Spray Deposition Synthesis of Locally Ordered Mesoporous Polycrystalline Titania Films at Low Temperature.

A low-temperature spray deposition synthesis was developed to prepare locally hexagonally ordered mesoporous titania films with polycrystalline anatase pore walls in an evaporation-induced self-assembly process. The titania film preparation procedure is conducted completely at temperatures below 50 °C. The effects of spray time, film thickness, synthesis time prior to spray deposition, and aging time at high relative humidity after deposition on the atomic arrangement and the mesoorder of the mesoporous titania were studied. We find the crystallite size to depend on both the synthesis time and aging time of the films, where longer times result in larger crystallites. Using the photocatalytic activity of titania, the structure-directing agent is removed with UV radiation at 43-46 °C. The capability of the prepared films to remove the polymer template increased with longer synthesis and aging times due to the increased crystallinity, which increases the photocatalytic efficiency of the titania films. However, with increasingly longer times, the crystallites grow too large for the mesoorder of the pores to be maintained. This work shows that a scalable spray coating method can be used to prepare locally ordered mesoporous polycrystalline titania films by judiciously tuning the synthesis parameters.

Understanding the Operating Mechanism of Aqueous Pentyl Viologen/Bromide Redox-Enhanced Electrochemical Capacitors with Ordered Mesoporous Carbon Electrodes.

Compared to traditional electric double-layer capacitors, redox-enhanced electrochemical capacitors (redox-ECs) show increased energy density and steadier power output thanks to the use of redox-active electrolytes. The aim of this study is to understand the electrochemical mechanisms of the aqueous pentyl viologen/bromide dual redox system at the interface of an ordered mesoporous carbon (CMK-8) and improve the device performance. Cells with CMK-8 carbon electrodes were investigated in several configurations using different charging rates and potential windows. The pentyl viologen electrochemistry shows a mixed behavior between solution-based diffusion and adsorption phenomena, with the reversible formation of an adsorbed layer. The extension of the voltage window allows for full reduction of the viologen molecules during charge and a consequent increase in the specific discharge energy delivered by the cell. Investigation of the mechanism indicates that a 1.5 V charging voltage with a 0.5 A g-1 charging rate and fast discharge rate produces the best overall performance.

Investigating the Chemical Ordering in Quaternary Clathrate Ba8AlxGa16-xGe30.

Recently, there has been an increased interest in quaternary clathrate systems as promising thermoelectric materials. Because of their increased complexity, however, the chemical ordering in the host framework of quaternary clathrates has not yet been comprehensively analyzed. Here, we have synthesized a prototypical quaternary type-I clathrate Ba8AlxGa16-xGe30 by Czochralski and flux methods, and we employed a combination of X-ray and neutron diffraction along with atomic scale simulations to investigate chemical ordering in this material. We show that the site occupancy factors of trivalent elements at the 6c site differ, depending on the synthesis method, which can be attributed to the level of equilibration. The flux-grown samples are consistent with the simulated high-temperature disordered configuration, while the degree of ordering for the Czochralski sample lies between the ground state and the high-temperature state. Moreover, we demonstrate that the atomic displacement parameters of the Ba atoms in the larger tetrakaidecahedral cages are related to chemical ordering. Specifically, Ba atoms are either displaced toward the periphery or localized at the cage centers. Consequently, this study reveals key relationships between the chemical ordering in the quaternary clathrates Ba8AlxGa16-xGe30 and the structural properties, thereby offering new perspectives on designing these materials and optimizing their thermoelectric properties.

Hierarchical micro-/mesoporous zeolite microspheres prepared by colloidal assembly of zeolite nanoparticles.

A novel template-free colloidal assembly method that combines colloidal zeolite (silicalite-1) suspensions in a water-in-oil emulsion with an evaporation-induced assembly process has been developed for preparing hierarchical micro-/mesoporous zeolite microspheres (MZMs). Such particles have an interconnected mesoporosity and large mesopore diameters (25-40 nm) combined with 5.5 Å diameter micropores of the zeolite nanoparticles. The method developed has the advantages of employing mild synthesis conditions, a short preparation time, and not requiring the use of a mesoporogen template or post-treatment methods. The method provides a new range of micro-/mesoporous zeolites with tunable mesoporosity dictated by the size of the zeolite nanoparticles. It also offers the possibility of combining several zeolite particle sizes or optionally adding amorphous silica nanoparticles to tune the mesopore size distribution further. It should be generally applicable to other types of colloidal zeolite suspensions (e.g. ZSM-5, zeolite A, beta) and represents a new route amenable for cost-effective scale-up.

