Influence of Pt particle size on catalytic combustion of xylenes on carbon aerogel-supported Pt catalysts

Pt catalysts supported on a carbon aerogel with different Pt particle sizes were studied in the combustion of o-xylene and m-xylene. Results found show that the activity of the catalysts increased with larger Pt particle size. In addition, the catalysts were activated during consecutive combustion runs and during time on stream. This activation depends on the Pt particle size and type of xylene isomer. Activation was due to the increase in Pt particle size during reaction. The lower activity of catalysts with smaller Pt particle size was due to the stronger PtO bonds formed during xylene combustion by the smaller Pt particles.     

A novel high power symmetric ZnO/carbon aerogel composite electrode for electrochemical supercapacitor

We present, for the first time, a new material of symmetric electrochemical supercapacitor in which zinc oxide (ZnO) with carbon aerogel (CA) was used as active material. Physical properties of ZnO/CA composite were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). It was found that ZnO has single hexagonal structure and the grain size increases with increase of ZnO compository. The result of cyclic voltammetry indicates that the specific capacitance of ZnO/CA composite in 6 M KOH electrolyte was approximately 25 F/g at 10 mV/s for 2:1 composition. AC impedance analysis reveals that ZnO with carbon aerogel powder enhanced the conductivity by reducing the internal resistance. Galvanostatic charge/discharge measurements were done at various current densities, namely 25, 50, 75, and 100 mA/cm². It was found that the cells have excellent electrochemical reversibility and capacitive characteristics in KOH electrolyte. The maximum capacitance of the ZnO/CA supercapacitor was 500 F/g at 100 mA/cm². It has been observed that the specific capacitance is constant up to 500 cycles at all current densities, which implies that the dendrite formation was controlled.     

Fluorinated γ-alumina aerogels and xerogels: characterisation and catalytic behaviour

The porosity of -alumina-based materials is an important parameter affecting the extent of fluorination (aerogels > commercial -Al₂O₃ > xerogels) and, consequently, also the textural, acidic and catalytic properties of the final fluorinated materials. Only the highly fiuorinated aluminas having strong Lewis acidic sites catalyse the isomerisation of CHF₂CHF₂ to CF₃CH₂F.     

直接甲醇燃料电池用碳气凝胶载铂催化剂的研究

利用溶胶—疑胶方法制备了高比表面积的碳气凝胶,利用浸渍还原法制备了Pt/碳气凝胶和Pt/C催化剂。采用BJH和TEM考察碳气凝胶的孔径分布和金属粒子的大小与分布,循环伏安曲线测试考察Pt/碳气凝胶对甲醇催化氧化性能的影响。结果表明,碳气凝胶的比表面积达到480 m2/g,孔径分布良好,催化剂金属颗粒较小,分散较好,循环伏安曲线图显示出Pt/碳气凝胶比传统的Pt/C对甲醇催化氧化性能高。     

Preparation and characterization of antibacterial silver-dispersed activated carbon aerogels

Silver-dispersed carbon aerogels (CAs) were obtained by direct immersion of organic aerogels prepared by ambient pressure drying technique in AgNO₃ aqueous solution and then carbonization. The effect of preparation conditions such as the resorcinol/catalyst ratio, the feed AgNO₃ concentration, the ratio of aerogel mass/solution volume, immersion time and carbonization temperature on the bulk density and silver content as well as the BET surface area of the dispersed CAs was studied. The dispersion and structure of silver nanoparticles in obtained materials were investigated by means of scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction. The Ag-dispersed CAs prepared exhibit strong and long-term antibacterial activity.     

Carbon aerogel spheres prepared via alcohol supercritical drying

We have developed a method that would allow for the fabrication of carbon aerogel (CA) spheres. The inverse phase suspension polymerization of resorcinol and formaldehyde monomers with Na₂CO₃ as a catalyst followed by supercritical drying was explored. The effects of the chemical formulation and processing procedures and the conditions of the structures of organic and related carbon aerogels were studied. The experimental results indicated that it was easy to avoid the accumulation of polymerization heat during gelation, and easy to take out the products from the reaction container, through this fabrication method. Sol-gel microspheres with diameters ranging from about 30-1000μm could be obtained. After drying the sol-gel spheres under alcohol supercritical drying conditions, aerogel spheres with a bulk density of 0.8-1.0 g/cm³were prepared, and by subsequently pyrolyzing them, CA spheres with surface areas of 250-650 m²/g were obtained. The resultant CA spheres could be used as the electrode materials of supercapacitors. The specific capacitance of the CA spheres was as high as 215 F/g, and the equivalent series resistance at 48 Hz was about 1 Ω.     

