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Sample records for hybrid silica spheres

  1. Liquid Phase Deposition of Silica on the Hexagonally Close-Packed Monolayer of Silica Spheres

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Seo Young Yoon

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Liquid phase deposition is a method used for the nonelectrochemical production of polycrystalline ceramic films at low temperatures, most commonly silicon dioxide films. Herein, we report that silica spheres are organized in a hexagonal close-packed array using a patterned substrate. On this monolayer of silica spheres, we could fabricate new nanostructures in which deposition and etching compete through a modified LPD reaction. In the early stage, silica spheres began to undergo etching, and then, silica bridges between the silica spheres appeared by the local deposition reaction. Finally, the silica spheres and bridges disappeared completely. We propose the mechanism for the formation of nanostructure.

  2. A novel synthesis of micrometer silica hollow sphere

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pan Wen; Ye Junwei; Ning Guiling; Lin Yuan; Wang Jing

    2009-01-01

    Silica microcapsules (hollow spheres) were synthesized successfully by a novel CTAB-stabilized water/oil emulsion system mediated hydrothermal method. The addition of urea to a solution of aqueous phase was an essential step of the simple synthetic procedure of silica hollow spheres, which leads to the formation of silica hollow spheres with smooth shell during hydrothermal process. The intact hollow spheres were obtained by washing the as-synthesized solid products with distilled water to remove the organic components. A large amount of silanol groups were retained in the hollow spheres by this facile route without calcination. The morphologies and optical properties of the product were characterized by transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Furthermore, on the basis of a series of SEM observations, phenomenological elucidation of a mechanism for the growth of the silica hollow spheres has been presented

  3. Hydrothermal stability of silica, hybrid silica and Zr-doped hybrid silica membranes

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    ten Hove, Marcel; Luiten-Olieman, Mieke W.J.; Huiskes, Cindy; Nijmeijer, Arian; Winnubst, Louis

    2017-01-01

    Hybrid silica membranes have demonstrated to possess a remarkable hydrothermal stability in pervaporation and gas separation processes allowing them to be used in industrial applications. In several publications the hydrothermal stability of pure silica or that of hybrid silica membranes are

  4. Organic inorganic hybrid coating (poly(methyl methacrylate)/monodisperse silica)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rubio, E.; Almaral, J.; Ramírez-Bon, R.; Castaño, V.; Rodríguez, V.

    2005-04-01

    Polymethylmethacrylate-silica hybrid coatings were prepared from methyl methacrylate and monodisperse colloidal silica prepared by the Stöber method. The surfaces of the spheres were successfully modified by chemical reaction with 3-(trimethoxysilyl) propyl methacrylate (TMSPM) to compatibilise the organic and inorganic components of the precursor solution mixture. The coatings were deposited by dip-coating on glass substrates. They result with good properties of homogeneity, optical transparence, hardness and adhesion.

  5. Ultrasonic electrodeposition of silver nanoparticles on dielectric silica spheres

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tang Shaochun; Tang Yuefeng; Gao Feng; Liu Zhiguo; Meng Xiangkang

    2007-01-01

    In the present study, a facile and one-step ultrasonic electrodeposition method is first applied to controllably coat colloidal silica spheres with silver nanoparticles. This method is additive-free and very direct, because processes necessary in many other approaches, such as pretreatment of the silica sphere surface and pre-preparation of silver nanoparticles, are not involved in it. Furthermore, it makes possible the coating of dielectric substrates with metal through an electrodeposition route. Under appropriate conditions, silver nanoparticles with sizes of 8-10 nm in diameter can be relatively homogeneously deposited onto the surface of preformed colloidal silica spheres. Silver particles with different sizes and dispersive uniformity on silica sphere surfaces can also be obtained by adjusting the current density (I), the concentration of electrolyte (C) and the electrolysis time (t). The possible ultrasonic electrodeposition mechanism is also suggested according to the experimental results

  6. Enhanced accumulation and visible light-assisted degradation of azo dyes in poly(allylamine hydrochloride)-modified mesoporous silica spheres

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tao Xia; Liu Bing; Hou Qian; Xu Hui; Chen Jianfeng

    2009-01-01

    A new route for the economic and efficient treatment of azo dye pollutants is reported, in which surface-modified organic-inorganic hybrid mesoporous silica (MS) spheres were chosen as microreactors for the accumulation and subsequent photodegradation of pollutants in defined regions. The surface-modified silica materials were prepared by anchoring the polycationic species such as poly(allylamine hydrochloride) on MS spheres via a simple wet impregnation method. The as-synthesized spheres with well-defined porous structures exhibited 15 times of accumulating capacity for orange II and Congo red compared to that of the pure MS spheres. Diffuse reflectance UV-vis spectroscopy and confocal laser scanning microscopy demonstrated that the accumulated orange II and CR in defined MS spheres were rapidly degraded in the presence of Fenton reagent under visible radiation. Kinetics analysis in recycling degradation showed that the as-synthesized materials might be utilized as environment-friendly preconcentrators/microreactors for the remediation of dye wastewater

  7. A novel approach to fabrication of superparamagnetite hollow silica/magnetic composite spheres

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    Yuan Junjie, E-mail: yuanjunjie@tongji.edu.c [School of Materials Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092 (China); Key Laboratory of Molecular Engineering of Polymers, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433 (China); Zhang Xiong; Qian He [School of Materials Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092 (China)

    2010-08-15

    We described a method for synthesizing hollow silica/magnetic composite spheres using sulfonic acid functionalized hollow silica spheres (SAFHSS) as templates. The Fe{sub 3}O{sub 4} nanoparticles were deposited on or imbedded in the hollow silica shell by a precipitation reaction. The morphologies, composition and properties of the hollow composite spheres were characterized by transmission electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared analysis, X-ray diffraction measurement and vibrating-sample magnetometry measurement. The results indicated crystal sizes and amount of the Fe{sub 3}O{sub 4} nanoparticles on the SAFHSS. The magnetic properties of the hollow composite spheres were controlled by adjusting the proportion between Fe{sup 2+} and Fe{sup 3+} and iron ion total concentration. When appropriate loading species were added into the system, superparamagnetite hollow composite spheres were obtained. The method also could be applicable to prepare other superparamagnetite hollow silica/ferrite composite spheres.

  8. Capture and separation of l-histidine through optimized zinc-decorated magnetic silica spheres.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cardoso, Vanessa F; Sebastián, Víctor; Silva, Carlos J R; Botelho, Gabriela; Lanceros-Méndez, Senentxu

    2017-09-01

    Zinc-decorated magnetic silica spheres were developed, optimized and tested for the capture and separation of l-histidine. The magnetic silica spheres were prepared using a simple sol-gel method and show excellent magnetic characteristics, adsorption capacity toward metal ions, and stability in aqueous solution in a wide pH range. The binding capacity of zinc-decorated magnetic silica spheres to histidine proved to be strongly influenced by the morphology, composition and concentration of metal at the surface of the magnetic silica spheres and therefore these parameters should be carefully controlled in order to maximize the performance for protein purification purposes. Optimized zinc-decorated magnetic silica spheres demonstrate a binding capacity to l-histidine of approximately 44mgg -1 at the optimum binding pH buffer. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  9. The increase in pH during aging of porous sol-gel silica spheres

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Titulaer, M.K.; Kegel, W.K.; Jansen, J.B.H.; Geus, John W.

    1994-01-01

    The increase in pH in the hydrothermal fluid is studied after hydrothermal aging of porous silica gel spheres of 1–3 mm diameter. The porous silica spheres are formed by the sol-gel process from a supersaturated silica solution. The increase of the pH of the hydrothermal solution affects the silica

  10. Silica-coated quantum dots fluorescent spheres synthesized using a quaternary 'water-in-oil' microemulsion system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chu Maoquan; Sun Ye; Xu Shi

    2008-01-01

    Nanoscale and microscale silica spheres embedded with multiple CdSe quantum dots (QDs, having average diameters of about 2.4 and 5.0 nm, respectively.) were synthesized by using a quaternary 'water-in-oil' microemulsion. Comparing the uncoated QDs, the quantum yields (QYs) of the silica-coated QD spheres were enhanced when the QD cores were synthesized using mercaptoacetic acid (MA) as a stabilizer, while the QYs were dramatically decreased when the cores were synthesized using citric acid (CA) as a stabilizer. The enhanced QYs could be further improved by heating the silica-coated QDs in aqueous solution. Although the QYs of the silica-coated QDs were not high, these spheres emitted bright fluorescence. The silica shells contained numerous micropores (∼0.58-0.91 nm), and small amounts of toxic ions (such as Cd 2+ ) could be released from the silica spheres. However, the release rate of toxic ions from the silica spheres was significantly reduced compared with that of the uncoated QDs

  11. Magnetic properties of Ni nanoparticles on microporous silica spheres

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Godsell, Jeffrey F.; Donegan, Keith P.; Tobin, Joseph M.; Copley, Mark P.; Rhen, Fernando M.F.; Otway, David J.; Morris, Michael A.; O'Donnell, Terence; Holmes, Justin D.; Roy, Saibal

    2010-01-01

    Ni nanoparticles (∼32 nm particle diameter) have been synthesized on the walls of microporous (∼1 nm pore diameter) silica spheres (∼2.6 μm sphere diameter) and characterised magnetically to potentially produce a new class of core (silica micro-spheres)-shell (nanometallic)-type nanocomposite material. These magnetic nanocomposite materials display a characteristic increase in coercivity with reducing temperature. The average particle size has been used to calculate the anisotropy constant for the system, K. The discussion postulates the potential mechanisms contributing to the difference between the calculated K value and the magnetocrystalline anisotropy constant of bulk Ni. Various factors such as surface anisotropy and interparticle interactions are discussed as possible contributing factors to the anisotropy values calculated in the paper.

  12. Incorporation of polyoxotungstate complexes in silica spheres and in situ formation of tungsten trioxide nanoparticles.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhao, Yuanyuan; Fan, Haimei; Li, Wen; Bi, Lihua; Wang, Dejun; Wu, Lixin

    2010-09-21

    In this paper, we demonstrated a new convenient route for in situ fabrication of well separated small sized WO(3) nanoparticles in silica spheres, through a predeposition of surfactant encapsulated polyoxotungates as tungsten source, and followed by a calcination process. In a typical procedure, selected polyoxotungates with different charges were enwrapped with dioctadecyldimethylammonium cations through electrostatic interaction. Elemental analysis, thermogravimetric analysis, and spectral characterization confirmed the formation of prepared complexes with the anticipated chemical structure. The complexes were then phase-transferred into aqueous solution that predissolved surfactant cetyltrimethylammonium bromide, and finally incorporated into silica spheres through a joint sol-gel reaction with tetraethyl orthosilicate in a well dispersed state under the protection of organic layer for polyoxotungates from the alkaline reaction condition. Transmission electron microscopic images illustrated the well dispersed WO(3) nanoparticles in the size range of ca. 2.2 nm in the silica spheres after the calcination at 465 °C. The sizes of both the silica spheres and WO(3) nanoparticles could be adjusted independently through changing the doping content to a large extent. Meanwhile, the doped polyoxotungate complexes acted as the template for the mesoporous structure in silica spheres after the calcination. Along with the increase of doping content and surfactant, the mesopore size changed little (2.0-2.9 nm), but the specific surface areas increased quite a lot. Importantly, the WO(3)-nanoparticle-doped silica spheres displayed an interesting photovoltaic property, which is favorable for the funtionalization of these nanomaterials.

  13. Hydrothermal assisted synthesis of iron oxide-based magnetic silica spheres and their performance in magnetophoretic water purification

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Caparros, C., E-mail: ccaparros@fisica.uminho.pt [Centro de Fisica, Universidade do Minho, Campus de Gualtar, 4710-057 Braga (Portugal); Benelmekki, M.; Martins, P.M. [Centro de Fisica, Universidade do Minho, Campus de Gualtar, 4710-057 Braga (Portugal); Xuriguera, E. [Facultat de Quimica, Universitat de Barcelona, 08028 Barcelona (Spain); Silva, C.J.R. [Departamento de Quimica, Universidade do Minho, Campus de Gualtar, 4710-057 Braga (Portugal); Martinez, Ll.M. [Sepmag Technologies, Parc Tecnologic del Valles, 08290 Barcelona (Spain); Lanceros-Mendez, S. [Centro de Fisica, Universidade do Minho, Campus de Gualtar, 4710-057 Braga (Portugal)

    2012-08-15

    Porous Magnetic Silica (PMS) spheres of about 400 nm diameter were synthesised by one-pot process using the classical Stber method combined with hydrothermal treatment. Maghemite nanoparticles ({gamma}-Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3}) were used as fillers and cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) was used as templating agent. The application of the hydrothermal process (120 Degree-Sign C during 48 h) before the calcination leads to the formation of homogeneous and narrow size distribution PMS spheres. X-ray diffraction patterns (XRD), Infrared measurements (FTIR) and Transmission Electron microscopy (TEM) methods were used to determine the composition and morphology of the obtained PMS spheres. The results show a homogeneous distribution of the {gamma}-Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3} nanoparticles in the silica matrix with a 'hollow-like' morphology. Magnetophoresis measurements at 60 T m{sup -1} show a total separation time of the PMS spheres suspension of about 16 min. By using this synthesis method, the limitation of the formation of silica spheres without incorporation of magnetic nanoparticles is overcome. These achievements make this procedure interesting for industrial up scaling. The obtained PMS spheres were evaluated as adsorbents for Ni{sup 2+} in aqueous solution. Their adsorption capacity was compared with the adsorption capacity of magnetic silica spheres obtained without hydrothermal treatment before calcination process. PMS spheres show an increase of the adsorption capacity of about 15% of the initial dissolution of Ni{sup 2+} without the need to functionalize the silica surface. Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Homogeneous and controlled size porous magnetic silica spheres were obtained. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Magnetophoretic removing of Ni{sup 2+} processes was successfully preformed at HLGMF. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer PMS show higher Ni{sup 2+} removing capacity than spheres without hydrothermal treatment. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer PMS can be

  14. Simple synthesis of Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} sphere composite from hybrid process with improved thermal stability for catalytic applications

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Santos, Regina C.R., E-mail: reginaclaudiasantos@yahoo.com.br [Department of Analytical Chemistry and Physical Chemistry, Federal University of Ceará, Campus of Pici, Fortaleza, CE, CEP: 60440-554 (Brazil); Pinheiro, Antônio N.; Leite, Edson R. [Department of Chemistry, Federal University of São Carlos, São Carlos, SP, CEP: 13560-905 (Brazil); Freire, Valder N. [Department of Physics, Federal University of Ceará, Campus of Pici, Fortaleza, CE, CEP: 60440-554 (Brazil); Longhinotti, Elisane; Valentini, Antoninho [Department of Analytical Chemistry and Physical Chemistry, Federal University of Ceará, Campus of Pici, Fortaleza, CE, CEP: 60440-554 (Brazil)

    2015-06-15

    Aluminium oxide spheres were synthesized by the hybrid process applying the biopolymer chitosan. After the calcination process the porous spheres were characterized by Chemical elemental analysis (XRF), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Scanning electron microscopy and Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (SEM-EDS), N{sub 2} adsorption–desorption isotherms, infrared spectroscopy (IR), and CO{sub 2} temperature programmed desorption (CO{sub 2}-TPD). The effect of thermal treatment on surface properties of the oxide spheres was also evaluated by the catalytic ethanol dehydration reaction. The hybrid method produced interesting results related to the thermal stability against sintering process and consequently low decreases of surface area. The hybrid spheres calcination at 900 and 1200 °C produced a metastable phases of alumina with a high surface area, and nanometric crystallites. Additionally, the spheres of mixed silica-alumina synthesized by this method reveal the formation of porous spheres with highly acidic OH groups, which was suggested by the catalytic performance. - Highlights: • Al and Si/Al oxide spheres with promising properties are synthesized by hybrid method. • Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} spheres show high thermal stability and resistance the loss surface area. • The SiO{sub 2} addition plays an important role in the structure and porosity of the spheres. • Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} and SiO{sub 2}/Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} spheres presented a good activity to conversion ethanol. • The activity is related to the surface area and density of OH groups on surface.

  15. Characterization and Curing Kinetics of Epoxy/Silica Nano-Hybrids

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Cheng-Fu; Wang, Li-Fen; Wu, Song-Mao; Su, Chean-Cheng

    2015-01-01

    The sol-gel technique was used to prepare epoxy/silica nano-hybrids. The thermal characteristics, curing kinetics and structure of epoxy/silica nano-hybrids were studied using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), 29Si nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). To improve the compatibility between the organic and inorganic phases, a coupling agent was used to modify the diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A (DGEBA) epoxy. The sol-gel technique enables the silica to be successfully incorporated into the network of the hybrids, increasing the thermal stability and improving the mechanical properties of the prepared epoxy/silica nano-hybrids. An autocatalytic mechanism of the epoxy/SiO2 nanocomposites was observed. The low reaction rate of epoxy in the nanocomposites is caused by the steric hindrance in the network of hybrids that arises from the consuming of epoxide group in the network of hybrids by the silica. In the nanocomposites, the nano-scale silica particles had an average size of approximately 35 nm, and the particles were well dispersed in the epoxy matrix, according to the TEM images. PMID:28793616

  16. Densification of Silica Spheres: A New Pathway to Nano-Dimensioned Zeolite-Based Catalysts.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Machoke, Albert Gonche Fortunatus; Apeleo Zubiri, Benjamin; Leonhardt, Rainer; Marthala, Venkata Ramana Reddy; Schmiele, Martin; Unruh, Tobias; Hartmann, Martin; Spiecker, Erdman; Schwieger, Wilhelm

    2017-08-16

    Nanosized materials are expected to play a unique role in the development of future catalytic processes. Herein, pre-prepared and geometrically well-defined amorphous silica spheres are densified into silica-rich zeolites with nanosized dimensions. After the densification, the obtained nanosized zeolites exhibit the same spherical morphology like the starting precursor but characterized by a drastically reduced size, higher density, and high crystallinity. The phase transformation into crystalline zeolite material and the densification effect are achieved through a well-controlled steam-assisted treatment of the larger precursor particles so that the transformation process proceeds always towards the center of the spheres, just like a shrinking process. Furthermore, this procedure is applicable also to commercially available silica particles, as well as aluminum-containing systems (precursors) leading to acidic nano-catalysts with improved catalytic performance. © 2017 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  17. In situ synthesis of copper nanoparticles on SBA-16 silica spheres

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Asma Tufail Shah

    2016-07-01

    Full Text Available A chemical method for in situ synthesis of copper nanoparticles on SBA-16 silica spheres under ambient conditions has been reported. The silica support has been introduced into copper precursor solution before chemical reduction. Metal ions diffuse into mesopores (pore diameter 5–7 nm of silica where in situ reduction by hydrazine leads to formation of nanoparticles. These mesopores act as nanoreactor and their walls prevent metal particle’s agglomeration by providing a physical barrier. The obtained copper nanoparticles have been investigated by electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, UV–Visible spectroscopy, Fourier transform Infra-red spectroscopy and thermogravimetric analyzer. SEM, TEM and UV–Visible spectroscopic images revealed that nanosized particles have been successfully synthesized by this method. Thermogravimetric investigations revealed that copper nanoparticles impregnated on silica were thermally more stable compared to unsupported nanoparticles. Silica not only helps in maintaining the particle size but also makes nanoparticles stable at high temperatures due to its thick pore walls. Macro sized silica support also makes separation/handling of nanoparticles easy and simple.

  18. Synthesis of biocompatible hydrophobic silica-gelatin nano-hybrid by sol-gel process.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Smitha, S; Shajesh, P; Mukundan, P; Nair, T D R; Warrier, K G K

    2007-03-15

    Silica-biopolymer hybrid has been synthesised using colloidal silica as the precursor for silica and gelatin as the biopolymer counterpart. The surface modification of the hybrid material has been done with methyltrimethoxysilane leading to the formation of biocompatible hydrophobic silica-gelatin hybrid. Here we are reporting hydrophobic silica-gelatin hybrid and coating precursor for the first time. The hybrid gel has been evaluated for chemical modification, thermal degradation, hydrophobicity, particle size, transparency under the UV-visible region and morphology. FTIR spectroscopy has been used to verify the presence of CH(3) groups which introduce hydrophobicity to the SiO2-MTMS-gelatin hybrids. The hydrophobic property has also been tailored by varying the concentration of methyltrimethoxysilane. Contact angle by Wilhelmy plate method of transparent hydrophobic silica-gelatin coatings has been found to be as high as approximately 95 degrees . Oxidation of the organic group which induces the hydrophobic character occurs at 530 degrees C which indicates that the surface hydrophobicity is retained up to that temperature. Optical transmittance of SiO2-MTMS-gelatin hybrid coatings on glass substrates has been found to be close to 100% which will enable the hybrid for possible optical applications and also for preparation of transparent biocompatible hydrophobic coatings on biological substrates such as leather.

  19. Preparation and characterization of silk/silica hybrid biomaterials by sol-gel crosslinking process

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hou Aiqin, E-mail: aiqinhou@dhu.edu.c [National Engineering Research Center for Dyeing and Finishing of Textiles, Donghua University, 3H, 2999 North Renmin Road, Songjiang, Shanghai 201620 (China); Chen Huawei [National Engineering Research Center for Dyeing and Finishing of Textiles, Donghua University, 3H, 2999 North Renmin Road, Songjiang, Shanghai 201620 (China)

    2010-03-15

    The silk/silica hybrid biomaterials are synthesized by sol-gel crosslinking process. The chemical and morphological structures of silk/silica hybrids are investigated with micro-FT-IR spectra, X-ray diffraction, SEM, AFM, and DSC. The results show that the crosslinking reactions among inorganic nano-particles, fibroin and 2,4,6-tri[(2-epihydrin-3-bimethyl-ammonium)propyl]-1,3,5-triazine chloride (Tri-EBAC) take place during sol-gel process. The silk/silica hybrids form new molecular structures containing not only organic fibroin but also inorganic nano-silica particles. The inorganic particles are bounded to the fibroin through covalent bonds. The silk/silica hybrids can form excellent film with very even nanometer particles. The thermal properties of organic/inorganic hybrid are improved.

  20. Preparation and characterization of silk/silica hybrid biomaterials by sol-gel crosslinking process

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hou Aiqin; Chen Huawei

    2010-01-01

    The silk/silica hybrid biomaterials are synthesized by sol-gel crosslinking process. The chemical and morphological structures of silk/silica hybrids are investigated with micro-FT-IR spectra, X-ray diffraction, SEM, AFM, and DSC. The results show that the crosslinking reactions among inorganic nano-particles, fibroin and 2,4,6-tri[(2-epihydrin-3-bimethyl-ammonium)propyl]-1,3,5-triazine chloride (Tri-EBAC) take place during sol-gel process. The silk/silica hybrids form new molecular structures containing not only organic fibroin but also inorganic nano-silica particles. The inorganic particles are bounded to the fibroin through covalent bonds. The silk/silica hybrids can form excellent film with very even nanometer particles. The thermal properties of organic/inorganic hybrid are improved.

  1. An ultrasensitive hollow-silica-based biosensor for pathogenic Escherichia coli DNA detection.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ariffin, Eda Yuhana; Lee, Yook Heng; Futra, Dedi; Tan, Ling Ling; Karim, Nurul Huda Abd; Ibrahim, Nik Nuraznida Nik; Ahmad, Asmat

    2018-03-01

    A novel electrochemical DNA biosensor for ultrasensitive and selective quantitation of Escherichia coli DNA based on aminated hollow silica spheres (HSiSs) has been successfully developed. The HSiSs were synthesized with facile sonication and heating techniques. The HSiSs have an inner and an outer surface for DNA immobilization sites after they have been functionalized with 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane. From field emission scanning electron microscopy images, the presence of pores was confirmed in the functionalized HSiSs. Furthermore, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) analysis indicated that the HSiSs have four times more surface area than silica spheres that have no pores. These aminated HSiSs were deposited onto a screen-printed carbon paste electrode containing a layer of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) to form a AuNP/HSiS hybrid sensor membrane matrix. Aminated DNA probes were grafted onto the AuNP/HSiS-modified screen-printed electrode via imine covalent bonds with use of glutaraldehyde cross-linker. The DNA hybridization reaction was studied by differential pulse voltammetry using an anthraquinone redox intercalator as the electroactive DNA hybridization label. The DNA biosensor demonstrated a linear response over a wide target sequence concentration range of 1.0×10 -12 -1.0×10 -2 μM, with a low detection limit of 8.17×10 -14 μM (R 2 = 0.99). The improved performance of the DNA biosensor appeared to be due to the hollow structure and rough surface morphology of the hollow silica particles, which greatly increased the total binding surface area for high DNA loading capacity. The HSiSs also facilitated molecule diffusion through the silica hollow structure, and substantially improved the overall DNA hybridization assay. Graphical abstract Step-by-step DNA biosensor fabrication based on aminated hollow silica spheres.

  2. Design of a superhydrophobic and superoleophilic film using cured fluoropolymer@silica hybrid

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yang, Hao; Pi, Pihui; Yang, Zhuo-ru; Lu, Zhong; Chen, Rong

    2016-01-01

    Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • Cured fluoropolymer@silica hybrid was coated on stainless steel mesh. • The hybrid film showed superhydrophobicity and superoleophilicity by adjusting silica dosage. • The hybrid film exhibited good thermal stability and excellent oil/water separation efficiency. - Abstract: Recently, considerable efforts have been made on superhydrophobic–superoleophilic filter to satisfy the requirements of the applications to oil/water separation. In this work, we obtained a superhydrophobic and superoleophilic film by coating cured fluoropolymer@silica hybrid on stainless steel mesh. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and thermogravimetric-differential scanning calorimetry (TG-DSC) were used to determine the chemical composition and thermal stability of the sample. The effect of silica nanoparticles (NPs) concentration on the surface property of the hybrid film was analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and contact angle analyzer. The results indicate that silica NPs not only enhance the thermal stability, but also strengthen the hydrophobicity and oleophilicity of the film. When 20 wt% silica NPs was added into the thermosetting fluoropolymer, the hybrid film shows both superhydrophobicity and superoleophilicity owing to the large surface roughness factor (RMS) and porous structure. Moreover, the hybrid film could be used to separate water from different oils effectively. When the pore size of the mesh is less than 300 μm, the oil/water separation efficiency of the film reaches above 99%, which shows a great potential application to dehydrate fuel oils.

  3. Design of a superhydrophobic and superoleophilic film using cured fluoropolymer@silica hybrid

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yang, Hao [Key Laboratory for Green Chemical Process of Ministry of Education and School of Chemistry and Environmental Engineering, Wuhan Institute of Technology, Xiongchu Street, Wuhan, 430073 (China); Pi, Pihui; Yang, Zhuo-ru [School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510640 (China); Lu, Zhong [Key Laboratory for Green Chemical Process of Ministry of Education and School of Chemistry and Environmental Engineering, Wuhan Institute of Technology, Xiongchu Street, Wuhan, 430073 (China); Chen, Rong, E-mail: rchenhku@hotmail.com [Key Laboratory for Green Chemical Process of Ministry of Education and School of Chemistry and Environmental Engineering, Wuhan Institute of Technology, Xiongchu Street, Wuhan, 430073 (China)

    2016-12-01

    Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • Cured fluoropolymer@silica hybrid was coated on stainless steel mesh. • The hybrid film showed superhydrophobicity and superoleophilicity by adjusting silica dosage. • The hybrid film exhibited good thermal stability and excellent oil/water separation efficiency. - Abstract: Recently, considerable efforts have been made on superhydrophobic–superoleophilic filter to satisfy the requirements of the applications to oil/water separation. In this work, we obtained a superhydrophobic and superoleophilic film by coating cured fluoropolymer@silica hybrid on stainless steel mesh. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and thermogravimetric-differential scanning calorimetry (TG-DSC) were used to determine the chemical composition and thermal stability of the sample. The effect of silica nanoparticles (NPs) concentration on the surface property of the hybrid film was analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and contact angle analyzer. The results indicate that silica NPs not only enhance the thermal stability, but also strengthen the hydrophobicity and oleophilicity of the film. When 20 wt% silica NPs was added into the thermosetting fluoropolymer, the hybrid film shows both superhydrophobicity and superoleophilicity owing to the large surface roughness factor (RMS) and porous structure. Moreover, the hybrid film could be used to separate water from different oils effectively. When the pore size of the mesh is less than 300 μm, the oil/water separation efficiency of the film reaches above 99%, which shows a great potential application to dehydrate fuel oils.

  4. Hybrid thin films derived from UV-curable acrylate-modified waterborne polyurethane and monodispersed colloidal silica

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    C. H. Yang

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Hybrid thin films containing nano-sized inorganic domains were synthesized from UV-curable acrylate-modified waterborne polyurethane (WPU-AC and monodispersed colloidal silica with coupling agent. The coupling agent, 3-(trimethoxysilylpropyl methacrylate (MSMA, was bonded onto colloidal silica first, and then mixed with WPU-AC to form a precursor solution. This precursor was spin coated, dried and UV-cured to generate the hybrid films. The silica content in the hybrid thin films was varied from 0 to 30 wt%. Experimental results showed the aggregation of silica particles in the hybrid films. Thus, the silica domain in the hybrid films was varied from 30 to 50 nm by the different ratios of MSMAsilica to WPU-AC. The prepared hybrid films from the crosslinked WPU-AC/MSMA-silica showed much better thermal stability and mechanical properties than pure WPU-AC.

  5. Preparation and Characterization of Hybrid Nanocomposite of Polyacrylamide/Silica-Nanoparticles

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    Ahmad Rabiee

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Polyacrylamides are water soluble macromolecules. These polymers are widely used for flocculation, separation and treatment of solid-liquid phase materials. In this research, organic-inorganic hybrid of polyacrylamide/silica nanoparticle is prepared via radical polymerization. First, the silica nanoparticle surfaces were modified by 3-methacryloxypropyltrimethoxysilane as coupling agent using a sol-gel technique in aqueous media in acidic condition. Afterwards, the modified nanoparticles are copolymerized by acrylamide monomer in presence of a peroxide initiator during a free radical polymerization. The chemical structure of the prepared modified nano-silica as well as polyacrylamide nanocomposite was studied and confirmed by FTIR spectroscopy technique. The morphology of nanocomposite was investigated by scanning electron microscopy. The SEM micrograph showed that the surface of the composite did not display any phase separation. Nanoparticles distribution was investigated by SEM-EDX technique. The results showed a uniform distribution of particles throughout the polymer bulk. TEM analysis showed the presence of silica nanoparticles in bulk of polymer which is an indicative of suitable dispersion of nanoparticles. The thermal stability of hybrid nanocomosite with that of polyacrylamide was compared by TGA technique. The higher thermal stability of hybrid nanocomposite with respect to homopolymer is indicative of a reaction between the modified nanoparticles and polyacrylamide chain. The presence of silica particles in copolymer was also confirmed with EDX analysis in ash content of hybrid nanocomposite.

  6. Hybrid silica luminescent materials based on lanthanide-containing lyotropic liquid crystal with polarized emission

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Selivanova, N.M., E-mail: natsel@mail.ru [Kazan National Research Technological University, 68 Karl Marx Str., Kazan 420015 (Russian Federation); Vandyukov, A.E.; Gubaidullin, A.T. [A.E. Arbuzov Institute of Organic and Physical Chemistry of the Kazan Scientific Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 8 Acad. Arbuzov Str., Kazan 420088 (Russian Federation); Galyametdinov, Y.G. [Kazan National Research Technological University, 68 Karl Marx Str., Kazan 420015 (Russian Federation)

    2014-11-14

    This paper represents the template method for synthesis of hybrid silica films based on Ln-containing lyotropic liquid crystal and characterized by efficient luminescence. Luminescence films were prepared in situ by the sol–gel processes. Lyotropic liquid crystal (LLC) mesophases C{sub 12}H{sub 25}O(CH{sub 2}CH{sub 2}O){sub 10}H/Ln(NO{sub 3}){sub 3}·6H{sub 2}O/H{sub 2}O containing Ln (III) ions (Dy, Tb, Eu) were used as template. Polarized optical microscopy, X-ray powder diffraction, and FT-IR-spectroscopy were used for characterization of liquid crystal mesophases and hybrid films. The morphology of composite films was studied by the atomic force microscopy method (AFM). The optical properties of the resulting materials were evaluated. It was found that hybrid silica films demonstrate significant increase of their lifetime in comparison with an LLC system. New effects of linearly polarized emission revealed for Ln-containing hybrid silica films. Polarization in lanthanide-containing hybrid composites indicates that silica precursor causes orientation of emitting ions. - Highlights: • We suggest a new simple approach for creating luminescence hybrid silica films. • Ln-containing hybrid silica films demonstrate yellow, green and red emissions. • Tb(III)-containing hybrid film have a high lifetime. • We report effects of linearly polarized emission in hybrid film.

  7. AMINO AND MERCAPTO-SILICA HYBRID FOR Cd(II ADSORPTION IN AQUEOUS SOLUTION

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Buhani Buhani

    2010-06-01

    Full Text Available Modification of silica gel with 3-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane and 3-mercaptopropyltrimethoxysilane through sol-gel technique producing amino-silica hybrid (HAS and mercapto-silica hybrid (HMS, respectively, has been carried out using tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS as silica source. The adsorbents were characterized using infrared spectroscopy (IR, and X-ray energy dispersion spectroscopy (EDX. Adsorption of Cd(II individually as well as its binary mixture with Ni(II, Cu(II, and Zn(II in solution was performed in a batch system. Adsorption capacities of Cd(II ion on adsorbent of silica gel (SG, HAS, and HMS are 86.7, 256.4 and 319.5 μmol/g with the adsorption energies are 24.60, 22.61 and 23.15 kJ/mol, respectively. Selectivity coefficient (α of Cd(II ion toward combination of Cd(II/Ni(II, Cd(II/Cu(II, and Cd(II/Zn(II ions on HAS adsorbent is relatively smaller than those on HMS adsorbent which has α > 1.   Keywords: adsorption, amino-silica hybrid, mercapto-silica

  8. Temperature-modified photonic bandgap in colloidal photonic crystals fabricated by vinyl functionalized silica spheres

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Deng Tiansong; Zhang Junyan; Zhu Kongtao; Zhang Qifeng; Wu Jinlei

    2011-01-01

    Graphical abstract: A thermal annealing procedure was described for fine modifying the photonic bandgap properties of colloidal photonic crystals, which were self-assembled from vinyl-functionalized silica spheres by a gravity sedimentation process. Highlights: → We described a thermal annealing procedure for fine modifying the photonic bandgap properties of colloidal photonic crystals. → The position of its stop band had more than 25% blue shift by annealing the sample from 60 to 600 deg. C. → The annealing temperature and the Bragg peak values have a linear relationship in the 120-440 deg. C range. → The effects provide a simple and controllable method for modifying the photonic bandgap properties of colloidal photonic crystals. - Abstract: A thermal annealing procedure for fine modifying the photonic bandgap properties of colloidal photonic crystals was described. The colloidal photonic crystals were assembled from monodisperse vinyl functionalized silica spheres by a gravity sedimentation process. The samples diffract light following Bragg's law combined with Snell's law. By annealing the sample at temperatures in the range of 60-600 deg. C, the position of its stop band shifted from 943 to 706 nm. It had more than 25% blue shift. In addition, the annealing temperature and the Bragg peak values have a linear relationship in the 120-440 deg. C range. Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectra and thermo-gravimetric analysis (TGA) curves of vinyl functionalized silica spheres confirmed the above results. The effects provide a simple and controllable method for modifying the photonic bandgap properties of colloidal photonic crystals.

  9. Hybrid silica materials for detection of toxic species and clinical diagnosis

    OpenAIRE

    Pascual Vidal, Lluís

    2017-01-01

    The present PhD thesis entitled "Silica Hybrid Materials for detection of toxic species and clinical diagnosis" is focused on the design and synthesis of new hybrid materials, using different silica supports as inorganic scaffolds, with applications in recognition, sensing and diagnostic protocols. The first chapter of the PhD thesis is devoted to the definition and classification of hybrid materials, relying on concepts of Nanotechnology, Supramolecular and Materials Chemistry. State o...

  10. Reinforcement of natural rubber hybrid composites based on marble sludge/Silica and marble sludge/rice husk derived silica

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Khalil Ahmed

    2014-03-01

    Full Text Available A research has been carried out to develop natural rubber (NR hybrid composites reinforced with marble sludge (MS/Silica and MS/rice husk derived silica (RHS. The primary aim of this development is to scrutinize the cure characteristics, mechanical and swelling properties of such hybrid composite. The use of both industrial and agricultural waste such as marble sludge and rice husk derived silica has the primary advantage of being eco-friendly, low cost and easily available as compared to other expensive fillers. The results from this study showed that the performance of NR hybrid composites with MS/Silica and MS/RHS as fillers is extremely better in mechanical and swelling properties as compared with the case where MS used as single filler. The study suggests that the use of recently developed silica and marble sludge as industrial and agricultural waste is accomplished to provide a probable cost effective, industrially prospective, and attractive replacement to the in general purpose used fillers like china clay, calcium carbonate, and talc.

  11. Synthesis of poly(ethylene oxide)-silica hybrids

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ishak Manaf

    2002-01-01

    A hybrid material incorporating silica networks in poly (ethylene oxide) was produced using the sol-gel process from solution mixtures of poly (ethylene oxide) dissolved in water and partially polymerized tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS) with and without compatibilisation agent. These mixtures were converted into films by solvent evaporation and drying them in an air-circulating oven at 60 degree C. Depending on the alkoxysilane solution composition and several mixing parameters, different morphologies were obtained, varying from semi-interpenetrating networks of PEO within highly cross linked silica chains, to finely dispersed heterogeneous system exhibiting either co-continuous or particulate microstructure. The influence of pH, type of solvents, mixing temperatures and time, as well as the nature of compatibiliser was found to be extremely important in controlling the morphology and properties of the fine hybrid films. It was found that compatibilisation of PEO-SiO 2 hybrid system is achieved exclusively with the use of γ-glycidyloxypropyltrimethoxysilane (GOTMS) coupling agent. (Author)

  12. Shape-Memory Behavior of Polylactide/Silica Ionic Hybrids

    KAUST Repository

    Odent, Jérémy

    2017-03-27

    Commercial polylactide (PLA) was converted and endowed with shape-memory properties by synthesizing ionic hybrids based on blends of PLA with imidazolium-terminated PLA and poly[ε-caprolactone-co-d,l-lactide] (P[CL-co-LA]) and surface-modified silica nanoparticles. The electrostatic interactions assist with the silica nanoparticle dispersion in the polymer matrix. Since nanoparticle dispersion in polymers is a perennial challenge and has prevented nanocomposites from reaching their full potential in terms of performance we expect this new design will be exploited in other polymers systems to synthesize well-dispersed nanocomposites. Rheological measurements of the ionic hybrids are consistent with the formation of a network. The ionic hybrids are also much more deformable compared to the neat PLA. More importantly, they exhibit shape-memory behavior with fixity ratio Rf ≈ 100% and recovery ratio Rr = 79%, for the blend containing 25 wt % im-PLA and 25 wt % im-P[CL-co-LA] and 5 wt % of SiO2–SO3Na. Dielectric spectroscopy and dynamic mechanical analysis show a second, low-frequency relaxation attributed to strongly immobilized polymer chains on silica due to electrostatic interactions. Creep compliance tests further suggest that the ionic interactions prevent permanent slippage in the hybrids which is most likely responsible for the significant shape-memory behavior observed.

  13. Shape-Memory Behavior of Polylactide/Silica Ionic Hybrids

    KAUST Repository

    Odent, Jé ré my; Raquez, Jean-Marie; Samuel, Cé dric; Barrau, Sophie; Enotiadis, Apostolos; Dubois, Philippe; Giannelis, Emmanuel P.

    2017-01-01

    Commercial polylactide (PLA) was converted and endowed with shape-memory properties by synthesizing ionic hybrids based on blends of PLA with imidazolium-terminated PLA and poly[ε-caprolactone-co-d,l-lactide] (P[CL-co-LA]) and surface-modified silica nanoparticles. The electrostatic interactions assist with the silica nanoparticle dispersion in the polymer matrix. Since nanoparticle dispersion in polymers is a perennial challenge and has prevented nanocomposites from reaching their full potential in terms of performance we expect this new design will be exploited in other polymers systems to synthesize well-dispersed nanocomposites. Rheological measurements of the ionic hybrids are consistent with the formation of a network. The ionic hybrids are also much more deformable compared to the neat PLA. More importantly, they exhibit shape-memory behavior with fixity ratio Rf ≈ 100% and recovery ratio Rr = 79%, for the blend containing 25 wt % im-PLA and 25 wt % im-P[CL-co-LA] and 5 wt % of SiO2–SO3Na. Dielectric spectroscopy and dynamic mechanical analysis show a second, low-frequency relaxation attributed to strongly immobilized polymer chains on silica due to electrostatic interactions. Creep compliance tests further suggest that the ionic interactions prevent permanent slippage in the hybrids which is most likely responsible for the significant shape-memory behavior observed.

  14. Molecular Organization Induced Anisotropic Properties of Perylene - Silica Hybrid Nanoparticles.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sriramulu, Deepa; Turaga, Shuvan Prashant; Bettiol, Andrew Anthony; Valiyaveettil, Suresh

    2017-08-10

    Optically active silica nanoparticles are interesting owing to high stability and easy accessibility. Unlike previous reports on dye loaded silica particles, here we address an important question on how optical properties are dependent on the aggregation-induced segregation of perylene molecules inside and outside the silica nanoparticles. Three differentially functionalized fluorescent perylene - silica hybrid nanoparticles are prepared from appropriate ratios of perylene derivatives and tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) and investigated the structure property correlation (P-ST, P-NP and P-SF). The particles differ from each other on the distribution, organization and intermolecular interaction of perylene inside or outside the silica matrix. Structure and morphology of all hybrid nanoparticles were characterized using a range of techniques such as electron microscope, optical spectroscopic measurements and thermal analysis. The organizations of perylene in three different silica nanoparticles were explored using steady-state fluorescence, fluorescence anisotropy, lifetime measurements and solid state polarized spectroscopic studies. The interactions and changes in optical properties of the silica nanoparticles in presence of different amines were tested and quantified both in solution and in vapor phase using fluorescence quenching studies. The synthesized materials can be regenerated after washing with water and reused for sensing of amines.

  15. Facile synthesis and microwave absorbability of C@Ni–NiO core–shell hybrid solid sphere and multi-shelled NiO hollow sphere

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wu, Hongjing; Wu, Guanglei; Wu, Qiaofeng; Wang, Liuding

    2014-01-01

    We reported the preparation of C@Ni–NiO core–shell hybrid solid spheres or multi-shelled NiO hollow spheres by combining a facile hydrothermal route with a calcination process in H 2 or air atmosphere, respectively. The synthesized C@Ni–NiO core–shell solid spheres with diameters of approximately 2–6 μm were in fact built from dense NiO nanoparticles coated by random two-dimensional metal Ni nanosheets without any visible pores. The multi-shelled NiO hollow spheres were built from particle-like ligaments and there are a lot of pores with size of several nanometers on the surface. Combined Raman spectra with X-ray photoelectron spectra (XPS), it suggested that the defects in the samples play a limited role in the dielectric loss. Compared with the other samples, the permeability of the samples calcined in H 2 and air was increased slightly and the natural resonance frequency shifted to higher frequency (7, 11 and 14 GHz, respectively), leading to an enhancement of microwave absorption property. For the sample calcined in H 2 , an optimal reflection loss less than − 10 was obtained at 7 GHz with a matching thickness of 5.0 mm. Our study demonstrated the potential application of C@Ni–NiO core–shell hybrid solid sphere or multi-shelled NiO hollow sphere as a more efficient electromagnetic (EM) wave absorber. - Highlights: • C@Ni–NiO core–shell hybrid solid sphere was synthesized by a facile method. • Multi-shelled NiO hollow sphere was synthesized by a facile method. • It suggested that the defects in the samples play a limited role in dielectric loss. • The permeability of the samples calcined in H 2 and air was increased. • Microwave absorbability of C@Ni–NiO core–shell hybrid solid sphere was investigated

  16. Synthesis and Gas Transport Properties of Hyperbranched Polyimide–Silica Hybrid/Composite Membranes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Masako Miki

    2013-12-01

    Full Text Available Hyperbranched polyimide–silica hybrids (HBPI–silica HBDs and hyperbranched polyimide–silica composites (HBPI–silica CPTs were prepared, and their general and gas transport properties were investigated to clarify the effect of silica sources and preparation methods. HBPI–silica HBDs and HBPI–silica CPTs were synthesized by two-step polymerization of A2 + B3 monomer system via polyamic acid as precursor, followed by hybridizing or blending silica sources. Silica components were incorporated by the sol-gel reaction with tetramethoxysilane (TMOS or the addition of colloidal silica. In HBPI-silica HBDs, the aggregation of silica components is controlled because of the high affinity of HBPI and silica caused by the formation of covalent bonds between HBPI and silica. Consequently, HBPI-silica HBDs had good film formability, transparency, and mechanical properties compared with HBPI-silica CPTs. HBPI-silica HBD and CPT membranes prepared via the sol-gel reaction with TMOS showed specific gas permeabilities and permselectivities for CO2/CH4 separation, that is, both CO2 permeability and CO2/CH4 selectivity increased with increasing silica content. This result suggests that gas transport can occur through a molecular sieving effect of the porous silica network derived from the sol-gel reaction and/or through the narrow interfacial region between the silica networks and the organic matrix.

  17. Micelle-template synthesis of hollow silica spheres for improving water vapor permeability of waterborne polyurethane membrane

    OpenAIRE

    Bao, Yan; Wang, Tong; Kang, Qiaoling; Shi, Chunhua; Ma, Jianzhong

    2017-01-01

    Hollow silica spheres (HSS) with special interior spaces, high specific surface area and excellent adsorption and permeability performance were synthesized via micelle-template method using cetyl trimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB) micelles as soft template and tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) as silica precursor. SEM, TEM, FT-IR, XRD, DLS and BET-BJH were carried out to characterize the morphology and structure of as-obtained samples. The results demonstrated that the samples were amorphous with a hol...

  18. Preparation of graphene quantum dots based core-satellite hybrid spheres and their use as the ratiometric fluorescence probe for visual determination of mercury(II) ions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hua, Mengjuan; Wang, Chengquan; Qian, Jing; Wang, Kan; Yang, Zhenting; Liu, Qian; Mao, Hanping; Wang, Kun

    2015-01-01

    We herein proposed a simple and effective strategy for preparing graphene quantum dots (GQDs)-based core-satellite hybrid spheres and further explored the feasibility of using such spheres as the ratiometric fluorescence probe for the visual determination of Hg 2+ . The red-emitting CdTe QDs were firstly entrapped in the silica nanosphere to reduce their toxicity and improve their photo and chemical stabilities, thus providing a built-in correction for environmental effects, while the GQDs possessing good biocompatibility and low toxicity were electrostatic self-assembly on the silica surface acting as reaction sites. Upon exposure to the increasing contents of Hg 2+ , the blue fluorescence of GQDs can be gradually quenched presumably due to facilitating nonradiative electron/hole recombination annihilation. With the embedded CdTe QDs as the internal standard, the variations of the tested solution display continuous fluorescence color changes from blue to red, which can be easily observed by the naked eye without any sophisticated instrumentations and specially equipped laboratories. This sensor exhibits high sensitivity and selectivity toward Hg 2+ in a broad linear range of 10 nM–22 μM with a low detection limit of 3.3 nM (S/N = 3), much lower than the allowable Hg 2+ contents in drinking water set by U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. This prototype ratiometric probe is of good simplicity, low toxicity, excellent stabilities, and thus potentially attractive for Hg 2+ quantification related biological systems. - Highlights: • A facile strategy for preparing GQDs based core-satellite hybrid spheres was reported. • Such spheres can be used as the ratiometric fluorescence probe for Hg 2+ detection. • The Hg 2+ content can be easily distinguished by the naked eye. • The sensor shows high sensitivity and selectivity toward Hg 2+ detection. • The ratiometric probe is of good simplicity, low toxicity, and excellent stability

  19. Synthesis of nano grade hollow silica sphere via a soft template method.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tsai, Ming-Shyong; Li, Miao Ju; Yen, Fu-Hsu

    2008-06-01

    The nano grade hollow silica sphere (HSS) was synthesized by a novel soft template method. We found that the precipitate of aluminate had a porous structure that could be the soft template for HSS. After mixing the colloidal silica with the aluminate precipitate, the bubble trapped in this porous structure could form the nano grade HSS. The aluminate precipitate was removed by adjusting the pH of the slurry to approximately 1. The outside diameter, the specific surface, and the mean pore size diameter of the forming HSS were 60-90 nm, 571 m2/g, and 3 nm, respectively. The formed HSS was collected by modifying the surface with Si(OCH3)3CHCH2 (VTMO) and then filtrating the precipitated gel in the n-butanol and ethanol solvent system.

  20. Novel bioactive materials: silica aerogel and hybrid silica aerogel/pseudowollastonite

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Reséndiz-Hernández, P. J.

    2014-10-01

    Full Text Available Silica aerogel and hybrid silica aerogel/pseudowollastonite materials were synthesized by controlled hydrolysis of tetraethoxysilane (TEOS using also methanol (MeOH and pseudowollastonite particles. The gels obtained were dried using a novel process based on an ambient pressure drying. Hexane and hexamethyl-disilazane (HMDZ were the solvents used to chemically modify the surface. In order to assess bioactivity, aerogels, without and with pseudowollastonite particles, were immersed in simulated body fluid (SBF for 7 and 14 days. The hybrid silica aerogel/pseudowollastonite showed a higher bioactivity than that observed for the single silica aerogel. However, as in both cases a lower bioactivity was observed, a biomimetic method was also used to improve it. In this particular method, samples of both materials were immersed in SBF for 7 days followed by their immersion in a more concentrated solution (1.5 SBF for 14 days. A thick and homogeneous bonelike apatite layer was formed on the biomimetically treated materials. Thus, bioactivity was successfully improved even on the aerogel with no pseudowollastonite particles. As expected, the hybrid silica aerogel/pseudowollastonite particles showed a higher bioactivity.Se sintetizaron aerogel de sílice y aerogel híbrido de sílice/partículas de pseudowollastonita por hidrólisis controlada de tetraetoxisilano (TEOS usando metanol (MeOH y partículas de pseudowollastonita. Los geles obtenidos se secaron utilizando un novedoso proceso basado en una presión de secado ambiental. Hexano y hexametil-disilazano fueron los solventes usados para modificar químicamente la superficie. Para evaluar la bioactividad, los aerogeles con y sin partículas de pseudowollastonita se sumergieron en un fluido fisiológico simulado (SBF por 7 y 14 días. El aerogel híbrido de sílice/partículas de pseudowollastonita mostró más alta bioactividad que la observada por el aerogel solo. Sin embargo, en ambos casos, se

  1. Furosemide Loaded Silica-Lipid Hybrid Microparticles: Formulation Development, in vitro and ex vivo Evaluation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sambaraj, Swapna; Ammula, Divya; Nagabandi, Vijaykumar

    2015-09-01

    The main objective of the current research work was to formulate and evaluate furosemide loaded silica lipid hybrid microparticles for improved oral delivery. A novel silica-lipid hybrid microparticulate system is used for enhancing the oral absorption of low solubility and low permeability of (BCS Class IV) drugs. Silica-lipid hybrid microparticles include the drug solubilising effect of dispersed lipids and stabilizing effect of hydrophilic silica particles to increase drug solubilisation, which leads to enhanced oral bioavailability. The slica lipid hybrid (SLH) microparticles were composed of poorly soluble drug (furosemide), dispersion of oil phase (Soya bean oil and miglyol) in lecithin (Phospholipoid 90H), non-ionic surfactant (Polysorbate 80) and adsorbent (Aerosol 380). Saturation solubility studies were performed in different oils and surfactants with increased concentration of drug revealed increased solubility of furosemide. In vitro dissolution studies conducted under simulated gastric medium revealed 2-4 fold increase in dissolution efficiencies for SLH microparticles compared to that of pure drug (furosemide) and marketed formulation Lasix®. Ex vivo studies showed enhanced lipid digestibility, which improved drug permeability. Solid-state characterization of SLH microparticles by X-ray powder diffraction and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopic analysis confirmed non-crystalline nature and more compatibility of furosemide in silica-lipid hybrid microparticles. It can be concluded that the role of lipids and hydrophilic silica based carrier highlighted in enhancing solubility and permeability, and hence the oral bioavailability of poorly soluble drugs.

  2. Characterization of a silica-PVA hybrid for high density and stable silver dissolution

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Dorin, Bryce, E-mail: bryce.dorin@postgrad.manchester.ac.uk [The Photon Science Institute, The University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester, M13 9PL (United Kingdom); School of Chemical Engineering and Analytical Science, The University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester, M13 9PL (United Kingdom); Zhu, Guangyu, E-mail: g.zhu@liverpool.ac.uk [Lairdside Laser Engineering Centre, The University of Liverpool, Campbeltown Road, Merseyside, CH41 9HP (United Kingdom); Parkinson, Patrick, E-mail: patrick.parkinson@manchester.ac.uk [The Photon Science Institute, The University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester, M13 9PL (United Kingdom); School of Physics and Astronomy, The University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester, M13 9PL (United Kingdom); Perrie, Walter, E-mail: wpfemto1@liverpool.ac.uk [Lairdside Laser Engineering Centre, The University of Liverpool, Campbeltown Road, Merseyside, CH41 9HP (United Kingdom); Benyezzar, Med, E-mail: med.benyezzar@manchester.ac.uk [The Photon Science Institute, The University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester, M13 9PL (United Kingdom); Scully, Patricia, E-mail: patricia.scully@manchester.ac.uk [The Photon Science Institute, The University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester, M13 9PL (United Kingdom); School of Chemical Engineering and Analytical Science, The University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester, M13 9PL (United Kingdom)

    2016-07-01

    A silica and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) hybrid material mixed with a high density of silver ions is synthesised and characterized in this work. The hybrid material can be cast into thick films, which we determined to be homogeneous using Raman spectroscopy. We observed that the silver ions remain stable in the material over time and at temperatures of 100 °C, which represents a marked improvement over previous solid solutions of silver. Differential scanning calorimetry and thermogravimetric analysis indicate the rapid activation of silver at 173 °C, resulting in a dense formation of silver nanoparticles within the hybrid. The activation of silver was also demonstrated in 3-dimensional geometries using femtosecond duration laser pulses. These results illustrate the silica-PVA hybrid is an attractive material for developing silver-insulator composites. - Highlights: • A novel PVA-silica hybrid is developed for silver ion dissolution. • The hybrid exhibits a high silver saturation point and good silver stability. • Heating and laser irradiation are capable of converting the silver ions to metal. • The hybrid material enables the fabrication of 3D metal-insulator composites.

  3. Synthesis and electrochemical properties of Li4Ti5O12 spheres and its application for hybrid supercapacitors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Deng, SiXu; Li, JingWen; Sun, ShiBing; Wang, Hao; Liu, JingBing; Yan, Hui

    2014-01-01

    Highlights: • Li 4 Ti 5 O 12 (LTO) spheres are prepared by molten-salt and TiO 2 spheres as template. • The LTO spheres are potential for using as anode for AC//LTO hybrid capacitor. • The AC//LTO hybrid supercapacitor presents good electrochemical performance. - Abstract: There is a growing demand for hybrid supercapacitor systems to combine the advantages of both lithium-ion battery and supercapacitors for the application of electric vehicles. We describe in this paper one kind of hybrid supercapacitor comprising spherical Li 4 Ti 5 O 12 as negative electrode and activated carbon (AC) as positive electrode in the non-aqueous electrolyte. The Li 4 Ti 5 O 12 spheres were synthesized using a LiCl-KCl molten-salt method and TiO 2 spheres as the template. The Li 4 Ti 5 O 12 spheres revealed high discharge capacity (168 mAh g −1 at 0.2 C), and a good capacity retention with high coulombic efficiency after cycling, which can be potential anode material for lithium ion batteries and negative material for hybrid supercapacitor. The AC//LTO hybrid supercapacitor exhibits excellent capacity retention of 93% after 500 cycles and offers higher energy density and power density than the AC//AC symmetric supercapacitor. The presented AC//LTO hybrid supercapacitor could be a competitive candidate for the promising energy storage devices

  4. Morphology and properties of silica/novolac hybrid xerogels synthesized using sol–gel polymerization at solvent vapor-saturated atmosphere

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Seraji, Mohamad Mehdi; Seifi, Azadeh; Bahramian, Ahmad Reza

    2015-01-01

    Highlights: • Sol–gel polymerization in vapor of solvent saturated atmosphere is developed. • Highly porous novolac–silica hybrid xerogels are successfully synthesized. • Novolac–silica hybrid gel was dried in ambient condition with low shrinkage. • Required time for preparation of gel reduced from 5 days to about 5 h. • By incorporation of silica into the novolac xerogel structure, the pore size decreases. - Abstract: Highly porous novolac–silica hybrid xerogels were successfully synthesized via the novel method of sol–gel polymerization in solvent vapor-saturated atmosphere. This method removes the need for supercritical drying and yields the hybrid xerogels with reduced shrinkage in comparison with conventional sol–gel process. Tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) was used as the precursor of silica-based inorganic phase. The chemical and structural characterization of the prepared hybrid xerogels were performed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis, respectively. Thermal and mechanical properties of the hybrid samples were investigated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and compressive strength analysis. The resultant hybrid xerogels show a nanostructured colloidal hybrid network with high porosity (above 80%) and low density (below 0.25 g cm −3 ). Si mapping images shows the good distribution of silica phase throughout the hybrid structure

  5. Preparation of graphene quantum dots based core-satellite hybrid spheres and their use as the ratiometric fluorescence probe for visual determination of mercury(II) ions

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hua, Mengjuan [Key Laboratory of Modern Agriculture Equipment and Technology, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013 (China); Wang, Chengquan [School of Food and Biological Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013 (China); Qian, Jing, E-mail: qianj@ujs.edu.cn [Key Laboratory of Modern Agriculture Equipment and Technology, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013 (China); Wang, Kan; Yang, Zhenting; Liu, Qian; Mao, Hanping [Key Laboratory of Modern Agriculture Equipment and Technology, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013 (China); Wang, Kun, E-mail: wangkun@ujs.edu.cn [Key Laboratory of Modern Agriculture Equipment and Technology, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013 (China)

    2015-08-12

    We herein proposed a simple and effective strategy for preparing graphene quantum dots (GQDs)-based core-satellite hybrid spheres and further explored the feasibility of using such spheres as the ratiometric fluorescence probe for the visual determination of Hg{sup 2+}. The red-emitting CdTe QDs were firstly entrapped in the silica nanosphere to reduce their toxicity and improve their photo and chemical stabilities, thus providing a built-in correction for environmental effects, while the GQDs possessing good biocompatibility and low toxicity were electrostatic self-assembly on the silica surface acting as reaction sites. Upon exposure to the increasing contents of Hg{sup 2+}, the blue fluorescence of GQDs can be gradually quenched presumably due to facilitating nonradiative electron/hole recombination annihilation. With the embedded CdTe QDs as the internal standard, the variations of the tested solution display continuous fluorescence color changes from blue to red, which can be easily observed by the naked eye without any sophisticated instrumentations and specially equipped laboratories. This sensor exhibits high sensitivity and selectivity toward Hg{sup 2+} in a broad linear range of 10 nM–22 μM with a low detection limit of 3.3 nM (S/N = 3), much lower than the allowable Hg{sup 2+} contents in drinking water set by U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. This prototype ratiometric probe is of good simplicity, low toxicity, excellent stabilities, and thus potentially attractive for Hg{sup 2+} quantification related biological systems. - Highlights: • A facile strategy for preparing GQDs based core-satellite hybrid spheres was reported. • Such spheres can be used as the ratiometric fluorescence probe for Hg{sup 2+} detection. • The Hg{sup 2+} content can be easily distinguished by the naked eye. • The sensor shows high sensitivity and selectivity toward Hg{sup 2+} detection. • The ratiometric probe is of good simplicity, low toxicity, and

  6. Thermal and Mechanical Properties of Novolac-Silica Hybrid Aerogels Prepared by Sol-Gel Polymerization in Solvent-Saturated Vapor Atmosphere

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mohamad Mehdi Seraji1, Seraji

    2015-05-01

    Full Text Available Nowadays organic–inorganic hybrid aerogel materials have attracted increasing interests due to improved thermal and mechanical properties. In the present research, initially, novolac type phenolic resin-silica hybrid gels with different solid concentrations were synthesized using sol-gel polymerization in solvent-saturatedvapor atmosphere. The hybrid gels were dried at air atmosphere through ambient drying process. This method removed the need for costly and risky supercritical drying process. The yields of the obtained hybrid aerogels increased with less shrinkage in comparison with conventional sol-gel process. The precursor of silica phase in this study was tetraethoxysilane and inexpensive novolac resin was used as a reinforcing phase. The results of FTIR analysis confirmed the simultaneous formation of silica and novolac gels in the hybrid systems. The resultant hybrid aerogels showed a nanostructure hybrid network with high porosity (above 80% and low density (below 0.25 g/cm3. Nonetheless, higher content of silica resulted in more shrinkage in the hybrid aerogel structure due to the tendency of the silica network to shrink more during gelation and drying process. The SEM images of samples exhibited a continuous network of interconnected colloidal particles formed during sol-gel polymerization with mean particle size of less than 100 nanometers. Si mapping analysis showed good distribution of silica phase throughout the hybrid structure. The results demonstrated improvements in insulation properties and thermal stability of novolac-silica aerogel with increasing the silica content. The results of compressive strength showed that the mechanical properties of samples declined with increasing the silica content.

  7. Preparation of porous hollow silica spheres via a layer-by-layer process and the chromatographic performance

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wei, Xiaobing; Gong, Cairong; Chen, Xujuan; Fan, Guoliang; Xu, Xinhua

    2017-03-01

    Hollow silica spheres possessing excellent mechanical properties were successfully prepared through a layer-by-layer process using uniform polystyrene (PS) latex fabricated by dispersion polymerization as template. The formation of hollow SiO2 micro-spheres, structures and properties were observed in detail by zeta potential, SEM, TEM, FTIR, TGA and nitrogen sorption porosimetry. The results indicated that the hollow spheres were uniform with particle diameter of 1.6 μm and shell thickness of 150 nm. The surface area was 511 m2/g and the pore diameter was 8.36 nm. A new stationary phase for HPLC was obtained by using C18-derivatized hollow SiO2 micro-spheres as packing materials and the chromatographic properties were evaluated for the separation of some regular small molecules. The packed column showed low column pressure, high values of efficiency (up to about 43 000 plates/m) and appropriate asymmetry factors.

  8. A comprehensive study of soft magnetic materials based on FeSi spheres and polymeric resin modified by silica nanorods

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Strečková, M.; Füzer, J.; Kobera, L.; Brus, J.; Fáberová, M.; Bureš, R.; Kollár, P.; Lauda, M.; Medvecký, Ĺ.; Girman, V.; Hadraba, H.; Bat'ková, M.; Bat'ko, I.

    2014-01-01

    A novel soft magnetic composite (SMC) based on spherical FeSi particles precisely covered by hybrid phenolic resin was designed. The hybrid resin including silica nano-rods chemically incorporated into the phenolic polymer matrix was prepared by the modified sol–gel method. A chemical bridge connecting silica nano-rods with the base polymeric net was verified by FTIR, 13 C and 29 Si NMR spectroscopy, whereas the shape and size of silica nano-rods were determined by TEM. It is shown that the modification of polymeric resin by silica nano-rods generally leads to the improved thermal and mechanical properties of the final samples. The hybrid resin serves as a perfect insulating coating deposited on FeSi particles and the core–shell particles can be further compacted by standard powder metallurgy methods in order to prepare final samples for mechanical, electric and magnetic testing. SEM images evidence negligible porosity, uniform distribution of the hybrid resin around FeSi particles, as well as, dimensional shape stability of the final samples after thermal treatment. The hardness, flexural strength and density of the final samples are comparable to the sintered SMCs, but they simultaneously exhibit much higher specific resistivity along with only slightly lower coercivity and permeability. - Highlights: • Soft magnetic composites are designed for electrotechnical applications. • Electroinsulating layer consists of phenolic resin modified with silica nano-rods. • NMR, FTIR and DSC analysis is used to characterize hybrid resin. • Spherical Fe–Si particles covered by hybrid resin form a core–shell composite. • Mechanical, electrical and magnetic properties are described in detail

  9. In-situ fabrication of halloysite nanotubes/silica nano hybrid and its application in unsaturated polyester resin

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lin, Jing; Zhong, Bangchao; Jia, Zhixin; Hu, Dechao; Ding, Yong; Luo, Yuanfang; Jia, Demin

    2017-06-01

    Silica nanoparticles was in-situ grown on the surface of halloysite nanotubes (HNTs) by a facile one-step approach to prepare a unique nano-structured hybrid (HNTs-g-Silica). The structure, morphology and composition of HNTs-g-Silica were investigated. It was confirmed that silica nanoparticles with the diameter of 10-20 nm were chemically grafted through Sisbnd O bonds and uniformly dispersed onto the surface of HNTs, leading to the formation of nano-protrusions on the nanotube surface. Due to the significantly improved interface strength between HNTs-g-Silica and polymer matrix, HNTs-g-Silica effectively toughened unsaturated polyester resin (UPE) and endowed UPE with superior thermal stability compared to HNTs. Based on the unique hybrid architecture and the improved properties of UPE nanocomposites, it is envisioned that HNTs-g-Silica may be a promising filler for more high performance and functional polymers composites and the fabrication method may have implications in the synthesis of nano hybrid materials.

  10. Aminopropyl-Silica Hybrid Particles as Supports for Humic Acids Immobilization

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mónika Sándor

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available A series of aminopropyl-functionalized silica nanoparticles were prepared through a basic two step sol-gel process in water. Prior to being aminopropyl-functionalized, silica particles with an average diameter of 549 nm were prepared from tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS, using a Stöber method. In a second step, aminopropyl-silica particles were prepared by silanization with 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES, added drop by drop to the sol-gel mixture. The synthesized amino-functionalized silica particles are intended to be used as supports for immobilization of humic acids (HA, through electrostatic bonds. Furthermore, by inserting beside APTES, unhydrolysable mono-, di- or trifunctional alkylsilanes (methyltriethoxy silane (MeTES, trimethylethoxysilane (Me3ES, diethoxydimethylsilane (Me2DES and 1,2-bis(triethoxysilylethane (BETES onto silica particles surface, the spacing of the free amino groups was intended in order to facilitate their interaction with HA large molecules. Two sorts of HA were used for evaluating the immobilization capacity of the novel aminosilane supports. The results proved the efficient functionalization of silica nanoparticles with amino groups and showed that the immobilization of the two tested types of humic acid substances was well achieved for all the TEOS/APTES = 20/1 (molar ratio silica hybrids having or not having the amino functions spaced by alkyl groups. It was shown that the density of aminopropyl functions is low enough at this low APTES fraction and do not require a further spacing by alkyl groups. Moreover, all the hybrids having negative zeta potential values exhibited low interaction with HA molecules.

  11. Characteristic of Hybrid Cellulose-Amino Functionalized POSS-Silica Nanocomposite and Antimicrobial Activity

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sivalingam Ramesh

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Recently, cellulose has much attention as an emerging renewable nanomaterial which holds promising properties having unique piezoelectricity, insulating, and biodegradable nature for various applications. Also, the modified properties of cellulose by appropriate chemical modifications in various functional groups with outstanding properties or significantly improved physical, chemical, biological, and electronic properties will widen the way for it to be utilized in different usages. Therefore, in this paper, cellulose-functionalized polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxanes (POSS based materials were considered an important class of high-performance hybrid nanocomposite materials. To functionalize the regenerated cellulose, amino functionalized POSS material was synthesized via sol-gel covalent crosslinking process in presence of amino coupling agent. In this reaction, tetraethoxsilane (TEOS and γ-aminopropyltriethoxy silane (γ-APTES as coupling agent for metal precursors were selected. The chemical structure of cellulose-amine functionalized bonding and covalent crosslinking hybrids was confirmed by FTIR and 1H NMR spectral analysis. From the TEM results, well-dispersed hybrid cellulose-functionalized POSS-silica composites are observed. The resulting cellulose-POSS-silica hybrid nanocomposites materials provided significantly improved the optical transparency, and thermal and morphological properties to compare the cellulose-silica hybrid materials. Further, antimicrobial test against pathogenic bacteria was carried out.

