Electrorheological Fluids Based on Titania Particles Coated with Silica and Their Application in Smart Windows

The electrorheological (ER) fluids are colloidal suspension of highly polarizable particles in a non-conducting solvent.Chains of submicron-sized particles formed along an applied DC electric field by the so-called electrorheological effect.According to the obvious change of transmittance of the ER fluids in a DC electric field when the polarized particles arranged along the field,the model of smart window was proposed by sandwiching the ER fluids based on titania particles coated with silica between a pair of In-Sn oxide (ITO) coated glasses.The solar transmittance change as much as 48.0% was obtained with the wavelength of 500 nm at the maximum on applying and removing the electric field of 500V/mm.     

Rich photoluminescence emission of SnO2–SiO2 composite aerogels prepared with a co-fed precursor sol–gel process

Tin oxide–silica composite aerogels were successfully prepared with a co-fed precursor sol–gel process. The crystallinity of the tin oxide nanoparticles, embedded in the mesoporous SiO₂ network, was improved with increasing the post-reaction thermal treatment temperature. The composite aerogels exhibited a rich photoluminescence (PL) emission contributed by both SnO₂ and SiO₂. The PL peak of 346 nm was from the near band edge emission of the tin oxide nanoparticles, and the ones located at 310 and 476 nm were attributable to the oxygen deficiencies of the silica network. Three more emission peaks, 387, 432, and 522 nm, were observed, with the 387 nm peak contributed by the oxygen vacancies V_O⁺⁺, the 432 nm peak by the Sn interstitials, and the 522 nm peak by the oxygen vacancies V_O⁺, respectively, of the tin oxide nanoparticles. The intensities of these three defect level emissions were found decreased, as compared to that of the near band edge emission, with increasing the post-reaction thermal treatment temperature as the tin oxide crystallinity improved.     

EFFECTS OF SUBMICROMETER PARTICULATE SILICA ADDENDA ON THE ADHESION OF MICROMETER-SIZE PARTICLES TO A POLYESTER-COMPOSITE SUBSTRATE

The force needed to detach five sets of different size particles, having number-averaged diameters between 3.6 and 8.5 µm, from a composite substrate was measured using an ultracentrifuge. In addition to size variations, the asperity concentration for each size particle was adjusted by varying the silica concentration, adjusted so that the surface area concentration at each level was kept constant for the five sizes of particles. Due to the changing silica concentration and particle size, the charge per particle also varied. It was found that the detachment force appeared to be virtually independent of charge, with any correlation actually appearing slightly negative, if anything. However, the detachment force increased monotonically with increasing particle diameter and decreased monotonically with increasing silica concentration. Moreover, upon normalizing the detachment force to the particle diameter and the silica concentration to the surface area concentration of silica, it was found that the detachment force clustered into groups in which the force needed to separate the particle from the substrate depended only on the silica concentration. These results suggest that van der Waals interaction, rather than electrostatic forces, are the dominant mechanism controlling toner adhesion in this instance.     

Uses of Ozone in a Three-Phase System for Water Treatment: Ozone Adsorption

A new technique of using ozone for water treatment is presented. This new technique consists of using a three-step-process composed firstly of ozone adsorption on an appropriate adsorbent, secondly water treatment, and thirdly regeneration of the adsorbent. Results regarding ozone adsorption (the first step) are presented in this paper. Different types of silica gel and a type of TiO₂ have been tested for ozone adsorption. It was found that the physical characteristics of the silica gel affect its capacity for ozone. Titanium dioxide has shown ozone decomposition instead of adsorption as it contains Lewis acid sites. An exponential decrease of the silica gel capacity with its moisture content has been found. Linear isotherms in the range of ozone concentrations less than 100?g/m³ NTP have been found. A particle diffusion model with linear equilibrium isotherm has been used to model the breakthrough curves in fixed bed columns.     

