Surface and chemical characteristics of platinum modified activated carbon electrodes and their electrochemical performance

Platinum (Pt) loaded activated carbons (ACs) were synthesized by the thermal decomposition of platinum (II) acetylacetonate (Pt(acac)₂) over chemically activated glucose-based biochar. The effect of Pt loading on surface area, pore characteristics, surface chemistry, chemical structure, and surface morphology were determined by various techniques. XPS studies proved the presence of metallic Pt⁰ on the AC surface. The graphitization degree of Pt loaded ACs were increased with the loaded Pt⁰ amount. The electrochemical performance of the Pt-loaded ACs (Pt@AC) was determined not only by the conventional three-electrode system but also by packaged supercapacitors in CR2032 casings. The capacitive performance of Pt@AC electrodes was investigated via cyclic voltammetry (CV), galvanostatic charge-discharge curves (GCD), and impedance spectroscopy (EIS). It was found that the Pt loading increased the specific capacitance from 51 F/g to 100 F/g. The ESR drop of the packaged cell decreased with the Pt loading due to the fast flow of charge through the conductive pathways. The results showed that the surface chemistry is more dominant than the surface area for determining the capacitive performance of Pt loaded AC-based packaged supercapacitors.     

Photocatalytic Reduction of Cr (VI) over g-C3N4 Photocatalysts Synthesized by Different Precursors

Graphitic carbon nitride (g-C₃N₄) photocatalysts were synthesized via a one-step pyrolysis process using melamine, dicyandiamide, thiourea, and urea as precursors. The obtained g-C₃N₄ materials exhibited a significantly different performance for the photocatalytic reduction of Cr(VI) under white light irradiation, which is attributed to the altered structure and occupancies surface groups. The urea-derived g-C₃N₄ with nanosheet morphology, large specific surface area, and high occupancies of surface amine groups exhibited superior photocatalytic activity. The nanosheet morphology and large surface area facilitated the separation and transmission of charge, while the high occupancies of surface amine groups promoted the formation of hydrogen adsorption atomic centers which were beneficial to Cr(VI) reduction. Moreover, the possible reduction pathway of Cr(VI) to Cr(III) over the urea-derived g-C₃N₄ was proposed and the reduction process was mainly initiated by a direct reduction of photogenerated electrons.     

Redox Transformation of Adducts from Cycloaddition of Diazoacetic Ester to β-Arylacryloyloxiranes

It was established that, in addition to ethyl 4-aryl-3-(2,3-epoxyalkanoyl)-4,5-dihydro-1H-pyrazole-5-carboxylates, the reaction of diazoacetic ester with β-arylacryloyloxiranes also gives ethyl 4-aryl-3(5)-(3-hydroxy-2-methylalkanoyl)-1H-pyrazole-5(3)-carboxylates. The latter are formed from the tautomeric ethyl 4-aryl-5-(2,3-epoxyalkanoyl)-4,5-dihydro-1H-pyrazole-3-carboxylates as a result of intramolecular oxidative-reductive disproportionation. __________ Translated from Khimiya Geterotsiklicheskikh Soedinenii, No. 8, 1150–1160, August, 2005.     

Effect of Ultra High Pressure Processing on the Particle Characteristics of Lotus-seed Starch

In this paper, the time dependent effects of various pressure treatments on the characteristics of lotus-seed starch which was modified by ultra-high pressure (UHP) were investigated. The results showed that the polarization cross of lotus-seed starch granules was weakening gradually with increasing the treatment time, which indicated the termination of their ordered crystallite structures. The morphologies of granules were collapsed once the UHP was kept at 500 MPa for 60 minutes. The particle size analysis demonstrated that the granule size and distribution of lotus-seed starches increased as the treatment time was prolonged. X-ray diffraction studies showed that the intensity of the feature diffraction peaks of starch decreased and eventually disappeared with increasing the treatment time, and B-type transformation pattern was observed. The Fourier transform infrared spectra (FTIR) analysis of starch showed that the UHP is a physical modification processing because no new groups formed. The research showed that UHP processing at certain degree is capable to achieve the modification of lotus-seed starch. It is of significance for the deep processing of lotus-seed products.     

SPECTRAL CHARACTERISTICS OF FREE AND LINKED PYRENE-TYPE CHROMOPHORES IN SOLUTION,POLYMER MATRICES,AND INTERPENETRATING NETWORKS

Monomers, 1-pyrenylmethyl methacrylate (PyMMA), 1-pyrenylbutyl methacrylate (PyBMA), 4-(1-pyrenyl)methoxymethyl styrene (PyMMS) and allyl-(1-pyrenylmehtyl) ether (PyMAE), with pyrene as chromophore, were prepared. Their spectral properties (absorption, emission and emission decay) in solution, and doped or bonded in polymer matrices and complex polymer systems as interpenetrating polymer networks (IPN), were investigated. Spectral properties of pyrene-containing monomers doped in polystyrene (PS), polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA), polyvinylchloride (PVC), polyethylene (PE) and grafted on PE as well as copolymerized in buthylmethacrylate-co-styrene copolymer (BMA-co-S) have been compared. Absorption and emission spectra of pyrene type probes in solution and in IPN matrices exhibit typical absorption of the pyrene moiety. For IPN with grafted probes on PE, the absorption is slightly shifted to red wavelength. For monomers, PyMMA, PyBMA and PyMAE grafted to PE, the shape of the emission spectrum depends on the wavelength of excitation. The ratio of intensity of the vibrational band, I₁/I₃, (I₁ peak at 377 nm and I₃ peak at 388 nm) has been a quite useful indicator of polarity of IPN. The relative quantum yields of fluorescence in IPN matrices are lower in comparison to polymer matrices of PE, PS, PMMA for all probes under study. The fluorescence life-times for bound and free probes have been in the range 100–200 ns, which is substiantialy shorter than for the parent pyrene chromophore under the same or similar condition. Grafted probes on PE alone, or as a part of IPN, exhibit substantially shorter life-time around 10 ns and decay is rather complex.     

