Photocatalytic application of BiFeO<Subscript>3</Subscript> synthesized via a facile microwave-assisted solution combustion method

Bismuth ferrite (BiFeO₃) nanopowder have been successfully synthesized for the first time via a microwave-assisted sol-gel combustion method by using citric acid as fuel. The resulting nanopowder was characterized using FT-IR, TG-DTA, XRD, EDX, VSM, SEM, and UV-Vis DRS. A ferromagnetic hysteresis loop with a saturation magnetization (M_S) of 0.66?emu?g^?1 has been observed at room temperature in the sample. The optical properties of the nanosized BiFeO₃ showed its small band gap (=2.08?eV) indicates a possibility of utilizing much visible light for photocatalysis.

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Adsorption of Pb(II) and Ni(II) From Aqueous Solution by a High-Capacity Industrial Sewage Sludge-Based Adsorbent

In the present study, adsorption of Ni(II) and Pb(II) from aqueous solution was investigated using activated carbon synthesized with industrial wastewater sludge. The synthesized adsorbent was analyzed using nitrogen adsorption–desorption and Fourier transfer infrared (FTIR) techniques. Batch adsorption mode was used to evaluate the effect of solution pH, contact time, adsorbent dose, initial metal ion concentration, and temperature on the adsorption capacity of the synthesized adsorbent. The kinetic data were analyzed using different kinetic models. The pseudo-second-order equation gave the best fit to the experimental data for both metal ions. The equilibrium isotherm data were analyzed using the Langmuir, Freundlich, and Dubinin–Radushkevich (D–R) isotherm models. The results showed that the data obtained for the Ni(II) and Pb(II) adsorption are in good agreement with the Langmuir model. The Langmuir mono-layer maximum adsorption capacities for Ni(II) and Pb(II) ions were estimated to be 74.06 and 88.76 mg g^?1 at 25°C, respectively. In addition, the thermodynamic studies proved that the adsorption process of both metals could be considered endothermic.     

Development of effervescence-assisted switchable polarity solvent homogeneous liquid-phase microextraction for the determination of permethrin and deltamethrin in water samples prior to gas chromatography–flame ionization detection

An effervescent tablet-assisted switchable polarity solvent–based homogeneous liquid-phase microextraction combined with gas chromatography with flame ionization detection has been conducted for the separation, preconcentration, and detection of permethrin and deltamethrin in the river water specimens. Triethylamine (TEA) was utilized as the switchable polarity solvent in this method. The switching process was carried out by the dissolution of an effervescent tablet including an effervescency agent (sodium carbonate) and a proton donor agent (citric acid). Changing the pH of the specimen solution enhanced the conversion of TEA into protonated triethylamine carbonate through the tablet that generated carbon dioxide bubbles in situ. Finally, the addition of sodium hydroxide changed the ionization state of TEA and separated the two phases. Influential factors in the extraction were investigated. According to optimal situations, the limit of detection and the limit of quantification were 0.16 and 0.5 μg L⁻¹ for permethrin and 0.03 and 0.1 μg L⁻¹ for deltamethrin, respectively. The preconcentration factor was 194 in river water samples and inter- and intra-day precision (relative standard deviation %; n = 5) was <5%. The extraction recovery was obtained in the range of 93.0%–97% for permethrin and deltamethrin in water samples.     

Microgels based on isotactic poly(styrene): Synthesis and characterization

Poly(styrene) microgels are known, but the influence of tacticity on particle formation and behavior has not been investigated yet. Isotactic poly(styrene) (iPS) with M_n = 15–120 kg/mol is synthesized by coordinate polymerization and cross‐linked by Friedel–Crafts alkylation in a miniemulsion. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, light microscopy, cryogenic transmission electron microscopy, and wide‐angle powder diffraction are applied to understand the structure of microgels obtained. Typically, spherical microgels with overall diameter of 40–500 nm are found. Isotacticity of the polymer is retained during microgel formation. Increase of cross‐linker content leads to partial crystallinity inside the microgel. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2017 , 55, 175–180     

Enhanced catalytic performance of copper iodide in 1,2,3-triazole-imidazole hybrid synthesis,and evaluation of their anti-cancer activities along with optical properties besides 1H-tetrazole-imidazole hybrids

New triazole-imidazole and tetrazole-imidazole hybrids were obtained using 2,4,5-triaryl-1-(4-aminophenyl) imidazoles by copper-catalyzedazide-alkyne cycloaddition (CuAAC) and Ugi-azidefour-component(UA-4CRs) process. The synthesis of triazole hybrids was performed in the presence of new copper-incorporated white sandstone nanocatalyst, which was fully characterized by different methods. The construction of newly prepared hybrids was confirmed by spectroscopic techniques. Some of these compounds were evaluated for their anti-cancer properties against MCF-7 cancer cell lines. The absorption and emission parameters of the triazole- and tetrazole-substituted imidazoles were also investigated and compared with each other.     

