Development of Pore Morphology During Nitrate Group Removal by Calcination of Mesoporous CexZr1-x-y-zYyLazO2-δ Powders.

Here, we present a study of the development of the micro- and mesoporosity of a CexZr1-x-y-zYyLazO2-δ oxygen storage material upon treatment at temperatures up to 1050 °C. The investigated powder, obtained from nitrate-based metal oxide precursors in a specially developed hydrothermal synthesis, is highly crystalline, features a high surface area and does not show phase segregation at high temperatures. By employing an advanced methodology, consisting of state-of-the-art argon physisorption, thermogravimetric analysis coupled with mass spectrometry (TG-MS) and X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) along with Raman spectroscopy, we correlate the stability of the mesopore system to the presence of surface-bound nitrate groups introduced during synthesis, which prevent sintering up to a temperature of 600 °C. In addition, the connectivity of mesopores was further studied by hysteresis scanning within the argon physisorption measurements. These advanced physisorption experiments suggest a three-dimensionally interconnected pore system and, in turn, a 3D network of the material itself on the nanometer scale which appears to be beneficial to endow the mesopore space with enhanced stability against sintering and mesopore collapse once the removal of nitrate groups is completed.

Peering into the Formation of Cerium Oxide Colloidal Particles in Solution by In Situ Small-Angle X-ray Scattering.

The formation of CeO2 colloidal particles upon heating an aqueous solution of (NH4)2Ce(NO3)6 to 100 °C was investigated by time-resolved in situ SAXS analysis using synchrotron radiation, providing absolute intensity data. In particular, the experiments were performed by applying different temperatures between room temperature and 100 °C as well as under variation of the ionic strength and concentration. Using validated SAXS evaluation tools (SASfit and McSAS software), the analyses revealed the presence of two types of particle populations possessing average dimensions of ca. 2 nm and 5-15 nm, with the latter being agglomerates of the 2 nm particles rather than single crystallites. The analysis revealed not only the changes in the size, but also the relative volume fractions of these two CeO2 particle populations as a function of the aforementioned parameters. Increasing the temperature increases the number of the 5-15 nm agglomerates on one hand by the enhanced nucleation rate of the primary particles. On the other hand, especially at high temperatures (90 and 100 °C) the larger agglomerate particles precipitate, resulting in interesting trends in the fractions of the two populations as a function of time, temperature, ionic strength, and precursor concentration. The experimental studies are complemented by calculating colloidal interaction energies based on classical DLVO theory. Thereby, this study provides detailed insight into the nucleation, growth, and agglomeration of CeO2 nanoparticles. The primary objective of this study is to provide a better understanding of the nucleation and growth of particles by the hydrolysis of the tetravalent cerium ion in aqueous solutions.

Comparison of In-Plane Stress Development in Sol-Gel- and Nanoparticle-Derived Mesoporous Metal Oxide Thin Films.

By using an evaporation-induced self-assembly (EISA) process, mesoporous metal oxide thin films are prepared via molecular precursors undergoing a sol-gel transition or by using nanoparticle dispersions as the starting materials. Both methods are employed together with PIB50-b-PEO45 as the structure-directing agent to produce porous TiO2 and ZrO2 thin films with spherical mesopores of around 14 nm in diameter. These nanoparticle- and sol-gel-derived films were investigated in terms of the intrinsic in-plane stress development during the heat treatment up to 500 °C to evaluate the impact of solvent evaporation, template decomposition and crystallization on the mechanical state of the film. The investigation revealed the lowest intrinsic stress for the nanoparticle-derived mesoporous film, which is assigned to the combination of the relaxing effects of the utilized diblock copolymer and the interparticular gaps between the precrystalline nanoparticles. Furthermore, the residual in-plane stress was studied after annealing steps ranging from 300 to 1000 °C and cooling down to room temperature. Here, TiO2 nanoparticle-derived mesoporous films possess a lower residual stress than the sol-gel-derived mesoporous films, while in the case of ZrO2 films, sol-gel-derived coatings reveal the smallest residual stress. The latter is based on the lower thermal expansion coefficient of the dominant monoclinic crystal phase compared to that of the silicon substrate. Hence, the present crystal structure has a strong influence on the mechanical state. The observation in this study helps to further understand the stress-related mechanical properties and the formation of mesoporous metal oxides.

Design of Ordered Mesoporous CeO2-YSZ Nanocomposite Thin Films with Mixed Ionic/Electronic Conductivity via Surface Engineering.