  12. One-step synthesis of hierarchically porous hybrid TiO2 hollow spheres with high photocatalytic activity

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Ruiping; Ren, Feng; Yang, Jinlin; Su, Weiming; Sun, Zhiming; Zhang, Lei; Wang, Chang-an

    2016-03-01

    Hierarchically porous hybrid TiO2 hollow spheres were solvothermally synthesized successfully by using tetrabutyl titanate as titanium precursor and hydrated metal sulfates as soft templates. The as-prepared TiO2 spheres with hierarchically pore structures and high specific surface area and pore volume consisted of highly crystallized anatase TiO2 nanocrystals hybridized with a small amount of metal oxide from the hydrated sulfate. The proposed hydrated-sulfate assisted solvothermal (HAS) synthesis strategy was demonstrated to be widely applicable to various systems. Evaluation of the hybrid TiO2 hollow spheres for the photo-decomposition of methyl orange (MO) under visible-light irradiation revealed that they exhibited excellent photocatalytic activity and durability.

  13. Porous nickel hydroxide-manganese dioxide-reduced graphene oxide ternary hybrid spheres as excellent supercapacitor electrode materials.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Hao; Zhou, Shuxue; Wu, Limin

    2014-06-11

    This paper reports the first nickel hydroxide-manganese dioxide-reduced graphene oxide (Ni(OH)2-MnO2-RGO) ternary hybrid sphere powders as supercapacitor electrode materials. Due to the abundant porous nanostructure, relatively high specific surface area, well-defined spherical morphology, and the synergetic effect of Ni(OH)2, MnO2, and RGO, the electrodes with the as-obtained Ni(OH)2-MnO2-RGO ternary hybrid spheres as active materials exhibited significantly enhanced specific capacitance (1985 F·g(-1)) and energy density (54.0 Wh·kg(-1)), based on the total mass of active materials. In addition, the Ni(OH)2-MnO2-RGO hybrid spheres-based asymmetric supercapacitor also showed satisfying energy density and electrochemical cycling stability.

  14. Mesoporous silica nanotubes hybrid membranes for functional nanofiltration

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    El-Safty, Sherif A; Shahat, Ahmed; Mekawy, Moataz; Nguyen, Hoa; Warkocki, Wojciech; Ohnuma, Masato

    2010-01-01

    The development of nanofiltration systems would greatly assist in the production of well-defined particles and biomolecules with unique properties. We report a direct, simple synthesis of hexagonal silica nanotubes (NTs), which vertically aligned inside anodic alumina membranes (AAM) by means of a direct templating method of microemulsion phases with cationic surfactants. The direct approach was used as soft templates for predicting ordered assemblies of surfactant/silica composites through strong interactions within AAM pockets. Thus, densely packed NTs were successfully formed in the entirety of the AAM channels. These silica NTs were coated with layers of organic moieties to create a powerful technique for the ultrafine filtration. The resulting modified-silica NTs were chemically robust and showed affinity toward the transport of small molecular particles. The rigid silica NTs inside AAM channels had a pore diameter of ≤ 4 nm and were used as ultrafine filtration systems for noble metal nanoparticles (NM NPs) and semiconductor nanocrystals (SC NCs) fabricated with a wide range of sizes (1.0-50 nm) and spherical/pyramidal morphologies. Moreover, the silica NTs hybrid membranes were also found to be suitable for separation of biomolecules such as cytochrome c (CytC). Importantly, this nanofilter design retains high nanofiltration efficiency of NM NPs, SC NCs and biomolecules after a number of reuse cycles. Such retention is crucial in industrial applications.

  15. Epoxy-silica hybrids by nonaqueous sol-gel process

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Ponyrko, Sergii; Kobera, Libor; Brus, Jiří; Matějka, Libor

    2013-01-01

    Roč. 54, č. 23 (2013), s. 6271-6282 ISSN 0032-3861 R&D Projects: GA ČR GAP108/12/1459 Grant - others:AV ČR(CZ) M200500903 Institutional support: RVO:61389013 Keywords : epoxy-silica hybrid * nonaqueous sol-gel process * gelation Subject RIV: CD - Macromolecular Chemistry Impact factor: 3.766, year: 2013

  16. Heavy metals adsorption by novel EDTA-modified chitosan-silica hybrid materials.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Repo, Eveliina; Warchoł, Jolanta K; Bhatnagar, Amit; Sillanpää, Mika

    2011-06-01

    Novel adsorbents were synthesized by functionalizing chitosan-silica hybrid materials with (ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid) EDTA ligands. The synthesized adsorbents were found to combine the advantages of both silica gel (high surface area, porosity, rigid structure) and chitosan (surface functionality). The Adsorption potential of hybrid materials was investigated using Co(II), Ni(II), Cd(II), and Pb(II) as target metals by varying experimental conditions such as pH, contact time, and initial metal concentration. The kinetic results revealed that the pore diffusion process played a key role in adsorption kinetics, which might be attributed to the porous structure of synthesized adsorbents. The obtained maximum adsorption capacities of the hybrid materials for the metal ions ranged from 0.25 to 0.63 mmol/g under the studied experimental conditions. The adsorbent with the highest chitosan content showed the best adsorption efficiency. Bi-Langmuir and Sips isotherm model fitting to experimental data suggested the surface heterogeneity of the prepared adsorbents. In multimetal solutions, the hybrid adsorbents showed the highest affinity toward Pb(II). Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  17. Magnetic silica hybrids modified with guanidine containing co-polymers for drug delivery applications

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Timin, Alexander S., E-mail: a_timin@mail.ru [Inorganic Chemistry Department, Ivanovo State University of Chemistry and Technology (ISUCT), 7, Sheremetevsky prosp., 153000 Ivanovo (Russian Federation); RASA Center in Tomsk, Tomsk Polytechnic University, 30, Lenin Avenue, 634500 Tomsk (Russian Federation); Khashirova, Svetlana Yu. [Kabardino-Balkar State University, ul. Chernyshevskogo 173, Nal' chik, 360004 Kabardino-Balkaria (Russian Federation); Rumyantsev, Evgeniy V.; Goncharenko, Alexander A. [Inorganic Chemistry Department, Ivanovo State University of Chemistry and Technology (ISUCT), 7, Sheremetevsky prosp., 153000 Ivanovo (Russian Federation)

    2016-07-01

    Guanidine containing co-polymers grafted onto silica nanoparticles to form core-shell structure were prepared by sol-gel method in the presence of γ-Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3} nanoparticles. The morphological features for uncoated and coated silica particles have been characterized with scanning electron microscopy. The results show that the polymer coated silicas exhibit spherical morphology with rough polymeric surface covered by γ-Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3} nanoparticles. The grafting amount of guanidine containing co-polymers evaluated by thermogravimetric analysis was in the range from 17 to 30%. Then, the drug loading properties and cumulative release of silica hybrids modified with guanidine containing co-polymers were evaluated using molsidomine as a model drug. It was shown that after polymer grafting the loading content of molsidomine could reach up to 3.42 ± 0.21 and 2.34 ± 0.14 mg/g respectively. The maximum drug release of molsidomine is achieved at pH 1.6 (approximately 71–75% release at 37 °C), whereas at pH 7.4 drug release is lower (50.4–59.6% release at 37 °C). These results have an important implication that our magneto-controlled silica hybrids modified with guanidine containing co-polymers are promising as drug carriers with controlled behaviour under influence of magnetic field. - Highlights: • Polymer coated silica hybrids containing γ-Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3} were prepared via sol–gel method. • Polymer grafting influences pH-response and surface properties of final products. • Molsidomine as a model drug was effectively loaded into polymer coated silicas. • The drug loading depends on the nature of grafted polymer and its content.

  18. Development of novel biocompatible hybrid nanocomposites based on polyurethane-silica prepared by sol gel process

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Rashti, Ali [Department of Medical Nanotechnology, School of Advanced Technologies in Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Yahyaei, Hossein [Department of Polymer Engineering and Color Technology, Amirkabir University of Technology, Tehran (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Firoozi, Saman [Department of Tissue Engineering & Regenerative Medicine, Faculty of Advanced Technologies in Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Ramezani, Sara [Department of Neuroscience, School of Advanced Technologies in Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Rahiminejad, Ali [Department of Medical Nanotechnology, School of Advanced Technologies in Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Karimi, Roya [Department of Tissue Engineering and Applied Cell Science, School of Advanced Technologies in Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Farzaneh, Khadijeh [Tehran Heart Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Mohseni, Mohsen [Department of Polymer Engineering and Color Technology, Amirkabir University of Technology, Tehran (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Ghanbari, Hossein, E-mail: hghanbari@tums.ac.ir [Department of Medical Nanotechnology, School of Advanced Technologies in Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Tehran Heart Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Medical Biomaterials Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran (Iran, Islamic Republic of)

    2016-12-01

    Due to high biocompatibility, polyurethane has found many applications, particularly in development of biomedical devices. A new nanocomposite based on thermoset polyurethane and silica nanoparticles was synthesized using sol-gel method. Sol-gel process was fulfilled in two acidic and basic conditions by using tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS) and trimethoxyisocyanatesilane as precursors. The hybrid films characterized for mechanical and surface properties using tensile strength, contact angle, ATR-FTIR and scanning electron microscopy. Biocompatibility and cytotoxicity of the hybrids were assessed using standard MTT, LDH and TUNEL assays. The results revealed that incorporation of silica nanoparticles was significantly improved tensile strength and mechanical properties of the hybrids. Based on the contact angle results, silica nanoparticles increased hydrophilicity of the hybrids. Biocompatibility by using human lung epithelial cell line (MRC-5) demonstrated that the hybrids were significantly less cytotoxic compared to pristine polymer as tested by MTT and LDH assays. TUNEL assay revealed no signs of apoptosis in all tested samples. The results of this study demonstrated that incorporation of silica nanoparticles into polyurethane lead to the enhancement of biocompatibility, indicating that these hybrids could potentially be used in biomedical field in particular as a new coating for medical implants. - Highlights: • Nanocomposites based on polyurethane and nanosilica prepared by sol-gel method fabricated • Addition of inorganic phase improved mechanical properties. • Nanosilica prepared by sol-gel method increased hydrophilicity. • By adding nanosilica to polyurethane biocompatibility increased significantly.

  19. Plasma-deposited hybrid silica membranes with a controlled retention of organic bridges

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ngamou, P.H.T.; Creatore, M. [Department of Applied Physics, Eindhoven University of Technology, 5600 MB Eindhoven (Netherlands); Overbeek, J.P.; Kreiter, R.; Van Veen, H.M.; Vente, J.F. [ECN, Energy research Centre of the Netherlands, Petten (Netherlands); Wienk, I.M.; Cuperus, P.F. [SolSep BV, Apeldoorn (Netherlands)

    2013-03-05

    Hybrid organically bridged silica membranes are suitable for energy-efficient molecular separations under harsh industrial conditions. Such membranes can be useful in organic solvent nanofiltration if they can be deposited on flexible, porous and large area supports. Here, we report the proof of concept for applying an expanding thermal plasma to the synthesis of perm-selective hybrid silica films from an organically bridged monomer, 1,2-bis(triethoxysilyl)ethane. This membrane is the first in its class to be produced by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition. By tuning the plasma and process parameters, the organic bridging groups could be retained in the separating layer. This way, a defect free film could be made with pervaporation performances of an n-butanol-water mixture comparable with those of conventional ceramic supported membranes made by sol-gel technology (i.e. a water flux of [similar]1.8 kg m'-{sup 2} h{sup -1}, a water concentration in the permeate higher than 98% and a separation factor of >1100). The obtained results show the suitability of expanding thermal plasma as a technology for the deposition of hybrid silica membranes for molecular separations.

  20. Silver nanoparticles deposited on amine-functionalized silica spheres and their amalgamation-based spectral and colorimetric detection of Hg(II) ions

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Rameshkumar, Perumal; Manivannan, Shanmugam; Ramaraj, Ramasamy, E-mail: ramarajr@yahoo.com [Madurai Kamaraj University, Centre for Photoelectrochemistry, School of Chemistry (India)

    2013-05-15

    A facile synthetic method to decorate amine-functionalized silica spheres (SiO{sub 2}) by silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) is reported. The transmission electron microscopic (TEM) images showed that spherical Ag NPs with an average particle size of 14 nm were deposited on 250 nm-sized SiO{sub 2} spheres (SiO{sub 2}/Ag NPs). The spectral and colorimetric detection of Hg(II) ions were carried out using the synthesized SiO{sub 2}/Ag NPs with an experimental detection limit of 5 {mu}M. It was found that the addition of Hg(II) ions (150 {mu}M) into the solution of SiO{sub 2}/Ag NPs completely quenched the SPR band of the Ag NPs due to the formation of anisotropic Ag amalgam crystals (AgHg). The selective detection of Hg(II) ions by SiO{sub 2}/Ag NPs in the presence of other environmentally relevant metal ions was also demonstrated using spectral and colorimetric methods.Graphical abstractAmine-functionalized silica spheres are decorated by in situ formation of silver nanoparticles and their spectral and colorimetric detection of Hg(II) ions is reported.

  1. Preparation and Physicochemical Properties of Functionalized Silica/Octamethacryl-Silsesquioxane Hybrid Systems

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Karolina Szwarc-Rzepka

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Alkoxysilane-grafted silica/polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane with methacryl substituents (SiO2/silane/POSS hybrid material was synthesized according to hydrolyzation and condensation reactions in the so-called “bifunctionalization process.” It is a new attractive system because of its physicochemical, especially thermal and structural, properties. This innovative method of preparation as well as specific physicochemical and useful properties determine the potential applications of such products in many industries. The structure and physicochemical parameters of obtained hybrid systems were characterized using infrared spectroscopy (FTIR, 13C and 29Si solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (CP MAS NMR, and thermal analysis. The mechanism of bifunctionalization reaction was proposed. The chemical immobilization of silane coupling agent and Methacryl POSS onto silica support surface was noted during the study. Those changes caused a significant increase in the hydrophobic character of fillers obtained. Moreover, changes in thermal stability of SiO2/silane/POSS hybrid systems in comparison to pure POSS modifier were also observed.

  2. Durable flame retardant finish for silk fabric using boron hybrid silica sol

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zhang, Qiang-hua; Gu, Jiali; Chen, Guo-qiang [National Engineering Laboratory for Modern Silk, Soochow University (China); Xing, Tie-ling, E-mail: xingtieling@suda.edu.cn [National Engineering Laboratory for Modern Silk, Soochow University (China); Jiangsu HuaJia Group (China)

    2016-11-30

    Highlights: • Highly homogeneous boron hybrid silica sol flame retardant system was prepared through sol-gel method. • The silk samples treated and cross-linked by this hybrid sol and BTCA solution showed a higher limiting oxygen index (LOI) more than 31.0% and a better washing durability for more than 30 times washing. • The smoke suppression, combustion performance and thermal stability properties of the treated samples have a significant improvement. - Abstract: A hybrid silica sol was prepared via sol gel method using tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) as a precursor and boric acid (H{sub 3}BO{sub 3}) as flame retardant additive and then applied to silk fabric. In order to endow silk fabric with durable flame retardancy, 1,2,3,4-butanetetracarboxylic acid (BTCA) was used as cross-linking agent for the sake of strong linkage formation between the hybrid silica sol and silk fabric. The FT-IR and XPS analysis demonstrated the Si-O-B formation in the sol system, as well as the linkage between the sol and silk after the treatment. The limiting oxygen index (LOI) and smoke density test indicated good flame retardancy and smoke suppression of the treated silk fabrics. The micro calorimeter combustion (MCC) test and thermo gravimetric (TG) analysis showed that the treated samples had less weight loss in the high temperature and lower heat release rate when burning. The washing durability evaluation results indicated that there was a distinct improvement for the silk samples treated with BTCA even after 30 times washing. In addition, the influence of the processing order of BTCA and silica sol treatment on the limiting oxygen index (LOI) of the finished silk fabric was also investigated. And the results demonstrated that the sample treated with BTCA first and then with the silica sol exhibited better LOI value (32.3%) than that of the sample by the conversed treatment order. Moreover the tensile property of treated samples was nearly unchanged, but the handle of sol treated

  3. A disposable biosensor based on immobilization of laccase with silica spheres on the MWCNTs-doped screen-printed electrode

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Li Yuanting

    2012-09-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Biosensors have attracted increasing attention as reliable analytical instruments in in situ monitoring of public health and environmental pollution. For enzyme-based biosensors, the stabilization of enzymatic activity on the biological recognition element is of great importance. It is generally acknowledged that an effective immobilization technique is a key step to achieve the construction quality of biosensors. Results A novel disposable biosensor was constructed by immobilizing laccase (Lac with silica spheres on the surface of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs-doped screen-printed electrode (SPE. Then, it was characterized in morphology and electrochemical properties by scanning electron microscopy (SEM and cyclic voltammetry (CV. The characterization results indicated that a high loading of Lac and a good electrocatalytic activity could be obtained, attributing to the porous structure, large specific area and good biocompatibility of silica spheres and MWCNTs. Furthermore, the electrochemical sensing properties of the constructed biosensor were investigated by choosing dopamine (DA as the typical model of phenolic compounds. It was shown that the biosensor displays a good linearity in the range from 1.3 to 85.5 μM with a detection limit of 0.42 μM (S/N = 3, and the Michaelis-Menten constant (Kmapp was calculated to be 3.78 μM. Conclusion The immobilization of Lac was successfully achieved with silica spheres to construct a disposable biosensor on the MWCNTs-doped SPE (MWCNTs/SPE. This biosensor could determine DA based on a non-oxidative mechanism in a rapid, selective and sensitive way. Besides, the developed biosensor could retain high enzymatic activity and possess good stability without cross-linking reagents. The proposed immobilization approach and the constructed biosensor offer a great potential for the fabrication of the enzyme-based biosensors and the analysis of phenolic compounds.

  4. Synthesis and spectroscopic properties of silica-dye-semiconductor nanocrystal hybrid particles.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ren, Ting; Erker, Wolfgang; Basché, Thomas; Schärtl, Wolfgang

    2010-12-07

    We prepared silica-dye-nanocrystal hybrid particles and studied the energy transfer from semiconductor nanocrystals (= donor) to organic dye molecules (= acceptor). Multishell CdSe/CdS/ZnS semiconductor nanocrystals were adsorbed onto monodisperse Stöber silica particles with an outer silica shell of thickness 2-23 nm containing organic dye molecules (Texas Red). The thickness of this dye layer has a strong effect on the energy transfer efficiency, which is explained by the increase in the number of dye molecules homogeneously distributed within the silica shell, in combination with an enhanced surface adsorption of nanocrystals with increasing dye amount. Our conclusions were underlined by comparison of the experimental results with numerically calculated FRET efficiencies and by control experiments confirming attractive interaction between the nanocrystals and Texas Red freely dissolved in solution.

  5. Design of water-repellant coating using dual scale size of hybrid silica nanoparticles on polymer surface

    Science.gov (United States)

    Conti, J.; De Coninck, J.; Ghazzal, M. N.

    2018-04-01

    The dual-scale size of the silica nanoparticles is commonly aimed at producing dual-scale roughness, also called hierarchical roughness (Lotus effect). In this study, we describe a method to build a stable water-repellant coating with controlled roughness. Hybrid silica nanoparticles are self-assembled over a polymeric surface by alternating consecutive layers. Each one uses homogenously distributed silica nanoparticles of a particular size. The effect of the nanoparticle size of the first layer on the final roughness of the coating is studied. The first layer enables to adjust the distance between the silica nanoparticles of the upper layer, leading to a tuneable and controlled final roughness. An optimal size nanoparticle has been found for higher water-repellency. Furthermore, the stability of the coating on polymeric surface (Polycarbonate substrate) is ensured by photopolymerization of hybridized silica nanoparticles using Vinyl functional groups.

  6. Effect of admixed high-density polyethylene (HDPE) spheres on contraction stress and properties of experimental composites.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ferracane, J L; Ferracane, L L; Braga, R R

    2003-07-15

    Additives that provide stress relief may be incorporated into dental composites to reduce contraction stress (CS). This study attempted to test the hypothesis that conventional fillers could be replaced by high-density polyethylene (HDPE) spheres in hybrid and nanofill composites to reduce CS, but with minimal effect on mechanical properties. Nanofill and hybrid composites were made from a Bis-GMA/TEGDMA resin having either all silica nanofiller or 75 wt.% strontium glass + 5 wt.% silica and replacing some of the nanofiller or the glass with 0%, 5% (hybrid only), 10% or 20 wt.% HDPE. The surface of the HDPE was either left untreated or had a reactive gas surface treatment (RGST). Contraction stress (CS) was monitored for 10 min in a tensilometer (n = 5) after light curing for 60 s at 390 mW/cm(2). Other specimens (n = 5) were light cured 40 s from two sides in a light-curing unit and aged 1 d in water before testing fracture toughness (K(Ic)), flexure strength (FS), and modulus (E). Results were analyzed by ANOVA with Tukey's multiple comparison test at p HDPE except for FS-10% HDPE hybrid (RGST higher). An increased level of HDPE reduced contraction stress for both types of composites. Flexure strength, modulus (hybrid only), and fracture toughness were also reduced as the concentration of HDPE increased. SEM showed evidence for HDPE debonding and plastic deformation during fracture of the hybrid composites. In conclusion, the addition of HDPE spheres reduces contraction stress in composites, either through stress relief or a reduction in elastic modulus. Copyright 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater 66B: 318-323, 2003

  7. FTIR and morphology of liquid epoxidized natural rubber acrylate (LENRA)/silica hybrid composites

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Eda Yuhana Ariffin; Azizan Ahmad; Dahlan Mohd; Mahathir Mohamed

    2009-01-01

    Synthesis of organic-inorganic hybrid composites was carried out by combination of liquid epoxidized natural rubber acrylate (LENRA) and silica. Silica was introduce to the matrix by sol gel technique. The sol-gel technique was employed to prepare silica using tetraethyorthosilicate (TEOS) as precursor. HDDA and irga cure 184 were added to the formulations as reactive diluents and photosensitizer, respectively. The chemical modification was studied by Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) and energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDAX). The morphological studies were conducted by the optical and scanning electron microscopes (SEM). It shows that silica was dispersed very well in the matrix for lower concentration of TEOS while agglomeration occurs at the higher concentration. The average particles size of silica were less than 100 nm. (Author)

  8. Temperature effect on the physico-chemical properties of silica based bio-hybrid composite for uranium uptake

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mishra, Archana; Melo, Jose Savio

    2013-01-01

    In the present work, silica based bio-hybrid composite has been prepared using Streptococcus lactis cells and silica nanoparticles through one step single process of spray drying. Bio-hybrids have many desired characteristics, and are thus used in a wide range of applications for example environmental cleanup which is of increasing importance. Thermogravimetric and thermodynamic analysis have been employed to understand the binding of uranium to the synthesized bio-hybrid material. Analysis of the thermodynamic parameters (ΔG 0 , ΔS 0 and ΔH 0 ) provides information regarding the inherent energy and feasibility of the sorption process. (author)

  9. Hybrid Mesoporous Silica-Based Drug Carrier Nanostructures with Improved Degradability by Hydroxyapatite.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hao, Xiaohong; Hu, Xixue; Zhang, Cuimiao; Chen, Shizhu; Li, Zhenhua; Yang, Xinjian; Liu, Huifang; Jia, Guang; Liu, Dandan; Ge, Kun; Liang, Xing-Jie; Zhang, Jinchao

    2015-10-27

    Potential bioaccumulation is one of the biggest limitations for silica nanodrug delivery systems in cancer therapy. In this study, a mesoporous silica nanoparticles/hydroxyapatite (MSNs/HAP) hybrid drug carrier, which enhanced the biodegradability of silica, was developed by a one-step method. The morphology and structure of the nanoparticles were characterized by TEM, DLS, FT-IR, XRD, N2 adsorption-desorption isotherms, and XPS, and the drug loading and release behaviors were tested. TEM and ICP-OES results indicate that the degradability of the nanoparticles has been significantly improved by Ca(2+) escape from the skeleton in an acid environment. The MSNs/HAP sample exhibits a higher drug loading content of about 5 times that of MSNs. The biological experiment results show that the MSNs/HAP not only exhibits good biocompatibility and antitumor effect but also greatly reduces the side effects of free DOX. The as-synthesized hybrid nanoparticles may act as a promising drug delivery system due to their good biocompatibility, high drug loading efficiency, pH sensitivity, and excellent biodegradability.

  10. Effect of Zirconia Nanoparticles in Epoxy-Silica Hybrid Adhesives to Join Aluminum Substrates

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    José de Jesús Figueroa-Lara

    2017-09-01

    Full Text Available This research presents the interaction of the epoxy polymer diglicydil ether of bisphenol-A (DGEBA with silica (SiO2 nanoparticles plus zirconia (ZrO2 nanoparticles obtained via the sol-gel method in the synthesis of an epoxy-silica-zirconia hybrid adhesive cured with polyamide. ZrO2 nanoparticles were added to the epoxy-silica hybrid adhesive produced in situ to modify the apparent shear strength of two adhesively bonded aluminum specimens. The results showed that the addition of different amounts of ZrO2 nanoparticles increased the shear strength of the adhesively bonded aluminum joint, previously treated by sandblasting, immersion in hot water and silanized with a solution of hydrolyzed 3-glycidoxipropyltrimethoxysilane (GPTMS. The morphology and microstructure of the nanoparticles and aluminum surfaces were examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM, and elemental analysis was performed with the Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS detector; the chemical groups were investigated during the aluminum surface modification using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR.

  11. Simultaneous chemical modification and structural transformation of Stöber silica spheres for integration of nanocatalysts

    KAUST Repository

    Yao, Kexin

    2012-01-10

    A synthetic approach has been devised to convert conventional Stöber silica (SiO 2) spheres into a new type of porous structural platform for supporting multicomponent catalysts. With this approach, we have first prepared zinc-doped SiO 2 (Zn-SiO 2) hollow spheres, on which zinc oxide (ZnO) phase and ruthenium (Ru) nanoparticles have been deposited and assembled sequentially in solution phase. A series of complex Ru/ZnO/Zn-SiO 2 nanocatalysts has been thus been integrated onto the zinc-doped SiO 2 supports after additional thermal treatment and reduction. To test their workability under harsh reactive environments, we have further evaluated the above prepared catalysts using arene hydrogenation as model reactions. These integrated nanocatalysts have shown superior activity, high robustness, and easy recovery in the studied heterogeneous catalysis. © 2011 American Chemical Society.

  12. UV-cured methacrylic-silica hybrids: Effect of oxygen inhibition on photo-curing kinetics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Corcione, C. Esposito; Striani, R.; Frigione, M.

    2014-01-01

    Highlights: • The kinetic behavior of novel photopolymerizable organic–inorganic hybrid system was studied as a function of the composition and of the atmosphere for reactions. • The UV-curing reaction of the hybrid mixture was found fast and complete. • The combined presence of thiol monomer and nanostructured silica allows to reduce the effect of inhibition of oxygen towards the radical photopolymerization. - Abstract: The kinetic behavior of innovative photopolymerizable UV-cured methacrylic–silica hybrid formulations, previously developed, was studied and compared to that of a reference control system. The organic–inorganic (O–I) hybrids proposed in this study are obtained from organic precursors with a high siloxane content mixed with tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) in such a way to produce co-continuous silica nano-domains dispersed within a cross-linked organic phase, as a result of the hydrolysis and condensation reactions. The kinetics of the radical photopolymerization mechanism induced by UV-radiations, in presence of a suitable photoinitiator, was studied by calorimetric, FTIR and Raman spectroscopic analyses, by varying the composition of the mixtures and the atmosphere for reactions. The well known effect of oxygen on the kinetic mechanism of the free radical photopolymerization of the methacrylic–siloxane based monomers was found to be strongly reduced in the hybrid system, especially when a proper thiol was used. The experimental calorimetric data were fitted using a simple kinetic model for radical photopolymerization reactions, obtaining a good agreement between the experimental data and the theoretical model. From the comparison of the kinetic constants calculated for control and hybrid systems, it was possible to assess the effect of the composition, as well as of the atmosphere used during the photo-polymerization process, on the kinetic of photopolymerization reaction

  13. Facile preparation of organic-silica hybrid monolith for capillary hydrophilic liquid chromatography based on "thiol-ene" click chemistry.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Ming-Luan; Zhang, Jun; Zhang, Zheng; Yuan, Bi-Feng; Yu, Qiong-Wei; Feng, Yu-Qi

    2013-04-05

    In this work, a one-step approach to facile preparation of organic-inorganic hybrid monoliths was successfully developed. After vinyl-end organic monomers and azobisisobutyronitrile (AIBN) were mixed with hydrolyzed tetramethoxysilane (TMOS) and 3-mercaptopropyltrimethoxysilane (MPTMS), the homogeneous mixture was introduced into a fused-silica capillary for simultaneous polycondensation and "thiol-ene" click reaction to form the organic-silica hybrid monoliths. By employing this strategy, two types of organic-silica hybrid monoliths with positively charged quaternary ammonium and amide groups were prepared, respectively. The functional groups were successfully introduced onto the monoliths during the sol-gel process with "thiol-ene" click reaction, which was demonstrated by ζ-potential assessment, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), and Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy. The porous structure of the prepared monolithic columns was examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), nitrogen adsorption-desorption measurement, and mercury intrusion porosimetry. These results indicate the prepared organic-silica hybrid monoliths possess homogeneous column bed, large specific surface area, good mechanical stability, and excellent permeability. The prepared monolithic columns were then applied for anion-exchange/hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography. Different types of analytes, including benzoic acids, inorganic ions, nucleosides, and nucleotides, were well separated with high column efficiency around 80,000-130,000 plates/m. Taken together, we present a facile and universal strategy to prepare organic-silica hybrid monoliths with a variety of organic monomers using one-step approach. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  14. Preparation of thermally stable microcapsules with a chitosan-silica hybrid.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kang, Hong-Yi; Chen, Hui-Huang

    2014-09-01

    Addition of microcapsules with a high dielectric constant and low specific heat capacity to a battered layer was designed to create a higher temperature in the crust than in the prefried fish nuggets to prevent the water vapor in the fish nuggets from migrating to the crust during microwave heating. Therefore, chitosan-silica hybrids and soybean oil were utilized to prepare the shell and core of the thermally stable microcapsules (MC(CS)), respectively. The MC(CS) were prepared by sol-gel coacervation from an oil-in-water emulsion. The sodium silicate was hydrolyzed and coacervated through polymerization for 24 h at pH 5. The zeta potential analysis indicated that chitosan with a positive charge and silica with a negative charge interacted through electrostatic attraction to form a hybrid shell. The volume mean particle size and encapsulation efficiency of the MC(CS) were 9.6 ± 0.2 μm and 75.6% ± 1.3%, respectively, when oil/chitosan = 0.2 and chitosan/silica = 0.5 (w/w). In addition to H-bonding and electrostatic attraction, Si-O-N bonds were formed between chitosan and silica. Dehydration of the bound water in the MC(CS) was observed in the range of 25 to 250 °C in the differential scanning calorimetry thermal analysis, with the lack of apparent thermal peaks indicating its high thermal stability. The decrease of force to cut the crust observed by texture analysis as well as the increase of hedonic score by consumer acceptance test revealed the addition of 1% MC(CS) significantly improved the crispness of the crust in the microwave-reheated nuggets. © 2014 Institute of Food Technologists®

  15. Differently-catalyzed silica-based precursors as functional additives for the epoxy-based hybrid materials

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Perchacz, Magdalena; Beneš, Hynek; Zhigunov, Alexander; Serkis, Magdalena; Pavlova, Ewa

    2016-01-01

    Roč. 99, 2 September (2016), s. 434-446 ISSN 0032-3861 R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GA14-05146S; GA MŠk(CZ) LO1507 Institutional support: RVO:61389013 Keywords : epoxy-silica hybrid material * solvent-free sol-gel process * silica-based precursor Subject RIV: CD - Macromolecular Chemistry Impact factor: 3.684, year: 2016

  16. Synthesis and electrical characterization of low-temperature thermal-cured epoxy resin/functionalized silica hybrid-thin films for application as gate dielectrics

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Na, Moonkyong, E-mail: nmk@keri.re.kr [HVDC Research Division, Korea Electrotechnology Research Institute, Changwon, 642-120 (Korea, Republic of); System on Chip Chemical Process Research Center, Department of Chemical Engineering, Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), Pohang, 790-784 (Korea, Republic of); Kang, Young Taec [Creative and Fundamental Research Division, Korea Electrotechnology Research Institute, Changwon, 642-120 (Korea, Republic of); Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, Pusan National University, Busan, 609-735 (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Sang Cheol [HVDC Research Division, Korea Electrotechnology Research Institute, Changwon, 642-120 (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Eun Dong [Creative and Fundamental Research Division, Korea Electrotechnology Research Institute, Changwon, 642-120 (Korea, Republic of)

    2013-07-31

    Thermal-cured hybrid materials were synthesized from homogenous hybrid sols of epoxy resins and organoalkoxysilane-functionalized silica. The chemical structures of raw materials and obtained hybrid materials were characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The thermal resistance of the hybrids was enhanced by hybridization. The interaction between epoxy matrix and the silica particles, which caused hydrogen bonding and van der Waals force was strengthened by organoalkoxysilane. The degradation temperature of the hybrids was improved by approximately 30 °C over that of the parent epoxy material. The hybrid materials were formed into uniformly coated thin films of about 50 nm-thick using a spin coater. An optimum mixing ratio was used to form smooth-surfaced hybrid films. The electrical property of the hybrid film was characterized, and the leakage current was found to be well below 10{sup −6} A cm{sup −2}. - Highlights: • Preparation of thermal-curable hybrid materials using epoxy resin and silica. • The thermal stability was enhanced through hybridization. • The insulation property of hybrid film was investigated as gate dielectrics.

  17. Applying Mesoporous Silica SBA-15 in Electrochemical Detection of DNA Hybridization

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Josypčuk, Oksana; Fojta, Miroslav; Daňhel, Aleš; Josypčuk, Bohdan

    2016-01-01

    Roč. 28, č. 8 (2016), s. 1860-1864 ISSN 1040-0397 R&D Projects: GA ČR GAP206/11/1638 Institutional support: RVO:68081707 ; RVO:61388955 Keywords : voltammetry * sensor DNA hybridization * mesoporous silica Subject RIV: CG - Electrochemistry Impact factor: 2.851, year: 2016

  18. On the enhancement of pervaporation properties of plasma-deposited hybrid silica membranes

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ngamou, P.H.T.; Creatore, M. [Department of Applied Physics, Eindhoven University of Technology, 5600 MB Eindhoven (Netherlands); Overbeek, J.P.; Kreiter, R.; Van Veen, H.M.; Vente, J.F. [ECN, Energy research Centre of the Netherlands, Petten (Netherlands); Cuperus, P.F. [SolSep BV, Apeldoorn (Netherlands)

    2013-06-24

    The separation performance of a polymeric-supported hybrid silica membrane in the dehydration process of a butanol-water mixture at 95C has been enhanced by applying a bias to the substrate during the plasma deposition.

  19. Chitosan(PEO)/silica hybrid nanofibers as a potential biomaterial for bone regeneration.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Toskas, Georgios; Cherif, Chokri; Hund, Rolf-Dieter; Laourine, Ezzeddine; Mahltig, Boris; Fahmi, Amir; Heinemann, Christiane; Hanke, Thomas

    2013-05-15

    New hybrid nanofibers prepared with chitosan (CTS), containing a total amount of polyethylene oxide (PEO) down to 3.6wt.%, and silica precursors were produced by electrospinning. The solution of modified sol-gel particles contained tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) and the organosilane 3-glycidyloxypropyltriethoxysilane (GPTEOS). This is rending stable solution toward gelation and contributing in covalent bonding with chitosan. The fibers encompass advantages of biocompatible polymer template silicate components to form self-assembled core-shell structure of the polymer CTS/PEO encapsulated by the silica. Potential applicability of this hybrid material to bone tissue engineering was studied examining its cellular compatibility and bioactivity. The nanofiber matrices were proved cytocompatible when seeded with bone-forming 7F2-cells, promoting attachment and proliferation over 7 days. These found to enhance a fast apatite formation by incorporation of Ca(2+) ions and subsequent immersion in modified simulated body fluid (m-SBF). The tunable properties of these hybrid nanofibers can find applications as active biomaterials in bone repair and regeneration. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  20. Aqueous Hybrids of Silica Nanoparticles and Hydrophobically Associating Hydrolyzed Polyacrylamide Used for EOR in High-Temperature and High-Salinity Reservoirs

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dingwei Zhu

    2014-06-01

    Full Text Available Water-soluble polymers are known to be used in chemically enhanced oil recovery (EOR processes, but their applications are limited in high-temperature and high-salinity oil reservoirs because of their inherent poor salt tolerance and weak thermal stability. Hydrophobic association of partially hydrolyzed polyacryamide (HAHPAM complexed with silica nanoparticles to prepare nano-hybrids is reported in this work. The rheological and enhanced oil recovery (EOR properties of such hybrids were studied in comparison with HAHPAM under simulated high-temperature and high-salinity oil reservoir conditions (T: 85 °C; total dissolved solids: 32,868 mg∙L−1; [Ca2+] + [Mg2+]: 873 mg∙L−1. It was found that the apparent viscosity and elastic modulus of HAHPAM solutions increased with addition of silica nanoparticles, and HAHPAM/silica hybrids exhibit better shear resistance and long-term thermal stability than HAHPAM in synthetic brine. Moreover, core flooding tests show that HAHPAM/silica hybrid has a higher oil recovery factor than HAHPAM solution.

  1. Nanocellulose Derivative/Silica Hybrid Core-Shell Chiral Stationary Phase: Preparation and Enantioseparation Performance

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xiaoli Zhang

    2016-05-01

    Full Text Available Core-shell silica microspheres with a nanocellulose derivative in the hybrid shell were successfully prepared as a chiral stationary phase by a layer-by-layer self-assembly method. The hybrid shell assembled on the silica core was formed using a surfactant as template by the copolymerization reaction of tetraethyl orthosilicate and the nanocellulose derivative bearing triethoxysilyl and 3,5-dimethylphenyl groups. The resulting nanocellulose hybrid core-shell chiral packing materials (CPMs were characterized and packed into columns, and their enantioseparation performance was evaluated by high performance liquid chromatography. The results showed that CPMs exhibited uniform surface morphology and core-shell structures. Various types of chiral compounds were efficiently separated under normal and reversed phase mode. Moreover, chloroform and tetrahydrofuran as mobile phase additives could obviously improve the resolution during the chiral separation processes. CPMs still have good chiral separation property when eluted with solvent systems with a high content of tetrahydrofuran and chloroform, which proved the high solvent resistance of this new material.

  2. Effect of Molecular Weight on the Properties of Liquid Epoxidized Natural Rubber Acrylate (LENRA)/ Silica Hybrid Composites

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Eda Yuhana Ariffin; Azizan Ahmad; Dahlan Mohd; Mahathir Mohamed

    2011-01-01

    This paper reports on the effect of molecular weight on the morphological and mechanical properties of liquid epoxidized natural rubber acrylate (LENRA)/ silica hybrid composites prepared by sol-gel technique. The sol-gel reaction was conducted at different concentration of tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS), used as a precursor of silica. TEOS were introduced in 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50 parts per hundred rubber (phr) in the composites. Two different molecular weights of ENR were used to study the effect of molecular weight on the mechanical and morphological properties of the compounds. These compounds were cured by ultraviolet (UV) irradiation. The mechanical properties were studied through pendulum hardness and scratch tests. Higher molecular weight of ENR showed better mechanical properties than lower molecular weight. Transmission electron microscope was used to determine the silica size and to study the distribution and dispersion of the silica particles. High molecular weight showed greater distribution and dispersion of silica particles with diameter of 13 - 256 nm. Morphological and mechanical properties of LENRA/ silica hybrid composites were improved by using high molecular weight of ENR. (author)

  3. Silica- and silylated europium-based luminescent hybrids: new analysis tools for biological environments

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pereira Duarte, Adriana

    2012-01-01

    The association of the very interesting luminescence properties of the lanthanide chelates with the physicochemical properties of inorganic matrix such as silica is a promising way to obtain new probes or luminescent markers for biology analyses. In this idea, this work focuses on the preparation of new hybrid materials based on the grafting of new europium(III) complexes on silica nanoparticles. These europium complexes were developed in our group using bifunctional ligands containing both complexing and grafting sites. Intrinsic characteristic of the ligands gives us the ability to make a covalent bond between the material surface and the complex. Two different methodologies were used; the first one is the direct grafting reaction involving the complex and silica nanoparticles (i.e. dense or meso-porous particles). The second one is the Stoeber reaction, where the SiO 2 nanoparticles were prepared in presence of the europium complex. The last methodology has an additional difficult, because of the presence of silylated europium complex, it needs a closer control of the physicochemical conditions. The new organic-inorganic hybrid materials, obtained in this work, present an interesting luminescence behavior and this one is depending on the localization of the europium complex, i.e. on the surface or within the nanoparticles. In addition, the obtained hybrids present the nano-metric dimension and the complex is not leachable. Analyses were realized to describe the luminescence properties, beyond surface and structural characteristics. Initial results show that the new hybrids are promising candidates for luminescent bio-markers, particularly for the time-resolved analysis. (author) [fr

  4. Measurement of Fluorescence in a Rhodamine-123 Doped Self-Assembled “Giant” Mesostructured Silica Sphere Using a Smartphone as Optical Hardware

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ingemar Petermann

    2011-07-01

    Full Text Available The blue OLED emission from a mobile phone was characterised, revealing a sharp emission band centred at λ = 445 nm with a 3dB bandwidth Δλ ~ 20 nm. It was used to excite Rhodamine 123 doped within a “giant” mesostructured silica sphere during fabrication through evaporative self-assembly of silica nanoparticles. Fluorescence was able to be detected using a standard optical microscope fitted with a green transmission pass filter and cooled CCD and with 1 ms exposure time demonstrating the potential of mobile platforms as the basis for portable diagnostics in the field.

  5. Face-specific Replacement of Calcite by Amorphous Silica Nanoparticles

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liesegang, M.; Milke, R.; Neusser, G.; Mizaikoff, B.

    2016-12-01

    Amorphous silica, composed of nanoscale spheres, is an important biomineral, alteration product of silicate rocks on the Earth's surface, and precursor material for stable silicate minerals. Despite constant progress in silica sphere synthesis, fundamental knowledge of natural silica particle interaction and ordering processes leading to colloidal crystals is absent so far. To understand the formation pathways of silica spheres in a geologic environment, we investigated silicified Cretaceous mollusk shell pseudomorphs from Coober Pedy (South Australia) using focused ion beam (FIB)-SEM tomography, petrographic microscopy, µ-XRD, and EMPA. The shells consist of replaced calcite crystals (ionic strength remain constant throughout the replacement process, permitting continuous silica nanoparticle formation and diffusion-limited colloid aggregation. Our study provides a natural example of the transformation of an atomic crystal to an amorphous, mesoscale ordered material; thus, links the research fields of natural colloidal crystal formation, carbonate-silica replacement, and crystallization by oriented particle aggregation (CPA).

  6. Fluid Flow Programming in Paper-Derived Silica-Polymer Hybrids.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dubois, Christelle; Herzog, Nicole; Rüttiger, Christian; Geißler, Andreas; Grange, Eléonor; Kunz, Ulrike; Kleebe, Hans-Joachim; Biesalski, Markus; Meckel, Tobias; Gutmann, Torsten; Gallei, Markus; Andrieu-Brunsen, Annette

    2017-01-10

    In paper-based devices, capillary fluid flow is based on length-scale selective functional control within a hierarchical porous system. The fluid flow can be tuned by altering the paper preparation process, which controls parameters such as the paper grammage. Interestingly, the fiber morphology and nanoporosity are often neglected. In this work, porous voids are incorporated into paper by the combination of dense or mesoporous ceramic silica coatings with hierarchically porous cotton linter paper. Varying the silica coating leads to significant changes in the fluid flow characteristics, up to the complete water exclusion without any further fiber surface hydrophobization, providing new approaches to control fluid flow. Additionally, functionalization with redox-responsive polymers leads to reversible, dynamic gating of fluid flow in these hybrid paper materials, demonstrating the potential of length scale specific, dynamic, and external transport control.

  7. Measurement and modelization of silica opal optical properties

    Science.gov (United States)

    Avoine, Amaury; Hong, Phan Ngoc; Frederich, Hugo; Aregahegn, Kifle; Bénalloul, Paul; Coolen, Laurent; Schwob, Catherine; Thu Nga, Pham; Gallas, Bruno; Maître, Agnès

    2014-03-01

    We present the synthesis process and optical characterization of artificial silica opals. The specular reflection spectra are analyzed and compared to band structure calculations and finite difference time domain (FDTD) simulations. The silica optical index is a key parameter to correctly describe an opal and is usually not known and treated as a free parameter. Here we propose a method to infer the silica index, as well as the silica spheres diameter, from the reflection spectra and we validate it by comparison with two independent infrared methods for the index and, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) measurements for the spheres diameter.

  8. Measurement and modelization of silica opal optical properties

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Avoine, Amaury; Ngoc Hong, Phan; Frederich, Hugo; Aregahegn, Kifle; Bénalloul, Paul; Coolen, Laurent; Schwob, Catherine; Gallas, Bruno; Maître, Agnès; Thu Nga, Pham

    2014-01-01

    We present the synthesis process and optical characterization of artificial silica opals. The specular reflection spectra are analyzed and compared to band structure calculations and finite difference time domain (FDTD) simulations. The silica optical index is a key parameter to correctly describe an opal and is usually not known and treated as a free parameter. Here we propose a method to infer the silica index, as well as the silica spheres diameter, from the reflection spectra and we validate it by comparison with two independent infrared methods for the index and, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) measurements for the spheres diameter. (paper)

  9. Ceria nanoparticles vis-à-vis cerium nitrate as corrosion inhibitors for silica-alumina hybrid sol-gel coating

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lakshmi, R.V. [Surface Engineering Division, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research – National Aerospace Laboratories, HAL Airport Road, Kodihalli, Bengaluru 560017 (India); Aruna, S.T., E-mail: staruna194@gmail.com [Surface Engineering Division, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research – National Aerospace Laboratories, HAL Airport Road, Kodihalli, Bengaluru 560017 (India); Sampath, S. [Department of Inorganic and Physical Chemistry, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru 560012 (India)

    2017-01-30

    Highlights: • Corrosion protection efficiency comparison of ceria nanoparticles and cerium nitrate. • Silica-alumina hybrid coating exhibited good barrier protection. • Detailed XPS study confirm the hybrid structure and presence of Ce species in coating. • Loss of cerium ions not prevalent in ceria doped coating unlike that of cerium nitrate. • Ceria increased the coating integrity, corrosion inhibition and barrier protection. - Abstract: The present work provides a comparative study on the corrosion protection efficiency of defect free sol-gel hybrid coating containing ceria nanoparticles and cerium nitrate ions as corrosion inhibitors. Less explored organically modified alumina-silica hybrid sol-gel coatings are synthesized from 3-glycidoxypropyltrimethoxysilane and aluminium-tri-sec-butoxide. The microemulsion derived nanoparticles and the hybrid coatings are characterized and compared with coatings containing cerium nitrate. Corrosion inhibiting capability is assessed using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. Scanning Kelvin probe measurements are also conducted on the coatings for identifying the apparent corrosion prone regions. Detailed X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis is carried out to comprehend the bonding and corrosion protection rendered by the hybrid coatings.

  10. Micelle-template synthesis of hollow silica spheres for improving water vapor permeability of waterborne polyurethane membrane

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bao, Yan; Wang, Tong; Kang, Qiaoling; Shi, Chunhua; Ma, Jianzhong

    2017-04-01

    Hollow silica spheres (HSS) with special interior spaces, high specific surface area and excellent adsorption and permeability performance were synthesized via micelle-template method using cetyl trimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB) micelles as soft template and tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) as silica precursor. SEM, TEM, FT-IR, XRD, DLS and BET-BJH were carried out to characterize the morphology and structure of as-obtained samples. The results demonstrated that the samples were amorphous with a hollow structure and huge specific surface area. The growth of HSS was an inward-growth mechanism along template. Notably, we have provided a new and interesting fundamental principle for HSS materials by precisely controlling the ethanol-to-water volume ratio. In addition, the as-obtained HSS were mixed with waterborne polyurethane (WPU) to prepare WPU/HSS composite membrane. Various characterizations (SEM, TEM, FT-IR and TGA) revealed the morphology, polydispersity and adherence between HSS and WPU. Performance tests showed that the introduction of HSS can improve the water vapor permeability of composite membrane, promoting its water resistance and mechanical performance at the same time.

  11. Fluorescent silica hybrid materials containing benzimidazole dyes obtained by sol-gel method and high pressure processing

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hoffmann, Helena Sofia; Stefani, Valter; Benvenutti, Edilson Valmir; Costa, Tania Maria Haas; Gallas, Marcia Russman

    2011-01-01

    Research highlights: → Sol-gel technique was used to obtain silica based hybrid materials containing benzimidazole dyes. → The sol-gel catalysts, HF and NaF, produce xerogels with different optical and textural characteristics. → High pressure technique (6.0 GPa) was used to produce fluorescent and transparent silica compacts with the dyes entrapped in closed pores, maintaining their optical properties. → The excited state intramolecular proton transfer (ESIPT) mechanism of benzimidazole dyes was studied by steady-state fluorescence spectroscopy for the monoliths, powders, and compacts. - Abstract: New silica hybrid materials were obtained by incorporation of two benzimidazole dyes in the silica network by sol-gel technique, using tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS) as inorganic precursor. Several syntheses were performed with two catalysts (HF and NaF) producing powders and monoliths with different characteristics. The dye 2-(2'-hydroxy-5'-aminophenyl)benzimidazole was dispersed and physically adsorbed in the matrix, and the dye 2'(5'-N-(3-triethoxysilyl)propylurea-2'-hydroxyphenyl)benzimidazole was silylated, becoming chemically bonded to the silica network. High pressure technique was used to produce fluorescent and transparent silica compacts with the silylated and incorporated dye, at 6.0 GPa and room temperature. The excited state intramolecular proton transfer (ESIPT) mechanism of benzimidazole dyes was studied by steady-state fluorescence spectroscopy for the monoliths, powders, and compacts. The influence of the syntheses conditions was investigated by textural analysis using nitrogen adsorption isotherms.

  12. Three-dimensional interconnected cobalt oxide-carbon hollow spheres arrays as cathode materials for hybrid batteries

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jiye Zhan

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available Hierarchical porous metal oxides arrays is critical for development of advanced energy storage devices. Herein, we report a facile template-assisted electro-deposition plus glucose decomposition method for synthesis of multilayer CoO/C hollow spheres arrays. The CoO/C arrays consist of multilayer interconnected hollow composite spheres with diameters of ∼350 nm as well as thin walls of ∼20 nm. Hierarchical hollow spheres architecture with 3D porous networks are achieved. As cathode of high-rate hybrid batteries, the multilayer CoO/C hollow sphere arrays exhibit impressive enhanced performances with a high capacity (73.5 mAh g−1 at 2 A g−1, and stable high-rate cycling life (70 mAh g−1 after 12,500 cycles at 2 A g−1. The improved electrochemical performance is owing to the composite hollow-sphere architecture with high contact area between the active materials and electrolyte as well as fast ion/electron transportation path.

  13. Mesoporous hollow spheres from soap bubbling.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yu, Xianglin; Liang, Fuxin; Liu, Jiguang; Lu, Yunfeng; Yang, Zhenzhong

    2012-02-01

    The smaller and more stable bubbles can be generated from the large parent bubbles by rupture. In the presence of a bubble blowing agent, hollow spheres can be prepared by bubbling a silica sol. Herein, the trapped gas inside the bubble acts as a template. When the porogen, i.e., other surfactant, is introduced, a mesostructured shell forms by the co-assembly with the silica sol during sol-gel process. Morphological evolution emphasizes the prerequisite of an intermediate interior gas flow rate and high exterior gas flow rate for hollow spheres. The method is valid for many compositions from inorganic, polymer to their composites. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  14. Improved Optical and Morphological Properties of Vinyl-Substituted Hybrid Silica Materials Incorporating a Zn-Metalloporphyrin

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zoltán Dudás

    2018-04-01

    Full Text Available This work is focused on a novel class of hybrid materials exhibiting enhanced optical properties and high surface areas that combine the morphology offered by the vinyl substituted silica host, and the excellent absorption and emission properties of 5,10,15,20-tetrakis(N-methyl-4-pyridylporphyrin-Zn(II tetrachloride as a water soluble guest molecule. In order to optimize the synthesis procedure and the performance of the immobilized porphyrin, silica precursor mixtures of different compositions were used. To achieve the requirements regarding the hydrophobicity and the porous structure of the gels for the successful incorporation of porphyrin, the content of vinyltriacetoxysilane was systematically changed and thoroughly investigated. Substitution of the silica gels with organic groups is a viable way to provide new properties to the support. An exhaustive characterization of the synthesized silica samples was realised by complementary physicochemical methods, such as infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR, absorption spectroscopy (UV-Vis and photoluminescence, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (29Si-MAS-NMR transmission and scanning electron microscopy (TEM and SEM, nitrogen absorption (BET, contact angle (CA, small angle X ray and neutron scattering (SAXS and SANS. All hybrids showed an increase in emission intensity in the wide region from 575 to 725 nm (Q bands in comparison with bare porphyrin. By simply tuning the vinyltriacetoxysilane content, the hydrophilic/hydrophobic profile of the hybrid materials was changed, while maintaining a high surface area. Good control of hydrophobicity is important to enhance properties such as dispersion, stability behaviour, and resistance to water, in order to achieve highly dispersible systems in water for biomedical applications.

  15. Fabrication of Mesoporous Silica/Alumina Hybrid Membrane Film Nanocomposites using Template Sol-Gel Synthesis of Amphiphilic Triphenylene

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lintang, H. O.; Jalani, M. A.; Yuliati, L.; Salleh, M. M.

    2017-05-01

    Herein we reported that by introducing a one-dimensional (1D) substrate with a porous structure such as anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) membrane, mesoporous silica/alumina hybrid nanocomposites were successfully fabricated by using amphiphilic triphenylene (TPC10TEG) as a template in sol-gel synthesis (TPC10TEG/silicahex). For the optical study of the nanocomposites, TPC10TEG/silicahex showed absorption peak at 264 nm due to the ordered and long-range π-π stacking of the disc-like aromatic triphenylene core. Moreover, the hexagonal arrangement of TPC10TEG/silicahex was proven based on their diffraction peaks of d 100 and d 200 at 2θ = 2.52° and 5.04° and images of transmission electron microscopy (TEM), respectively. For fabrication of mesoporous silica/alumina hybrid membrane, TPC10TEG/silicahex was drop-casted onto AAO membrane for penetration into the porous structure via gravity. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis on the resulted hybrid nanocomposites showed that the diffraction peaks of d 100 and d 200 of TPC10TEG/silicahex were still preserved, indicating that the hexagonal arrangements of mesoporous silica were maintained even on AAO substrate. The morphology study on the hybrid nanocomposites using TEM, scanning electron microscope (SEM) and field emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM) showed the successful filling of most AAO channels with the TPC10TEG/silicahex nanocomposites.

  16. Inorganic-organic hybrids based on poly (ε-Caprolactone and silica oxide and characterization by relaxometry applying low-field NMR

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mariana Sato de Souza de Bustamante Monteiro

    2012-12-01

    Full Text Available Poly (ε-caprolactone (PCL based hybrids containing different amounts of modified (Aerosil® R972 and unmodified (Aerosil® A200 silica oxide were prepared employing the solution method, using chloroform. The relationships of the amount of nanofillers, organic coating, molecular structure and intermolecular interaction of the hybrid materials were investigated mainly using low-field nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR. The NMR analyses involved the hydrogen spin-lattice relaxation time (T1H and hydrogen spin-lattice relaxation time in the rotating frame (T1ρH. The spin-lattice relaxation time measurements revealed that the PCL/silica oxide hybrids were heterogeneous, meaning their components were well dispersed. X-ray diffraction (XRD, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA were also employed. The DSC data showed that all the materials had lower crystallization temperature (Tc and melting temperature (Tm, so the crystallinity degree of the PCL decreased in the hybrids. The TGA analysis demonstrated that the addition of modified and unmodified silica oxide does not cause considerable changes to PCL's thermal stability, since no significant variations in the maximum temperature (Tmax were observed in relation to the neat polymer.

  17. Bio-inspired synthesis of hybrid silica nanoparticles templated from elastin-like polypeptide micelles

    Science.gov (United States)

    Han, Wei; MacEwan, Sarah R.; Chilkoti, Ashutosh; López, Gabriel P.

    2015-07-01

    The programmed self-assembly of block copolymers into higher order nanoscale structures offers many attractive attributes for the development of new nanomaterials for numerous applications including drug delivery and biosensing. The incorporation of biomimetic silaffin peptides in these block copolymers enables the formation of hybrid organic-inorganic materials, which can potentially enhance the utility and stability of self-assembled nanostructures. We demonstrate the design, synthesis and characterization of amphiphilic elastin-like polypeptide (ELP) diblock copolymers that undergo temperature-triggered self-assembly into well-defined spherical micelles. Genetically encoded incorporation of the silaffin R5 peptide at the hydrophilic terminus of the diblock ELP leads to presentation of the silaffin R5 peptide on the coronae of the micelles, which results in localized condensation of silica and the formation of near-monodisperse, discrete, sub-100 nm diameter hybrid ELP-silica particles. This synthesis method, can be carried out under mild reaction conditions suitable for bioactive materials, and will serve as the basis for the development and application of functional nanomaterials. Beyond silicification, the general strategies described herein may also be adapted for the synthesis of other biohybrid nanomaterials as well.The programmed self-assembly of block copolymers into higher order nanoscale structures offers many attractive attributes for the development of new nanomaterials for numerous applications including drug delivery and biosensing. The incorporation of biomimetic silaffin peptides in these block copolymers enables the formation of hybrid organic-inorganic materials, which can potentially enhance the utility and stability of self-assembled nanostructures. We demonstrate the design, synthesis and characterization of amphiphilic elastin-like polypeptide (ELP) diblock copolymers that undergo temperature-triggered self-assembly into well

  18. Fabrication and evaluation of hybrid silica/polymer optical fiber sensors for large strain measurement

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huang, Haiying

    2007-04-01

    Silica-based optical fiber sensors are widely used in structural health monitoring systems for strain and deflection measurement. One drawback of silica-based optical fiber sensors is their low strain toughness. In general, silica-based optical fiber sensors can only reliably measure strains up to 2%. Recently, polymer optical fiber sensors have been employed to measure large strain and deflection. Due to their high optical losses, the length of the polymer optical fibers is limited to 100 meters. In this paper, we present a novel economical technique to fabricate hybrid silica/polymer optical fiber strain sensors for large strain measurement. First, stress analysis of a surface-mounted optical fiber sensor is performed to understand the load distribution between the host structure and the optical fiber in relation to their mechanical properties. Next, the procedure of fabricating a polymer sensing element between two optical fibers is explained. The experimental set-up and the components used in the fabrication process are described in details. Mechanical testing results of the fabricated silica/polymer optical fiber strain sensor are presented.

  19. Hybrid membranes PVA/silicon for use in fuel cells; Membranas hibridas de PVA/silica para aplicacao em celula a combustivel

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Aguiar, Liz C.V. de; Almeida, Raquel D. de; Gomes, Ailton de S. [Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro - UFRJ, Instituto de Macromoleculas Professora Eloisa Mano - IMA, RJ (Brazil)], e-mail: lizcontino@ima.ufrj.br; Ramos Filho, Florencio G. de [Centro Universitario Estadual da Zona Oeste - UEZO, Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil)

    2011-07-01

    Hybrids organic-inorganic membranes PVA-silica have been prepared using sol-gel process in situ with the objective of study the influence of inorganic particles incorporation on the water uptake, pervaporation and proton conductivity of PVA membranes. The silica was constituted of mercaptopropyltrimethoxysilane (MPTMS) with or without the mixture with the tetra ethoxysilane (TEOS). The hybrids membranes were oxidated to convert the -SH groups in -SO{sub 3}H groups, becoming them proton conducting. The hybrids membranes not oxidated showed lesser water uptake and pervaporated material, probably, due to the formation of crosslink that restricted the swell of the PVA membrane. The protonic conductivity of the hybrid membranes after the oxidation was up to 26 times bigger than of the membrane not oxidated. (author)

  20. Magnetic composites based on hybrid spheres of aluminum oxide and superparamagnetic nanoparticles of iron oxides

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Braga, Tiago P.; Vasconcelos, Igor F.; Sasaki, Jose M.; Fabris, J.D.; Oliveira, Diana Q.L. de; Valentini, Antoninho

    2010-01-01

    Materials containing hybrid spheres of aluminum oxide and superparamagnetic nanoparticles of iron oxides were obtained from a chemical precursor prepared by admixing chitosan and iron and aluminum hydroxides. The oxides were first characterized with scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and Moessbauer spectroscopy. Scanning electron microscopy micrographs showed the size distribution of the resulting spheres to be highly homogeneous. The occurrence of nano-composites containing aluminum oxides and iron oxides was confirmed from powder X-ray diffraction patterns; except for the sample with no aluminum, the superparamagnetic relaxation due to iron oxide particles were observed from Moessbauer spectra obtained at 298 and 110 K; the onset six line-spectrum collected at 20 K indicates a magnetic ordering related to the blocking relaxation effect for significant portion of small spheres in the sample with a molar ratio Al:Fe of 2:1.

  1. Ordered and disordered evolution of the pore mesostructure in hybrid silica anti-reflective films obtained by one-pot self-assembly method

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ghazzal, Mohamed N., E-mail: g_nawfel@yahoo.fr; Debecker, Damien P.; Gaigneaux, Eric M.

    2016-07-29

    Hybrid mesoporous silica films were prepared in acid-catalysed medium using a one-pot self-assembly method. A gradual content of methyl groups was introduced into the inorganic framework by co-condensation of tetraethyl orthosilicate and methyltriethoxysilane. To better understand how the ordered and disordered transition occurs in mesoporous hybrid organosilica sytem as function of the MTES molar ratio in the starting solution, textural, chemical and optical properties of the films were studied by transmission electronic microscopy (TEM), grazing-incident small angle X-ray scattering (GISAXS), transmission Fourier transformed infrared (FTIR) and UV–visible spectroscopy. Increasing the loading of the incorporated organic groups (up to 40% in the starting solution) led simultaneously to a disorganization of the pore mesostructure and a reduction in the pore diameter. Concomitantly, a disordered domain of the silica rings in the walls was observed, which created bond strains in the silica wall contributing also to the disorganization of the pore mesostructure. Furthermore, an optimal MTES content was identified in order to obtain antireflection coatings, exhibiting low reflection in the visible range. - Highlights: • Mesoporous hybrid silica films where prepared by one-pot co-condensation of MTES and TEOS. • Ordered and disordered mesostructures were studied as function as variable MTES molar ratio. • A rearrangement of the silica cyclic species occurred as the molar ratio of MTES increases. • Transmittance of the silica coatings is affected by the MTES molar ratio.

  2. Enhanced thermal properties of novel shape-stabilized PEG composite phase change materials with radial mesoporous silica sphere for thermal energy storage

    OpenAIRE

    Min, Xin; Fang, Minghao; Huang, Zhaohui; Liu, Yan?gai; Huang, Yaoting; Wen, Ruilong; Qian, Tingting; Wu, Xiaowen

    2015-01-01

    Radial mesoporous silica (RMS) sphere was tailor-made for further applications in producing shape-stabilized composite phase change materials (ss-CPCMs) through a facile self-assembly process using CTAB as the main template and TEOS as SiO2 precursor. Novel ss-CPCMs composed of polyethylene glycol (PEG) and RMS were prepared through vacuum impregnating method. Various techniques were employed to characterize the structural and thermal properties of the ss-CPCMs. The DSC results indicated that...

  3. Enhanced thermal properties of novel shape-stabilized PEG composite phase change materials with radial mesoporous silica sphere for thermal energy storage.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Min, Xin; Fang, Minghao; Huang, Zhaohui; Liu, Yan'gai; Huang, Yaoting; Wen, Ruilong; Qian, Tingting; Wu, Xiaowen

    2015-08-11

    Radial mesoporous silica (RMS) sphere was tailor-made for further applications in producing shape-stabilized composite phase change materials (ss-CPCMs) through a facile self-assembly process using CTAB as the main template and TEOS as SiO2 precursor. Novel ss-CPCMs composed of polyethylene glycol (PEG) and RMS were prepared through vacuum impregnating method. Various techniques were employed to characterize the structural and thermal properties of the ss-CPCMs. The DSC results indicated that the PEG/RMS ss-CPCM was a promising candidate for building thermal energy storage applications due to its large latent heat, suitable phase change temperature, good thermal reliability, as well as the excellent chemical compatibility and thermal stability. Importantly, the possible formation mechanisms of both RMS sphere and PEG/RMS composite have also been proposed. The results also indicated that the properties of the PEG/RMS ss-CPCMs are influenced by the adsorption limitation of the PEG molecule from RMS sphere with mesoporous structure and the effect of RMS, as the impurities, on the perfect crystallization of PEG.

  4. Structural effect of monomer type on properties of copolyimides and copolyimide-silica hybrid materials

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kizilkaya Canan

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available In this work, the effect of two different diamine monomers, containing phosphine oxide, on thermal, mechanical and morphological properties of copolyimides and their hybrid materials was investigated. Gas separation properties of the synthesized copolyimides were also analysed. Two different diamine monomers with phosphine oxide were bis(3-aminophenyl phenylphosphine oxide (BAPPO and bis(3-aminophenoxy-4-phenyl phenylphosphine oxide (m-BAPPO. In the synthesis of copolyimides 3,3’-diamino-diphenyl sulfone (DDS was also used as the diamine, as well as 2,2’-bis(3,4-dicarboxyphenylhexafluoropropane dianhydride (6FDA. Copolyimide films were prepared by thermal imidization. Hybrid materials containing 5 % SiO2 were synthesised further by sol-gel technique. The Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR, Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR confirmed the expected structure. Dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA demonstrated that m-BAPPO based copolyimides had lower glass transition temperatures (Tg than BAPPO based copolyimides. m-BAPPO containing copolyimide without silica shifted the thermal decomposition temperature to a higher value. The moduli and strength values of BAPPO diamine containing copolyimide and its hybrid were higher than those of m-BAPPO containing materials. The contact angle measurements showed the hydrophobicity. Scanning electron microscope (SEM analysis exhibited the silica particles dispersion in the copolyimides. These copolyimides may be used in the coating industry. The CO2 permeability and the permselectivity were the highest among the other values in this study, when m-BAPPO containing copolyimide in the absence of silica was used. The gas permeabilities obtained from this work were in this decreasing order: PCO2 > PO2 > PN2.

  5. Photocatalytic degradation of different chromophoric dyes in aqueous phase using La and Mo doped TiO{sub 2} hybrid carbon spheres

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Raza, Waseem; Haque, M.M. [Department of Chemistry, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh 202002 (India); Muneer, M., E-mail: m.muneer.ch@amu.ac.in [Department of Chemistry, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh 202002 (India); Fleisch, M.; Hakki, A.; Bahnemann, D. [Institut fuer Technische Chemie, Leibniz Universität Hannover, Callinstrasse 3, D-30167 Hannover (Germany)

    2015-05-25

    Highlights: • La and Mo doped TiO{sub 2} hybrid carbon spheres have been synthesized using hydrothermal method. • The characterization of La and Mo doped TiO{sub 2} hybrid carbon spheres uniform morphology having anatase phase and good structural stability. • TiO{sub 2} hybrid carbon spheres with dopant concentration of 2.0% (La) and 1.5% (Mo) showed the highest photocatalytic activity as compared to the other dopant concentrations for the degradation of all the dyes under investigation. - Abstract: La and Mo-doped TiO{sub 2} coated carbon spheres have been synthesized using the hydrothermal method. The prepared materials were characterized by standard analytical techniques, X-ray diffraction (XRD), UV–Vis spectrophotometry, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) and Raman spectroscopy. The XRD and Raman spectroscopic analysis showed that the particles are in anatase phase. The EDX and SEM images showed that La/Mo-doped TiO{sub 2} are present on the surface of the carbon spheres. The photocatalytic activity of the synthesized particles were tested by studying the degradation of three different chromophoric dyes, i.e., Acid Yellow 29 (azo dye), Coomassie Brilliant Blue G250 (triphenylmethane dye) and Acid Green 25 (anthraquinone dye) as a function of time on irradiation in aqueous suspension. TiO{sub 2} particle with dopant concentration of 2.0% La and 1.5% Mo showed the highest photocatalytic activity as compared to the other dopant concentrations for the degradation of all the dyes under investigation.

  6. Thermal stability of octadecylsilane hybrid silicas prepared by grafting and sol-gel methods

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Brambilla, Rodrigo; Santos, Joao H.Z. dos; Miranda, Marcia S.L.; Frost, Ray L.

