetonitrile + water) at temperatures of 283.15 K, 298.15 K, and 308.15 K and the ternary mixture (1,2-ethandiol/water/acetonitrile) at 298.15 K have been measured with the Du Noüy ring tensiometer. The surface tension of the above mentioned binary and ternary systems were correlated with empirical and thermodynamic based models. The methods of Pando et al. and Ku et al. were used to correlate the ternary surface tension data. The Fu et al., Kalies et al. and Wang et al. models were also applied to predict surface tension in the ternary system. The mean average absolute deviations obtained from the comparison of experimental and calculated surface tension values for ternary system with three models are less than 2.4%, which leads to concluding that these models show a good accuracy in different situations in comparison with other predictive equations.     

Ab initio study of NH3 and H2O adsorption on pristine and Na-doped MgO nanotubes

We have investigated, on the basis of density functional theory calculations, the structural and electronic properties of chemical modification of pristine and Na-doped MgONTs with NH₃ and H₂O molecules. We found that the NH₃ and H₂O molecules can be barrierlessly adsorbed on the Mg atom of the tube sidewall along with a charge transfer from the adsorbate to MgONT. The adsorption is chemical in nature with adsorption energies about ?22.3 and ?21.5 kcal/mol for H₂O and NH₃, respectively. The calculated density of state (DOS) shows that the chemical modification of MgONTs with these molecules can be generally classified as certain type of “harmless modification.” In other words, the electronic properties of the MgONT are little changed by the adsorption processes. The substitution of an Mg atom in the tube surface with an Na atom results in a semi-insulator to p-type semiconductor transition based on DOS analysis. It was also found that the doping process reduces the adsorption energies and the electronic properties of Na-doped MgONT is slightly more sensitive toward NH₃ and H₂O molecules, compared with the pristine one.     

Transition metal atom adsorptions on a boron nitride nanocage

We have applied density functional theory within B3LYP and M05 functionals to investigate the chemical functionalization of B₁₂N₁₂ nanocage with 3d transition metal (TM) atoms. Main focuses have been placed on configurations corresponding to the located minima of the adsorbates, corresponding adsorption energies, and the modified electronic properties of the cage. It was shown that there is linear correlation between the adsorption energies of the B3LYP and M05 as the results of M05 are higher than those of B3LYP, about 0.52 eV. Based on calculations, the most stable adsorption site is over the bond shared by a four- and a six-membered ring in the outer surface of cluster, in most cases. Based on the M05 results, the adsorption energies of the Sc, Ti, V, Co, and Fe are relatively high (>1.51 eV) and those of Mn, Ni, and Cu calculated to be in the range of 1.00–1.22 eV. The Cr atom forms a weak bond with a boron atom of the B₁₂N₁₂ cluster, while Zn atom cannot be chemically adsorbed. Charge transfer from metals to cluster ascertained that the B₁₂N₁₂ plays as an electron-trapping center. Inducing certain impurity states within the electron density of states, the TM adsorption significantly reduces the HOMO–LUMO gap of cluster, ranging from 32 to 79 %.     

Synthesis,X-ray crystal structure,and electrochemistry of polynuclear azido-bridged manganese(III) and copper(II) Schiff base complexes

New azido-bridged [Mn^III(salabza)(μ-1,3-N₃)]_n (1), and [Cu^II₄(salabza)₂(μ-1,1-N₃)₂(N₃)₂(HOCH₃)₂],(2) complexes with an unsymmetrical Schiff base ligand, {H₂salabza = N,N’-bis(salicylidene)-2-aminobenzylamine}, have been synthesized, characterized by spectroscopic and electrochemical methods, and their crystal structures have been determined by X-ray diffraction. In complex 1, each manganese(III) atom is coordinated with N₂O₂ donor atoms from salabza and two adjacent Mn(III) centers are linked by an end-to-end (EE) azide bridge to form a helical polymeric chain with octahedral geometry around the Mn(III) centers. Complex 2 is a centrosymmetric tetranuclear compound containing two types of Cu(II) centers with square pyramidal geometry. Each terminal copper atom is surrounded by N₂O₂ atoms of a salabza ligand, and the oxygen atom of the methanol molecule. Each central copper(II) ion is coordinated with two phenoxo oxygen atoms from one salabza, one terminal azido, and two end-on (EO) bridging azido ligands. The central copper(II) ions are linked to each other by the two end-on (EO) azido groups.     

Green Synthesis of Ag Nanoparticles by Callicarpa Maingayi: Characterization and Its Application with Graphene Oxide for Enzymeless Hydrogen Peroxide Detection

A facile green synthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) was achieved using aqueous leaf extract of Callicarpa Maingayi as a reducing and stabilizing agent during the synthesis from its salt solutions. The synthesized silver nanoparticles were analyzed with transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X‐ray diffraction (XRD) and energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS). XRD study shows that the particles are crystalline in nature with face centered cubic geometry. The crystallite size obtained from XRD is about 15 nm which is in agreement well with the TEM results. A new nanostructure sensor was constructed by immobilizing silver nanoparticles and graphene oxide (AgNPs‐GO) composite film on a glassy carbon electrode (AgNPs‐GO/GCE). It was found that the AgNPs‐GO composite exhibits good catalytic activity toward the reduction of hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂), leading to an enzymeless sensor with a fast amperometric response time of less than 5 s, high selectivity, good reproducibility and stability. The linear range was 5.0 μM to 700 μM with a detection limit of 0.6 μM (S/N = 3).