Effects of different palladium content loading on the hydrogen storage capacity of double-walled carbon nanotubes

The effects of different amounts palladium loading on the hydrogen sorption characteristics of double-walled carbon nanotubes (DWCNTs) have been investigated. The physical properties of the pristine DWCNTs and Pd/DWCNTs were systematically characterized by X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller surface area measurements. Pd nanoparticles were loaded on DWCNT surfaces for the dissociation of H₂ into atomic hydrogen, which spills over to the defect sites on the DWCNTs. When we use different Pd content, the particle size and dispersion will be different, which affects the hydrogen storage capacity of the DWCNTs. In this work, the hydrogen storage capacities were measured at ambient temperature and found to be 1.7, 1.85, 3.0, and 2.0 wt% for pristine DWCNTS, 1.0 wt%Pd/DWCNTs, 2.0 wt%Pd/DWCNTs, and 3.0 wt%Pd/DWCNTs, respectively. We found that the hydrogen storage capacity can be enhanced by loading with Pd nanoparticles and selecting a suitable content. Furthermore, the sorption can be attributed to the chemical reaction between the atomic hydrogen and the dangling bonds of the DWCNTs.     

Facile synthesis,characterization of a MnFe2O4/activated carbon magnetic composite and its effectiveness in tetracycline removal

In this study, MnFe₂O₄/activated carbon magnetic composites with mass ratio of 1:1, 1:1.5 and 1:2 were synthesized using a simple chemical coprecipitation procedure. A variety of techniques such as X-ray diffractometer, scanning electron microscope, magnetization measurements, BET surface area measurements were used to characterize the structure, morphology and magnetic performance of the prepared composite adsorbents. The results showed that the composites had good magnetic properties, which allowed their convenient magnetic separation from water. Spinel manganese ferrite was found to occur in the magnetic phase and the presence of magnetic particles of MnFe₂O₄ did not significantly affect the surface area and pore structure of the activated carbon. The magnetic composites were effective for tetracycline (TC) removal from water and the maximal adsorption capacity was 590.5 mmol kg⁻¹ at pH 5.0. The TC adsorption followed pseudo-second-order kinetic model and its removal decreases gradually with an increase in pH value, whereas the removal rate was over 60% even at pH 9.0. The TC adsorption process is endothermic and the increase of temperature is favoring its removal. All these results indicated that the prepared composites had the potential to be used as adsorbents for the removal of TC from water or wastewater.     

Immobilization of laccase and tyrosinase on untreated and plasma-treated cellulosic and polyamide membranes

Laccase and tyrosinase were immobilized by adsorption and covalent attachment onto microfiltration membranes made of cellulosic and polyamide material. Amine, hydroxyl and carboxylic functional groups for covalent attachment were generated by plasma polymerization of allylamine, allyl alcohol and acrylic acid using mild plasma parameters. Mass analysis of the modified membranes, surface tension and FTIR-ATR spectra were used to show the presence of stable plasma polymer on the membrane surface. It was shown that untreated and plasma treated cellulosic membranes were unsuitable for laccase and tyrosinase immobilization. Both, immobilization of laccase onto polyamide membrane modified with AlNH₂ and adsorption on the untreated membrane at pH 5.2 gave satisfactory and comparable results with better operational stability in 10 consecutive batch processes for covalently bound enzyme. In the case of tyrosinase, adsorption of the enzyme on the untreated PA at pH 7.0 was as effective as covalent binding onto PA-AlNH₂ (in pH 7.0). Operational stability was tested in the presence of diphenolic substrate, which exhibits strong suicide inactivation towards the enzyme. It was shown that immobilized tyrosinase seems to be exceptionally stable in the presence of diphenolic substrate.     

油品脱硫技术研究进展

目前油品的脱硫技术主要分为加氢脱硫技术和非加氢脱硫技术。本文主要介绍了加氢脱硫技术和萃取脱硫技术、络合脱硫技术、生物脱硫技术、氧化脱硫技术、吸附脱硫技术等几种非加氢脱硫技术的原理和最新的研究情况,并简单介绍了各种技术的优缺点。     

氧的同位素气体在NiO表面的热脱附的测定与分析

采用程序升温脱附实验方法测量氧的同位素C16O2,C18O2和18O2分别在Ni16O表面吸附后的脱附谱,其结果表明C16O2在Ni16O表面吸附后出现C16O2和C16O两个波峰,且C16O2和C16O的脱附量随C16O2气体暴露量增加而增加,其峰值温度随C16O2气体暴露量增加而减少,当C16O2气体覆盖度超过一定值后,C16O2和C16O脱附量趋于常数,其活化能分别是0.48 eV和0.42 eV。C18O2在Ni16O表面吸附后出现C16O2,C18O16O,C18O2三个波峰,这说明吸附气体C18O2与Ni16O表面发生氧同位素交换,随温度升高而脱附出C16O2;18O2在NiO表面吸附后主要以18O2脱附,说明了富18O2有相对抑制与Ni16O表面氧的同位素交换的作用。     

Preparation of Ni0.5Zn0.5Fe2O4/SiO2 nanocomposites and their adsorption of bovine serum albumin

