Adsorption from ternary liquid mixtures on silica gel and aluminium oxide

Formation of mixed adsorbed layers was tested for ternary liquid mixtures containing methanol or acetone and the binary solvent benzene+n — heptane. The specific excess adsorption isotherms from the liquid phase were measured on silica gel, silanized silica gel and aluminium oxide. The experimental adsorption data are discussed on the basis of the changes in the mixed solvent composition.     

Influence of promoters on the performance of Au/MnOx and Pt/SnOx/SiO2 low-temperature CO oxidation catalysts

The influence of promoters on Pt/SnO_x/SiO₂ and Au/MnO_x low-temperature CO oxidation catalysts has been investigated under stoichiometric reaction conditions with no CO₂ added to the feed gas. The performance of Pt/SnO_x/SiO₂ catalysts is improved significantly by the addition of 1 wt.% Fe but reduced by the addition of 5 wt.%Fe, 1 wt.% Sb, 5 wt.% Sb, 1 wt.% As, 5 wt.%As and 1.8 wt.% P. The performance of Au/MnO_x is improved significantly by the addition of 1 at.% Ce but reduced by the addition of 1 at.% Co. For the catalysts and conditions examined, the Au/MnO_x catalysts are superior to the Pt/SnO_x/SiO₂ catalysts with respect to both activity and decay characteristics.     

4-Phosphoryl Pyrazolones for Highly Selective Lithium Separation from Alkali Metal Ions

Effective receptors for the separation of Li⁺ from a mixture with other alkali metal ions under mild conditions remains an important challenge that could benefit from new approaches. In this study, it is demonstrated that the 4-phosphoryl pyrazolones, H L ²-H L ⁴, in the presence of the typical industrial organophosphorus co-ligands tributylphosphine oxide (TBPO), tributylphosphate (TBP) and trioctylphosphine oxide (TOPO), are able to selectively recognise and extract lithium ions from aqueous solution. Structural investigations in solution as well as in the solid state reveal the existence of a series of multinuclear Li⁺ complexes that include dimers (TBPO, TBP) as well as rarely observed trimers (TOPO) and represent the first clear evidence for the synergistic role of the co-ligands in the extraction process. Our findings are supported by detailed NMR, MS and extraction studies. Liquid-liquid extraction in the presence of TOPO revealed an unprecedented high Li⁺ extraction efficiency (78 %) for H L ⁴ compared to the use of the industrially employed acylpyrazolone H L ¹ (15 %) and benzoyl-1,1,1-trifluoroacetone (52 %) extractants. In addition, a high selectivity for Li⁺ over Na⁺, K⁺ and Cs⁺ under mild conditions (pH ∼8.2) confirms that H L ²-H L ⁴ represent a new class of ligands that are very effective extractants for use in lithium separation.     

Photothermal Oxidation of Cinnamyl Alcohol with Hydrogen Peroxide Catalyzed by Gold Nanoparticle/Antimony-Doped Tin Oxide Nanocrystals

Gold nanoparticles with different mean sizes were formed on antimony-doped tin oxide nanocrystals by the temperature-varied deposition-precipitation method (Au/ATO NCs). Au/ATO NCs possess strong absorption in the near-infrared region due to Drude excitation in addition to the localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) of AuNPs around 530 nm. Au/ATO NCs show thermally activated catalytic activity for the oxidation of cinnamyl alcohol to cinnamaldehyde by hydrogen peroxide. The catalytic activity increases with a decrease in the mean Au particle size (d_Au) at 5.3 nm≤d_Au≤8.2 nm. Light irradiation (λ_ex >660 nm, ∼0.5 sun) of Au/ATO NCs increases the rate of reaction by more than twice with ∼95 % selectivity. Kinetic analyses indicated that the striking enhancement of the reaction stems from the rise in the temperature near the catalyst surface of ∼30 K due to the photothermal effect of the ATO NCs.     

Selective solid-phase microextraction of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in water based on oriented phosphorus-containing titanium oxide nanofibers grown on titanium support prior to high-performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet detection

A novel solid-phase microextraction coating of phosphorous-containing titanium oxide composite was developed using titanium fiber as a support and a titanium source by hydrothermal oxidation in a phosphoric acid solution containing hydrogen peroxide. The morphology of the fiber coatings was controlled by the conditions of the hydrothermal oxidation reaction. The oriented nanofiber coating was employed to extract several types of representative aromatic analytes. The experimental results demonstrated that the as-prepared fiber exhibited excellent extraction efficiency toward polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Combined with high-performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet detection, main extraction conditions were optimized, including pH, ionic strength, extraction temperature, stirring rate, extraction time and desorption time. The established method presented good linearity from 0.05 to 200 μg/L with limit of detection ranging from 0.012 to 0.126 μg/L. This convenient and green procedure was suitable for the selective extraction and determination of typical polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in environmental water samples. The relative recoveries of 85.8–112% were obtained for the determination of target polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in water samples spiked with 5.0 and 15.0 μg/L. Moreover, the as-prepared fiber showed at least 210 extraction/desorption cycles due to its high mechanical and chemical stability.     