    2008-01-01

    Hybrid silicas bearing octadecylsilane groups were prepared by grafting and sol-gel (SG) methods. The effect of the preparative route on the thermal stability was evaluated by means of thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA), infrared emission spectroscopy (IRES) and, complementary, by 13 C solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance ( 13 C NMR) and matrix assisted laser deionization time of flight mass spectroscopy (MALDI-TOF-MS). Silicas prepared by the grafting route seem to be slightly more stable than those produced by the sol-gel method. This behavior seems to be associated to the preparative route, since grafting affords a liquid-like conformation, while in the case of sol-gel a highly organized crystalline chain conformation was observed

  7. Sedimentation of bidisperse, uncharged colloidal sphere suspensions: Influence of viscosity and irregular surfaces

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Thies-Weesie, Dominique M. E.; Philipse, Albert P.; Lekkerkerker, Henk N. W.

    1996-01-01

    The sedimentation velocity of uncharged, nonaggregated silica spheres under gravity is strongly reduced after addition of small amounts of nonsedimenting small spheres. This reduction is largely due to surface irregularities on a nanoscale of the large spheres at which a limited number of small

  8. Micromolding in inverted polymer opals (MIPO): synthesis of hexagonal mesoporous silica opals

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yang Sanming; Coombs, N.; Ozin, G.A. [Toronto Univ., Ont. (Canada). Materials Chemistry Research Group

    2000-12-15

    Regular arrays of hexagonal mesoporous silica spheres are crucial for a number of applications, but until now control of the diameter, dispersity, and packing of the spheres has not proved possible. These authors report a new method-micromolding in inverted polymer opals-that allows the synthesis of such hexagonal mesoporous silica opals for the first time. (orig.)

  9. Calcium carbonate-gold nanocluster hybrid spheres: synthesis and versatile application in immunoassays.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Peng, Juan; Feng, Li-Na; Zhang, Kui; Li, Xing-Hua; Jiang, Li-Ping; Zhu, Jun-Jie

    2012-04-23

    Fluorescent gold nanoclusters (AuNCs) were incorporated into porous calcium carbonate spheres through electrostatic interaction. The resulting CaCO(3)/AuNCs hybrid material exhibited interesting properties, such as porous structure, excellent biocompatibility, good water solubility, and degradability. These properties make the CaCO(3)/AuNCs hybrid material a promising template to assemble horseradish peroxidase/antibody conjugates (HRP-Ab(2)). By using CaCO(3)/AuNCs/HRP-Ab(2) bioconjugates as probes, a versatile immunosensor was developed for fluorescent and electrochemical detection of the cancer biomarker neuron-specific enolase (NSE). The detection limits of the sensor were 2.0 and 0.1 pg mL(-1) for fluorescent and electrochemical detection, respectively. The immunosensor shows high sensitivity and offers an alternative strategy for the detection of other proteins and DNA. Copyright © 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  10. Lyophilized silica lipid hybrid (SLH) carriers for poorly water-soluble drugs: physicochemical and in vitro pharmaceutical investigations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yasmin, Rokhsana; Tan, Angel; Bremmell, Kristen E; Prestidge, Clive A

    2014-09-01

    Lyophilization was investigated to produce a powdery silica-lipid hybrid (SLH) carrier for oral delivery of poorly water-soluble drugs. The silica to lipid ratio, incorporation of cryoprotectant, and lipid loading level were investigated as performance indicators for lyophilized SLH carriers. Celecoxib, a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug, was used as the model poorly soluble moiety to attain desirable physicochemical and in vitro drug solubilization properties. Scanning electron microscopy and confocal fluorescence imaging verified a nanoporous, homogenous internal matrix structures of the lyophilized SLH particles, prepared from submicron triglyceride emulsions and stabilized by porous silica nanoparticles (Aerosil 380), similar to spray-dried SLH. 20-50 wt % of silica in the formulation have shown to produce nonoily SLH agglomerates with complete lipid encapsulation. The incorporation of a cryoprotectant prevented irreversible aggregation of the silica-stabilized droplets during lyophilization, thereby readily redispersing in water to form micrometre-sized particles (water-soluble therapeutics is confirmed. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. and the American Pharmacists Association.

  11. Enhancement of Hybrid SPEEK Based Polymer–Cyclodextrin-Silica Inorganic Membrane for Direct Methanol Fuel Cell Application

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tutuk Djoko Kusworo

    2017-06-01

      Keywords: Direct Methanol Fuel Cell, Poly(ether ether ketone, cyclodextrin-silica, sulfonation, ionic conductivity. Article History: Received January 18th 2017; Received in revised form April 21st 2017; Accepted June 22nd 2017; Available online How to Cite This Article: Kusworo, T.D., Hakim, M.F. and Hadiyanto, H. (2017 Enhancement of Hybrid SPEEK Based Polymer–Cyclodextrin-Silica Inorganic Membrane for Direct Methanol Fuel Cell Application. International Journal of Renewable Energy Development, 6(2, 165-170. https://doi.org/10.14710/ijred.6.2.165-170

  12. Measurement and modelization of silica opal optical properties

    OpenAIRE

    Avoine , Amaury; Ngoc Hong , Phan; Frederich , Hugo; Aregahegn , Kifle; Bénalloul , Paul; Coolen , Laurent; Schwob , Catherine; Thu Nga , Pham; Gallas , Bruno; Maître , Agnès

    2014-01-01

    International audience; We present the synthesis process and optical characterization of artificial silica opals. The specular reflection spectra are analyzed and compared to band structure calculations and finite difference time domain (FDTD) simulations. The silica optical index is a key parameter to correctly describe an opal and is usually not known and treated as a free parameter. Here we propose a method to infer the silica index, as well as the silica spheres diameter, from the reflect...

  13. Biodiesel production by using lipase immobilized onto novel silica-based hybrid foams

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Brun, Nicolas [Centre de Recherche Paul Pascal, Pessac (France); Institut des Sciences Moleculaires, Talence (France); Garcia, Annick Babeau; Oestreicher, Victor; Durand, Fabien; Backov, Renal [Centre de Recherche Paul Pascal, Pessac (France); Deleuze, Herve [Institut des Sciences Moleculaires, Talence (France); Laurent, Guillaume; Sanchez, Clement [Laboratoire de Chimie de la Matiere Condensee, Paris (France)

    2010-07-01

    The covalent immobilization of crude lipases within silica-based macroporous frameworks have been performed by combining sol-gel process, concentrated direct emulsion, lyotropic mesophase and post-synthesis functionalizations. The assynthesized open cell hybrid monoliths exhibit high macroscopic porosity, around 90%, providing interconnected scaffold while reducing the diffusion low kinetic issue. The entrapment of enzymes in such foams deals with a high stability over esterification of fatty acids, hydrolysis of triglycerides (not shown herein) and biodiesel production by transesterification. (orig.)

  14. Silver metaphosphate glass wires inside silica fibers--a new approach for hybrid optical fibers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jain, Chhavi; Rodrigues, Bruno P; Wieduwilt, Torsten; Kobelke, Jens; Wondraczek, Lothar; Schmidt, Markus A

    2016-02-22

    Phosphate glasses represent promising candidates for next-generation photonic devices due to their unique characteristics, such as vastly tunable optical properties, and high rare earth solubility. Here we show that silver metaphosphate wires with bulk optical properties and diameters as small as 2 µm can be integrated into silica fibers using pressure-assisted melt filling. By analyzing two types of hybrid metaphosphate-silica fibers, we show that the filled metaphosphate glass has only negligible higher attenuation and a refractive index that is identical to the bulk material. The presented results pave the way towards new fiber-type optical devices relying on metaphosphate glasses, which are promising materials for applications in nonlinear optics, sensing and spectral filtering.

  15. Nano-amylose-2,3-bis(3,5-dimethylphenylcarbamate)-silica hybrid sol immobilized on open tubular capillary column for capillary electrochromatography enantioseparation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sun, Yaming; Wu, Qi; Shi, Xiaofeng; Gao, Jie; Dong, Shuqing; Zhao, Liang

    2018-04-01

    The chiral organic-inorganic hybrid materials can exhibit a high loading, and the chiral selector nanoparticles can create efficient stationary phases for open-tubular capillary electrochromatography (OT-CEC). Hence, a novel protocol for the preparation of an OT column coated with nano-amylose-2,3-bis(3,5-dimethylphenylcarbamate) (nano-ABDMPC)-silica hybrid sol through in situ layer-by-layer self-assembly method was developed for CEC enantioseparation. By controlling the assembly cycle number of nano-ABDMPC-silica hybrid sol, a homogeneous, dense and stable coating was successfully prepared, which was confirmed by SEM and elemental analysis. As the main parameter influencing the chiral separating effect, the nano-ABDMPC bearing 3-(triethoxysilyl)propyl residues concentration was investigated. The experimental results showed that 10.0 mg/mL nano-ABDMPC bearing 3-(triethoxysilyl)propyl residues coated OT capillary column possessed chiral recognition ability toward the six enantiomers (phenylalanine, tyrosine, tryptophan, phenethyl alcohol, 1-phenyl-2-propanol, and Tröger's base) at some of the different conditions tested. Additionally, the coated OT column revealed adequate repeatability concerning run-to-run, day-to-day and column-to-column. These results demonstrated the promising applicability of nano-ABDMPC-silica hybrid sol coated OT column in CEC enantioseparations. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  16. Ordered mesoporous polymer-silica hybrid nanoparticles as vehicles for the intracellular controlled release of macromolecules.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Tae-Wan; Slowing, Igor I; Chung, Po-Wen; Lin, Victor Shang-Yi

    2011-01-25

    A two-dimensional hexagonal ordered mesoporous polymer-silica hybrid nanoparticle (PSN) material was synthesized by polymerization of acrylate monomers on the surface of SBA-15 mesoporous silica nanoparticles. The structure of the PSN material was analyzed using a series of different techniques, including transmission electron microscopy, powder X-ray diffraction, and N(2) sorption analysis. These structurally ordered mesoporous polymer-silica hybrid nanoparticles were used for the controlled release of membrane-impermeable macromolecules inside eukaryotic cells. The cellular uptake efficiency and biocompatibility of PSN with human cervical cancer cells (HeLa) were investigated. Our results show that the inhibitory concentration (IC(50)) of PSN is very high (>100 μg/mL per million cells), while the median effective concentration for the uptake (EC(50)) of PSN is low (EC(50) = 4.4 μg/mL), indicating that PSNs are fairly biocompatible and easily up-taken in vitro. A membrane-impermeable macromolecule, 40 kDa FITC-Dextran, was loaded into the mesopores of PSNs at low pH. We demonstrated that the PSN material could indeed serve as a transmembrane carrier for the controlled release of FITC-Dextran at the pH level inside live HeLa cells. We believe that further developments of this PSN material will lead to a new generation of nanodevices for intracellular controlled delivery applications.

  17. Three-dimensional graphene-polyaniline hybrid hollow spheres by layer-by-layer assembly for application in supercapacitor

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Luo, Jing; Ma, Qiang; Gu, Huahao; Zheng, Yuan; Liu, Xiaoya

    2015-01-01

    Highlights: •A graphene-polyaniline (GR-PANI) hybrid hollow sphere is fabricated by layer-by-layer (LBL) assembly technique. •The GR-PANI hollow sphere has higher specific capacitance than stacked GR-PANI LBL film. •64% of its initial capacitance is maintained with the current density increased from 0.5 to 20 A g −1 . •A high capacity retention rate of 83% after 1000 cycles can be achieved. -- Abstract: A novel kind of three-dimensional graphene-polyaniline hybrid hollow sphere (RGO-PANI HS) has been prepared via layer-by-layer (LBL) assembly of negatively-charged reduced graphene oxide (RGO) and positively charged polyaniline (PANI) on polystyrene (PS) microsphere, followed by the removal of the PS template. The hollow structure of the obtained RGO-PANI HS is confirmed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). When used as the electrode materials for supercapacitor, the specific capacitance of the RGO-PANI HS reaches 381 F/g at a current density of 4.0 A/g, which is much higher than 251 F/g of the stacked RGO-PANI LBL film. The higher specific capacitance of RGO-PANI HS should be attributed to its unique hollow structure which provides a larger accessible surface area and facilitate the charge and ion transport. In addition, its specific capacitance can be facilely tailored by changing the assembly cycle number. Furthermore, good cycling stability is also demonstrated with 83% of the original capacitance value maintained after 1000 charging/discharging cycles

  18. Micelle swelling agent derived cavities for increasing hydrophobic organic compound removal efficiency by mesoporous micelle@silica hybrid materials

    KAUST Repository

    Shi, Yifeng; Li, Bin; Wang, Peng; Dua, Rubal; Zhao, Dongyuan

    2012-01-01

    Mesoporous micelle@silica hybrid materials with 2D hexagonal mesostructures were synthesized as reusable sorbents for hydrophobic organic compounds (HOCs) removal by a facile one-step aqueous solution synthesis using 3-(trimethoxysily)propyl

  19. Energy down converting organic fluorophore functionalized mesoporous silica hybrids for monolith-coated light emitting diodes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Markus Börgardts

    2017-04-01

    Full Text Available The covalent attachment of organic fluorophores in mesoporous silica matrices for usage as energy down converting phosphors without employing inorganic transition or rare earth metals is reported in this article. Triethoxysilylpropyl-substituted derivatives of the blue emitting perylene, green emitting benzofurazane, and red emitting Nile red were synthesized and applied in the synthesis of mesoporous hybrid materials by postsynthetic grafting to commercially available MCM-41. These individually dye-functionalized hybrid materials are mixed in variable ratios to furnish a powder capable of emitting white light with CIE chromaticity coordinates of x = 0.33, y = 0.33 and an external quantum yield of 4.6% upon irradiation at 410 nm. Furthermore, as a proof of concept two different device setups of commercially available UV light emitting diodes, are coated with silica monoliths containing the three triethoxysilylpropyl-substituted fluorophore derivatives. These coatings are able to convert the emitted UV light into light with correlated color temperatures of very cold white (41100 K, 10700 K as well as a greenish white emission with correlated color temperatures of about 5500 K.

  20. Ni hollow spheres as catalysts for methanol and ethanol electrooxidation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Xu, Changwei [Department of Chemistry and Institute of Nanochemistry, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632 (China); School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 639798 (Singapore); Hu, Yonghong; Rong, Jianhua; Liu, Yingliang [Department of Chemistry and Institute of Nanochemistry, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632 (China); Jiang, San Ping [School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 639798 (Singapore)

    2007-08-15

    In this paper, we successfully synthesized Ni hollow spheres consisting of needle-like nickel particles by using silica spheres as template with gold nanoparticles seeding method. The Ni hollow spheres are applied to methanol and ethanol electrooxidation in alkaline media. The results show that the Ni hollow spheres give a very high activity for alcohol electrooxidation at a very low nickel loading of 0.10 mg cm{sup -2}. The current on Ni hollow spheres is much higher than that on Ni particles. The onset potential and peak potential on Ni hollow spheres are more negative than that on Ni particles for methanol and ethanol electrooxidation. The Ni hollow spheres may be of great potential in alcohol sensor and direct alcohol fuel cells. (author)

  1. Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering Using Silica Whispering-Gallery Mode Resonators

    Science.gov (United States)

    Anderson, Mark S.

    2013-01-01

    The motivation of this work was to have robust spectroscopic sensors for sensitive detection and chemical analysis of organic and molecular compounds. The solution is to use silica sphere optical resonators to provide surface-enhanced spectroscopic signal. Whispering-gallery mode (WGM) resonators made from silica microspheres were used for surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) without coupling to a plasmonic mechanism. Large Raman signal enhancement is observed by exclusively using 5.08-micron silica spheres with 785-nm laser excitation. The advantage of this non-plasmonic approach is that the active substrate is chemically inert silica, thermally stable, and relatively simple to fabricate. The Raman signal enhancement is broadly applicable to a wide range of molecular functional groups including aliphatic hydrocarbons, siloxanes, and esters. Applications include trace organic analysis, particularly for in situ planetary instruments that require robust sensors with consistent response.

  2. Synthesis of Hollow Silica by Stober Method with Double Polymers as Templates

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nguyen, Anhthu; Park, Chang Woo; Kim, Sang Hern

    2014-01-01

    The hollow SiO 2 spheres with uniform size were synthesized by a modified stoeber method under the control of polyelectrolytes (PSS and PAA) as templates. This synthetic route includes the formation of spherical colloid micelle in ethanol solution, hydrolysis of TEOS under control of ammonia, and the removal of polyelectrolyte by washing or calcination. Hollow silica spheres with controllable core diameters between 100 and 270 nm and wall thickness between 15 and 50 nm have been synthesized. The influence of template solution concentration and solvent and dispersant on the formation of silica hollow spheres is studied and reported in detail

  3. Electrochemical characteristics of discrete, uniform, and monodispersed hollow mesoporous carbon spheres in double-layered supercapacitors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Xuecheng; Kierzek, Krzysztof; Wenelska, Karolina; Cendrowski, Krzystof; Gong, Jiang; Wen, Xin; Tang, Tao; Chu, Paul K; Mijowska, Ewa

    2013-11-01

    Core-shell-structured mesoporous silica spheres were prepared by using n-octadecyltrimethoxysilane (C18TMS) as the surfactant. Hollow mesoporous carbon spheres with controllable diameters were fabricated from core-shell-structured mesoporous silica sphere templates by chemical vapor deposition (CVD). By controlling the thickness of the silica shell, hollow carbon spheres (HCSs) with different diameters can be obtained. The use of ethylene as the carbon precursor in the CVD process produces the materials in a single step without the need to remove the surfactant. The mechanism of formation and the role played by the surfactant, C18TMS, are investigated. The materials have large potential in double-layer supercapacitors, and their electrochemical properties were determined. HCSs with thicker mesoporous shells possess a larger surface area, which in turn increases their electrochemical capacitance. The samples prepared at a lower temperature also exhibit increased capacitance as a result of the Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) area and larger pore size. Copyright © 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  4. Template method synthesis of mesoporous carbon spheres and its applications as supercapacitors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wilgosz, Karolina; Chen, Xuecheng; Kierzek, Krzysztof; Machnikowski, Jacek; Kalenczuk, Ryszard J.; Mijowska, Ewa

    2012-05-01

    Mesoporous carbon spheres (MCS) have been fabricated from structured mesoporous silica sphere using chemical vapor deposition (CVD) with ethylene as a carbon feedstock. The mesoporous carbon spheres have a high specific surface area of 666.8 m2/g and good electrochemical properties. The mechanism of formation mesoporous carbon spheres (carbon spheres) is investigated. The important thing is a surfactant hexadecyl trimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB), which accelerates the process of carbon deposition. An additional advantage of this surfactant is an increase the yield of product. These mesoporous carbon spheres, which have good electrochemical properties is suitable for supercapacitors.

  5. Hybrid Organometallic-Inorganic Nanomaterial: Acetyl Ferrocene Schiff base Immobilized on Silica Coated Magnetite Nanoparticles

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M. Masteri-Farahani

    2015-10-01

    Full Text Available In  this  work,  a  new  hybrid  organometallic-inorganic  hybrid nanomaterial was prepared by immobilization of acetyl ferrocene on the  surface  of magnetite  nanoparticles. Covalent  grafting of silica coated magnetite nanoparticles (SCMNPs with 3-aminopropyl triethoxysilane gave aminopropyl-modified magnetite nanoparticles (AmpSCMNPs. Then, Schiff base condensation  of AmpSCMNPs with acetyl  ferrocene resulted in the preparation of acferro-SCMNPs hybrid nanomaterial. Characterization of the prepared nanomaterial was performed with different physicochemical methods such as Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR, X-ray diffraction (XRD, vibrating sample magnetometry (VSM, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA, scanning electron microscopy (SEM, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM. VSM analysis showed superparamagnetic properties of the prepared nanomaterial and TEM and SEM analyses indicated the relatively spherical nanoparticles with 15 nm average size.

  6. Quantitative analysis of silica aerogel-based thermal insulation coatings

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kiil, Søren

    2015-01-01

    containing intact hollow glass or polymer spheres showed that silica aerogel particles are more efficient in an insulation coating than hollow spheres. In a practical (non-ideal) comparison, the ranking most likely cannot be generalized. A parameter study demonstrates how the model can be used, qualitatively......A mathematical heat transfer model for a silica aerogel-based thermal insulation coating was developed. The model can estimate the thermal conductivity of a two-component (binder-aerogel) coating with potential binder intrusion into the nano-porous aerogel structure. The latter is modelled using...... a so-called core–shell structure representation. Data from several previous experimental investigations with silica aerogels in various binder matrices were used for model validation. For some relevant cases with binder intrusion, it was possible to obtain a very good agreement between simulations...

  7. Chemical Stability of Cd(II and Cu(II Ionic Imprinted Amino-Silica Hybrid Material in Solution Media

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Buhani, Narsito, Nuryono, Eko Sri Kunarti

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available Chemical stability of Cd(II and Cu(II ionic imprinted hybrid material of (i-Cd-HAS and i-Cu-HAS derived from silica modification with active compound (3-aminopropyl-trimethoxysilane (3-APTMS has been studied in solution media. Stability test was performed with HNO3 0.1 M (pH 1.35 to investigate material stability at low pH condition, CH3COONa 0.1 M (pH 5.22 for adsorption process optimum pH condition, and in the water (pH 9.34 for base condition. Material characteristics were carried out with infrared spectrophotometer (IR and atomic absorption spectrophotometer (AAS. At interaction time of 4 days in acid and neutral condition, i-Cd-HAS is more stable than i-Cu-HAS with % Si left in material 95.89 % (acid media, 43.82 % (close to neutral, and 9.39 % (base media.Keywords: chemical stability, amino-silica hybrid, ionic imprinting technique

  8. Study of the spectra of silica colloidal crystals with assembled silver obtained from a photolysis method

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Wenjiang; He, Jinglong; He, Sailing

    2005-02-01

    The colorful artificial 3D silica colloidal crystals (opal) were prepared through self-assembly of silica spheres in the visible frequency range. We directly synthesized nano silver particles in the void of the silica artificial opal film using the photolysis of silver nitrate under UV light, nano silver particles were self-deposited around the surface of silica sphere. The shifts of the stop band of the artificial crystals after exposing different time under UV light were studied. Synthetic silica opal with three-dimensional (3D) structure is potentially useful for the development of diffractive optical devices, micro mechanical systems, and sensory elements because photonic band gaps obtained from self-assembled closely packed periodic structures.

  9. Morphology conserving aminopropyl functionalization of hollow silica nanospheres in toluene

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dobó, Dorina G.; Berkesi, Dániel; Kukovecz, Ákos

    2017-07-01

    Inorganic nanostructures containing cavities of monodisperse diameter distribution find applications in e.g. catalysis, adsorption and drug delivery. One of their possible synthesis routes is the template assisted core-shell synthesis. We synthesized hollow silica spheres around polystyrene cores by the sol-gel method. The polystyrene template was removed by heat treatment leaving behind a hollow spherical shell structure. The surface of the spheres was then modified by adding aminopropyl groups. Here we present the first experimental evidence that toluene is a suitable alternative functionalization medium for the resulting thin shells, and report the comprehensive characterization of the amino-functionalized hollow silica spheres based on scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, N2 adsorption, FT-IR spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy and electrokinetic potential measurement. Both the presence of the amino groups and the preservation of the hollow spherical morphology were unambiguously proven. The introduction of the amine functionality adds amphoteric character to the shell as shown by the zeta potential vs. pH function. Unlike pristine silica particles, amino-functionalized nanosphere aqueous sols can be stable at both acidic and basic conditions.

  10. Water-dependent photonic bandgap in silica artificial opals.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gallego-Gómez, Francisco; Blanco, Alvaro; Canalejas-Tejero, Victor; López, Cefe

    2011-07-04

    Some characteristics of silica--based structures-like the photonic properties of artificial opals formed by silica spheres--can be greatly affected by the presence of adsorbed water. The reversible modification of the water content of an opal is investigated here by moderate heating (below 300 °C) and measuring in situ the changes in the photonic bandgap. Due to reversible removal of interstitial water, large blueshifts of 30 nm and a bandgap narrowing of 7% are observed. The latter is particularly surprising, because water desorption increases the refractive index contrast, which should lead instead to bandgap broadening. A quantitative explanation of this experiment is provided using a simple model for water distribution in the opal that assumes a nonclose-packed fcc structure. This model further predicts that, at room temperature, about 50% of the interstitial water forms necks between nearest-neighbor spheres, which are separated by 5% of their diameter. Upon heating, dehydration predominantly occurs at the sphere surfaces (in the opal voids), so that above 65 °C the remaining water resides exclusively in the necks. A near-close-packed fcc arrangement is only achieved above 200 °C. The high sensitivity to water changes exhibited by silica opals, even under gentle heating of few degrees, must be taken into account for practical applications. Remarkably, accurate control of the distance between spheres--from 16 to 1 nm--is obtained with temperature. In this study, novel use of the optical properties of the opal is made to infer quantitative information about water distribution within silica beads and dehydration phenomena from simple reflection spectra. Taking advantage of the well-defined opal morphology, this approach offers a simple tool for the straightforward investigation of generic adsorption-desorption phenomena, which might be extrapolated to many other fields involving capillary condensation. Copyright © 2011 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGa

  11. Monomer functionalized silica coated with Ag nanoparticles for enhanced SERS hotspots

    Science.gov (United States)

    Newmai, M. Boazbou; Verma, Manoj; Kumar, P. Senthil

    2018-05-01

    Mesoporous silica (SiO2) spheres are well-known for their excellent chromatographic properties such as the relatively high specific surface, large pore volume, uniform particle size, narrow pore size distribution with favorable pore connectivity; whereas the noble metal Ag nanoparticles have unique size/shape dependant surface plasmon resonance with wide ranging applications. Thus, the desire to synchronize both their properties for specific applications has naturally prompted research in the design and synthesis of core-shell type novel nanoAg@mesoSiO2 nanocomposites, which display potential utility in applications such as photothermal therapy, photocatalysis, molecular sensing, and photovoltaics. In the present work, SiO2 spheres were carefully functionalized with the monomer, N-vinyl pyrrolidone (NVP), which cohesively controls the uniform mass transfer of Ag+ metal ions, thereby enabling its sequential reduction to zerovalent Ag (in the presence of slightly excess NaOH) by electron transfer from nucleophilic attack of the NVP vinyl group by the water molecules even under ambient conditions. Complete metal nanoshell coverage of the silica surface was obtained after multiple Ag deposition cycles, as systematically confirmed from the BET, TEM, optical and FTIR characterization. Our present Ag-coated silica spheres were directly utilized as viable SERS substrates with high sensitivity in contrast with other long chain polymer/surfactant coated silica spheres, owing to the presence of significant number of nanogaps enhanced SERS 'hotspots', which were methodically analyzed utilizing two example analytes, such as crystal violet (CV) and calendula officinalis (CaF).

  12. One stone, two birds: silica nanospheres significantly increase photocatalytic activity and colloidal stability of photocatalysts

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rasamani, Kowsalya D.; Foley, Jonathan J., IV; Sun, Yugang

    2018-03-01

    Silver-doped silver chloride [AgCl(Ag)] nanoparticles represent a unique class of visible-light-driven photocatalysts, in which the silver dopants introduce electron-abundant mid-gap energy levels to lower the bandgap of AgCl. However, free-standing AgCl(Ag) nanoparticles, particularly those with small sizes and large surface areas, exhibit low colloidal stability and low compositional stability upon exposure to light irradiation, leading to easy aggregation and conversion to metallic silver and thus a loss of photocatalytic activity. These problems could be eliminated by attaching the small AgCl(Ag) nanoparticles to the surfaces of spherical dielectric silica particles with submicrometer sizes. The high optical transparency in the visible spectral region (400-800 nm), colloidal stability, and chemical/electronic inertness displayed by the silica spheres make them ideal for supporting photocatalysts and significantly improving their stability. The spherical morphology of the dielectric silica particles can support light scattering resonances to generate significantly enhanced electric fields near the silica particle surfaces, on which the optical absorption cross-section of the AgCl(Ag) nanoparticles is dramatically increased to promote their photocatalytic activity. The hybrid silica/AgCl(Ag) structures exhibit superior photocatalytic activity and stability, suitable for supporting photocatalysis sustainably; for instance, their efficiency in the photocatalytic decomposition of methylene blue decreases by only ˜9% even after ten cycles of operation.

  13. A protecting group approach toward synthesis of Au–silica Janus nanostars

    OpenAIRE

    D. Rodríguez-Fernández; T. Altantzis; H. Heidari; S. Bals; L.M. Liz-Marzán

    2013-01-01

    Abstract: The concept of protecting groups, widely used in organic chemistry, has been applied for the synthesis of Au-silica Janus stars, in which gold branches protrude from one half of Au-silica Janus spheres. This configuration opens up new possibilities to apply the plasmonic properties of gold nanostars, as well as a variety of chemical functionalizations on the silica component.

  14. A protecting group approach toward synthesis of Au-silica Janus nanostars.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rodríguez-Fernández, Denis; Altantzis, Thomas; Heidari, Hamed; Bals, Sara; Liz-Marzán, Luis M

    2014-01-04

    The concept of protecting groups, widely used in organic chemistry, has been applied for the synthesis of Au-silica Janus stars, in which gold branches protrude from one half of Au-silica Janus spheres. This configuration opens up new possibilities to apply the plasmonic properties of gold nanostars, as well as a variety of chemical functionalizations on the silica component.

  15. Multifunctional Amine Mesoporous Silica Spheres Modified with Multiple Amine as Carriers for Drug Release

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yan Li

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Mesoporous silica spheres were synthesized by using Stöber theory (MSN-40. Calcination of the mesostructured phase resulted in the starting solid. Organic modification with aminopropyl groups resulted in two MSN-40 materials: named MSN-NH2 and MSN-DQ-40, respectively. These two kinds of samples with different pore sizes (obtained from 3-[2-(2-aminoethylaminoethylamino]propyl-trimethox-ysilane (NQ-62 and modified NQ-62 showed control of the delivery rate of ibuprofen (IBU from the siliceous matrix. The obtained sample from modified NQ-62 has an increased loading rate and shows better control of the delivery rate of IBU than the obtained sample from NQ-62. These three solids were characterized using standard solid state procedures. During tests of in vitro drug release, an interesting phenomenon was observed: at high pH (pH 7.45, IBU in all carriers was released slowly; at low pH (pH 4.5, only a part of the IBU was slowly released from this carrier within 25 hours; most IBU was effectively confined in mesoporous material, but the remaining IBU was released rapidly and completely after 25 hours.

  16. Silica artificial opal incorporated with silver nanoparticles

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Li Wenjiang, E-mail: wjli@zju.edu.cn [Center for Optical and Electromagnetic Research, State Key Laboratory for Modern Optical Instrumentation, Zhejiang University, Joint Research Center of Photonics of the Royal Institute of Technology and Zhejiang University, Zijingang Campus, Room 210, East Building 5, Hangzhou 310058 (China); Sun Tan [Center for Optical and Electromagnetic Research, State Key Laboratory for Modern Optical Instrumentation, Zhejiang University, Joint Research Center of Photonics of the Royal Institute of Technology and Zhejiang University, Zijingang Campus, Room 210, East Building 5, Hangzhou 310058 (China)

    2009-07-15

    The silica artificial opal with a three-dimensional (3D) periodic structure was prepared using highly monodispersed silica microspheres by a force packing method in ITO glass cell. The silica artificial opal incorporated with silver nanoparticles was fabricated by the electroplating technique. The optical microscope images of the synthetic sample and the corresponding optical properties were measured after each treatment of electroplating-washing-drying circle. The transmission and reflection spectra presented a red shift, showing that the effective refractive index of the complex silver/silica opal increased after each electroplating. Combining the SEM images, it was seen that the silver nanoparticles could be directly deposited on the surface of silica spheres in the opaline structure. The silver/silica complex opal film could provide a simple way to tune the opal properties by controlling silver nanoparticles in the silica opal. The silver/silica opal crystal structures could be used for nano-photonic circuits, white-light LEDs or as photocatalysts.

  17. Silica artificial opal incorporated with silver nanoparticles

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li Wenjiang; Sun Tan

    2009-01-01

    The silica artificial opal with a three-dimensional (3D) periodic structure was prepared using highly monodispersed silica microspheres by a force packing method in ITO glass cell. The silica artificial opal incorporated with silver nanoparticles was fabricated by the electroplating technique. The optical microscope images of the synthetic sample and the corresponding optical properties were measured after each treatment of electroplating-washing-drying circle. The transmission and reflection spectra presented a red shift, showing that the effective refractive index of the complex silver/silica opal increased after each electroplating. Combining the SEM images, it was seen that the silver nanoparticles could be directly deposited on the surface of silica spheres in the opaline structure. The silver/silica complex opal film could provide a simple way to tune the opal properties by controlling silver nanoparticles in the silica opal. The silver/silica opal crystal structures could be used for nano-photonic circuits, white-light LEDs or as photocatalysts.

  18. Luminescent hybrid films obtained by covalent grafting of terbium complex to silica network

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Liu Fengyi; Fu Lianshe; Wang Jun; Liu Ze; Li Huanrong; Zhang Hongjie

    2002-01-01

    Luminescent hybrid thin films consisting of terbium complex covalently bonded to a silica-based network have been obtained in situ via a sol-gel approach. A new monomer, N-(4-benzoic acid-yl), N'-(propyltriethoxysilyl)urea (PABI), has been synthesized by grafting isocyanatopropyltriethoxysilane (ICPTES) to p-aminobenzoic acid and characterized by 1 H NMR, IR and MS. The monomer acts as a ligand for Tb 3+ ion and as a sol-gel precursor. Band emission from Tb 3+ ion due to an efficient ligand-to-metal energy transfer was observed by UV excitation. The decay curves of Tb 3+ in the hybrid films were measured. The energy difference between the triplet state energy of PABI and the 5 D 4 level of Tb 3+ ion falls in the exciting range to sensitize Tb 3+ ion fluorescence

  19. Manganese–Schiff base complex immobilized silica materials

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    III)]+ and [Mn(salophen)]+: [N,N′-bis(salicylaldehyde)-1,2-phenylenediimino manganese(III)]+ were introduced into/onto the MCM-41 type silica spheres and used for the electrocatalytic reduction of oxygen. Synthesized materials were ...

  20. Self-diffusion of charged colloidal tracer spheres in transparent porous glass media: Effect of ionic strength and pore size

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kluijtmans, Sebastiaan G. J. M.; de Hoog, Els H. A.; Philipse, Albert P.

    1998-05-01

    The influence of charge on diffusion in porous media was studied for fluorescent colloidal silica spheres diffusing in a porous glass medium. The bicontinuous porous silica glasses were optically matched with an organic solvent mixture in which both glass and tracers are negatively charged. Using fluorescence recovery after photobleaching, the long-time self-diffusion coefficient DSL of the confined silica particles was monitored in situ as a function of the ionic strength and particle to pore size ratio. At high salt concentration DSL reaches a relatively high plateau value, which depends on the particle to pore size ratio. This plateau value is unexpectedly higher than the value found for uncharged silica spheres in these porous glasses, but still significantly smaller than the free particle bulk diffusion coefficient of the silica spheres. At low salt concentration DSL reduces markedly, up to the point where colloids are nearly immobilized. This peculiar retardation probably originates from potential traps and barriers at pore intersections due to deviations from cylinder symmetry in the double layer interactions between tracers and pore walls. This indicates that diffusion of charged particles in tortuous porous media may be very different from transport in long capillaries without such intersections.

  1. Novel blends of acrylonitrile butadiene rubber and polyurethane-silica hybrid networks

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    X. P. Wang

    2012-07-01

    Full Text Available Novel blends of acrylonitrile butadiene rubber (NBR and polyurethane-silica (PU-SiO2 hybrid networks have been prepared by melt blending. The PU-SiO2 hybrid networks were formed via the reaction of NCO groups of NCO-terminated PU prepolymer and OH groups of SiO2 in the absence of an external crosslinking agent (i.e. alcohols and amines during the curing process of NBR. Both in the neat PU-SiO2 system and the NBR/(PU-SiO2 system, the NCO-terminated PU prepolymer could be crosslinked by SiO2 to form PU-SiO2 hybrid networks. The effects of PU-SiO2 introduction into the NBR, on the properties of the resulting blends were studied. It was found that the vulcanization was activated by the incorporation of PU-SiO2. Transmission electronic microscopy (TEM studies indicated that the interpenetration and entanglement structures between NBR and PU-SiO2 increased with increasing PU-SiO2 content and the quasi-interpenetrating polymer networks (quasi-IPN structures were formed when the PU-SiO2 was 50 wt% in the NBR/(PU-SiO2 systems. The microstructures formed in the blends led to good compatibility between NBR and PU-SiO2 and significantly improved the mechanical properties, abrasion resistance and flex-fatigue life of the blends.

  2. Chemical Stability of Cd(II and Cu(II Ionic Imprinted Amino-Silica Hybrid Material in Solution Media

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Buhani Buhani

    2012-02-01

    Full Text Available Chemical stability of Cd(II and Cu(II ionic imprinted amino-silica (HAS material of (i-Cd-HAS and i-Cu-HAS derived from silica modification with active compound (3-aminopropyl-trimethoxysilane (3-APTMS has been studied in solution media.  Stability test was performed with HNO3 0.1 M (pH 1.35 to investigate material stability at low pH condition, acetat buffer at pH 5.22 for adsorption process optimum pH condition, and in the water (pH 9.34 for base condition.  Material characteristics were carried out with infrared spectrophotometer (IR and atomic absorption spectrophotometer (AAS.  At interaction time of 4 days in acid and neutral condition, i-Cd-HAS is more stable than i-Cu-HAS with % Si left in material 95.89 % (acid media, 43.82 % (close to neutral, and 9.39 % (base media.Keywords: chemical stability, amino-silica hybrid, ionic imprinting technique.

  3. Synthesis of silica nanosphere from homogeneous and ...

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    WINTEC

    avoid it, reaction in heterogeneous system using CTABr was carried out. Nanosized silica sphere with ... Homogeneous system contains a mixture of ethanol, water, aqueous ammonia and ... heated to 823 K (rate, 1 K/min) in air and kept at this.

  4. A IR-Femtosecond Laser Hybrid Sensor to Measure the Thermal Expansion and Thermo-Optical Coefficient of Silica-Based FBG at High Temperatures.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Litong; Lv, Dajuan; Yang, Minghong; Xiong, Liangming; Luo, Jie

    2018-01-26

    In this paper, a hybrid sensor was fabricated using a IR-femtosecond laser to measure the thermal expansion and thermo-optical coefficient of silica-based fiber Bragg gratings (FBGs). The hybrid sensor was composed of an inline fiber Fabry-Perot interferometer (FFPI) cavity and a type-II FBG. Experiment results showed that the type-II FBG had three high reflectivity resonances in the wavelength ranging from 1100 to 1600 nm, showing the peaks in 1.1, 1.3 and 1.5 μm, respectively. The thermal expansion and thermo-optical coefficient (1.3 μm, 1.5 μm) of silica-based FBG, under temperatures ranging from 30 to 1100 °C, had been simultaneously calculated by measuring the wavelength of the type-II FBG and FFPI cavity length.

  5. Self-template synthesis of yolk-shelled NiCo2O4 spheres for enhanced hybrid supercapacitors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Liang; Jiao, Xinyan; Liu, Peng; Ouyang, Yu; Xia, Xifeng; Lei, Wu; Hao, Qingli

    2018-01-01

    A self-template method is developed for hierarchically yolk-shelled NiCo2O4 spheres (YS-NiCo2O4) through a controlled hydrolysis process and followed by a thermal annealing treatment. The yolk-shelled NiCo2O4 spheres possess out-shell consisting of hundreds of ultrathin sheets with 3-5 nm in thickness and solid yolk composing of a large number of nanoparticles. The YS-NiCo2O4 generates a large specific surface area of 169.6 m2 g-1. Benefit from the large specific surface area and rich oxygen vacancy, the as-fabricated YS-NiCo2O4 as electrode materials for supercapacitor exhibits high specific capacitance of 835.7 F g-1 at 0.5 A g-1, an enhanced rate capability and excellent electrochemical stability with 93% retention after 10,000 cycles even at 10 A g-1. Moreover, a hybrid supercapacitor combined with YS-NiCo2O4 and graphene shows a high energy density of 34.7 Wh kg-1 at the power density of 395.0 W kg-1 at 0.5 A g-1, even at 20 A g-1, the hybrid supercapacitor still delivers the energy density of about 12.1 Wh kg-1 and the power density of 11697 W kg-1. The desirable performance of yolk-shelled NiCo2O4 suggests it to be a promising material as supercapacitor electrodes.

  6. A Highly Stable and Magnetically Recyclable Nanocatalyst System: Mesoporous Silica Spheres Embedded with FeCo/Graphitic Shell Magnetic Nanoparticles and Pt Nanocatalysts.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Da Jeong; Li, Yan; Kim, Yun Jin; Hur, Nam Hwi; Seo, Won Seok

    2015-12-01

    We have developed a highly stable and magnetically recyclable nanocatalyst system for alkene hydrogenation. The materials are composed of mesoporous silica spheres (MSS) embedded with FeCo/graphitic shell (FeCo/GC) magnetic nanoparticles and Pt nanocatalysts (Pt-FeCo/GC@MSS). The Pt-FeCo/GC@MSS have superparamagnetism at room temperature and show type IV isotherm typical for mesoporous silica, thereby ensuring a large enough inner space (surface area of 235.3 m(2)  g(-1), pore volume of 0.165 cm(3)  g(-1), and pore diameter of 2.8 nm) to undergo catalytic reactions. We have shown that the Pt-FeCo/GC@MSS system readily converts cyclohexene into cyclohexane, which is the only product isolated and Pt-FeCo/GC@MSS can be seperated very quickly by an external magnetic field after the catalytic reaction is finished. We have demonstrated that the recycled Pt-FeCo/GC@MSS can be reused further for the same hydrogenation reaction at least four times without loss in the initial catalytic activity. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  7. Synthesis and new structure shaping mechanism of silica particles formed at high pH

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang, Henan; Zhao, Yu; Akins, Daniel L.

    2012-01-01

    For the sol–gel synthesis of silica particles under high pH catalytic conditions (pH>12) in water/ethanol solvent, we have deduced that the competing dynamics of chemical etching and sol–gel process can explain the types of silica particles formed and their morphologies. We have demonstrated that emulsion droplets that are generated by adding tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) to a water–ethanol solution serve as soft templates for hollow spherical silica (1–2 μm). And if the emulsion is converted by the sol–gel process, one finds that suspended solid silica spheres of diameter of ∼900 nm are formed. Moreover, several other factors are found to play fundamental roles in determining the final morphologies of silica particles, such as by variation of the pH (in our case, using OH – ) to a level where condensation dominates; by changing the volume ratios of water/ethanol; and using an emulsifier (specifically, CTAB) - Graphical abstract: “Local chemical etching” and sol–gel process have been proposed to interpret the control of morphologies of silica particles through varying initial pHs in syntheses. Highlights: ► Different initial pHs in our syntheses provides morphological control of silica particles. ► “Local chemical etching” and sol–gel process describes the formation of silica spheres. ► The formation of emulsions generates hollow silica particles.

  8. Hard sphere colloidal dispersions: Mechanical relaxation pertaining to thermodynamic forces

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Mellema, J.; de Kruif, C.G.; Blom, C.; Vrij, A.

    1987-01-01

    The complex viscosity of sterically stabilized (hard) silica spheres in cyclohexane has been measured between 80 Hz and 170 kHz with torsion pendulums and a nickel tube resonator. The observed relaxation behaviour can be attributed to the interplay of hydrodynamic and thermodynamic forces. The

  9. Hollow spheres: crucial building blocks for novel nanostructures and nanophotonics

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zhong Kuo

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available In this review, we summarize the latest developments in research specifically derived from the unique properties of hollow microspheres, in particular, hollow silica spheres with uniform shells. We focus on applications in nanosphere (colloidal lithography and nanophotonics. The lithography from a layer of hollow spheres can result in nanorings, from a multilayer in unique nano-architecture. In nanophotonics, disordered hollow spheres can result in antireflection coatings, while ordered colloidal crystals (CCs of hollow spheres exhibit unique refractive index enhancement upon infiltration, ideal for optical sensing. Furthermore, whispering gallery mode (WGM inside the shell of hollow spheres has also been demonstrated to enhance light absorption to improve the performance of solar cells. These applications differ from the classical applications of hollow spheres, based only on their low density and large surface area, such as catalysis and chemical sensing. We provide a brief overview of the synthesis and self-assembly approaches of the hollow spheres. We elaborate on their unique optical features leading to defect mode lasing, optomicrofluidics, and the existence of WGMs inside shell for light management. Finally, we provide a perspective on the direction towards which future research relevant to hollow spheres might be directed.

  10. Hollow spheres: crucial building blocks for novel nanostructures and nanophotonics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhong, Kuo; Song, Kai; Clays, Koen

    2018-03-01

    In this review, we summarize the latest developments in research specifically derived from the unique properties of hollow microspheres, in particular, hollow silica spheres with uniform shells. We focus on applications in nanosphere (colloidal) lithography and nanophotonics. The lithography from a layer of hollow spheres can result in nanorings, from a multilayer in unique nano-architecture. In nanophotonics, disordered hollow spheres can result in antireflection coatings, while ordered colloidal crystals (CCs) of hollow spheres exhibit unique refractive index enhancement upon infiltration, ideal for optical sensing. Furthermore, whispering gallery mode (WGM) inside the shell of hollow spheres has also been demonstrated to enhance light absorption to improve the performance of solar cells. These applications differ from the classical applications of hollow spheres, based only on their low density and large surface area, such as catalysis and chemical sensing. We provide a brief overview of the synthesis and self-assembly approaches of the hollow spheres. We elaborate on their unique optical features leading to defect mode lasing, optomicrofluidics, and the existence of WGMs inside shell for light management. Finally, we provide a perspective on the direction towards which future research relevant to hollow spheres might be directed.

  11. Large pore bi-functionalised mesoporous silica for metal ion pollution treatment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Burke, Aoife M.; Hanrahan, John P.; Healy, David A.; Sodeau, John R.; Holmes, Justin D.; Morris, Michael A.

    2009-01-01

    Here we demonstrate aminopropyl and mercatopropyl functionalised and bi-functionalised large pore mesoporous silica spheres to extract various metal ions from aqueous solutions towards providing active sorbents for mitigation of metal ion pollution. Elemental analysis (EA) and FTIR techniques were used to quantify the attachment of the aminopropyl and mercatopropyl functional groups to the mesoporous silica pore wall. Functionalisation was achieved by post-synthesis reflux procedures. For all functionalised silicas the functionalisation refluxing does not alter particle morphology/agglomeration of the particles. It was found that sorptive capacities of the mesoporous silica towards the functional groups were unaffected by co-functionalisation. Powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) and nitrogen adsorption techniques were used to establish the pore diameters, packing of the pores and specific surface areas of the modified mesoporous silica spheres. Atomic absorption (AA) spectroscopy and inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES) techniques were used to measure the extraction efficiencies of each metal ion species from solution at varying pHs. Maximum sorptive capacities (as metal ions) were determined to be 384 μmol g -1 for Cr, 340 μmol g -1 for Ni, 358 μmol g -1 for Fe, 364 μmol g -1 for Mn and 188 μmol g -1 for Pd

  12. Large pore bi-functionalised mesoporous silica for metal ion pollution treatment

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Burke, Aoife M.; Hanrahan, John P. [Department of Chemistry, Materials Section and Supercritical Fluid Centre, University College Cork, Cork (Ireland); Environmental Research Institute (ERI), Lee Road, Cork (Ireland); Healy, David A.; Sodeau, John R. [Department of Chemistry, Centre of Research in Atmospheric Chemistry, University College Cork, Cork (Ireland); Holmes, Justin D. [Department of Chemistry, Materials Section and Supercritical Fluid Centre, University College Cork, Cork (Ireland); Centre for Research on Adaptive Nanostructures and Nanodevices (CRANN), Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2 (Ireland); Morris, Michael A. [Department of Chemistry, Materials Section and Supercritical Fluid Centre, University College Cork, Cork (Ireland); Environmental Research Institute (ERI), Lee Road, Cork (Ireland); Centre for Research on Adaptive Nanostructures and Nanodevices (CRANN), Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2 (Ireland)], E-mail: m.morris@ucc.ie

    2009-05-15

    Here we demonstrate aminopropyl and mercatopropyl functionalised and bi-functionalised large pore mesoporous silica spheres to extract various metal ions from aqueous solutions towards providing active sorbents for mitigation of metal ion pollution. Elemental analysis (EA) and FTIR techniques were used to quantify the attachment of the aminopropyl and mercatopropyl functional groups to the mesoporous silica pore wall. Functionalisation was achieved by post-synthesis reflux procedures. For all functionalised silicas the functionalisation refluxing does not alter particle morphology/agglomeration of the particles. It was found that sorptive capacities of the mesoporous silica towards the functional groups were unaffected by co-functionalisation. Powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) and nitrogen adsorption techniques were used to establish the pore diameters, packing of the pores and specific surface areas of the modified mesoporous silica spheres. Atomic absorption (AA) spectroscopy and inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES) techniques were used to measure the extraction efficiencies of each metal ion species from solution at varying pHs. Maximum sorptive capacities (as metal ions) were determined to be 384 {mu}mol g{sup -1} for Cr, 340 {mu}mol g{sup -1} for Ni, 358 {mu}mol g{sup -1} for Fe, 364 {mu}mol g{sup -1} for Mn and 188 {mu}mol g{sup -1} for Pd.

  13. Iron oxide nanoparticle layer templated by polydopamine spheres: a novel scaffold toward hollow-mesoporous magnetic nanoreactors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huang, Liang; Ao, Lijiao; Xie, Xiaobin; Gao, Guanhui; Foda, Mohamed F; Su, Wu

    2015-01-14

    Superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticle layers with high packing density and controlled thickness were in situ deposited on metal-affinity organic templates (polydopamine spheres), via one-pot thermal decomposition. The as synthesized hybrid structure served as a facile nano-scaffold toward hollow-mesoporous magnetic carriers, through surfactant-assisted silica encapsulation and its subsequent calcination. Confined but accessible gold nanoparticles were successfully incorporated into these carriers to form a recyclable catalyst, showing quick magnetic response and a large surface area (642.5 m(2) g(-1)). Current nano-reactors exhibit excellent catalytic performance and high stability in reduction of 4-nitrophenol, together with convenient magnetic separability and good reusability. The integration of compact iron oxide nanoparticle layers with programmable polydopamine templates paves the way to fabricate magnetic-response hollow structures, with high permeability and multi-functionality.

  14. Preparation and characterization of hybrid Nafion/silica and Nafion/silica/PTA membranes for redox flow batteries

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Glibin, V.; Pupkevich, V.; Svirko, L.; Karamanev, D. [Western Ontario Univ., London, ON (Canada). Dept. of Biochemical and Chemical Engineering

    2008-07-01

    Redox flow batteries are both efficient and cost-effective. However, the long-term stability of most ion-exchange membranes is limited as a result of the high oxidation rates of ions with high redox potentials. A method of synthesizing multi-component Nafion-silica and Nafion-silica-PTA membranes was presented in this study, which also investigated the electrochemical and ion transport properties of the membranes. Membranes were cast from dimethylformamide (DMFA) solution. The iron ion diffusion kinetics of the Nafion-silica and Nafion-silica PTA membranes were studied by dialysis. Results of the investigation demonstrated that the introduction of silica and phosphotungstic acid (PTA) into the Nafion membrane composition resulted in a significant decrease of ion transfer through the membrane. The addition of PTA also increased membrane permeability to ferric ions. The low iron diffusion coefficient and high ionic conductivity of the Nafion-silica membrane makes it a promising material for use in redox flow batteries. 4 refs., 1 tab., 1 fig.

  15. Pluronic-Functionalized Silica-Lipid Hybrid Microparticles: Improving the Oral Delivery of Poorly Water-Soluble Weak Bases.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rao, Shasha; Richter, Katharina; Nguyen, Tri-Hung; Boyd, Ben J; Porter, Christopher J H; Tan, Angel; Prestidge, Clive A

    2015-12-07

    A Pluronic-functionalized silica-lipid hybrid (Plu-SLH) microparticle system for the oral delivery of poorly water-soluble, weak base drugs is reported for the first time. A highly effective Plu-SLH microparticle system was composed of Labrasol as the lipid phase, Pluronic F127 as the polymeric precipitation inhibitor (PPI), and silica nanoparticles as the solid carrier. For the model drug cinnarizine (CIN), the Plu-SLH delivery system was shown to offer significant biopharmaceutical advantages in comparison with unformulated drug and drug in the silica-lipid hybrid (SLH) system. In vitro two-phase dissolution studies illustrated significantly reduced pH provoked CIN precipitation and an 8- to 14-fold improvement in the extent of dissolution in intestinal conditions. In addition, under simulated intestinal digesting conditions, the Plu-SLH provided approximately three times more drug solubilization than the SLH. Oral administration in rats resulted in superior bioavailability for Plu-SLH microparticles, i.e., 1.6- and 2.1-fold greater than the SLH and the unformulated CIN, respectively. A physical mixture of Pluronic and SLH (Plu&SLH), having the same composition as Plu-SLH, was also evaluated, but showed no significant increase in CIN absorption when compared to unmodified CIN or SLH. This work represents the first study where different methods of incorporating PPI to formulate solid-state lipid-based formulations were compared for the impact on the biopharmaceutical performance. The data suggest that the novel physicochemical properties and structure of the fabricated Plu-SLH microparticle delivery system play an important role in facilitating the synergistic advantage of Labrasol and Pluronic F127 in preventing drug precipitation, and the Plu-SLH provides efficient oral delivery of poorly water-soluble weak bases.

  16. Covalent immobilization of lipase onto chitosan-mesoporous silica hybrid nanomaterials by carboxyl functionalized ionic liquids as the coupling agent.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xiang, Xinran; Suo, Hongbo; Xu, Chao; Hu, Yi

    2018-05-01

    Chitosan-mesoporous silica SBA-15 hybrid nanomaterials (CTS-SBA-15) were synthesized by means of carboxyl functionalized ionic liquids as the coupling agent. The as-prepared CTS-SBA-15 support was characterized by TEM, FTIR, TG and nitrogen adsorption-desorption techniques. Porcine pancreas lipase (PPL) was then bound to the hybrid nanomaterials by using the cross-linking reagent glutaraldehyde (GA). Further, the parameters like cross-linking concentration, time and ratio of supports to enzyme were optimized. The property of immobilized lipase were tested in detail by enzyme activity assays. The results indicated that the hybrid nanomaterials could form three-dimensional (3D) structure with homogeneous mesoporous structures and immobilized PPL revealed excellent enzymatic performance. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  17. The thermal conductivity of beds of spheres

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    McElroy, D.L.; Weaver, F.J.; Shapiro, M.; Longest, A.W.; Yarbrough, D.W.

    1987-01-01

    The thermal conductivities (k) of beds of solid and hollow microspheres were measured using two radial heat flow techniques. One technique provided k-data at 300 K for beds with the void spaces between particles filled with argon, nitrogen, or helium from 5 kPa to 30 MPa. The other technique provided k-data with air at atmospheric pressure from 300 to 1000 K. The 300 K technique was used to study bed systems with high k-values that can be varied by changing the gas type and gas pressure. Such systems can be used to control the operating temperature of an irradiation capsule. The systems studied included beds of 500 μm dia solid Al 2 O 3 , the same Al 2 O 3 spheres mixed with spheres of silica--alumina or with SiC shards, carbon spheres, and nickel spheres. Both techniques were used to determine the k-value of beds of hollow spheres with solid shells of Al 2 O 3 , Al 2 O 3 /center dot/7 w/o Cr 2 O 3 , and partially stabilized ZrO 2 . The hollow microspheres had diameters from 2100 to 3500 μm and wall thicknesses from 80 to 160 μm. 12 refs., 7 figs., 4 tabs

  18. Rare Earth-Activated Silica-Based Nanocomposites

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    C. Armellini

    2007-01-01

    Full Text Available Two different kinds of rare earth-activated glass-based nanocomposite photonic materials, which allow to tailor the spectroscopic properties of rare-earth ions: (i Er3+-activated SiO2-HfO2 waveguide glass ceramic, and (ii core-shell-like structures of Er3+-activated silica spheres obtained by a seed growth method, are presented.

  19. Investigation of vacuum deposited hybrid coatings of protic organic UV absorbers embedded in a silica matrix used for the UV protection of Polycarbonate glazing

    OpenAIRE

    Weber, C.; Schulz, U.; Mühlig, C.; Kaiser, N.; Tünnermann, A.

    2016-01-01

    A study of vacuum-deposited organic-inorganic hybrid coatings for UV protection of polycarbonate is presented. UV-absorbing compounds, which are commonly used for polycarbonate, were embedded in a silica matrix by thermal co-evaporation under high vacuum. In addition to the optical properties of the coatings, the influence of the silica network on the organic UV absorber and the stability of the intramolecular hydrogen bond (IMHB) are discussed. A model is presented to show the interaction be...

  20. Thermo-optic characteristics of hybrid polymer/silica microstructured optical fiber: An analytical approach

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sharma, Dinesh Kumar; Sharma, Anurag; Tripathi, Saurabh Mani

    2018-04-01

    Microstructured optical fibers (MOFs) allow a variety of advanced materials to be infiltrated in their air-voids for obtaining the increased fiber functionality, and offering a new versatile platform for developing the compact sensors devices. We aim to investigate the thermal characteristics of high-index core triangular hybrid polymer/silica MOFs with circular air-voids infused with polymer by using the analytical field model [1]. We demonstrate that infiltration of air-voids with polymer, e.g., polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) can facilitate to tune the fundamental modal properties of MOF such as effective index of the mode, near and the far-field profiles, effective mode area and the numerical aperture over the temperature ranging from 0 °C to 100 °C, for different values of relative air-void ratios. The evolution of the mode shape for a given temperature has been investigated in transition from near-field to far-field regime. We have studied the thermal dependence of splice losses between hybrid MOF and the standard step-index single-mode optical fiber in combination with Fresnel losses. For enhancing the evanescent field interactions, we have evaluated fraction of power associated with fundamental mode of hybrid MOF. We have compared the accuracy of our results with those based on full-vector finite-difference (FD) method, as available in the literature.

  1. Ordered mesoporous silica prepared by quiescent interfacial growth method - effects of reaction chemistry

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-01-01

    Acidic interfacial growth can provide a number of industrially important mesoporous silica morphologies including fibers, spheres, and other rich shapes. Studying the reaction chemistry under quiescent (no mixing) conditions is important for understanding and for the production of the desired shapes. The focus of this work is to understand the effect of a number of previously untested conditions: acid type (HCl, HNO3, and H2SO4), acid content, silica precursor type (TBOS and TEOS), and surfactant type (CTAB, Tween 20, and Tween 80) on the shape and structure of products formed under quiescent two-phase interfacial configuration. Results show that the quiescent growth is typically slow due to the absence of mixing. The whole process of product formation and pore structuring becomes limited by the slow interfacial diffusion of silica source. TBOS-CTAB-HCl was the typical combination to produce fibers with high order in the interfacial region. The use of other acids (HNO3 and H2SO4), a less hydrophobic silica source (TEOS), and/or a neutral surfactant (Tweens) facilitate diffusion and homogenous supply of silica source into the bulk phase and give spheres and gyroids with low mesoporous order. The results suggest two distinct regions for silica growth (interfacial region and bulk region) in which the rate of solvent evaporation and local concentration affect the speed and dimension of growth. A combined mechanism for the interfacial bulk growth of mesoporous silica under quiescent conditions is proposed. PMID:24237719

  2. Entrapping quercetin in silica/polyethylene glycol hybrid materials: Chemical characterization and biocompatibility

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Catauro, Michelina, E-mail: michelina.catauro@unina2.it [Department of Industrial and Information Engineering, Second University of Naples, Via Roma 29, 81031 Aversa (Italy); Bollino, Flavia [Department of Industrial and Information Engineering, Second University of Naples, Via Roma 29, 81031 Aversa (Italy); Nocera, Paola; Piccolella, Simona; Pacifico, Severina [Department Environmental, Biological and Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technologies, Second University of Naples, Via Vivaldi 43, 81100 Caserta (Italy)

    2016-11-01

    Sol-gel synthesis was exploited to entrap quercetin, a natural occurring antioxidant polyphenol, in silica-based hybrid materials, which differed in their polyethylene glycol (PEG) content (6, 12, 24 and 50 wt%). The materials obtained, whose nano-composite nature was ascertained by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), were chemically characterized by Fourier Transform InfraRed (FT-IR) and UV-Vis spectroscopies. The results prove that a reaction between the polymer and the drug occurred. Bioactivity tests showed their ability to induce hydroxyapatite nucleation on the sample surfaces. The direct contact method was applied to screen the cytotoxicity of the synthetized materials towards fibroblast NIH 3T3 cells, commonly used for in vitro biocompatibility studies, and three nervous system cell lines (neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y, glioma U251, and pheochromocytoma PC12 cell lines), adopted as models in oxidative stress related studies. Using the MTT (3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide) assay NIH 3T3 proliferation was assessed and the morphology was not compromised by direct exposure to the materials. Analogously, PC-12, and U-251 cell lines were not affected by new materials. SH-SY5Y appeared to be the most sensitive cell line with cytotoxic effects of 20–35%. - Highlights: • SiO{sub 2}/PEG quercetin organic-inorganic hybrids were synthesized via sol-gel. • The formation of apatite on materials surface after SBF proved their bioactivity. • Viability of NIH-3T3 cells was significantly increased by exposure to the hybrids. • Viability of PC-12 and U-251 cell lines was not affected by new materials. • SH-SY5Y cell proliferation was inhibited and their morphology was changed by hybrids.

  3. Regulatory Hybridization in the Transnational Sphere

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kjær, Poul Fritz; Jurcys, Paulius; Yrakami, Ren

    Hybridization has become a defining feature of regulatory frameworks. The combined forces of globalization and privatization together with increased reliance on self-regulation have resulted in the emergence of a multitude of regulatory arrangements which combine elements from several legal orders....... This book offers a conceptual framework as well as numerous empirical explorations capable of increasing our understanding of regulatory hybridization. A number of central dichotomies are deconstructed: national vs. transnational law; international vs. transnational law; convergence vs. divergence; … read...... moresoft law vs. hard law; territorial vs. non-territorial, ‘top-down’ vs. ‘bottom-up’ globalization and national vs. global just as the implications of regulatory hybridization for the question of choice of court and conflict of laws are analyzed....

  4. Synthesis and properties of highly dispersed ionic silica-poly(ethylene oxide) nanohybrids.

    KAUST Repository

    Fernandes, Nikhil J; Akbarzadeh, Johanna; Peterlik, Herwig; Giannelis, Emmanuel P

    2013-01-01

    We report an ionic hybrid based on silica nanoparticles as the anion and amine-terminated poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) as a cation. The charge on the nanoparticle anion is carried by the surface hydroxyls. SAXS and TEM reveal an exceptional degree of dispersion of the silica in the polymer and high degree of order in both thin film and bulk forms. In addition to better dispersion, the ionic hybrid shows improved flow characteristics compared to silica/PEO mixtures in which the ionic interactions are absent.

  5. Synthesis and properties of highly dispersed ionic silica-poly(ethylene oxide) nanohybrids.

    KAUST Repository

    Fernandes, Nikhil J

    2013-02-04

    We report an ionic hybrid based on silica nanoparticles as the anion and amine-terminated poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) as a cation. The charge on the nanoparticle anion is carried by the surface hydroxyls. SAXS and TEM reveal an exceptional degree of dispersion of the silica in the polymer and high degree of order in both thin film and bulk forms. In addition to better dispersion, the ionic hybrid shows improved flow characteristics compared to silica/PEO mixtures in which the ionic interactions are absent.

  6. Synthesis, Processing, and Characterization of Inorganic-Organic Hybrid Cross-Linked Silica, Organic Polyimide, and Inorganic Aluminosilicate Aerogels

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nguyen, Baochau N.; Guo, Haiquan N.; McCorkle, Linda S.

    2014-01-01

    As aerospace applications become ever more demanding, novel insulation materials with lower thermal conductivity, lighter weight and higher use temperature are required to fit the aerospace application needs. Having nanopores and high porosity, aerogels are superior thermal insulators, among other things. The use of silica aerogels in general is quite restricted due to their inherent fragility, hygroscopic nature, and poor mechanical properties, especially in extereme aerospace environments. Our research goal is to develop aerogels with better mechanical and environmental stability for a variety of aeronautic and space applications including space suit insulation for planetary surface missions, insulation for inflatable structures for habitats, inflatable aerodynamic decelerators for entry, descent and landing (EDL) operations, and cryotank insulation for advance space propulsion systems. Different type of aerogels including organic-inorganic polymer reinforced (hybrid) silica-based aerogels, polyimide aerogels and inorganic aluminosilicate aerogels have been developed and examined.

  7. Bifunctional ferromagnetic Eu-Gd-Bi-codoped hybrid organo-silica red emitting phosphors synthesized by a modified Pechini sol-gel method

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Abo-Naf, S.M., E-mail: sm.abo-naf@nrc.sci.eg [Glass Research Department, National Research Centre (NRC), El-Buhouth Str., Dokki, 12622 Cairo (Egypt); Abdel-Hameed, S.A.M.; Marzouk, M.A. [Glass Research Department, National Research Centre (NRC), El-Buhouth Str., Dokki, 12622 Cairo (Egypt); Hamdy, Y.M. [Spectroscopy Department, National Research Centre (NRC), El-Buhouth Str., Dokki, 12622 Cairo (Egypt)

    2017-06-15

    Red phosphor, composed of Eu-Gd-Bi-codoped hybrid organo-silica glass, has been synthesized via a modified Pechini sol-gel process. The synthesized hybrid glass was analyzed with powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), differential thermal analysis coupled with thermogravimetry (DTA-TG) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. XRD and DTA-TG confirmed its amorphous structure up to 1000 °C. Magnetic behavior of the produced phosphor was investigated using vibrating specimen magnetometer (VSM) and the obtained results revealed its unsaturated ferromagnetic behavior. Photoluminescence (PL) properties of the obtained phosphor have been investigated under near-UV excitation at 395 nm. The influence of calcination temperature on the PL intensity and its decay behavior as well as on the ferromagnetic characteristics has been studied to determine the optimal reaction temperature of the phosphor. The PL emission spectra show the characteristic emission bands of Eu{sup 3+} ions in the wavelength range from 580 to 700 nm. These emission spectra have been dominated by the electric dipole {sup 5}D{sub 0}→{sup 7}F{sub 2} transition of the Eu{sup 3+} peaked at 610–620 nm producing the red light emission of the phosphors. It was found that the phosphor performance, expressed by its PL intensity and life time, could be significantly improved by increasing of the heat treatment temperature up to 900 °C. Also, calcination at 900 °C for 6 h greatly increased both of the magnetization and retentivity, while decreased the coercivity value. The organic phenomenon of metal citrate-ethylene glycol chelation and its degradation by calcination were well followed by FTIR spectroscopy. The obtained results are promising and could afford a basis for designing of efficient red phosphors for displays, lighting and bifunctional biosensors for biomedical applications. - Highlights: • Eu-Gd-Bi-codoped hybrid organo-silica phosphor was synthesized by sol-gel method. • Inorganic Eu-Gd-Bi-silica

  8. An identification of the soft polyelectrolyte gel-like layer on silica colloids using atomic force and electron microscopy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Škvarla, Jiří; Škvarla, Juraj

    2017-10-01

    A procedure is introduced for measuring the radius of spherical colloid particles from the curvature of upper parts of their central cross-sectional profiles obtained by atomic force microscopy (AFM). To minimize the possible compression and displacement of the spheres, AFM is operated in a mode rendering a constant ultralow pN force on the tip. The procedure allows us to evaluate the mean radius of nearly monodisperse submicrometer spheres of silica in their natively hydrated state in aqueous electrolyte solutions, irrespective of whether they are coagulated or not. A variation in the volume (swelling degree) of layers delimited by the AFM mean radii of these spheres in KCl solutions and their invariable mean radius in vacuum is obtained that follows a scaling power law derived in polymer physics for swellable polyelectrolyte gels and deduced previously by us from coagulation tests. This supports our former suggestion about the existence of soft polyelectrolyte gel-like layer developed spontaneously around silica surfaces and colloids. We discuss this finding in the context of recent knowledge about the structure of the silica/water interface obtained from direct surface force measurements between macroscopic silica surfaces and from particle size measurements of silica colloids and highlight its importance for colloid chemistry and condensed mattter physics. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  9. Micelle swelling agent derived cavities for increasing hydrophobic organic compound removal efficiency by mesoporous micelle@silica hybrid materials

    KAUST Repository

    Shi, Yifeng

    2012-06-01

    Mesoporous micelle@silica hybrid materials with 2D hexagonal mesostructures were synthesized as reusable sorbents for hydrophobic organic compounds (HOCs) removal by a facile one-step aqueous solution synthesis using 3-(trimethoxysily)propyl-octadecyldimethyl-ammonium chloride (TPODAC) as a structure directing agent. The mesopores were generated by adding micelle swelling agent, 1,3,5-trimethyl benzene, during the synthesis and removing it afterward, which was demonstrated to greatly increase the HOC removal efficiency. In this material, TPODAC surfactant is directly anchored on the pore surface of mesoporous silica via SiOSi covalent bond after the synthesis due to its reactive Si(OCH 3) 3 head group, and thus makes the synthesized materials can be easily regenerated for reuse. The obtained materials show great potential in water treatment as pollutants sorbents. © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  10. Polymer/silica hybrid waveguide temperature sensor based on asymmetric Mach-Zehnder interferometer

    Science.gov (United States)

    Niu, Donghai; Wang, Xibin; Sun, Shiqi; Jiang, Minghui; Xu, Qiang; Wang, Fei; Wu, Yuanda; Zhang, Daming

    2018-04-01

    A highly sensitive waveguide temperature sensor based on asymmetric Mach-Zehnder interferometer was designed and experimentally demonstrated. The interferometer is based on the polymer/silica hybrid waveguide structure, and Norland Optical Adhesive 73 (NOA 73) was employed as the waveguide core to enhance the temperature sensitivity. The influence of the different length differences between the two interferometer arms on the sensitivity of the sensor was systemically studied. It is shown that the maximum temperature sensitivity of -431 pm °C-1 can be obtained in the range of 25 °C-75 °C, while the length difference is 92 μm. Moreover, the temperature sensitivity contributions from different core materials were also investigated experimentally. It is shown that the waveguide material and microstructure of the device have significant influences on the sensitivity of the waveguide temperature sensor.

