Synthesis and characterization of silica-supported Preyssler nano particles and its catalytic activity for photodegradation of methyl orange

Abstract

Heteropolyacid (H₁₄ [NaP₅W₃₀O₁₁₀])/SiO₂ nano particles were synthesized by a micro emulsion technique. The morphology and size of these nano particles were characterized using, transmission electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction. In a designed photo reactor, the photo degradation of methyl orange as common azo dye pollutants in the environment was selected as a test reaction to estimate the catalytic activity of the synthesized nano particles and found to be excellent.     

Anaerobic Degradation of PCB in Soils

Abstract

The anaerobic degradation of PCB in loamy and clayey soils containing indigeneous microflora was studied. The anaerobic conditions were created by an argon atmosphere in the flasks containing soil flooded by a liquid medium with glucose. GC-ECD analysis of soil extracts after 40 day incubation showed, in addition to the concentration changes of the less chlorinated PCB congeners, a significant decrease in the concentration of highly chlorinated congeners in both soils. The results indicate that in both soil types reductive dehalogenation of PCB congeners was encountered.     

Dissipation of the plant growth regulator hexanoic acid 2-(diethylamino) ethyl ester in pakchoi and soil

A rapid and simple method for determining the plant growth regulator hexanoic acid 2-(diethylamino) ethyl ester (DA-6) in pakchoi and soil using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) has been developed. For this purpose, a single step was used to extract DA-6 with dichloromethane from aqueous-acetone extracts of vegetables and soil. Average recoveries of DA-6 in pakchoi and soil were between 85% and 104% at both spiking levels 0.01 and 0.1 mg kg^?1. Relative standard deviations (RSD) were less than 11% for all of the recovery tests. The degradation of DA-6 in pakchoi and soil was studied. The results showed that DA-6 degradation in pakchoi and soil coincided with C = 3.9903 e^{?0.0516 t} , C = 0.3476 e^{?0.0224 t} , respectively; the half-lives were 13.43 h and 30.94 h in pakchoi and soil in Beijing, respectively.     

Insight into industrial PLA aging process by complementary use of rheology,HPLC, and MALDI

Nowadays, there is a growing availability of biodegradable industrial materials intended to food contact applications whose service life behavior needs to be further investigated. This article is focused on the degradation of two materials based on polylactic acid. The correlation between the rate of degradation and the amount of trapped degradation products was investigated applying three characterization techniques in parallel, namely rheology, high‐performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), and matrix‐assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI). The rate of degradation was studied through the evaluation of their rheological properties and calculation of the number of average molecular weights, and weight‐average molecular weights. Water‐soluble oligomers and lactic acid were quantified by HPLC‐ultraviolet. Changes in cyclic and linear oligomers were monitored by MALDI‐time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry. Specimens of 4‐mm thickness of each biopolymer were subjected to hydrolysis in deionized water up to 6 months at two temperatures, simulating service conditions of food packaging. The diminution in viscosity and consequently in molecular weight distribution (20–60%) showed the degradation of the molecular structure of both polylactic acids. The chain scission was followed through the increasing values of lactic acid and hydrolyzed oligomers (twofold to eightfold), and the predominant signal of the linear oligomers over the cyclic ones with aging. Rheology, HPLC, and MALDI showed to be complementary tools to better understand the changes in the molecular structure. The obtained results showed the necessity of adding suitable stabilizers for each particular food packaging application. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Photocatalytic degradation of trichloroethylene over BiOCl under UV irradiation

In this study, BiOCl samples were synthesized under different pH values and characterized by XRD, SEM, UV‐vis DRS, BET, photoelectrochemical measurement and PL. The photocatalytic performances of the as‐prepared samples were evaluated through the decomposition of trichloroethylene (TCE) under UV irradiation. The influences of several parameters such as solution pH and common inorganic anions on TCE removal were investigated. Results indicated that BiOCl‐0.6 exhibited better photocatalytic performance than BiOCl‐6.0 because of its higher migration ability of photo‐induced carrier. The photocatalytic degradation of TCE over BiOCl‐0.6 followed pseudo first‐order kinetics and appeared to be more efficient in acidic solution than in alkaline. TCE was almost completely dechlorinated in 120 minutes. The inhibiting effect of naturally occurring anions was in the order of HCO₃^‐ >SO₄^2‐ >NO₃^‐, while Cl^‐ exhibited a dual effect. Moreover, BiOCl‐0.6 exhibited superior reusability after three cycles of repetition tests.     