The magnetic nanocomposites of (1 − x)Ni_0.5Zn_0.5Fe₂O₄/xSiO₂ (x = 0-0.2) were synthesized by the citrate-gel process and their absorption behavior of bovine serum albumin (BSA) was investigated by UV spectroscopy at room temperature. The gel precursor and resultant nanocomposites were characterized by FTIR, XRD, TEM and BET techniques. The results show that the single ferrite phase of Ni_0.5Zn_0.5Fe₂O₄ is formed at 400 °C, with high saturation magnetization and small coercivity. A porous, amorphous silica layer is located at the ferrite nanograin boundaries, with the silica content increasing from 0 to 0.20, the average grain size of Ni_0.5Zn_0.5Fe₂O₄ calcined at 400 °C reduced from about 18-8 nm. Consequently, the specific surface area of the nanocomposites ascends clearly with the increase of silica content, which is largely contributed by the increase in the thickness of the porous silica layer. The Ni_0.5Zn_0.5Fe₂O₄/SiO₂ nanocomposites demonstrate a better adsorption capability than the bare Ni_0.5Zn_0.5Fe₂O₄ nanoparticles for BSA. With the increase of the silica content from 0 to 0.05 and the specific surface area from about 49-57 m²/g, the BSA adsorption capability of the Ni_0.5Zn_0.5Fe₂O₄/SiO₂ nanocomposites calcined at 400 °C improve dramatically from 22 to 49 mg/g. However, with a further increase of the silica content from 0.05 to 0.2, the specific surface area increase from about 57-120 m²/g, the BSA adsorption for the nanocomposites remains around 49 mg/g, owing to the pores in the porous silica layer which are too small to let the BSA protein molecules in.     

Effect of different reductants for palladium loading on hydrogen storage capacity of double-walled carbon nanotubes

The effects of different reductants for palladium loading on the hydrogen sorption characteristics of double-walled carbon nanotubes (DWCNTs) have been investigated. Pd nanoparticles were loaded on DWCNT surfaces for dissociation of H₂ into atomic hydrogen, which spills over to the defect sites on the DWCNTs. When we use different reductants, the reduction capabilities and other effects of the different reductants are different, which affects the hydrogen storage capacity of the DWCNTs. In this work, the amount of hydrogen storage capacity was determined (by AMC Gas Reactor Controller) to be 1.7, 2.0, 2.55, and 3.0 wt% for pristine DWCNTS and for 2.0%Pd/DWCNTs using H₂, l-ascorbic acid, and NaBH₄ as reductants, respectively. We found that the hydrogen storage capacity can be enhanced by loading with 2% Pd nanoparticles and selecting a suitable reductant. Furthermore, the sorption can be attributed to the chemical reaction between atomic hydrogen and the dangling bonds of the DWCNTs.     

Simulation-optimization of solar-thermal refrigeration systems for office use in subtropical Hong Kong

The solar-thermal refrigeration systems, covering the solar absorption refrigeration system (SAbRS) and the solar adsorption refrigeration system (SAdRS), were designed for typical office in the subtropical Hong Kong. The approach of simulation-optimization was adopted in order to determine the optimal design parameters for SAbRS and SAdRS against the conventional design practice. For simulation, dynamic model of each system was refined on the TRNSYS platform. For optimization, the objective was to minimize the annual primary energy consumption of SAbRS or SAdRS in response to the changing loading and climatic conditions throughout a year. This is a constrained optimization problem since the upper limit of comfort temperature was stipulated, such that the minimization of system energy would not sacrifice the indoor thermal comfort. Due to the complex, multidimensional and constrained nature of the dynamic simulation models, the differential evolution (DE), which has been proven effective in evolutionary computation (EC), was used for optimization purpose. Through the simulation-optimization run, the optimized designs of SAbRS and SAdRS were determined, and their corresponding primary energy consumptions could be 12.2% and 7.1% less than those based on the general design practice. The results provide useful guidelines for the equipment design of SAbRS and SAdRS.     

Protein patterning on functionalized surface prepared by selective plasma polymerization

Techniques for patterned modification of substrate surfaces are important for the formation of microarrays on protein chips. One strategy is based on partial plasma polymerization to create protein adhesive/non-adhesive regions of several tens of micrometers in size. Protein immobilization on a plasma functionalized surface occurs by physical adsorption of a protein solution. Distinct 80 × 80 μm² square spots of fluorescently labeled protein, immunoglobulin G, surrounded by a non-fluorescent 80 μm wide grid were observed. The monomer tetraethylene glycol diethyl ether was the best candidate for plasma polymerization to produce a protein-repellent surface. However, the choice of monomer for the protein adhesive surface was strongly dependent on the type of protein. Binding assays were performed by protein immobilization on the patterned substrate and subsequent reaction with fluorescently labeled counterpart proteins (secondary antibodies). Fluorescent patterning similar to the original pattern was observed. In contrast, patterning was not observed when a fluorescently labeled non-counterpart protein was reacted with the surface. This indicated that the proteins were selectively adsorbed onto the target patterned surface and retained their biofunctional activity in addition to having a suitable orientation of the molecule. Moreover, the protein non-adhesive layer plays a role for suppression of the background signal and enhancement of the signal to noise (S/N) ratio. The proposed technique provides a simple and robust method for protein patterning.