  11. Study of association of Eu(III) β-diketonato-1,10-phenanthroline complexes in silica-based hybrid materials

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Fadieiev, Yevhen M.; Smola, Sergii S. [A.V. Bogatsky Physico-chemical Institute, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, 86, Lustdorfskaya doroga, 65080 Odessa (Ukraine); Malinka, Elena V. [Odessa National Academy of Food Technology, 112, Kanatna Street, 65039 Odessa (Ukraine); Rusakova, Nataliia V., E-mail: lanthachem@ukr.net [A.V. Bogatsky Physico-chemical Institute, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, 86, Lustdorfskaya doroga, 65080 Odessa (Ukraine)

    2017-03-15

    Hybrid organic-inorganic materials based on silica and mixed-ligand complexes of Eu(III) with β-diketones and 1,10-phenanthroline with covalent and non-covalent attachment to matrix were obtained by a sol-gel route. Luminescent study of obtained systems allowed to propose spectral criteria for estimation of the uniformity of complex distribution in amorphous silica matrix. Thus, such criteria are the broadening of Eu(III) 4f-luminescence bands, emission decay and the shape of plot of the emission intensity vs. concentration of complex in the materials. Full width of {sup 5}D{sub 0}→{sup 7}F{sub 2} band at its half maximum and the ratio of the {sup 5}D{sub 0}→{sup 7}F{sub 2} and {sup 5}D{sub 0}→{sup 7}F{sub 1} bands intensities were used as quantitative measures of spectral changes and the bands broadening in Eu(III) emission spectra. - Highlights: • Modification of Eu(III) β-diketonates by an anchor fragments was carried out. • The degree of association of molecules was estimated based on emission spectra. • Covalent anchoring of complexes promotes their uniform distribution in matrix. • Non-covalently grafted complexes are prone to association in amorphous silica.

  12. All-silica nanofluidic devices for DNA-analysis fabricated by imprint of sol-gel silica with silicon stamp

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Mikkelsen, Morten Bo Lindholm; Letailleur, Alban A; Søndergård, Elin

    2011-01-01

    We present a simple and cheap method for fabrication of silica nanofluidic devices for single-molecule studies. By imprinting sol-gel materials with a multi-level stamp comprising micro- and nanofeatures, channels of different depth are produced in a single process step. Calcination of the imprin......We present a simple and cheap method for fabrication of silica nanofluidic devices for single-molecule studies. By imprinting sol-gel materials with a multi-level stamp comprising micro- and nanofeatures, channels of different depth are produced in a single process step. Calcination...... of the imprinted hybrid sol-gel material produces purely inorganic silica, which has very low autofluorescence and can be fusion bonded to a glass lid. Compared to top-down processing of fused silica or silicon substrates, imprint of sol-gel silica enables fabrication of high-quality nanofluidic devices without...

  13. Sol-gel approach to the novel organic-inorganic hybrid composite films with ternary europium complex covalently bonded with silica matrix

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dong Dewen; Yang Yongsheng; Jiang Bingzheng

    2006-01-01

    Novel organic-inorganic hybrid composite films with ternary lanthanide complex covalently bonded with silica matrix were prepared in situ via co-ordination of N-(3-propyltriethoxysilane)-4-carboxyphthalimide (TAT) and 1,10-phenanthroline (Phen) with europium ion (Eu 3+ ) during a sol-gel approach and characterized by the means of spectrofluorimeter, phosphorimeter and infrared spectrophotometer (FTIR). The resulting transparent films showed improved photophysical properties, i.e. increased luminescence intensity and longer luminescence lifetime, compared with the corresponding binary composite films without Phen. All the results revealed that the intense luminescence of the composite film was attributed to the efficient energy transfer from ligands, especially Phen, to chelated Eu 3+ and the reduced non-radiation through the rigid silica matrix and 'site isolation'

  14. Chitosan-nanosilica hybrid materials: Preparation and properties

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Podust, T.V.; Kulik, T.V.; Palyanytsya, B.B.; Gun’ko, V.M.; Tóth, A.; Mikhalovska, L.; Menyhárd, A.; László, K.

    2014-01-01

    Highlights: • Hybrid chitosan-nanosilica materials were synthesized using an adsorption modification method. • The chitosan adsorption capacity is higher on the silica/titania and silica/alumina than on the fumed silica. • Nanosilicas undergo structural and textural alterations due to modification by chitosan. • The more severe chitosan thermodestruction occurs on the silica/titania and silica/alumina surfaces than on the plain silica surface. - Abstract: The research focuses on the synthesis of novel organic–inorganic hybrid materials based on polysaccharide chitosan and nanosilicas (SiO 2 , TiO 2 /SiO 2 and Al 2 O 3 /SiO 2 ). The chitosan modified nanooxides were obtained by the equilibrium adsorption method. The chitosan adsorption capacities of silica/titania and silica/alumina are higher than of the plain silica due to the additional active sites present on the surfaces of the mixed oxides. The hybrid materials were characterized by low-temperature nitrogen adsorption/desorption, photon correlation spectroscopy (PCS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), thermogravimetry (TG/DTG) and temperature-programmed desorption with mass spectrometry control (TPD MS) methods. The chitosan treatment only modestly influences the surface area S BET of the nanooxides but the rearrangement of the secondary and tertiary structures (aggregates and agglomerates) results in an enhancement of the mesoporosity and affects the size of the aggregates. The more severe thermodestruction of the polysaccharide desorbing from the modified mixed silicas indicates a stronger interaction between the chitosan and the mixed oxides compared to the silanol groups of the plain silica surface

  15. Chitosan-nanosilica hybrid materials: Preparation and properties

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Podust, T.V., E-mail: tania_list@yahoo.com [Chuiko Institute of Surface Chemistry, 17 General Naumov Street, Kyiv 03164 (Ukraine); Kulik, T.V., E-mail: tanyakulyk@i.ua [Chuiko Institute of Surface Chemistry, 17 General Naumov Street, Kyiv 03164 (Ukraine); Palyanytsya, B.B.; Gun’ko, V.M. [Chuiko Institute of Surface Chemistry, 17 General Naumov Street, Kyiv 03164 (Ukraine); Tóth, A. [Department of Physical Chemistry and Material Science, Budapest University of Technology and Economics, H-1521 Budapest (Hungary); Mikhalovska, L. [School of Pharmacy and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Brighton, Lewes Road, Brighton BN2 4GJ (United Kingdom); Menyhárd, A. [Department of Physical Chemistry and Material Science, Budapest University of Technology and Economics, H-1521 Budapest (Hungary); Institute of Materials Science and Environmental Chemistry, Research Centre for Natural Sciences, Hungarian Academy of Sciences (Hungary); László, K. [Department of Physical Chemistry and Material Science, Budapest University of Technology and Economics, H-1521 Budapest (Hungary)

    2014-11-30

    Highlights: • Hybrid chitosan-nanosilica materials were synthesized using an adsorption modification method. • The chitosan adsorption capacity is higher on the silica/titania and silica/alumina than on the fumed silica. • Nanosilicas undergo structural and textural alterations due to modification by chitosan. • The more severe chitosan thermodestruction occurs on the silica/titania and silica/alumina surfaces than on the plain silica surface. - Abstract: The research focuses on the synthesis of novel organic–inorganic hybrid materials based on polysaccharide chitosan and nanosilicas (SiO{sub 2}, TiO{sub 2}/SiO{sub 2} and Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}/SiO{sub 2}). The chitosan modified nanooxides were obtained by the equilibrium adsorption method. The chitosan adsorption capacities of silica/titania and silica/alumina are higher than of the plain silica due to the additional active sites present on the surfaces of the mixed oxides. The hybrid materials were characterized by low-temperature nitrogen adsorption/desorption, photon correlation spectroscopy (PCS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), thermogravimetry (TG/DTG) and temperature-programmed desorption with mass spectrometry control (TPD MS) methods. The chitosan treatment only modestly influences the surface area S{sub BET} of the nanooxides but the rearrangement of the secondary and tertiary structures (aggregates and agglomerates) results in an enhancement of the mesoporosity and affects the size of the aggregates. The more severe thermodestruction of the polysaccharide desorbing from the modified mixed silicas indicates a stronger interaction between the chitosan and the mixed oxides compared to the silanol groups of the plain silica surface.

  16. Soft template synthesis of yolk/silica shell particles.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, Xue-Jun; Xu, Dongsheng

    2010-04-06

    Yolk/shell particles possess a unique structure that is composed of hollow shells that encapsulate other particles but with an interstitial space between them. These structures are different from core/shell particles in that the core particles are freely movable in the shell. Yolk/shell particles combine the properties of each component, and can find potential applications in catalysis, lithium ion batteries, and biosensors. In this Research News article, a soft-template-assisted method for the preparation of yolk/silica shell particles is presented. The demonstrated method is simple and general, and can produce hollow silica spheres incorporated with different particles independent of their diameters, geometry, and composition. Furthermore, yolk/mesoporous silica shell particles and multishelled particles are also prepared through optimization of the experimental conditions. Finally, potential applications of these particles are discussed.

  17. Preparation and properties of poly(vinylidene fluoride nanocomposites blended with graphene oxide coated silica hybrids

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Q. Fu

    2012-04-01

    Full Text Available Graphene oxide coated silica hybirds (SiO2-GO were fabricated through electrostatic assembly in this work, then blended with poly(vinylidene fluoride (PVDF by solution mixing to make PVDF nanocomposites. The interfacial interaction was investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM, polarized optical microscopy (POM and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR. The results showed that the interfacial interaction was enhanced by adding of SiO2-GO and strong hydrogen bonds were observed. The as-made nanocomposites were investigated using standard tensile test and dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA measurements, mechanical properties of PVDF with SiO2-GO hybrids showed limited improvement.

  18. Nanoscale assembly of lanthanum silica with dense and porous interfacial structures.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ballinger, Benjamin; Motuzas, Julius; Miller, Christopher R; Smart, Simon; Diniz da Costa, João C

    2015-02-03

    This work reports on the nanoscale assembly of hybrid lanthanum oxide and silica structures, which form patterns of interfacial dense and porous networks. It was found that increasing the molar ratio of lanthanum nitrate to tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) in an acid catalysed sol-gel process alters the expected microporous metal oxide silica structure to a predominantly mesoporous structure above a critical lanthanum concentration. This change manifests itself by the formation of a lanthanum silicate phase, which results from the reaction of lanthanum oxide nanoparticles with the silica matrix. This process converts the microporous silica into the denser silicate phase. Above a lanthanum to silica ratio of 0.15, the combination of growth and microporous silica consumption results in the formation of nanoscale hybrid lanthanum oxides, with the inter-nano-domain spacing forming mesoporous volume. As the size of these nano-domains increases with concentration, so does the mesoporous volume. The absence of lanthanum hydroxide (La(OH)3) suggests the formation of La2O3 surrounded by lanthanum silicate.

  19. Multi-template synthesis of hierarchically porous carbon spheres with potential application in supercapacitors

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Zhou, Weizheng; Lin, Zhixing; Tong, Gangsheng; Stoyanov, Simeon D.; Yan, Deyue; Mai, Yiyong; Zhu, Xinyuan

    2016-01-01

    A new and simple multi-template approach towards hierarchical porous carbon (HPC) materials was reported. HPC spheres were prepared by using hierarchical silica capsules (HSCs) as the hard template and triblock copolymer Pluronic P123 as the soft template. Three types of pores were tunably

  20. Structural and Chemical Characterization of Silica Spheres before and after Modification by Silanization for Trypsin Immobilization

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Eduardo F. Barbosa

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available In the last decades, silica particles of a variety of sizes and shapes have been characterized and chemically modified for several applications, from chromatographic separation to dental supplies. The present study proposes the use of aminopropyl triethoxysilane (APTS silanized silica particles to immobilize the proteolytic enzyme trypsin for the development of a bioreactor. The major advantage of the process is that it enables the polypeptides hydrolysis interruption simply by removing the silica particles from the reaction bottle. Silanized silica surfaces showed significant morphological changes at micro- and nanoscale level. Chemical characterization showed changes in elemental composition, chemical environment, and thermal degradation. Their application as supports for trypsin immobilization showed high immobilization efficiency at reduced immobilization times, combined with more acidic conditions. Indirect immobilization quantification by reversed-phase ultrafast high performance liquid chromatography proved to be a suitable approach due to its high linearity and sensitivity. Immobilized trypsin activities on nonmodified and silanized silica showed promising features (e.g., selective hydrolysis for applications in proteins/peptides primary structure elucidation for proteomics. Silanized silica system produced some preferential targeting peptides, probably due to the hydrophobicity of the nanoenvironment conditioned by silanization.

  1. Mesoporous Silica and Organosilica Nanoparticles: Physical Chemistry, Biosafety, Delivery Strategies, and Biomedical Applications

    KAUST Repository

    Croissant, Jonas G.

    2017-11-30

    Predetermining the physico-chemical properties, biosafety, and stimuli-responsiveness of nanomaterials in biological environments is essential for safe and effective biomedical applications. At the forefront of biomedical research, mesoporous silica nanoparticles and mesoporous organosilica nanoparticles are increasingly investigated to predict their biological outcome by materials design. In this review, it is first chronicled that how the nanomaterial design of pure silica, partially hybridized organosilica, and fully hybridized organosilica (periodic mesoporous organosilicas) governs not only the physico-chemical properties but also the biosafety of the nanoparticles. The impact of the hybridization on the biocompatibility, protein corona, biodistribution, biodegradability, and clearance of the silica-based particles is described. Then, the influence of the surface engineering, the framework hybridization, as well as the morphology of the particles, on the ability to load and controllably deliver drugs under internal biological stimuli (e.g., pH, redox, enzymes) and external noninvasive stimuli (e.g., light, magnetic, ultrasound) are presented. To conclude, trends in the biomedical applications of silica and organosilica nanovectors are delineated, such as unconventional bioimaging techniques, large cargo delivery, combination therapy, gaseous molecule delivery, antimicrobial protection, and Alzheimer\\'s disease therapy.

  2. A TRLFS Study on the Interactions of Am(III) at the Interface of Water and Silica Nanoparticles

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kim, Hee-Kyung; Jung, Euo Chang; Cho, Hye-Ryun; Cha, Wansik [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

    2016-10-15

    In this study, we employed time-resolved laser-induced fluorescence spectroscopy (TRLFS) to characterize Am(III) interactions with SiO{sub 2} nanoparticles at a molecular level. TRLFS results show that adsorption of Am(III) onto the silica broadens the luminescence spectra with red-shifts of 2-3 nm. Luminescence lifetime measurements show the increase in the lifetime from 23.5 ± 0.3 ns to ⁓37 ns as the pH increases from 2.5 to 8 or above. The observations indicate that adsorption takes place via inner-sphere bindings by displacing about four inner-sphere bound water molecules. At the pH 7 and above, additional longer lifetime (> 100 ns) component was identified, which corresponds to displacing all the inner-sphere water molecules. We will discuss more details on the spectral characteristics of the adsorbed Am(III) and their implications. Adsorption of Am(III) onto silica nanoparticles was studied as a function of the pH by using batch-sorption experiments and TRLFS. TRLFS results show that adsorbed Am(III) displays broadened luminescence spectra with longer lifetimes compared to those of the aqueous species, indicating that adsorption takes place via formation of inner-sphere surface complexes. Our data also suggest that at least two different types of Am(III)-silica species are present at the pH above 7.

  3. Microporous Silica Based Membranes for Desalination

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    João C. Diniz da Costa

    2012-09-01

    Full Text Available This review provides a global overview of microporous silica based membranes for desalination via pervaporation with a focus on membrane synthesis and processing, transport mechanisms and current state of the art membrane performance. Most importantly, the recent development and novel concepts for improving the hydro-stability and separating performance of silica membranes for desalination are critically examined. Research into silica based membranes for desalination has focussed on three primary methods for improving the hydro-stability. These include incorporating carbon templates into the microporous silica both as surfactants and hybrid organic-inorganic structures and incorporation of metal oxide nanoparticles into the silica matrix. The literature examined identified that only metal oxide silica membranes have demonstrated high salt rejections under a variety of feed concentrations, reasonable fluxes and unaltered performance over long-term operation. As this is an embryonic field of research several target areas for researchers were discussed including further improvement of the membrane materials, but also regarding the necessity of integrating waste or solar heat sources into the final process design to ensure cost competitiveness with conventional reverse osmosis processes.

  4. Precursor Mediated Synthesis of Nanostructured Silicas: From Precursor-Surfactant Ion Pairs to Structured Materials.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hesemann, Peter; Nguyen, Thy Phung; Hankari, Samir El

    2014-04-11

    The synthesis of nanostructured anionic-surfactant-templated mesoporous silica (AMS) recently appeared as a new strategy for the formation of nanostructured silica based materials. This method is based on the use of anionic surfactants together with a co-structure-directing agent (CSDA), mostly a silylated ammonium precursor. The presence of this CSDA is necessary in order to create ionic interactions between template and silica forming phases and to ensure sufficient affinity between the two phases. This synthetic strategy was for the first time applied in view of the synthesis of surface functionalized silica bearing ammonium groups and was then extended on the formation of materials functionalized with anionic carboxylate and bifunctional amine-carboxylate groups. In the field of silica hybrid materials, the "anionic templating" strategy has recently been applied for the synthesis of silica hybrid materials from cationic precursors. Starting from di- or oligosilylated imidazolium and ammonium precursors, only template directed hydrolysis-polycondensation reactions involving complementary anionic surfactants allowed accessing structured ionosilica hybrid materials. The mechanistic particularity of this approach resides in the formation of precursor-surfactant ion pairs in the hydrolysis-polycondensation mixture. This review gives a systematic overview over the various types of materials accessed from this cooperative ionic templating approach and highlights the high potential of this original strategy for the formation of nanostructured silica based materials which appears as a complementary strategy to conventional soft templating approaches.

  5. Wear resistance and electrical properties of functionally graded epoxy-resin/silica composites

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rihan, Y. A.; Abd El-Bary, B.

    2012-12-01

    In this paper graded Silica/Epoxy composite fabricated by controlled mold filling to obtain a stepwise graded structure. The generated graded structure was controlled by the w 1% content of silica particulates of size range from (45 μm-250 μm). Microstructural characterization was conducted using Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). Electrical properties were conducted in High Voltage-Lab using Sphere-Plate Electrode System and Insulating resistance equipment s. Wear characteristics were studied using Block-on-Ring wear testing machine for the different layers of the graded silica/epoxy composites, The prepared materials are used as coating materials for the floors of chemical laboratories. (Author)

  6. Self-assembly of supramolecular triarylamine nanowires in mesoporous silica and biocompatible electrodes thereof

    Science.gov (United States)

    Licsandru, Erol-Dan; Schneider, Susanne; Tingry, Sophie; Ellis, Thomas; Moulin, Emilie; Maaloum, Mounir; Lehn, Jean-Marie; Barboiu, Mihail; Giuseppone, Nicolas

    2016-03-01

    Biocompatible silica-based mesoporous materials, which present high surface areas combined with uniform distribution of nanopores, can be organized in functional nanopatterns for a number of applications. However, silica is by essence an electrically insulating material which precludes applications for electro-chemical devices. The formation of hybrid electroactive silica nanostructures is thus expected to be of great interest for the design of biocompatible conducting materials such as bioelectrodes. Here we show that we can grow supramolecular stacks of triarylamine molecules in the confined space of oriented mesopores of a silica nanolayer covering a gold electrode. This addressable bottom-up construction is triggered from solution simply by light irradiation. The resulting self-assembled nanowires act as highly conducting electronic pathways crossing the silica layer. They allow very efficient charge transfer from the redox species in solution to the gold surface. We demonstrate the potential of these hybrid constitutional materials by implementing them as biocathodes and by measuring laccase activity that reduces dioxygen to produce water.Biocompatible silica-based mesoporous materials, which present high surface areas combined with uniform distribution of nanopores, can be organized in functional nanopatterns for a number of applications. However, silica is by essence an electrically insulating material which precludes applications for electro-chemical devices. The formation of hybrid electroactive silica nanostructures is thus expected to be of great interest for the design of biocompatible conducting materials such as bioelectrodes. Here we show that we can grow supramolecular stacks of triarylamine molecules in the confined space of oriented mesopores of a silica nanolayer covering a gold electrode. This addressable bottom-up construction is triggered from solution simply by light irradiation. The resulting self-assembled nanowires act as highly conducting

  7. Cooperative catalysis by silica-supported organic functional groups

    OpenAIRE

    Margelefsky, Eric L.; Zeidan, Ryan K.; Davis, Mark E.

    2008-01-01

    Hybrid inorganic–organic materials comprising organic functional groups tethered from silica surfaces are versatile, heterogeneous catalysts. Recent advances have led to the preparation of silica materials containing multiple, different functional groups that can show cooperative catalysis; that is, these functional groups can act together to provide catalytic activity and selectivity superior to what can be obtained from either monofunctional materials or homogeneous catalysts. This tutorial...

  8. Study of cross-linking reactions induced by gamma rays in hybrid membranes of Bisphenol-A-Polysulfone and precipitated silica

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Furtado Filho, Acacio Antonio M.; Gomes, Ailton de S.; Lopes, Lea; Benzi, Marcia R.

    2011-01-01

    In this work the bisphenol-A-polysulfone (PSF) was sulfonated using trimethyl silyl chlorosulfonate [(CH 3 ) 3 SiSO 3 Cl] as a mild sulfonating agent in a homogeneous solution of dichloroethane. The sulfonation reaction was confirmed by acid-base titration and FTIR-spectroscopy analysis. The hybrid membranes were obtained by casting the sulfonated bisphenol-A-polysulfone (SPSF) and precipitated silica Tixosil R 333 solutions in N-N-dimethylacetamide. Cross-linking in the hybrid membranes was obtained by irradiation, with doses ranging from 5 to 30 kGy using gamma ray from a 60 Co source. The water uptake and the swelling of the membranes were estimated by measuring the change in weight between dry and wet conditions. The conductivity of the membranes in acid form was measured with the ac impedance technique using a PGSTAT30 frequency response analyzer. The hybrid cross-linked membranes have conductivity close to 10-1 S.cm -1 at 100% RH and 80 deg C. Electrochemical performances, thermo-mechanical stability and low cost make this cross-linked SPSF hybrid membrane an attractive material for fuel cells using a proton exchange membrane. (author)

  9. Facile fabrication of nano-structured silica hybrid film with superhydrophobicity by one-step VAFS approach

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jia, Yi; Yue, Renliang; Liu, Gang; Yang, Jie; Ni, Yong; Wu, Xiaofeng; Chen, Yunfa

    2013-01-01

    Here we report a novel one-step vapor-fed aerosol flame synthesis (VAFS) method to attain silica hybrid film with superhydrophobicity on normal glass and other engineering material substrates using hexamethyldisiloxane (HMDSO) as precursor. The deposited nano-structured silica films represent excellent superhydrophobicity with contact angle larger than 150° and sliding angle below 5°, without any surface modification or other post treatments. SEM photographs proved that flame-made SiO2 nanoparticles formed dual-scale surface roughness on the substrates. It was confirmed by FTIR and XPS that the in situ formed organic fragments on the particle surface as species like (CH3)xSiO2-x/2 (x = 1, 2, 3) which progressively lowered the surface energy of fabricated films. Thus, these combined dual-scale roughness and lowered surface energy cooperatively produced superhydrophobic films. IR camera had been used to monitor the real-time flame temperature. It is found that the inert dilution gas inflow played a critical role in attaining superhydrophobicity due to its cooling and anti-oxidation effect. This method is facile and scalable for diverse substrates, without any requirement of complex equipments and multiple processing steps. It may contribute to the industrial fabrication of superhydrophobic films.

  10. Molecular Dynamics Simulations of Silica Nanoparticles Grafted with Poly(ethylene oxide) Oligomer Chains

    KAUST Repository

    Hong, Bingbing; Panagiotopoulos, Athanassios Z.

    2012-01-01

    A molecular model of silica nanoparticles grafted with poly(ethylene oxide) oligomers has been developed for predicting the transport properties of nanoparticle organic-hybrid materials (NOHMs). Ungrafted silica nanoparticles in a medium of poly(ethylene

  11. Perhydropolysilazane-derived silica-polymethylmethacrylate hybrid thin films highly doped with spiropyran: Effects of polymethylmethacrylate on the hardness, chemical durability and photochromic properties

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yamano, Akihiro; Kozuka, Hiromitsu

    2011-01-01

    Polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA)-perhydropolysilazane (PHPS) hybrid thin films doped with spiropyran were prepared by spin-coating, which were then converted into 0.26-1.7 μm thick, spiropyran-doped PMMA-silica hybrid films by exposure treatment over aqueous ammonia. The spiropyran/(spiropyran + PHPS + PMMA) mass ratio was fixed at a high value of 0.2 so that the films exhibit visual photochromic changes in color, while the PMMA/(PMMA + PHPS) mass ratio, r, was varied. The spiropyran molecules in the as-prepared films were in merocyanine (MC) and spiro (SP) forms, with and without an optical absorption at 500 nm, at low (r ≤ 0.2) and high (r ≥ 0.4) PMMA contents, respectively. When PMMA content r was increased from 0 to 0.2, the degree of the MC-to-SP conversion on vis light illumination was enhanced, while at higher r's the spiropyran molecules underwent photodegradation. When the silica film (r = 0) was soaked in xylene under vis light, the spiropyran molecules were almost totally leached out, while not on soaking in the dark. On the other hand, no leaching occurred for the film of r = 0.2 either in the presence or absence of vis light. These suggest that the introduction of PMMA is effective in improving the chemical durability of the films, while the silica film (r = 0) is an interesting material with a photoresponsive controlled-release ability. The pencil hardness of the films decreased with increasing PMMA content, but remained over 9H at r ≤ 0.4.

  12. Packing circles and spheres on surfaces

    KAUST Repository

    Schiftner, Alexander; Hö binger, Mathias; Wallner, Johannes; Pottmann, Helmut

    2009-01-01

    Inspired by freeform designs in architecture which involve circles and spheres, we introduce a new kind of triangle mesh whose faces' incircles form a packing. As it turns out, such meshes have a rich geometry and allow us to cover surfaces with circle patterns, sphere packings, approximate circle packings, hexagonal meshes which carry a torsion-free support structure, hybrid tri-hex meshes, and others. We show how triangle meshes can be optimized so as to have the incircle packing property. We explain their relation to conformal geometry and implications on solvability of optimization. The examples we give confirm that this kind of meshes is a rich source of geometric structures relevant to architectural geometry. © 2009 ACM.

  13. Packing circles and spheres on surfaces

    KAUST Repository

    Schiftner, Alexander

    2009-12-01

    Inspired by freeform designs in architecture which involve circles and spheres, we introduce a new kind of triangle mesh whose faces\\' incircles form a packing. As it turns out, such meshes have a rich geometry and allow us to cover surfaces with circle patterns, sphere packings, approximate circle packings, hexagonal meshes which carry a torsion-free support structure, hybrid tri-hex meshes, and others. We show how triangle meshes can be optimized so as to have the incircle packing property. We explain their relation to conformal geometry and implications on solvability of optimization. The examples we give confirm that this kind of meshes is a rich source of geometric structures relevant to architectural geometry.

  14. Packing circles and spheres on surfaces

    KAUST Repository

    Schiftner, Alexander

    2009-01-01

    Inspired by freeform designs in architecture which involve circles and spheres, we introduce a new kind of triangle mesh whose faces\\' incircles form a packing. As it turns out, such meshes have a rich geometry and allow us to cover surfaces with circle patterns, sphere packings, approximate circle packings, hexagonal meshes which carry a torsion-free support structure, hybrid tri-hex meshes, and others. We show how triangle meshes can be optimized so as to have the incircle packing property. We explain their relation to conformal geometry and implications on solvability of optimization. The examples we give confirm that this kind of meshes is a rich source of geometric structures relevant to architectural geometry. © 2009 ACM.

  15. Packing circles and spheres on surfaces

    KAUST Repository

    Schiftner, Alexander; Hö binger, Mathias; Wallner, Johannes; Pottmann, Helmut

    2009-01-01

    Inspired by freeform designs in architecture which involve circles and spheres, we introduce a new kind of triangle mesh whose faces' incircles form a packing. As it turns out, such meshes have a rich geometry and allow us to cover surfaces with circle patterns, sphere packings, approximate circle packings, hexagonal meshes which carry a torsion-free support structure, hybrid tri-hex meshes, and others. We show how triangle meshes can be optimized so as to have the incircle packing property. We explain their relation to conformal geometry and implications on solvability of optimization. The examples we give confirm that this kind of meshes is a rich source of geometric structures relevant to architectural geometry.

  16. Precursor Mediated Synthesis of Nanostructured Silicas: From Precursor-Surfactant Ion Pairs to Structured Materials

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Peter Hesemann

    2014-04-01

    Full Text Available The synthesis of nanostructured anionic-surfactant-templated mesoporous silica (AMS recently appeared as a new strategy for the formation of nanostructured silica based materials. This method is based on the use of anionic surfactants together with a co-structure-directing agent (CSDA, mostly a silylated ammonium precursor. The presence of this CSDA is necessary in order to create ionic interactions between template and silica forming phases and to ensure sufficient affinity between the two phases. This synthetic strategy was for the first time applied in view of the synthesis of surface functionalized silica bearing ammonium groups and was then extended on the formation of materials functionalized with anionic carboxylate and bifunctional amine-carboxylate groups. In the field of silica hybrid materials, the “anionic templating” strategy has recently been applied for the synthesis of silica hybrid materials from cationic precursors. Starting from di- or oligosilylated imidazolium and ammonium precursors, only template directed hydrolysis-polycondensation reactions involving complementary anionic surfactants allowed accessing structured ionosilica hybrid materials. The mechanistic particularity of this approach resides in the formation of precursor-surfactant ion pairs in the hydrolysis-polycondensation mixture. This review gives a systematic overview over the various types of materials accessed from this cooperative ionic templating approach and highlights the high potential of this original strategy for the formation of nanostructured silica based materials which appears as a complementary strategy to conventional soft templating approaches.

  17. Studies on silica sol-clay particle interactions by small-angle neutron scattering

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Moini, A.; Pinnavaia, T.J.; Michigan State Univ., East Lansing; Thiyagarajan, P.; White, J.W.

    1988-01-01

    SANS data were collected on a series of hydrolyzed silica and silica-clay complexes prepared from a 40 A silica sol and aqueous suspensions of Na + montmorillonite. The hydrolyzed silica product showed a peak centered at Q=0.0856 A -1 corresponding to a distance of 73 A between the sol particles. For such an evaporated gel in which the particles are in close contact, this distance is expected to be very close to the particle diameter indicating partial aggregation of the original spheres. A similar feature was observed in the SANS data for silica-clay products indicating the presence of some unintercalated silica. The intensity of this scattering was found to be dependent on the silica:clay ratio and the reaction time. The SANS data in the region from Q=0.006 to 0.025 A -1 were characteristic of clay scattering and exhibited a power-law behavior. The change in the slope of this curve upon reaction of the clay with the silica sol was interpreted in terms of a separation of clay platelets caused by a binding interaction with the sol particles. (orig.)

  18. Silica decorated on porous activated carbon nanofiber composites for high-performance supercapacitors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, So Yeun; Kim, Bo-Hye

    2016-10-01

    A hybrid of silica decorated on porous activated carbon nanofibers (ACNFs) is fabricated in the form of a web via electrospinning and an activation process as an electrode material for electrochemical capacitors in an organic electrolyte. The introduction of PhSiH3 (PS) into the polyacrylonitrile (PAN) solution induces a porous ACNF structure containing silica nanoparticles (NPs) via the spontaneous sol-gel process of PS by steam in the subsequent physical activation process. These inorganic-organic hybrid composites of porous ACNF containing silica NPs show superior specific capacitance and energy density in electrochemical tests, along with good rate capability and excellent cycle life in an organic electrolyte, which is attributed to the combination of ACNF's high surface area and silica's hydrophilicity. The electrochemical performance decreases with increasing PS concentration, and this trend is consistent with the specific surface area results, which reveal the rapid formation of a double layer.

  19. Organosilica hybrid nanomaterials with a high organic content: syntheses and applications of silsesquioxanes

    KAUST Repository

    Croissant, Jonas G.

    2016-11-07

    Organic-inorganic hybrid materials garner properties from their organic and inorganic matrices as well as synergistic features, and therefore have recently attracted much attention at the nanoscale. Non-porous organosilica hybrid nanomaterials with a high organic content such as silsesquioxanes (R-SiO, with R organic groups) and bridged silsesquioxanes (OSi-R-SiO) are especially attractive hybrids since they provide 20 to 80 weight percent of organic functional groups in addition to the known chemistry and stability of silica. In the organosilica family, silsesquioxanes (R-SiO) stand between silicas (SiO) and silicones (RSiO), and are variously called organosilicas, ormosil (organically-modified silica), polysilsesquioxanes and silica hybrids. Herein, we comprehensively review non-porous silsesquioxane and bridged silsesquioxane nanomaterials and their applications in nanomedicine, electro-optics, and catalysis.

  20. Polymer-silica hybrids for separation of CO2 and catalysis of organic reactions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Silva Mojica, Ernesto

    spectroscopic investigation of the interactions of CO 2 with amine molecules under simulated CO2 capture conditions. Industrial CO2 capture processes involve fluidization and require degradation-resistant sorbents in the form of pellets. Agglomeration of silica-based CO2 capture sorbents involved the formulation of a polymer binder solution and the design of a scalable pelletization process. The characterization of these pellets revealed the formation of a CO 2-permeable polymer-silica network, which is resistant to attrition, and exhibits similar CO2 capture and degradation performance as the non-pelletized sorbents. The performance of these sorbents and pellets was tested in lab-scale and bench-scale adsorption units, using in-house fabricated fixed-bed and fluidized-bed reactors. A compartmental modeling technique was used to simulate the CO2 adsorption process and to elucidate the kinetic and thermodynamic parameters that impact the commercial viability of emerging CO2 capture technologies. The fundamental concepts and experimental techniques developed for the preparation of CO2 capture sorbents served as a basis for fabricating amine-functionalized polymer-silica hybrids for applications in catalysis of organic reactions. (i) Basic catalysts for carbon-carbon addition reactions were prepared by immobilization of amine molecules on silica supports. The activity of these catalysts and the mechanisms of base-catalyzed organic condensation reactions were investigated by an in-situ FTIR micro-scale reactor. (ii) Particle-loaded PVA composite membranes were selected for immobilization of glucose oxidase (GOx). GOx was immobilized by adsorption at pH values between 3.5 and 7.1. The results showed that adsorption was primarily achieved via hydrophobic interactions, and that PVA membranes loaded with amine-functionalized particles could help retain the activity of immobilized GOx by providing a proper hydrophilic/hydrophobic balance to the immobilized enzymes micro-environment.

  1. A novel method for the synthesis of monodisperse gold-coated silica nanoparticles

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    English, Michael D.; Waclawik, Eric R.

    2012-01-01

    Monodisperse silica nanoparticles were synthesised by the well-known Stober protocol, then dispersed in acetonitrile (ACN) and subsequently added to a bisacetonitrile gold(I) coordination complex ([Au(MeCN) 2 ] + ) in ACN. The silica hydroxyl groups were deprotonated in the presence of ACN, generating a formal negative charge on the siloxy groups. This allowed the [Au(MeCN) 2 ] + complex to undergo ligand exchange with the silica nanoparticles and form a surface coordination complex with reduction to metallic gold (Au 0 ) proceeding by an inner sphere mechanism. The residual [Au(MeCN) 2 ] + complex was allowed to react with water, disproportionating into Au 0 and Au(III), respectively, with the Au 0 adding to the reduced gold already bound on the silica surface. The so-formed metallic gold seed surface was found to be suitable for the conventional reduction of Au(III) to Au 0 by ascorbic acid (ASC). This process generated a thin and uniform gold coating on the silica nanoparticles. The silica NPs batches synthesised were in a size range from 45 to 460 nm. Of these silica NP batches, the size range from 400 to 480 nm were used for the gold-coating experiments.

  2. Controlled growth of silica-titania hybrid functional nanoparticles through a multistep microfluidic approach.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shiba, K; Sugiyama, T; Takei, T; Yoshikawa, G

    2015-11-11

    Silica/titania-based functional nanoparticles were prepared through controlled nucleation of titania and subsequent encapsulation by silica through a multistep microfluidic approach, which was successfully applied to obtaining aminopropyl-functionalized silica/titania nanoparticles for a highly sensitive humidity sensor.

  3. Design and evaluation of hybrid meso-porous silicas to uranium extraction from sulfuric media

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Charlot, Alexandre

    2016-01-01

    Nuclear industries are perpetually looking for technical, economic and environmental progresses. Important volumes of acidic waste are generated by nuclear plants of the front end. The extraction of uranium from these solutions is required to decontaminate effluents (decrease of the radioactivity) and value uranium (re-incorporation in the cycle). Uranium leaching is mostly achieved using sulfuric acid leading to the production of aqueous effluents that contain a large grade of sulfate complexes. In such conditions, uranyl sulfate complexes constitute the predominant uranium species in solution and its extraction represents a real scientific and technological challenge. Commonly, precipitation, solvent extraction or solid phase extraction are used. The last one is particularly adapted for low grade solutions due to it weak environmental footprint (no solvent are handling) and the facility of the process involved (i.e. fixed bed column). among the available solid-phase extraction candidates, hybrid meso-porous silicas get a crucial part. They develop a very high specific surface areas and a driven porosity which give them a high potential of extraction capacities. In this manuscript the tailoring and the evaluation of hybrid meso-porous silicas have been investigated. Firstly, the work focus on the organic part grafted by post-synthetic pathway, the N,N-dialkyl-carbamoyl-phosphonate based molecules have been identified to get interesting extraction properties. This study emphasizes that acid groups are required and that alkyl substituents get a real importance in the extraction efficiency. On the second hand, the role of pore size has been investigated. The results obtained disclosed that pores size diameters directly impact the grafting ratio as well as the homogeneity of the material: (1) materials with a pore size below 3 nm are heterogeneously functionalized due to steric issues, (2) a homogeneous organic monolayer grafted onto the silica skeleton occurs when

  4. Fabrication of silica hollow particles using yeast cells as a template

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liao, Shenglan; Lin, Liqin; Chen, Xiaofang; Liu, Jingru; Zhang, Biao

    2018-04-01

    Inorganic hollow particles have attracted great interest in recent years. In this study, silica micro spheres were produced. Yeast cells were used as a biological template. The silica shell was synthesized by the hydrolysis of tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) in water-alcohol mixtures as solvent using ammonia as a catalyst according to the Stoeber process. Various approaches including X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Fourier transformed infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy were used to characterize the products. The results showed that the thermally treated samples were SiO2 hollow microspheres with a diameter varying between 1-5μm.

  5. Biomimetic silica encapsultation of living cells

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jaroch, David Benjamin

    Living cells perform complex chemical processes on size and time scales that artificial systems cannot match. Cells respond dynamically to their environment, acting as biological sensors, factories, and drug delivery devices. To facilitate the use of living systems in engineered constructs, we have developed several new approaches to create stable protective microenvironments by forming bioinspired cell-membrane-specific silica-based encapsulants. These include vapor phase deposition of silica gels, use of endogenous membrane proteins and polysaccharides as a site for silica nucleation and polycondensation in a saturated environment, and protein templated ordered silica shell formation. We demonstrate silica layer formation at the surface of pluripotent stem-like cells, bacterial biofilms, and primary murine and human pancreatic islets. Materials are characterized by AFM, SEM and EDS. Viability assays confirm cell survival, and metabolite flux measurements demonstrate normal function and no major diffusion limitations. Real time PCR mRNA analysis indicates encapsulated islets express normal levels of genetic markers for β-cells and insulin production. The silica glass encapsulant produces a secondary bone like calcium phosphate mineral layer upon exposure to media. Such bioactive materials can improve device integration with surrounding tissue upon implantation. Given the favorable insulin response, bioactivity, and long-term viability observed in silica-coated islets, we are currently testing the encapsulant's ability to prevent immune system recognition of foreign transplants for the treatment of diabetes. Such hybrid silica-cellular constructs have a wide range of industrial, environmental, and medical applications.

  6. Response Surface Methodology for Design of Porous Hollow Sphere Thermal Insulator

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shohani, Nazanin; Pourmahdian, Saeed; Shirkavand Hadavand, Behzad

    2017-11-01

    In this study, response surface method is used for synthesizing polystyrene (PS) as sacrificial templates and optimizing the particle size. Three factors of initiator, stabilizer concentration and also stirring rate were selected as variable factors. Then, three different concentration of tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) added to reaction media and core-shell structure with PS core and silica shell was developed. Finally, core-shell structure was changed to hollow silica sphere for using as thermal insulator. We observed that increased initiator concentration caused to larger PS particles, increase the stirring rate caused the smaller PS and also with increased the stabilizer concentration obtained that particle size decrease then after 2.5% began to increase. Also the optimum amount of TEOS was found.

  7. Organosilica hybrid nanomaterials with a high organic content: syntheses and applications of silsesquioxanes

    KAUST Repository

    Croissant, Jonas G.; Cattoë n, Xavier; Durand, Jean Olivier; Wong Chi Man, Michel; Khashab, Niveen M.

    2016-01-01

    chemistry and stability of silica. In the organosilica family, silsesquioxanes (R-SiO) stand between silicas (SiO) and silicones (RSiO), and are variously called organosilicas, ormosil (organically-modified silica), polysilsesquioxanes and silica hybrids

  8. Erbium-implanted silica colloids with 80% luminescence quantum efficiency

    Science.gov (United States)

    Slooff, L. H.; de Dood, M. J. A.; van Blaaderen, A.; Polman, A.

    2000-06-01

    Silica colloids with a diameter of 240-360 nm, grown by wet chemical synthesis using ethanol, ammonia, water, and tetraethoxysilane, were implanted with 350 keV Er ions, to peak concentrations of 0.2-1.1 at. % and put onto a silicon or glass substrate. After annealing at 700-900 °C the colloids show clear room-temperature photoluminescence at 1.53 μm, with lifetimes as high as 17 ms. By comparing data of different Er concentrations, the purely radiative lifetime is estimated to be 20-22 ms, indicating a high quantum efficiency of about 80%. This high quantum efficiency indicates that, after annealing, the silica colloids are almost free of OH impurities. Spinning a layer of polymethylmethacrylate over the silica spheres results in an optically transparent nanocomposite layer, that can be used as a planar optical waveguide amplifier at 1.5 μm that is fully compatible with polymer technology.

  9. Flame retardant and hydrophobic properties of novel sol-gel derived phytic acid/silica hybrid organic-inorganic coatings for silk fabric

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cheng, Xian-Wei; Liang, Cheng-Xi; Guan, Jin-Ping; Yang, Xu-Hong; Tang, Ren-Cheng

    2018-01-01

    In this work, a novel phosphorus-rich hybrid organic-inorganic silica coating for improving the flame retardancy of silk fabric was prepared using naturally occurring phytic acid as phosphorus precursor and catalyst for the hydrolysis of tetraethoxysilane. In addition, three silane coupling agents, namely 3-aminopropyldimethoxymethylsilane, 3-chloropropyltrimethoxysilane and 3-methacryloxypropyltrimethoxysilane, were added in the hybrid sol as cross-linkers with the aim of developing hydrophobic coatings and improving the washing durability of the treated silk fabric. The condensation degree of the hybrid sol was characterized by solid-state 29Si nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. The flammability and thermal degradation properties of the treated silk fabrics were determined in terms of limiting oxygen index, vertical burning, pyrolysis combustion flow calorimetry and thermogravimetric analyses. The surface morphology and hydrophobicity of the treated silk fabrics were evaluated by scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy and water contact angle tests. The flammability tests revealed that the silicon sol could endow silk fabric with excellent flame retardancy when doped with phytic acid, and the treated silk fabrics self-extinguished immediately when the ignition source was removed. The silk fabrics treated with the modified hybrid sols exhibited hydrophobic surface and also better durability to washing.

  10. Tuning the non-covalent confinement of Gd(III) complexes in silica nanoparticles for high T1-weighted MR imaging capability.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fedorenko, Svetlana V; Grechkina, Svetlana L; Mustafina, Asiya R; Kholin, Kirill V; Stepanov, Alexey S; Nizameev, Irek R; Ismaev, Ildus E; Kadirov, Marsil K; Zairov, Rustem R; Fattakhova, Alfia N; Amirov, Rustem R; Soloveva, Svetlana E

    2017-01-01

    The present work introduces deliberate synthesis of Gd(III)-doped silica nanoparticles with high relaxivity at magnetic field strengths below 1.5T. Modified microemulsion water-in-oil procedure was used in order to achieve superficial localization of Gd(III) complexes within 40-55nm sized silica spheres. The relaxivities of the prepared nanoparticles were measured at 0.47, 1.41 and 1.5T with the use of both NMR analyzer and whole body NMR scanner. Longitudinal relaxivities of the obtained silica nanoparticles reveal significant dependence on the confinement mode, changing from 4.1 to 49.6mM -1 s -1 at 0.47T when the localization of Gd(III) complexes changes from core to superficial zones of the silica spheres. The results highlight predominant contribution of the complexes located close to silica/water interface to the relaxivity of the nanoparticles. Low effect of blood proteins on the relaxivity in the aqueous colloids of the nanoparticles was exemplified by serum bovine albumin. T 1 - weighted MRI data indicate that the nanoparticles provide strong positive contrast at 1.5T, which along with low cytotoxicity effect make a good basis for their application as contrast agents. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  11. Flexible, cathodoluminescent and free standing mesoporous silica films with entrapped quasi-2D perovskites

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vassilakopoulou, Anastasia; Papadatos, Dionysios; Koutselas, Ioannis

    2017-04-01

    The effective entrapment of hybrid organic-inorganic semiconductors (HOIS) into mesoporous polymer-silica hybrid matrices, formed as free standing flexible films, is presented for the first time. A blend of quasi-2D HOIS, simply synthesized by mixing two-dimensional (2D) and three dimensional (3D) HOIS, exhibiting strong photoluminescence, is embedded into porous silica matrices during the sol-gel synthesis, using tetraethylorthosilicate as precursor and Pluronic F-127 triblock copolymer as structure directing agent, under acidic conditions. The final nanostructure hybrid forms flexible, free standing films, presenting high cathodoluminescence and long stable excitonic luminescence, indicating the protective character of the hybrid matrix towards the entrapped perovskite. A significant result is that the photoluminescence of the entrapped HOIS is not affected even after films' prolonged exposure to water.

  12. The sphere-PAC fuel code 'SPHERE-3'

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wallin, H.

    2000-01-01

    Sphere-PAC fuel is an advanced nuclear fuel, in which the cladding tube is filled with small fuel spheres instead of the more usual fuel pellets. At PSI, the irradiation behaviour of sphere-PAC fuel is calculated using the computer code SPHERE-3. The paper describes the present status of the SPHERE-3 code, and some results of the qualification process against experimental data. (author)

  13. The sphere-pac fuel code 'SPHERE-3'

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wallin, H.; Nordstroem, L.A.; Hellwig, C.

    2001-01-01

    Sphere-pac fuel is an advanced nuclear fuel, in which the cladding tube is filled with small fuel spheres instead of the more usual fuel pellets. At PSI, the irradiation behaviour of sphere-pac fuel is calculated using the computer code SPHERE-3. The paper describes the present status of the SPHERE-3 code, and some results of the qualification process against experimental data. (author)

  14. Synthesis of rambutan-like MoS2/mesoporous carbon spheres nanocomposites with excellent performance for supercapacitors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Shouchuan; Hu, Ruirui; Dai, Peng; Yu, Xinxin; Ding, Zongling; Wu, Mingzai; Li, Guang; Ma, Yongqing; Tu, Chuanjun

    2017-02-01

    A novel rambutan-like composite of MoS2/mesoporous carbon spheres were synthesized by a simple two-step hydrothermal and post-annealing approach via using glucose as C source and Na2MoO4·2H2O and thiourea as Mo and S sources. It is found that the morphology and electrochemical properties can be effectively controlled by the change of the weight ratio of coated MoS2 sheets to carbon spheres. When used as electrode material for supercapacitor, the hybrid MoS2/carbon spheres show a high specific capacity of 411 F/g at a current density of 1 A/g and 272 F/g at a high discharge current density of 10 A/g. The annealing treatment at 700 °C transformed the core carbon spheres into mesoporous ones, which served as the conduction network and favor the enhancement of the specific capacitance. In addition, the strain released during the charge/discharge process can be accommodated and the structural integrity can be kept, improving the cycling life. After 1000 cycles, the capacitance retention of the hybrid MoS2/carbon spheres is 93.2%.

  15. Uniform Pore Structure of Mesoporous Silica Microspheres by Using Di(2-ethylhexyl)phosphoric Acid

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, Jong Yun; Yoon, Suk Bon; Park, Yong Joon; Jee, Kwang Yong

    2007-01-01

    Spherical morphology has been quite attractive in many special applications, such as display materials offering higher packing densities and lower light scattering for better performances in terms of both brightness and resolution, biosensors utilizing microspheres as an ideal dielectric cavities with high quality factors in optical domain, and standard reference particles for nuclear track analysis utilizing their simple well-defined geometry. There are tremendously a wide variety of studies focused on colloidal spheres of 1 nm - 1,000 nm in diameter although the colloidal dimension can be extended further to 100 μm. Some reports have described the sol-gel surfactant template synthesis of mesoporous silica spheres larger than 100 μm. It is necessary for us to prepare the intermediate 10 - 100 μm-sized silica microspheres for the single particle manipulation by using optical microscope, rather than electron microscope, in a microanalytical technique such as thermal ionization mass spectrometry, secondary ionization mass spectrometry, and laser ionization mass spectrometry

  16. Water evaporation in silica colloidal deposits.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Peixinho, Jorge; Lefèvre, Grégory; Coudert, François-Xavier; Hurisse, Olivier

    2013-10-15

    The results of an experimental study on the evaporation and boiling of water confined in the pores of deposits made of mono-dispersed silica colloidal micro-spheres are reported. The deposits are studied using scanning electron microscopy, adsorption of nitrogen, and adsorption of water through attenuated total reflection-infrared spectroscopy. The evaporation is characterized using differential scanning calorimetry and thermal gravimetric analysis. Optical microscopy is used to observe the patterns on the deposits after evaporation. When heating at a constant rate and above boiling temperature, the release of water out of the deposits is a two step process. The first step is due to the evaporation and boiling of the surrounding and bulk water and the second is due to the desorption of water from the pores. Additional experiments on the evaporation of water from membranes having cylindrical pores and of heptane from silica deposits suggest that the second step is due to the morphology of the deposits. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  17. One step process of decomposition and polymerization to fabricate SiO_2 hollow spheres/polyimide composite for foldable OLEDs

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, Min Kyu; Kim, Dong Won; Moon, Soo Hyun; Shin, Dong-Wook; Oh, Tae Sik; Yoo, Ji Beom

    2017-01-01

    Graphical abstract: The SiO_2 hollow spheres and polyimide hybrid synthesized using one step process, simultaneous occurrence of decomposition and polymerization (SODP) is useful with a ultra-low dielectric constant and high thermal stability for flexible OLED. - Highlights: • We fabricated hybrid films of SHS/PI by using a one step process with SODP. • The film has ultralow dielectric constant (50 vol% at k = 1.67). • There is no collapse of SiO_2 hollow spheres in the PI matrix after bending test for 50,000 cycles. - Abstract: The fabrication of interlayer dielectrics (ILDs) in flexible organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) requires flexible materials with a low dielectric constant as well as materials with excellent electrical, thermal, and mechanical properties for optimal device performance. Hybrid films of SiO_2 hollow spheres (SHS)/polyimide (PI) were prepared using a one-step process, with simultaneous occurrence of decomposition (polystyrene, PS) and polymerization (PI) (SODP). No collapse of SiO_2 hollow spheres in PI was observed from 10 vol% to 60 vol% SHS in hybrid films. The dielectric constant of hybrid films was reduced from 3.45 to 1.67 and was saturated at above 50 vol% of SHS due to the maximum fill factor of SHS in the PI matrix. The thermal stability was excellent up to 500 °C due to the inherent thermal property of PI. After a bending test for 50,000 cycles at a bending radius of 1 mm, the SHS/PI hybrid films retained their dielectric constant and current density. These results indicate the hybrid film to be the most promising candidate for flexible ILDs with a low dielectric constant and high thermal stability for foldable OLEDs.

  18. Novel pectin-silica hybrids used for immobilization of Trichosporon cutaneum cells efficient in removal of Cadmium and Copper ions from waste water

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Georgieva, N.; Rangelova, N.; Peshev, D.; Nenkova, S.

    2011-01-01

    New silica hybrid materials containing tetramethyl siloxane (TMOS) as an inorganic precursor and apple pectin (AP) as an organic compound were prepared. The quantity of organic substance was 5 and 50 wt% AP. The amorphous state of the samples was proved by X-ray diffraction analyses (XRD). The Infrared scattering spectra (IR) showed characteristic peaks for SiO2 network, as well as for pectin. The synthesized hybrid materials were applied as matrices for cells immobilization by attachment and entrapment of the filamentous yeast Trichosporon cutaneum R57. This strain showed considerable ability to remove cadmium and copper ions from aqueous solutions. Regarding heavy metal biosorption capacity, the attachment was found to be superior compared to the entrapment method as a technique for biomass immobilization. (authors) Key words: biomaterials, composite materials, microstructure, sol-gel preparation

  19. Economic and political hybridity: Patrimonial capitalism in the post-Soviet sphere

    OpenAIRE

    Robinson, Neil

    2013-01-01

    Hybridity in non-democratic states can be economic as well as political. Economic hybridity is produced by the same kind of pressures that create political hybridity, but the relationship between economic and political hybridity has not been as much studied by political scientists. This article uses the concept of patrimonial capitalism to look at economic hybridity, its stability and relationship to political hybridity. Using examples from Russia and other former Soviet states it argues that...

  20. Highly ordered three-dimensional macroporous carbon spheres for determination of heavy metal ions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang, Yuxiao; Zhang, Jianming; Liu, Yang; Huang, Hui; Kang, Zhenhui

    2012-01-01

    Highlights: ► Highly ordered three dimensional macroporous carbon spheres (MPCSs) were prepared. ► MPCS was covalently modified by cysteine (MPCS–CO–Cys). ► MPCS–CO–Cys was first time used in electrochemical detection of heavy metal ions. ► Heavy metal ions such as Pb 2+ and Cd 2+ can be simultaneously determined. -- Abstract: An effective voltammetric method for detection of trace heavy metal ions using chemically modified highly ordered three dimensional macroporous carbon spheres electrode surfaces is described. The highly ordered three dimensional macroporous carbon spheres were prepared by carbonization of glucose in silica crystal bead template, followed by removal of the template. The highly ordered three dimensional macroporous carbon spheres were covalently modified by cysteine, an amino acid with high affinities towards some heavy metals. The materials were characterized by physical adsorption of nitrogen, scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy techniques. While the Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy was used to characterize the functional groups on the surface of carbon spheres. High sensitivity was exhibited when this material was used in electrochemical detection (square wave anodic stripping voltammetry) of heavy metal ions due to the porous structure. And the potential application for simultaneous detection of heavy metal ions was also investigated.

  1. Poisson denoising on the sphere

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schmitt, J.; Starck, J. L.; Fadili, J.; Grenier, I.; Casandjian, J. M.

    2009-08-01

    In the scope of the Fermi mission, Poisson noise removal should improve data quality and make source detection easier. This paper presents a method for Poisson data denoising on sphere, called Multi-Scale Variance Stabilizing Transform on Sphere (MS-VSTS). This method is based on a Variance Stabilizing Transform (VST), a transform which aims to stabilize a Poisson data set such that each stabilized sample has an (asymptotically) constant variance. In addition, for the VST used in the method, the transformed data are asymptotically Gaussian. Thus, MS-VSTS consists in decomposing the data into a sparse multi-scale dictionary (wavelets, curvelets, ridgelets...), and then applying a VST on the coefficients in order to get quasi-Gaussian stabilized coefficients. In this present article, the used multi-scale transform is the Isotropic Undecimated Wavelet Transform. Then, hypothesis tests are made to detect significant coefficients, and the denoised image is reconstructed with an iterative method based on Hybrid Steepest Descent (HST). The method is tested on simulated Fermi data.

  2. Linear Viscoelasticity of Spherical SiO 2 Nanoparticle-Tethered Poly(butyl acrylate) Hybrids

    KAUST Repository

    Goel, Vivek; Pietrasik, Joanna; Matyjaszewski, Krzysztof; Krishnamoorti, Ramanan

    2010-01-01

    The melt state linear viscoelastic properties of spherical silica nanoparticles with grafted poly(n-butyl acrylate) chains of varying molecular weight were probed using linear small amplitude dynamic oscillatory measurements and complementary linear stress relaxation measurements. While the pure silica-tethered-polymer hybrids with no added homopolymer exhibit solid-like response, addition of matched molecular weight free matrix homopolymer chains to this hybrid, at low concentrations of added homopolymer, maintains the solid-like response with a lowered modulus that can be factored into a silica concentration dependence and a molecular weight dependence. While the silica concentration dependence of the modulus is strong, the dependence on molecular weight is weak. On the other hand, increasing the amount of added homopolymer changes the viscoelastic response to that of a liquid with a relaxation time that scales exponentially with hybrid concentration. © 2010 American Chemical Society.

  3. Linear Viscoelasticity of Spherical SiO 2 Nanoparticle-Tethered Poly(butyl acrylate) Hybrids

    KAUST Repository

    Goel, Vivek

    2010-12-01

    The melt state linear viscoelastic properties of spherical silica nanoparticles with grafted poly(n-butyl acrylate) chains of varying molecular weight were probed using linear small amplitude dynamic oscillatory measurements and complementary linear stress relaxation measurements. While the pure silica-tethered-polymer hybrids with no added homopolymer exhibit solid-like response, addition of matched molecular weight free matrix homopolymer chains to this hybrid, at low concentrations of added homopolymer, maintains the solid-like response with a lowered modulus that can be factored into a silica concentration dependence and a molecular weight dependence. While the silica concentration dependence of the modulus is strong, the dependence on molecular weight is weak. On the other hand, increasing the amount of added homopolymer changes the viscoelastic response to that of a liquid with a relaxation time that scales exponentially with hybrid concentration. © 2010 American Chemical Society.

  4. One step process of decomposition and polymerization to fabricate SiO{sub 2} hollow spheres/polyimide composite for foldable OLEDs

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kim, Min Kyu [SKKU Advanced Institute of Nanotechnology (SAINT) and Center for Human Interface Nano Technology (HINT), Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 440-746 (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Dong Won; Moon, Soo Hyun [School of Advanced Materials Science & Engineering, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 440-746 (Korea, Republic of); Shin, Dong-Wook [SKKU Advanced Institute of Nanotechnology (SAINT) and Center for Human Interface Nano Technology (HINT), Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 440-746 (Korea, Republic of); College of Engineering, Mathematics and Physical Sciences, University of Exeter, Stocker Road, Exeter EX4 4QL (United Kingdom); Oh, Tae Sik [School of Mechanical and ICT Convergence Engineering, Sunmoon University, Asan 336-708 (Korea, Republic of); Yoo, Ji Beom, E-mail: jbyoo@skku.edu [SKKU Advanced Institute of Nanotechnology (SAINT) and Center for Human Interface Nano Technology (HINT), Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 440-746 (Korea, Republic of); School of Advanced Materials Science & Engineering, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 440-746 (Korea, Republic of)

    2017-03-15

    Graphical abstract: The SiO{sub 2} hollow spheres and polyimide hybrid synthesized using one step process, simultaneous occurrence of decomposition and polymerization (SODP) is useful with a ultra-low dielectric constant and high thermal stability for flexible OLED. - Highlights: • We fabricated hybrid films of SHS/PI by using a one step process with SODP. • The film has ultralow dielectric constant (50 vol% at k = 1.67). • There is no collapse of SiO{sub 2} hollow spheres in the PI matrix after bending test for 50,000 cycles. - Abstract: The fabrication of interlayer dielectrics (ILDs) in flexible organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) requires flexible materials with a low dielectric constant as well as materials with excellent electrical, thermal, and mechanical properties for optimal device performance. Hybrid films of SiO{sub 2} hollow spheres (SHS)/polyimide (PI) were prepared using a one-step process, with simultaneous occurrence of decomposition (polystyrene, PS) and polymerization (PI) (SODP). No collapse of SiO{sub 2} hollow spheres in PI was observed from 10 vol% to 60 vol% SHS in hybrid films. The dielectric constant of hybrid films was reduced from 3.45 to 1.67 and was saturated at above 50 vol% of SHS due to the maximum fill factor of SHS in the PI matrix. The thermal stability was excellent up to 500 °C due to the inherent thermal property of PI. After a bending test for 50,000 cycles at a bending radius of 1 mm, the SHS/PI hybrid films retained their dielectric constant and current density. These results indicate the hybrid film to be the most promising candidate for flexible ILDs with a low dielectric constant and high thermal stability for foldable OLEDs.

  5. Radius ratio rule for surface hydrophilization of polydimethyl siloxane and silica nanoparticle composite

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Toutam, Vijaykumar, E-mail: toutamvk@nplindia.org [Quantum Phenomena and Applications Division, CSIR-National Physical Laboratory, Dr. K. S. Krishnan Marg, New Delhi 110012 (India); Jain, Puneet; Sharma, Rina [Quantum Phenomena and Applications Division, CSIR-National Physical Laboratory, Dr. K. S. Krishnan Marg, New Delhi 110012 (India); Bathula, Sivaiah; Dhar, Ajay [Material Physics and Engineering Division, CSIR-National Physical Laboratory, Dr. K. S. Krishnan Marg, New Delhi 110012 (India)

    2015-09-15

    Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • Binary hard sphere silica nanoparticle system based PDMS composite. • Enhanced hydrophilization and retainability of the composite. • Restriction of uncured PDMS from diffusion. • Increased Debye length of electrostatic double layer, measured by F-D Spectroscopy. - Abstract: Polydimethyl siloxane (PDMS) and Silica (SiO{sub 2}) nanoparticle composite blocks of three different batches (CB1–CB3) made by varying the size of SiO{sub 2} nanoparticles (NP), are studied for the degree of hydrophilization and retainability after oxidation by contact angle measurements (CA) and force distance spectroscopy (FDS) using Atomic Force Microscope (AFM). While CA measurements have shown high hydrophilization and retainability for CB3, F-D spectroscopy has reiterated the observation and has shown long range interactive forces and high Debye length of the electrostatic double layer formed. These results are in agreement with the radius ratio rule of binary sphere system for high density packing in the composite and thereby for strong hydrophilization and retainability due to reinforcement and restricted diffusion of uncured polymer.

  6. A novel thermal decomposition approach for the synthesis of silica-iron oxide core–shell nanoparticles

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kishore, P.N.R.; Jeevanandam, P.

    2012-01-01

    Highlights: ► Silica-iron oxide core–shell nanoparticles have been synthesized by a novel thermal decomposition approach. ► The silica-iron oxide core–shell nanoparticles are superparamagnetic at room temperature. ► The silica-iron oxide core–shell nanoparticles serve as good photocatalyst for the degradation of Rhodamine B. - Abstract: A simple thermal decomposition approach for the synthesis of magnetic nanoparticles consisting of silica as core and iron oxide nanoparticles as shell has been reported. The iron oxide nanoparticles were deposited on the silica spheres (mean diameter = 244 ± 13 nm) by the thermal decomposition of iron (III) acetylacetonate, in diphenyl ether, in the presence of SiO 2 . The core–shell nanoparticles were characterized by X-ray diffraction, infrared spectroscopy, field emission-scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy dispersive X-ray analysis, transmission electron microscopy, diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, and magnetic measurements. The results confirm the presence of iron oxide nanoparticles on the silica core. The core–shell nanoparticles are superparamagnetic at room temperature indicating the presence of iron oxide nanoparticles on silica. The core–shell nanoparticles have been demonstrated as good photocatalyst for the degradation of Rhodamine B.

  7. Porous Si spheres encapsulated in carbon shells with enhanced anodic performance in lithium-ion batteries

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang, Hui; Wu, Ping; Shi, Huimin; Lou, Feijian; Tang, Yawen; Zhou, Tongge; Zhou, Yiming; Lu, Tianhong

    2014-01-01

    Highlights: • In situ magnesiothermic reduction route for the formation of porous Si@C spheres. • Unique microstructural characteristics of both porous sphere and carbon matrix. • Enhanced anodic performance in term of cycling stability for lithium-ion batteries. - Abstract: A novel type of porous Si–C micro/nano-hybrids, i.e., porous Si spheres encapsulated in carbon shells (porous Si@C spheres), has been constructed through the pyrolysis of polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) and subsequent magnesiothermic reduction methodology by using SiO 2 spheres as precursors. The as-synthesized porous Si@C spheres have been applied as anode materials for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), and exhibit enhanced anodic performance in term of cycling stability compared with bare Si spheres. For example, the porous Si@C spheres are able to exhibit a high reversible capacity of 900.0 mA h g −1 after 20 cycles at a current density of 0.05 C (1 C = 4200 mA g −1 ), which is much higher than that of bare Si spheres (430.7 mA h g −1 )

  8. Targeting of porous hybrid silica nanoparticles to cancer cells

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Rosenholm, J.M.; Meinander, A.; Peuhu, E.; Niemi, R.; Eriksson, J.E.; Sahlgren, C.; Lindén, M.

    2009-01-01

    Mesoporous silica nanoparticles functionalized by surface hyperbranching polymerization of polyethylene imine), PEI, were further modified by introducing both fluorescent and targeting moieties, with the aim of specifically targeting cancer cells. Owing to the high abundance of folate receptors in

  9. High-quality substrate for fluorescence enhancement using agarose-coated silica opal film.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xu, Ming; Li, Juan; Sun, Liguo; Zhao, Yuanjin; Xie, Zhuoying; Lv, Linli; Zhao, Xiangwei; Xiao, Pengfeng; Hu, Jing; Lv, Mei; Gu, Zhongze

    2010-08-01

    To improve the sensitivity of fluorescence detection in biochip, a new kind of substrates was developed by agarose coating on silica opal film. In this study, silica opal film was fabricated on glass substrate using the vertical deposition technique. It can provide stronger fluorescence signals and thus improve the detection sensitivity. After coating with agarose, the hybrid film could provide a 3D support for immobilizing sample. Comparing with agarose-coated glass substrate, the agarose-coated opal substrates could selectively enhance particular fluorescence signals with high sensitivity when the stop band of the silica opal film in the agarose-coated opal substrate overlapped the fluorescence emission wavelength. A DNA hybridization experiment demonstrated that fluorescence intensity of special type of agarose-coated opal substrates was about four times that of agarose-coated glass substrate. These results indicate that the optimized agarose-coated opal substrate can be used for improving the sensitivity of fluorescence detection with high quality and selectivity.

