Preparation and characterization of mesoporous TiO2-CeO2 nanopowders respond to visible wavelength

Mesoporous TiO₂-CeO₂ nanopowders responding to visible wavelength were synthesized by using a surfactant assisted sol-gel technique. They were obtained using metal alkoxide precursors modified with acetylacetone (ACA) and laurylamine hydrochloride (LAHC) as surfactant. The samples were characterized by XRD, nitrogen adsorption isotherm, SEM, TEM, and selected area electron diffraction (SAED), respectively. The 95 mol% TiO₂-5 mol% CeO₂ system yielded single anatase phase, however, further addition of the CeO₂ formed cubic CeO₂ structure while anatase TiO₂ decreased. Additions of 5 and 10 mol% CeO₂ increased the surface area, but those of 25, 50, and 75 mol% CeO₂ did not affect it very much. By using this mixed metal oxides system, TiO₂ can be modified to respond to the visible wavelength. The mixed metal oxides had catalytic activity (evaluating the formation rate of I₃⁻) about 2-3 times higher than pure CeO₂, while nanosize anatase type TiO₂ materials had no catalytic activity under visible light. The catalytic activity was almost proportional to the specific surface area. The formation rate of I₃⁻ was much improved by changing the calcination temperature and calcination period. Highest catalytic activity in this study was obtained for the 50 mol% TiO₂-50 mol% CeO₂ nanopowders calcined at 250 °C for 24 h.     

Synthesis and characterization of vanadium oxides nanorods

Vanadium oxides nanorods with high crystallinity and high surface area were synthesized by hydrothermal method using laurylamine hydrochloride, metal alkoxide and acetylacetone. The samples characterized by XRD, nitrogen adsorption isotherm, SEM, TEM, and SAED. Uniformly sized B phase VO₂ nanorods had widths about 40-80 nm and lengths reaching up to 1 μm. V₂O₅ rodlike structured with the widths about 100-500 nm and the lengths of 1-10 μm were obtained by calcination at 400 °C for 4 h. This synthesis method provides a new simple route to fabricate one-dimensional nanostructured metal oxides under mild conditions.     

Synthesis of titanate, TiO2 (B), and anatase TiO2 nanofibers from natural rutile sand

Titanate nanofibers were synthesized by hydrothermal method (150 °C for 72 h) using natural rutile sand as the starting materials. TiO₂ (B) and anatase TiO₂ (high crystallinity) nanofibers with the diameters of 20-100 nm and the lengths of 10-100 μm were obtained by calcined titanate nanofibers for 4 h at 400 and 700 °C (in air), respectively. The samples characterized by XRD, SEM, TEM, SAED, HRTEM, and BET surface area. This synthesis method provides a simple route to fabricate one-dimensional nanostructured TiO₂ from low cost material.     

Enhancement Propagation of Protocorms in Orchid (Cymbidium tracyanum L. Castle) by Cold Atmospheric Pressure Air Plasma Jet

Plasma Chemistry and Plasma Processing - Propagation of orchid (Cymbidium tracyanum L. Castle) treated by using an air cold atmospheric pressure plasma jet at room temperature was investigated. The...     

XAS study on copper red in ancient glass beads from Thailand

Glass has been used in ornaments and decorations in Thailand for thousands of years, being discovered in several archeological sites and preserved in museums throughout the country. To date only a few of them have been examined by conventional methods for their compositions and colorations. In this work we report for the first time an advanced structural analysis of Thai ancient glass beads using synchrotron X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) and energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectrometry. Four samples of ancient glass beads were selected from four different archeological sites in three southern provinces (Ranong, Krabi and Pang-nga) of Thailand. Archaeological dating indicated that they were made more than 1,300 years ago. A historically known method for obtaining a red color is to add compounds containing transition elements such as gold, copper, and chromium. For our samples, EDX spectrometry data revealed existing fractions of iron, copper, zinc, and chromium in ascending order. Thus, copper was selectively studied by XAS as being potentially responsible for the red color in the glass beads. K-shell X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES) and extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) of copper were recorded in fluorescence mode using an advanced 13-element germanium detector. Comparisons with XANES spectra of reference compounds identified two major forms of copper, monovalent copper and a metallic cluster, dispersed in the glass matrix. The cluster dimension was approximated on the basis of structural modeling and a theoretical XANES calculation. As a complement, EXAFS spectra were analyzed to determine the first-shell coordination around copper. XAS was proven to be an outstanding, advanced technique that can be applied to study nondestructively archaeological objects to understand their characteristics and how they were produced in ancient times.     

Molecular Functionalization of Cold-Plasma-Treated Bombyx mori Silk

Bombyx mori silk treated by cold SF₆ plasma was found to show higher hydrophobic property than the original silk. In order to clarify the chemical changes occurring in this treatment, the changes of functional groups of silk surface were investigated by attenuated total reflection (ATR) infrared spectroscopy, surface charge determination, and quantum mechanical calculation. Infrared spectra of original and plasma-treated silks do not show any change in the frequency regions of amide I, II, and III bands which locate at around 1627, 1513, and 1228 cm⁻¹, respectively. Slight changes were detected for the peak intensities of the bands locating in the frequency region of 1000–1050 cm⁻¹ after plasma treatment. This suggests the formation of CF groups in the Bombyx mori silk chain. The zeta potential experiment suggested that the electrostatic charges of the silk surface were not affected by the plasma treatment. In order to investigate the surface state of the plasma treated silk, the density functional calculation was performed for the model compounds with similar chemical structure as that of Bombyx mori silk. In this calculation, a fluorine radical was located at the various positions of the model compound, and the energetically most plausible structures were extracted to show the chemical reaction of CH + F⁻ → CF + H⁻.