A Silicon–Silica Nanocomposite Material

The synthesis and characterization of a novel silicon–silica nanocomposite material are reported. A self‐assembly method allows the encapsulation of silicon nanoclusters within the channels of a periodic mesoporous silica thin film. The result is the formation of a silicon–silica nanocomposite film with bright, room‐temperature photoluminescence in the visible range, and a nanosecond luminescence lifetime. The properties of the nanocomposite material have been studied by several analytical techniques, which collectively show the existence within the channels of non‐diamondoid‐structure‐type silicon nanoclusters with various hydrogenated silicon sites. It is estimated that the silicon nanoclusters in the silica mesoporous films occupy up to 39 % of the accessible pore volume. The nanocomposite film shows improved resistance to air oxidation compared to crystalline silicon. The high loading and chemical stability to oxidation under ambient conditions are important advantages in terms of the development of silicon‐based light‐emitting diodes from this class of materials.     

Effect of temperature and salt on the maturation of white-salted cheese

White-salted cheeses were prepared from ultrafiltered (UF) cows' milk and salted to give final salt-in-moisture (SM) levels of 2.5, 3.2 and 4.0%. The cheeses were stored at 5°C and 10°C for up to 15 weeks. The microflora was dominated by lactic acid bacteria (LAB) but some mould growth was evident within 15 weeks at all SM levels and both temperatures. Levels of water-soluble nitrogen (WSN), attributed to chymosin activity, increased significantly with time, the rate being inversely proportional to the SM level and increasing with storage temperature. Similar effects were noted for trichloroacetic acid-soluble nitrogen (TCA-SN) and free amino acid (FAA) levels, both of which would also be affected by bacterial protease activity. The proteolytic activity was reflected by changes in the hardness and fracturability of the cheeses.     

Inside Front Cover: Three‐Dimensionally Ordered Gold Nanocrystal/Silica Superlattice Thin Films Synthesized via Sol–Gel Self‐Assembly (Adv. Funct. Mater. 7/2006)

The synthesis of three‐dimensionally ordered, transparent gold‐nanocrystal (NC)/silica superlattice thin films using the self‐assembly (by spin‐coating) of water‐soluble gold nanocrystal micelles and soluble silica is reported by Fan and co‐workers on p. 891. The robust, 3D NC/silica superlattice films are of interest for the development of collective optical and electronic phenomena, and, importantly, for the integration of NC arrays into device architectures. Nanocrystals and their ordered arrays hold many important applications in fields such as catalysis, surface‐enhanced Raman spectroscopy based sensors, memory storage, and electronic and optical nanodevices. Herein, a simple and general method to synthesize ordered, three‐dimensional, transparent gold nanocrystal/silica superlattice thin films by self‐assembly of gold nanocrystal micelles with silica or organosilsesquioxane by spin‐coating is reported. The self‐assembly process is conducted under acidic sol–gel conditions (ca. pH 2), ensuring spin‐solution homogeneity and stability and facilitating the formation of ordered and transparent gold nanocrystal/silica films. The monodisperse nanocrystals are organized within inorganic host matrices as a face‐centered cubic mesostructure, and characterized by transmission electron spectroscopy and X‐ray diffraction.     

Several ways to produce porous carbon monoliths by template assisted routes

Several ways to produce microporous and mesoporous carbon monoliths by template assisted synthesis routes are described. Pressed zeolite (HY) and silica powder tablets have been used as templates. Sucrose acts as a carbon precursor and as a binder between the carbon particles as well. In the case of zeolite template, the carbon porosity could be increased by additional loading of the template with ethene. Due to the balance between mechanic stability and porosity of the carbon monolith, an optimal amount of sucrose is required. The final products were characterized by low temperature nitrogen adsorption.     

添加微量铝对TS-2合成及苯酚羟基化的影响

以硅溶胶为硅源合成分子筛TS 2时 ,在溶胶制备过程中添加微量的铝 ,可以降低模板剂氢氧化四丁基铵 (TBAOH)的用量 ,当TBAOH/SiO2 降低到 0 .1以下时 ,仍然合成了性能优良的TS 2 ,而且用于苯酚过氧化氢羟基化反应过程中催化活性也大大提高。所得催化剂用XRD ,IR ,ICP进行了表征