  10. Preparation and characterization of silica/fluorinated acrylate copolymers hybrid films and the investigation of their icephobicity

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Huang Yanfen; Hu Mingjie; Yi Shengping; Liu Xinghai; Li Houbin; Huang Chi; Luo Yunbai; Li Yan

    2012-01-01

    Inexpensive hydrophobic and icephobic coatings and films were obtained by a simple method. These coatings were prepared by mixing silica sol and fluorinated acrylate copolymers. There was a phase separation process in the film-forming which can provide the excellent performance. Small amount (about 2 wt.%) of fluorinated (methyl) acrylate was used in all of these coatings. The coatings were eco-friendly by using ethanol as the solvent system. Scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscope, energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectrometer, water contact angle, thermal gravimetric analysis and tests of adhesion and hardness had been performed to characterize the morphological feature, chemical composition, hydrophobicity and icephobicity of the surface, thermal stability and mechanical properties of the coatings. The results showed that the films had good hydrophobicity, high thermal stability and excellent mechanical properties of adhesion strength and pencil hardness. Furthermore, by testing their properties of delaying water droplet from icing, it was found that ice formation was delayed for 90 min compared with the glass surface at − 5.6 °C. The hybrid coatings may be suitable for large-scale and practical application owing to its flexibility and simplicity. - Highlights: ► Coatings were prepared by mixing fluorinated acrylate copolymer and silica. ► Mechanical properties and anti-icing performance of the coatings were examined. ► Water contact angle increased with raising SiO 2 (sol)/monomers weight ratio. ► Ice formation was delayed for 90 min at − 5.6 °C.

  11. C,N-bipyrazole receptor grafted onto a porous silica surface as a novel adsorbent based polymer hybrid.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Radi, Smaail; Attayibat, Ahmed; El-Massaoudi, Mohamed; Bacquet, Maryse; Jodeh, Shehdeh; Warad, Ismail; Al-Showiman, Salim S; Mabkhot, Yahia N

    2015-10-01

    A simple heterogeneous synthesis of pure adsorbent based polymer hybrid made by condensing a functionalized C,N-bipyrazole with a 3-glycidoxypropyl-trimethoxysilane silylant agent, previously anchored on a silica surface was developed. The formed material (SG2P) was characterized through elemental analysis, FT-IR spectroscopy, (13)C NMR of solid state, scanning electron microscope (SEM), and was studied and evaluated by determination of the surface area using the BET equation, the adsorption and desorption capability using the isotherm of nitrogen and B.J.H. pore sizes. The new material exhibits good thermal stability determined by thermogravimetry curves and good chemical stability was examined in various acidic and buffer solutions (pH 1-7). The binding and adsorption abilities of SG2P were investigated for Hg(2+), Cd(2+), Pb(2+), Zn(2+), K(+), Na(+) and Li(+) cations and compared to the results of classical liquid-liquid extraction with the unbound C,N-bipyrazole compound. The grafting at the surface of silica does not affect complexing properties of the ligand and the SG2P exhibits a high selectivity toward Hg(2+) ion with no complexation being observed towards zinc and alkali metals. The extracted and the complexing cation percentages were determined by atomic absorption measurements. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  12. Fabrication, Light Emission, and Magnetism of Silica Nanoparticles Hybridized with AIE Luminogens and Inorganic Nanostructures

    Science.gov (United States)

    Faisal, Mahtab

    Much research efforts have been devoted in developing new synthetic approaches for fluorescent silica nanoparticles (FSNPs) due to their potential high-technological applications. However, light emissions from most of the FSNPs prepared so far have been rather weak. This is due to the emission quenching caused by the aggregation of fluorophores in the solid state. We have observed a novel phenomenon of aggregation-induced emission (AIE): a series of propeller-shaped molecules such as tetraphenylethene (TPE) and silole are induced to emit efficiently by aggregate formation. Thus, they are ideal fluorophors for the construction of FSNPs and my thesis work focuses on the synthesis of silica nanoparticles containing these luminogens and magnetic nanostructures. Highly emissive FSNPs with core-shell structures are fabricated by surfactant-free sol-gel reactions of tetraphenylethene- (TPE) and silole-functionalized siloxanes followed by the reactions with tetraethoxysilane. The FSNPs are uniformly sized, surface-charged and colloidally stable. The diameters of the FSNPs are tunable in the range of 45--295 nm by changing the reaction conditions. Whereas their TPE and silole precursors are non-emissive, the FSNPs emit strong visible lights, thanks to the novel aggregation-induced emission characteristics of the TPE and silole aggregates in the hybrid nanoparticles. The FSNPs pose no toxicity to living cells and can be utilized to selectively image cytoplasm of HeLa cells. Applying the same tool in the presence of citrate-coated magnetite nanoparticles, uniform magnetic fluorescent silica nanoparticles (MFSNPs) with smooth surfaces are fabricated. These particles exhibit appreciable surface charges and hence good colloidal stability. They are superparamagnetic, exhibiting no hysteresis at room temperature. UV irradiation of a suspension of MFSNPs in ethanol gives strong blue and green emissions. The MFSNPs can selectively stain the cytoplasmic regions of the living cells

  13. One-step synthesis of dye-incorporated porous silica particles

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Liu Qing; DeShong, Philip; Zachariah, Michael R., E-mail: mrz@umd.edu [University of Maryland, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry (United States)

    2012-07-15

    Fluorescent nanoparticles have a variety of biomedical applications as diagnostics and traceable drug delivery agents. Highly fluorescent porous silica nanoparticles were synthesized in a water/oil phase by a microemulsion method. What is unique about the resulting porous silica nanoparticles is the combination of a single-step, efficient synthesis and the high stability of its fluorescence emission in the resulting materials. The key of the success of this approach is the choice of a lipid dye that functions as a surrogate surfactant in the preparation. The surfactant dye was incorporated at the interface of the inorganic silica matrix and organic environment (pore template), and thus insures the stability of the dye-silica hybrid structure. The resulting fluorescent silica materials have a number of properties that make them attractive for biomedical applications: the availability of various color of the resulting nanoparticle from among a broad spectrum of commercially dyes, the controllablity of pore size (diameters of {approx}5 nm) and particle size (diameters of {approx}40 nm) by adjusting template monomer concentration and the water/oil ratio, and the stability and durability of particle fluorescence because of the deep insertion of surfactant's tail into the silica matrix.

  14. Molecular Dynamics Simulations of Silica Nanoparticles Grafted with Poly(ethylene oxide) Oligomer Chains

    KAUST Repository

    Hong, Bingbing

    2012-03-01

    A molecular model of silica nanoparticles grafted with poly(ethylene oxide) oligomers has been developed for predicting the transport properties of nanoparticle organic-hybrid materials (NOHMs). Ungrafted silica nanoparticles in a medium of poly(ethylene oxide) oligomers were also simulated to clarify the effect of grafting on the dynamics of nanoparticles and chains. The model approximates nanoparticles as solid spheres and uses a united-atom representation for chains, including torsional and bond-bending interactions. The calculated viscosities from Green-Kubo relationships and temperature extrapolation are of the same order of magnitude as experimental data but show a smaller activation energy relative to real NOHMs systems. Grafted systems have higher viscosities, smaller diffusion coefficients, and slower chain dynamics than the ungrafted ones at high temperatures. At lower temperatures, grafted systems exhibit faster dynamics for both nanoparticles and chains relative to ungrafted systems, because of lower aggregation of particles and enhanced correlations between nanoparticles and chains. This agrees with the experimental observation that NOHMs have liquidlike behavior in the absence of a solvent. For both grafted and ungrafted systems at low temperatures, increasing chain length reduces the volume fraction of nanoparticles and accelerates the dynamics. However, at high temperatures, longer chains slow down nanoparticle diffusion. From the Stokes-Einstein relationship, it was determined that the coarse-grained treatment of nanoparticles leads to slip on the nanoparticle surfaces. Grafted systems obey the Stokes-Einstein relationship over the temperature range simulated, but ungrafted systems display deviations from it. © 2012 American Chemical Society.

  15. Experimental Results and Model Calculations of a Hybrid Adsorption-Compression Heat Pump Based on a Roots Compressor and Silica Gel-Water Sorption

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Van der Pal, M.; De Boer, R.; Wemmers, A.K.; Smeding, S.F.; Veldhuis, J.B.J.; Lycklama a Nijeholt, J.A.

    2013-10-15

    Thermally driven sorption systems can provide significant energy savings, especially in industrial applications. The driving temperature for operation of such systems limits the operating window and can be a barrier for market-introduction. By adding a compressor, the sorption cycle can be run using lower waste heat temperatures. ECN has recently started the development of such a hybrid heat pump. The final goal is to develop a hybrid heat pump for upgrading lower (<100C) temperature industrial waste heat to above pinch temperatures. The paper presents the first measurements and model calculations of a hybrid heat pump system using a water-silica gel system combined with a Roots type compressor. From the measurements can be seen that the effect of the compressor is dependent on where in the cycle it is placed. When placed between the evaporator and the sorption reactor, it has a considerable larger effect compared to the compressor placed between the sorption reactor and the condenser. The latter hardly improves the performance compared to purely heat-driven operation. This shows the importance of studying the interaction between all components of the system. The model, which shows reasonable correlation with the measurements, could proof to be a valuable tool to determine the optimal hybrid heat pump configuration.

  16. Novel polyoxometalate silica nano-sized spheres: efficient catalysts for olefin oxidation and the deep desulfurization process.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nogueira, Lucie S; Ribeiro, Susana; Granadeiro, Carlos M; Pereira, Eulália; Feio, Gabriel; Cunha-Silva, Luís; Balula, Salete S

    2014-07-07

    A novel method to prepare silica nano-sized particles incorporating polyoxometalates was developed leading to a new efficient heterogeneous oxidative catalyst. Zinc-substituted polyoxotungstate [PW11Zn(H2O)O39](5-) (PW11Zn) was encapsulated into silica nanoparticles using a cross-linked organic-inorganic core, performed through successive spontaneous reactions in water. The potassium salt of PW11Zn and the composite formed, PW11Zn-APTES@SiO2, were characterized by a myriad of solid-state methods such as FT-IR, FT-Raman, (31)P and (13)C CP/MAS solid-state NMR, elemental analysis and SEM-EDS, confirming the integrity of the PW11Zn structure immobilized in the silica nanoparticles. The new composite has shown to be a versatile catalyst for the oxidation of olefins and also to catalyze the desulfurization of a model oil using H2O2 as the oxidant and acetonitrile as the solvent. The novel composite material was capable of being recycled without significant loss of activity and maintaining its structural stability for consecutive desulfurization and olefin oxidative cycles.

  17. Highly ordered three-dimensional macroporous carbon spheres for determination of heavy metal ions

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zhang, Yuxiao; Zhang, Jianming [Institute of Functional Nano and Soft Materials (FUNSOM) and Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Carbon-Based Functional Materials and Devices, Soochow University, Suzhou 215123 (China); Liu, Yang, E-mail: yangl@suda.edu.cn [Institute of Functional Nano and Soft Materials (FUNSOM) and Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Carbon-Based Functional Materials and Devices, Soochow University, Suzhou 215123 (China); Huang, Hui [Institute of Functional Nano and Soft Materials (FUNSOM) and Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Carbon-Based Functional Materials and Devices, Soochow University, Suzhou 215123 (China); Kang, Zhenhui, E-mail: zhkang@suda.edu.cn [Institute of Functional Nano and Soft Materials (FUNSOM) and Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Carbon-Based Functional Materials and Devices, Soochow University, Suzhou 215123 (China)

    2012-04-15

    Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Highly ordered three dimensional macroporous carbon spheres (MPCSs) were prepared. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer MPCS was covalently modified by cysteine (MPCS-CO-Cys). Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer MPCS-CO-Cys was first time used in electrochemical detection of heavy metal ions. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Heavy metal ions such as Pb{sup 2+} and Cd{sup 2+} can be simultaneously determined. -- Abstract: An effective voltammetric method for detection of trace heavy metal ions using chemically modified highly ordered three dimensional macroporous carbon spheres electrode surfaces is described. The highly ordered three dimensional macroporous carbon spheres were prepared by carbonization of glucose in silica crystal bead template, followed by removal of the template. The highly ordered three dimensional macroporous carbon spheres were covalently modified by cysteine, an amino acid with high affinities towards some heavy metals. The materials were characterized by physical adsorption of nitrogen, scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy techniques. While the Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy was used to characterize the functional groups on the surface of carbon spheres. High sensitivity was exhibited when this material was used in electrochemical detection (square wave anodic stripping voltammetry) of heavy metal ions due to the porous structure. And the potential application for simultaneous detection of heavy metal ions was also investigated.

  18. A New Kind of Blue Hybrid Electroluminescent Device.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Junling; Li, Zhuan; Liu, Chunmei

    2016-04-01

    Bright blue Electroluminescence come from a ITO/BBOT doped silica (6 x 10(-3) M) made by a sol-gel method/Al driven by AC with 500 Hz at different voltages and Gaussian analysis under 55 V showed that blue emission coincidenced with typical triple emission from BBOT. This kind of device take advantage of organics (BBOT) and inorganics (silica). Electroluminescence from a single-layered sandwiched device consisting of blue fluorescent dye 2,5-bis (5-tert-butyl-2-benzoxazolyl) thiophene (BBOT) doped silica made by sol-gel method was investigated. A number of concentrations of hybrid devices were prepared and the maxium concentration was 6 x 10(-3) M. Blue electroluminescent (EL) always occurred above a threshold field 8.57 x 10(5) V/cm (30 V) at alternating voltage at 500 HZ. The luminance of the devices increased with the concentration of doped BBOT, but electroluminescence characteristics were different from a single molecule's photoluminescence properties of triple peaks. When analyzing in detail direct-current electroluminescence devices of pure BBOT, a single peak centered at 2.82 eV appeared with the driven voltage increase, which is similar to the hybrid devices. Comparing Gaussian decomposition date between two kinds of devices, the triple peak characteristic of BBOT was consistent. It is inferred that BBOT contributed EL of the hybrid devices mainly and silica may account for a very small part. Meanwhile the thermal stability of matrix silica was measured by Thermal Gravity-Mass Spectroscopy (TG-MS). There is 12 percent weight loss from room temperature to 1000 °C and silica has about 95% transmittance. So the matric silica played an important role in thermal stability and optical stability for BBOT. In addition, this kind of blue electroluminescence device can take advantages of organic materials BBOT and inorganic materials silica. This is a promising way to enrich EL devices, especially enriching inorganic EL color at a low cost.

  19. Organoclay hybrid materials as precursors of porous ZnO/silica-clay heterostructures for photocatalytic applications

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marwa Akkari

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available In this study, ZnO/SiO2-clay heterostructures were successfully synthesized by a facile two-step process applied to two types of clays: montmorillonite layered silicate and sepiolite microfibrous clay mineral. In the first step, intermediate silica–organoclay hybrid heterostructures were prepared following a colloidal route based on the controlled hydrolysis of tetramethoxysilane in the presence of the starting organoclay. Later on, pre-formed ZnO nanoparticles (NP dispersed in 2-propanol were incorporated under ultrasound irradiation to the silica–organoclay hybrid heterostructures dispersed in 2-propanol, and finally, the resulting solids were calcinated to eliminate the organic matter and to produce ZnO nanoparticles (NP homogeneously assembled to the clay–SiO2 framework. In the case of montmorillonite the resulting materials were identified as delaminated clays of ZnO/SiO2-clay composition, whereas for sepiolite, the resulting heterostructure is constituted by the assembling of ZnO NP to the sepiolite–silica substrate only affecting the external surface of the clay. The structural and morphological features of the prepared heterostructures were characterized by diverse physico-chemical techniques (such as XRD, FTIR, TEM, FE-SEM. The efficiency of these new porous ZnO/SiO2-clay heterostructures as potential photocatalysts in the degradation of organic dyes and the removal of pharmaceutical drugs in water solution was tested using methylene blue and ibuprofen compounds, respectively, as model of pollutants.

  20. Study of cross-linking reactions induced by gamma rays in hybrid membranes of Bisphenol-A-Polysulfone and precipitated silica; Estudo da formacao de ligacoes cruzadas por irradiacao gama em membranas hibridas de Polissulfona Bisfenol-A e silica precipitada

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Furtado Filho, Acacio Antonio M., E-mail: facacio@ctex.eb.br [Laboratorio de Quimica Militar, CTEx, Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil); Gomes, Ailton de S.; Lopes, Lea; Benzi, Marcia R. [Instituto de Macromoleculas Professora Eloisa Mano, UFRJ, Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil)

    2011-07-01

    In this work the bisphenol-A-polysulfone (PSF) was sulfonated using trimethyl silyl chlorosulfonate [(CH{sub 3}){sub 3}SiSO{sub 3}Cl] as a mild sulfonating agent in a homogeneous solution of dichloroethane. The sulfonation reaction was confirmed by acid-base titration and FTIR-spectroscopy analysis. The hybrid membranes were obtained by casting the sulfonated bisphenol-A-polysulfone (SPSF) and precipitated silica Tixosil{sup R} 333 solutions in N-N-dimethylacetamide. Cross-linking in the hybrid membranes was obtained by irradiation, with doses ranging from 5 to 30 kGy using gamma ray from a {sup 60}Co source. The water uptake and the swelling of the membranes were estimated by measuring the change in weight between dry and wet conditions. The conductivity of the membranes in acid form was measured with the ac impedance technique using a PGSTAT30 frequency response analyzer. The hybrid cross-linked membranes have conductivity close to 10-1 S.cm{sup -1} at 100% RH and 80 deg C. Electrochemical performances, thermo-mechanical stability and low cost make this cross-linked SPSF hybrid membrane an attractive material for fuel cells using a proton exchange membrane. (author)

  1. Synthesis of mesoporous silica nanoparticles by sol–gel as nanocontainer for future drug delivery applications

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Vazquez, N.I.; Gonzalez, Z.; Ferrari, B.; Castro, Y.

    2017-07-01

    Development of mesoporous silica nanoparticles as carriers for drug delivery systems has increased exponentially during the last decade. The present work is focused on the synthesis of silica carriers by sol–gel from tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) as precursor of silica and cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) as pore generating agent. The synthesis conditions were modified varying the molar ratio of water/TEOS, NH3/TEOS and amount of CTAB. The silica particles were characterized by scan electron microscopy techniques (FESEM), high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM), N2 adsorption–desorption isotherms, Zeta-potential and Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS). The results show that the specific surface area and the porosity of silica particles were strongly affected by the addition of CTAB and the amount of H2O. The dispersion and stability of silica mesoporous particles is achieved in spite of the high surface reactivity. The synthesis formulation affects considerably to the particle morphology, which changes from spheres to rods when the molar ratio of H2O increases. A maximum specific surface area of 1480m2/g was obtained with pore sizes ranging 2.5–2.8nm. (Author)

  2. Porous Si spheres encapsulated in carbon shells with enhanced anodic performance in lithium-ion batteries

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wang, Hui; Wu, Ping, E-mail: zjuwuping@njnu.edu.cn; Shi, Huimin; Lou, Feijian; Tang, Yawen; Zhou, Tongge; Zhou, Yiming, E-mail: zhouyiming@njnu.edu.cn; Lu, Tianhong

    2014-07-01

    Highlights: • In situ magnesiothermic reduction route for the formation of porous Si@C spheres. • Unique microstructural characteristics of both porous sphere and carbon matrix. • Enhanced anodic performance in term of cycling stability for lithium-ion batteries. - Abstract: A novel type of porous Si–C micro/nano-hybrids, i.e., porous Si spheres encapsulated in carbon shells (porous Si@C spheres), has been constructed through the pyrolysis of polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) and subsequent magnesiothermic reduction methodology by using SiO{sub 2} spheres as precursors. The as-synthesized porous Si@C spheres have been applied as anode materials for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), and exhibit enhanced anodic performance in term of cycling stability compared with bare Si spheres. For example, the porous Si@C spheres are able to exhibit a high reversible capacity of 900.0 mA h g{sup −1} after 20 cycles at a current density of 0.05 C (1 C = 4200 mA g{sup −1}), which is much higher than that of bare Si spheres (430.7 mA h g{sup −1})

  3. The sphere-PAC fuel code 'SPHERE-3'

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wallin, H

    2000-07-01

    Sphere-PAC fuel is an advanced nuclear fuel, in which the cladding tube is filled with small fuel spheres instead of the more usual fuel pellets. At PSI, the irradiation behaviour of sphere-PAC fuel is calculated using the computer code SPHERE-3. The paper describes the present status of the SPHERE-3 code, and some results of the qualification process against experimental data. (author)

  4. Synthesis of Pt-immobilized on silica and polystyrene-encapsulated silica and their applications as electrocatalysts in the proton exchange membrane fuel cell

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yi, Sung-Chul; Kim, Chang Young; Jung, Chi Young; Jeong, Sung Hoon; Kim, Wha Jung

    2011-01-01

    Nano sized Pt particles were successfully immobilized onto SiO 2 and polystyrene-encapsulated silica core shell (SiO 2 @PS). To make the immobilization of Pt onto both silica and polystyrene-encapsulated silica core shell, SiO 2 was first functionalized with -NH 2 using 3-amino propyl trimethoxysilane (APTMS) while for core shell, the negatively charged surface of polystyrene (PS) was changed with positive charge by cationic surfactant such as cetyltrimethylammonium chloride (CTACl) to make the formation of SiO 2 shell on preformed PS sphere. Transmission electron micrograph (TEM) images shows that Pt nanoparticles immobilized onto SiO 2 and SiO 2 @PS were to be 3-4 nm without agglomeraiton. The energy dispersive spectroscope (EDS) shows that Pt contents on both SiO 2 and SiO 2 @PS were to be 21.45% and 20.28%, respectively. In case of Pt-SiO 2 @PS, it is believed that Pt should have been immobilized onto PS surface and pore within SiO 2 shell as well as SiO 2 surface. The MEA fabricated with Pt-SiO 2 @PS shows better cell performance than of Pt-SiO 2 .

  5. In vivo immuno-reactivity analysis of the porous three-dimensional chitosan/SiO2 and chitosan/SiO2 /hydroxyapatite hybrids.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guo, Mengxia; Dong, Yifan; Xiao, Jiangwei; Gu, Ruicai; Ding, Maochao; Huang, Tao; Li, Junhua; Zhao, Naru; Liao, Hua

    2018-05-01

    Inorganic/organic hybrid silica-chitosan (CS) scaffolds have promising potential for bone defect repair, due to the controllable mechanical properties, degradation behavior, and scaffold morphology. However, the precise in vivo immuno-reactivity of silica-CS hybrids with various compositions is still poorly defined. In this study, we fabricated the three-dimensional (3D) interconnected porous chitosan-silica (CS/SiO 2 ) and chitosan-silica-hydroxyapatite (CS/SiO 2 /HA) hybrids, through sol-gel process and 3D plotting skill, followed by the naturally or freeze drying separately. Scanning electron microscopy demonstrated the hybrids possessed the uniform geometric structure, while, transmission electron microscopy displayed nanoscale silica, or HA nanoparticles dispersed homogeneously in the CS matrix, or CS/silica hybrids. After intramuscular implantation, CS/SiO 2 and CS/SiO 2 /HA hybrids triggered a local and limited monocyte/macrophage infiltration and myofiber degeneration. Naturally dried CS/SiO 2 hybrid provoked a more severe inflammation than the freeze-dried ones. Dendritic cells were attracted to invade into the implants embedded-muscle, but not be activated to prime the adaptive immunity, because the absence of cytotoxic T cells and B cells in muscle received the implants. Fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) analysis indicated the implanted hybrids were incapable to initiate splenocytes activation. Plasma complement C3 enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) assay showed the hybrids induced C3 levels increase in early implanting phase, and the subsequent striking decrease. Thus, the present results suggest that, in vivo, 3D plotted porous CS/SiO 2 and CS/SiO 2 /HA hybrids are relatively biocompatible in vivo, which initiate a localized inflammatory procedure, instead of a systematic immune response. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part A: 106A: 1223-1235, 2018. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  6. Aqueous cholesteric liquid crystals using uncharged rodlike polypeptides. Polypeptide vesicles by conformation-specific assembly. Ordered chiral macroporous hybrid silica-polypeptide composites

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bellomo, Enrico Giuseppe

    2005-07-01

    chiral macroporous hybrid silica-polypeptide composites. The mineralization of organic templates has been investigated as an effective way to control the size and structure of inorganic frameworks. Hybrid structures incorporating polypeptide with silica have been prepared and characterized using X-ray scattering, TGA, SEM and TEM. The results support the interaction between silica and polymer to form ordered chiral macroporous structures that can be easily controlled by polymer molecular weight and volume fraction.

  7. Nucleation of polystyrene latex particles in the presence of gamma-methacryloxypropyltrimethoxysilane: functionalized silica particles.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bourgeat-Lami, Elodie; Insulaire, Mickaelle; Reculusa, Stéphane; Perro, Adeline; Ravaine, Serge; Duguet, Etienne

    2006-02-01

    Silica/polystyrene nanocomposite particles with different morphologies were synthesized through emulsion polymerization of styrene in the presence of silica particles previously modified by gamma-methacryloxypropyltrimethoxysilane (MPS). Grafting of the silane molecule was performed by direct addition of MPS to the aqueous silica suspension in the presence of an anionic surfactant under basic conditions. The MPS grafting density on the silica surface was determined using the depletion method and plotted against the initial MPS concentration. The influence of the MPS grafting density, the silica particles size and concentration and the nature of the surfactant on the polymerization kinetics and the particles morphology was investigated. When the polymerization was performed in the presence of an anionic surfactant, transmission electron microscopy images showed the formation of polymer spheres around silica for MPS grafting densities lower than typically 1 micromole x m(-2) while the conversion versus time curves indicated a strong acceleration effect under such conditions. In contrast, polymerizations performed in the presence of a larger amount of MPS moieties or in the presence of a non ionic emulsifier resulted in the formation of "excentered" core-shell morphologies and lower polymerization rates. The paper identifies the parameters that allow to control particles morphology and polymerization kinetics and describes the mechanism of formation of the nanocomposite colloids.

  8. Synthesis and application of imprinted polyvinylimidazole-silica hybrid copolymer for Pb{sup 2+} determination by flow-injection thermospray flame furnace atomic absorption spectrometry

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Teixeira Tarley, Cesar Ricardo, E-mail: tarley@uel.br [Programa de Pos-Graduacao em Quimica da Universidade Federal de Alfenas, Rua Gabriel Monteiro da Silva 700, Alfenas, MG, CEP 37130-000 (Brazil); Instituto Nacional de Ciencia e Tecnologia (INCT) de Bioanalitica, Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP), Instituto de Quimica, Departamento de Quimica Analitica, Cidade Universitaria Zeferino Vaz s/n, Campinas, SP, CEP 13083-970 (Brazil); Departamento de Quimica, Universidade Estadual de Londrina, Rod. Celso Garcia Cid, PR 445 Km 380, Campus Universitario, Londrina, PR, CEP 86051-990 (Brazil); Nascimento Andrade, Felipe [Programa de Pos-Graduacao em Quimica da Universidade Federal de Alfenas, Rua Gabriel Monteiro da Silva 700, Alfenas, MG, CEP 37130-000 (Brazil); Midori de Oliveira, Fernanda; Zanetti Corazza, Marcela [Departamento de Quimica, Universidade Estadual de Londrina, Rod. Celso Garcia Cid, PR 445 Km 380, Campus Universitario, Londrina, PR, CEP 86051-990 (Brazil); Mendes de Azevedo, Luiz Fernando [Programa de Pos-Graduacao em Quimica da Universidade Federal de Alfenas, Rua Gabriel Monteiro da Silva 700, Alfenas, MG, CEP 37130-000 (Brazil); Gava Segatelli, Mariana [Universidade Tecnologica Federal do Parana (UTFPR), Av. dos Pioneiros 3131, Londrina, PR, CEP 86036-370 (Brazil)

    2011-10-10

    Highlights: {yields} Ion imprinted hybrid copolymer as selective sorbent for Pb{sup 2+} ions. {yields} The sorbent was at least 10 times more selective than non imprinted copolymer. {yields} A method for Pb{sup 2+} determination by TS-FF-AAS in different samples was developed. {yields} High reusability and chemical stability of ion imprinted hybrid copolymer were observed. - Abstract: A novel ion imprinted polyvinylimidazole-silica hybrid copolymer (IIHC) was synthesized and used as a selective solid sorbent for Pb{sup 2+} ions preconcentration using an on-line solid phase extraction (SPE) system coupled to TS-FF-AAS. The ionic hybrid sorbent was prepared using 1-vinylimidazole and 3-(trimethoxysilyl)propylmethacrylate as monomers, Pb{sup 2+} ions as template, tetraethoxysilane as reticulating agent and 2,2'-azobis-isobutyronitrile as initiator. The best on-line SPE conditions concerning sorption behavior, including sample pH (6.46), buffer concentration (9.0 mmol L{sup -1}), eluent (HNO{sub 3}) concentration (0.5 mol L{sup -1}) and preconcentration flow rate (4.0 mL min{sup -1}), were optimized by means of full factorial design and Doehlert matrix. The analytical curve ranged from 2.5 to 65.0 {mu}g L{sup -1} (r = 0.999) with limit of detection of 0.75 {mu}g L{sup -1}; the precision (repeatability) calculated as relative standard deviation (n = 10) was 5.0 and 3.6% for Pb{sup 2+} concentration of 10.0 and 60.0 {mu}g L{sup -1}, respectively. From on-line breakthrough curve, column capacity was 3.5 mg g{sup -1}. Preconcentration factor (PF), consumptive index (CI) and concentration efficiency (CE) were 128.0, 0.16 mL and 25.6 min{sup -1}, respectively. The selective performance of the sorbent, based on relative selectivity coefficient, was compared to NIC (non imprinted copolymer) for the binary mixture Pb{sup 2+}/Cd{sup 2+}, Pb{sup 2+}/Cu{sup 2+} and Pb{sup 2+}/Zn{sup 2+}. The results showed that ion imprinted polyvinylimidazole-silica hybrid polymer had higher

  9. Ionic liquid-nanoparticle hybrid electrolytes

    KAUST Repository

    Lu, Yingying; Moganty, Surya S.; Schaefer, Jennifer L.; Archer, Lynden A.

    2012-01-01

    We investigate physical and electrochemical properties of a family of organic-inorganic hybrid electrolytes based on the ionic liquid 1-methyl-3-propylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethanesulfone) imide covalently tethered to silica nanoparticles (SiO 2

  10. Formation of Silica-Lysozyme Composites Through Co-Precipitation and Adsorption

    Science.gov (United States)

    van den Heuvel, Daniela B.; Stawski, Tomasz M.; Tobler, Dominique J.; Wirth, Richard; Peacock, Caroline L.; Benning, Liane G.

    2018-04-01

    Interactions between silica and proteins are crucial for the formation of biosilica and the production of novel functional hybrid materials for a range of industrial applications. The proteins control both precipitation pathway and the properties of the resulting silica-organic composites. Here we present data on the formation of silica-lysozyme composites through two different synthesis approaches (co-precipitation vs. adsorption) and show that the chemical and structural properties of these composites, when analyzed using a combination of synchrotron-based scattering (total scattering and SAXS), spectroscopic, electron microscopy and potentiometric methods vary dramatically. We document that while lysozyme was not incorporated into nor did its presence alter the molecular structure of silica, it strongly enhanced the aggregation of silica particles due to electrostatic and potentially hydrophobic interactions, leading to the formation of composites with characteristics differing from pure silica. The differences increased with increasing lysozyme content for both synthesis approaches. Yet, the absolute changes differ substantially between the two sets of composites, as lysozyme did not just affect aggregation during co-precipitation but also particle growth and likely polymerization during co-precipitation. Our results improve the fundamental understanding of how organic macromolecules interact with dissolved and nanoparticulate silica and how these interactions control the formation pathway of silica-organic composites from sodium silicate solutions, a widely available and cheap starting material.

  11. The accelerating effect of chitosan-silica hybrid dressing materials on the early phase of wound healing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Park, Ji-Ung; Jung, Hyun-Do; Song, Eun-Ho; Choi, Tae-Hyun; Kim, Hyoun-Ee; Song, Juha; Kim, Sukwha

    2017-10-01

    Commercialized dressing materials with or without silver have played a passive role in early-phase wound healing, protecting the skin defects from infections, absorbing exudate, and preventing dehydration. Chitosan (CTS)-based sponges have been developed in pure or hybrid forms for accelerating wound healing, but their wound-healing capabilities have not been extensively compared with widely used commercial dressing materials, providing limited information in a practical aspect. In this study, we have developed CTS-silica (CTS-Si) hybrid sponges with water absorption, flexibility, and mechanical behavior similar to those of CTS sponges. In vitro and in vivo tests were performed to compare the CTS-Si sponges with three commercial dressing materials [gauze, polyurethane (PU), and silver-containing hydrofiber (HF-Ag)] in addition to CTS sponges. Both in vitro and in vivo tests showed that CTS-Si sponges promoted fibroblast proliferation, leading to accelerated collagen synthesis, whereas the CTS sponges did not exhibit significant differences in fibroblast proliferation and collagen synthesis from gauze, PU, and HF-Ag sponges. In case of CTS-Si, the inflammatory cells were actively recruited to the wound by the influence of the released silicon ions from CTS-Si sponges, which, in return, led to an enhanced secretion of growth factors, particularly TGF-β during the early stage. The higher level of TGF-β likely improved the proliferation of fibroblasts, and as a result, collagen synthesis by fibroblasts became remarkably productive, thereby increasing collagen density at the wound site. Therefore, the CTS-Si hybrid sponges have considerable potential as a wound-dressing material for accelerating wound healing. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater, 105B: 1828-1839, 2017. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  12. Large-area photonic crystals

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ruhl, Tilmann; Spahn, Peter; Hellmann, Gotz P.; Winkler, Holger

    2004-09-01

    Materials with a periodically modulated refractive index, with periods on the scale of light wavelengths, are currently attracting much attention because of their unique optical properties which are caused by Bragg scattering of the visible light. In nature, 3d structures of this kind are found in the form of opals in which monodisperse silica spheres with submicron diameters form a face-centered-cubic (fcc) lattice. Artificial opals, with the same colloidal-crystalline fcc structure, have meanwhile been prepared by crystallizing spherical colloidal particles via sedimentation or drying of dispersions. In this report, colloidal crystalline films are introduced that were produced by a novel technique based on shear flow in the melts of specially designed submicroscopic silica-polymer core-shell hybrid spheres: when the melt of these spheres flows between the plates of a press, the spheres crystallize along the plates, layer by layer, and the silica cores assume the hexagonal order corresponding to the (111) plane of the fcc lattice. This process is fast and yields large-area films, thin or thick. To enhance the refractive index contrast in these films, the colloidal crystalline structure was inverted by etching out the silica cores with hydrofluoric acid. This type of an inverse opal, in which the fcc lattice is formed by mesopores, is referred to as a polymer-air photonic crystal.

  13. Amine-functionalized magnetic mesoporous silica nanoparticles for DNA separation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sheng, Wei; Wei, Wei; Li, Junjian; Qi, Xiaoliang; Zuo, Gancheng; Chen, Qi; Pan, Xihao; Dong, Wei, E-mail: weidong@njust.edu.cn

    2016-11-30

    Highlights: • Fe{sub 3}O{sub 4}@SiO{sub 2}@EDPS with uniform size and good dispersity is prepared. • We fabricated MMSN@EDPS with distinct core-shell–shell triple-layer composition. • DNA adsorption capacity of MMSN@EDPS is considerable. - Abstract: We report a modified approach for the functionalized magnetic mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MMSN) using polymer microspheres incorporated with magnetic nanoparticles in the presence of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) and the core-shell magnetic silica nanoparticles (MSN). These particles were functionalized with amino groups via the addition of aminosilane directly to the particle sol. We then evaluate their DNA separation abilities and find the capacity of DNA binding significantly increased (210.22 μg/mg) compared with normal magnetic silica spheres (138.44 μg/mg) by using an ultraviolet and visible spectrophotometer (UV). The morphologies, magnetic properties, particle size, pore size, core-shell structure and Zeta potential are characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM), Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), and dynamic light scattering (DLS). This work demonstrates that our MMSN own an excellent potential application in bioseparation and drug delivery.

  14. Synthesis of internally functionalized silica nanoparticles for theranostic applications

    Science.gov (United States)

    Walton, Nathan Isaac

    This thesis addresses the synthesis and characterization of novel inorganic silica nanoparticle hybrids. It focuses in large part on their potential applications in the medical field. Silica acts as a useful carrier for a variety of compounds and this thesis silica will demonstrate its use as a carrier for boron or gadolinium. Boron-10 and gadolinium-157 have been suggested for the radiological treatment of tumor cells through the process called neutron capture therapy (NCT). Gadolinium is also commonly used as a Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) contrast agent. Particles that carry it have potential theranostic applications of both imaging and treating tumors. Chapter 1 presents a background on synthetic strategies and usages of silica nanoparticles, and NCT theory. Chapter 2 describes a procedure to create mesoporous metal chelating silica nanoparticles, mDTTA. This is achieved via a co-condensation of tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) and 3-trimethoxysilyl-propyl diethylenetriamine (SiDETA) followed by a post-synthesis modification step with bromoacetic acid (BrAA). These particles have a large surface area and well-defined pores of ~2 nm. The mDTTA nanoparticles were used to chelate the copper(II), cobalt(II) and gadolinium(III). The chelating of gadolinium is the most interesting since it can be used as a MRI contrast agent and a neutron capture therapeutic. The synthetic procedure developed also allows for the attachment of a fluorophore that gives the gadolinium chelating mDTTA nanoparticles a dual imaging modality. Chapter 3 presents the synthetic method used to produce two classes of large surface area organically modified silica (ORMOSIL) nanoparticles. Condensating the organosilane vinyltrimethoxysilane in a micellar solution results in nanoparticles that are either surface rough (raspberry-like) or mesoporous nanoparticles, which prior to this thesis has not been demonstrated in ORMOSIL chemistry. Furthermore, the vinyl functionalities are modified, using

  15. Quantum dot-dye hybrid systems for energy transfer applications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ren, Ting

    2010-01-01

    In this thesis, we focus on the preparation of energy transfer-based quantum dot (QD)-dye hybrid systems. Two kinds of QD-dye hybrid systems have been successfully synthesized: QD-silica-dye and QD-dye hybrid systems. In the QD-silica-dye hybrid system, multishell CdSe/CdS/ZnS QDs were adsorbed onto monodisperse Stoeber silica particles with an outer silica shell of thickness 2-24 nm containing organic dye molecules (Texas Red). The thickness of this dye layer has a strong effect on the total sensitized acceptor emission, which is explained by the increase in the number of dye molecules homogeneously distributed within the silica shell, in combination with an enhanced surface adsorption of QDs with increasing dye amount. Our conclusions were underlined by comparison of the experimental results with Monte-Carlo simulations, and by control experiments confirming attractive interactions between QDs and Texas Red freely dissolved in solution. New QD-dye hybrid system consisting of multishell QDs and organic perylene dyes have been synthesized. We developed a versatile approach to assemble extraordinarily stable QD-dye hybrids, which uses dicarboxylate anchors to bind rylene dyes to QD. This system yields a good basis to study the energy transfer between QD and dye because of its simple and compact design: there is no third kind of molecule linking QD and dye; no spacer; and the affinity of the functional group to the QD surface is strong. The FRET signal was measured for these complexes as a function of both dye to QD ratio and center-to-center distance between QD and dye by controlling number of covered ZnS layers. Data showed that fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) was the dominant mechanism of the energy transfer in our QD-dye hybrid system. FRET efficiency can be controlled by not only adjusting the number of dyes on the QD surface or the QD to dye distance, but also properly choosing different dye and QD components. Due to the strong stability, our QD

  16. Quantum dot-dye hybrid systems for energy transfer applications

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ren, Ting

    2010-07-01

    In this thesis, we focus on the preparation of energy transfer-based quantum dot (QD)-dye hybrid systems. Two kinds of QD-dye hybrid systems have been successfully synthesized: QD-silica-dye and QD-dye hybrid systems. In the QD-silica-dye hybrid system, multishell CdSe/CdS/ZnS QDs were adsorbed onto monodisperse Stoeber silica particles with an outer silica shell of thickness 2-24 nm containing organic dye molecules (Texas Red). The thickness of this dye layer has a strong effect on the total sensitized acceptor emission, which is explained by the increase in the number of dye molecules homogeneously distributed within the silica shell, in combination with an enhanced surface adsorption of QDs with increasing dye amount. Our conclusions were underlined by comparison of the experimental results with Monte-Carlo simulations, and by control experiments confirming attractive interactions between QDs and Texas Red freely dissolved in solution. New QD-dye hybrid system consisting of multishell QDs and organic perylene dyes have been synthesized. We developed a versatile approach to assemble extraordinarily stable QD-dye hybrids, which uses dicarboxylate anchors to bind rylene dyes to QD. This system yields a good basis to study the energy transfer between QD and dye because of its simple and compact design: there is no third kind of molecule linking QD and dye; no spacer; and the affinity of the functional group to the QD surface is strong. The FRET signal was measured for these complexes as a function of both dye to QD ratio and center-to-center distance between QD and dye by controlling number of covered ZnS layers. Data showed that fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) was the dominant mechanism of the energy transfer in our QD-dye hybrid system. FRET efficiency can be controlled by not only adjusting the number of dyes on the QD surface or the QD to dye distance, but also properly choosing different dye and QD components. Due to the strong stability, our QD

  17. Structure factor of blends of solvent-free nanoparticle-organic hybrid materials: density-functional theory and small angle X-ray scattering.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yu, Hsiu-Yu; Srivastava, Samanvaya; Archer, Lynden A; Koch, Donald L

    2014-12-07

    We investigate the static structure factor S(q) of solvent-free nanoparticle-organic hybrid materials consisting of silica nanocores and space-filling polyethylene glycol coronas using a density-functional theory and small angle X-ray scattering measurements. The theory considers a bidisperse suspension of hard spheres with different radii and tethered bead-spring oligomers with different grafting densities to approximate the polydispersity effects in experiments. The experimental systems studied include pure samples with different silica core volume fractions and the associated mean corona grafting densities, and blends with different mixing ratios of the pure samples, in order to introduce varying polydispersity of corona grafting density. Our scattering experiments and theory show that, compared to the hard-sphere suspension with the same core volume fraction, S(q) for pure samples exhibit both substantially smaller values at small q and stronger particle correlations corresponding to a larger effective hard core at large q, indicating that the tethered incompressible oligomers enforce a more uniform particle distribution, and the densely grafted brush gives rise to an additional exclusionary effect between the nanoparticles. According to the theory, polydispersity in the oligomer grafting density controls the deviation of S(q) from the monodisperse system at smaller q, and the interplay of the enhanced effective core size and the entropic attraction among the particles is responsible for complex variations in the particle correlations at larger q. The successful comparison between the predictions and the measurements for the blends further suggests that S(q) can be used to assess the uniformity of grafting density in polymer-grafted nanoparticle materials.

  18. Plasmonic hybrid nanostructure with controlled interaction strength

    Science.gov (United States)

    Grzelak, Justyna K.; Krajnik, Bartosz; Thoreson, Mark D.; Nyga, Piotr; Shalaev, Vladimir M.; Mackowski, Sebastian

    2014-03-01

    In this report we discuss the influence of plasmon excitations in a silver island film on the fluorescence of photosynthetic complex, peridinin-chlorophyll-protein (PCP). Control of the separation between these two components is obtained by fabricating a wedge layer of silica across the substrate, with a thickness from 0 to 46 nm. Continuous variation of the silica thickness allows for gradual change of interaction strength between plasmon excitations in the metallic film and the excited states of pigments comprising photosynthetic complexes. While the largest separation between the silver film and photosynthetic complexes results in fluorescence featuring a mono-exponential decay and relatively narrow distribution of intensities, the PCP complexes placed on thinner silica spacers show biexponential fluorescence decay and significantly broader distribution of total fluorescence intensities. This broad distribution is a signature of stronger sensitivity of fluorescence enhancement upon actual parameters of a hybrid nanostructure. By gradual change of the silica spacer thickness we are able to reproduce classical distance dependence of fluorescence intensity in plasmonic hybrid nanostructures on ensemble level. Experiments carried out for different excitation wavelengths indicate that the interaction is stronger for excitations resonant with plasmon absorption in the metallic layer.

  19. Poly(ethyleneimine) infused and functionalized Torlon®-silica hollow fiber sorbents for post-combustion CO2 capture

    KAUST Repository

    Li, Fuyue Stephanie

    2014-03-01

    Organic-inorganic hybrid materials functionalized with amine-containing reagents are emerging as an important class of materials for capturing carbon dioxide from flue gas. Polymeric silica hollow fiber sorbents are fabricated through the proven dry-jet/wet-quench spinning process. In our study, a new technique for functionalizing polymeric silica hollow fiber sorbents with poly(ethyleneimine), followed by a post-spinning infusion step was studied. This two step process introduces a sufficient amount of poly(ethyleneimine) to the polymeric silica hybrid material support to improve the CO2 sorption capacity due to the added amine groups. The poly(ethyleneimine) infused and functionalized hollow fiber sorbents are also characterized by a thermal gravimetric analyzer (TGA) to assess their CO2 sorption capacities. © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  20. Effect of Synthesis Time on Morphology of Hollow Porous Silica Microspheres

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Qian CHEN

    2012-03-01

    Full Text Available Hollow porous silica microspheres may be applicable as containers for the controlled release in drug delivery systems (DDS, foods, cosmetics, agrochemical, textile industry, and in other technological encapsulation use. In order to control the surface morphological properties of the silica microspheres, the effect of synthesis time on their formation was studied by a method of water-in-oil (W/O emulsion mediated sol-gel techniques. An aqueous phase of water, ammonium hydroxide and a surfactant Tween 20 was emulsified in an oil phase of 1-octanol with a stabilizer, hydroxypropyl cellulose (HPC, and a surfactant, sorbitan monooleate (Span 80 with low hydrophile-lipophile balance (HLB value. Tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS as a silica precursor was added to the emulsion. The resulting silica particles at different synthesis time 24, 48, and 72 hours were air-dried at room temperature and calcinated at 773 K for 3 hours. The morphology of the particles was characterized by scanning electron microscopy and the particle size distribution was measured by laser diffraction. The specific surface areas were studied by 1-point BET method, and pore sizes were measured by Image Tool Software. Both dense and porous silica microspheres were observed after all three syntheses. Hollow porous silica microspheres were formed at 24 and 48 hours synthesis time. Under base catalyzed sol-gel solution, the size of silica particles was in the range of 5.4 μm to 8.2 μm, and the particles had surface area of 111 m2/g – 380 m2/g. The longer synthesis time produced denser silica spheres with decreased pore sizes.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5755/j01.ms.18.1.1344

  1. Nanoscale Organic−Inorganic Hybrid Lubricants

    KAUST Repository

    Kim, Daniel; Archer, Lynden A.

    2011-01-01

    Silica (SiO2) nanoparticles densely grafted with amphiphilic organic chains are used to create a family of organic-inorganic hybrid lubricants. Short sulfonate-functionalized alkylaryl chains covalently tethered to the particles form a dense corona

  2. Optical response of a flat metallic surface coated with a monolayer array of latex spheres

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shi Lei; Liu Xiaohan; Yin Haiwei; Zi Jian

    2010-01-01

    We report on the fabrication, characterization and simulation of a structure consisting of a flat metallic surface coated with a monolayer array of latex spheres. This structure shows interesting optical response: over flat metallic surfaces a series of reflection minima appear in reflection spectra. Numerical simulations revealed that the structure can support two types of surface modes: surface plasmon-polaritons bound at the metallic surface and guided modes confined to the array of latex spheres, or their hybrids. Both experimental and theoretical results indicated that these surface modes show well-defined band structures due to the introduced periodicity by the monolayer array of latex spheres.

  3. Synthesis and superior lithium storage performances of hybrid hollow urchin-like silicate constructed by nanotubes wrapped in reduced graphene oxides

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chen, Xuefang; Huang, Ying; Zhang, Kaichuang; Zhang, Xin; Wei, Chao

    2017-01-01

    Hybrid hollow urchin-like cobalt and copper silicate constructed by nanotubes encapsulated in graphene nanosheets composites were successfully prepared using graphene oxide as carrier and silica spheres as template, which were done through a well-known Stȍber process and a hydrothermal method. In fact, the synthesis of hybrid urchin-like silicate constructed by nanotubes through onestep hydrothermal reaction has rarely been reported.The electrochemical performances of the composites as lithium-ion battery anode materials were studiedfor the first time. As novel anode materials of Li-ion batteries, the special hollow urchin-like structure not only could facilitate the Li + diffusion and electron transport but alsocouldaccommodate the volume variation during the conversion reactions. In addition, the introduction of graphene can make the electrical conductivity better. Graphene wrapped hollow urchin-like silicate compositespossesses superior electrochemical cycling properties. The first discharge capacity is1955.2mAh/g with a current density of 300 mA/g. The unique well-designed configuration presents a beneficial method to synthesize efficient and high performance electrode materials for advanced power applications.

  4. Synthesis of Non-Toxic Silica Particles Stabilized by Molecular Complex Oleic-Acid/Sodium Oleate.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Spataru, Catalin Ilie; Ianchis, Raluca; Petcu, Cristian; Nistor, Cristina Lavinia; Purcar, Violeta; Trica, Bogdan; Nitu, Sabina Georgiana; Somoghi, Raluca; Alexandrescu, Elvira; Oancea, Florin; Donescu, Dan

    2016-11-19

    The present work is focused on the preparation of biocompatible silica particles from sodium silicate, stabilized by a vesicular system containing oleic acid (OLA) and its alkaline salt (OLANa). Silica nanoparticles were generated by the partial neutralization of oleic acid (OLA), with the sodium cation present in the aqueous solutions of sodium silicate. At the molar ratio OLA/Na⁺ = 2:1, the molar ratio (OLA/OLANa = 1:1) required to form vesicles, in which the carboxyl and carboxylate groups have equal concentrations, was achieved. In order to obtain hydrophobically modified silica particles, octadecyltriethoxysilane (ODTES) was added in a sodium silicate sol-gel mixture at different molar ratios. The interactions between the octadecyl groups from the modified silica and the oleyl chains from the OLA/OLANa stabilizing system were investigated via simultaneous thermogravimetry (TG) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) (TG-DSC) analyses.A significant decrease in vaporization enthalpy and an increase in amount of ODTES were observed. Additionally, that the hydrophobic interaction between OLA and ODTES has a strong impact on the hybrids' final morphology and on their textural characteristics was revealed. The highest hydrodynamic average diameter and the most negative ζ potential were recorded for the hybrid in which the ODTES/sodium silicate molar ratio was 1:5. The obtained mesoporous silica particles, stabilized by the OLA/OLANa vesicular system, may find application as carriers for hydrophobic bioactive molecules.

  5. Synthesis and characterization of hybrid silicon based complexing materials: extraction of transuranic elements from high level liquid waste; Synthese et caracterisation de gels hybrides de silice a proprietes complexantes: applications a l'extraction des transuraniens des effluents aqueux

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Conocar, O

    1999-07-01

    Hybrid organic/inorganic silica compounds with extractive properties have been developed under an enhanced decontamination program for radioactive aqueous nitric acid waste in nuclear facilities. The materials were obtained by the sol-gel process through hydrolysis and poly-condensation of complexing organo-tri-alkoxy-silanes with the corresponding tetra-alkoxy-silane. Hybrid silica compounds were initially synthesized and characterized from mono- and bis-silyl precursors with malonamide or ethylenediamine patterns. Solids with different specific areas and pore diameters were obtained depending on the nature of the precursor, its functionality and its concentration in the tetra-alkoxy-silane. These compounds were then considered and assessed for use in plutonium and americium extraction. Excellent results-partitioning coefficients and capacities have been obtained with malonamide hybrid silica. The comparison with silica compounds impregnated or grafted with the same type of organic group is significant in this respect. Much of the improved performance obtained with hybrid silica may be attributed to the large quantity of complexing groups that can be incorporated in these materials. The effect of the solid texture on the extraction performance was also studied. Although the capacity increased with the specific area, little effect was observed on the distribution coefficients -notably for americium- indicating that the most favorable complexation sites are found on the outer surface. Macroporous malonamide hybrid silica compounds were synthesized to study the effects of the pore diameter, but the results have been inconclusive to date because of the unexpected molecular composition of the materials. (author)

  6. Silica nanoparticle-based dual imaging colloidal hybrids: cancer cell imaging and biodistribution

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lee H

    2015-08-01

    Full Text Available Haisung Lee,1 Dongkyung Sung,2 Jinhoon Kim,3 Byung-Tae Kim,3 Tuntun Wang,4 Seong Soo A An,5 Soo-Won Seo,6 Dong Kee Yi4 1Molecular Diagnostics, In Vitro Diagnostics Unit, New Business Division, SK Telecom, 2Department of Life Sciences, Graduate School of Korea University, 3Interdisciplinary Graduate Program of Biomedical Engineering, School of Medicine, Sungkyunkwan University, Samsung Medical Center, 4Department of Chemistry, Myongji University, Seoul, 5Department of Bionanotechnology, Gachon Medical Research Institute, Gachon University, Seongnam, 6Medical Device Development Center, Daegu-Gyeongbuk Medical Innovation Foundation, Daegu, Republic of Korea Abstract: In this study, fluorescent dye-conjugated magnetic resonance (MR imaging agents were investigated in T mode. Gadolinium-conjugated silica nanoparticles were successfully synthesized for both MR imaging and fluorescence diagnostics. Polyamine and polycarboxyl functional groups were modified chemically on the surface of the silica nanoparticles for efficient conjugation of gadolinium ions. The derived gadolinium-conjugated silica nanoparticles were investigated by zeta potential analysis, transmission electron microscopy, inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, and energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy. MR equipment was used to investigate their use as contrast-enhancing agents in T1 mode under a 9.4 T magnetic field. In addition, we tracked the distribution of the gadolinium-conjugated nanoparticles in both lung cancer cells and organs in mice. Keywords: dual bioimaging, MR imaging, silica colloid, T1 contrast imaging, nanohybrid

  7. Deposition of GdVO4:Eu3+ nanoparticles on silica nanospheres by a simple sol gel method

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Guixia; Hong, Guangyan; Wang, Jinxian; Dong, Xiangting

    2006-07-01

    The deposition and coating of GdVO4:Eu3+ nanoparticles on spherical silica was carried out using a simple sol-gel method at low temperature. The GdVO4:Eu3+-coated silica composites obtained were characterized by differential thermal analysis (DTA), thermogravimetric (TG) analysis, x-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier-transform IR spectroscopy (FT-IR), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), photoluminescence spectra, and kinetic decay. It is found that the ~5 nm GdVO4:Eu3+ nanoparticles coating the silica spheres are crystal in the as-prepared samples and the crystallinity increases with increasing annealing temperature. The composites obtained are spherical in shape with an average size of 100 nm. The GdVO4:Eu3+ nanoparticles are linked with silica cores by a chemical bond. The photoluminescence spectra of the obtained GdVO4:Eu3+-coated silica composites are similar to those of the bulk GdVO4:Eu3+ phosphors. The strongest peak is near 617 nm, which indicates that Eu3+ is located in the low symmetry site with non-inversion centre.

  8. Degradation of TiO2 and/or SiO2 hybrid films doped with different cationic dyes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Purcar, Violeta; Caprarescu, Simona; Donescu, Dan; Petcu, Cristian; Stamatin, Ioan; Ianchis, Raluca; Stroescu, Hermine

    2013-01-01

    Hybrid thin films, silica–titanium oxides and silica–aluminum oxides, designed based on the sol–gel process are evaluated as catalysts in the photo-degradation of the cationic dyes. Silica matrices from different precursors with various organic functional groups and cross-linked with titanium or aluminum agents (tetraisopropyl orthotitanate and aluminum sec-butoxide) allow the surface property tailoring related to the high capacity of the dye adsorption respective, high photo-degradation activity. The cationic dyes (methylene blue, rhodamine B, crystal violet, malachite green) embedded on the hybrid silica matrix, under ultraviolet light, have a first order kinetics of photodegradation. The cross-linking agents play a key role in the photocatalytic degradation and silica matrix as dye absorbent. The photo-degradation rate for the binary system derived from methyltriethoxysilane/vinyltriethoxysilane precursors with both cross linkers showed a significant improvement by comparison with other hybrid materials. The significant increasing in the photodecomposition rate is related to the capacity to generate additional oxidizing species by each silica hybrid compounds. - Highlights: ► Dyes display different electrostatic interactions to the silica matrix. ► Cross-linking agent influences the photocatalytic degradation of dyes. ► Photodegradation reaction obeyed the rules of a pseudo-first-order kinetic reaction. ► UV radiation can be the origin of the photodegradation

  9. Preparation and fluorescent recognition properties for fluoride of a nanostructured covalently bonded europium hybrid material

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    余旭东; 李景印; 李亚娟; 耿丽君; 甄小丽; 于涛

    2015-01-01

    A novel covalently bonded Eu3+-based silica hybrid material was designed and its spectrophotometric anion sensing prop-erty was studied. The fluorescent receptor (europium complex) was covalently grafted to the silica matrix via a sol-gel approach. FTIR, UV-vis spectra, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and photoluminescent spectra were characterized, and the results revealed that the hybrid material with nanosphere structure displayed excellent photophysical property. In addition, the selective anion sensing property of the hybrid material was studied by UV-vis and fluorescence spectra. The results showed that the hybrid material exhibited a smart response with fluoride anions.

  10. Random laser emission from a Rhodamine B-doped GPTS/TEOS-derived organic/silica monolithic xerogel

    Science.gov (United States)

    Abegão, Luis M. G.; Manoel, D. S.; Otuka, A. J. G.; Ferreira, P. H. D.; Vollet, D. R.; Donatti, D. A.; De Boni, L.; Mendonça, C. R.; De Vicente, F. S.; Rodrigues, J. J., Jr.; Alencar, M. A. R. C.

    2017-06-01

    A Rhodamine B-doped 3-glycidoxypropyltrimethoxysilane (GPTS)/tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS)-derived organic/silica monolithic xerogel with excellent optical properties was prepared and its potential as a random laser host investigated. This hybrid material has a non-porous organic/inorganic morphology with silica-rich nanoparticles of less than 10 nm in diameter homogeneously dispersed within the matrix. Random laser emission with incoherent feedback, centered at 618 nm, was observed from Rhodamine B incorporated into the monolithic xerogel when excited by a 532 nm pulsed laser. This hybrid system is shown to be very promising for the development of a new class of random laser-based integrated devices, with applications ranging from optical bio-imaging to sensing.

  11. Magnetic polymer-silica composites as bioluminescent sensors for bilirubin detection

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Timin, Alexander S., E-mail: a_timin@mail.ru [Inorganic Chemistry Department, Ivanovo State University of Chemistry and Technology (ISUCT), 7, Sheremetevsky prosp., 153000, Ivanovo (Russian Federation); RASA Center in Tomsk, Tomsk Polytechnic University, pros. Lenina, 30, Tomsk (Russian Federation); Solomonov, Alexey V. [Inorganic Chemistry Department, Ivanovo State University of Chemistry and Technology (ISUCT), 7, Sheremetevsky prosp., 153000, Ivanovo (Russian Federation); Department of Materials and Interfaces, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, 7610001 (Israel); Kumagai, Akiko; Miyawaki, Atsushi [Cell Function Dynamics, Brain Science Institute RIKEN, 2-1 Hirosawa, Wako-city, Saitama, 351-0198 (Japan); Khashirova, Svetlana Yu; Zhansitov, Azamat [Kabardino-Balkar State University, 173 Chernyshevskogo St., Nal' chik, 360004, Kabardino-Balkaria (Russian Federation); Rumyantsev, Evgeniy V. [Inorganic Chemistry Department, Ivanovo State University of Chemistry and Technology (ISUCT), 7, Sheremetevsky prosp., 153000, Ivanovo (Russian Federation)

    2016-11-01

    The synthesis of multifunctional nano-sized materials is leading to the rapid development of key application, including improved drug delivery, bioimaging and protein separation. In this work, magnetic silica particles modified with novel guanidine containing co-polymers were manufactured via sol-gel method. To evaluate the chemical composition of our prepared samples, FT-IR spectroscopy and thermogravimetry were conducted. Scanning electron microscopy was used in order to investigate the morphology of final products after modification by guanidine containing co-polymers and iron nanoparticles. In addition, the surface of polymer-silica composites was functionalized by the novel bilirubin-inducible fluorescent protein UnaG. In an aqueous bilirubin solution, the silica particles decorated with the polymer-UnaG have showed bright fluorescence. Synthesis and characterization of these hybrid materials allow developing of new multifunctional nano-sized materials, which will be used for detection and separation of bilirubin, a lipophilic heme catabolite that is a clinical diagnostic for liver function. - Highlights: • Novel magnetic silicas grafted by guanidine containing co-polymers were prepared. • Unag protein was effectively loaded into polymer coated silicas. • The fluorescent properties depend on content of bilirubin.

  12. Magnetic polymer-silica composites as bioluminescent sensors for bilirubin detection

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Timin, Alexander S.; Solomonov, Alexey V.; Kumagai, Akiko; Miyawaki, Atsushi; Khashirova, Svetlana Yu; Zhansitov, Azamat; Rumyantsev, Evgeniy V.

    2016-01-01

    The synthesis of multifunctional nano-sized materials is leading to the rapid development of key application, including improved drug delivery, bioimaging and protein separation. In this work, magnetic silica particles modified with novel guanidine containing co-polymers were manufactured via sol-gel method. To evaluate the chemical composition of our prepared samples, FT-IR spectroscopy and thermogravimetry were conducted. Scanning electron microscopy was used in order to investigate the morphology of final products after modification by guanidine containing co-polymers and iron nanoparticles. In addition, the surface of polymer-silica composites was functionalized by the novel bilirubin-inducible fluorescent protein UnaG. In an aqueous bilirubin solution, the silica particles decorated with the polymer-UnaG have showed bright fluorescence. Synthesis and characterization of these hybrid materials allow developing of new multifunctional nano-sized materials, which will be used for detection and separation of bilirubin, a lipophilic heme catabolite that is a clinical diagnostic for liver function. - Highlights: • Novel magnetic silicas grafted by guanidine containing co-polymers were prepared. • Unag protein was effectively loaded into polymer coated silicas. • The fluorescent properties depend on content of bilirubin.

  13. Ultraviolet/visible and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopic investigations of organic–inorganic hybrid layers for UV protection

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Präfke, Christiane, E-mail: christiane.praefke@iof.fraunhofer.de [Fraunhofer Institute of Applied Optics and Precision Engineering, Optical Coatings Department, Albert-Einstein-Straße 7, 07745 Jena (Germany); Institute of Applied Physics, Abbe Center of Photonics, Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena (Germany); Schulz, Ulrike, E-mail: ulrike.schulz@iof.fraunhofer.de [Fraunhofer Institute of Applied Optics and Precision Engineering, Optical Coatings Department, Albert-Einstein-Straße 7, 07745 Jena (Germany); Kaiser, Norbert, E-mail: norbert.kaiser@iof.fraunhofer.de [Fraunhofer Institute of Applied Optics and Precision Engineering, Optical Coatings Department, Albert-Einstein-Straße 7, 07745 Jena (Germany); Tünnermann, Andreas, E-mail: andreas.tuennermann@iof.fraunhofer.de [Fraunhofer Institute of Applied Optics and Precision Engineering, Optical Coatings Department, Albert-Einstein-Straße 7, 07745 Jena (Germany); Institute of Applied Physics, Abbe Center of Photonics, Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena (Germany)

    2013-04-01

    A study of vacuum-deposited organic–inorganic hybrid coatings for ultraviolet (UV) protection of polycarbonate is presented. For this purpose, UV-absorbing organic molecules were embedded in a silica matrix by thermal co-evaporation. Typical UV absorbers, namely a benzotriazole, a hydroxyphenyltriazine, and a cyanoacrylate, were used as organic materials. The hybrid layers were investigated by means of ultraviolet/visible (UV/VIS) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) concerning their UV/VIS absorption properties and the influence of the silica network on the organic molecules. The porosity and silica–organic interactions are discussed with reference to the infrared spectra. UV irradiation experiments were carried out to demonstrate the UV protection ability of the hybrid layers. Hybrid layers containing the hydroxyphenyltriazine compound showed the best results. - Highlights: ► Vacuum deposited organic–inorganic UV protective coatings for polycarbonate ► Thermal co-evaporation of organic UV absorbing compounds with silica ► Matrix materials and the absorber concentration influence the absorption behavior. ► The coatings on PC show improved UV stability under artificial irradiation. ► The hydroxyphenyltriazine–silica layer shows best UV protection results.

  14. Boiling of water in flow restricted areas modeled by colloidal silica deposits

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Peixinho, Jorge; Lefevre, Gregory; Coudert, Francois-Xavier; Hurisse, Olivier

    2012-09-01

    Understanding the effects of particle deposits on evaporation and boiling of water represents an important issue for EDF because it causes a severe reduction in efficiency particularly in steam generators of pressurized water reactor. These deposits are made of oxide metallic particles and the deposition process depends on multiple factors. Here we mimic deposits using a simple system made of hydrophilic silica particles. The present study reports experiments on evaporation or boiling of water confined in the pores of colloidal mono-dispersed silica micro-sphere deposits. The boiling of water confined in the pores of the colloidal crystal is studied using optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, nitrogen adsorption, water adsorption through infrared attenuated total reflectance spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry and thermal gravimetric analysis. By comparison of the results with silica deposits and alumina membranes with cylindrical pores, our study shows that the morphology of the pores contributes to the evaporation and boiling of water. The measurements suggest that particle resuspension and crust formation take place during drying at elevated temperature and are responsible for cracks formation within the deposit film. (authors)

  15. Hybrid silica nanoparticles for sequestration and luminescence detection of trivalent rare-earth ions (Dy3+ and Nd3+) in solution

    Science.gov (United States)

    Topel, Seda Demirel; Legaria, Elizabeth Polido; Tiseanu, Carmen; Rocha, João; Nedelec, Jean-Marie; Kessler, Vadim G.; Seisenbaeva, Gulaim A.

    2014-12-01

    New hybrid material-based adsorbents acting also as luminescent probes upon uptake of trivalent rare-earth (RE) ions Nd3+ and Dy3+ have been developed. SiO2 NPs functionalized by three different organic ligands, N-aminopropylen-amido-iminodiacetic acid (L1), pyridine-α,β-dicarboxylic acid bis(propylenamide) (L2), and N-propylen-iminodiacetic acid (L3), have been produced and fully characterized by 13C, 1H, and 29Si solid-state NMR, FTIR, TGA, XRD, TEM, nitrogen gas adsorption, and also by NTA and DLS in solution. The synthesized hybrid materials are well dispersible and stable in aqueous solutions according to NTA and consist of spheres with diameters less than 100 nm. Their affinities to the lanthanide ions Dy3+ and Nd3+ have been investigated in aqueous solution and characterized by SEM-EDS and complexometric titration, demonstrating that they can be successfully used as adsorbents for sequestration of trivalent RE ions. The adsorbed RE ions can efficiently be desorbed from saturated nanoadsorbents by addition of hydrochloric acid. The produced nanomaterials may also be used as luminescent probes for Dy3+ and Nd3+ ions in solution.

  16. Fragmentation and Polarization of the Public Sphere in the 2000s: Evidence from Italy and Russia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Svetlana S. Bodrunova

    2013-05-01

    Full Text Available After the Arab spring, direct linkage between growth of technological hybridization of media systems and political online-to-offline protest spill-overs seemed evident, at least in several aspects, as ‘twitter revolutions’ showed organizational potential of the mediated communication of today. But in de-facto politically transitional countries hybridization of media systems is capable of performing not just organizational but also ‘cultivational’ roles in terms of creating communicative milieus where protest consensus is formed, provoking spill-overs from expressing political opinions online to street protest.The two cases of Italy and Russia are discussed in terms of their nonfinished process of transition to democracy and the media’s role within the recent political process. In the two cases, media-political conditions have called into being major cleavages in national deliberative space that may be conceptualized like formation of nation-wide public counter-spheres based upon alternative agenda and new means of communication. The structure and features of these counter-spheres are reconstructed; to check whether regional specifics are involved into the formation of this growing social gap, quantitative analysis of regional online news media (website menus is conducted. Several indicators for spotting the formation of counter-spheres and criteria for further estimation of democratic quality of such counter-spheres are suggested.

  17. Hybrid materials of kaolinite clay with polypyrrole and polyaniline.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Burridge, Kerstin A; Johnston, James H; Borrmann, Thomas

    2009-12-01

    Composites of the alumino silicate mineral kaolinite, with the conducting polymers polypyrrole and polyaniline have been successfully synthesised. In doing so hybrid materials have been produced in which the high surface area of the mineral is retained, whilst also incorporating the desired chemical and physical properties of the polymer. Scanning electron microscopy shows polypyrrole coatings to comprise of individual polymer spheres, approximately 10 to 15 nm in diameter. The average size of the polymer spheres of polyaniline was observed to be approximately 5 nm in diameter. These spheres fuse together in a continuous sheet to coat the kaolinite platelets in their entirety. The reduction of silver ions to metallic silver nanoparticles onto the redox active surface of the polymers has also been successful, and thus imparts anti-microbial properties to the hybrid materials. This gives rise to further applications requiring the inhibition of microbial growth. The chemical and physical characterization of the hybrid materials has been undertaken through scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy, electrical conductivity, cyclic voltammetry, X-ray diffraction, infra red spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis and the testing of their anti-microbial activity.

