Electrochemical studies of pyrite oxidation and reduction using freshly-fractured electrodes and rotating ring-disc electrodes

Oxidation and reduction processes on coal- and mineral-pyrite surfaces have been investigated to better understand the reactions that control the hydrophobicity and flotation behavior of pyrite. The incipient oxidation and reduction reactions were studied using fresh surfaces of pyrite that were created by in situ fracturing electrodes potentiostated at a predetermined potential. Chronoamperometry immediately after fracture and subsequent cyclic voltammetry have established that fresh fracture surfaces of pyrite instantaneously assume a unique potential (referred to as the “stable” potential) at which neither oxidation nor reduction takes place. For Peruvian and Chinese pyrites, the stable potential is −0.28 V (standard hydrogen electrode, SHE) at pH 9.2 and 0 V at pH 4.6. The initial oxidation of pyrite begins at potentials slightly positive of the stable potential and is believed to produce a hydrophobic sulfur-rich species, most likely a polysulfide or metal-deficient sulfide. A rotating ring-disc electrode (RRDE) was employed to study the kinetics and mechanisms of surface reactions on pyrite over moderate potential ranges. Two distinct soluble reduction products (ferrous hydroxide and HS⁻) and one distinct soluble oxidation product (ferrous hydroxide) were observed on pyrite in alkaline solutions. It is concluded that the initial oxidation of pyrite and the oxidation of ferrous to ferric hydroxide occur in a similar potential range. When the electrode is oxidized, e.g. by polishing, prior to experiments, the initial oxidation of pyrite is masked by the oxidation of ferrous hydroxide, making it difficult to study the oxidation of pyrite itself.     

Bilayer SiO2 Nanorod Arrays as Omnidirectional and Thermally Stable Antireflective Coating

Nature instigates researchers significantly in imitating to engender comparable properties using artificial methods, which unlocks developing trend in material science and engineering progress. Fabricating graded‐index nanostructures is an effective approach to tune and generate similar properties artificially such as the moth's eye antireflectance (AR) or lotus like superhydrophobicity. Herein, Bilayer AR coatings with periodically arranged SiO₂ hierarchical nanostructures resembling moth eyes are fabricated on dense SiO₂ matrix base layer using the versatile route of glancing angle deposition technique (GLAD). The refractive indices of monolayer SiO₂ are tuned from 1.46 to 1.08 by changing the deposition angle (α) from 0 to 88°. The fabricated bilayer SiO₂ AR (BSAR) film possess high optical omnidirectional broadband transparency and tunability at a desired wavelength range showing <1% reflectance. The present AR design is flexible and practically applicable to various supporting substrate materials (η varies from 1.45 to 1.9). Furthermore, the omnidirectional BSAR films show multiple functions including enhanced mechanical strength, the thermal stability (up to 300 °C), and hydrophobic capability with a water contact angle (CA) of 147° to withstand under humid environment. This multipurpose coating provides an intriguing route in optics field for imminent research.

     

Quantifying particle pick up at a pendant bubble: A study of non-hydrophobic particle–bubble interaction

To study bubble interaction with non-hydrophobic particles an imaging technique has been developed to quantify particle pick up at a pendant bubble by measuring the bubble–particle attachment angle (BPA) made by the particle bed on the bubble. The technique was verified by correlating pick up mass against BPA. Pick up of alumina was shown to correlate with difference in alumina and bubble zeta potential supporting an electrostatic model of interaction with non-hydrophobic particles. Pick up also correlated with contact angle (Washburn method) indicating the electrostatic force is sufficient to establish a solid–air interface.     

Performance of C18 Derivatized Silica Gels: A Structure-Performance Study

Abstract

Significant performance differences in the separation of desamido-insulin from insulin and of amitriptyline from imipramine have been found for five, macroscopically similar, preparative C18 silica materials. Structure-performance relations have been used to understand this difference. Physical measurements on the unpacked silica gels as well as chromatographic measurements have been carried out. The latter measurements comprise: hydrophobicity, metal impurity, steric selectivity and silanol activity. The performance difference could not be explained by the difference in hydrophobicity, steric selectivity or metal impurity between the materials. Instead a correlation between the silanol ion exchange activity and the selectivity could be found. The highest performance was found under conditions where the silanol groups have a moderate activity. For the separations considered in this work, the silanol groups have a beneficial effect.     

Heterostructured dysprosium vanadate – ZnO for photo-electrocatalytic and self-cleaning applications

In this article, we report fabrication of 5 wt% of Dy as DyVO₄ supported ZnO by template-free hydrothermal-thermal decomposition method and its photocatalytic activity towards degradation of azo dyes Rhodamine-B (Rh-B) and Trypan Blue (TB) in solar light, Electrocatalytic activity in methanol oxidation and Self-cleaning properties. The as prepared DyVO₄-ZnO was characterized by surface analytical and spectroscopic techniques. The results suggested that Dysprosium vanadate doping on ZnO has increased its photocatalytic efficiency with high reusability. DyVO₄-ZnO exhibits higher electrocatalytic activity than prepared ZnO for methanol electrooxidation in alkaline medium, revealing its promising potential as the anode in direct methanol fuel cells. Hydrophobicity of ZnO increases by doping of DyVO_4.     