Removal behavior and mechanism of silver from low concentration wastewater using cellulose aerogel modified by thiosemicarbazide

Due to the low concentration of silver in water, most of the cellulose adsorbents exhibited low removal efficiency, which greatly limited their practical applications. Herein, a cellulose aerogel modified by thiosemicarbamide (CAT) was fabricated for reducing and adsorbing silver ions from low concentration wastewater. The characterization results concluded that CAT owned a three-dimensional spongy structure with many circular microspheres and a better specific surface area (19.37 m² g⁻¹), as well as the functional groups of ─C═N⁺─H and ─(C═S)─N. The static batch adsorption experiments demonstrated that CAT could reached the maximum removal percentage of 94.94% and adsorption capacity of 42.12 mg g⁻¹ under the initial concentration of Ag(I) was 15 mg L⁻¹ and the pH value was 7. Meanwhile, the adsorption of Ag(I) on CAT was second-order reaction, and the Langmuir model could better fit the adsorption process. In addition, CAT exhibited wide pH values (1–9) adaptability and excellent adsorption performance for silver through electrostatic interaction, chelation, and reduction. This study probably provides a new method as well as important experimental data and theoretical reference for the removal of silver ions and other metals.     

TiO_2-SiO_2复合气凝胶涂层的制备和光催化性能

利用TiCl4和工业水玻璃为原料,通过溶胶凝胶法制备TiO2-SiO2复合凝胶,用三甲基氯硅烷(TMCS)/乙醇(EtOH)/正己烷(Hexane)混合溶液对湿凝胶进行改性,常压干燥制备了TiO2-SiO2气凝胶,经150℃干燥所得的气凝胶具有多孔结构,获得的气凝胶比表面积达到646～816m2/g,孔体积达到1.52～2.19cm3/g。用乙醇作为分散剂,将气凝胶块体研磨成具有一定黏度的浆料,采用丝网印刷法制成TiO2-SiO2复合气凝胶涂层。利用X射线衍射(XRD)、扫描电镜(SEM)和孔径及比表面积分析仪(BET)对复合气凝胶的结构、形貌和孔性质进行了研究,通过分光光度计法分析了TiO2-SiO2复合气凝胶涂层光催化降解罗丹明B的性能,在可见光下照射4h后降解率达到77%。     

Synthesis and characterization of silica aerogels by a novel fast ambient pressure drying process

Using cheap waterglass as silica source, silica aerogels were synthesized via a novel fast ambient drying by using an ethanol/trimethylchlorosilane (TMCS)/Heptane solution for modification of the wet gel. One-step solvent exchange and surface modification were simultaneously progressed by immersing the hydrogel in EtOH/TMCS/Heptane solution, in which TMCS reacting with pore water and Si–OH group on the surface of the gel, with ethanol and heptane helping to decrease the rate of TMCS reacting with pore water and extrude water from gel pores. The synthesized silica aerogel was a light and crack-free solid, with the density of 0.128–0.136 g/cm³ and 93.8–94.2% porosity. The microstructure, morphology and properties of the aerogels were studied by FTIR, SEM, TEM and BET measurement. The results indicate that silica aerogels exhibit a sponge structure with uniform nano-particle and pores size distribution. The specific surface areas of silica aerogels are 559–618 m²/g. And there is an obvious Si–CH₃ group on the surface of the silica aerogel.     

TiO2-SiO2复合气凝胶的制备及其分解甲基橙的研究

采用溶胶一凝胶工艺,经超临界干燥,600℃、2h煅烧制得TiO2-SiO2复合气凝胶,其中Ti02为锐钛矿型,Si02为无定形;以甲基橙为模拟废水,TiO2-SiO2气凝胶分解甲基橙的浓度范围为≤100mg／L,分解速率随着时间的变化而变化,前期呈线性关系,后期呈曲线关系;最大分解甲基橙的量约为30mg甲基橙／g气凝胶,采用400℃煅烧1h的活化方式可使气凝胶的重复使用寿命大于3次。