  18. Structure factor of blends of solvent-free nanoparticle–organic hybrid materials: density-functional theory and small angle X-ray scattering

    KAUST Repository

    Yu, Hsiu-Yu

    2014-09-15

    © the Partner Organisations 2014. We investigate the static structure factor S(q) of solvent-free nanoparticle-organic hybrid materials consisting of silica nanocores and space-filling polyethylene glycol coronas using a density-functional theory and small angle X-ray scattering measurements. The theory considers a bidisperse suspension of hard spheres with different radii and tethered bead-spring oligomers with different grafting densities to approximate the polydispersity effects in experiments. The experimental systems studied include pure samples with different silica core volume fractions and the associated mean corona grafting densities, and blends with different mixing ratios of the pure samples, in order to introduce varying polydispersity of corona grafting density. Our scattering experiments and theory show that, compared to the hard-sphere suspension with the same core volume fraction, S(q) for pure samples exhibit both substantially smaller values at small q and stronger particle correlations corresponding to a larger effective hard core at large q, indicating that the tethered incompressible oligomers enforce a more uniform particle distribution, and the densely grafted brush gives rise to an additional exclusionary effect between the nanoparticles. According to the theory, polydispersity in the oligomer grafting density controls the deviation of S(q) from the monodisperse system at smaller q, and the interplay of the enhanced effective core size and the entropic attraction among the particles is responsible for complex variations in the particle correlations at larger q. The successful comparison between the predictions and the measurements for the blends further suggests that S(q) can be used to assess the uniformity of grafting density in polymer-grafted nanoparticle materials. This journal is

  19. Colloidal silica films for high-capacity DNA arrays

    Science.gov (United States)

    Glazer, Marc Irving

    The human genome project has greatly expanded the amount of genetic information available to researchers, but before this vast new source of data can be fully utilized, techniques for rapid, large-scale analysis of DNA and RNA must continue to develop. DNA arrays have emerged as a powerful new technology for analyzing genomic samples in a highly parallel format. The detection sensitivity of these arrays is dependent on the quantity and density of immobilized probe molecules. We have investigated substrates with a porous, "three-dimensional" surface layer as a means of increasing the surface area available for the synthesis of oligonucleotide probes, thereby increasing the number of available probes and the amount of detectable bound target. Porous colloidal silica films were created by two techniques. In the first approach, films were deposited by spin-coating silica colloid suspensions onto flat glass substrates, with the pores being formed by the natural voids between the solid particles (typically 23nm pores, 35% porosity). In the second approach, latex particles were co-deposited with the silica and then pyrolyzed, creating films with larger pores (36 nm), higher porosity (65%), and higher surface area. For 0.3 mum films, enhancements of eight to ten-fold and 12- to 14-fold were achieved with the pure silica films and the films "templated" with polymer latex, respectively. In gene expression assays for up to 7,000 genes using complex biological samples, the high-capacity films provided enhanced signals and performed equivalently or better than planar glass on all other functional measures, confirming that colloidal silica films are a promising platform for high-capacity DNA arrays. We have also investigated the kinetics of hybridization on planar glass and high-capacity substrates. Adsorption on planar arrays is similar to ideal Langmuir-type adsorption, although with an "overshoot" at high solution concentration. Hybridization on high-capacity films is

  20. Design, production, and characterization of artificial protein- and silica-based biomaterials

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marner, Wesley Darrell, II

    feature sizes on the order of nanometers. C. fusiformis mediates the deposition of these silica features using a family of peptides called silaffins. Silaffin peptides are generally short peptides (˜15 amino acids) rich in lysine residues, and these peptides often have post-translational modifications that include polyamine chains and phosphate groups. In vitro, the silaffin R5 has been shown to direct the deposition of silica to form spheres of uniform size. The silification and self-assembly characteristics of a silaffin-protein polymer chimera were investigated using a chemically synthesized fusion protein of the R5 silaffin and (EAK)1. The fusion protein is capable of self-assembly into fibrous hydrogels and still exhibits autosilification activity. While the silica spheres formed from R5 alone have a relatively uniform diameter (466+/-64nm), the size distribution of silica spheres formed by the chimera is bimodal (83+/-20nm and 463+/-78nm), indicating that the addition of the EAK domain is modulating the silification ability of the R5 peptide. It is also possible to modify the morphology of the matrix by changing the process conditions under which the silification occurs. Given the ability of protein polymers to self-assemble into a variety of matrix morphologies, the combination of silaffin peptides with self-assembling protein elements may provide an even greater range of available silica structures that are useful in an array of applications. Another use of the silaffin technology is in the generation of immobilized enzyme matrices. Immobilized enzyme systems often demonstrate greater stability and improved productivity over their soluble enzyme counterparts, and there is great interest in creating new routes to encapsulation of various enzymes. In these studies, the R5 silaffin was expressed as a translational fusion protein with four biomolecules (green fluorescent protein, phosphodiesterase, organophosphate hydrolase, and the cytochrome P450BM3). In each case

  1. A Comparative Study on Graphene Oxide and Carbon Nanotube Reinforcement of PMMA-Siloxane-Silica Anticorrosive Coatings.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Harb, Samarah V; Pulcinelli, Sandra H; Santilli, Celso V; Knowles, Kevin M; Hammer, Peter

    2016-06-29

    Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and graphene oxide (GO) have been used to reinforce PMMA-siloxane-silica nanocomposites considered to be promising candidates for environmentally compliant anticorrosive coatings. The organic-inorganic hybrids were prepared by benzoyl peroxide (BPO)-induced polymerization of methyl methacrylate (MMA) covalently bonded through 3-(trimethoxysilyl)propyl methacrylate (MPTS) to silica domains formed by hydrolytic condensation of tetraethoxysilane (TEOS). Single-walled carbon nanotubes and graphene oxide nanosheets were dispersed by surfactant addition and in a water/ethanol solution, respectively. These were added to PMMA-siloxane-silica hybrids at a carbon (CNT or GO) to silicon (TEOS and MPTS) molar ratio of 0.05% in two different matrices, both prepared at BPO/MMA molar ratios of 0.01 and 0.05. Atomic force microscopy and scanning electron microscopy showed very smooth, homogeneous, and defect-free surfaces of approximately 3-7 μm thick coatings deposited onto A1020 carbon steel by dip coating. Mechanical testing and thermogravimetric analysis confirmed that both additives CNT and GO improved the scratch resistance, adhesion, wear resistance, and thermal stability of PMMA-siloxane-silica coatings. Results of electrochemical impedance spectroscopy in 3.5% NaCl solution, discussed in terms of equivalent circuits, showed that the reinforced hybrid coatings act as a very efficient anticorrosive barrier with an impedance modulus up to 1 GΩ cm(2), approximately 5 orders of magnitude higher than that of bare carbon steel. In the case of GO addition, the high corrosion resistance was maintained for more than 6 months in saline medium. These results suggest that both carbon nanostructures can be used as structural reinforcement agents, improving the thermal and mechanical resistance of high performance anticorrosive PMMA-siloxane-silica coatings and thus extending their application range to abrasive environments.

  2. Improving colloidal properties of quantum dots with combined silica and polymer coatings for in vitro immuofluorenscence assay

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zhang Bingbo [Tongji University, Institute for Advanced Materials and Nano Biomedicine (China); Xing Da [South China Normal University, MOE Key Laboratory of Laser Life Science (China); Lin Chao; Guo Fangfang; Zhao Peng [Tongji University, Institute for Advanced Materials and Nano Biomedicine (China); Wen Xuejun [Clemson University, Clemson-MUSC Bioengineering Program, Department of Bioengineering (United States); Bao Zhihao, E-mail: zbao@tongji.edu.cn; Shi Donglu [Tongji University, Institute for Advanced Materials and Nano Biomedicine (China)

    2011-06-15

    Semiconductor quantum dots (QDs) are promising fluorescence probes for immuofluorescence assay in the biological applications. However, water solubilization and non-specific binding are two critical issues to be addressed for the practical uses. Here, we reported a new type of QDs with combined silica and polymer coating. QDs with excellent colloidal properties were prepared via carboxylation of the amino groups on the surface of silica-coated QDs by reacting with multi-carboxyl poly (acrylic acid) (PAA). Hydrodynamic size of PAA-functionalized silica-coated QDs was around 40 nm. They were highly fluorescent (about 47.8% quantum yield). No precipitate of QDs was observed after 3 month storage at 4 Degree-Sign C. When cancer cells (HeLa) were used, the functionalized QDs exhibited little or no non-specific cellular binding. The results from in vitro experiments indicated that PAA-functionalized silica-coated QDs-antibody bioconjugates had excellent antigen-capture ability and exhibited little or no non-specific binding to polystyrene spheres which were used to immobilize the antigen for immuoflurescence assay. The PAA-functionalized silica-coated QDs with improved colloidal properties could serve as excellent alternative fluorescent probes for biodetection.

  3. A novel hybrid catalyst for the esterification of high FFA in Jatropha oil for biodiesel production

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mushtaq, M.; Tan, I.M.; Sagir, M.; Suleman Tahir, M.; Pervaiz, M.

    2016-01-01

    The synthesis and application of a hybrid catalyst for the esterification of free fatty acids (FFA) in Jatropha oil is reported. Three catalysts, namely silica sulfuric acid, silica supported boron trifluoride and a combination of the two in the weight ratio of 1:1, the hybrid catalyst, were investigated. Jatropha oil samples with a wide range of FFA values i.e. 6.64 to 45.64% were prepared and utilized for the experimental work. This study revealed that silica sulfuric acid and silica supported boron trifluoride were not very effective when used independently. However, a strong synergistic effect was noted in the catalytic activity of the hybrid catalyst which reduced the FFA value from 45.64 to 0.903% with a conversion efficiency of 98%. Reusability of the catalyst was also tested and the results were promising in up to three cycles of use when used with lower amounts of FFA (6.64%) in the oil. Under the influence of the catalyst, the reaction was found to follow first order kinetics. Activation energy was calculated to be 45.42 KJ·mol−1 for 2 wt.% of hybrid catalyst. The products were analyzed by FT-IR and NMR spectroscopic techniques and the results are reported. [es

  4. Synthesis, formation mechanism and sensing properties of WO3 hydrate nanowire netted-spheres

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yan, Aihua; Xie, Changsheng; Zeng, Dawen; Cai, Shuizhou; Hu, Mulin

    2010-01-01

    Tungsten oxide hydrate nanowire netted-spheres were successfully synthesized in the glycol solution using a facile solvothermal approach. The nanowires with uniform diameter of 4-6 nm are actually a kind of tungsten oxide hydrate/surfactant hybrid materials. The influence of surfactant, solvent, time and temperature on tailoring morphology was investigated in detail. The possible formation process of WO 3 hydrate nanowire netted-sphere was proposed. Sensing properties of such WO 3 hydrate sensor show that the desirable sensing characteristics towards 100 ppm ammonia gas at 320 o C were obtained, such as rapid response (18.3 s), high sensitivity, good reproducibility and stability.

  5. Preparation of Biopolymeric Nanofiber Containing Silica and Antibiotic

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A. Bagheri Pebdeni

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available The biocompatible and biodegradable polymer nanofiber with high potential for anti-bacterial coating are used for: multi-functional membranes, tissue engineering, wound dressings, drug delivery, artificial organs, vascular grafts and etc. Electrospinning nanofiber made of scaffolding due to characteristics such as high surface to volume ratio, high porosity and very fine pores are used for a wide range of applications. In this study, polymer composite nanofiber Silica/chitosan/poly (ethylene oxide /cefepime antibiotic synthesis and antibacterial properties will be discussed. The optimum conditions for preparation of electrospun nanofiber were: voltage; 21 kV, feed rate; 0.5 mL/h, nozzle-collector distance; 10 cm, and chitosan/poly(ethylene oxide weight ratio 90:10 and the volume ratio of chitosan/silica is 70:30.  The antibacterial activity of composite scaffolds were tested by agar plate method by two type bacteria including Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. With the addition of the silica to chitosan, the hybrid was more biodegradable and improves the mechanical properties of biopolymer.

  6. Design of Magnetic Gelatine/Silica Nanocomposites by Nanoemulsification: Encapsulation versus in Situ Growth of Iron Oxide Colloids

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Joachim Allouche

    2014-07-01

    Full Text Available The design of magnetic nanoparticles by incorporation of iron oxide colloids within gelatine/silica hybrid nanoparticles has been performed for the first time through a nanoemulsion route using the encapsulation of pre-formed magnetite nanocrystals and the in situ precipitation of ferrous/ferric ions. The first method leads to bi-continuous hybrid nanocomposites containing a limited amount of well-dispersed magnetite colloids. In contrast, the second approach allows the formation of gelatine-silica core-shell nanostructures incorporating larger amounts of agglomerated iron oxide colloids. Both magnetic nanocomposites exhibit similar superparamagnetic behaviors. Whereas nanocomposites obtained via an in situ approach show a strong tendency to aggregate in solution, the encapsulation route allows further surface modification of the magnetic nanocomposites, leading to quaternary gold/iron oxide/silica/gelatine nanoparticles. Hence, such a first-time rational combination of nano-emulsion, nanocrystallization and sol-gel chemistry allows the elaboration of multi-component functional nanomaterials. This constitutes a step forward in the design of more complex bio-nanoplatforms.

  7. Preparation of silica-sustained electrospun polyvinylpyrrolidone fibers with uniform mesopores via oxidative removal of template molecules by H2O2 treatment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kang, Haigang; Zhu, Yihua; Shen, Jianhua; Yang, Xiaoling; Chen, Cheng; Cao, Huimin; Li, Chungzhong

    2010-01-01

    Silica-sustained electrospun PVP fibers with uniform mesopores were synthesized via facile oxidative removal of template molecules by H 2 O 2 extraction. Tetraethyl orthosilicate, polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP), and triblock poly(ethylene oxide)-b-poly(propylene oxide)-b-poly(ethylene oxide) copolymer pluronic P 123 compose the electrospinning sol to fabricate the silica-sustained PVP hybrid fibers. The effect of different post-treatment methods on the pore size distribution was investigated by calcination and extraction, respectively. Experimental results showed that oxidative removal of structure-directing agent P 123 in the hybrid fibers by H 2 O 2 treatment can easily form narrow pore size distribution, and the incorporation of 3D silica skeleton built by hot steam aging facilitated preserving the original cylindrical morphology of fibers. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), N 2 adsorption-desorption isotherm, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), FT-IR spectra and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) were used to characterize the hybrid fibers. The hybrid fibers can be expected to have potential applications in drug release or tissue engineering because of their suitable pore size, large surface area and good biocompatibility.

  8. Hybrid life cycle assessment comparison of colloidal silica and cement grouted soil barrier remediation technologies

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gallagher, Patricia M., E-mail: pmg24@drexel.edu [Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering, Drexel University, 3141 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19038 (United States); Spatari, Sabrina; Cucura, Jeffrey [Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering, Drexel University, 3141 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19038 (United States)

    2013-04-15

    Highlights: ► We use LCA to study environmental impacts of grouting techniques for site remediation. ► We consider colloidal silica permeation grouting and cement jet grouting. ► Manufacturing and transportation contribute significantly in all impact categories. ► Activity outside of direct site activity is important in assessing impacts. ► LCA can be used to consider sustainability criteria for remediation decisions. -- Abstract: Site remediation involves balancing numerous costs and benefits but often neglects the environmental impacts over the entire project life cycle. Life cycle assessment (LCA) offers a framework for inclusion of global environmental “systems-level” decision metrics in combination with technological and cost analysis. We compare colloidal silica (CS) and cement grouted soil barrier remediation technologies for soils affected by low level radionuclides at a U.S. Superfund site using hybrid LCA methods. CS is a new, high performance grouting material installed using permeation grouting techniques. Cement, a more traditional grouting material, is typically installed using jet grouting techniques. Life cycle impacts were evaluated using the US EPA TRACI 2 model. Results show the highest life cycle environmental impacts for the CS barrier occur during materials production and transportation to the site. In general, the life cycle impacts for the cement barrier were dominated by materials production; however, in the extreme scenario the life cycle impacts were dominated by truck transportation of spoils to a distant, off-site radioactive waste facility. It is only in the extreme scenario tested in which soils are transported by truck (Option 2) that spoils waste transport dominates LCIA results. Life cycle environmental impacts for both grout barriers were most sensitive to resource input requirements for manufacturing volumes and transportation. Uncertainty associated with the efficacy of new technology such as CS over its required

  9. Hybrid life cycle assessment comparison of colloidal silica and cement grouted soil barrier remediation technologies

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gallagher, Patricia M.; Spatari, Sabrina; Cucura, Jeffrey

    2013-01-01

    Highlights: ► We use LCA to study environmental impacts of grouting techniques for site remediation. ► We consider colloidal silica permeation grouting and cement jet grouting. ► Manufacturing and transportation contribute significantly in all impact categories. ► Activity outside of direct site activity is important in assessing impacts. ► LCA can be used to consider sustainability criteria for remediation decisions. -- Abstract: Site remediation involves balancing numerous costs and benefits but often neglects the environmental impacts over the entire project life cycle. Life cycle assessment (LCA) offers a framework for inclusion of global environmental “systems-level” decision metrics in combination with technological and cost analysis. We compare colloidal silica (CS) and cement grouted soil barrier remediation technologies for soils affected by low level radionuclides at a U.S. Superfund site using hybrid LCA methods. CS is a new, high performance grouting material installed using permeation grouting techniques. Cement, a more traditional grouting material, is typically installed using jet grouting techniques. Life cycle impacts were evaluated using the US EPA TRACI 2 model. Results show the highest life cycle environmental impacts for the CS barrier occur during materials production and transportation to the site. In general, the life cycle impacts for the cement barrier were dominated by materials production; however, in the extreme scenario the life cycle impacts were dominated by truck transportation of spoils to a distant, off-site radioactive waste facility. It is only in the extreme scenario tested in which soils are transported by truck (Option 2) that spoils waste transport dominates LCIA results. Life cycle environmental impacts for both grout barriers were most sensitive to resource input requirements for manufacturing volumes and transportation. Uncertainty associated with the efficacy of new technology such as CS over its required

  10. Fumed silica. Fumed silica

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sukawa, T.; Shirono, H. (Nippon Aerosil Co. Ltd., Tokyo (Japan))

    1991-10-18

    The fumed silica is explained in particulate superfineness, high purity, high dispersiveness and other remarkable characteristics, and wide application. The fumed silica, being presently produced, is 7 to 40nm in average primary particulate diameter and 50 to 380m{sup 2}/g in specific surface area. On the surface, there coexist hydrophilic silanol group (Si-OH) and hydrophobic siloxane group (Si-O-Si). There are many characteristics, mutually different between the fumed silica, made hydrophobic by the surface treatment, and untreated hydrophilic silica. The treated silica, if added to the liquid product, serves as agent to heighten the viscosity, prevent the sedimentation and disperse the particles. The highest effect is given to heighten the viscosity in a region of 4 to 9 in pH in water and alcohol. As filling agent to strengthen the elastomer and polymer, and powder product, it gives an effect to prevent the consolidation and improve the fluidity. As for its other applications, utilization is made of particulate superfineness, high purity, thermal insulation properties and adsorption characteristics. 2 to 3 patents are published for it as raw material of quartz glass. 38 refs., 16 figs., 4 tabs.

  11. Preparation and characterization of monodisperse large-porous silica microspheres as the matrix for protein separation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xia, Hongjun; Wan, Guangping; Zhao, Junlong; Liu, Jiawei; Bai, Quan

    2016-11-04

    High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) is a kind of efficient separation technology and has been used widely in many fields. Micro-sized porous silica microspheres as the most popular matrix have been used for fast separation and analysis in HPLC. In this paper, the monodisperse large-porous silica microspheres with controllable size and structure were successfully synthesized with polymer microspheres as the templates and characterized. First, the poly(glycidyl methacrylate-co-ethyleneglycol dimethacrylate) microspheres (P GMA-EDMA ) were functionalized with tetraethylenepentamine (TEPA) to generate amino groups which act as a catalyst in hydrolysis of tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) to form Si-containing low molecular weight species. Then the low molecular weight species diffused into the functionalized P GMA-EDMA microspheres by induction force of the amino groups to form polymer/silica hybrid microspheres. Finally, the organic polymer templates were removed by calcination, and the large-porous silica microspheres were obtained. The compositions, morphology, size distribution, specific surface area and pore size distribution of the porous silica microspheres were characterized by infrared analyzer, scanning-electron microscopy, dynamic laser scattering, the mercury intrusion method and thermal gravimetric analysis, respectively. The results show that the agglomeration of the hybrid microspheres can be overcome when the templates were functionalized with TEPA as amination reagent, and the yield of 95.7% of the monodisperse large-porous silica microspheres can be achieved with high concentration of polymer templates. The resulting large-porous silica microspheres were modified with octadecyltrichlorosilane (ODS) and the chromatographic evaluation was performed by separating the proteins and the digest of BSA. The baseline separation of seven kinds of protein standards was achieved, and the column delivered a better performance when separating BSA digests

  12. Simultaneous chemical modification and structural transformation of Stöber silica spheres for integration of nanocatalysts

    KAUST Repository

    Yao, Kexin; Zeng, Huachun

    2012-01-01

    ) hollow spheres, on which zinc oxide (ZnO) phase and ruthenium (Ru) nanoparticles have been deposited and assembled sequentially in solution phase. A series of complex Ru/ZnO/Zn-SiO 2 nanocatalysts has been thus been integrated onto the zinc-doped SiO 2

  13. Falling-sphere radioactive viscometry

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Souza, R. de.

    1987-01-01

    In this work the falling sphere viscometric method was studies experimentally using a sphere tagged with 198 Au radiosotopo, the objective being the demosntration of the advantages of this technique in relation to the traditional method. The utilisation of the falling radioactive sphere permits the point-point monitoring of sphere position as a function of count rate. The fall tube wall and end effects were determined by this technique. Tests were performed with spheres of different diameters in four tubes. The application of this technique demosntrated the wall and end effects in sphere speed. The case of sphere fall in the steady slow regime allowed the determination of the terminal velocity, showing the increase of botton end effect as the sphere approaches the tube base. In the case the transient slow regime, the sphere was initially in a state of respose near the top surface. The data obtained show the influence of the free surface and wall on the sphere acceleration. These experimental data were applied to the Basset equation on order to verify the behaviour of the terms in this equation. (author) [pt

  14. Amine-oxide hybrid materials for acid gas separations

    KAUST Repository

    Bollini, Praveen; Didas, Stephanie A.; Jones, Christopher W.

    2011-01-01

    Organic-inorganic hybrid materials based on porous silica materials functionalized with amine-containing organic species are emerging as an important class of materials for the adsorptive separation of acid gases from dilute gas streams

  15. Modification of mesoporous silica SBA-15 with different organic molecules to gain chemical sensors: a review

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Negar Lashgari

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available The recognition of the biologically and environmentally important ions is of great interest in the field of chemical sensors in recent years. The fluorescent sensors as a powerful optical analytical technique for the detection of low level of various analytes such as anions and metal cations have been progressively developed due to the simplicity, cost effective, and selectivity for monitoring specific analytes in various systems. Organic-inorganic hybrid nanomaterials have important advantages as solid chemosensors and various innovative hybrid materials modified by fluorescence molecules were recently prepared. On the other hand, the homogeneous porosity and large surface area of mesoporous silica make it a promising inorganic support. SBA-15 as a two-dimensional hexagonal mesoporous silica material with stable structure, thick walls, tunable pore size, and high specific surface area is a valuable substrate for modification with different organic chelating groups. This review highlights the fluorescent chemosensors for ionic species based on modification of the mesoporous silica SBA-15 with different organic molecules, which have been recently developed from our laboratory.

  16. VMware vSphere PowerCLI Reference Automating vSphere Administration

    CERN Document Server

    Dekens, Luc; Sizemore, Glenn; van Lieshout, Arnim; Medd, Jonathan

    2011-01-01

    Your One-Stop Reference for VMware vSphere Automation If you manage vSphere in a Windows environment, automating routine tasks can save you time and increase efficiency. VMware vSphere PowerCLI is a set of pre-built commands based on Windows PowerShell that is designed to help you automate vSphere processes involving virtual machines, datacenters, storage, networks, and more. This detailed guide-using a practical, task-based approach and real-world examples-shows you how to get the most out of PowerCLI's handy cmdlets. Learn how to: Automate vCenter Server and ESX/ESX(i) Server deployment and

  17. Synthesis of mesoporous silica microsphere from dual surfactant

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Venkatathri Narayanan

    2008-12-01

    Full Text Available A new procedure is reported to synthesis mesoporous silica micro sphere for the first time. In these method two surfactants namely Span 80 and Tween 80 were used. Small angle X ray diffraction and N2 adsorption analysis shows the synthesized material has mesoporous property. The material has spherical morphology with 1-10 µm particle size. Beside the material found to have microcapsule property as observed from the Transmission electron microscopy. The Fourier transform Infrared spectroscopic analysis reveals that the materials are similar to other mesoporous materials. We also encapsulated an UV-absorber Ibuprofen inside the microcapsule, by mixing it before the synthesis. This shows a possibility of the materials in cosmetic applications.

  18. Determination of phenolic compounds in air by using cyclodextrin-silica hybrid microporous composite samplers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mauri-Aucejo, Adela R; Ponce-Català, Patricia; Belenguer-Sapiña, Carolina; Amorós, Pedro

    2015-03-01

    An analytical method for the determination of phenolic compounds in air samples based on the use of cyclodextrin-silica hybrid microporous composite samplers is proposed. The method allows the determination of phenol, guaiacol, cresol isomers, eugenol, 4-ethylphenol and 4-ethylguaiacol in workplaces according to the Norm UNE-EN 1076:2009 for active sampling. Therefore, the proposed method offers an alternative for the assessment of the occupational exposure to phenol and cresol isomers. The detection limits of the proposed method are lower than those for the NIOSH Method 2546. Storage time of samples almost reaches 44 days. Recovery values for phenol, guaiacol, o-cresol, m-cresol, p-cresol, 4-ethylguaiacol, eugenol and 4-ethylphenol are 109%, 99%, 102%, 94%, 94%, 91%, 95% and 102%, respectively with a coefficient of variation below 6%. The method has been applied to the assessment of exposure in different areas of a farm and regarding the quantification of these compounds in the vapors generated by burning incense sticks and an essential oil marketed as air fresheners. The acquired results are comparable with those provided from a reference method for a 95% of confidence level. The possible use of these samplers for the sampling of other toxic compounds such as phthalates is evaluated by qualitative analysis of extracts from incense sticks and essential oil samples. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  19. A nanosized Ag-silica hybrid complex prepared by γ-irradiation activates the defense response in Arabidopsis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chu, Hyosub; Kim, Hwa-Jung; Su Kim, Joong; Kim, Min-Soo; Yoon, Byung-Dae; Park, Hae-Jun; Kim, Cha Young

    2012-02-01

    Silver nanoparticles have antimicrobial activity against many pathogenic microbes. Here, the preparation of a nanosized Ag-silica hybrid complex (NSS) prepared by γ-irradiation is described. The effects of both NSS and reduced Ag nanoparticles (Ag 0) on the growth of the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana were tested. The application of 1-10 ppm NSS complex improved Arabidopsis growth in soil, whereas 100 ppm NSS resulted in weakly curled leaves. In addition, supplementation of Murashige and Skoog (MS) growth medium with 1 ppm NSS promoted the root growth of Arabidopsis seedlings, but root growth was inhibited by supplementation with 10 ppm NSS. To investigate whether the NSS complex could induce plant defense responses, the expression of pathogenesis-related ( PR) genes that are implicated in systemic acquired resistance (SAR) in Arabidopsis plants was examined. PR1, PR2 and PR5 were significantly up-regulated by each application of 10 ppm NSS complex or Ag 0 to the rosette leaves. Furthermore, pretreatment with the NSS complex induced more pathogen resistance to the virulent pathogen Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato DC3000 ( Pst) compared to water treatment in Arabidopsis plants.

  20. Development of novel hybrid materials based on poly(2-aminophenyl disulfide)/silica gel: Preparation, characterization and electrochemical studies

    Science.gov (United States)

    Benyakhou, S.; Belmokhtar, A.; Zehhaf, A.; Benyoucef, A.

    2017-12-01

    Hydrochloric acid functionalized silica gel (SiO2) has been successfully used for the grafting of poly(2-Aminophenyl disulfide) (poly(2APhS)) moieties through in-situ polymerization in the presence of ammonium peroxodisulfate (APS) as oxidant. The organic-inorganic hybrid (poly(2APhS)/SiO2 with different amounts of SiO2: 0.5 g, 1.5 g and 2 g) were thoroughly characterized through powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and ultraviolet spectroscopy (UV) measurements. The results confirm the successful formation of the poly(2APhS)/SiO2 composite. The surface morphology of the samples was characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The obtained images show the formation of poly(2APhS) on surface of silica gel. Although the incorporation of SiO2 nanoparticles reduces the electric conductivity of the poly(2APhS), the resulting samples still keep high conductivities, ranging between 8.2 × 10-4 to 1.1 × 10-6 S cm-1. The electrochemical properties of the composite were characterized by the cyclic voltammetry. The comparison between the different samples shows that the electrochemical activity is significantly depending on the amount of added SiO2. There is a clear and good electroactivity for poly(2APhS)/SiO2 with amounts of SiO2: 0.5 g and 1.5 g, respectively, compared to that observed in materials nanocomposite with amounts of SiO2: 2.0 g. However, that effect may be explained by a decrease of polymer in surface area with increase amount of SiO2 nanoparticle.

  1. Hybrid molecularly imprinted poly(methacrylic acid-TRIM)-silica chemically modified with (3-glycidyloxypropyl)trimethoxysilane for the extraction of folic acid in aqueous medium

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Midori de Oliveira, Fernanda; Gava Segatelli, Mariana [Departamento de Química, Universidade Estadual de Londrina, Rod. Celso Garcia Cid, PR 445 Km 380, Campus Universitário, Londrina, PR CEP 86051-990 (Brazil); Tarley, César Ricardo Teixeira, E-mail: ctarleyquim@yahoo.com.br [Departamento de Química, Universidade Estadual de Londrina, Rod. Celso Garcia Cid, PR 445 Km 380, Campus Universitário, Londrina, PR CEP 86051-990 (Brazil); Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia (INCT) de Bioanalítica, Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP), Instituto de Química, Departamento de Química Analítica, Cidade Universitária Zeferino Vaz s/n, CEP 13083-970 Campinas, SP (Brazil)

    2016-02-01

    In the present study a hybrid molecularly imprinted poly(methacrylic acid-trimethylolpropane trimethacrylate)-silica (MIP) was synthesized and modified with (3-glycidyloxypropyl)trimethoxysilane (GPTMS) with posterior opening of epoxy ring to provide hydrophilic properties of material in the extraction of folic acid from aqueous medium. The chemical and structural aggregates of hybrid material were characterized by means of Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and textural data. Selectivity data of MIP were compared to non-imprinted polymer (NIP) through competitive sorption studies in the presence of caffeine, paracetamol or 4-aminobenzamide yielding relative selectivity coefficients (k′) higher than one unit, thus confirming the selective character of MIP even in the presence of structurally smaller compounds than the folic acid. The lower hydrophobic sorption by bovine serum albumin (BSA) in the MIP as compared to unmodified MIP proves the hydrophilicity of polymer surface by using GPTMS with opening ring. Under acid medium (pH 1.5) the sorption of folic acid onto MIP from batch experiments was higher than the one achieved for NIP. Equilibrium sorption of folic acid was reached at 120 min for MIP, NIP and MIP without GPTMS and kinetic sorption data were well described by pseudo-second-order, Elovich and intraparticle diffusion models. Thus, these results indicate the existence of different binding energy sites in the polymers and a complex mechanism consisting of both surface sorption and intraparticle transport of folic acid within the pores of polymers. - Highlights: • The molecularly imprinted hybrid polymer showed high adsorption capacity for folic acid. • The molecularly imprinted hybrid polymer showed high selectivity for folic acid. • The molecularly imprinted hybrid polymer modified with GPTMS excludes higher amount of BSA.

  2. Cerasomes and Bicelles: Hybrid Bilayered Nanostructures with Silica-like Surface in Cancer Theranostics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hameed, Sadaf; Bhattarai, Pravin; Dai, Zhifei

    2018-04-01

    Over years, theranostic nanoplatforms have provided a new avenue for the diagnosis and treatment of various cancer types. To this end, a myriad of nanocarriers such as polymeric micelles, liposomes, and inorganic nanoparticles (NPs) with distinct physiochemical and biological properties are routinely investigated for preclinical and clinical studies. So far, liposomes have received great attention for various biomedical applications, however, it still suffers from insufficient morphological stability. On the other hand, inorganic NPs depicting excellent therapeutic ability have failed to address biocompatibility issues. This has raised a serious concern about the clinical approval of multifunctional organic or inorganic-based theranostic agents. Recently, partially silica coated nanohybrids such as cerasomes and bicelles demonstrating both diagnostic and therapeutic ability in a single system, have drawn profound attention as a fascinating novel drug delivery system. Compared with traditional liposomal or inorganic-based nanoformulations, this new and highly stable nanocarriers integrates the functional attributes of biomimetic liposomes and silica NPs, therefore, synergize strengths and functions, or even surpass weaknesses of individual components. This review at its best enlightens the emerging concept of such partially silica coated nanohybrids, fabrication strategies, and theranostic opportunities to combat cancer and related diseases.

  3. Formation of Silica-Lysozyme Composites Through Co-Precipitation and Adsorption

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Daniela B. van den Heuvel

    2018-04-01

    Full Text Available Interactions between silica and proteins are crucial for the formation of biosilica and the production of novel functional hybrid materials for a range of industrial applications. The proteins control both precipitation pathway and the properties of the resulting silica–organic composites. Here, we present data on the formation of silica–lysozyme composites through two different synthesis approaches (co-precipitation vs. adsorption and show that the chemical and structural properties of these composites, when analyzed using a combination of synchrotron-based scattering (total scattering and small-angle X-ray scattering, spectroscopic, electron microscopy, and potentiometric methods vary dramatically. We document that while lysozyme was not incorporated into nor did its presence alter the molecular structure of silica, it strongly enhanced the aggregation of silica particles due to electrostatic and potentially hydrophobic interactions, leading to the formation of composites with characteristics differing from pure silica. The differences increased with increasing lysozyme content for both synthesis approaches. Yet, the absolute changes differ substantially between the two sets of composites, as lysozyme did not just affect aggregation during co-precipitation but also particle growth and likely polymerization during co-precipitation. Our results improve the fundamental understanding of how organic macromolecules interact with dissolved and nanoparticulate silica and how these interactions control the formation pathway of silica–organic composites from sodium silicate solutions, a widely available and cheap starting material.

  4. Mannose-functionalized porous silica-coated magnetic nanoparticles for two-photon imaging or PDT of cancer cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Perrier, Marine; Gary-Bobo, Magali; Lartigue, Lenaïc; Brevet, David; Morère, Alain; Garcia, Marcel; Maillard, Philippe; Raehm, Laurence; Guari, Yannick; Larionova, Joulia; Durand, Jean-Olivier; Mongin, Olivier; Blanchard-Desce, Mireille

    2013-01-01

    An original fluorophore engineered for two-photon excitation or a porphyrin derivative were entrapped in the silica shell of magnetic porous silica nanoparticles during the synthesis of the silica moiety without damaging the structure of the organic part. The mild conditions involved allowed obtaining microporous or mesoporous silica magnetic nanoparticles, respectively. Mannose was grafted on the surface of the nanoparticles to target MCF-7 breast cancer cells. The studies of magnetic properties of these hybrid nanoparticles show that they present a blocking temperature at 190 K. The nano-objects designed with the two-photon fluorophore were efficient for two-photon imaging of MCF-7 cancer cells, whereas the nano-objects with the photosensitizer efficiently killed cancer cells. The presence of the mannose moiety was demonstrated to improve both imaging and therapy properties.

  5. Mannose-functionalized porous silica-coated magnetic nanoparticles for two-photon imaging or PDT of cancer cells

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Perrier, Marine [UMR 5253 CNRS-UM2-ENSCM-UM1, Institut Charles Gerhardt Montpellier (France); Gary-Bobo, Magali [Faculte de Pharmacie, Universite Montpellier 1, Universite Montpellier 2, Institut des Biomolecules Max Mousseron UMR 5247 CNRS (France); Lartigue, Lenaiec; Brevet, David [UMR 5253 CNRS-UM2-ENSCM-UM1, Institut Charles Gerhardt Montpellier (France); Morere, Alain; Garcia, Marcel [Faculte de Pharmacie, Universite Montpellier 1, Universite Montpellier 2, Institut des Biomolecules Max Mousseron UMR 5247 CNRS (France); Maillard, Philippe [Universite Paris-Sud, UMR 176 CNRS, Institut Curie (France); Raehm, Laurence; Guari, Yannick, E-mail: yannick.guari@um2.fr; Larionova, Joulia; Durand, Jean-Olivier, E-mail: durand@univ-montp2.fr [UMR 5253 CNRS-UM2-ENSCM-UM1, Institut Charles Gerhardt Montpellier (France); Mongin, Olivier [Universite de Rennes 1, Institut des Sciences Chimiques de Rennes, CNRS UMR 6226 (France); Blanchard-Desce, Mireille [Universite Bordeaux, Institut des Sciences Moleculaires, UMR CNRS 5255 (France)

    2013-05-15

    An original fluorophore engineered for two-photon excitation or a porphyrin derivative were entrapped in the silica shell of magnetic porous silica nanoparticles during the synthesis of the silica moiety without damaging the structure of the organic part. The mild conditions involved allowed obtaining microporous or mesoporous silica magnetic nanoparticles, respectively. Mannose was grafted on the surface of the nanoparticles to target MCF-7 breast cancer cells. The studies of magnetic properties of these hybrid nanoparticles show that they present a blocking temperature at 190 K. The nano-objects designed with the two-photon fluorophore were efficient for two-photon imaging of MCF-7 cancer cells, whereas the nano-objects with the photosensitizer efficiently killed cancer cells. The presence of the mannose moiety was demonstrated to improve both imaging and therapy properties.

  6. The adhesion of SiNx thin layers on silica-acrylate coated polymer substrates

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Abdallah, Amir; Lu, K.; Ovchinnikov, C.D.; Bulle-Lieuwma, C.W.T.; Bouten, P.C.P.; With, de G.

    2009-01-01

    Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition (PECVD) was used to grow 200, 300 and 400 nm thick silicon nitride layers (SiN x ) on a high temperature aromatic polyester substrate spin coated with a silica-acrylate hybrid coating (hard coat). Layers deposited without oxygen plasma treatment remained

  7. Nuclear reactor using fuel sphere for combustion and fuel spheres for breeding

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yamashita, Kiyonobu.

    1995-01-01

    The present invention concerns a pebble bed-type reactor which can efficiently convert parent nuclides to fission nuclides. Fuel spheres for combustion having fission nuclides as main fuels, and fuel spheres for breeding having parent nuclides as main fuels are used separately, in the pebble bed-type reactor. According to the present invention, fuel spheres for breeding can be stayed in a reactor core for a long period of time, so that parent nuclides can be sufficiently converted into fission nuclides. In addition, since fuel spheres for breeding are loaded repeatedly, the amount thereof to be used is reduced. Therefore, the amount of the fuel spheres for breeding is small even when they are re-processed. On the other hand, since the content of the fission nuclides in the fuel spheres for breeding is not great, they can be put to final storage. This is attributable that although the fuel spheres for breeding contain fission nuclides generated by conversion, the fission nuclides are annihilated by nuclear fission reactions at the same time with the generation thereof. (I.S.)

  8. Microporous silica prepared by organic templating: relationship between the molecular template and pore structure

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Brinker, C. Jeffrey; Cao, Guozhong; Kale, Rahul P.; Lopez, Gabriel P.; Lu, Yunfeng; Prabakar, S.

    1999-01-01

    Microporous silica materials with a controlled pore size and a narrow pore size distribution have been prepared by sol-gel processing using an organic-templating approach. Microporous networks were formed by pyrolytic removal of organic ligands (methacryloxypropyl groups) from organic/inorganic hybrid materials synthesized by copolymerization of 3-methacryloxypropylsilane (MPS) and tetraethoxysilane (TEOS). Molecular simulations and experimental measurements were conducted to examine the relationship between the microstructural characteristics of the porous silica (e.g., pore size, total pore volume, and pore connectivity) and the size and amount of organic template ligands added. Adsorption measurements suggest that the final porosity of the microporous silica is due to both primary pores (those present in the hybrid materials prior to pyrolysis) and secondary pores (those created by pyrolytic removal of organic templates). Primary pores were inaccessible to N(sub 2) at 77 K but accessible to CO(sub 2) at 195 K; secondary pores were accessible to both N(sub 2) (at 77 K) and CO(sub 2) (at 195 K) in adsorption measurements. Primary porosity decreases with the amount of organic ligands added because of the enhanced densification of MPS/TEOS hybrid materials as the mole fraction of trifunctional MPS moieties increases. pore volumes measured by nitrogen adsorption experiments at 77 K suggest that the secondary (template-derived) porosity exhibits a percolation behavior as the template concentration is increased. Gas permeation experiments indicate that the secondary pores are approximately 5(angstrom) in diameter, consistent with predictions based on molecular simulations

  9. Graphs with Eulerian unit spheres

    OpenAIRE

    Knill, Oliver

    2015-01-01

    d-spheres in graph theory are inductively defined as graphs for which all unit spheres S(x) are (d-1)-spheres and that the removal of one vertex renders the graph contractible. Eulerian d-spheres are geometric d-spheres which are d+1 colorable. We prove here that G is an Eulerian sphere if and only if the degrees of all the (d-2)-dimensional sub-simplices in G are even. This generalizes a Kempe-Heawood result for d=2 and is work related to the conjecture that all d-spheres have chromatic numb...

  10. Preparation and unique electrical behaviors of monodispersed hybrid nanorattles of metal nanocores with hairy electroactive polymer shells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cai, Tao; Zhang, Bin; Chen, Yu; Wang, Cheng; Zhu, Chun Xiang; Neoh, Koon-Gee; Kang, En-Tang

    2014-03-03

    A versatile template-assisted strategy for the preparation of monodispersed rattle-type hybrid nanospheres, encapsulating a movable Au nanocore in the hollow cavity of a hairy electroactive polymer shell (Au@air@PTEMA-g-P3HT hybrid nanorattles; PTEMA: poly(2-(thiophen-3-yl)ethyl methacrylate; P3HT: poly(3-hexylthiophene), was reported. The Au@silica core-shell nanoparticles, prepared by the modified Stöber sol-gel process on Au nanoparticle seeds, were used as templates for the synthesis of Au@silica@PTEMA core-double shell nanospheres. Subsequent oxidative graft polymerization of 3-hexylthiophene from the exterior surface of the Au@silica@PTEMA core-double shell nanospheres allowed the tailoring of surface functionality with electroactive P3HT brushes (Au@silica@PTEMA-g-P3HT nanospheres). The Au@air@ PTEMA-g-P3HT hybrid nanorattles were obtained after etching of the silica interlayer by HF. The as-prepared nanorattles were dispersed into an electrically insulating polystyrene matrix and for the first time used to fabricate nonvolatile memory devices. As a result, unique electrical behaviors, including insulator behavior, write-once-read-many-times and rewritable memory effects, and conductor behavior as well, were observed in the Al/Au@air@PTEMA-g-P3HT+PS/ITO (ITO: indium-tin oxide) sandwich thin-film devices. © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  11. Fabrication of hollow silica–zirconia composite spheres and their activity for hydrolytic dehydrogenation of ammonia borane

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Umegaki, Tetsuo, E-mail: umegaki.tetsuo@nihon-u.ac.jp [Department of Materials and Applied Chemistry, College of Science and Engineering, Nihon University, 1-8-14, Kanda-Surugadai, Chiyoda-Ku, Tokyo 101-8308 (Japan); Hosoya, Tatsuya; Toyama, Naoki [Department of Materials and Applied Chemistry, College of Science and Engineering, Nihon University, 1-8-14, Kanda-Surugadai, Chiyoda-Ku, Tokyo 101-8308 (Japan); Xu, Qiang [National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), 1-8-31 Midorigaoka, Ikeda, Osaka 563-8577 (Japan); Kojima, Yoshiyuki [Department of Materials and Applied Chemistry, College of Science and Engineering, Nihon University, 1-8-14, Kanda-Surugadai, Chiyoda-Ku, Tokyo 101-8308 (Japan)

    2014-09-01

    Highlights: • Hollow silica–zirconia composite spheres were fabricated on polystyrene templates by the sol–gel method. • We study the effect of preparation conditions on the activity for hydrolytic dehydrogenation of ammonia borane. • The activity of hollow silica–zirconia composite spheres depends on wall thickness. - Abstract: In this paper, we report fabrication of hollow silica–zirconia composite spheres by polystyrene (PS) template method and control of wall thickness of the hollow spheres in nanoscale. Both the hollow spheres before and after calcination were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), elemental analysis, and powder X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD). Morphology of the hollow spheres does not significantly change after calcination from the results of SEM and TEM images, while the amount of residual PS templates drastically decreases via the calcination procedure from the results of FTIR and elemental analysis. The sample after calcination mainly includes amorphous silica from the results of XRD, indicating that the hollow silica–zirconia composite spheres consist of amorphous phases and/or fine particles. Wall thicknesses of the samples after calcination are controlled by adjusting the amount of PS template suspension, and hollow silica–zirconia composite spheres with the wall thicknesses of 17.5, 15.0, 10.0, and 2.0 nm are obtained using the PS template suspension of 25.0, 33.5, 100.0, and 400.0 g, respectively. The activities of the hollow spheres for hydrolytic dehydrogenation of ammonia borane (NH{sub 3}BH{sub 3}) were compared. The evolutions of 2.0, 3.1, 5.0, and 8.0 mL hydrogen from aqueous NH{sub 3}BH{sub 3} solution were finished in about 4, 5, 3, and 7 min in the presence of the hollow spheres with wall thicknesses of 17.5, 15.0, 10.0, and 2.0 nm, respectively. The molar ratios of the hydrolytically generated hydrogen to

  12. Determining the Compressive, Flexural and Splitting Tensile Strength of Silica Fume Reinforced Lightweight Foamed Concrete

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mydin M.A.O.

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available This study investigated the performance of the properties of foamed concrete in replacing volumes of cement of 10%, 15% and 20% by weight. A control unit of foamed concrete mixture made with ordinary Portland cement (OPC and 10%, 15% and 20% silica fume was prepared. Three mechanical property parameters were studied such as compressive strength, flexural strength and splitting tensile of foamed concrete with different percentages of silica fume. Silica fume is commonly used to increase the mechanical properties of concrete materials and it is also chosen due to certain economic reasons. The foamed concrete used in this study was cured at a relative humidity of 70% and a temperature of ±28°C. The improvement of mechanical properties was due to a significant densification in the microstructure of the cement paste matrix in the presence of silica fume hybrid supplementary binder as observed from micrographs obtained in the study. The overall results showed that there is a potential to utilize silica fume in foamed concrete, as there was a noticeable enhancement of thermal and mechanical properties with the addition of silica fume.

  13. Influence of the ammonium hydroxide concentration in morphological control of meso porous silica particles

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yoon, Sukbon; Jung, Chonghun; Yoon, Inho; Kim, Changki; Choi, Wangkyu; Moon, Jeikwon

    2012-01-01

    The discovery of new M41S meso porous silica families in 1992 extended the applications into much wider pore ranges, bringing in a new prosperous era in porous material research. The synthesis of these meso porous silicas has been mainly accomplished through a self-assembly between surfactant molecules and inorganic species under various pH conditions. Meanwhile, many studies have been conducted on the application as catalysts, adsorbents, and packing materials for separation columns due to their unique properties such as high specific surface area, large pore volume, tuneable pore size, and narrow pore size distribution. The pore sizes of these materials can be easily controlled by changing the alkyl-chain length of the surfactant used. However, the control of the morphology and the pore structure is not so common. The morphological control of these materials in particular is one of the major challenges for their industrial application. Recently, the meso porous silica materials with various shapes such as fibers, films, polyhedral particles, and spheres have been reported. In our previous study, the core-shell nanoparticles with a silica core and a meso porous shell under basic conditions were synthesized using the silica nanoparticles as a core and tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS)-cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTABr)-NH 4 OH-H 2 O-C 2 H 5 OH system. In this work, we report the synthesis of the most well known hexagonal MCM-41 among three main mesophases in the M41S families using TEOS-CTABr-NH 4 OH-H 2 O system. Also, in the control of the morphology and pore structure of the meso porous silica materials, the influence of the NH 4 OH concentration was investigated

  14. Nanostructural Organization of Naturally Occurring Composites—Part I: Silica-Collagen-Based Biocomposites

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hermann Ehrlich

    2008-01-01

    Full Text Available Glass sponges, as examples of natural biocomposites, inspire investigations aiming at both a better understanding of biomineralization mechanisms and novel developments in the synthesis of nanostructured biomimetic materials. Different representatives of marine glass sponges of the class Hexactinellida (Porifera are remarkable because of their highly flexible basal anchoring spicules. Therefore, investigations of the biochemical compositions and the micro- and nanostructure of the spicules as examples of naturally structured biomaterials are of fundamental scientific relevance. Here we present a detailed study of the structural and biochemical properties of the basal spicules of the marine glass sponge Monorhaphis chuni. The results show unambiguously that in this glass sponge a fibrillar protein of collagenous nature is the template for the silica mineralization in all silica-containing structural layers of the spicule. The structural similarity and homology of collagens derived from M. chuni spicules to other sponge and vertebrate collagens have been confirmed by us using FTIR, amino acid analysis and mass spectrometric sequencing techniques. We suggest that nanomorphology of silica formed on proteinous structures could be determined as an example of biodirected epitaxial nanodistribution of amorphous silica phase on oriented fibrillar collagen templates. Finally, the present work includes a discussion relating to silica-collagen-based hybrid materials for practical applications as biomaterials.

  15. VMware vSphere Design

    CERN Document Server

    Guthrie, Forbes; Saidel-Keesing, Maish

    2011-01-01

    The only book focused on designing VMware vSphere implementations.VMware vSphere is the most widely deployed virtualization platform today. Considered the most robust and sophisticated hypervisor product, vSphere is the de facto standard for businesses, both large and small. This book is the only one of its kind to concisely explain how to execute a successful vSphere architecture, tailored to meet your company's needs. Expert authors share with you the factors that shape the design of a vSphere implementation. Learn how to make the right design decisions for your environment.Explores the late

  16. Guanidine-based polymer brushes grafted onto silica nanoparticles as efficient artificial phosphodiesterases.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Savelli, Claudia; Salvio, Riccardo

    2015-04-07

    Polymer brushes grafted to the surface of silica nanoparticles were fabricated by atom-transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) and investigated as catalysts in the cleavage of phosphodiesters. The surfaces of silica nanoparticles were functionalized with an ATRP initiator. Surface-initiated ATRP reactions, in varying proportions, of a methacrylate moiety functionalized with a phenylguanidine moiety and an inert hydrophilic methacrylate species afforded hybrid nanoparticles that were characterized with potentiometric titrations, thermogravimetric analysis, and SEM. The activity of the hybrid nanoparticles was tested in the transesterification of the RNA model compound 2-hydroxypropyl para-nitrophenylphosphate (HPNP) and diribonucleoside monophosphates. A high catalytic efficiency and a remarkable effective molarity, thus overcoming the effective molarities previously observed for comparable systems, indicate the existence of an effective cooperation of the guanidine/guanidinium units and a high level of preorganization in the nanostructure. The investigated system also exhibits a marked and unprecedented selectivity for the diribonucleoside sequence CpA. The results presented open up the way for a novel and straightforward strategy for the preparation of supramolecular catalysts. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  17. Ionic liquid-silica precursors via solvent-free sol-gel process and their application in epoxy-amine network: a theoretical/experimental study

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Perchacz, Magdalena; Donato, R. K.; Seixas, L.; Zhigunov, Alexander; Konefal, Rafal; Serkis-Rodzen, Magdalena; Beneš, Hynek

    2017-01-01

    Roč. 9, č. 19 (2017), s. 16474-16487 ISSN 1944-8244 R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GA17-08273S; GA MŠk(CZ) LO1507 Institutional support: RVO:61389013 Keywords : 3D POSS structures * epoxy-silica hybrid material * IL-silica precursor Subject RIV: CD - Macromolecular Chemistry OBOR OECD: Polymer science Impact factor: 7.504, year: 2016

  18. Hybrid Thin Film Organosilica Sol-Gel Coatings To Support Neuronal Growth and Limit Astrocyte Growth.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Capeletti, Larissa Brentano; Cardoso, Mateus Borba; Dos Santos, João Henrique Zimnoch; He, Wei

    2016-10-07

    Thin films of silica prepared by a sol-gel process are becoming a feasible coating option for surface modification of implantable neural sensors without imposing adverse effects on the devices' electrical properties. In order to advance the application of such silica-based coatings in the context of neural interfacing, the characteristics of silica sol-gel are further tailored to gain active control of interactions between cells and the coating materials. By incorporating various readily available organotrialkoxysilanes carrying distinct organic functional groups during the sol-gel process, a library of hybrid organosilica coatings is developed and investigated. In vitro neural cultures using PC12 cells and primary cortical neurons both reveal that, among these different types of hybrid organosilica, the introduction of aminopropyl groups drastically transforms the silica into robust neural permissive substrate, supporting neuron adhesion and neurite outgrowth. Moreover, when this organosilica is cultured with astrocytes, a key type of glial cells responsible for glial scar response toward neural implants, such cell growth promoting effect is not observed. These findings highlight the potential of organo-group-bearing silica sol-gel to function as advanced coating materials to selectively modulate cell response and promote neural integration with implantable sensing devices.

  19. Ion-Exchange-Induced Selective Etching for the Synthesis of Amino-Functionalized Hollow Mesoporous Silica for Elevated-High-Temperature Fuel Cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Jin; Liu, Jian; Lu, Shanfu; Zhu, Haijin; Aili, David; De Marco, Roland; Xiang, Yan; Forsyth, Maria; Li, Qingfeng; Jiang, San Ping

    2017-09-20

    As differentiated from conventional synthetic processes, amino-functionalized hollow mesoporous silica (NH 2 -HMS) has been synthesized using a new and facile strategy of ion-exchange-induced selective etching of amino-functionalized mesoporous silica (NH 2 -meso-silica) by an alkaline solution. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and in situ time-resolved small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) reveal that ion-exchange-induced selective etching arises from the gradient distribution of OH - in the NH 2 -meso-silica nanospheres. Moreover, the ion-exchange-induced selective etching mechanism is verified through a successful synthesis of hollow mesoporous silica. After infiltration with phosphotungstic acid (PWA), PWA-NH 2 -HMS nanoparticles are dispersed in the poly(ether sulfone)-polyvinylpyrrolidone (PES-PVP) matrix, forming a hybrid PWA-NH 2 -HMS/PES-PVP nanocomposite membrane. The resultant nanocomposite membrane with an optimum loading of 10 wt % of PWA-NH 2 -HMS showed an enhanced proton conductivity of 0.175 S cm -1 and peak power density of 420 mW cm -2 at 180 °C under anhydrous conditions. Excellent durability of the hybrid composite membrane fuel cell has been demonstrated at 200 °C. The results of this study demonstrated the potential of the facile synthetic strategy in the fabrication of NH 2 -HMS with controlled mesoporous structure for application in nanocomposite membranes as a technology platform for elevated-temperature proton exchange membrane fuel cells.

  20. ORGANIZATION IN CONTEMPORARY PUBLIC SPHERE

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rosemarie HAINES

    2013-12-01

    Full Text Available The critical analysis of Habermas’ Public Sphere Theory and the comparative undertaking to the current day enables us to assert that in contemporary society, public sphere is no longer a political public sphere, this dimension being completed by a societal dimension, the public sphere has extended and now we can talk about partial public spheres in an ever more commercial environment. The new rebuilding and communication technologies create a new type of public character: the visible sphere – non-located, non-dialogical and open. Information and communication are more and more involved in the restructuring of capitalism on an international scale and the reorganization of leadership and management systems. The reevaluation of the public sphere, public opinion, communication allows us to define public sphere according to the profound mutations from today’s democratic societies.

  1. Kinetic and theoretical studies of novel biodegradable thermo-sensitive xerogels based on PEG/PVP/silica for sustained release of enrofloxacin

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ebadi, Azra; Rafati, Amir Abbas; Bavafa, Sadeghali; Mohammadi, Masoumah

    2017-12-01

    This study involves the synthesis of a new silica-based colloidal hybrid system. In this new hybrid system, poly (ethylene glycol) (PEG) and thermo-sensitive amphiphilic biocompatible poly (vinyl pyrrolidone) (PVP) were used to create suitable storage for hydrophobic drugs. The possibility of using variable PVP/PEG molar ratios to modulate drug release rate from silica nanoparticles was a primary goal of the current research. In addition, an investigation of the drug release kinetic was conducted. To achieve this, silica nanoparticles were synthesized in poly (ethylene glycol) (PEG) and poly (vinyl pyrrolidone) (PVP) solution incorporated with enrofloxacin (EFX) (as a model hydrophobic drug), using a simple synthetic strategy of hybrid materials which avoided waste and multi-step processes. The impacts of PVP/PEG molar ratios, temperature, and pH of the release medium on release kinetic were investigated. The physicochemical properties of the drug-loaded composites were studied by Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectra, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). In vitro drug release studies demonstrated that the drug release rate, which was evaluated by analyzing the experimental data with seven kinetic models in a primarily non-Fickian diffusion-controlled process, aligned well with both Ritger-Peppas and Sahlin-Peppas equations.

  2. Geometrical-optics code for computing the optical properties of large dielectric spheres.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhou, Xiaobing; Li, Shusun; Stamnes, Knut

    2003-07-20

    Absorption of electromagnetic radiation by absorptive dielectric spheres such as snow grains in the near-infrared part of the solar spectrum cannot be neglected when radiative properties of snow are computed. Thus a new, to our knowledge, geometrical-optics code is developed to compute scattering and absorption cross sections of large dielectric particles of arbitrary complex refractive index. The number of internal reflections and transmissions are truncated on the basis of the ratio of the irradiance incident at the nth interface to the irradiance incident at the first interface for a specific optical ray. Thus the truncation number is a function of the angle of incidence. Phase functions for both near- and far-field absorption and scattering of electromagnetic radiation are calculated directly at any desired scattering angle by using a hybrid algorithm based on the bisection and Newton-Raphson methods. With these methods a large sphere's absorption and scattering properties of light can be calculated for any wavelength from the ultraviolet to the microwave regions. Assuming that large snow meltclusters (1-cm order), observed ubiquitously in the snow cover during summer, can be characterized as spheres, one may compute absorption and scattering efficiencies and the scattering phase function on the basis of this geometrical-optics method. A geometrical-optics method for sphere (GOMsphere) code is developed and tested against Wiscombe's Mie scattering code (MIE0) and a Monte Carlo code for a range of size parameters. GOMsphere can be combined with MIE0 to calculate the single-scattering properties of dielectric spheres of any size.

  3. ADSORPSI ION SIANIDA DALAM LARUTAN MENGGUNAKAN ADSORBEN HIBRIDA AMINOPROPIL SILIKA GEL DARI SEKAM PADI TERIMPREGNASI ALUMINIUM (Adsorption of Cyanide Ions in Solution Using a Hybrid Adsorbent Aminopropyl Silica Gel from Rice Husks of Impregnated With

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Amaria Amaria

    2012-03-01

    aminopropil silica gel from rice husk that has been impregnated with aluminum (APSG-Al and silica gel impregnated with aluminum (SG-Al of rice husk silica gel as the material for the adsorption of cyanide ions in solution. The interaction between the adsorbent with cyanide ions in solution performed in a batch system. The parameters examined in this study were the influence of medium pH, the effect of interaction time and the effect of initial concentration of cyanide ion adsorption ability of adsorbent hybrid amino silica gel impregnated with aluminum. Quantitative Analysis of cyanide ions left in the filtrate was tested by means of ion selective electrode. The effect of interaction time data were analyzed with kinetic model, the data of the influence of cyanide ion concentration was analyzed by Langmuir adsorption isotherm model and Freundlich. The results showed that the infrared spectroscopic identification results show APSG-Al adsorbent has silanol groups (Si-OH, siloxil (Si-O-Si, primary amine group, NH2. The result of XRD analysis of the price of 2θ at 65.51 indicates that the aluminum impregnated with the silica in the form of alumina Al2O3. The result of adsorption of cyanide by the hybrid silica gel impregnated with aluminum aminopropil (APSG-Al showed maximum adsorption occurred at pH 5 was 67.62%, silica gel impregnated with aluminum was 51,11%. Study the kinetics of the effect of interaction time showed that the adsorbent APSG-Al and SG-Al-Al has the adsorption rate constant k1 is 2.7, 10-3and 1.9,10-3 min-1, respectively. Adsorption equilibrium data showed that the adsorbent APSG-Al and SG-Al tend to follow the adsorption isotherm model Freundlich.

  4. An environmentally benign route for the development of compressible, thermally insulating and fire retardant aerogels through self-assembling the silk fibroin biopolymer inside the silica structure - An approach towards 3D printing of aerogels.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Maleki, Hajar; Montes, Susan; Hayati-Roodbari, Nastaran; Putz, Florian; Huesing, Nicola

    2018-06-04

    Thanks to the exceptional materials properties of silica aerogels, this fascinating highly porous material has found high performance and real-life applications in various modern industries. However, a requirement for a broadening of these applications is based on the further improvement of their properties especially with regard to mechanical strength and post-synthesis processability with minimum compromise to the other physical properties. Here, we report an entirely novel, simple and aqueous based synthesis approach to prepare mechanically robust aerogel hybrids by co-gelation of silk fibroin (SF) biopolymer, extracted from silkworm cocoons. The synthesis is based on a one-step sequential processes of acid catalysis (physical) crosslinking of the SF biopolymer and simultaneous polycondensation of tetramethyl orthosilicate (TMOS), in the presence of 5-(trimethoxysilyl)pentanoic acid (TMSPA) as a coupling agent and subsequent solvent exchange and supercritical drying. Extensive characterizations by solid-state 1H-NMR, 29Si-NMR, and 2D 1H-29Si heteronuclear correlation (HETCOR) MAS NMR spectroscopy as well as various microscopic techniques (SEM, TEM) and mechanical assessment, confirmed the molecular-level homogeneity of the hybrid nanostructure. The developed silica-SF aerogel hybrids contained an improved set of material properties, such as low density (ρb, average = 0.11 - 0.2 g cm-3), high porosity (~90%), high specific surface area (~ 400-800 m2 g-1), excellent flexibility in compression (up to 80% of strain) with three-order of magnitude improvement in the Young's modulus over that of pristine silica aerogels. In addition, the silica-SF hybrid aerogels are fire retardant and demonstrated excellent thermal insulation performance with thermal conductivities (λ) of (0.033-0.039 Wm-1 K-1). As a further advantage, the formulated hybrid silica-SF aerogel showed an excellent printability in the wet state using a micro-extrusion based 3D printing approach. The

  5. Arrays of Hollow Silica Half-Nanospheres Via the Breath Figure Approach

    KAUST Repository

    Gao, Yangqin; Hou, Yuanfang; Beaujuge, Pierre

    2015-01-01

    Breath figures (BFs) are patterns of liquid droplets that usually form upon condensation on a cold surface. Earlier work has shown that BFs can be used to produce continuous films of porous honeycomb-structured patterns on various types of materials, paving the path to a number of important applications such as the manufacturing of highly ordered nano- and micron-sized templates, micro lenses, and superhydrophobic coatings. It is worth noting, however, that few new findings have been reported in this area in recent years, limiting pursuits of novel architectures and key applications. In this report, an alternative method is described by which arrays of hollow silica half-nanospheres can be produced via BF templates. In the present method, a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) protocol performed while the BF is formed on a glass substrate yields a nanostructured pattern of silica half-spheres, which size (100-700 nm) and density across the glass surface vary with substrate modification and with the relative rates of water condensation and hydrolysis from silica precursors (a process carried out at room temperature). This method of forming arrays of hollow half-nanospheres via the BF approach may be applicable to various other oxides and a broad range of substrates including large-area flexible plastics. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  6. Arrays of Hollow Silica Half-Nanospheres Via the Breath Figure Approach

    KAUST Repository

    Gao, Yangqin

    2015-04-21

    Breath figures (BFs) are patterns of liquid droplets that usually form upon condensation on a cold surface. Earlier work has shown that BFs can be used to produce continuous films of porous honeycomb-structured patterns on various types of materials, paving the path to a number of important applications such as the manufacturing of highly ordered nano- and micron-sized templates, micro lenses, and superhydrophobic coatings. It is worth noting, however, that few new findings have been reported in this area in recent years, limiting pursuits of novel architectures and key applications. In this report, an alternative method is described by which arrays of hollow silica half-nanospheres can be produced via BF templates. In the present method, a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) protocol performed while the BF is formed on a glass substrate yields a nanostructured pattern of silica half-spheres, which size (100-700 nm) and density across the glass surface vary with substrate modification and with the relative rates of water condensation and hydrolysis from silica precursors (a process carried out at room temperature). This method of forming arrays of hollow half-nanospheres via the BF approach may be applicable to various other oxides and a broad range of substrates including large-area flexible plastics. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  7. Synthesis of polystyrene, poly(styrene/4-vinylpyridine), poly(p-nitrostyrene) and poly(p-aminostyrene)-coated silica and their extraction capabilities for amphetamine

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sun Changmei; Zhang Shuanhong; Qu Rongjun; Sun Tao; Zhang Ying; Zhang Xiang; Song Jingyang

    2010-01-01

    Several novel organic-inorganic hybrid materials, including polystyrene-coated silica (SG-PS), poly(styrene/4-vinylpyridine)-coated silica (SG-PVP), poly(p-nitrostyrene)-coated silica (SG-PS-NO 2 ) and poly(p-aminostyrene)-coated silica (SG-PS-NH 2 ), were synthesized in order to improve the extraction methods of harmful stimulants via solid phase extraction. The materials were characterized using infrared spectra (IR), scanning electron microscope (SEM), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area measurement and thermogravimetric analysis (TG). The application of the new materials in solid phase extraction columns to extract methamphetamine revealed that the extraction capability of poly(styrene/4-vinylpyridine)-coated silica is the best among the four materials, which provides novel supporter materials for extracting amphetamine-derived drugs.

  8. Synthesis of polystyrene, poly(styrene/4-vinylpyridine), poly(p-nitrostyrene) and poly(p-aminostyrene)-coated silica and their extraction capabilities for amphetamine

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sun Changmei; Zhang Shuanhong [School of Chemistry and Materials Science, Ludong University, Yantai, Shandong 264025 (China); Qu Rongjun, E-mail: qurongjun@eyou.com [School of Chemistry and Materials Science, Ludong University, Yantai, Shandong 264025 (China); Sun Tao; Zhang Ying; Zhang Xiang; Song Jingyang [School of Chemistry and Materials Science, Ludong University, Yantai, Shandong 264025 (China)

    2010-11-01

    Several novel organic-inorganic hybrid materials, including polystyrene-coated silica (SG-PS), poly(styrene/4-vinylpyridine)-coated silica (SG-PVP), poly(p-nitrostyrene)-coated silica (SG-PS-NO{sub 2}) and poly(p-aminostyrene)-coated silica (SG-PS-NH{sub 2}), were synthesized in order to improve the extraction methods of harmful stimulants via solid phase extraction. The materials were characterized using infrared spectra (IR), scanning electron microscope (SEM), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area measurement and thermogravimetric analysis (TG). The application of the new materials in solid phase extraction columns to extract methamphetamine revealed that the extraction capability of poly(styrene/4-vinylpyridine)-coated silica is the best among the four materials, which provides novel supporter materials for extracting amphetamine-derived drugs.