Microextraction of Rosmarinic Acid Using CMK-3 Nanoporous Carbon in a Packed Syringe

CMK-3 nanoporous carbon was prepared and used as an efficient sorbent for microextraction in packed syringe of rosmarinic acid in Rosmarinus officinalis L. (rosemary). In the proposed method, only 2 mg of the nanoporous material, inserted between a syringe’s barrel and needle, was sufficient for the extraction with minimum consumption of organic solvents. Sample preparation was performed on the packed bed using a laboratory-made programmable apparatus. The apparatus was designed and used for automation of the conditioning, sampling, washing and elution steps of the method, and increasing the reproducibility of the experiments. For optimization of the experimental parameters, a central composite design method was used. Under the optimized conditions (i.e., number of adsorption cycles 14 times, number of elution cycles ten times and volume of elution 100 μL), an extraction recovery of 90 (±4.5) % was obtained for rosmarinic acid. The same packing bed could be used for at least 80 extractions without significant changes in its properties. The efficiency of the nanoporous sorbent was found to be superior to that of activated carbon, by a factor of about 17. The proposed method was successfully applied to the extraction of three rosemary samples before analysis by HPLC.

     

A seminumeric approach for solution of the Eikonal partial differential equation and its applications

In this work, a partial differential equation, which has several important applications, is investigated, and some techniques based on semianalytic (or quasi‐numerical) approaches are developed to find its solution. In this article, the homotopy perturbation method (HPM), Adomian decomposition method, and the modified homotopy perturbation method are proposed to solve the Eikonal equation. HPM yields solution in convergent series form with easily computable terms, and in some case, yields exact solutions in one iteration. In other hand, in Adomian decomposition method, the approximate solution is considered as an infinite series usually converges to the accurate solution. Moreover, these methods do not require any discretization, linearization, or small perturbation, and therefore reduce the numerical computation a lot. Several test problems are given and results are compared with the variational iteration method. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Numer Methods Partial Differential Eq, 2010     

Wall friction effects and viscosity reduction of gel propellants in conical extrusion

Influence of wall friction on mean apparent viscosity reduction of gel propellants in conical radial flow extrusion is investigated analytically and numerically. A parametric study has been conducted to evaluate the effects of injector geometry, rheological constants, wall friction factor and volumetric flow rate on fluid viscosity profile. Gel propellants were modeled by the non-Newtonian power law constitutive relation. The influence of wall friction on the mean apparent viscosity, on wall slip and on pressure gradient is found to be substantial. Central results are supported by asymptotic analysis for small cone angles and low wall friction. Contact is made with lubrication type flow pattern.     

Immobilized metalloporphyrins on 3-aminopropyl-functionalized silica support as heterogeneous catalysts for selective oxidation of primary and secondary alcohols

Abstract  

Iron(III), manganese(III), and cobalt(II) complexes of meso-tetrakis(p-chlorophenyl)porphyrin (Fe(TClPP)X, Mn(TClPP)X, and Co(TClPP)X, X = Cl or OAc) were immobilized onto 3-aminopropyl-functionalized silica (SF-3-APTS). SF-3-APTS acts as both axial base and support for immobilization of these metalloporphyrins. The obtained heterogeneous catalysts were characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR), UV–Vis, and inductively coupled plasma (ICP) spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) techniques. Their catalytic activity as biomimetic catalysts was investigated for the selective oxidation of primary and secondary benzylic alcohols to the corresponding carbonyl compounds with t-butylhydroperoxide as oxidant. SF-3-APTS–Fe(TClPP)Cl demonstrated higher catalytic activity than SF-3-APTS–Mn(TClPP)Cl and SF-3-APTS–Co(TClPP)OAc. The presence of electron-withdrawing substituents on benzylic alcohols enhances the rate of catalytic oxidation. SF-3-APTS–Fe(TClPP)Cl could be reused at least four times without significant loss of its catalytic activity.     

Experimental investigation of magneto-rheological droplet impact on a smooth surface

We present an experimental investigation of the impact of magneto-rheological droplets on a smooth surface. The experimental setup consists of a syringe pump with capillary tube of 1.6 mm diameter located perpendicularly above a dry smooth quartz surface assembled above an electromagnetic module, which enables magnetic flux density control up to 7.8 G. Free surface flow patterns generated during the impact of droplets of 2.2 mm diameter, Reynolds number in the range 15-125 were recorded using a digital high-speed camera. The materials used in this study were commercial ferro-fluids, (hydrocarbon-based fluid containing micron-sized magnetizable particles). These fluids were characterized using a rotational rheometer modified by an electromagnetic module. The results show an up to 40% reduction in maximum spread diameters as well as reductions in spread velocities for droplets subjected to a magnetic field.