Sugar-anionic clay composite materials: intercalation of pentoses in layered double hydroxide

The intercalation of non-ionized guest pentoses (ribose and 2-deoxyribose) into the Mg-Al and Zn-Al layered double hydroxides (LDHs) was carried out at 298 K by the calcination-rehydration reaction using the Mg-Al and Zn-Al oxide precursors calcined at 773 K. The resulting solid products reconstructed the LDH structure with incorporating pentoses, and the maximum amount of ribose intercalated by the Mg-Al oxide precursor was approximately 20 times that by the Zn-Al oxide precursor. The ribose/Mg-Al LDH was observed to have the expanded LDH structure with a broad (003) spacing of 0.85 nm. As the thickness of the LDH hydroxide basal layer is 0.48 nm, the interlayer distance of the ribose/Mg-Al LDH is 0.37 nm. This value corresponds to molecular size of ribose in thickness (0.36 nm), supporting that ribose is horizontally oriented in the interlayer space of LDH. The maximum amount of ribose intercalated by the Mg-Al oxide precursor was approximately 5 times that of 2-deoxyribose. Ribose is substituted only by the hydroxyl group at C-2 position for 2-deoxyribose. Therefore, the number of hydroxyl group of sugar is essentially important for the intercalation of sugar molecule into the LDH, suggesting that the intercalation behavior of sugar for the LDH was greatly influenced by hydrogen bond between hydroxyl group of the intercalated pentose and the LDH hydroxide basal layers.     

Nanocomposite materials from latex and cellulose whiskers

Composite materials were processed by casting a mixture of aqueous suspensions of latex and microfibrils. These microfibrils, or whiskers, are extracted from a sea animal and are monocrystals of cellulose, with an aspect ratio around 100 and an average diameter of 20 nm. It has been found that the mechanical properties (shear modulus) are increased by more than two orders of magnitude in the rubbery state of the polymeric matrix, when the whisker content was 6% (w/w). This very large effect is discussed on the basis of different types of mechanical models and it is concluded that these whiskers form a rigid network, probably linked by hydrogen bonds. The formation of this network is assumed to be governed by a percolation mechanism.     

Headspace solid-phase microextraction-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry applied to quality control in multilayer-packaging manufacture

A method based on headspace solid-phase microextraction-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry is proposed for the quality control of multilayer packaging and its manufacturing process. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are produced in the manufacturing process of the packaging. They can cause organoleptic problems or modify the properties of the packaging depending on the nature and the amount of the VOCs formed. The quantification using packaging samples with a known VOC concentration for the calibration is proposed in order to reduce the analysis time, and the method is validated using a statistical test. Finally, the method is applied to the determination of odour-responsible compounds in multilayer packaging samples obtained under different extrusion-coating conditions, i.e. type of extruder, type of polymer and extrusion speed.     

Synthesis, Structures, and Thermal Expansion of the La2W2−xMoxO9 Series

The La₂W_2−xMo_xO₉ series has been synthesized by the ceramic method. An alternative synthesis using microwave radiation is also reported. La₂W₂O₉ has two polymorphs and the low-temperature phase (α) transforms to the high-temperature form (β) at 1077°C. The influence of the W/Mo substitution in this phase transition has been investigated by DTA. The β structure for x≥0.7 compositions can be prepared as single phase at any cooling rate. The β phase for 0.3≤x≤0.7 compounds can be prepared as single phase by quenching, whereas a mixture of α and β phases is obtained by slow cooling. The W/Mo ratio in both coexisting phases is different with the β-phase having a higher Mo content. The x=0.1 and 0.2 compounds have been prepared as mixtures of phases. The room temperature structure of β-La₂W_1.7Mo_0.3O₉ has been analyzed by the Rietveld method in P2₁3 space group. The final R-factors were R_WP=9.0% and R_F=5.6% with a structure similar to that of β-La₂Mo₂O₉. Finally, the thermal expansion of both types of structures has been determined from a thermodiffractometric study. The thermal expansion coefficients were 2.9×10⁻⁶ and 9.7×10⁻⁶°C⁻¹ for α-La₂W₂O₉ and β-La₂W_1.2Mo_0.8O₉, respectively.     

Simple synthesis of aminoquinoline/ethylaniline copolymer semiconducting nanoparticles

Pure copolymer nanoparticles from 8-aminoquinoline (AQ) and 2-ethylaniline (EA) were easily synthesized by a chemically oxidative polymerization in three different aqueous media. The potential and temperature of polymerization solution were used to successfully follow the polymerization progress. The molecular and morphological structures of the resulting AQ/EA copolymer particles were systematically characterized by IR, UV/Vis, NMR, gel permeation chromatography, laser particle-size analysis, atomic force and transmission electron microscopy. The oxidation potential of the monomers as well as the polymerization yield, structure, and properties of the particles were found to significantly depend on AQ/EA ratio, polymerization temperature and medium. It is surprisingly found that AQ homopolymerization and AQ/EA (50:50) copolymerization at 5 degrees C in HCl simply afford nano-ellipsoids with the major/minor axis diameters of 24/14 nm and 80/67 nm, respectively. A simple method of synthesizing semiconducting pure nanoparticles by introducing the AQ units with positively charged quaternary ammonium groups but in the absence of adscititious stabilizer or sulfonic substituent on the monomers is established first. Both the molecular weight and bulk electroconductivity of the copolymers exhibit a maximum at AQ content of 10 mol %. The solubility and film formability of the copolymers are good in highly polar solvents and reach the optimal at the AQ content of 20 and 10 mol %, respectively.     