Mixed ionic and electronic conductors represent a technologically relevant materials system for electrochemical device applications in the field of energy storage and conversion. Here, we report about the design of mixed-conducting nanocomposites by facile surface modification using atomic layer deposition (ALD). ALD is the method of choice, as it allows coating of even complex surfaces. Thermally stable mesoporous thin films of 8 mol-% yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) with different pore sizes of 17, 24, and 40 nm were prepared through an evaporation-induced self-assembly process. The free surface of the YSZ films was uniformly coated via ALD with a ceria layer of either 3 or 7 nm thickness. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy was utilized to probe the influence of the coating on the charge-transport properties. Interestingly, the porosity is found to have no effect at all. In contrast, the thickness of the ceria surface layer plays an important role. While the nanocomposites with a 7 nm coating only show ionic conductivity, those with a 3 nm coating exhibit mixed conductivity. The results highlight the possibility of tailoring the electrical transport properties by varying the coating thickness, thereby providing innovative design principles for the next-generation electrochemical devices.

Amine-Functionalized Nanoporous Silica Monoliths for Heterogeneous Catalysis of the Knoevenagel Condensation in Flow.

Porous carrier materials functionalized with organocatalysts offer substantial advantages compared to homogeneous catalysts, e.g., easy separation of the catalyst, scalability, and an improved implementation in continuous operations. Here, we report the immobilization of (3-aminopropyl)trimethoxysilane (APTMS) onto self-prepared silica monoliths and its application as a heterogeneous catalyst in the Knoevenagel condensation between cyano ethylacetate and various aromatic aldehydes under continuous-flow conditions. The meso-macroporous silica monoliths (6-7 cm in length) were optimized to be used in flow taking advantage of their hierarchical meso- and macroporosity. The monoliths were cladded with a poly(ether ether ketone) (PEEK) tube by a refined procedure to guarantee tight connection between the carrier material and PEEK. Functionalization of the bare silica monoliths consisting of APTMS can be efficiently performed in flow in ethanol and toluene. While a large grafting gradient is obtained for toluene, the grafting in ethanol proceeds homogenously throughout the monolith, as evidenced by elemental analysis and time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS). The silica monoliths exhibit high conversion up to 95% with concurrent low back pressures, which is of importance in flow catalysis. By connecting two monoliths, high conversions can be maintained for several flow rates. Two types of monoliths were synthesized, possessing different mesopore sizes. The monolith bearing the larger mesopore size showed an enhanced turnover frequency (TOF), while the monolith with the smaller mesopores allowed for larger quantities of the product to be synthesized, due to the higher surface area. A long-term stability test showed that the functionalized monoliths were still active after 66 h of continuous usage, while the overall yield decreased over time.

Electrochemical Lithiation/Delithiation of ZnO in 3D-Structured Electrodes: Elucidating the Mechanism and the Solid Electrolyte Interphase Formation.

Conversion/alloy active materials, such as ZnO, are one of the most promising candidates to replace graphite anodes in lithium-ion batteries. Besides a high specific capacity (qZnO = 987 mAh g-1), ZnO offers a high lithium-ion diffusion and fast reaction kinetics, leading to a high-rate capability, which is required for the intended fast charging of battery electric vehicles. However, lithium-ion storage in ZnO is accompanied by the formation of lithium-rich solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) layers, immense volume expansion, and a large voltage hysteresis. Nonetheless, ZnO is appealing as an anode material for lithium-ion batteries and is investigated intensively. Surprisingly, the conclusions reported on the reaction mechanism are contradictory and the formation and composition of the SEI are addressed in only a few works. In this work, we investigate lithiation, delithiation, and SEI formation with ZnO in ether-based electrolytes for the first time reported in the literature. The combination of operando and ex situ experiments (cyclic voltammetry, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, coupled gas chromatography and mass spectrometry, differential electrochemical mass spectrometry, and scanning electron microscopy) clarifies the misunderstanding of the reaction mechanism. We evidence that the conversion and alloy reaction take place simultaneously inside the bulk of the electrode. Furthermore, we show that a two-layered SEI is formed on the surface. The SEI is decomposed reversibly upon cycling. In the end, we address the issue of the volume expansion and associated capacity fading by incorporating ZnO into a mesoporous carbon network. This approach reduces the capacity fading and yields cells with a specific capacity of above 500 mAh g-1 after 150 cycles.