  9. Sol-gel electrospinning preparation of hybrid carbon silica nanofibers for extracting organophosphorus pesticides prior to analyzing them by gas chromatography-ion mobility spectrometry.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jafari, Mohammad T; Saraji, Mohammad; Kermani, Mansoure

    2018-07-13

    Carbon-silica hybrid nanofibers as high performance coatings for solid-phase microextraction fibers were used for analyzing some pesticides by using gas chromatography-corona discharge ion mobility spectrometry. To that end, the fibers were prepared by carbonizing sol-gel based on electrospun polyacrylonitrile and tetraethyl orthosilicate nanofibers as carbon and silica precursors, respectively. Different parameters affecting the electrospinning and the extraction processes including spinning distance, voltage, feeding rate, stirring rate, salt concentration, temperature and extraction time were optimized by response surface methodology. The method involved deionized water samples spiked with pesticides at different concentration levels. The calibration curves were linear in the ranges of 0.1-20 and 0.05-20 μg L -1 with determination coefficients (R 2 ) of 0.9976 and 0.9928 for malathion and chlorpyrifos, respectively. The limits of detection of 0.032 and 0.019 μg L -1 and the limits of quantification of 0.1 and 0.05 μg L -1 were found for malathion and chlorpyrifos, respectively. Acceptable reproducibility values were obtained with relative standard deviations (RSD, n = 3) lower than 6 and 15%, for intra-day and inter-day precision, respectively. Finally, the relative recoveries of the proposed method were calculated in the range of 80-111% for real samples. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  10. Silica Nephropathy

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    N Ghahramani

    2010-06-01

    Full Text Available Occupational exposure to heavy metals, organic solvents and silica is associated with a variety of renal manifestations. Improved understanding of occupational renal disease provides insight into environmental renal disease, improving knowledge of disease pathogenesis. Silica (SiO2 is an abundant mineral found in sand, rock, and soil. Workers exposed to silica include sandblasters, miners, quarry workers, masons, ceramic workers and glass manufacturers. New cases of silicosis per year have been estimated in the US to be 3600–7300. Exposure to silica has been associated with tubulointerstitial disease, immune-mediated multisystem disease, chronic kidney disease and end-stage renal disease. A rare syndrome of painful, nodular skin lesions has been described in dialysis patients with excessive levels of silicon. Balkan endemic nephropathy is postulated to be due to chronic intoxication with drinking water polluted by silicates released during soil erosion. The mechanism of silica nephrotoxicity is thought to be through direct nephrotoxicity, as well as silica-induced autoimmune diseases such as scleroderma and systemic lupus erythematosus. The renal histopathology varies from focal to crescentic and necrotizing glomerulonephritis with aneurysm formation suggestive of polyarteritis nodosa. The treatment for silica nephrotoxicity is non-specific and depends on the mechanism and stage of the disease. It is quite clear that further research is needed, particularly to elucidate the pathogenesis of silica nephropathy. Considering the importance of diagnosing exposure-related renal disease at early stages, it is imperative to obtain a thorough occupational history in all patients with renal disease, with particular emphasis on exposure to silica, heavy metals, and solvents.

  11. Bone tissue engineering using silica-based mesoporous nanobiomaterials:Recent progress.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shadjou, Nasrin; Hasanzadeh, Mohammad

    2015-10-01

    Bone disorders are of significant concern due to increase in the median age of our population. It is in this context that tissue engineering has been emerging as a valid approach to the current therapies for bone regeneration/substitution. Tissue-engineered bone constructs have the potential to alleviate the demand arising from the shortage of suitable autograft and allograft materials for augmenting bone healing. Silica based mesostructured nanomaterials possessing pore sizes in the range 2-50 nm and surface reactive functionalities have elicited immense interest due to their exciting prospects in bone tissue engineering. In this review we describe application of silica-based mesoporous nanomaterials for bone tissue engineering. We summarize the preparation methods, the effect of mesopore templates and composition on the mesopore-structure characteristics, and different forms of these materials, including particles, fibers, spheres, scaffolds and composites. Also, the effect of structural and textural properties of mesoporous materials on development of new biomaterials for production of bone implants and bone cements was discussed. Also, application of different mesoporous materials on construction of manufacture 3-dimensional scaffolds for bone tissue engineering was discussed. It begins by giving the reader a brief background on tissue engineering, followed by a comprehensive description of all the relevant components of silica-based mesoporous biomaterials on bone tissue engineering, going from materials to scaffolds and from cells to tissue engineering strategies that will lead to "engineered" bone. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  12. Hybrid ion-exchange membranes for fuel cells and separation processes

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Fernandez-Carretero, F.J.; Compan, V. [Departamento de Termodinamica Aplicada, ETSII, Universidad Politecnica de Valencia, 46020 Valencia (Spain); Riande, E. [Instituto de Ciencia y Tecnologia de Polimeros (CSIC), 28006 Madrid (Spain)

    2007-11-08

    This work reports the preparation and characterization of hybrid membranes cast from dispersions of inorganic fillers in sulfonated polystyrene-block-poly(ethylene-ran-butylene)-block-polystyrene solutions. Silica gel, SBA-15 and sepiolite, all of them functionalized with phenylsulfonic acid groups, were used as fillers. For comparative purposes, the performance of composite membranes cast from dispersions of functionalized inorganic fillers in Nafion {sup registered} solutions was investigated. Inspection of the texture of the membranes by using SEM techniques shows that the fillers are better dispersed in sulfonated polystyrene-block-poly(ethylene-ran-butylene)-block-polystyrene than in Nafion {sup registered}. The value of the water uptake for the membranes prepared from the former polyelectrolyte is in most cases at least three times that measured for hybrid Nafion {sup registered} membranes. The conductivity of the membranes was measured at 80 C by impedance spectroscopy obtaining values of 3.44, 6.90 and 3.54 S m{sup -1} for the hybrid membranes based on the triblock copolymer containing functionalized silica gel, SBA-15 and sepiolite fillers, respectively. These results compare very favourably with those obtained at 80 C for Nafion {sup registered} hybrid membranes containing silica gel, SBA-15 and sepiolite, all of them fuctionalized with phenylsulfonic acid groups, whose conductivities are, 2.84, 6.75 and 3.31 S m{sup -1}, respectively. Resistance measurements carried out under controlled humidity conditions show that the conductivity of sulfonated triblock copolymer membranes containing functionalized SBA-15 filler undergoes a rather sharp increase when they are conditioned under an atmosphere of 75%, or larger, relative humidity. (author)

  13. Public Sphere

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Trenz, Hans-Jörg

    2015-01-01

    In modern societies, the public sphere represents the intermediary realm that supports the communication of opinions, the discovery of problems that need to be dealt with collectively, the channeling of these problems through the filter of the media and political institutions, and the realization...... of the collective will of the people in the act of democratic self-government. The concept of the public sphere is used across the fields of media and communication research, cultural studies and the humanities, the history of ideas, legal and constitutional studies as well as democracy studies. Historically......, public spheres have undergone structural transformations that were closely connected to the emergence of different mass media. More recently, they are subject to trends of transnationalization and digitalization in politics and society....

  14. Nanotubes within transition metal silicate hollow spheres: Facile preparation and superior lithium storage performances

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zhang, Fan; An, Yongling; Zhai, Wei; Gao, Xueping [Key Laboratory for Liquid–Solid Structural Evolution & Processing of Materials (Ministry of Education), Jinan 250100 (China); Feng, Jinkui, E-mail: jinkui@sdu.edu.cn [Key Laboratory for Liquid–Solid Structural Evolution & Processing of Materials (Ministry of Education), Jinan 250100 (China); Ci, Lijie [Key Laboratory for Liquid–Solid Structural Evolution & Processing of Materials (Ministry of Education), Jinan 250100 (China); Xiong, Shenglin [School of Materials Science and Engineering, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Shandong University, Jinan 250100 (China)

    2015-10-15

    Highlights: • The hollow Co{sub 2}SiO{sub 4}, MnSiO{sub 3} and CuSiO{sub 3} were successfully prepared by a facile hydrothermal method using SiO{sub 2} nanosphere. • The hollow Co{sub 2}SiO{sub 4}, MnSiO{sub 3} and CuSiO{sub 3} were tested as anode materials for lithium batteries. • The hollow Co{sub 2}SiO{sub 4}, MnSiO{sub 3} and CuSiO{sub 3} delivered superior electrochemical performance. • The lithium storage mechanism is probe via cyclic voltammetry and XPS. - Abstract: A series of transition metal silicate hollow spheres, including cobalt silicate (Co{sub 2}SiO{sub 4}), manganese silicate (MnSiO{sub 3}) and copper silicate (CuSiO{sub 3}.2H{sub 2}O, CuSiO{sub 3} as abbreviation in the text) were prepared via a simple and economic hydrothermal method by using silica spheres as chemical template. Time-dependent experiments confirmed that the resultants formed a novel type of hierarchical structure, hollow spheres assembled by numerous one-dimensional (1D) nanotubes building blocks. For the first time, the transition metal silicate hollow spheres were characterized as novel anode materials of Li-ion battery, which presented superior lithium storage capacities, cycle performance and rate performance. The 1D nanotubes assembly and hollow interior endow this kind of material facilitate fast lithium ion and electron transport and accommodate the big volume change during the conversion reactions. Our study shows that low-cost transition metal silicate with rationally designed nanostructures can be promising anode materials for high capacity lithium-ion battery.

  15. Light Scattering by a Dielectric Sphere: Perspectives on the Mie Resonances

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dimitrios Tzarouchis

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Light scattering by a small spherical particle, a central topic for electromagnetic scattering theory, is here considered. In this short review, some of the basic features of its resonant scattering behavior are covered. First, a general physical picture is described by a full electrodynamic perspective, the Lorenz–Mie theory. The resonant spectrum of a dielectric sphere reveals the existence of two distinctive types of polarization enhancement: the plasmonic and the dielectric resonances. The corresponding electrostatic (Rayleigh picture is analyzed and the polarizability of a homogeneous spherical inclusion is extracted. This description facilitates the identification of the first type of resonance, i.e., the localized surface plasmon (plasmonic resonance, as a function of the permittivity. Moreover, the electrostatic picture is linked with the plasmon hybridization model through the case of a step-inhomogeneous structure, i.e., a core–shell sphere. The connections between the electrostatic and electrodynamic models are reviewed in the small size limit and details on size-induced aspects, such as the dynamic depolarization and the radiation reaction on a small sphere are exposed through the newly introduced Mie–Padé approximative perspective. The applicability of this approximation is further expanded including the second type of resonances, i.e., the dielectric resonances. For this type of resonances, the Mie–Padé approximation reveals the main character of the two different cases of resonances of either magnetic or electric origin. A unified picture is therefore described encompassing both plasmonic and dielectric resonances, and the resonant conditions of all three different types are extracted as functions of the permittivity and the size of the sphere. Lastly, the directional scattering behavior of the first two dielectric resonances is exposed in a simple manner, namely the Kerker conditions for maximum forward and

  16. Some Durability Characteristics of Micro Silica and Nano Silica Contained Concrete

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mohammed Salah Nasr

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available This paper aims to investigate the influence of replacement of cement with nano and micro silica admixtures on some durability properties of concrete such as water absorption, chloride content and pH tests. Three replacement ratios (5%,10%,15% of micro silica and four replacement proportions (0.5%,1.5%,3%,5% for nano silica were used in this study. Two exposure conditions were considered for chloride content test: wetting-drying and full immersing exposure in 6% of chloride ions solution, NaCl type. Results showed that mixes of %5 micro silica and 5% nano silica had lower content of chloride (about 0.19% and 0.18% for wetting-drying and full immersing exposure respectively. For water absorption test, all mixes incorporated micro and nano silica, except for %5 micro silica mix, showed lower absorption than control mixes. For pH test, results indicated that the adding of nano and micro silica didn’t affect adversely the alkalinity of concrete.

  17. SURFACES OF HARD-SPHERE SYSTEMS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dietrich Stoyan

    2014-07-01

    Full Text Available In various situations surfaces appear that are formed by systems of hard spheres. Examples are porous layers as surfaces of sand heaps and biofilms or fracture surfaces of concrete. The present paper considers models where a statistically homogeneous system of hard spheres with random radii is intersected by a plane and the surface is formed by the spheres with centers close to this plane. Formulae are derived for various characteristics of such surfaces: for the porosity profile, i.e. the local porosity in dependence on the distance from the section plane and for the geometry of the sphere caps that look above the section plane.It turns out that these characteristics only depend on the first-order characteristics of the sphere system, its sphere density and the sphere radius distribution.Comparison with empirically studied biofilms shows that the model is realistic.

  18. Double layer approach to create durable superhydrophobicity on cotton fabric using nano silica and auxiliary non fluorinated materials

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Manatunga, Danushika Charyangi [Sri Lanka Institute of Nanotechnology, Nanotechnology & Science Park, Mahenwatte, Pitipana, Homagama (Sri Lanka); Silva, Rohini M. de [Department of Chemistry, University of Colombo, Colombo 03 (Sri Lanka); Nalin de Silva, K.M., E-mail: nalinds@slintec.lk [Sri Lanka Institute of Nanotechnology, Nanotechnology & Science Park, Mahenwatte, Pitipana, Homagama (Sri Lanka); Department of Chemistry, University of Colombo, Colombo 03 (Sri Lanka)

    2016-01-01

    Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • Superhydrophobicity using nonfluorinated agents on cotton roughened with nanosilica. • Sol–gel method to hydrophobize with HDTMS, SA, OTES, and HDTMS/SA HDTMS/OTES hybrids. • WCA of 150° or greater with the treatment. • Increased hydrophobicity and soil repellency obtained when a hybrid mixture is used. • Combinational treatment is effective when compared with the fluorosilane treatment. - Abstract: Creation of differential superhydrophobicity by applying different non-fluorinated hydrophobization agents on a cotton fabric roughened with silica nanoparticles was studied. Cotton fabric surface has been functionalized with silica nanoparticles and further hydrophobized with different hydrophobic agents such as hexadecyltrimethoxy silane (HDTMS), stearic acid (SA), triethoxyoctyl silane (OTES) and hybrid mixtures of HDTMS/SA and HDTMS/OTES. The cotton fabrics before and after the treatment were characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The wetting behavior of cotton samples was investigated by water contact angle (WCA) measurement, water uptake, water repellency and soil repellency testing. The treated fabrics exhibited excellent water repellency and high water contact angles (WCA). When the mixture of two hydrophobization agents such as HDTMS/OTES and HDTMS/SA is used, the water contact angle has increased (145°–160°) compared to systems containing HDTMS, OTES, SA alone (130°–140°). It was also noted that this fabricated double layer (silica + hydrophobization agent) was robust even after applying harsh washing conditions and there is an excellent anti-soiling effect observed over different stains. Therefore superhydrophobic cotton surfaces with high WCA and soil repellency could be obtained with silica and mixture of hydrophobization agents which are cost effective and environmentally friendly when compared with the fluorosilane

  19. Fabrication and characterization of stable superhydrophobic fluorinated-polyacrylate/silica hybrid coating

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Kunquan; Zeng, Xingrong; Li, Hongqiang; Lai, Xuejun

    2014-04-01

    The core-shell fluorinated-polyacrylate (PFA) emulsion was synthesized through emulsion polymerization method and the superhydrophobic PFA/SiO2 hybrid coating was successfully fabricated on the slide glass by spraying the mixture of PFA emulsion and hydrophobic SiO2 particles using ethanol as cosolvent. The PFA emulsion was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), dynamic light scattering (DLS), water contact angle (WCA), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and the effects of SiO2 content on the wetting behavior and surface morphology of PFA/SiO2 hybrid coating were investigated. To evaluate the stability of the hybrid coating, the acid and base resistance, weatherability and thermal stability were also studied. Results showed that the obtained PFA latex exhibited a core-shell structure with a particle size of 134.1 nm and a narrow polydispersity of 0.03. With the increase of dodecafluoroheptyl methacrylate (DFMA) content in the latex shell from 0 wt% to 31.8 wt%, the WCA of the PFA film enlarged from 85° to 104°, indicating that the introduction of fluorinated monomer was effective in reducing the surface energy. By adding different amount of SiO2 particles, the surface morphology and wetting behavior of the PFA/SiO2 hybrid coatings could be controlled. When the mass ratio of SiO2 to PFA emulsion was 0.2, the surface roughness (Rq) increased to 173.6 nm and the wetting behavior of the surface became superhydrophobic with a WCA of 153°, resulted from the corporation of low surface energy and the binary nano/microstructure on the surface. The as-prepared PFA/SiO2 hybrid coating showed good acid and base corrosion resistance, and it could keep superhydrophobicity after being heated at 250 °C for 2 h or exposed to ambient atmosphere for more than 3 months. Additionally, the superhydrophobic PFA/SiO2 hybrid coating could be applied to various substrates through spraying. This was a green and eco-friendly method in fabricating stable

  20. Effect of colloidal nano-silica on the mechanical and physical behaviour of waste-glass cement mortar

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Aly, M.; Hashmi, M.S.J.; Olabi, A.G.; Messeiry, M.; Abadir, E.F.; Hussain, A.I.

    2012-01-01

    Highlights: → Glass powder (GP) and nano-silica (CS) were used as a partial cement replacement in cement mortar (CM). → No damaging effect can be detected due to the reaction between GP and CM with particle size up to 75 μm. → Hybrid combination of GP/CS greatly improved mechanical properties and microstructure of CM. -- Abstract: This paper presents a laboratory study of the properties of colloidal nano-silica (CS)/waste glass cement composites. The microstructure, alkali-silica reaction (ASR), and the mechanical properties of cement mortars containing waste glass powder (WG) as a cement replacement with and without CS are investigated and compared with plain mortar. In addition, the hydration of cement compounds was followed by differential thermal analysis (DTA), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The results show that incorporation of WG has a positive effect on the mechanical properties of cement mortars especially when CS is presented. In addition, the DTA/TGA results and XRD analysis show a reduction in the calcium hydroxide (CH) content in mortars with both WG and a hybrid combination of WG and CS. This confirms the improvement of mechanical properties and the occurrence of the pozzolanic reaction after 28 days of hydration.

  1. Enhanced interfacial interaction and antioxidative behavior of novel halloysite nanotubes/silica hybrid supported antioxidant in styrene-butadiene rubber

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lin, Jing; Luo, Yuanfang; Zhong, Bangchao; Hu, Dechao; Jia, Zhixin; Jia, Demin

    2018-05-01

    A novel antioxidant (HS-s-RT) to improve the mechanical properties and anti-aging performance of styrene-butadiene (SBR) composites was prepared by antioxidant intermediate p-aminodiphenylamine (RT) grafting on the surface of halloysite nanotubes/silica hybrid (HS) via the linkage of silane coupling agent. The analysis of SEM and rubber processing analyzer (RPA) demonstrated HS-s-RT was uniformly dispersed in SBR, and stronger interfacial interaction between HS-s-RT and SBR was formed. Consequently, SBR/HS-s-RT composites have improving mechanical properties. Furthermore, the test of the retention of mechanical properties, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy with attenuated total reflectance (FTIR-ATR), and oxidation induction time (OIT) showed HS-s-RT can effectively improve the anti-aging effect of SBR composites than corresponding low molecular-weight antioxidant N-isopropyl-N‧-phenyl-4-phenylenediamin (4010NA). Then, the mechanism of thermo-oxidative aging of SBR/HS composites was also investigated, and the superior antioxidative efficiency is attributed to the uniform dispersion and excellent migration resistance of HS-s-RT. Hence, this novel antioxidant might open up new opportunities for the fabrication of high-performance rubber composites due to its superior anti-aging effect and reinforcement.

  2. l-Cysteine-modified silver-functionalized silica-based material as an efficient solid-phase extraction adsorbent for the determination of bisphenol A.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Yuanyuan; Zhu, Nan; Li, Bingxiang; Chen, Tong; Ma, Yulong; Li, Qiang

    2018-02-01

    A new silver-functionalized silica-based material with a core-shell structure based on silver nanoparticle-coated silica spheres was synthesized, and silver nanoparticles were modified using strongly bound l-cysteine. l-Cysteine-silver@silica was characterized by scanning electron microscopy and FTIR spectroscopy. Then, a solid-phase extraction method based on l-cysteine-silver@silica was developed and successfully used for bisphenol A determination prior to HPLC analysis. The results showed that the l-cysteine-silver@silica as an adsorbent exhibited good enrichment capability for bisphenol A, and the maximum adsorption saturation was 20.93 mg/g. Moreover, a short adsorption equilibrium time was obtained due to the presence of silver nanoparticles on the surface of the silica. The extraction efficiencies were then optimized by varying the eluents and pH. Under the optimized conditions, good linearity for bisphenol A was obtained in the range from 0.4 to 4.0 μM (R 2  > 0.99) with a low limit of detection (1.15 ng/mL). The spiked recoveries from tap water and milk samples were satisfactory (85-102%) with relative standard deviations below 5.2% (n = 3), which indicated that the method was suitable for the analysis of bisphenol A in complex samples. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  3. A partially reflecting random walk on spheres algorithm for electrical impedance tomography

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Maire, Sylvain, E-mail: maire@univ-tln.fr [Laboratoire LSIS Equipe Signal et Image, Université du Sud Toulon-Var, Av. Georges Pompidou, BP 56, 83162 La Valette du Var Cedex (France); Simon, Martin, E-mail: simon@math.uni-mainz.de [Institute of Mathematics, Johannes Gutenberg University, 55099 Mainz (Germany)

    2015-12-15

    In this work, we develop a probabilistic estimator for the voltage-to-current map arising in electrical impedance tomography. This novel so-called partially reflecting random walk on spheres estimator enables Monte Carlo methods to compute the voltage-to-current map in an embarrassingly parallel manner, which is an important issue with regard to the corresponding inverse problem. Our method uses the well-known random walk on spheres algorithm inside subdomains where the diffusion coefficient is constant and employs replacement techniques motivated by finite difference discretization to deal with both mixed boundary conditions and interface transmission conditions. We analyze the global bias and the variance of the new estimator both theoretically and experimentally. Subsequently, the variance of the new estimator is considerably reduced via a novel control variate conditional sampling technique which yields a highly efficient hybrid forward solver coupling probabilistic and deterministic algorithms.

  4. Microporous silica membranes

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Boffa, Vittorio; Yue, Yuanzheng

    2012-01-01

    Hydrothermal stability is a crucial factor for the application of microporous silica-based membranes in industrial processes. Indeed, it is well established that steam exposure may cause densification and defect formation in microporous silica membranes, which are detrimental to both membrane...... permeability and selectivity. Numerous previous studies show that microporous transition metal doped-silica membranes are hydrothermally more stable than pure silica membranes, but less permeable. Here we present a quantitative study on the impact of type and concentration of transition metal ions...... on the microporous structure, stability and permeability of amorphous silica-based membranes, providing information on how to design chemical compositions and synthetic paths for the fabrication of silica-based membranes with a well accessible and highly stabile microporous structure....

  5. The Effect of Aging and Silanization on the Mechanical Properties of Fumed Silica-based Dental Composite

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Khaje S

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available Statement of Problem: Mechanical strength and durability of dental composites are the main topics studied in this field of science today. This study examined fumed silica-based composite as a strong and durable restorative material through flexural and cycling test methods. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of silanization, ageing, cycling and hybridizing on mechanical properties of fumed silica-based resin composite. Materials and Methods: Composites were made of light-cured copolymer based on Bisphenol A glycolmethacrylate (Bis-GMA and Triethylene glycoldimethacrylate (TEGDMA at proportion of 50:50 which reinforced by fumed silica filler. For each composite sample, 5 specimen bars were made using Teflon mould (2 x 2 x 25 mm3. The samples with 12 wt% fumed silica (FS were considered as a base line group. The samples were exposed to cyclic cold water (FS-CCW and hot water (FS-CHW. The effect of silanization and adding more filler was studied together with samples containing 12 wt% (FS-S (12, 16 wt% (FS-S (16 and 20 wt% (FS-S (20 fumed silica filler. The filler was silanized with (γ-MPS. The degree of conversion was assessed with Fourier Transform Infra-Red spectroscopy. Flexural properties were evaluated with the Three-Point Bending test. Flexural data were analyzed with Excel software. Hardness was measured with an Atomic Force Microscope (AFM. Results: The degree of conversion of the resin reached 74% within 24 hrs. Salinization allowed more filler to be wetted by resin. Addition of silanized particles from sample FS-S (12 to sample FS-S (20 improved the mechanical strength. Hybridizing fumed silica with nano-silica (FS-N had no significant effect on the strength, but nano-hardness improved greatly. Ageing and cycling had adverse effects on the strength of the sample FS. The flexural strength of FS-CHW was 72% less than FS sample. Conclusions: Sample FS-N with low diluent and filler percentage complied with the

  6. Mastering VMware vSphere 5

    CERN Document Server

    Lowe, Scott

    2011-01-01

    A new and updated edition of bestselling Mastering VMware vSphere 4 Written by leading VMware expert, this book covers all the features and capabilities of VMware vSphere. You'll learn how to install, configure, operate, manage, and secure the latest release.Covers all the new features and capabilities of the much-anticipated new release of VMware vSphereDiscusses the planning, installation, operation, and management for the latest releaseReviews migration to the latest vSphere softwareOffers hands-on instruction and clear explanations with real-world examples Mastering VMware vSphere is the

  7. Hybrid plasmonic waveguides formed by metal coating of dielectric ridges

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Zenin, Volodymyr; Choudhury, Sajid; Saha, Soham

    2017-01-01

    Bound hybrid plasmon-polariton modes supported by waveguides, which are formed by gold coating of ridges etched into a silica substrate, are analyzed using numerical simulations and investigated experimentally using near-field microscopy at telecom wavelengths (1425-1625 nm). Drastic modification...

  8. Functionalised hybrid materials of conducting polymers with individual wool fibers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kelly, Fern M; Johnston, James H; Borrmann, Thomas; Richardson, Michael J

    2008-04-01

    Composites of natural protein materials, such as merino wool, with the conducting polymers polypyrrole (PPy) and polyaniline (PAn) have been successfully synthesised. In doing so, hybrid materials have been produced in which the mechanical strength and flexibility of the fibers is retained whilst also incorporating the desired chemical and electrical properties of the polymer. Scanning electron microscopy shows PPy coatings to comprise individual polymer spheres, approximately 100 to 150 nm in diameter. The average size of the polymer spheres of PAn was observed to be approximately 50 to 100 nm in diameter. These spheres fuse together in a continuous sheet to coat the fibers in their entirety. The reduction of silver ions to silver metal nanoparticles onto the redox active polymer surface has also been successful and thus imparts anti-microbial properties to the hybrid materials. This gives rise to further applications requiring the inhibition of microbial growth. The chemical and physical characterisation of such products has been undertaken through scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), electrical conductivity, cyclic voltammetry, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and the testing of their anti-microbial activity.

  9. Suppression of insolation heating induced by electromagnetic scatteringdue to fine spheres

    Science.gov (United States)

    Horie, J.; Mikada, H.; Goto, T.; Takekawa, J.; Manaka, Y.; Taniguchi, K.; Ashida, Y.

    2013-12-01

    The 2011 off the Pacific coast of Tohoku Earthquake, i.e., the greatest earthquake in the Japanese history, and the successive disaster at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant have caused a fatal electric power shortage problem in summer in 2011. It is of key importance to reduce electricity demand and to save the energy. About one third of the total electricity demand at the peak consumption in summer is for the air-conditioning in the household and office sectors in Japan. It is, therefore, necessary to think deliberately of the reduction of electric power demand for air-conditioning. In fact, the temperature of materials rises when they are exposed to the sunlight (insolation heating) in particular in summer and the air-conditioning would become necessary for restoring the comfort in insolated housings. The energy for the air-conditioning is spent to pump out the heat changed in the materials of the insolated housings and would be proportional to the temperature to lower down. It is, therefore, clear that the reduction of the energy for the air-conditioning would strongly depend on relaxation of temperature rise or the insulation of insolated materials. Insolation heating could be suppressed when the materials are coated with paint admixed with fine silica spheres (insulating paint). By coating buildings' walls and roofs with such paint, the temperature of interior rooms could be kept lower without air-conditioning. These insulation effects are well known and have been utilized in the past, but have hardly been analyzed theoretically yet. Theoretical analysis would greatly enhance the effects of the suppression of insolation heating. In preceding studies, Ohkawa et al.(2009; 2011) and Mikada et al.(2011) focused on the electromagnetic wave scattering induced by fine spheres and developed the analytical method using superposition of scattered waves from each sphere (the first Born approximation), and indicated that the size of the spheres is one of the

  10. Esterase- and pH-responsive poly(β-amino ester)-capped mesoporous silica nanoparticles for drug delivery

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fernando, Isurika R.; Ferris, Daniel P.; Frasconi, Marco; Malin, Dmitry; Strekalova, Elena; Yilmaz, M. Deniz; Ambrogio, Michael W.; Algaradah, Mohammed M.; Hong, Michael P.; Chen, Xinqi; Nassar, Majed S.; Botros, Youssry Y.; Cryns, Vincent L.; Stoddart, J. Fraser

    2015-04-01

    Gating of mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) with the stimuli-responsive poly(β-amino ester) has been achieved. This hybrid nanocarrier releases doxorubicin (DOX) under acidic conditions or in the presence of porcine liver esterase. The DOX loaded poly(β-amino ester)-capped MSNs reduce cell viability when tested on MDA-MB-231 human breast cancer cells.Gating of mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) with the stimuli-responsive poly(β-amino ester) has been achieved. This hybrid nanocarrier releases doxorubicin (DOX) under acidic conditions or in the presence of porcine liver esterase. The DOX loaded poly(β-amino ester)-capped MSNs reduce cell viability when tested on MDA-MB-231 human breast cancer cells. Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available: Experimental details relating to (i) the synthesis and characterisation of the surface-functionalised MSN and POL (ii) cargo-loading and release studies in solution, (iii) cellular internalisation of nanomaterials, and (iv) cell viability tests. See DOI: 10.1039/c4nr07443b

  11. All-Silica Hollow-Core Microstructured Bragg Fibers for Biosensor Application

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Passaro, Davide; Foroni, Matteo; Poli, Federica

    2008-01-01

    The possibility to exploit all-silica hollow-core-microstructured Bragg fibers to realize a biosensor useful to detect the DNA hybridization process has been investigated. A Bragg fiber recently fabricated has been considered for the analysis performed by means of a full-vector modal solver based...... layer on the inner surface of the fiber holes can modify the fundamental mode properties. The numerical analysis results have successfully demonstrated the DNA bio-sensor feasibility in hollow-core Bragg fibers....

  12. Carbon-Dot and Quantum-Dot-Coated Dual-Emission Core-Satellite Silica Nanoparticles for Ratiometric Intracellular Cu(2+) Imaging.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zou, Chenchen; Foda, Mohamed Frahat; Tan, Xuecai; Shao, Kang; Wu, Long; Lu, Zhicheng; Bahlol, Hagar Shendy; Han, Heyou

    2016-07-19

    Copper (Cu(2+)) is physiologically essential, but excessive Cu(2+) may cause potential risk to plants and animals due to the bioaccumulative properties. Hence, sensitive recognition is crucial to avoid overintake of Cu(2+), and visual recognition is more favored for practical application. In this work, a dual-emission ratiometric fluorescent nanoprobe was developed possessing the required intensity ratio, which can facilitate the sensitive identification of Cu(2+) by the naked eye. The probe hybridizes two fluorescence nanodots (quantum dots (QDs) and carbon dots (CDs)). Although both of them can be viable fluorescence probes for metal ion detection, rarely research has coupled this two different kinds of fluorescence material in one nanosensor to fabricate a selectively ratiometric fluorescence probe for intracellular imaging. The red emitting CdTe/CdS QDs were capped around the silica microsphere to serve as the response signal label, and the blue-emitting CDs, which is insensitive to the analyte, were covalently attached to the QDs surface to act as the reference signal. This core-satellite hybrid sphere not only improves the stability and brightness of QDs significantly but also decreases the cytotoxicity toward HeLa cells tremendously. Moreover, the Cu(2+) could quench the QDs emission effectively but have no ability for reduction of the CDs emission. Accordingly, a simple, efficient, and precise method for tracing Cu(2+) was proposed. The increase of Cu(2+) concentration in the series of 0-3 × 10(-6) M was in accordance with linearly decrease of the F650/F425 ratio. As for practical application, this nanosensor was utilized to the ratiometric fluorescence imaging of copper ions in HeLa cells.

  13. Silica-based PLC with heterogeneously-integrated PDs for one-chip DP-QPSK receiver.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kurata, Yu; Nasu, Yusuke; Tamura, Munehisa; Kasahara, Ryoichi; Aozasa, Shinichi; Mizuno, Takayuki; Yokoyama, Haruki; Tsunashima, Satoshi; Muramoto, Yoshifumi

    2012-12-10

    To realize a DP-QPSK receiver PLC, we heterogeneously integrated eight high-speed PDs on a silica-based PLC platform with a PBS, 90-degree optical hybrids and a VOA. The use of a 2.5%-Δ waveguide reduced the receiver PLC size to 11 mm x 11 mm. We successfully demonstrated 32 Gbaud DP-QPSK signal demodulation with the receiver PLC.

  14. Efficient, approximate and parallel Hartree-Fock and hybrid DFT calculations. A 'chain-of-spheres' algorithm for the Hartree-Fock exchange

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Neese, Frank; Wennmohs, Frank; Hansen, Andreas; Becker, Ute

    2009-01-01

    In this paper, the possibility is explored to speed up Hartree-Fock and hybrid density functional calculations by forming the Coulomb and exchange parts of the Fock matrix by different approximations. For the Coulomb part the previously introduced Split-RI-J variant (F. Neese, J. Comput. Chem. 24 (2003) 1740) of the well-known 'density fitting' approximation is used. The exchange part is formed by semi-numerical integration techniques that are closely related to Friesner's pioneering pseudo-spectral approach. Our potentially linear scaling realization of this algorithm is called the 'chain-of-spheres exchange' (COSX). A combination of semi-numerical integration and density fitting is also proposed. Both Split-RI-J and COSX scale very well with the highest angular momentum in the basis sets. It is shown that for extended basis sets speed-ups of up to two orders of magnitude compared to traditional implementations can be obtained in this way. Total energies are reproduced with an average error of <0.3 kcal/mol as determined from extended test calculations with various basis sets on a set of 26 molecules with 20-200 atoms and up to 2000 basis functions. Reaction energies agree to within 0.2 kcal/mol (Hartree-Fock) or 0.05 kcal/mol (hybrid DFT) with the canonical values. The COSX algorithm parallelizes with a speedup of 8.6 observed for 10 processes. Minimum energy geometries differ by less than 0.3 pm in the bond distances and 0.5 deg. in the bond angels from their canonical values. These developments enable highly efficient and accurate self-consistent field calculations including nonlocal Hartree-Fock exchange for large molecules. In combination with the RI-MP2 method and large basis sets, second-order many body perturbation energies can be obtained for medium sized molecules with unprecedented efficiency. The algorithms are implemented into the ORCA electronic structure system

  15. Analytic functionals on the sphere

    CERN Document Server

    Morimoto, Mitsuo

    1998-01-01

    This book treats spherical harmonic expansion of real analytic functions and hyperfunctions on the sphere. Because a one-dimensional sphere is a circle, the simplest example of the theory is that of Fourier series of periodic functions. The author first introduces a system of complex neighborhoods of the sphere by means of the Lie norm. He then studies holomorphic functions and analytic functionals on the complex sphere. In the one-dimensional case, this corresponds to the study of holomorphic functions and analytic functionals on the annular set in the complex plane, relying on the Laurent series expansion. In this volume, it is shown that the same idea still works in a higher-dimensional sphere. The Fourier-Borel transformation of analytic functionals on the sphere is also examined; the eigenfunction of the Laplacian can be studied in this way.

  16. A hybrid concept (segmented plus monolithic fused silica shells) for a high-throughput and high-angular resolution x-ray mission (Lynx/X-Ray Surveyor like)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Basso, Stefano; Civitani, Marta; Pareschi, Giovanni; Parodi, Giancarlo

    2017-09-01

    Lynx is a large area and high angular resolution X-ray mission being studied by NASA to be presented to the next Decadal Survey for the implementation in the next decade. It aims to realize an X-ray telescope with the effective area similar to Athena (2 m2 at 1 keV) but with the same angular resolution of Chandra and a much larger Field Of View (up 20 arcmin x 20 arcmin). The science of X-ray Surveyor requires a large-throughput mirror assembly with sub-arcsec angular resolution. These future X-ray mirrors have a set of requirements which, collectively, represents very substantial advances over any currently in operation or planned for missions other than X-ray Surveyor. Of particular importance is achieving low mass per unit collecting area, while maintaining Chandra like angular resolution. Among the possible solutions under study, the direct polishing of both thin monolithic pseudo-cylindrical shells and segments made of fused silica are being considered as viable solutions for the implementation of the mirrors. Fused silica has very good thermomechanical parameters (including a very low CTE), making the material particularly well suited for for the production of the Lynx mirrors. It should be noted that the use of close shells is also very attractive, since the operations for the integration of the shells will be greatly simplified and the area lost due to the vignetting from the interfacing structures minimized even if the management of such big (diameter of 3 m) and thin shells have to be demonstrated. In this paper we will discuss a possible basic layout for a full shell mirror and a hybrid concept (segmented plus monolithic shells made of fused silica) as a second solution, for the Lynx/XRS telescope, discussing preliminary results in terms of optical and mechanical performance.

  17. Highly efficient solid-state neutron scintillators based on hybrid sol-gel nanocomposite materials

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kesanli, Banu; Hong, Kunlun; Meyer, Kent; Im, Hee-Jung; Dai, Sheng

    2006-01-01

    This research highlights opportunities in the formulation of neutron scintillators that not only have high scintillation efficiencies but also can be readily cast into two-dimensional detectors. Series of transparent, crack-free monoliths were prepared from hybrid polystyrene-silica nanocomposites in the presence of arene-containing alkoxide precursor through room temperature sol-gel processing. The monoliths also contain lithium-6 salicylate as a target material for neutron-capture reactions and amphiphilic scintillator solution as a fluorescent sensitizer. Polystyrene was functionalized by trimethoxysilyl group in order to enable the covalent incorporation of aromatic functional groups into the inorganic sol-gel matrices for minimizing macroscopic phase segregation and facilitating lithium-6 doping in the sol-gel samples. Neutron and alpha responses of these hybrid polystyrene-silica monoliths were explored

  18. Packaged and hybrid integrated all-optical flip-flop memory

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Liu, Y.; McDougall, R.; Hill, M.T.; Maxwell, G.D.; Zhang, S.; Harmon, R.; Huijskens, Frans; Rivers, L.; Dorren, H.J.S.; Poustie, A.

    2006-01-01

    A fully-packaged hybrid-integrated all-optical flip-flop, where InP-based semiconductor optical amplifiers are assembled onto a planar silica waveguide board, is demonstrated. It is shown experimentally that the flip-flop can dynamically toggle between its two states by injecting 150 ps optical

  19. A hybrid plasmonic microresonator with high quality factor and small mode volume

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lu, Qijing; Chen, Daru; Wu, Genzhu; Peng, Baojin; Xu, Jiancheng

    2012-01-01

    We propose a novel hybrid plasmonic microcavity which is composed of a silver nanoring and a silica toroidal microcavity. The hybrid mode of the proposed hybrid plasmonic microcavity due to the coupling between the surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) and the dielectric mode is demonstrated with a high quality factor (>1000) and an ultrasmall mode volume (∼0.8 μm 3 ). This microcavity shows great potential in fundamental studies of nonlinear optics and cavity quantum electrodynamics (cQED) and applications in low-threshold plasmonic microlasers. (paper)

  20. Crystalline Silica Primer

    Science.gov (United States)

    ,

    1992-01-01

    Crystalline silica is the scientific name for a group of minerals composed of silicon and oxygen. The term crystalline refers to the fact that the oxygen and silicon atoms are arranged in a threedimensional repeating pattern. This group of minerals has shaped human history since the beginning of civilization. From the sand used for making glass to the piezoelectric quartz crystals used in advanced communication systems, crystalline silica has been a part of our technological development. Crystalline silica's pervasiveness in our technology is matched only by its abundance in nature. It's found in samples from every geologic era and from every location around the globe. Scientists have known for decades that prolonged and excessive exposure to crystalline silica dust in mining environments can cause silicosis, a noncancerous lung disease. During the 1980's, studies were conducted that suggested that crystalline silica also was a carcinogen. As a result of these findings, crystalline silica has been regulated under the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's (OSHA) Hazard Communication Standard (HCS). Under HCS, OSHAregulated businesses that use materials containing 0.1% or more crystalline silica must follow Federal guidelines concerning hazard communication and worker training. Although the HCS does not require that samples be analyzed for crystalline silica, mineral suppliers or OSHAregulated

  1. Hybrid Nano composite Membranes for PEMFC Applications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Niepceron, F.

    2008-03-01

    This work aims at validating a new concept of hybrid materials for the realization of proton exchange membranes, an essential constituent of PEM fuel cells. The originality of this nano-composite hybrid concept corresponds to a separation of the membrane's properties. We investigated the preparation of composite materials based on an inert, relatively low cost, polymer matrix (PVDF-HFP) providing the mechanical stability embedding inorganic fillers providing the necessary properties o f proton-conduction and water retention. The first step of this work consisted in the modification of fumed silica to obtain a proton-conducting filler. An ionic exchange capacity (CEI) equal to 3 meq/g was obtained by the original grafting of sodium poly(styrene-sulfonate) chains from the surface of particles. Nano-composite hybrid membranes PVDF-HFP/functionalized silica were accomplished by a film casting process. The coupling of the morphological and physicochemical analyses validated the percolation of the inorganic phase for 30 wt.% of particles. Beyond 40 % of loading, measured protonic conductivity is higher than the reference membrane Nafion 112. Finally, these membranes presented high performances, above 0.8 W/cm 2 , in single-cell fuel cell tests. A compromise is necessary according to the rate of loading between performances in fuel cell and mechanical properties of the membrane. 50 % appeared as best choice with, until 90 C, a remarkable thermal stability of the performances. (author)

  2. HYBRID EDUCATION: THE ESTIMATION IN THE CATEGORIES OF INFORMATION-AXIOLOGICAL APPROACH

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A. S. Kizilova

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: a hybrid assessment of reality is a new information-axiological level of communication between people. The term "hybrid (hybrid training" has been used as a result of the integration of digital and communication technologies in the form of online courses.Materials and methods: the main Russian forms of education are analyzed. The evaluation of the forms of education in the categories of the information-axiological approach is made on the basis of the following idea: everything is interchangeable, since everything has value. The mixing principles and models used in the process of hybrid formation are considered. Due to the fact that any mixed training requires planning, the analysis of the project and the target group, content analysis and financial analysis in this process is carried out.Results: specific educational methods are studied at the Bauman MSTU, subject to a hybrid assessment in the categories of the information-axiological approach. The analysis showed that the above explanation of the term "hybrid formation" is extremely narrow and one-sided. In particular, the search for information on volunteer education and the search for a socially-based education was conducted not only in the Bauman MSTU, but in Russia as a whole. However, the result was the portals of international student organizations with their own projects. Another example of a different interpretation of the "hybrid education" may be the assumption of quite axiologically new duties.Discussion and Conclusions: hybrid education is not limited to any temporal and territorial framework. It can manifest itself not only in the Internet-sphere, but also in the most diverse spheres of everyday life, with the interaction of various people and entire societies.

  3. Hybrid, silica-coated, Janus-like plasmonic-magnetic nanoparticles

    OpenAIRE

    Sotiriou, Georgios A.; Hirt, Ann M.; Lozach, Pierre-Yves; Teleki, Alexandra; Krumeich, Frank; Pratsinis, Sotiris E.

    2011-01-01

    Hybrid plasmonic-magnetic nanoparticles possess properties that are attractive in bioimaging, targeted drug delivery, in vivo diagnosis and therapy. The stability and toxicity, however, of such nanoparticles challenge their safe use today. Here, biocompatible, SiO2-coated, Janus-like Ag/Fe2O3 nanoparticles are prepared by one-step, scalable flame aerosol technology. A nanothin SiO2 shell around these multifunctional nanoparticles leaves intact their morphology, magnetic and plasmonic properti...

  4. Ionic Liquid-Nanoparticle Hybrid Electrolytes and their Application in Secondary Lithium-Metal Batteries

    KAUST Repository

    Lu, Yingying; Das, Shyamal K.; Moganty, Surya S.; Archer, Lynden A.

    2012-01-01

    Ionic liquid-tethered nanoparticle hybrid electrolytes comprised of silica nanoparticles densely grafted with imidazolium-based ionic liquid chains are shown to retard lithium dendrite growth in rechargeable batteries with metallic lithium anodes

  5. Synthesis, properties and host effects of rare-earth doped silica nanopowders for photonic applications

    Science.gov (United States)

    Halpern, Susan B.

    In this study, SiO2/Al2O3/Er2O 3 (SAE) nanopowders were fabricated by the CF-CVC technique with average primary particle sizes ranging from 10--30 nm. Fluorescence and lifetime measurements were made both on as-prepared powders, as well as heat treated powders, with the latter exhibiting significantly higher emission intensities. At ˜1000°C, the SAE became partially devitrified with extremely broad (FWHM ≈ 78 nm) and flat emission spectra, which is highly desirable for Wavelength Division Multiplexing (WDM) in optical amplifiers. The unique optical properties of the powders are attributed to the formation of a metastable phase consisting of an uniform nano-scale dispersion of a metastable intermediate SiO2 (Al,Er)2O3 phase in an amorphous SiO 2 matrix. At higher heat treatments (1400°C), a dual-phase equilibrium structure was formed, consisting of a pyrochlore phase in a crystobalite matrix. The SAE nanopowders were incorporated into various optical hybrid glass hosts for active planar waveguide applications. Host selection was dependent on transparency in the wavelength region of interest (900 nm--1600 nm), index matching (n ˜ 1.5), chemical/thermal stability, and ease of processing. Furthermore, the inorganic-organic glasses were hydrophobic, resulting in a minimal level of residual OH- which can quench fluorescence emission. Four separate groups of host materials were studied: Perfluoro-alkyl Hybrid Glass (n ≈ 1.42), Alumina-Silica Hybrid Glass (n ≈ 1.49), Polyurethane-Silica Hybrid Glass (n ≈ 1.44), and Methyl/Epoxy Group Hybrid Glass (n ≈ 1.48). All hosts showed high spectral transparency, uniform dispersion of the nanopowder in the host, and minimal surface quenching of emission, and therefore represent excellent candidates for fabrication of next generation nanophotonic planar devices.

  6. Hybrid materials for optics and photonics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lebeau, Benedicte; Innocenzi, Plinio

    2011-02-01

    The interest in organic-inorganic hybrids as materials for optics and photonics started more than 25 years ago and since then has known a continuous and strong growth. The high versatility of sol-gel processing offers a wide range of possibilities to design tailor-made materials in terms of structure, texture, functionality, properties and shape modelling. From the first hybrid material with optical functional properties that has been obtained by incorporation of an organic dye in a silica matrix, the research in the field has quickly evolved towards more sophisticated systems, such as multifunctional and/or multicomponent materials, nanoscale and self-assembled hybrids and devices for integrated optics. In the present critical review, we have focused our attention on three main research areas: passive and active optical hybrid sol-gel materials, and integrated optics. This is far from exhaustive but enough to give an overview of the huge potential of these materials in photonics and optics (254 references).

  7. Fabrication and characterization of stable superhydrophobic fluorinated-polyacrylate/silica hybrid coating

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li, Kunquan; Zeng, Xingrong; Li, Hongqiang; Lai, Xuejun

    2014-01-01

    Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • The superhydrophobic PFA/SiO 2 coating was successfully fabricated by spraying. • The synthesized PFA latex showed core–shell structure and good dispersion. • The PFA/SiO 2 coating showed good resistance to acid and base, weather and heat. • The superhydrophobic coating could be fabricated on various substrates. - Abstract: The core–shell fluorinated-polyacrylate (PFA) emulsion was synthesized through emulsion polymerization method and the superhydrophobic PFA/SiO 2 hybrid coating was successfully fabricated on the slide glass by spraying the mixture of PFA emulsion and hydrophobic SiO 2 particles using ethanol as cosolvent. The PFA emulsion was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), dynamic light scattering (DLS), water contact angle (WCA), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and the effects of SiO 2 content on the wetting behavior and surface morphology of PFA/SiO 2 hybrid coating were investigated. To evaluate the stability of the hybrid coating, the acid and base resistance, weatherability and thermal stability were also studied. Results showed that the obtained PFA latex exhibited a core–shell structure with a particle size of 134.1 nm and a narrow polydispersity of 0.03. With the increase of dodecafluoroheptyl methacrylate (DFMA) content in the latex shell from 0 wt% to 31.8 wt%, the WCA of the PFA film enlarged from 85° to 104°, indicating that the introduction of fluorinated monomer was effective in reducing the surface energy. By adding different amount of SiO 2 particles, the surface morphology and wetting behavior of the PFA/SiO 2 hybrid coatings could be controlled. When the mass ratio of SiO 2 to PFA emulsion was 0.2, the surface roughness (Rq) increased to 173.6 nm and the wetting behavior of the surface became superhydrophobic with a WCA of 153°, resulted from the corporation of low surface energy and the binary nano/microstructure on the surface. The as-prepared PFA

  8. The influence of silica functionalized with silanes on migration of heavy metals in soil

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Grzesiak Piotr

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available 3-Mercaptopropyl-trimethoxysilane and [3-(2-aminoethylaminopropyl]trimethoxysilane were used to functionalize the surface of silica from Piotrowice in Poland to stabilize heavy metals (HMs and arsenic in soil. The soil for the study was sampled from the impact zone of Głogów Copper Smelter and Refinery. The soil samples were exposed to five-step Tessier sequential extraction. The speciation studies were limited to five sequentially defined fractions in which metal content was determined. The addition of unmodified silica did not affect significantly the concentration of metals in individual fractions. Significant changes were noted upon introduction of functionalized silica in the soil. The hybrid formulations obtained significantly reduce the release of heavy metals and arsenic from soil sorption complex. The results indicate the potential use of functional formulations for reduction of metal migration in soil in the areas of exceeded concentration of heavy metals and arsenic in the soil, caused by industrial activity.

  9. Alumina plate containing photosystem I reaction center complex oriented inside plate-penetrating silica nanopores.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kamidaki, Chihiro; Kondo, Toru; Noji, Tomoyasu; Itoh, Tetsuji; Yamaguchi, Akira; Itoh, Shigeru

    2013-08-22

    The photosynthetic photosystem I reaction center complex (PSI-RC), which has a molecular diameter of 21 nm with 100 pigments, was incorporated into silica nanopores with a 100-nm diameter that penetrates an alumina plate of 60-μm thickness to make up an inorganic-biological hybrid photocell. PSI-RCs, purified from a thermophilic cyanobacterium, were stable inside the nanopores and rapidly photoreduced a mediator dye methyl viologen. The reduced dye was more stable inside nanopores suggesting the decrease of dissolved oxygen. The analysis by a cryogenic electron spin paramagnetic resonance indicated the oriented arrangement of RCs inside the 100-nm nanopores, with their surface parallel to the silica wall and perpendicular to the plane of the alumina plate. PSI RC complex in the semicrystalline orientation inside silica nanopores can be a new type of light energy conversion unit to supply strong reducing power selectively to other molecules inside or outside nanopores.

  10. Properties of Fiber-Reinforced Mortars Incorporating Nano-Silica

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ahmed Ghazy

    2016-02-01

    Full Text Available Repair and rehabilitation of deteriorating concrete elements are of significant concern in many infrastructural facilities and remain a challenging task. Concerted research efforts are needed to develop repair materials that are sustainable, durable, and cost-effective. Research data show that fiber-reinforced mortars/concretes have superior performance in terms of volume stability and toughness. In addition, it has been recently reported that nano-silica particles can generally improve the mechanical and durability properties of cement-based systems. Thus, there has been a growing interest in the use of nano-modified fiber-reinforced cementitious composites/mortars (NFRM in repair and rehabilitation applications of concrete structures. The current study investigates various mechanical and durability properties of nano-modified mortar containing different types of fibers (steel, basalt, and hybrid (basalt and polypropylene, in terms of compressive and flexural strengths, toughness, drying shrinkage, penetrability, and resistance to salt-frost scaling. The results highlight the overall effectiveness of the NFRM owing to the synergistic effects of nano-silica and fibers.

  11. Transformation of vortex structures in the wake of a sphere moving in the stratified fluid with decreasing of internal Froude number

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Matyushin, Pavel; Gushchin, Valentin

    2011-01-01

    The 3D separated, density stratified viscous fluid flows around a sphere are investigated by means of the direct numerical simulation (DNS) on the basis of the Navier-Stokes equations in the Boussinesq approximation on the supercomputers at the wide range of internal Froude (Fr) and Reynolds (Re) numbers. For DNS the Splitting on physical factors Method for Incompressible Fluid flows (SMIF) with the hybrid explicit finite difference scheme (second-order accuracy in space, minimum scheme viscosity and dispersion, monotonous) has been used. At Fr > 10 with increasing of Re we observed the flow regimes of the homogeneous viscous fluid (including the laminar-turbulent transition in the boundary layer on the sphere). With decreasing of Fr at Re < 500 the strong transformation of vortex structures in the sphere wake is demonstrated by means of the β – visualization. Thus the refined classification of the flow regimes around a sphere moving in the viscous stratified fluid is presented.

  12. Fusion breeder sphere - PAC blanket design

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sullivan, J.D.; Palmer, B.J.F.

    1987-11-01

    There is a considerable world-wide effort directed toward the production of materials for fusion reactors. Many ceramic fabrication groups are working on making lithium ceramics in a variety of forms, to be incorporated into the tritium breeding blanket which will surround the fusion reactor. Current blanket designs include ceramic in either monolithic or packed sphere bed (sphere-pac) forms. The major thrust at AECL is the production of lithium aluminate spheres to be incorporated in a sphere-pac bed. Contemporary studies on breeder blanket design offer little insight into the requirements on the sizes of the spheres. This study examined the parameters which determine the properties of pressure drop and coolant requirements. It was determined that an optimised sphere-pac bed would be composed of two diameters of spheres: 75 weight % at 3 mm and 25 weight % at 0.3 mm

  13. Uptake of silica covered Quantum Dots into living cells: Long term vitality and morphology study on hyaluronic acid biomaterials

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    D'Amico, Michele; Fiorica, Calogero; Palumbo, Fabio Salvatore; Militello, Valeria; Leone, Maurizio; Dubertret, Benoit; Pitarresi, Giovanna; Giammona, Gaetano

    2016-01-01

    Quantum Dots (QDs) are promising very bright and stable fluorescent probes for optical studies in the biological field but water solubility and possible metal bio-contamination need to be addressed. In this work, a simple silica-QD hybrid system is prepared and the uptake in bovine chondrocytes living cells without any functionalization of the external protective silica shield is demonstrated. Moreover, long term treated cells vitality (up to 14 days) and the transfer of silica-QDs to the next cell generations are here reported. Confocal fluorescence microscopy was also used to determine the morphology of the so labelled cells and the relative silica-QDs distribution. Finally, we employ silica-QD stained chondrocytes to characterize, as proof of concept, hydrogels obtained from an amphiphilic derivative of hyaluronic acid (HA-EDA-C _1_8) functionalized with different amounts of the RGD peptide. - Highlights: • Non functionalized silica-quantum dots fluorescent nanoparticles uptake is observed. • Morphology studies of such cells could be done by confocal fluorescence microscopy. • Labelled chondrocytes are viable until at least 14 days. • RGD functionalized Hyaluronic Acid hydrogels are studied as cell scaffolds. • Chondrocyte are promptly attached on RGD-functionalized hydrogels.

  14. Uptake of silica covered Quantum Dots into living cells: Long term vitality and morphology study on hyaluronic acid biomaterials

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    D' Amico, Michele [Dip. Biomedico di Medicina Interna e Specialistica, Universitá degli Studi di Palermo, Piazza delle Cliniche, 2, 90127 Palermo (Italy); Dip. di Fisica e Chimica, Universitá degli Studi di Palermo, Viale delle Scienze, Ed. 18, 90128 Palermo (Italy); Fiorica, Calogero, E-mail: calogero.fiorica@unipa.it [Dip. di Scienze e Tecnologie Molecolari e Biomolecolari, Sezione di Chimica e Tecnologie Farmaceutiche, Universitá degli Studi di Palermo, Via Archirafi, 28, 90136 Palermo (Italy); Palumbo, Fabio Salvatore [Dip. di Scienze e Tecnologie Molecolari e Biomolecolari, Sezione di Chimica e Tecnologie Farmaceutiche, Universitá degli Studi di Palermo, Via Archirafi, 28, 90136 Palermo (Italy); Militello, Valeria; Leone, Maurizio [Dip. di Fisica e Chimica, Universitá degli Studi di Palermo, Viale delle Scienze, Ed. 18, 90128 Palermo (Italy); Dubertret, Benoit [Laboratoire de Physique et d’Etude des Matèriaux, ESPCI-ParisTech, PSL Research University, Sorbonne Universitè UPMC Univ. Paris 06, CNRS, 10 rue Vauquelin, 75005 Paris (France); Pitarresi, Giovanna; Giammona, Gaetano [Dip. di Scienze e Tecnologie Molecolari e Biomolecolari, Sezione di Chimica e Tecnologie Farmaceutiche, Universitá degli Studi di Palermo, Via Archirafi, 28, 90136 Palermo (Italy)

    2016-10-01

    Quantum Dots (QDs) are promising very bright and stable fluorescent probes for optical studies in the biological field but water solubility and possible metal bio-contamination need to be addressed. In this work, a simple silica-QD hybrid system is prepared and the uptake in bovine chondrocytes living cells without any functionalization of the external protective silica shield is demonstrated. Moreover, long term treated cells vitality (up to 14 days) and the transfer of silica-QDs to the next cell generations are here reported. Confocal fluorescence microscopy was also used to determine the morphology of the so labelled cells and the relative silica-QDs distribution. Finally, we employ silica-QD stained chondrocytes to characterize, as proof of concept, hydrogels obtained from an amphiphilic derivative of hyaluronic acid (HA-EDA-C {sub 18}) functionalized with different amounts of the RGD peptide. - Highlights: • Non functionalized silica-quantum dots fluorescent nanoparticles uptake is observed. • Morphology studies of such cells could be done by confocal fluorescence microscopy. • Labelled chondrocytes are viable until at least 14 days. • RGD functionalized Hyaluronic Acid hydrogels are studied as cell scaffolds. • Chondrocyte are promptly attached on RGD-functionalized hydrogels.

  15. Hybrid life cycle assessment comparison of colloidal silica and cement grouted soil barrier remediation technologies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gallagher, Patricia M; Spatari, Sabrina; Cucura, Jeffrey

    2013-04-15

    Site remediation involves balancing numerous costs and benefits but often neglects the environmental impacts over the entire project life cycle. Life cycle assessment (LCA) offers a framework for inclusion of global environmental "systems-level" decision metrics in combination with technological and cost analysis. We compare colloidal silica (CS) and cement grouted soil barrier remediation technologies for soils affected by low level radionuclides at a U.S. Superfund site using hybrid LCA methods. CS is a new, high performance grouting material installed using permeation grouting techniques. Cement, a more traditional grouting material, is typically installed using jet grouting techniques. Life cycle impacts were evaluated using the US EPA TRACI 2 model. Results show the highest life cycle environmental impacts for the CS barrier occur during materials production and transportation to the site. In general, the life cycle impacts for the cement barrier were dominated by materials production; however, in the extreme scenario the life cycle impacts were dominated by truck transportation of spoils to a distant, off-site radioactive waste facility. It is only in the extreme scenario tested in which soils are transported by truck (Option 2) that spoils waste transport dominates LCIA results. Life cycle environmental impacts for both grout barriers were most sensitive to resource input requirements for manufacturing volumes and transportation. Uncertainty associated with the efficacy of new technology such as CS over its required design life indicates that barrier replacement could increase its life cycle environmental impact above that of the cement barrier. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  16. Synthesis of Non-Toxic Silica Particles Stabilized by Molecular Complex Oleic-Acid/Sodium Oleate

    Science.gov (United States)

    Spataru, Catalin Ilie; Ianchis, Raluca; Petcu, Cristian; Nistor, Cristina Lavinia; Purcar, Violeta; Trica, Bogdan; Nitu, Sabina Georgiana; Somoghi, Raluca; Alexandrescu, Elvira; Oancea, Florin; Donescu, Dan

    2016-01-01

    The present work is focused on the preparation of biocompatible silica particles from sodium silicate, stabilized by a vesicular system containing oleic acid (OLA) and its alkaline salt (OLANa). Silica nanoparticles were generated by the partial neutralization of oleic acid (OLA), with the sodium cation present in the aqueous solutions of sodium silicate. At the molar ratio OLA/Na+ = 2:1, the molar ratio (OLA/OLANa = 1:1) required to form vesicles, in which the carboxyl and carboxylate groups have equal concentrations, was achieved. In order to obtain hydrophobically modified silica particles, octadecyltriethoxysilane (ODTES) was added in a sodium silicate sol–gel mixture at different molar ratios. The interactions between the octadecyl groups from the modified silica and the oleyl chains from the OLA/OLANa stabilizing system were investigated via simultaneous thermogravimetry (TG) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) (TG-DSC) analyses.A significant decrease in vaporization enthalpy and an increase in amount of ODTES were observed. Additionally, that the hydrophobic interaction between OLA and ODTES has a strong impact on the hybrids’ final morphology and on their textural characteristics was revealed. The highest hydrodynamic average diameter and the most negative ζ potential were recorded for the hybrid in which the ODTES/sodium silicate molar ratio was 1:5. The obtained mesoporous silica particles, stabilized by the OLA/OLANa vesicular system, may find application as carriers for hydrophobic bioactive molecules. PMID:27869768

  17. Poly(NIPAM-co-MPS-grafted multimodal porous silica nanoparticles as reverse thermoresponsive drug delivery system

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sushilkumar A. Jadhav

    2017-05-01

    Full Text Available Hybrid drug delivery systems (DDS have been prepared by grafting poly(NIPAM-co-MPS chains on multimodal porous silica nanoparticles having an inner mesoporous structure and an outer thin layer of micropores. The hybrid thermoresponsive DDS were fully characterized and loaded with a model drug. The in vitro drug release tests are carried out at below and above the lower critical solution temperature (LCST of the copolymer. The results have revealed that due to the presence of small diameter (~1.3 nm micropores at the periphery of the particles, the collapsed globules of the thermoresponsive copolymer above its LCST hinders the complete release of the drug which resulted in a reverse thermoresponsive drug release profile by the hybrid DDS.

  18. A nanosized Ag–silica hybrid complex prepared by γ-irradiation activates the defense response in Arabidopsis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chu, Hyosub; Kim, Hwa-Jung; Su Kim, Joong; Kim, Min-Soo; Yoon, Byung-Dae; Park, Hae-Jun; Kim, Cha Young

    2012-01-01

    Silver nanoparticles have antimicrobial activity against many pathogenic microbes. Here, the preparation of a nanosized Ag–silica hybrid complex (NSS) prepared by γ-irradiation is described. The effects of both NSS and reduced Ag nanoparticles (Ag 0 ) on the growth of the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana were tested. The application of 1–10 ppm NSS complex improved Arabidopsis growth in soil, whereas 100 ppm NSS resulted in weakly curled leaves. In addition, supplementation of Murashige and Skoog (MS) growth medium with 1 ppm NSS promoted the root growth of Arabidopsis seedlings, but root growth was inhibited by supplementation with 10 ppm NSS. To investigate whether the NSS complex could induce plant defense responses, the expression of pathogenesis-related (PR) genes that are implicated in systemic acquired resistance (SAR) in Arabidopsis plants was examined. PR1, PR2 and PR5 were significantly up-regulated by each application of 10 ppm NSS complex or Ag 0 to the rosette leaves. Furthermore, pretreatment with the NSS complex induced more pathogen resistance to the virulent pathogen Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato DC3000 (Pst) compared to water treatment in Arabidopsis plants. - Research highlights: ► We describe the preparation of silver nanoparticles using γ-irradiation technique. ► We examine the effects of silver nanoparticles on the growth of Arabidopsis. ► Silver nanoparticles induced the expression of SAR marker genes. ► Silver nanoparticles exhibited enhanced disease resistance to the bacterial pathogen.

  19. Silica coated ionic liquid templated mesoporous silica nanoparticles ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    A series of long chain pyridinium based ionic liquids 1-tetradecylpyridinium bromide, 1-hexadecylpyridinium bromide and 1-1-octadecylpyridinium bromide were used as templates to prepare silica coated mesoporous silica nanoparticles via condensation method under basic condition. The effects of alkyl chain length on ...

  20. SPHERE: Irradiation of sphere-pac fuel of UPuO2−x containing 3% Americium

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    D’Agata, E.; Hania, P.R.; McGinley, J.; Somers, J.; Sciolla, C.; Baas, P.J.; Kamer, S.; Okel, R.A.F.; Bobeldijk, I.; Delage, F.; Bejaoui, S.

    2014-01-01

    Highlights: • SPHERE is designed to check the behaviour of MADF sphere-pac concept. • MADF sphere-pac are compared with MADF pellet. • Swelling, helium release and restructuring behaviour will be the main output of the experiment. • An experiment to check sphere-pac MABB fuel behaviour is now under design. - Abstract: Americium is a strong contributor to the long term radiotoxicity of high activity nuclear waste. Transmutation by irradiation in nuclear reactors of long-lived nuclides like 241 Am is therefore an option for the reduction of radiotoxicity of waste packages to be stored in a repository. The SPHERE irradiation experiment is the latest of a series of European experiments on americium transmutation (e.g. EFTTRA-T4, EFTTRA-T4bis, HELIOS, MARIOS) performed in the HFR (High Flux Reactor). The SPHERE experiment is carried out in the framework of the 4-year project FAIRFUELS of the EURATOM 7th Framework Programme (FP7). During the past years of experimental works in the field of transmutation and tests of innovative nuclear fuels, the release or trapping of helium as well as helium induced fuel swelling have been shown to be the key issues for the design of Am-bearing targets. The main objective of the SPHERE experiment is to study the in-pile behaviour of fuel containing 3% of americium and to compare the behaviour of sphere-pac fuel to pellet fuel, in particular the role of microstructure and temperature on fission gas release (mainly He) and on fuel swelling. The SPHERE experiment is being irradiated since September 2013 in the HFR in Petten (The Netherlands) and is expected to be terminated in spring 2015. The experiment has been designed to last up to 18 reactor cycles (corresponding to 18 months) but may reach its target earlier. This paper discusses the rationale and objective of the SPHERE experiment and provides a general description of its design

  1. Preparation of silica-based hybrid materials by gamma irradiation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gomes, S.R.; Margaca, F.M.A.; Miranda Salvado, I.M.; Ferreira, L.M.; Falcao, A.N.

    2006-01-01

    Gamma-ray irradiation is well known to promote the crosslinking of polymer chains. The method is now used by the authors to prepare hybrid materials from a mixture of polymer and metallic alkoxides of silicium and zirconium that are usually obtained via the sol-gel process. Macroscopically homogeneous and transparent hybrid materials have been obtained by γ-irradiation of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS) and zirconium propoxide (PrZr). The influence of several parameters has been studied. The dose rate was found to have no significant impact in the prepared material. The polymer molecular weight was also observed not to play any special role. It was found that all irradiated samples consist of a polymer gel matrix. In the case where both alkoxides are present there are inorganic oxide regions linked to the PDMS network. However when one of the alkoxides is absent there is no formation of inorganic oxide regions linked to the polymer matrix, there being only a few individual derived molecules of the other alkoxide linked to the polymer

  2. Simulation of rotary-drum and repose tests for frictional spheres and rigid sphere clusters

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Walton, O.R.; Braun, R.L.

    1993-11-01

    The effects of rotation rate and interparticle friction on the bulk flow behavior in rotating horizontal cylinders are studied via particle-dynamic simulations. Assemblies of inelastic, frictional spheres and rigid sphere clusters are utilized, and rotation rates from quasistatic to centrifuging are examined. Flow phenomena explored include size segregation, avalanching, slumping and centrifuging. Simulated drum flows with two sizes of frictional spheres showed very rapid segregation of species perpendicular to the drum axis; however, simulations of up to 10 revolutions, utilizing periodic-boundary ends, did not exhibit the experimentally observed axial segregation into stripes. Angles of repose for uniform-sized spheres in slowly rotating cylinders varied from 13 to 31 degrees as the friction coefficient varied from 0.02 to 1.0. For simulated rotation rates higher than the threshold to obtain uniform flow conditions, the apparent angle of repose increases as the rotation rats increases, consistent with experiments. Also, simulations with rigid clusters of 4 spheres in a tetrahedral shape or 8 spheres in a cubical arrangement, demonstrate that particle shape strongly influences the repose angle. Simulations of cubical 8-sphere clusters, with a surface coefficient of friction of 0.1, produced apparent angles of repose exceeding 35 degrees, compared to 23 degrees for assemblies of single spheres interacting with the same force model parameters. Centrifuging flows at very high rotation rates exist as stationary beds moving exactly as the outer rotating wall. At somewhat slower speeds the granular bed remains in contact with the wall but exhibits surface sliding down the rising inner bed surface, moving a short distance on each revolution. At still slower speeds particles rain from the surface of the upper half of the rotating bed.

