Recent advances on the use of active anodes in environmental electrochemistry

Active anodes, especially those consisting of metal mixed oxides (MMOs) containing Ru and/or Ir oxides, have been applied in the treatment of wastewater, especially when chloride ions are present. Their characteristics continuously drive the study of applications of these materials, be they in the degradation of different organic molecules, the preparation of new electrode materials and in the association of various processes to increase pollutant removal. Thus, this brief review aims to present some of the recent advances in the application of active anode materials in environmental electrochemistry. Focussing on the 2018–2020 period, it is possible to note many applied studies, using commercially available materials, covering a wide range of target pollutants. Still other studies aim to modify the catalyst surfaces to increase the mineralization capacity, and the use of these anodes in the production of free chlorine species to mediate indirect organic reduction is observed.     

Microextraction of metal ions based on solidification of a floating drop: Basics and recent updates

This review provides a comprehensive evaluation of solidified floating organic drop microextraction (SFODME) procedures for metal ions preconcentration and their contributions to green chemistry. In this article we focused on the modifications that have been performed in the recent years to improve this environmentally friendly procedure. Among the most important of these modifications are the inclusion of ultrasonic energy, vortex and air agitation to enhance the dispersion process. The article also discussed new challenges in the procedure by using more ecofriendly solvents as extractants such as ionic liquids, deep eutectic. and supramolecular solvents. The coupling of SFODME with solid phase extraction increases selectivity and efficiency of the preconcentration procedure.     

Fused vs. spiro: Kinetic,not thermodynamic preference may direct the reaction of α-carbonyl oxonium ylides

Rh(II)-catalyzed decomposition of certain cyclic α-diazocarbonyl compounds in the presence of cyclic ethers has been shown to give bicyclic ring expansion products. These are thought to arise from a [1,4]-alkyl shift toward the carbonyl oxygen atom and are in contrast with the recently observed spirocyclic products of a Stevens-type [1,2]-alkyl shift within the postulated oxonium ylide intermediate. Quantum chemical calculations performed at the B3LYP/6-31G* level of theory showed that the former reaction pathway (toward fused bicycles) is kinetically preferred.     

Characterization of ZnO:AI films deposited by r.f.magnetron-sputtering at low temperature

Transparent conducting ZnO:AI thin films with good adhesion and Iow resistivity have been prepared on organic substrates and Coming 7059 glass substrates by r.f. magnetron-sputtering technique at Iow substrate temperature (25-210℃). Structural and photoelectric properties of the deposited films are investigated. The deposited films are polycrystalline with hexagonal structure and a preferred orientation with the c-axis perpendicular to the substrate. Only the (002) peak is observed.High quality films with resistivity as Iow as 1.0 x 10- 3Ω@ cm and 8.4 x 10- 4Ω@ cm, the average transmittance over 74% and 85% in the wavelength range of the visible spectrum have been obtained on different substrates.     

Spectroscopic characterization of core and shell regions in monolayer protected gold nanoparticles

We report studies on the structure of the metallic core and the alkyl cap layer in monolayer protected gold nanoparticles having sizes down to 1.6 nm. These particles are obtained by laser ablating gold targets in alkane-thiol solutions at different concentrations. The electronic structure of gold core and the vibrational properties of the capping hydrocarbon chains reveal effects connected with the nanosized nature of the particles.     

Growth studies of m-GaN layers on LiAlO2 by MOCVD

This paper reports that the m-plane GaN layer is grown on （200）-plane LiAlO2 substrate by metal-organic chemical wpour deposition （MOCVD） method. Tetragonal-shaped crystallites appear at the smooth surface. Raman measurement illuminates the compressive stress in the layer which is released with increasing the layer＇s thickness. The high transmittance （80%）, sharp band edge and excitonic absorption peak show that the GaN layer has good optical quality. The donor acceptor pair emission peak located at -3.41 eV with full-width at half maximum of 120 meV and no yellow peaks in the photoluminescence spectra partially show that no Li incorporated into GaN layer from the LiAlO2 substrate.     

Reciprocating sliding wear behavior of laser-clad small amplitude Mo2Ni3Si/NiSi metal silicide composite coatings

Mo₂Ni₃Si/NiSi metal silicide composite coatings with a fine microstructure consisting of Mo₂Ni₃Si primary dendrites and the interdendritic Mo₂Ni₃Si/NiSi eutectics were fabricated on austenitic stainless steel AISI 321 by laser cladding process. Small amplitude reciprocating sliding wear resistance of the coatings is evaluated as functions of normal load and slip amplitude and the wear mechanisms were discussed based on worn surface morphology observations. Results showed that the Mo₂Ni₃Si/NiSi coatings have excellent small amplitude reciprocating sliding wear resistance.     

Towards molecular-scale electronics and biomolecular self-assembly

This paper provides an overview of recent research developments in the field of nanoelectronics with organic materials such as carbon nanotubes and DNA-templated nanowires. Carbon nanotubes and gold electrodes are chemically functionalized in order to contact carbon nanotubes by self-assembly. The transport properties of these nanotubes are dominated by charging effects and display clear Coulomb blockade behaviour. A different approach towards nanoscale electronics is based on the molecular recognition properties of biomolecules such as DNA. As an example, DNA is stretched between electrodes using a molecular combing technique. A two-step metallization procedure leads to the formation of highly conductive gold nanowires.     

Investigation of thin-film electroluminescent structures on rough subsrates

Results of experimental investigations of the volt-brightness characteristics, frequency dependences of brightness, and the directional radiation pattern of electroluminescent MSDM, MSCM, and MSDCM emitters, where M stands for the first transparent and second nontransparent electrodes, S is a semiconductor, D is a thin-film dielectric, and C is a silicone-based composite liquid dielectric with a powdered segnetoelectric filler, developed on conventional “smooth” and rough glass substrates are presented. It is shown that electroluminescent structures on rough surfaces have a brightness approximately two times higher than that of similar structures developed on a “smooth” substrate. Ul’yanovsk State University, 42, L. Tolstoi St., Ul’yanovsk, 432700, Russia. Translated from Zhurnal Prikladnoi Spektroskopii, Vol. 64, No. 4, pp. 507–512, July–August, 1997.     

Si衬底上ZnSe外延膜的低压MOCVD生长

以硒化氢（H2Se）和二甲基锌为源材料，生长温度是300℃时，用低压金属有机化学气相沉积（LP－MOCVD）系统在Si(111)衬底上外延生长了ZnSe薄膜。通过X射线衍射（XRD）、扫描电子显微镜的能量色散（EDS）以及光致发光（PL）实验验证ZnSe外延膜的质量，在X射线衍射谱中只有一个强的ZnSe(111)面衍射峰，这说明外延膜是（111）取向的单晶薄膜，在能量色散谱中除了Si,Zn和Se原子外，没有观测到其他原子，说明ZnSe外延膜中杂质含量较少。ZnSe外延膜中Zn/Se原子比接近1，有较好的化学配比。在ZnSe外延膜的77K光致发光谱中没有观测到与深中心发射相关的发光峰，表明ZnSe外延膜的晶格缺陷密度较小。77K时的近带边发射峰447nm在室温时移至465nm附近。