Review on the thickness measurement of ultrathin oxide films by mutual calibration method

Mutual calibration was suggested as a method to determine the absolute thickness of ultrathin oxide films. It was motivated from the large offset values in the reported thicknesses in the Consultative Committee for Amount of Substance (CCQM) pilot study P-38 for the thickness measurement of SiO₂ films on Si(100) and Si(111) substrates in 2004. Large offset values from 0.5 to 1.0 nm were reported in the thicknesses by ellipsometry, X-ray reflectometry (XRR), medium-energy ion scattering spectrometry (MEIS), Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy (RBS), nuclear reaction analysis (NRA), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). However, the offset value for the thicknesses by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) was close to zero (−0.013 nm). From these results, the mutual calibration method was reported for the thickness measurement of SiO₂ films on Si(100) by combination of TEM and XPS. The mutual calibration method has been applied for the thickness measurements of hetero oxide films such as Al₂O₃ and HfO₂. Recently, the effect of surface contamination was reported to be critical to the thickness measurement of HfO₂ films by XPS. On the other hand, MEIS was proved to be a powerful zero offset method which is not affected by the surface contamination. As a result, the reference thicknesses in the CCQM pilot study P-190 for the thickness measurement of HfO₂ films on Si(100) substrate were determined by mutual calibration method from the average XRR data and MEIS analysis. Conclusively, the thicknesses of ultrathin oxide films can be traceably certified by mutual calibration method and most thickness measurement methods can be calibrated from the certified thicknesses.     

Synthesis,Characterization, and Thermotropic Properties of Liquid Crystals with an Oligo (Ethylene Oxide) Monomethyl Substituent I: Biphenyl-Based Systems

New alkene liquid crystals 4-[oligo(ethylene oxide)_o, monomethylether)carbonyl]phenyl 4-[4(allyloxy) phenyl]benzoate(MBPBEn, n = 1-3), 4′-[oligo(ethylene oxide)_o, monomethylether)carbonyl]biphenyl-4-yl 4-[4-(al1yloxy)phenyl]benzoate(MBPBPEn, n = 1-3), (S)-4-[(2-methyl-I-butoxy)carbonyl]phenyl 4[4-(allyloxy)phenyl]benzoate(MBPBKA), and (S)-4′-[(2-methyl-l-butoxy)carbonyl]biphenyl-4-yl 4-[4(allyloxy)phenyl]benzoate(MBPBPKA) were synthesized and characterized using ¹H-NMR and elemental analysis methods. The thermal transition temperatures, mesomorphic properties, and mesophase textures of these compounds have been determined by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), by polarizing optical microscopy, and by X-ray diffraction analysis. The effect of changes in chemical structure on the mesophase properties, mesophase and isotropic transition temperatures, and mesophase textures are discussed.     

Enhanced Photocatalytic Activity of Titanium Dioxide Supported on Hexagonal Mesoporous Silica at Lower Coverage

The photocatalytic activities of titanium dioxide (TiO₂) supported on hexagonal mesoporous silica (HMS), zeolite Y (NaY) were investigated by using the photodegradation of 2,4,6-trichlorophenol (TCP) as test reactions. It was found that the photocatalytic activity of TiO₂ on HMS was much higher than that of TiO₂ powders, and that of TiO₂ on NaY. It was also found that TiO₂/HMS had maximal photocatalytic activity at a lower Ti content. The larger the pore size of HMS used as the support of TiO₂, the better the photocatalytic activity of TiO₂ for degradating of organic pollutant. These observations suggested that the supported structure was a main factor responsible for enhancement of the photocatalytic activity of TiO₂. Characterization of the samples by TEM, XRD, BET, and UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectra indicated that the structures of HMS and TiO₂ were confirmed and TiO₂ did not enter into the HMS framework and was formed as nanoparticles on all supports.     

层状钠锰氧化物的制备及离子交换反应动力学

层状钠锰氧化物的制备及离子交换反应动力学