Electrochemical and structural characterization of lithiation in spray deposited ordered mesoporous titania as an anode for Li ion batteries.

Ordered mesoporous titania, prepared via low-temperature spray deposition, was examined as an anode material for lithium ion batteries. The material exhibits an exceptionally high electrochemical capacity of 680 mA h g-1 during the first discharge, which rapidly decreases over the following cycles. The capacity stabilizes at around 170 mA h g-1 after 50 cycles and the material delivers 83 mA h g-1 at high charge/discharge rates (10C). A combination of electrochemical and structural characterization techniques were used to study the charge/discharge behavior of the material and the origin of the irreversible capacity. To determine the effect of cycling on the structure of the material, X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) and energy filtered TEM were carried out on pristine and cycled samples in intercalated and deintercalated states. Titanium K-edge XAS measurements showed that intercalated lithium affects the NEXAFS region. By comparing peak intensity ratios, we propose a method to quantify the amount of lithium inserted into the titania structure and to differentiate between lithium bound in close proximity to titanium, and lithium bound further away from titanium. Additionally, we suggest that the irreversible loss in capacity is due to the formation of phases that are stable, and thereby electrochemically inactive, over the electrochemical cycling conditions applied.

Influence of Iron Salt Anions on Formation and Oxygen Reduction Activity of Fe/N-Doped Mesoporous Carbon Fuel Cell Catalysts.

Doping carbon materials with transition metal ions can greatly expand their utility, given these metal ions' unique catalytic activity, for example, in oxygen reduction in proton exchange membrane fuel cells. Unlike main group dopants, a counter anion to the metal cation must be selected and this choice has hitherto received little attention for this synthesis method. Herein, we describe the profound effects that the anion has on the resultant iron/nitrogen-doped ordered mesoporous carbons (Fe-OMC). To increase the iron loading and the number of iron-centered catalytically active sites, we selected three iron salts Fe(OAc)2, Fe(OTf)2, and Fe(BF4)2·6H2O, which show greatly enhanced solubility in the liquid carbon precursor (furfurylamine) compared to FeCl3·6H2O. The increased solubility leads to a significantly higher iron loading in the Fe-OMC prepared with Fe(OTf)2, but the increase in performance as cathode catalysts in fuel cells is only marginal. The Fe-OMCs prepared with Fe(OAc)2 and Fe(BF4)2·6H2O exhibited similar or lower iron loadings compared to the Fe-OMC prepared with FeCl3·6H2O despite their much higher solubilities. Most importantly, the different iron salts affect not only the final iron loading, but also which type of iron species forms in the Fe-OMC with different types showing different catalytic activity.

Bio-based Micro-/Meso-/Macroporous Hybrid Foams with Ultrahigh Zeolite Loadings for Selective Capture of Carbon Dioxide.

Microporous (<2 nm) crystalline aluminosilicates in the form of zeolites offer a great potential as efficient adsorbents for atmospheric CO2 in the eminent battle against global warming and climate change. The processability of conventional zeolite powders is, however, poor, which limits their implementation in many applications, such as in gas filtration industrial systems. In this work, we overcome this issue through the preparation of hybrid foams using mesoporous/macroporous supporting materials based on the strong network properties of gelatin/nanocellulose, which can support ultrahigh loadings of silicalite-1, used as a model sorbent nanomaterial. We achieved up to 90 wt % of zeolite content and a microporous/mesoporous/macroporous hybrid material. The application of hybrid foams for selective CO2 sorption exhibits a linear relationship between the zeolite content and CO2 adsorption capacity and high selectivity over N2, where the gelatin/nanocellulose foam efficiently supports the zeolite crystals without apparently blocking their pores.

Evolution of the Polymorph Selectivity of Titania Formation under Acidic and Low-Temperature Conditions.