Al2O3-nanodiamond composite coatings with high durability and hydrophobicity prepared by aerosol deposition

We attempted the room-temperature fabrication of Al₂O₃-based nanodiamond (ND) composite coating films on glass substrates by an aerosol deposition (AD) process to improve the anti-scratch and anti-smudge properties of the films. Submicron Al₂O₃ powder capable of fabricating transparent hard coating films was used as a base material for the starting powders, and ND treated by 1H,1H,2H,2H-perfluorooctyltriethoxysilane (PFOTES) was added to the Al₂O₃ to increase the hydrophobicity and anti-wear properties. The ND powder treated by PFOTES was mixed with the Al₂O₃ powder by ball milling to ratios of 0.01 wt.%, 0.03 wt.%, and 0.05 wt.% ND. The water contact angle (CA) of the Al₂O₃-ND composite coating films was increased as the ND ratio increased, and the maximum water CA among all the films was 110°. In contrast to the water CA, the Al₂O₃-ND composite coating films showed low transmittance values of below 50% at a wavelength of 550 nm due to the strong agglomeration of ND. To prevent the agglomeration of ND, the starting powders were mixed by attrition milling. As a result, Al₂O₃-ND composite coating films were produced that showed high transmittance values of close to 80%, even though the starting powder included 1.0 wt.% ND. In addition, the Al₂O₃-ND composite coating films had a high water CA of 109° and superior anti-wear properties compared to those of glass substrates.     

A high accurate static contact angle algorithm based on Hough transformation

The static contact angle for blurry drop images is more intricate to obtain. To improve the accuracy of the Hough transformation for the static contact angle calculation, the water drop images with different volumes are generated by the Laplace equation, and the influence of the volume on the accuracy of the Hough transformation is analyzed. The results reveal that the circle Hough transformation is particularly well suited to the cases with small drop volume. At the same time, the critical water drop volume value corresponding to a contact angle error of 3° is given, a modified Hough transformation algorithm in conjunction with the critical water drop volume is proposed, and at the same time, the accuracy of the static contact angle calculation for blurry water drop images is significantly improved. The proposed algorithm is a powerful approach to estimate the static contact angle for blurry water drop images.     

掩膜电解微坑阵列对钛合金表面疏水性能的影响

为了提高钛合金表面的疏水性能,采用润湿理论模型与多物理场耦合仿真相结合的方法,建立接触角与掩膜电解加工工艺参数之间的直接映射关系,揭示微坑阵列掩膜电解加工对表面疏水性能的作用。建立接触角与微坑阵列几何尺寸间的表面疏水理论模型,对掩膜电解加工进行多物理场耦合仿真;理论模型与仿真结果相结合,获得了接触角与掩膜电解加工工艺参数之间的直接映射关系。此外,以表面接触角为因变量,以电解质质量分数、掩膜尺寸和电解电压为自变量,进行正交试验仿真和计算,获得了最佳工艺参数组合并进行试验验证。与仿真计算相比,试验测量得到的微坑阵列直径、间距、深度、表面接触角误差分别为2.49%、6.87%、7.40%、6.01%,从而表明该方法在未经低表面能材料修饰的情况下,成功制备接触角约为141°的微坑阵列疏水表面。     

能源微藻表面特性对其气浮采收效率的影响

选取小球藻与鱼腥藻为代表藻种,结合微藻的表面特性与XDLVO理论,研究了影响微藻浮选采收的关键因素,根据微藻表面的电负性,用阳离子表面活性剂C16TAB浮选两种藻.结果表明,pH为4~10时,两种藻的Zeta电位在-6.72~-15.01 m V之间,均显电负性;小球藻的黏附自由能为1.21 m J/m2,显亲水性,鱼腥藻的黏附自由能为-55.85 m J/m2,显疏水性.相同条件下,疏水性的鱼腥藻回收率始终高于亲水性的小球藻.小球藻和鱼腥藻在Zeta电位最大的pH处(分别为7和8)富集比最高(分别为12.45和1.3),而回收率在pH=10时最高,表明由于液膜的排液行为,回收率和富集比无法同时达到最大值.C16TAB对微藻表面疏水性有修饰作用,加入80 mg/L C16TAB后,小球藻疏水率从19%提高到64%,回收率提高了67.38%.     

Micro machining for control of wettability with surface topography

A micro fabrication is presented to manufacture hydrophobic surfaces with micro-scale structures. Hydrophobicity is controlled with the shape and the alignment of micro pillars in the structure. The structures are manufactured in large areas at high production rates in the following processes: (1) the structure is fabricated on a tool by focused ion beam sputtering; (2) the reverse structure is formed on a metal plate by incremental stamping using the structured tool; and (3) the structure is transferred onto plastic plates by molding. A consecutive stamping is also proposed to fabricate several structures on a surface accurately with a structured tool, in which the moving pitch of the structured tool is numerically controlled. The effect of the surface topography on hydrophobicity is discussed with measuring contact angles on the structured surfaces in the water droplet tests. Hydrophobicity on the plastic plate is associated with the solid fraction on the structured surface based on the Cassie–Baxter model. A larger contact angle is observed for a smaller solid fraction of the surface.