Hybridized synergy effect among TiO2, Pt and graphite silica on photocatalytic hydrogen production from water–methanol solution

The photocatalytic production of hydrogen gas from aqueous methanol solution was performed using powdered mixtures of graphite silica (GS) and platinized TiO₂ (Pt/TiO₂) or those of GS, Pt and TiO₂. The addition of GS to Pt/TiO₂ resulted in the decrease of the amount of H₂ gas, whereas the addition of GS to mixtures of TiO₂ and Pt led to the incremental production of H₂ gas. This effect is attributed to the aggregation of GS, TiO₂ and Pt in suspension. The new additional electron transfer process of TiO₂ → Pt → GS caused the increment of the amount of hydrogen gas.     

Optical Properties of K<Subscript>2</Subscript>O-Li<Subscript>2</Subscript>O-WO<Subscript>3</Subscript>-B<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript> Glasses: Evidence of Mixed Alkali Effect

Glass with compositions xK₂O-(30 ? x)Li₂O-10WO₃-60B₂O₃ for 0 ≤ x ≤ 30 mol.% have been prepared using the normal melt quenching technique. The optical reflection and absorption spectra were recorded at room temperature in the wavelength range 300–800 nm. From the absorption edge studies, the values of the optical band gap (E _opt) and Urbach energy (ΔE) have been evaluated. The values of E _opt and ΔE vary non-linearly with composition parameter, showing the mixed alkali effect. The dispersion of the refractive index is discussed in terms of the single oscillator Wemple Di-Domenico model.     

Template-free synthesis of self-assembled Co3O4 micro/nanocrystals

In this article, we have reported the fabrication of various morphological porous Co3O4 by thermal decomposition of cobalt oxalate at open atmospheric conditions. Uniform cobalt oxalate microrods and microneedles were synthesized without using any surfactants or templates in large scale. The cobalt oxalate preparation method was played a crucial role on the crystal structure and its morphology. The as prepared cobalt oxalates and its corresponding cobalt oxides were characterized by using the thermogravimetric analysis, X-ray diffraction (XRD), field-emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and nitrogen adsorption analysis. The XRD results indicated that the orthorhombic and monoclinic cobalt oxalates were formed in different experimental conditions. The influence of preparation method of cobalt oxalates and cobalt precursors on the final morphology has been investigated. The M-H loop of the Co3O4 porous microrods and microneedles showed the presence of paramagnetic properties at room temperatures. A plausible mechanism of both cobalt oxalates and Co3O4 formation was proposed based on the experimental results.     

Flexural behavior of ECC hollow beams incorporating different synthetic fibers

Twelve ECC beams with three different fiber types, along with four normal concrete beams, were tested in this study to evaluate the influence of cross-sectional hollowing on their flexural performance. The fiber types used were nylon monofilament (NM), low-cost untreated polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), and polypropylene (PP). Three different square hole sizes of 60, 80, and 100 mm with cross-sectional hollowing ratios of 0.16, 0.28, and 0.44, respectively, were adopted for each group of beams in addition to a solid beam. All beams were tested under four-point loading using a displacement-controlled testing machine. The test results showed that ECC beams can mostly withstand higher cracking and ultimate loads compared to their corresponding normal concrete versions. The results also showed that both the ductility and toughness of the ECC beams are higher than those of the normal concrete beams and that the ductility values of the hollow beams with a hole size of 60 mm are higher than those of the corresponding solid beams. Moreover, hollow ECC beams with hole sizes of 60 and 80 mm exhibited a higher ductility than a solid normal concrete beam.     

Mixed-Alkali Effect in Li2O–Na2O–K2O–B2O3 Glasses: Infrared and Optical Absorption Studies

The mixed-alkali effect (MAE) has been investigated in the glass system (40 ? x)Li₂O–xNa₂O–10K₂O–50B₂O₃ (0 mol% ≤ x ≤ 40 mol%) through density, modulated differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and optical absorption studies. From the absorption studies, the values of the optical band gap (E _opt) for direct transition and Urbach energy (ΔE) have been evaluated. The values of E _opt and ΔE show nonlinear behavior with the compositional parameter. The density and glass-transition temperature of the present glasses also show nonlinear variation, supporting the existence of MAE. The infrared (IR) spectra of the glasses reveal the presence of three- and four-coordinated boron atoms. The specific vibrations of Li–O, Na–O, and K–O bonds were observed in the present IR study.     

Photocatalytic Cancer (HeLa) Cell-Killing Enhanced with Cu–TiO2 Nanocomposite

The metallic Cu nanoparticles have been successfully deposited on the heterogeneous TiO₂ surface by the borohydride reduction of copper nitrate in water/CH₃CN mixture under Ar atmosphere. The catalytic activity of the Cu–TiO₂ nanocomposite was evaluated by the application to a photocatalytic cancer cell-killing under UV–visible light irradiation. Based on the obtained results, a plausible mechanism was proposed.     

Artificial intelligence density model for oxide glasses

A comprehensive study to perform glass density prediction employing artificial intelligence using a dataset of 6630 oxide glass samples. The prediction is done based on Ionic packing ratio as the independent variable and experimental densities from the dataset as the dependent variable. Random forest regression and artificial neural networks were observed as the best models training the density datasets. The random forest regression had the least average R² score for large datasets. Artificial neural networks employing sigmoid and ReLU activation functions dominate in predicting the glass density as compared to tanh and identity activation functions. Based on this study we can theoretically predict the density of any oxide glass to an extent of maximum accuracy for a known glass composition.     

One-step and large scale synthesis of non-metal doped TiO2 submicrospheres and their photocatalytic activity

Without using an external precursor a simple and one-step method for the synthesis of C-doped TiO₂ submicrospheres has been developed via hydrolysis of titanium tetraisopropoxide in pure methanol followed by calcination under air at 500 °C. Also, with the addition of d-glucose and NH₄OH solution during the hydrolysis process, C- or N-doped and C, N co-doped TiO₂ submicrospheres can be prepared by the same method. The size of the submicrosphere was homogeneous ranging from 300 to 400 nm. The resulting submicrospheres were characterized by FE-SEM, TEM, XRD, XPS and UV–vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy. The C- or N-doped and C, N co-doped submicrospheres showed obvious absorption in the wavelength up to around 650, 500 and 650 nm, respectively. The activity of the photocatalysts was evaluated by the hydroxyl radical formation under visible light irradiation. Finally, the mechanism of sphere formation is discussed.     

Green synthesis of mesoporous hematite (α-Fe2O3) nanoparticles and their photocatalytic activity

A green synthesis method for the preparation of mesoporous α-Fe₂O₃ nanoparticles has been developed using the extract of green tea (camellia sinensis) leaves. This simple and one-step method can suitably be scaled up for large-scale synthesis. The as-prepared mesoporous nanoparticles were characterized by SEM, TEM, XRD, XPS, Raman, UV–visible spectroscopy and N₂ adsorption analysis. The nanoparticles were highly pure and well crystallized with an average particle size of 60 nm. The photocatalytic activity of nanoparticles was evaluated by the amount of hydroxyl radical formation under visible light irradiation detected by fluorescence spectroscopy. The as-prepared α-Fe₂O₃ showed two times higher activity than commercial α-Fe₂O₃ in term of hydroxyl radical formation and enhanced performance in a photoelectrochemical cell. Also, a plausible mechanism for the formation of mesoporous α-Fe₂O₃ has been suggested.