Evolution of the polymorph selectivity of titanium dioxide was studied under acidic and low-temperature synthesis conditions. Short synthesis times resulted in high relative amounts of the rutile phase, and long synthesis times resulted in high relative amounts of the brookite and anatase phases. The effect of titania precursor concentration was investigated and found to have a large impact on the polymorph selectivity. As the reaction proceeds with time, changes in the chemical environment, caused in particular by the gradually decreasing titania precursor concentration, are therefore likely the cause of the change in polymorph selectivity observed.

Measuring viscosity inside mesoporous silica using protein-bound molecular rotor probe.

Fluorescence spectroscopy of protein-bound molecular rotors Cy3 and Cy5 is used to monitor the effective viscosity inside the pores of two types of mesoporous silica (SBA-15 and MCF) with pore diameters between 8.9 and 33 nm. The ratio of the peak intensities is used to measure viscosity independently of solvent polarity, and the response of the lipase-bound dyes is calibrated using glycerol/water mixtures (no particles). The two dyes are either attached to the same protein or separate proteins in order to investigate potential effects of energy transfer (FRET) on the fluorescence properties, when using them as reporter dyes. The effective viscosity inside the pores at infinite protein dilution is one order of magnitude higher than in bulk water, and the effect of protein concentration on the measured viscosity indicates a stronger effect of protein-protein interactions in the pores than in similarly concentrated protein solutions without particles. In MCF-particles with octyl-groups covalently attached to the pore walls, a more efficient uptake of the lipase resulted in FRET between the protein-bound dyes even if the two dyes were attached to different proteins. In contrast to the unmodified particles the intensity-ratio method could therefore not be used to measure the viscosity, but the presence of FRET in itself indicates that octyl-protein interactions lead to a non-homogenous protein distribution in the pores. The dye labels also report a less polar pore environment as sensed by the proteins through a redshift in the dye emission. Both observations may help in understanding the higher efficiency of lipase immobilization in octyl-modified particles.

Immobilization of formaldehyde dehydrogenase in tailored siliceous mesostructured cellular foams and evaluation of its activity for conversion of formate to formaldehyde.

Formaldehyde dehydrogenase (FaldDH) is used as a catalyst to reduce formate to formaldehyde in a cascade reaction to convert CO2 to methanol. This enzyme, however, has low activity and is sensitive to substrate/product concentration and pH. To improve the performance of FaldDH, it can be immobilized through physical adsorption in siliceous mesostructured cellular foams (MCF), which physical properties are suitable for the immobilization of large molecules as FaldDH (molecular size of 8.6 × 8.6 × 19 nm). In this work two MCF materials were synthesized: MCF1 with a pore size of 26.8 nm and window size of 10.5 nm; and MCF2 with a pore size of 32.9 nm and window size of 13.0 nm. The surfaces of the materials were functionalized with octyl, mercaptopropyl or chloromethyl groups. FaldDH was successfully immobilized inside all the materials, yielding enzyme loadings of about 300 mg g-1 in MCF1 and more than 750 mg g-1 in MCF2. However, the enzyme was inactive upon immobilization on MCF1, whereas on MCF2 the enzyme retained its catalytic activity presumably owing to the larger pores of this material and the need for the enzyme to undergo configurational changes during the reaction. Using MCF2 functionalized with mercaptopropyl groups the activity of FaldDH was enhanced beyond that of the free enzyme. Additionally, low leakage of the enzyme from the MCF2 was observed during the reactions. Thus, tailored MCF is a highly attractive material for employment of the FaldDH enzyme.

Formation of titanium dioxide core-shell microcapsules through a binary-phase spray technique.

Core-shell microcapsules consisting of a titanium dioxide shell and a hydrophobic solvent core have been prepared with diameters of a few micrometers and a narrow size distribution using a simple and fast airbrush technique. These microcapsules were prepared at room temperature in a single-step process in which an oil with a dissolved titanium alkoxide precursor was forced together with an aqueous solution, containing a surface-active polymer, through a narrow spray nozzle using a nitrogen gas propellant. Several different parameters of chemical, physical, and processing origin were investigated to find an optimal recipe. Two different alkanes, one ketone, and four alcohols were tested and evaluated as core materials, alone or together with the antifungal biocide 2-n-octyl-4-isothiazolin-3-one (OIT). Long-chain alcohols were found suitable as core oil due to their low solubility in water and surface activity. The addition of the surface-active polymers in the water phase was important in aiding the formation and stabilization of the titanium dioxide shell. An impressive loading of 50 wt% of the semi-hydrophobic OIT was possible to encapsulate using this simple and applicable procedure.