离子液体/H_2O_2体系脱硫实验研究

选取四种不同种类离子液体(ILs),1-丁基-3-甲基咪唑溴化物([Bmim]Br)、1-丁基-3-甲基咪唑四氟硼酸盐([Bmim]BF_4)、1-丁基-3-甲基咪唑硫酸氢盐([Bmim]HSO_4)、1-丁基-3-甲基咪唑磷酸二氢盐([Bmim]H_2PO_4)与30%H_2O_2溶液在温和条件下对两种高硫脱灰煤样(LS、QX)进行脱硫实验研究。用化学法测定脱硫前后煤样形态硫含量,并利用傅里叶变换红外光谱(FT-IR)、X射线光电子能谱(XPS)、扫描电子显微镜(SEM)及热重(TG)对脱硫前后的煤样进行表征。结果表明,离子液体的加入使H_2O_2氧化脱硫能力增强,煤中硫铁矿硫和有机硫化物硫被显著脱除;经ILs/H_2O_2体系作用后的煤样中小粒径的颗粒减少,颗粒间的缝隙增大,煤表面的凹坑明显,热重实验结果表明,ILs/H_2O_2体系作用后的煤样相对于原煤热失重增大,部分挥发性物质释放峰温提前。     

硼的添加对Ti0.26Zr0.07V0.24Mn0.1Ni0.33贮氢合金结构和电化学性能的影响

Ti0.26Zr0.07V0.24Mn0.1Ni0.33Bx(x=0~0.10)系列合金均有V基固溶体相和C14型Laves相两相组成。添加B可提高Ti0.26Zr0.07V0.24Mn0.1Ni0.33合金的放电容量,Ti0.26Zr0.07V0.24Mn0.1Ni0.33B0.1合金电极在60 mA·g-1电流放电时的放电容量达到476.7 mAh·g-1。B的添加不同程度地降低了合金的高倍率放电性能,使合金电极表面上电化学反应的电荷转移电阻(R ct)显著增加,交换电流密度(I0)显著降低。添加B可显著改善Ti0.26Zr0.07V0.24Mn0.1Ni0.33合金电极的高温放电性能,Ti0.26Zr0.07V0.24Mn0.1Ni0.33B0.025合金电极在343 K高温下其放电容量达到525.6 mAh·g-1。     

蒸汽活化生物质焦吸附模拟烟气中SO2和NO的研究

以麦秆和稻壳生物质为研究对象,在不同的热解温度、热解速率以及蒸汽活化温度条件下制备了生物质焦,采用比表面积与孔隙度分析仪测定生物质焦的比表面积和孔隙结构参数。利用固定床吸附装置,研究了热解温度、热解速率、活化温度和模拟烟气中SO₂和NO浓度等因素对生物质焦吸附SO₂和NO性能的影响。结果表明,蒸汽活化可以显著提高生物质焦的BET比表面积、D-R比表面积、D-R微孔容积和总孔容,降低其平均孔径,并显著增加蒸汽活化生物质焦对SO₂与NO吸附的起始穿透时间和吸附量。快速热解下制得的蒸汽活化焦对SO₂和NO的吸附效果优于慢速热解,热解温度为873 K的蒸汽活化焦的吸附性能明显好于热解温度为673与1 073 K的蒸汽活化焦。在973~1 173 K下,随着蒸汽活化温度的提高,蒸汽活化生物质焦对SO₂和NO的吸附量呈现先上升后下降的趋势。随着模拟烟气中SO₂与NO浓度的降低,蒸汽活化生物质焦对SO₂与NO吸附的起始穿透时间延长,但相应的SO₂和NO吸附量下降。在873 K、快速热解和1 073 K条件下制得的蒸汽活化麦秆焦对SO₂和NO吸附量最大,其值分别为109.02和21.77 mg/g。     

Sulfur-linked cyanobiphenyl-based liquid crystal dimers and the twist-bend nematic phase

ABSTRACT

The synthesis and characterisation of two series of cyanobiphenyl-based liquid crystal dimers containing sulfur links between the spacer and mesogenic units, the 4?-[1,ω-alkanediylbis(thio)]bis-[1,1?-biphenyl]-4-carbonitriles (CBSnSCB), and 4?-({ω-[(4?-cyano[1,1?-biphenyl]-4-yl)oxy]alkyl}thio)[1,1?-biphenyl]-4-carbonitriles (CBSnOCB) are described. The odd members of both series show twist-bend nematic and nematic phases, whereas the even members exhibit only the nematic phase. An analogous cyanoterphenyl-based dimer, 3⁴-{6-[(4?-cyano[1,1?-biphenyl]-4-yl)thio]-hexyl}[1¹,2¹:2⁴,3¹-terphenyl]-1⁴-carbonitrile (CT6SCB), is also reported and shows enantiotropic N_TB and N phases. The transitional properties of these dimers are discussed in terms of molecular curvature, flexibility and biaxiality. The same molecular factors also influence the birefringence of nematic phases. Resonant X-ray scattering studies of the twist-bend nematic phase at both the carbon and sulfur absorption edges were performed, which allowed for the determination of critical behaviour of the helical pitch at the transition to the nematic phase, the behaviour was found to be independent of molecular structure. It was also observed that despite the different molecular bending angle and flexibility, in all compounds the helical pitch length far from the N-N_TB transition corresponds to 4 longitudinal molecular distances.