Growth and characterization of barium copper oxalate single crystals in gels

Barium copper oxalate was grown in silica hydrogel at ambient temperature. The effect of various parameters like gel pH, gel density, gel aging and concentrations of reactants on the growth of these crystals was studied. The crystals grown were characterized by chemical analysis, X-ray powder diffractometry, infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric and differential thermal analysis. The results of these observations are described and discussed.     

Characteristics of a NaOH-Activated Blast Furnace Slag Blended with a Fine Particle Silica Waste

Mortars of blast furnace slag blended with a geothermal silica waste at various replacement levels of 0%, 5%, 10%, 15%, and 20% were cured for up to 90 days. The binder was activated by 6 wt% Na₂O equivalent of sodium hydroxide. Lime was added as an activating agent and also to promote pozzolanic reaction with the silica. It was found that the presence of the silica waste increased the reactivity of the cementitious materials, as measured by means of nonevaporable water. The compressive strength was increased in the presence of the silica, except at the highest replacement level of 20%, the optimum silica replacement was that of 5%–10%. The microstructures of blended slag showed less porosity than those of neat slag mortars. The lime was completely consumed after 90 days of hydration.     

Potentiometric studies of oxidation–reduction reactions with redox copolymers

Polymeric oxidants in the bead form that were macroporous styrene/divinylbenzene copolymers containing N‐chlorosulfonamide functional groups (in sodium or hydrogen form) or N‐bromosulfonamide groups (in sodium form) were synthesized and investigated to determine their oxidizing powers. The redox potentials of the N‐chlorosulfonamide/sulfonamide and N‐bromosulfonamide/sulfonamide systems were determined by potentiometric studies at different pH values with aqueous solutions of Na₂SO₃, KCN, and KSCN as reducers. The formal redox potentials of the N‐chlorosulfonamide copolymers were 0.79, 0.44, and ?0.12 V at pH's of 1.8, 8.45, and 13.6, respectively. The formal redox potential of the N‐bromosulfonamide copolymer was about 100 mV higher in comparable conditions and in solutions over pH = 5 (e.g., 0.56 V at pH = 8.56). The comparatively higher oxidizing power of the N‐bromosulfonamide copolymer was particularly evident in a strong alkaline medium (in which the N‐chlorosulfonamide copolymer was not reactive). In contrast, the N‐chlorosulfonamide copolymer showed strong oxidative properties in acidic media (in which the N‐bromosulfonamide copolymer decomposed itself). © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 2008     

Preparation and adsorption behavior of a cellulose‐based,mixed‐mode adsorbent with a benzylamine ligand for expanded bed applications

A novel mixed‐mode expanded bed adsorbent with anion‐exchange properties was explored with benzylamine as the functional ligand. The cellulose composite matrix, densified with stainless steel powder, was prepared with the method of water‐in‐oil suspension thermal regeneration. High activation levels of the cellulose matrix were obtained with allyl bromide because of the relative inertness of the allyl group under the conditions of the activation reaction. After the formation of the bromohydrin with N‐bromosuccinimide and coupling with benzylamine, the activated matrix was derived to function as a mixed‐mode adsorbent containing both hydrophobic and ionic groups. The protein adsorption capacity was investigated with bovine serum albumin as a model protein. The results indicated that the prepared adsorbent could bind bovine serum albumin with a high adsorption capacity, and it showed salt tolerance. Effective desorption was achieved by a pH adjustment across the isoelectric point of the protein. The interactions between the cell and adsorbent were studied, and the bioadhesion was shielded by the adjustment of the salt concentration above 0.1M. Stable fluidization in the expanded bed was obtained even in a 2% (dry weight) yeast suspension. The direct capture of target proteins from a biomass‐containing feedstock without extra dilution steps could be expected with the mixed‐mode adsorbent prepared in this work, and this would be especially appropriate for expanded bed adsorption applications. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008     

Effect of functionalization and boron and nitrogen substitution on some properties of carbon nanotubes

Molecular orbital calculations of the ionization potential of single wall carbon nanotubes having donor NH₂ and acceptor NO₂ groups bonded to the side walls and ends and boron and nitrogen substituted for carbon show substantial increases in ionization potential compared to carbon nanotubes with no functional groups and no carbon substitutions. The presence of a carbon vacancy on the side wall also causes a substantial increase in the ionization potential. The effect of tube length on the ionization energy is also calculated. The calculations also suggest that at appropriate levels of boron and nitrogen doping the armchair carbon nanotubes could be high temperature organic ferromagnetic materials.     