A binder-free sulfur/reduced graphene oxide aerogel as high performance electrode materials for lithium sulfur batteries.

Societies' increasing need for energy storage makes it necessary to explore new concepts beyond the traditional lithium ion battery. A promising candidate is the lithium-sulfur technology with the potential to increase the energy density of the battery by a factor of 3-5. However, so far the many problems with the lithium-sulfur system have not been solved satisfactory. Here we report on a new approach utilizing a self-standing reduced graphene oxide based aerogel directly as electrodes, i.e. without further processing and without the addition of binder or conducting agents. We can thereby disrupt the common paradigm of "no battery without binder" and can pave the way to a lithium-sulfur battery with a high practical energy density. The aerogels are synthesized via a one-pot method and consist of more than 2/3 sulfur, contained inside a porous few-layered reduced graphene oxide matrix. By combining the graphene-based aerogel cathode with an electrolyte and a lithium metal anode, we demonstrate a lithium-sulfur cell with high areal capacity (more than 3 mAh/cm2 after 75 cycles), excellent capacity retention over 200 cycles and good sulfur utilization. Based on this performance we estimate that the energy density of this concept-cell can significantly exceed the Department of Energy (DEO) 2020-target set for transport applications.

Surface activity and flocculation behavior of polyethylene glycol-functionalized silica nanoparticles.

Colloidal silica nanoparticles have been functionalized with methyl polyethylene glycol silane (mPEG silane) and the PEGylated particles have been characterized with focus on exploring their surface chemical properties. The degree of surface functionalization was quantified using NMR diffusometry, and the measurements showed that the silane binds covalently to the silica surface. Samples with surface coverages ranging from 0.068 to 0.315 µmol silane/m(2) have been analyzed. The functionalized particles proved to be surface active and showed a significant reduction in surface charge and zeta potential with increasing degree of PEG functionalization. All samples showed colloidal stability at neutral pH and above within the range studied. At lower pH, the samples with low surface coverage displayed a reversible flocculation behavior, while samples with a high surface coverage and samples without functionalization remained stable. This suggests that steric stabilization is effective at low pH when the surface coverage is high enough; electrostatic stabilization is effective for samples without functionalization; and that inter-particle PEG-silica interactions cause flocculation of particles with too low degrees of PEG functionalization.

Low-cost high-performance zinc antimonide thin films for thermoelectric applications.

Zinc antimonide thin films with high thermoelectric performance are produced by a simple sputtering method. The phase-pure Zn(4)Sb(3) and ZnSb thin films fulfill the key requirements for commercial TE power generation: cheap elements, cheap fabrication method, high performance and thermal stability. In addition, two completely new meta-stable crystalline phases of zinc antimonide have been discovered.

Study of the pluronic-silica interaction in synthesis of mesoporous silica under mild acidic conditions.

The interaction between silica and poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) in water may appear trivial and it is generally stated that hydrogen bonding is responsible for the attraction. However, a literature search shows that there is not a consensus with respect to the mechanism behind the attractive interaction. Several papers claim that only hydrogen bonding is not sufficient to explain the binding. The silica-PEO interaction is interesting from an academic perspective and it is also exploited in the preparation of mesoporous silica, a material of considerable current interest. This study concerns the very early stage of synthesis of mesoporous silica under mild acidic conditions, pH 2-5, and the aim is to shed light on the interaction between silica and the PEO-containing structure directing agent. The synthesis comprises two steps. An organic silica source, tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS), is first hydrolyzed and Pluronic P123, a poly(ethylene oxide)-poly(propylene oxide)-poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO-PPO-PEO) block copolymer, is subsequently added at different time periods following the hydrolysis of TEOS. It is shown that the interaction between the silica and the Pluronic is dependent both on the temperature and on the time between onset of TEOS hydrolysis and addition of the copolymer. The results show that the interaction is mainly driven by entropy. The effect of the synthesis temperature and of the time between hydrolysis and addition of the copolymer on the final material is also studied. The material with the highest degree of mesoorder was obtained when the reaction was performed at 20 degrees C and the copolymer was added 40 h after the start of TEOS hydrolysis. It is claimed that the reason for the good ordering of the silica is that whereas particle formation under these conditions is fast, the rate of silica condensation is relatively low.

