TEM stereo-imaging of mesoporous zeolite single crystals.

Mesoporous zeolite single crystals with intracrystalline mesopores and metal oxide particles located in the zeolite mesopore are characterised by direct TEM stereo-imaging.

New efficient catalyst for ammonia synthesis: barium-promoted cobalt on carbon.

Barium-promoted cobalt catalysts supported on carbon exhibit higher ammonia activities at synthesis temperatures than the commercial, multipromoted iron catalyst and also a lower ammonia inhibition.

Rhenium(IV) sulfide nanotubes.

Rhenium(IV) sulfide, ReS(2), has been prepared with nanotubular morphology by carbon nanotube templating. A multiwall carbon nanotube material was impregnated with solutions of NH(4)ReO(4) or ReCl(5), followed by drying and sulfidation with H(2)S at 1000 degrees C. The composite material synthesized was characterized by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy and X-ray powder diffraction. Like previously described MS(2) nanotube compounds, ReS(2) has a layered structure consisting of S-M-S layers. Re atoms in ordinary ReS(2) are octahedrally coordinated with S, and tetranuclear metal clusters are present as a consequence of metal-metal bonds.

Aluminum orthovanadate (AlVO4): synthesis and characterization by (27)Al and 51V MAS and MQMAS NMR spectroscopy.

Polycrystalline samples of AlVO(4) have been prepared by two methods of synthesis and characterized by (27)Al and (51)V MAS NMR spectroscopy at 14.1 T. The MAS NMR spectra clearly reveal that essentially pure samples with minor impurities of V(2)O(5) and alumina have been obtained. From these samples, (27)Al quadrupole coupling parameters and isotropic chemical shifts as well as the magnitudes and relative orientations of the (51)V quadrupole coupling and chemical shift tensors have been determined with high precision for AlVO(4). These data have been obtained from a combined analysis of multiple-quantum (MQ) MAS NMR spectra and MAS NMR spectra of the central and satellite transitions. The (27)Al and (51)V NMR data show that the asymmetric unit for AlVO(4) contains three isolated VO(4) tetrahedra, one pentacoordinated Al site, and two AlO(6) octahedra. This is in agreement with the supposition that AlVO(4) is isostructural with FeVO(4) and with a recent structure refinement for AlVO(4) based on powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) data. The favorable agreement between the refined crystal structure from powder XRD and the NMR parameters is apparent from a convincing correlation between experimental (51)V quadrupole tensor elements and calculated (51)V electric field gradient tensor elements obtained by the point-monopole approach. An assignment of the (27)Al NMR data is obtained from similar calculations of the (27)Al electric field gradients and by estimation of the distortion of the AlO(6) octahedra.

Unusual observation of nitrogen chemical shift anisotropies in tetraalkylammonium halides by 14N MAS NMR spectroscopy.

14N Magic-angle spinning (MAS) NMR spectra for a number of polycrystalline, symmetrical tetraalkylammonium halides with short alkyl chains (C2H(5)- to n-C4H(9)-) have been recorded following a careful setup of the experimental conditions. Analysis of the spectra demonstrates the presence of 14N chemical shift anisotropies (CSAs) on the order of |delta sigma| = 10-30 ppm along with 14N quadrupole coupling constants in the range of 10-70 kHz. The magnitude and sign of the CSAs determined from 14N MAS NMR are confirmed by recording and analysis of the corresponding slow-speed spinning (500-650 Hz) 15N CP/MAS NMR spectra. Most interestingly, it is observed experimentally and demonstrated theoretically and by simulations, that these CSAs are reflected in the spinning sideband (ssb) intensities of the 14N MAS spectra at much higher spinning speeds than can be applied to retrieve the corresponding 15N CSAs from the ssb pattern in the 15N CP/MAS spectra.