溶胶-凝胶法制备磷钨酸-硅胶催化合成苹果酯

采用溶胶-凝胶法制备了一系列磷钨酸-硅胶催化剂(PW/SG),考察了该催化剂催化乙酰乙酸乙酯与乙二醇液相缩合制备苹果酯的反应性能。实验结果表明,PW质量分数为40%时的PW/SG催化剂表现出最佳的催化活性;40%PW/SG催化剂制备苹果酯的最佳工艺条件为:n(乙酰乙酸乙酯)∶n(乙二醇)=1∶1.2,催化剂用量占反应物质量的0.36%,带水剂环己烷用量占反应物体积的30%,反应温度383K,反应时间90min;在此条件下,乙酰乙酸乙酯的转化率可达95.5%,苹果酯的选择性大于97%;催化剂稳定性实验表明,经5次重复使用,40%PW/SG催化剂的活性基本保持不变,乙酰乙酸乙酯转化率稳定在95.0%左右。     

In Situ FTIR Study of the Formation of an Organosilane Layer at the Silica/Solution Interface

An FTIR experiment especially designed to study the growth of an organosilane layer at the interface between a solution and a flat silica surface is presented. High sensitivity is achieved by using the attenuated total reflection (ATR) technique in a liquid flow cell. The ATR crystal, either silicon or germanium, is covered with a very thin silica layer. Chemical reactions of a mono-and a di-hydrolyzable silane with the silica substrate have been investigated. The grafting of a submonolayer of the first reagent has been monitored by following the C-H and SiO-H vibrations. The density of grafted molecules has been estimated and information on the nature of the chemical bonding has been achieved. Evidence for the chain-polymerization of the dihydrolyzable silane at the substrate/solution interface has been inferred from the appearance of a Si-O-Si absorption band.     

A structure/function study of polyaminoamide dendrimers as silica scale growth inhibitors

Dendrimers have attracted immense attention during the last decade due to their interesting properties both from a basic and an applied research viewpoint. Encapsulation of metal nanoparticles for catalysis, drug delivery and light harvesting are only some applications of dendrimers that are breaking new ground. A novel application of dendrimer technology is described in the present paper that relates to industrial water treatment. Industrial water systems often suffer from undesirable inorganic deposits. These can form either in the bulk or on metallic surfaces, such as heat exchangers or pipelines. Silica (SiO₂) scale formation and deposition is a major problem in high‐silica‐containing cooling waters. Scale prevention rather than removal is highly desired. In this paper, benchtop screening tests on various silica inhibition chemistries are reported, with emphasis on materials with a dendrimeric structure. Specifically, the inhibition properties of commercially available STARBURST^® polyaminoamide (PAMAM) dendrimers generations 0.5, 1, 1.5, 2, and 2.5 are investigated in detail together with other commonly‐used scale inhibitors. Experimental results show that inhibition efficiency largely depends on structural features of PAMAM dendrimers such as generation number and nature of the end groups. PAMAM dendrimers are effective inhibitors of silica scale growth at 40 ppm dosage levels. PAMAM dendrimers also act as silica nucleators, forming SiO₂–PAMAM composites. This occurs because the SiO₂ formed by incomplete inhibition interacts with cationic PAMAM‐1 and ‐2. The general scope of silica formation and inhibition in industrial waters is also discussed. Copyright © 2005 Society of Chemical Industry     

Vanadium species in new catalysts for the selective oxidation of methane to formaldehyde: Activation of the catalytic sites

New vanadium oxide supported on mesoporous silica catalysts for the oxidation of methane to formaldehyde were investigated by infrared and Raman spectroscopies to identify and characterize the molecular structure of the most active and selective catalytic sites. In situ and operando experiments have been conducted in order to understand the redox and hydroxylation/dehydroxylation processes of the vanadium species. (SiO)₂VO(OH) species were identified in these catalysts in reaction conditions and shown to undergo a deprotonation at 580 °C under vacuum, leading to a site giving a photoluminescence band at 550 nm attributed to reverse radiative decay from the excited triplet state:

(V⁴⁺–O⁻)^*  (V⁵⁺O²⁻). An activation mechanism of vanadium monomeric species with electrophilic oxygen species is proposed.     

相对压强对白炭黑氮吸附表面积测试稳定性的影响

研究相对压强对白炭黑氮吸附表面积测试稳定性的影响。结果表明:在相同液氮纯度、脱气温度、脱气时间、氮吸附点数量条件下,与相对压强范围为0.05~0.1时相比,相对压强范围为0.05~0.2时白炭黑的氮吸附表面积测量值偏低,且差值随氮吸附表面积的增大呈增大趋势;相对压强范围较小时,氮吸附表面积测试结果的线性相关因数较大,再现性较好,测试结果较稳定。