Fast Microwave-Assisted Synthesis, Calcination and Functionalization of a Silica Mesoporous Nanomaterial: UVM-7.

We report here, for the first time, the use of a solid state microwave source for the synthesis, calcination and functionalization of a UVM-7 based hybrid mesoporous silica material. The synthesis of the UVM-7 material is obtained in 2 min at low power (50 W) by the combination of a microwave irradiation and the atrane route. Moreover, it has been successfully calcined and functionalized in just 13 and 4 min respectively with microwave assisted procedures. A total synthesis comprising each individually optimized step, can be executed in only 4 h including work-up, by contrast to a typical synthesis that comprises several days. Savings higher than one order or magnitude are obtained in time and energy. Our example is a proof of concept of the potential use of solid state microwave generators for the ultrafast on-command preparation of hybrid nanomaterials due to their accurate control and accelerating properties.

Microwave-Assisted Synthesis of Covalent Organic Frameworks: A Review.

Covalent organic frameworks (COFs) are relatively recent materials. They have received great attention due to their interesting properties. However, the application of microwaves in their synthesis, despite its advantages such as faster and more reproducible processes, is a minority. Herein, a comprehensive compilation of the research results published in the microwave-assisted synthesis (MAS) of COFs is presented. This review includes articles of 2D and 3D COFs prepared using microwaves as source of energy. The articles have been classified depending on the functional groups including boronate ester, imines, enamines, azines, and triazines, among others. It compiles the main parameters of synthesis and characteristics of the materials together with some general issues related with COFs and microwaves. Additionally, current and future perspectives of the topic have been discussed.

Recent Progress of Microwave-Assisted Synthesis of Silica Materials.

Microwaves are a source of energy of great interest for chemical synthesis. Among nanomaterials, few are as versatile as silica-it forms mesoporous materials and nanoparticles, it can be incorporated as shells or loaded in composites, it can also be functionalized. Despite the relevant properties of silica, and the advantages of the use of microwave as energy source, its use in silica-based materials is not frequent. We report herein a compilation of the research results published in the last 10 years of microwave assisted synthesis of silica based materials. This review includes examples of mesoporous materials for waste removal, catalysis, drug release, and gas adsorption applications, together with examples based in the optimization of the synthesis conditions. In the case of non-porous materials, examples of analytical applications, coating of metallic nanoparticles, and SiOx-C materials have been collected.

Monitoring the desalting process of cod using dielectric spectroscopy.

The desalted cod industry needs a suitable and reliable control system to check the desalting point of cod in order to provide a safe and high-quality product. The growth of the industries that are interested in a non-contacting, real-time control, encourages the development of new methods based on low-power radiation, such as dielectric spectroscopy. These techniques use the modification of wave parameters at some specific frequencies to provide information of the compositional characteristics of foods. In this work, cod parallelepipeds were desalted at 5 degrees C by immersing them in distilled water for different desalting times (15 and 30 minutes and 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 12, 24 and 48 hours). Dielectric Spectroscopy studies have been performed on cod samples in the frequency range 200 MHz-20 GHz. The dielectric properties were measured using a coaxial probe (Agilent 85070E) connected to a Network Analyzer (Agilent E8362B) immediately after removing the cod samples from their desalting solutions. After desalting, the cod samples were separated from their desalting solutions and kept in repose for 24 h at 5 degrees C after which some of their physical properties were measured. This experimental procedure ensures that those properties have already reached their final values. Good correlations were found between the quality properties of the cod samples (a(w), Xw, Z(NaCl) and xNaCl) after 24 h and their loss factor (epsilon") measured at 10 GHz just before leaving them in repose, showing the feasibility of an in-line control system for cod desalting process at that frequency.