Adsorption of sodium dodecyl sulfate and sodium dodecyl phosphate on aluminum, studied by QCM-D, XPS, and AAS.

The adsorption of two anionic surfactants, sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and sodium dodecyl phosphate (SDP), at surfaces of aluminum and aluminum oxide has been studied by means of atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation monitoring (QCM-D). It was shown that more SDP than SDS binds to the surface and that SDP prevents dissolution of aluminum in water whereas SDS does not. This was not obvious, since the adsorption isotherms of the two surfactants to aluminum pigment powder are quite similar, as shown in an earlier work. The decreased aluminum dissolution with SDP compared to SDS was explained by the formation of a more compact protective layer with less permeability on the aluminum surface with SDP than with SDS. This is explained by differences in complexing ability between the surfactants and the aluminum pigment surface. While SDP is expected to form an inner-sphere complex with aluminum, leading to a lower accessibility of aluminum sites to water, SDS is likely to form a weaker outer-sphere complex.

Incorporation of platinum nanoparticles in ordered mesoporous carbon.

Platinum nanoparticles were incorporated within the pore system of ordered mesoporous carbon (OMC) by impregnating the carbon with a water-in-oil (w/o) microemulsion containing dissolved platinum salt followed by reduction of the platinum ions in situ inside the carbon pore system. The procedure provides preparation of metallic nanoparticles from hydrophilic precursors inside the hydrophobic carbon support structure with simultaneous control of the maximum metal particle size. Electron tomography was used to verify the presence of platinum nanoparticles inside the carbon material.

Surface modification for aluminium pigment inhibition.

This review concerns surface treatment of aluminium pigments for use in water borne coatings. Aluminium pigments are commonly used in coatings to give a silvery and shiny lustre to the substrate. Such paints and inks have traditionally been solvent borne, since aluminium pigment particles react with water. For environmental and health reasons solvent borne coatings are being replaced by water borne and the aluminium pigments then need to be surface modified in order to stand exposure to water. This process is called inhibition and both organic and inorganic substances are used as inhibiting agents. The organic inhibiting agents range from low molecular weight substances, such as phenols and aromatic acids, via surfactants, in particular alkyl phosphates and other anionic amphiphiles, to high molecular weight compounds, such as polyelectrolytes. A common denominator for them all is that they contain a functional group that interacts specifically with aluminium at the surface. A particularly strong interaction is obtained if the inhibiting agent contains functional groups that form chelating complex with surface Al(III). Encapsulation of the pigment can be made by in situ polymerization at the surface of the pigment and a recent approach is to have the polymerization occur within a double layer of adsorbed surfactant. The inorganic route is dominated by coating with silica, and recent progress has been made using an alkoxide, such as tetraethoxysilane as silica precursor. Such silica coated aluminium pigments are comparable in performance to chromate inhibited pigments and thus offer a possible heavy metal-free alternative. There are obvious connections between surface modifications made to prevent the pigment to react with water and inhibition of corrosion of macroscopic aluminium surfaces.

Silver nanoparticle formation in microemulsions acting both as template and reducing agent.

A novel method of making silver nanoparticles in water-in-oil microemulsions using the surfactants as both the reducing agent and as the structure-directing agent is presented. Since no external strong reducing agent is used the kinetics of the formation is slow, which makes it possible to study the silver nanoparticle formation in situ. The microemulsions used were based on either the nonionic surfactant Brij30 (C12E4), which reduces the silver ion to metallic silver and is thereby partly oxidized, or mixtures of Brij30 and AOT (sodium bis(2-ethylhexyl) sulfosuccinate, where the latter does not reduce the silver ions. The influences of silver ion and nonionic surfactant concentrations on the formation kinetics of the nanoparticles were followed in situ using UV-vis spectroscopy, and both parameters were found to have a big influence. The microemulsion droplet's size, size distribution, and shape were examined by small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), and the formed silver nanoparticles were studied using both transmission electron microscopy and SAXS. The SAXS measurements showed that the presence of silver nitrate does not affect the microemulsion systems noticeably and that the droplet's size and shape are retained during the particle formation. It is shown that the size and morphology of the particles do not directly follow the shape and size of the microemulsion droplets even though there is a relation between the droplet size and the radii of the formed particles.