Objective comparison of concentration profiles in solids by means of mathematical statistics

To compare concentration profiles in solids in an objective manner, a multi-dimensional generalization of the comparison of two means by Student'st-test is proposed. The approach is based on piecewise modelling the profiles using rougha priori information, estimating the model parameters and their covariance matrix and comparing the estimated parameters by use of multidimensional test variables. The piecewise modelling is treated in the most important cases in such a way that the partial functions are straight lines or cubic polynoms (splines) with continuity at all knots in each case. It enables us to compare whole profiles as well as the most relevant parts of them. Two ways of estimating the covariance matrix as a generalization of the variance estimation are discussed. The approach is useful for any kind of line profiles if rough information on the profile type is available. As an example SIMS depth-profiles of aluminum obtained from thin-layer systems after different technological heat treatments are considered. These profiles are modeled by three straight lines.     

Organic templates for the generation of inorganic materials

Mankind's fascination with shapes and patterns, many examples of which come from nature, has greatly influenced areas such as art and architecture. Science too has long since been interested in the origin of shapes and structures found in nature. Whereas organic chemistry in general, and supramolecular chemistry especially, has been very successful in creating large superstructures of often stunning morphology, inorganic chemistry has lagged behind. Over the last decade, however, researchers in various fields of chemistry have been studying novel methods through which the shape of inorganic materials can be controlled at the micro- or even nanoscopic level. A method that has proven very successful is the formation of inorganic structures under the influence of (bio)organic templates, which has resulted in the generation of a large variety of structured inorganic structures that are currently unattainable through any other method.     

Preparation and Characterization of N-4-Nitrophenyl-L-prolinol Nanocrystals in Sol-Gel Matrices

Organic nanocrystals of N-4-nitrophenyl-l-prolinol (NPP) have been grown in sol-gel matrices prepared from silicon alkoxide precursors. Our process is based on the control of the nucleation and growth kinetics of the dye in the pores of dense gels. Nanocomposites gel-glasses are obtained with a high optical quality due to the small size of the nanocrystals (10-20 nm). Differential scanning calorimetry experiments evidenced clearly the melting point of NPP nanocrystals, which is registered 51°C above that of NPP powder. Micro-Raman and solid state NMR spectroscopies allowed us to demonstrate that our nanocrystallization process does not chemically modify NPP molecules. We specified also the nature of interactions existing between the NPP nanocrystals and the xerogels. These strong interactions, which explain the important increase of the melting point of the nanocrystals in comparison to the NPP powder, are hydrogen bonds between nitro groups of NPP and uncondensed silanol functions of the silicate network.     

碳点增强的Ru纳米颗粒复合材料用于碱性条件下高效电解水析氢

In the 21st century, hydrogen energy is a novel energy source. Its use is expected to mitigate the problems of environmental pollution and global warming caused by the excessive use of conventional fossil fuels. The hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) for water splitting has attracted considerable attention because of its environmental friendliness. To improve electrocatalyst performance and reduce operation cost, carbon-based metal hybrid materials exhibiting high efficiency and catalytic activity have been developed. Among them, carbon dots (CDs) have garnered significant research attention and have been widely applied in biosensing, bioimaging, and energy conversion/storage because of their facile synthesis, biocompatibility, tunable photoluminescence, excellent stability, and good electronic properties. CDs are widely used as carriers in the construction of electrocatalysts prepared from carbon-based metal hybrid materials. At present, it is believed that CDs exhibit excellent confinement effects, which can effectively inhibit the growth and agglomeration of metal nanoparticles, thereby preparing well-distributed carbon-based metal hybrid materials with a uniform and controllable size. However, the formation process of the small-molecule raw materials of CDs has not been elucidated. In this study, CDs and small-molecule raw materials from synthetic CDs were used as precursors to prepare nitrogen-doped CD-supported ruthenium nanoparticle (Ru@CDs) and small-molecule-supported ruthenium nanoparticle (Ru@Molecule) hybrid materials, respectively. The interaction between the small molecules and Ru in the process of CD formation and the effect on HER performance were explored. Moreover, we prepared different carriers such as metal organic frameworks(MOF), carbon nanotubes (CNTs), and graphene (GO)-supported ruthenium nanoparticle hybrid materials. Among them, Ru@CDs exhibited controllable size and excellent dispersibility and exhibited outstanding HER activity and good stability. Ru@CDs were found to require a low overpotential of 22 mV to reach a current density of 10 mA·cm⁻². Moreover, we observed the presence of an intermediate state between the molecules and CDs and demonstrated that the intermediate state exhibits no confinement effect. Furthermore, we found that with increasing calcination temperature, the intermediate state gradually changes to CDs. The unique spatial confinement between CDs and metal ions is key to the formation of monodisperse Ru nanoparticles. Our results confirmed that Ru@CDs serve as excellent HER catalyst supports. This work not only reveals the effect of the unique spatial confinement of CDs on the supported metals and their promoting effect on electrocatalytic activity but also provides guides the future development of CD-based metal hybrid electrocatalysts.