Synthesis and characterization of high surface area TiO2/SiO2 mesostructured nanocomposite

Recently titania synthesis was reported using various structuration procedures, leading to the production of solid presenting high surface area but exhibiting moderate thermal stability. The study presents the synthesis of TiO₂/SiO₂ nanocomposites, a solid that can advantageously replace bulk titania samples as catalyst support. The silica host support used for the synthesis of the nanocomposite is a SBA-15 type silica, having a well-defined 2D hexagonal pore structure and a large pore size. The control of the impregnation media is important to obtain dispersed titania crystals into the porosity, the best results have been obtained using an impregnation in an excess of solvent. After calcination at low temperature (400 °C), nanocomposites having titania nanodomains (～2–3 nm) located inside the pores and no external aggregates visible are obtained. This nanocomposite exhibits high specific surface area (close to that of the silica host support, even with a titania loading of 55 wt.%) and a narrow pore size distribution. Surprisingly, the increase in calcination temperature up to 800 °C does not allow to detect the anatase to rutile transition. Even at 800 °C, the hexagonal mesoporous structure of the silica support is maintained, and the anatase crystal domain size is evaluated at ～10 nm, a size close to that of the silica host support porosity (8.4 nm). Comparison of their physical properties with the results presented in literature for bulk samples evidenced that these TiO₂/SiO₂ solids are promising in term of thermal stability.     

The effect of an activation solution with siliceous species on the chemical reactivity and mechanical properties of geopolymers

Precursors are critical parameters in geopolymerization mechanisms because they govern the reaction kinetics as well as the working properties of the final materials. This study focuses on the effect of alkaline solutions on geopolymer formation. Toward this end, several geopolymer samples were synthesized from the same metakaolin and various alkaline solutions. First, the solutions were characterized by thermogravimetric analysis as well as DTA–TGA, infrared spectroscopy, and MAS-NMR spectrometry. The structural evolution of the formed geopolymers was investigated using infrared spectroscopy. The measurement of mechanical strength was tested by compression. The results provide evidence of relationships between the chemical composition, the extent of depolymerization of the alkaline solutions, the kinetics of Si–O–Si bond substitution by Si–O–Al and the compressive strength. For a given aluminosilicate source, the nature and the quantity of siliceous species in the activation solution appear to lead to variation in the reactivity and, consequently, to the formation of various networks that control the kinetics of formation of geopolymers and their mechanical properties.

     

Evidence of a gel in geopolymer compounds from pure metakaolin

During the synthesis of geopolymer materials, all of the phenomena and reactions that occur should be included in the analysis of the synthesis. This work aims to study the role that siliceous species play in an activation solution in the presence of pure metakaolin. The formation of a gel phase during the synthesis of a K-geopolymer was shown. Different mixtures were analyzed by infrared spectroscopy. During material consolidation, there is always competition between the geopolymer network and the gel that is governed by a change in the siliceous species. The heat treatment of various gels and solids provided evidence of various networks in geopolymer materials. Finally, the change in the crystallinity of the silica in the activation solution led to a change in the kinetics of the polycondensation reactions, in agreement with previous work.     

Effect of the variation of metal and cerium loadings on CeO2x–TiO2(100−x) supports in the complete catalytic oxidation of formaldehyde

Research on Chemical Intermediates - Formaldehyde has been successfully converted into CO2 and H2O at low temperature in the presence of CeO2x–TiO2(100?x) mixed oxides prepared by the...