Influence of multiwall carbon nanotubes on morphological and structural changes during UV irradiation of syndiotactic polypropylene films

The effect of UV irradiation on the morphology and structure of syndiotactic polypropylene (sPP) is investigated both for pure films and those filled with multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs). UV treatment causes a structural reorganization of pure sPP films. It seems that the incorporation of MWCNTs has a strong stabilizing effect, with nanotubes acting as a limiter of the UV‐induced chain breakage, especially when a good dispersion of carbon nanotubes in the polymer is achieved. The incorporation of MWCNTs introduces a high concentration of defects in the crystal structure of sPP, which limits the UV‐induced growth of crystallites, and prevents the development and propagation of cracks caused by UV irradiation. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys, 2012     

Unusual synthesis of azines and their oxidative degradation to carboxylic acid using iodobenzene diacetate

Reaction of 3-hydrazonobutan-2-one oxime with aromatic aldehydes resulted in the formation of 1,2-bis(arylidene)hydrazine commonly referred as azine as an unexpected product, instead of expected product 3-(aryl)methylenehydrazonobutan-2-one oxime, which were subsequently oxidized to corresponding aromatic acids with an ecofriendly oxidizing agent iodobenzene diacetate. Azines and carboxylic acids were characterized by IR and NMR (¹H, ¹³C, HMBC, and HMQC) studies.     

Thermal and acid labile polyurethanes as a new class of responsive materials in polymeric nanoparticles and nanocapsules

A new class of polyurethanes has been designed, containing tertiary carbamate groups in the main chain of the polymer, which enable the resulting polymer to degrade completely under acid and thermal treatment. The decomposition temperatures of the polymers were determined by measuring the evolution of carbon dioxide and other decomposition products using TGA‐MS. Until decomposition of the polymer, no glass transition was found. The polymers exhibit excellent solubility in common organic solvents like chloroform and tetrahydrofuran, making them to suitable materials for film formation. From the obtained polymers, nanoparticles were synthesized by the solvent evaporation method combined with the miniemulsion technique. The resulting nanoparticles can be used as intelligent fillers in films and sensors, since they degrade at temperatures of above 180 °C, which can be detected by a color change reaction with ninhydrin. Polymeric nanocapsules were prepared by an interfacial polyaddition reaction from 2,4‐toluene diisocyanate and tertiary diols performed at the droplet's interface in inverse (water‐in‐oil) miniemulsions. These nanocapsules with an encapsulated photoacid generator can act as a release system, whereby an acidic release through irradiation with ultraviolet light can be triggered. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2012     

Photocatalytic activity of divalent ion (copper,zinc and magnesium) doped NiAl2O4

Nickel aluminate (NiAl₂O₄) and doped nickel aluminate (Ni_1-xM_xAl₂O₄; M = Mg, Zn, Cu; x = 0.1) were prepared by sol-gel method using citric acid. The synthesized compounds were analyzed by various techniques such as powder XRD, FTIR, SEM-EDAX and UV-DRS. The lattice parameter was found to increase with the copper, zinc and magnesium doping in nickel aluminate. The band gap was decreased from 3.0 eV (NiAl₂O₄) to 2.9 (zinc doped), 2.7 eV (magnesium doped) and increased to 3.1 eV in the case of copper doping. The catalytic study was carried out for a cationic (methylene blue) and an anionic dye (methyl orange). The percentage degradation of methyl orange using Zn_0.1Ni_0.9Al₂O₄ and Mg_0.1Ni_0.9Al₂O₄ was found to be 92% (180 min) and 96% (90 min). 93% (120 min) and 97% (120 min) degradation of methylene blue was observed using zinc doped and magnesium doped nickel aluminate respectively. These results are comparatively higher than its parent analogue (94% (180 min) degradation against methyl orange and 91% (120 min) against methylene blue). Whereas the percentage degradation was found to be less in the case of Cu_0.1Ni_0.9Al₂O₄ (83% (180 min) against methyl orange and 90% (120 min) against methylene blue).     

Simultaneous formation of platinum‐based nanocatalysts and degradation of dyes at oil/water interface: Comparative morphological and kinetic studies

To decrease the water pollution of textile industries with a large amount of toxic and non‐biodegradable colored dye effluents, an efficient technique is required to safely remove harmful pollutants. In this paper, the reaction between azo dyes and NaBH₄ catalyzed by nanoparticles (NPs) thin films has been studied. We report insitu degradation of methyl orange (MO) and methyl red (MR) by using Pt‐based thin films monitored by UV–Vis spectroscopy. We have synthesized different thin films such as Pt, PtPd, PtFeFe₂O₃, PtNi and PtAu films from Pt organometallic precursor in the MO and MR medium (dye degradation and NPs formation is happened simultaneously) and activity of these films were compared in the complete degradation of MO and MR dyes. Rate constants for the catalyzed reactions have been determined. PtPd NPs thin film has shown the highest rate constant for the degradation of MO and MR within only a few seconds due to its well‐ordered structure. Furthermore, the effect of presence of MO on the morphology of NPs was investigated.