  3. Synthesis of Hierarchically Structured Hybrid Materials by Controlled Self-Assembly of Metal-Organic Framework with Mesoporous Silica for CO2 Adsorption.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Chong; Li, Bingxue; Zhou, Lijin; Xia, Zefeng; Feng, Nengjie; Ding, Jing; Wang, Lei; Wan, Hui; Guan, Guofeng

    2017-07-12

    The HKUST-1@SBA-15 composites with hierarchical pore structure were constructed by in situ self-assembly of metal-organic framework (MOF) with mesoporous silica. The structure directing role of SBA-15 had an obvious impact on the growth of MOF crystals, which in turn affected the morphologies and structural properties of the composites. The pristine HKUST-1 and the composites with different content of SBA-15 were characterized by XRD, N 2 adsorption-desorption, SEM, TEM, FT-IR, TG, XPS, and CO 2 -TPD techniques. It was found that the composites were assembled by oriented growth of MOF nanocrystals on the surfaces of SBA-15 matrix. The interactions between surface silanol groups and metal centers induced structural changes and resulted in the increases in surface areas as well as micropore volumes of hybrid materials. Besides, the additional constraints from SBA-15 also restrained the expansion of HKUST-1, contributing to their smaller crystal sizes in the composites. The adsorption isotherms of CO 2 on the materials were measured and applied to calculate the isosteric heats of adsorption. The HS-1 composite exhibited an increase of 15.9% in CO 2 uptake capacity compared with that of HKUST-1. Moreover, its higher isosteric heats of CO 2 adsorption indicated the stronger interactions between the surfaces and CO 2 molecules. The adsorption rate of the composite was also improved due to the introduction of mesopores. Ten cycles of CO 2 adsorption-desorption experiments implied that the HS-1 had excellent reversibility of CO 2 adsorption. This study was intended to provide the possibility of assembling new composites with tailored properties based on MOF and mesoporous silica to satisfy the requirements of various applications.

  4. Thermoresponsive copolymer-grafted SBA-15 porous silica particles for temperature-triggered topical delivery systems

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    S. A. Jadhav

    2017-02-01

    Full Text Available A series of poly(N-isopropylacrylamide-co-acrylamide thermoresponsive random copolymers with different molecular weights and composition were synthesized and characterized by attenuated total reflectance Fourier-transform infrared (ATR-FTIR, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC, size exclusion chromatography (SEC and proton nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR spectroscopy. The lower critical solution temperatures (LCST of the copolymers were tuned by changing the mole ratios of monomers. Copolymer with highest molecular weight and LCST (41.2 °C was grafted on SBA-15 type mesoporous silica particles by a two-step polymer grafting procedure. Bare SBA-15 and the thermoresponsive copolymergrafted (hybrid SBA-15 particles were fully characterized by scanning electron microscope (SEM, ATR-FTIR, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET analyses. The hybrid particles were tested for their efficiency as temperature-sensitive systems for dermal delivery of the antioxidant rutin (quercetin-3-O-rutinoside. Improved control over rutin release by hybrid particles was obtained which makes them attractive hybrid materials for drug delivery.

  5. Luminescent Polymer Electrolyte Composites Using Silica Coated-Y2O3:Eu as Fillers

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mikrajuddin Abdullah

    2003-05-01

    Full Text Available Luminescent polymer electrolyte composites composed of silica coated Y2O3:Eu in polyethylene glycol (PEG matrix has been produced by initially synthesizing silica coated Y2O3:Eu and mixing with polyethylene glycol in a lithium salt solution. High luminescence intensity at round 600 nm contributed by electron transitions in Eu3+ (5D0 -> 7F0, 5D0 -> 7F1, and 5D0 -> 7F3 transitions were observed. The measured electrical conductivity was comparable to that reported for polymer electrolyte composites prepared using passive fillers (non luminescent. This approach is therefore promising for production of high intensity luminescent polymer electrolyte composites for use in development of hybrid battery/display.

  6. Capped Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles for the Selective and Sensitive Detection of Cyanide.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sayed, Sameh El; Licchelli, Maurizio; Martínez-Máñez, Ramón; Sancenón, Félix

    2017-10-18

    The development of easy and affordable methods for the detection of cyanide is of great significance due to the high toxicity of this anion and the potential risks associated with its pollution. Herein, optical detection of cyanide in water has been achieved by using a hybrid organic-inorganic nanomaterial. Mesoporous silica nanoparticles were loaded with [Ru(bipy) 3 ] 2+ , functionalized with macrocyclic nickel(II) complex subunits, and capped with a sterically hindering anion (hexametaphosphate). Cyanide selectively induces demetallation of nickel(II) complexes and the removal of capping anions from the silica surface, allowing the release of the dye and the consequent increase in fluorescence intensity. The response of the capped nanoparticles in aqueous solution is highly selective and sensitive towards cyanide with a limit of detection of 2 μm. © 2017 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  7. Higher-dimensional relativistic-fluid spheres

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Patel, L. K.; Ahmedabad, Gujarat Univ.

    1997-01-01

    They consider the hydrostatic equilibrium of relativistic-fluid spheres for a D-dimensional space-time. Three physically viable interior solutions of the Einstein field equations corresponding to perfect-fluid spheres in a D-dimensional space-time are obtained. When D = 4 they reduce to the Tolman IV solution, the Mehra solution and the Finch-Skea solution. The solutions are smoothly matched with the D-dimensional Schwarzschild exterior solution at the boundary r = a of the fluid sphere. Some physical features and other related details of the solutions are briefly discussed. A brief description of two other new solutions for higher-dimensional perfect-fluid spheres is also given

  8. Silica- and germania-based dual-ligand sol-gel organic-inorganic hybrid sorbents combining superhydrophobicity and π-π interaction. The role of inorganic substrate in sol-gel capillary microextraction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Seyyal, Emre; Malik, Abdul

    2017-04-29

    Principles of sol-gel chemistry were utilized to create silica- and germania-based dual-ligand surface-bonded sol-gel coatings providing enhanced performance in capillary microextraction (CME) through a combination of ligand superhydrophobicity and π-π interaction. These organic-inorganic hybrid coatings were prepared using sol-gel precursors with bonded perfluorododecyl (PF-C 12 ) and phenethyl (PhE) ligands. Here, the ability of the PF-C 12 ligand to provide enhanced hydrophobic interaction was advantageously combined with π-π interaction capability of the PhE moiety to attain the desired sorbent performance in CME. The effect of the inorganic sorbent component on microextraction performance of was explored by comparing microextraction characteristics of silica- and germania-based sol-gel sorbents. The germania-based dual-ligand sol-gel sorbent demonstrated superior CME performance compared to its silica-based counterpart. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) of the created silica- and germania-based dual-ligand sol-gel sorbents suggested higher carbon loading on the germania-based sorbent. This might be indicative of more effective condensation of the organic ligand-bearing sol-gel-active chemical species to the germania-based sol-gel network (than to its silica-based counterpart) evolving in the sol solution. The type and concentration of the organic ligands were varied in the sol-gel sorbents to fine-tune extraction selectivity toward different classes of analytes. Specific extraction (SE) values were used for an objective comparison of the prepared sol-gel CME sorbents. The sorbents with higher content of PF-C 12 showed remarkable affinity for aliphatic hydrocarbons. Compared to their single-ligand sol-gel counterparts, the dual-ligand sol-gel coatings demonstrated significantly superior CME performance in the extraction of alkylbenzenes, providing up to ∼65.0% higher SE values. The prepared sol-gel CME coatings provided low ng L -1 limit of detections (LOD

  9. Experiment SPHERE status 2008

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shaulov, S.B.; Besshapov, S.P.; Kabanova, N.V.; Sysoeva, T.I.; Antonov, R.A.; Anyuhina, A.M.; Bronvech, E.A.; Chernov, D.V.; Galkin, V.I.; Tkaczyk, W.; Finger, M.; Sonsky, M.

    2009-01-01

    The expedition carried out in March, 2008 to Lake Baikal became an important stage in the development of the SPHERE experiment. During the expedition the SPHERE-2 installation was hoisted, for the first time, on a tethered balloon, APA, to a height of 700 m over the lake surface covered with ice and snow. A series of test measurements were made. Preliminary results of the data processing are presented. The next plan of the SPHERE experiment is to begin a set of statistics for constructing the CR spectrum in the energy range 10 16 -10 18 eV.

  10. Experiment SPHERE status 2008

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Shaulov, S.B., E-mail: shaul@sci.lebedev.r [P.N.Lebedev Physical Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, Leninsky prospect 53, Moscow 119991 (Russian Federation); Besshapov, S.P.; Kabanova, N.V.; Sysoeva, T.I. [P.N.Lebedev Physical Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, Leninsky prospect 53, Moscow 119991 (Russian Federation); Antonov, R.A.; Anyuhina, A.M.; Bronvech, E.A.; Chernov, D.V.; Galkin, V.I. [Skobeltsyn Institute of Nuclear Physics, Lomonosov State University, Moscow 119992 (Russian Federation); Tkaczyk, W. [Department of Experimental Physics of University of Lodz (Poland); Finger, M. [Karlov University, Prague (Czech Republic); Sonsky, M. [COMPAS Consortium, Turnov (Czech Republic)

    2009-12-15

    The expedition carried out in March, 2008 to Lake Baikal became an important stage in the development of the SPHERE experiment. During the expedition the SPHERE-2 installation was hoisted, for the first time, on a tethered balloon, APA, to a height of 700 m over the lake surface covered with ice and snow. A series of test measurements were made. Preliminary results of the data processing are presented. The next plan of the SPHERE experiment is to begin a set of statistics for constructing the CR spectrum in the energy range 10{sup 16}-10{sup 18} eV.

  11. Silica-coated Gd(DOTA)-loaded protein nanoparticles enable magnetic resonance imaging of macrophages

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bruckman, Michael A.; Randolph, Lauren N.; Gulati, Neetu M.; Stewart, Phoebe L.; Steinmetz, Nicole F.

    2015-01-01

    The molecular imaging of in vivo targets allows non-invasive disease diagnosis. Nanoparticles offer a promising platform for molecular imaging because they can deliver large payloads of imaging reagents to the site of disease. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is often preferred for clinical diagnosis because it uses non-ionizing radiation and offers both high spatial resolution and excellent penetration. We have explored the use of plant viruses as the basis of for MRI contrast reagents, specifically Tobacco mosaic virus (TMV), which can assemble to form either stiff rods or spheres. We loaded TMV particles with paramagnetic Gd ions, increasing the ionic relaxivity compared to free Gd ions. The loaded TMV particles were then coated with silica maintaining high relaxivities. Interestingly, we found that when Gd(DOTA) was loaded into the interior channel of TMV and the exterior was coated with silica, the T1 relaxivities increased by three-fold from 10.9 mM−1 s−1 to 29.7 mM−1s−1 at 60 MHz compared to uncoated Gd-loaded TMV. To test the performance of the contrast agents in a biological setting, we focused on interactions with macrophages because the active or passive targeting of immune cells is a popular strategy to investigate the cellular components involved in disease progression associated with inflammation. In vitro assays and phantom MRI experiments indicate efficient targeting and imaging of macrophages, enhanced contrast-to-noise ratio was observed by shape-engineering (SNP > TMV) and silica-coating (Si-TMV/SNP > TMV/SNP). Because plant viruses are in the food chain, antibodies may be prevalent in the population. Therefore we investigated whether the silica-coating could prevent antibody recognition; indeed our data indicate that mineralization can be used as a stealth coating option to reduce clearance. Therefore, we conclude that the silica-coated protein-based contrast agent may provide an interesting candidate material for further investigation

  12. A Powerful Public Sphere?

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Fiig, Christina

    The paper holds a critical discussion of the Habermasian model of the public sphere and proposes a revised model of a general public......The paper holds a critical discussion of the Habermasian model of the public sphere and proposes a revised model of a general public...

  13. Silica-Immobilized Enzyme Reactors

    Science.gov (United States)

    2007-08-01

    Silica-IMERs 14 implicated in neurological disorders such as Schizophrenia and Parkinson’s disease.[86] Drug discovery for targets that can alter the...primarily the activation of prodrugs and proantibiotics for cancer treatments or antibiotic therapy , respectively.[87] Nitrobenzene nitroreductase was...BuChE) Monolith disks* Packed Silica Biosilica Epoxide- Silica Silica-gel Enzyme Human AChE Human AChE Human AChE Equine BuChE Human

  14. MASS BALANCE OF SILICA IN STRAW FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF SILICA REDUCTION IN STRAW PULP

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Celil Atik,

    2012-06-01

    Full Text Available The high silica content of wheat straw is an important limiting factor for straw pulping. High silica content complicates processing and black liquor recovery, wears out factory installations, and lowers paper quality. Each section of wheat straw has different cells and chemical compositions and thus different silica content. In this work, the silica content of balled straw samples were examined according to their physical components, including internodes, nodes, leaves (sheath and blade, rachis, grain, other plant bodies, and other plant spikes. Mass distribution of silica was determined by a dry ashing method. Half (50.90% of the silica comes from leaves, and its mechanical separation will reduce the silica content in wheat straw pulp significantly. Destroying silica bodies by sonication will increase the strength properties of straw pulp.

  15. Synthesis of Non-Toxic Silica Particles Stabilized by Molecular Complex Oleic-Acid/Sodium Oleate

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Catalin Ilie Spataru

    2016-11-01

    Full Text Available The present work is focused on the preparation of biocompatible silica particles from sodium silicate, stabilized by a vesicular system containing oleic acid (OLA and its alkaline salt (OLANa. Silica nanoparticles were generated by the partial neutralization of oleic acid (OLA, with the sodium cation present in the aqueous solutions of sodium silicate. At the molar ratio OLA/Na+ = 2:1, the molar ratio (OLA/OLANa = 1:1 required to form vesicles, in which the carboxyl and carboxylate groups have equal concentrations, was achieved. In order to obtain hydrophobically modified silica particles, octadecyltriethoxysilane (ODTES was added in a sodium silicate sol–gel mixture at different molar ratios. The interactions between the octadecyl groups from the modified silica and the oleyl chains from the OLA/OLANa stabilizing system were investigated via simultaneous thermogravimetry (TG and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC (TG-DSC analyses.A significant decrease in vaporization enthalpy and an increase in amount of ODTES were observed. Additionally, that the hydrophobic interaction between OLA and ODTES has a strong impact on the hybrids’ final morphology and on their textural characteristics was revealed. The highest hydrodynamic average diameter and the most negative ζ potential were recorded for the hybrid in which the ODTES/sodium silicate molar ratio was 1:5. The obtained mesoporous silica particles, stabilized by the OLA/OLANa vesicular system, may find application as carriers for hydrophobic bioactive molecules.

  16. Low temperature superparamagnetic nanocomposites obtained by Fe(acac3-SiO2-PVA hybrid xerogel thermolysis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Catalin Ianasi

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available Fe(acac3/silica/PVA hybrid xerogel nanocomposite was obtained by one pot acid catalysed sol-gel synthesis using the homogeneous mixture of iron(III acetylacetonate (Fe(acac3, tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS, and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA. Nominal composition ratio of iron oxide/silica was 15/85 (weight percent. Nitric acid was used as catalyst. Another sample of Fe(acac3/silica xerogel without PVA addition was prepared in the similar processing conditions. Based on thermal analysis studies, the thermal behaviour of both xerogel samples was unveiled and it allowed choosing the optimal calcination temperatures in order to obtain iron oxide silica magnetic nanocomposite samples. The two xerogel (with and without PVA samples were thermally treated, in air, at 220, 260 and 300 °C and characterized by different techniques. XRD investigations revealed phase composition evolution with calcination temperature, from cubic spinel phase (maghemite to hexagonal stable hematite containing nanocomposite of 10–20 nm average crystallite size. These findings were confirmed by Mössbauer spectroscopy. Up to 300 °C, the surface area and total pores volume increased with temperature for all samples. By calcination at the same temperature, the hybrid xerogel containing PVA resulted in significantly higher magnetization and free volume values in comparison with the sample without PVA.

  17. On the controlled isotropic shrinkage induced fine-tuning of photo-luminescence in terbium ions embedded silica inverse opal films

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shrivastava, Vishnu Prasad; Kumar, Jitendra; Sivakumar, Sri

    2017-12-01

    Tb3+ embedded silica inverse opal structures with different photonic stop bands have been fabricated by annealing the SiO2-polystyrene spheres (diameter 390 nm) opal template at 320-650 oC. The PSB tuning realized in the wavelength range 498 - 600 nm is shown to depend on annealing temperature and impending isotropic shrinkage of silica matrix. The impact of wide PSB shift on four Tb3+ ion emission bands (blue, green, yellow, and red at 486, 545, 580, and 620 nm, respectively) corresponding to 5D4→7Fj (j = 6,5,4,3) transitions have been investigated. The effect amounts to significant suppression of emission bands at 586, 545 and 486 nm in inverse opals, obtained by annealing opal template at 350, 400, and 650 oC, respectively. Further, luminescence lifetime of Tb3+ ion 5D4 state increases with shrinkage induced in inverse opal progressively and get enhanced up to 2.3 times vis-à-vis reference silica. The changes in refractive index caused by thermal annealing of opal template is found to be responsible for the observed improvement in 5D4 state lifetime.

  18. Fabrication of high specificity hollow mesoporous silica nanoparticles assisted by Eudragit for targeted drug delivery.

    Science.gov (United States)

    She, Xiaodong; Chen, Lijue; Velleman, Leonora; Li, Chengpeng; Zhu, Haijin; He, Canzhong; Wang, Tao; Shigdar, Sarah; Duan, Wei; Kong, Lingxue

    2015-05-01

    Hollow mesoporous silica nanoparticles (HMSNs) are one of the most promising carriers for effective drug delivery due to their large surface area, high volume for drug loading and excellent biocompatibility. However, the non-ionic surfactant templated HMSNs often have a broad size distribution and a defective mesoporous structure because of the difficulties involved in controlling the formation and organization of micelles for the growth of silica framework. In this paper, a novel "Eudragit assisted" strategy has been developed to fabricate HMSNs by utilising the Eudragit nanoparticles as cores and to assist in the self-assembly of micelle organisation. Highly dispersed mesoporous silica spheres with intact hollow interiors and through pores on the shell were fabricated. The HMSNs have a high surface area (670 m(2)/g), small diameter (120 nm) and uniform pore size (2.5 nm) that facilitated the effective encapsulation of 5-fluorouracil within HMSNs, achieving a high loading capacity of 194.5 mg(5-FU)/g(HMSNs). The HMSNs were non-cytotoxic to colorectal cancer cells SW480 and can be bioconjugated with Epidermal Growth Factor (EGF) for efficient and specific cell internalization. The high specificity and excellent targeting performance of EGF grafted HMSNs have demonstrated that they can become potential intracellular drug delivery vehicles for colorectal cancers via EGF-EGFR interaction. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  19. Sol-gel silica-based nanocomposites containing a high PEG amount: Chemical characterization and study of biological properties

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Catauro, Michelina; Bollino, Flavia [Department of Industrial and Information Engineering, Second University of Naples, Via Roma 29, 81031 Aversa (CE) (Italy); Gloria, Antonio [Institute of Polymers, Composites and Biomaterials - National Research Council of Italy, V.le J. F. Kennedy 54 - Mostra d’Oltremare Pad. 20, 80125 Naples (Italy)

    2016-05-18

    The objective of the present study was to synthesize and to characterize Silica/polyethylene glycol (SiO{sub 2}/PEG) organic-inorganic hybrid materials containing a high polymer amount (60 and 70 wt%) for biomedical applications. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showed that the samples are homogeneous on the nanometer scale, confirming that they are nanocomposites. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) proved that the materials are class I hybrids because the two phases (SiO{sub 2} and PEG) interact by hydrogen bonds. To evaluate the possibility of using them in the biomedical field, the bioactivity and biocompatibility of the synthesized hybrids have been ascertained. The formation of a hydroxyapatite layer was observed on the hybrid surface by SEM/EDX and FTIR after soaking in simulated body fluid (SBF). Moreover, their biocompatibility was assessed by performing WST-8 cytotoxicity assay in vitro.

  20. Sol-gel silica-based nanocomposites containing a high PEG amount: Chemical characterization and study of biological properties

    Science.gov (United States)

    Catauro, Michelina; Bollino, Flavia; Gloria, Antonio

    2016-05-01

    The objective of the present study was to synthesize and to characterize Silica/polyethylene glycol (SiO2/PEG) organic-inorganic hybrid materials containing a high polymer amount (60 and 70 wt%) for biomedical applications. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showed that the samples are homogeneous on the nanometer scale, confirming that they are nanocomposites. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) proved that the materials are class I hybrids because the two phases (SiO2 and PEG) interact by hydrogen bonds. To evaluate the possibility of using them in the biomedical field, the bioactivity and biocompatibility of the synthesized hybrids have been ascertained. The formation of a hydroxyapatite layer was observed on the hybrid surface by SEM/EDX and FTIR after soaking in simulated body fluid (SBF). Moreover, their biocompatibility was assessed by performing WST-8 cytotoxicity assay in vitro.

  1. Sol-gel silica-based nanocomposites containing a high PEG amount: Chemical characterization and study of biological properties

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Catauro, Michelina; Bollino, Flavia; Gloria, Antonio

    2016-01-01

    The objective of the present study was to synthesize and to characterize Silica/polyethylene glycol (SiO 2 /PEG) organic-inorganic hybrid materials containing a high polymer amount (60 and 70 wt%) for biomedical applications. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showed that the samples are homogeneous on the nanometer scale, confirming that they are nanocomposites. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) proved that the materials are class I hybrids because the two phases (SiO 2 and PEG) interact by hydrogen bonds. To evaluate the possibility of using them in the biomedical field, the bioactivity and biocompatibility of the synthesized hybrids have been ascertained. The formation of a hydroxyapatite layer was observed on the hybrid surface by SEM/EDX and FTIR after soaking in simulated body fluid (SBF). Moreover, their biocompatibility was assessed by performing WST-8 cytotoxicity assay in vitro.

  2. A hybrid multi-effect distillation and adsorption cycle

    KAUST Repository

    Thu, Kyaw

    2013-04-01

    This paper describes the development of a simple hybrid desalination system of a Multi-Effect Distillation (MED) and an adsorption (AD) cycle operating at sub-atmospheric pressures and temperatures. By hybridizing the conventional MED with an AD cycle, there is a symbiotic enhancement of performances of both cycles. The performance enhancement is attributed to (i) the cascade of adsorbent\\'s regeneration temperature and this extended the usage of thermal energy emanating from the brine heater and (ii) the vapor extraction from the last MED stage by AD cycle which provides the effect of lowering saturation temperatures of all MED stages to the extent of 5°C, resulting in scavenging of heat leaks into the MED stages from the ambient. The combined effects of the hybrid cycles increase the water production capacity of the desalination plant by nearly twofolds.In this paper, we demonstrate a hybrid cycle by simulating an 8-stage MED cycle which is coupled to an adsorption cycle for direct vapor extraction from the last MED stage. The sorption properties of silica gel is utilized (acting as a mechanical vapor compressor) to reduce the saturation temperatures of MED stages. The modeling utilizes the adsorption isotherms and kinetics of the adsorbent. +. adsorbate (silica-gel. +. water) pair along with the governing equations of mass, energy and concentration. For a 8-stage MED and AD cycles operating at assorted temperatures of 65-90°C, the results show that the water production rate increases from 60% to twofolds when compared to the MED alone. The performance ratio (PR) and gain output ratio (GOR) also improve significantly. © 2012 Elsevier Ltd.

  3. Grafting of polymer onto silica surface in the presence of γ-ray irradiated silica

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tsuchida, A.; Yokoyama, R.; Takami, M.; Chen, J.; Ohta, M.; Tsubokawa, N.

    2002-01-01

    Complete text of publication follows. We have reported the graft polymerization of vinyl monomers initiated by surface radicals formed by the decomposition of azo and peroxide groups previously introduced onto the surface. In addition, the grafting of polymers onto carbon black has been reported by the reaction of polymer radicals with the surface. On the other hand, it is well known that the relatively stable radicals are generated on the surface by the γ-ray irradiation. In this paper, the grafting of polystyrene onto silica surface during the thermal polymerization of styrene in the presence of γ-ray irradiated silica, grafting mechanism and thermal stability of grafted polymer will be discussed. The grafting of polymers onto silica surface by irradiation of polymer-adsorbed silica was also investigated. Silica obtained from Mitsubishi Chemical Co., Japan was used after pulverization: the particle size was 0.037-0.088 mm. Irradiation was performed in Cs-137 source at room temperature. The silica was irradiated at 50 Gy with dose rate of 3.463 Gy/min. Into a polymerization tube, styrene and irradiated silica was charged and the polymerization was carried out under argon under stirring. The percentage of polystyrene grafting was determined from weight loss when polystyrene-grafted silica was heated at 600 deg C by a thermal analyzer. Untreated silica did not affect the thermal polymerization of styrene. On the contrary, the thermal polymerization of styrene was remarkably retarded in the presence of the irradiated silica at 60 deg C. Similar tendency was reported during the polymerization of vinyl monomers in the presence of carbon black. In the initial stage of the polymerization in the presence of the irradiated silica below 50 deg C, the polymerization was accelerated. During the polymerization in the presence of irradiated silica, polystyrene was grafted onto the surface: the percentage of grafting was 5-11%. The amount of polystyrene grafted onto silica

  4. The Effect of HCWA-PFA Hybrid Geopolymer Modification on the Properties of Soil

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hassian F.F.

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available This study investigated the performance of the properties of foamed concrete when replacing volumes of cement of 10%, 15% and 20% by weight. A control unit of foamed concrete mixture made with Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC as well as samples containing 10%, 15% and 20% silica fume were prepared. Three mechanical property parameters of foamed concrete containing different percentages of silica fume were studied: compressive strength, flexural strength and splitting tensile strength. Silica fume is commonly used to increase the mechanical properties of concrete materials as well as for economic concerns. The foamed concrete in this study was cured at a relative humidity of 70% and a temperature of ±28°C. Improvements in the mechanical properties of foamed concrete were due to a significant densification in the microstructure of the cement paste matrix in the presence of silica fume hybrid supplementary binder as observed from micrographs obtained in the study. The overall results showed that silica fume has great potential to be utilized in foamed concrete as there was a noticeable enhancement in thermal and mechanical properties with the addition of silica fume.

  5. Hydrothermal stability of microporous silica and niobia-silica membranes

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Boffa, V.; Blank, David H.A.; ten Elshof, Johan E.

    2008-01-01

    The hydrothermal stability of microporous niobia–silica membranes was investigated and compared with silica membranes. The membranes were exposed to hydrothermal conditions at 150 and 200 °C for 70 h. The change of pore structure before and after exposure to steam was probed by single-gas permeation

  6. Serpentinization processes: Influence of silica

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huang, R.; Sun, W.; Ding, X.; Song, M.; Zhan, W.

    2016-12-01

    Serpentinization systems are highly enriched in molecular hydrogen (H2) and hydrocarbons (e.g. methane, ethane and propane). The production of hydrocarbons results from reactions between H2 and oxidized carbon (carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide), which possibly contribute to climate changes during early history of the Earth. However, the influence of silica on the production of H2 and hydrocarbons was poorly constrained. We performed experiments at 311-500 °C and 3.0 kbar using mechanical mixtures of silica and olivine in ratios ranging from 0 to 40%. Molecular hydrogen (H2), methane, ethane and propane were formed, which were analyzed by gas chromatography. It was found that silica largely decreased H2 production. Without any silica, olivine serpentinization produced 94.5 mmol/kg H2 after 20 days of reaction time. By contrast, with the presence of 20% silica, H2 concentrations decreased largely, 8.5 mmol/kg. However, the influence of silica on the production of hydrocarbons is negligible. Moreover, with the addition of 20%-40% silica, the major hydrous minerals are talc, which was quantified according to an established standard curve calibrated by infrared spectroscopy analyses. It shows that silica greatly enhances olivine hydration, especially at 500 °C. Without any addition of silica, reaction extents were serpentinization at 500 °C and 3.0 kbar. By contrast, with the presence of 50% silica, olivine was completely transformed to talc within 9 days. This study indicates that silica impedes the oxidation of ferrous iron into ferric iron, and that rates of olivine hydration in natural geological settings are much faster with silica supply.

  7. Generating perfect fluid spheres in general relativity

    Science.gov (United States)

    Boonserm, Petarpa; Visser, Matt; Weinfurtner, Silke

    2005-06-01

    Ever since Karl Schwarzschild’s 1916 discovery of the spacetime geometry describing the interior of a particular idealized general relativistic star—a static spherically symmetric blob of fluid with position-independent density—the general relativity community has continued to devote considerable time and energy to understanding the general-relativistic static perfect fluid sphere. Over the last 90 years a tangle of specific perfect fluid spheres has been discovered, with most of these specific examples seemingly independent from each other. To bring some order to this collection, in this article we develop several new transformation theorems that map perfect fluid spheres into perfect fluid spheres. These transformation theorems sometimes lead to unexpected connections between previously known perfect fluid spheres, sometimes lead to new previously unknown perfect fluid spheres, and in general can be used to develop a systematic way of classifying the set of all perfect fluid spheres.

  8. Generating perfect fluid spheres in general relativity

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Boonserm, Petarpa; Visser, Matt; Weinfurtner, Silke

    2005-01-01

    Ever since Karl Schwarzschild's 1916 discovery of the spacetime geometry describing the interior of a particular idealized general relativistic star--a static spherically symmetric blob of fluid with position-independent density--the general relativity community has continued to devote considerable time and energy to understanding the general-relativistic static perfect fluid sphere. Over the last 90 years a tangle of specific perfect fluid spheres has been discovered, with most of these specific examples seemingly independent from each other. To bring some order to this collection, in this article we develop several new transformation theorems that map perfect fluid spheres into perfect fluid spheres. These transformation theorems sometimes lead to unexpected connections between previously known perfect fluid spheres, sometimes lead to new previously unknown perfect fluid spheres, and in general can be used to develop a systematic way of classifying the set of all perfect fluid spheres

  9. Interfacial interaction between the epoxidized natural rubber and silica in natural rubber/silica composites

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xu, Tiwen; Jia, Zhixin; Luo, Yuanfang; Jia, Demin; Peng, Zheng

    2015-02-01

    The epoxidized natural rubber (ENR) as an interfacial modifier was used to improve the mechanical and dynamical mechanical properties of NR/silica composites. In order to reveal the interaction mechanism between ENR and silica, the ENR/Silica model compound was prepared by using an open mill and the interfacial interaction of ENR with silica was investigated by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and stress-strain testing. The results indicated that the ring-opening reaction occurs between the epoxy groups of ENR chains and Si-OH groups on the silica surfaces and the covalent bonds are formed between two phases, which can improve the dispersion of silica in the rubber matrix and enhance the interfacial combination between rubber and silica. The ring-opening reaction occurs not only in vulcanization process but also in mixing process, meanwhile, the latter seems to be more important due to the simultaneous effects of mechanical force and temperature.

  10. Dendrimer-Stabilized Ru Nanoparticles Immobilized in Organo-Silica Materials for Hydrogenation of Phenols

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Eduard Karakhanov

    2017-03-01

    Full Text Available New hybrid catalysts based on Ru nanoparticles, encapsulated into poly(propylene imine dendrimers, immobilized into silica pores, were synthesized and examined for the hydrogenation of alkyl-substituted phenols. The corresponding alkyl-substituted cyclohexanols were presented as the major reaction products, while incomplete hydrogenation products appeared to be minor. A competition between the sterical factors of dendrimer-containing carriers and the electronic factors of substrate substituents influenced the hydrogenation rate of the alkyl-substituted phenols. The carrier structure was found to have a significant influence on both the physical and chemical properties of the catalysts and their hydrogenation activity. The synthesized hybrid catalysts appeared to be stable after recycling and could be re-used several times without significant loss of activity.

  11. Neutron spectrometry and dosimetry with neural networks and Bonner spheres: a study to reduce the spheres number

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Espinoza G, J. G.; Martinez B, M. R.; Leon P, A. A.; Hernandez P, C. F.; Castaneda M, V. H.; Solis S, L. O.; Castaneda M, R.; Ortiz R, J. M.; Vega C, H. R.; Mendez, R.; Gallego, E.; De Sousa L, M. A.

    2016-10-01

    For neutron spectrometry and neutron dosimetry, the Bonner spheres spectrometric system has been the most widely used system, however, the number, size and weight of the spheres composing the system, as well as the need to use a reconstruction code and the long periods of time used to carry out the measurements are some of the disadvantages of this system. For the reconstruction of the spectra, different techniques such as artificial neural networks of reverse propagation have been used. The objective of this work was to reduce the number of Bonner spheres and to use counting speeds in a reverse propagation neural network, optimized by means of the robust design methodology, to reconstruct the neutron spectra. For the design of the neural network we used the neutron spectra of the IAEA and the response matrix of the Bonner spheres with "6LiI(Eu) detector. The performance of the network was compared; using 7 Bonner spheres against other cases where only 2 and one sphere are used. The network topologies were trained 36 times for each case keeping constant the objective error (1E(-3)), the training algorithm was trains cg and the robust design methodology to determine the best network architectures. With these, the best and worst results were compared. The results obtained using 7 spheres were similar to those with the 5-in sphere, however is still in an information analysis stage. (Author)

  12. Single-Molecule Imaging of DNAs with Sticky Ends at Water/Fused Silica Interface

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Isailovic, Slavica [Iowa State Univ., Ames, IA (United States)

    2005-01-01

    Total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy (TIRFM) was used to study intermolecular interactions of DNAs with unpaired (sticky) ends of different lengths at water/fused silica interface at the single-molecule level. Evanescent field residence time, linear velocity and adsorption/desorption frequency were measured in a microchannel for individual DNA molecules from T7, Lambda, and PSP3 phages at various pH values. The longest residence times and the highest adsorption/desorption frequencies at the constant flow at pH 5.5 were found for PSP3 DNA, followed by lower values for Lambda DNA, and the lowest values for T7 DNA. Since T7, Lambda, and PSP3 DNA molecules contain none, twelve and nineteen unpaired bases, respectively, it was concluded that the affinity of DNAs for the surface increases with the length of the sticky ends. This confirms that hydrophobic and hydrogen-bonding interactions between sticky ends and fused-silica surface are driving forces for DNA adsorption at the fused-silica surface. Described single-molecule methodology and results therein can be valuable for investigation of interactions in liquid chromatography, as well as for design of DNA hybridization sensors and drug delivery systems.

  13. Epoxy-silica hybrid organic–inorganic electrolytes with a high Li-ion conductivity

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vélez, J.F.; Procaccini, R.A.; Aparicio, M.; Mosa, J.

    2013-01-01

    Organic–inorganic hybrid electrolytes were prepared by co-hydrolysis and co-condensation of 3-glycidoxipropyltrimethoxysilane (GPTMS) and tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) doped with lithium acetate as self-supported materials and thin-films. The effects of the relative molar content of LiAc on the physicochemical properties of electrolytes, such as morphology, thermal, chemical and electrochemical properties were investigated. Two and four probes test cells were designed for comparative studies of ionic conductivity of hybrid electrolytes using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). Similar ionic conductivities were obtained using both measurement methods, reaching a maximum ionic conductivity value of around 10 −6 S/cm at 25 °C. The conductivity mechanism presents Arrehenius behavior with the increase of the temperature from 25 °C to 120 °C. The electrochemical stability window is found to be in the range of 0–5 V, which ensures that hybrid organic–inorganic materials are potential electrolytes for solid-state rechargeable lithium ion batteries

  14. Interfacial interaction between the epoxidized natural rubber and silica in natural rubber/silica composites

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Xu, Tiwen [College of Materials Science and Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510640 (China); Jia, Zhixin, E-mail: zxjia@scut.edu.cn [College of Materials Science and Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510640 (China); Luo, Yuanfang; Jia, Demin [College of Materials Science and Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510640 (China); Peng, Zheng [Agricultural Product Processing Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Tropical Agriculture Sciences, Zhanjiang 524001 (China)

    2015-02-15

    Highlights: • Substantiate the ring open reaction between Si-OH of silica and epoxy groups of ENR. • ENR can act as a bridge between NR and silica to enhance the interfacial interaction. • As a modifier, ENR gets the potential to be used in the tread of green tire for improving the wet skid resistance apparently. - Abstract: The epoxidized natural rubber (ENR) as an interfacial modifier was used to improve the mechanical and dynamical mechanical properties of NR/silica composites. In order to reveal the interaction mechanism between ENR and silica, the ENR/Silica model compound was prepared by using an open mill and the interfacial interaction of ENR with silica was investigated by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and stress–strain testing. The results indicated that the ring-opening reaction occurs between the epoxy groups of ENR chains and Si-OH groups on the silica surfaces and the covalent bonds are formed between two phases, which can improve the dispersion of silica in the rubber matrix and enhance the interfacial combination between rubber and silica. The ring-opening reaction occurs not only in vulcanization process but also in mixing process, meanwhile, the latter seems to be more important due to the simultaneous effects of mechanical force and temperature.

  15. Public Sphere as Digital Assemblage

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Salovaara-Moring, Inka

    the 1990s onwards digitalization brought concepts of network and complexity into the theoretical discourse. This relational turn changed the social ontology of the public sphere into a dynamic and complex system, erasing the division between the fields of reality (the world), representation (discourse......Normative theories of public sphere have struggled with the topic of materiality. The historical narrative of the ‘public sphere’ situated the phenomenon in specific spaces, where practices (public deliberation) and language (discourse) constructed political agencies, and further publics. From......), and subjectivity (agency). This changed the public sphere into an assemblage consisting of both human and non-human actors interactingin a highly dynamic, networked environment. This paper proposes a framework for considering this new materiality in the field of the public sphere: the assemblage and complexity...

  16. Ion-Exchange-Induced Selective Etching for the Synthesis of Amino-Functionalized Hollow Mesoporous Silica for Elevated-High-Temperature Fuel Cells

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Zhang, Jin; Liu, Jian; Lu, Shanfu

    2017-01-01

    is verified through a successful synthesis of hollow mesoporous silica. After infiltration with phosphotungstic acid (PWA), PWA–NH2–HMS nanoparticles are dispersed in the poly(ether sulfone)–polyvinylpyrrolidone (PES–PVP) matrix, forming a hybrid PWA–NH2–HMS/PES–PVP nanocomposite membrane. The resultant...

  17. Micrometer and nanometer-scale parallel patterning of ceramic and organic-inorganic hybrid materials

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    ten Elshof, Johan E.; Khan, Sajid; Göbel, Ole

    2010-01-01

    This review gives an overview of the progress made in recent years in the development of low-cost parallel patterning techniques for ceramic materials, silica, and organic–inorganic silsesquioxane-based hybrids from wet-chemical solutions and suspensions on the micrometer and nanometer-scale. The

  18. First observation of Cherenkov ring images using hybrid photon detectors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Albrecht, E.; Wilkinson, G.; Bibby, J.H.; Giles, R.; Harnew, N.; Smale, N.; Brook, N.H.; Halley, A.W.; O'Shea, V.; French, M.; Gibson, V.; Wotton, S.A.; Schomaker, R.

    1998-01-01

    A ring-imaging Cherenkov detector, equipped with hybrid photon detectors, has been operated in a charged-particle beam. Focussed ring images from various particle types were detected using silica aerogel, air and C 4 F 10 gas radiators. The detector, a prototype for the CERN LHC-B experiment, is described and first observations are reported. (orig.)

  19. First observation of Cherenkov ring images using hybrid photon detectors

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Albrecht, E.; Wilkinson, G. [European Organization for Nuclear Research, Geneva (Switzerland). Div. Particle Physics Experiments; Barber, G.; Duane, A.; John, M.; Miller, D.G.; Websdale, D. [Imperial College of Science Technology and Medicine, Blackett Laboratory, Prince Consort Road, London SW7 2AZ (United Kingdom); Bibby, J.H.; Giles, R.; Harnew, N.; Smale, N. [University of Oxford, Department of Nuclear Physics, Keble Road, Oxford OX1 3RH (United Kingdom); Brook, N.H.; Halley, A.W.; O`Shea, V. [University of Glasgow, Department of Physics, Glasgow G12 8QQ (United Kingdom); French, M. [Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Chilton, Didcot, Oxon OX11 0QX (United Kingdom); Gibson, V.; Wotton, S.A. [University of Cambridge, Cavendish Laboratory, Madingley Road, Cambridge CB3 0HE (United Kingdom); Schomaker, R. [Delft Electronic Products BV, 9300 AB Roden (Netherlands)

    1998-07-11

    A ring-imaging Cherenkov detector, equipped with hybrid photon detectors, has been operated in a charged-particle beam. Focussed ring images from various particle types were detected using silica aerogel, air and C{sub 4}F{sub 10} gas radiators. The detector, a prototype for the CERN LHC-B experiment, is described and first observations are reported. (orig.)

  20. Enzymatic synthesis of lignin-siloxane hybrid functional polymers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Prasetyo, Endry Nugroho; Kudanga, Tukayi; Fischer, Roman; Eichinger, Reinhard; Nyanhongo, Gibson S; Guebitz, Georg M

    2012-02-01

    This study combines the properties of siloxanes and lignin polymers to produce hybrid functional polymers that can be used as adhesives, coating materials, and/or multifunctionalized thin-coating films. Lignin-silica hybrid copolymers were synthesized by using a sol-gel process. Laccases from Trametes hirsuta were used to oxidize lignosulphonates to enhance their reactivity towards siloxanes and then were incorporated into siloxane precursors undergoing a sol-gel process. In vitro copolymerization studies using pure lignin monomers with aminosilanes or ethoxytrimethylsilane and analysis by ²⁹Si NMR spectroscopy revealed hybrid products. Except for kraft lignin, an increase in lignin concentration positively affected the tensile strength in all samples. Similarly, the viscosity generally increased in all samples with increasing lignin concentration and also affected the curing time. Copyright © 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  1. Aminopropyl-functionalized mesoporous silicas as CO{sub 2} adsorbents

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Knowles, Gregory P.; Graham, Jeremy V.; Delaney, Seamus W.; Chaffee, Alan L. [School of Chemistry, PO Box 23, Monash University, Vic 3800 (Australia)

    2005-10-15

    A range of mesoporous silica substrates were functionalized with 3-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane to form hybrid products suitable for carbon dioxide adsorption. A 'cylindrical pore' model was employed to characterize the extent of surface modification per unit substrate surface area and to permit its comparison on a common basis. The extent of surface functionalisation varied with substrate morphology. Combined DTA/TGA was used to characterise CO{sub 2} adsorption. Substantial reversible CO{sub 2} adsorption capacities were observed under anhydrous conditions (at 20 {sup o}C). In the presence of water, CO{sub 2} capacity was enhanced, but the rate of desorption was diminished. (author)

  2. Biological Applications and Transmission Electron Microscopy Investigations of Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Trewyn, Brian G. [Iowa State Univ., Ames, IA (United States)

    2006-01-01

    The research presented and discussed within involves the development of novel biological applications of mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSN) and an investigation of mesoporous material by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Mesoporous silica nanoparticles organically functionalized shown to undergo endocytosis in cancer cells and drug release from the pores was controlled intracellularly and intercellularly. Transmission electron microscopy investigations demonstrated the variety of morphologies produced in this field of mesoporous silica nanomaterial synthesis. A series of room-temperature ionic liquid (RTIL) containing mesoporous silica nanoparticle (MSN) materials with various particle morphologies, including spheres, ellipsoids, rods, and tubes, were synthesized. By changing the RTIL template, the pore morphology was tuned from the MCM-41 type of hexagonal mesopores to rotational moire type of helical channels, and to wormhole-like porous structures. These materials were used as controlled release delivery nanodevices to deliver antibacterial ionic liquids against Escherichia coli K12. The involvement of a specific organosiloxane function group, covalently attached to the exterior of fluorescein doped mesoporous silica nanoparticles (FITC-MSN), on the degree and kinetics of endocytosis in cancer and plant cells was investigated. The kinetics of endocystosis of TEG coated FITC-MSN is significantly quicker than FITC-MSN as determined by flow cytometry experiments. The fluorescence confocal microscopy investigation showed the endocytosis of TEG coated-FITC MSN triethylene glycol grafted fluorescein doped MSN (TEG coated-FITC MSN) into both KeLa cells and Tobacco root protoplasts. Once the synthesis of a controlled-release delivery system based on MCM-41-type mesoporous silica nanorods capped by disulfide bonds with superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles was completed. The material was characterized by general methods and the dosage and kinetics of the

  3. Gas Separation through Bilayer Silica, the Thinnest Possible Silica Membrane.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yao, Bowen; Mandrà, Salvatore; Curry, John O; Shaikhutdinov, Shamil; Freund, Hans-Joachim; Schrier, Joshua

    2017-12-13

    Membrane-based gas separation processes can address key challenges in energy and environment, but for many applications the permeance and selectivity of bulk membranes is insufficient for economical use. Theory and experiment indicate that permeance and selectivity can be increased by using two-dimensional materials with subnanometer pores as membranes. Motivated by experiments showing selective permeation of H 2 /CO mixtures through amorphous silica bilayers, here we perform a theoretical study of gas separation through silica bilayers. Using density functional theory calculations, we obtain geometries of crystalline free-standing silica bilayers (comprised of six-membered rings), as well as the seven-, eight-, and nine-membered rings that are observed in glassy silica bilayers, which arise due to Stone-Wales defects and vacancies. We then compute the potential energy barriers for gas passage through these various pore types for He, Ne, Ar, Kr, H 2 , N 2 , CO, and CO 2 gases, and use the data to assess their capability for selective gas separation. Our calculations indicate that crystalline bilayer silica, which is less than a nanometer thick, can be a high-selectivity and high-permeance membrane material for 3 He/ 4 He, He/natural gas, and H 2 /CO separations.

  4. Formation of plasma induced surface damage in silica glass etching for optical waveguides

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Choi, D.Y.; Lee, J.H.; Kim, D.S.; Jung, S.T.

    2004-01-01

    Ge, B, P-doped silica glass films are widely used as optical waveguides because of their low losses and inherent compatibility with silica optical fibers. These films were etched by ICP (inductively coupled plasma) with chrome etch masks, which were patterned by reactive ion etching (RIE) using chlorine-based gases. In some cases, the etched surfaces of silica glass were very rough (root-mean square roughness greater than 100 nm) and we call this phenomenon plasma induced surface damage (PISD). Rough surface cannot be used as a platform for hybrid integration because of difficulty in alignment and bonding of active devices. PISD reduces the etch rate of glass and it is very difficult to remove residues on a rough surface. The objective of this study is to elucidate the mechanism of PISD formation. To achieve this goal, PISD formation during different etching conditions of chrome etch mask and silica glass was investigated. In most cases, PISD sources are formed on a glass surface after chrome etching, and metal compounds are identified in theses sources. Water rinse after chrome etching reduces the PISD, due to the water solubility of metal chlorides. PISD is decreased or even disappeared at high power and/or low pressure in glass etching, even if PISD sources were present on the glass surface before etching. In conclusion, PISD sources come from the chrome etching process, and polymer deposition on these sources during the silica etching cause the PISD sources to grow. In the area close to the PISD source there is a higher ion flux, which causes an increase in the etch rate, and results in the formation of a pit

  5. Transmission electron microscopic method for gene mapping on polytene chromosomes by in situ hybridization

    OpenAIRE

    Wu, Madeline; Davidson, Norman

    1981-01-01

    A transmission electron microscope method for gene mapping by in situ hybridization to Drosophila polytene chromosomes has been developed. As electron-opaque labels, we use colloidal gold spheres having a diameter of 25 nm. The spheres are coated with a layer of protein to which Escherichia coli single-stranded DNA is photochemically crosslinked. Poly(dT) tails are added to the 3' OH ends of these DNA strands, and poly(dA) tails are added to the 3' OH ends of a fragmented cloned Drosophila DN...

  6. Higher Order, Hybrid BEM/FEM Methods Applied to Antenna Modeling

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fink, P. W.; Wilton, D. R.; Dobbins, J. A.

    2002-01-01

    In this presentation, the authors address topics relevant to higher order modeling using hybrid BEM/FEM formulations. The first of these is the limitation on convergence rates imposed by geometric modeling errors in the analysis of scattering by a dielectric sphere. The second topic is the application of an Incomplete LU Threshold (ILUT) preconditioner to solve the linear system resulting from the BEM/FEM formulation. The final tOpic is the application of the higher order BEM/FEM formulation to antenna modeling problems. The authors have previously presented work on the benefits of higher order modeling. To achieve these benefits, special attention is required in the integration of singular and near-singular terms arising in the surface integral equation. Several methods for handling these terms have been presented. It is also well known that achieving he high rates of convergence afforded by higher order bases may als'o require the employment of higher order geometry models. A number of publications have described the use of quadratic elements to model curved surfaces. The authors have shown in an EFIE formulation, applied to scattering by a PEC .sphere, that quadratic order elements may be insufficient to prevent the domination of modeling errors. In fact, on a PEC sphere with radius r = 0.58 Lambda(sub 0), a quartic order geometry representation was required to obtain a convergence benefi.t from quadratic bases when compared to the convergence rate achieved with linear bases. Initial trials indicate that, for a dielectric sphere of the same radius, - requirements on the geometry model are not as severe as for the PEC sphere. The authors will present convergence results for higher order bases as a function of the geometry model order in the hybrid BEM/FEM formulation applied to dielectric spheres. It is well known that the system matrix resulting from the hybrid BEM/FEM formulation is ill -conditioned. For many real applications, a good preconditioner is required

  7. Method for producing small hollow spheres

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hendricks, C.D.

    1979-01-01

    A method is described for producing small hollow spheres of glass, metal or plastic, wherein the sphere material is mixed with or contains as part of the composition a blowing agent which decomposes at high temperature (T >approx. 600 0 C). As the temperature is quickly raised, the blowing agent decomposes and the resulting gas expands from within, thus forming a hollow sphere of controllable thickness. The thus produced hollow spheres (20 to 10 3 μm) have a variety of application, and are particularly useful in the fabrication of targets for laser implosion such as neutron sources, laser fusion physics studies, and laser initiated fusion power plants

  8. Silica-based microstructures on nonplanar substrates by femtosecond laser-induced nonlinear lithography

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mizoshiri, M; Nishiyama, H; Hirata, Y; Nishii, J

    2009-01-01

    We developed a technique for the formation of nonplanar surfaces of inorganic optical materials by a combined process of nonlinear lithography and plasma etching. This technique can be used to fabricate structures even on non-flat substrates, which is difficult using current semiconductor technology. Three-dimensional patterns were written directly inside a positive-tone photoresist using femtosecond laser-induced nonlinear optical absorption. The patterns were then transferred to underlying nonplanar substrates by the ion beam etching technique. For the lithographic process, we obtained a minimum feature size of 900 nm, which is below the diffraction limit. We demonstrated the fabrication of silica-based hybrid diffractive-refractive lenses. Fresnel zone plates with smooth surfaces were obtained on convex microlenses. When a 633-nm-wavelength He-Ne laser was coupled normally to the hybrid lens, the primary focal length was measured as 630 μm. This hybridization shifted the focal length by 200 μm, which agreed with the theoretical value. Our process is useful for the precise fabrication of nonplanar structures based on inorganic materials.

  9. Cavity formation by the impact of Leidenfrost spheres

    KAUST Repository

    Marston, Jeremy

    2012-05-01

    We report observations of cavity formation and subsequent collapse when a heated sphere impacts onto a liquid pool. When the sphere temperature is much greater than the boiling point of the liquid, we observe an inverted Leidenfrost effect where the sphere is encompassed by a vapour layer that prevents physical contact with the liquid. This creates the ultimate non-wetting scenario during sphere penetration through a free surface, producing very smooth cavity walls. In some cases during initial entry, however, the liquid contacts the sphere at the equator, leading to the formation of a dual cavity structure. For cold sphere impacts, where a contact line is observed, we reveal details of the contact line pinning, which initially forms a sawtooth pattern. We also observe surface waves on the cavity interface for cold spheres. We compare our experimental results to previous studies of cavity dynamics and, in particular, the influence of hydrophobicity on the entry of the sphere. © 2012 Cambridge University Press.

  10. Nanoscale Organic−Inorganic Hybrid Lubricants

    KAUST Repository

    Kim, Daniel

    2011-03-15

    Silica (SiO2) nanoparticles densely grafted with amphiphilic organic chains are used to create a family of organic-inorganic hybrid lubricants. Short sulfonate-functionalized alkylaryl chains covalently tethered to the particles form a dense corona brush that stabilizes them against aggregation. When these hybrid particles are dispersed in poly-α-olefin (PAO) oligomers, they form homogeneous nanocomposite fluids at both low and high particle loadings. By varying the volume fraction of the SiO2 nanostructures in the PAO nanocomposites, we show that exceptionally stable hybrid lubricants can be created and that their mechanical properties can be tuned to span the spectrum from simple liquids to complex gels. We further show that these hybrid lubricants simultaneously exhibit lower interfacial friction coefficients, enhanced wear and mechanical properties, and superior thermal stability in comparison with either PAO or its nanocomposites created at low nanoparticle loadings. Profilometry and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopic analysis of the wear track show that the enhanced wear characteristics in PAO-SiO2 composite lubricants originate from two sources: localization of the SiO2 particles into the wear track and extension of the elastohydrodynamic lubrication regime to Sommerfeld numbers more than an order of magnitude larger than for PAO. © 2011 American Chemical Society.

  11. Synthesis of uniform carbon at silica nanocables and luminescent silica nanotubes with well controlled inner diameters

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Qian Haisheng; Yu Shuhong; Ren Lei; Yang Yipeng; Zhang Wei

    2006-01-01

    Uniform carbon at silica nanocables and silica nanotubes with well-controlled inner diameters can be synthesized in an easy way by a sacrificial templating method. This was performed using carbon nanofibres as hard templates that were synthesized previously by a hydrothermal carbonization process. Silica nanotubes with well-controlled inner diameters were synthesized from carbon at silica core-shell nanostructures by removal of the core carbon component. The inner diameters of the as-prepared silica nanotubes can be well controlled from several nanometres to hundreds of nanometres by adjusting the diameters of the carbon nanofibres. The silica nanotubes synthesized by this method display strong photoluminescence in ultraviolet at room temperature. Such uniform silica nanotubes might find potential applications in many fields such as encapsulation, catalysis, chemical/biological separation, and sensing

  12. Synthesis of nanolayers hydroxo-(SnxOyHz) and heteropoly-(HxPWyOz) compounds of hybrid-type on silica surfaces by successive ionic layer deposition method

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tolstoy, V.P.; Gulina, L.B.; Korotchenkov, G.S.; Brynsari, V.I.

    2004-01-01

    We determined the synthesis conditions for successive ionic layer deposition of the Sn 16 (OH) x PW 19 O y ·nH 2 O nanolayers on silica surfaces. The synthesized layers were characterized using UV-Vis and FTIR absorption spectroscopies, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and atomic force microscopy (AFM). On heating the as-synthesized layers to 200-500 deg. C in air, incorporated water evaporate, while M-OH groups are condensed and concentration of the W-O-W and W-O-Sn bonds increase. The layers have amorphous agglomerate-like structure. The agglomerate size is from 20 to 100 nm. Upon heating to 600 deg. C, the size insignificantly increases, the agglomerate form being practically unchanged. The data obtained allow conclusion that the layers present a hybrid compound consisting of fragments of isopoly-(Sn x O y H z ) and heteropoly-(H x PW y O z ) compounds

  13. Silica/Perfluoropolymer nanocomposites fabricated by direct melt-compounding: a novel method without surface modification on nano-silica.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tanahashi, Mitsuru; Hirose, Masaki; Watanabe, Yusuke; Lee, Jeong-Chang; Takeda, Kunihiko

    2007-07-01

    A novel method for the fabrication of silica/perfluoropolymer nanocomposites was investigated, whereby nano-sized silica particles without surface modification were dispersed uniformly through mechanical breakdown of loosely packed agglomerates of silica nanoparticles with low fracture strength in a polymer melt during direct melt-compounding. The method consists of two stages. The first stage involves preparation of the loose silica agglomerate, and the second stage involves melt-compounding of a completely hydrophobic perfluoropolymer, poly(tetrafluoroethyleneco-perfluoropropylvinylether), with the loose silica agglomerates prepared in the first stage. In the first stage, the packing structure and the fracture strength of the silica agglomerate were controlled by destabilizing an aqueous colloidal silica solution with a mean primary diameter of 190 nm via pH control and salt addition. In the next stage, the silica/perfluoropolymer nanocomposite was fabricated by breaking down the prepared loose silica agglomerates with low fracture strength by means of a shear force inside the polymer melt during melt-compounding.

  14. Functionalization of mesoporous silica membrane with a Schiff base fluorophore for Cu(II) ion sensing

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Chen Xiaotong [Department of Chemistry, Graduate School of Science, Tohoku University, Aoba-ku 980-8578, Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture (Japan); Department of Chemistry, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084 (China); Yamaguchi, Akira [College of Science, Ibaraki University, Bunkyo 2-1-1, Mito, Ibaraki 310-8512 (Japan); Frontier Research Center for Applied Atomic Sciences, Ibaraki University, Tokai, Ibaraki 319-1106 (Japan); Namekawa, Manato [Department of Chemistry, Graduate School of Science, Tohoku University, Aoba-ku 980-8578, Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture (Japan); Kamijo, Toshio [Department of Chemistry, Graduate School of Science, Tohoku University, Aoba-ku 980-8578, Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture (Japan); Tsuruoka National College of Technology, Aza-Sawada, Tsuruoka 997-8511 (Japan); Teramae, Norio, E-mail: teramae@m.tohoku.ac.jp [Department of Chemistry, Graduate School of Science, Tohoku University, Aoba-ku 980-8578, Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture (Japan); Tong, Aijun, E-mail: tongaj@mail.tsinghua.edu.cn [Department of Chemistry, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084 (China)

    2011-06-24

    Graphical abstract: Highlights: > A hybrid mesoporous membrane (SB-HMM) functionalized by Schiff base fluorophores was fabricated. > SB-HMM showed strong fluorescence with aggregation-induced emission enhancement properties. > SB-HMM was applicable for the detection of Cu(II) in an aqueous solution with good reversibility and reproducibility. - Abstract: A Schiff base (SB) immobilized hybrid mesoporous silica membrane (SB-HMM) was prepared by immobilizing a Schiff base onto the pore surface of mesoporous silica (pore size = 3.1 nm) embedded in the pores of a porous anodic alumina membrane. In contrast to the non-fluorescent analogous SB molecule in homogeneous solutions, SB-HMM exhibited intense fluorescence due to emission enhancement caused by aggregation of SB groups on the pore surface. The high quantum efficiency of the surface SB groups allows SB-HMM to function as a fluorescent sensor for Cu(II) ions in an aqueous solution with good sensitivity, selectivity and reproducibility. Under the optimal conditions described, the linear ranges of fluorescence intensity for Cu(II) are 1.2-13.8 (M (R{sup 2} = 0.993) and 19.4-60 (R{sup 2} = 0.992) (M. The limit of detection for Cu(II) is 0.8 {mu}M on basis of the definition by IUPAC (C{sub LOD} = 3.3S{sub b}/m).

  15. In-situ reactions in hybrid aluminum alloy composites during incorporating silica sand in aluminum alloy melts

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Benjamin F. Schultz

    2016-07-01

    Full Text Available In order to gain a better understanding of the reactions and strengthening behavior in cast aluminum alloy/silica composites synthesized by stir mixing, experiments were conducted to incorporate low cost foundry silica sand into aluminum composites with the use of Mg as a wetting agent. SEM and XRD results show the conversion of SiO2 to MgAl2O4 and some Al2O3 with an accompanying increase in matrix Si content. A three-stage reaction mechanism proposed to account for these changes indicates that properties can be controlled by controlling the base Alloy/SiO2/Mg chemistry and reaction times. Experimental data on changes of composite density with increasing reaction time and SiO2 content support the three-stage reaction model. The change in mechanical properties with composition and time is also described.

  16. Thermo-responsive mesoporous silica/lipid bilayer hybrid nanoparticles for doxorubicin on-demand delivery and reduced premature release.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Qing; Chen, Xuanxuan; Shi, Huihui; Dong, Gaoqiu; Zhou, Meiling; Wang, Tianji; Xin, Hongliang

    2017-12-01

    Hybrid nanocarriers based on mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) and supported lipid bilayer (SLB) have been studied as drug delivery system. It still remains challenges to develop these nanocarriers (SLB-MSNs) with on-demand drug release profile for chemotherapy. Here, we reported the biocompatible SLB-MSNs with high drug loading, which could release doxorubicin (DOX) in response to hyperthermia and reduce premature release. After synthesis of MSNs via a sol-gel procedure, the thermo-responsive SLB was deposited on the MSNs by sonication to completely seal the mesopores. The obtained SLB-MSNs consisted of 50 nm-sized MSN cores and 6.3 nm-thick SLB shells. Due to the big surface and pore volume of MSNs, the high drug loading content (7.30±0.02%) and encapsulation efficiency (91.16±0.28%) were achieved. The SLB blocking the mesopores reduced 50% of premature release and achieved on-demand release in a thermo-responsive manner. Moreover, SLB-MSNs showed good hemocompatibility at any tested concentration (25-700μg/mL), while bare MSNs caused 100% of hemolysis at concentration larger than 325μg/mL. In addition, in vitro U251 cell uptake experiment demonstrated that compared with uncapped MSNs, SLB-MSNs could prevent untargeted cellular uptake of DOX owing to reduced premature release and steric hindrance of PEG, which would be beneficial to minimize toxicity for healthy tissues. These results indicated that SLB-MSNs with thermo-responsive release capacity possessed great potential in future synergistic thermo-chemotherapy. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  17. Patchy micelles based on coassembly of block copolymer chains and block copolymer brushes on silica particles.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhu, Shuzhe; Li, Zhan-Wei; Zhao, Hanying

    2015-04-14

    Patchy particles are a type of colloidal particles with one or more well-defined patches on the surfaces. The patchy particles with multiple compositions and functionalities have found wide applications from the fundamental studies to practical uses. In this research patchy micelles with thiol groups in the patches were prepared based on coassembly of free block copolymer chains and block copolymer brushes on silica particles. Thiol-terminated and cyanoisopropyl-capped polystyrene-block-poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) block copolymers (PS-b-PNIPAM-SH and PS-b-PNIPAM-CIP) were synthesized by reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer polymerization and chemical modifications. Pyridyl disulfide-functionalized silica particles (SiO2-SS-Py) were prepared by four-step surface chemical reactions. PS-b-PNIPAM brushes on silica particles were prepared by thiol-disulfide exchange reaction between PS-b-PNIPAM-SH and SiO2-SS-Py. Surface micelles on silica particles were prepared by coassembly of PS-b-PNIPAM-CIP and block copolymer brushes. Upon cleavage of the surface micelles from silica particles, patchy micelles with thiol groups in the patches were obtained. Dynamic light scattering, transmission electron microscopy, and zeta-potential measurements demonstrate the preparation of patchy micelles. Gold nanoparticles can be anchored onto the patchy micelles through S-Au bonds, and asymmetric hybrid structures are formed. The thiol groups can be oxidized to disulfides, which results in directional assembly of the patchy micelles. The self-assembly behavior of the patchy micelles was studied experimentally and by computer simulation.

  18. Sonochemical coating of magnetite nanoparticles with silica.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dang, Feng; Enomoto, Naoya; Hojo, Junichi; Enpuku, Keiji

    2010-01-01

    Magnetite nanoparticles were coated with silica through the hydrolysis and condensation of tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) under ultrasonic irradiation. The ultrasonic irradiation was used to prevent the agglomeration of the magnetite particles and accelerate the hydrolysis and condensation of TEOS. TEM, DLS, XRF, VSM, TG and sedimentation test were used to characterize the silica-coated magnetite particles. The dispersibility of silica-coated magnetite particles in aqueous solution was improved significantly and the agglomerate particle size was decreased to 110 nm. It was found that the agglomerate particle size of silica-coated magnetite particles was mainly decided by the coating temperature and the pH value in the silica-coating process. The weight ratio of silica in silica-coated magnetite particles was mainly decided by the pH value in the silica-coating process. The dispersibility of silica-coated magnetite particles was mainly decided by the agglomerate particle size of the suspension. The oxidation of magnetite particles in air was limited through the coated silica. The magnetism of silica-coated magnetite particles decreased slightly after silica-coating.

  19. Hybrid Magnetic Core-Shell Nanophotocatalysts for Environmental Applications

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gaulden, Patrick [Savannah River Site (SRS), Aiken, SC (United States). Savannah River National Lab. (SRNL); Murph, Simona Hunyadi [Savannah River Site (SRS), Aiken, SC (United States). Savannah River National Lab. (SRNL); Univ. of Georgia, Athens, GA (United States). Dept. of Physics and Astronomy

    2016-07-29

    This research study describes a facile sol-gel method to creating hybrid iron (III) oxide/silica/titania nanomaterials decorated with gold nanoparticles for use in environmental applications. The multi-functional composition of the nanomaterials allows for photocatalyzed reactions to occur in both the visible and the UV range. The morphologies, elemental composition, and surface charge of the nanoparticles were determined by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDS), and Phase Analysis Light Scattering (PALS), respectively. The photocatalytic activity of the synthesized hybrid nanoparticles for breaking down a model analyte, methyl orange (MO), was then evaluated using UV-Vis Spectroscopy. The efficiency of the photocatalyst under UV light irradiation was measured and compared to other well-studied nanophotocatalysts, namely titanium oxide and iron oxide nanoparticles. The concentration dependence of both the photocatalyst and the analyte was also investigated. By utilizing the known UV-active properties of TiO2, the magnetic properties of Fe2O3, the optical properties of gold in the visible range of the spectrum, and the high stability of silica, a novel, highly efficient photocatalyst that is active on a broad range of the spectrum (UV-Vis) can be created to destroy organic pollutants in wastewater streams.

  20. Tessellating the Sphere with Regular Polygons

    Science.gov (United States)

    Soto-Johnson, Hortensia; Bechthold, Dawn

    2004-01-01

    Tessellations in the Euclidean plane and regular polygons that tessellate the sphere are reviewed. The regular polygons that can possibly tesellate the sphere are spherical triangles, squares and pentagons.

  1. Silica reinforced triblock copolymer gels

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Theunissen, E.; Overbergh, N.; Reynaers, H.

    2004-01-01

    The effect of silica and polymer coated silica particles as reinforcing agents on the structural and mechanical properties of polystyrene-poly(ethylene/butylene)-polystyrene (PS-PEB-PS) triblock gel has been investigated. Different types of chemically modified silica have been compared in order...

  2. Effect of silica concentration on electrical conductivity of epoxy resin-carbon black-silica nanocomposites

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang Wei; Blackburn, Richard S.; Dehghani-Sanij, Abbas A.

    2007-01-01

    Electrical properties of nanocomposites are determined by the conductive paths of carbon black and influenced by a 'network' of silica. With increasing content of silica, carbon black (CB) particles are optimally dispersed, contributing to the generation of a conductive network between CB particles via direct particle contact and a tunneling effect; maximum conductivity for the epoxy resin-CB-silica nanocomposite described herein occurs at a ratio of 0.6:1.0 (SiO 2 :CB). As a non-conductive component, excessive silica will prevent electron flow, giving rise to low conductivity

  3. Silica-enriched mantle sources of subalkaline picrite-boninite-andesite island arc magmas

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bénard, A.; Arculus, R. J.; Nebel, O.; Ionov, D. A.; McAlpine, S. R. B.

    2017-02-01

    Primary arc melts may form through fluxed or adiabatic decompression melting in the mantle wedge, or via a combination of both processes. Major limitations to our understanding of the formation of primary arc melts stem from the fact that most arc lavas are aggregated blends of individual magma batches, further modified by differentiation processes in the sub-arc mantle lithosphere and overlying crust. Primary melt generation is thus masked by these types of second-stage processes. Magma-hosted peridotites sampled as xenoliths in subduction zone magmas are possible remnants of sub-arc mantle and magma generation processes, but are rarely sampled in active arcs. Published studies have emphasised the predominantly harzburgitic lithologies with particularly high modal orthopyroxene in these xenoliths; the former characteristic reflects the refractory nature of these materials consequent to extensive melt depletion of a lherzolitic protolith whereas the latter feature requires additional explanation. Here we present major and minor element data for pristine, mantle-derived, lava-hosted spinel-bearing harzburgite and dunite xenoliths and associated primitive melts from the active Kamchatka and Bismarck arcs. We show that these peridotite suites, and other mantle xenoliths sampled in circum-Pacific arcs, are a distinctive peridotite type not found in other tectonic settings, and are melting residues from hydrous melting of silica-enriched mantle sources. We explore the ability of experimental studies allied with mantle melting parameterisations (pMELTS, Petrolog3) to reproduce the compositions of these arc peridotites, and present a protolith ('hybrid mantle wedge') composition that satisfies the available constraints. The composition of peridotite xenoliths recovered from erupted arc magmas plausibly requires their formation initially via interaction of slab-derived components with refractory mantle prior to or during the formation of primary arc melts. The liquid

  4. Ionic liquid-nanoparticle hybrid electrolytes

    KAUST Repository

    Lu, Yingying

    2012-01-01

    We investigate physical and electrochemical properties of a family of organic-inorganic hybrid electrolytes based on the ionic liquid 1-methyl-3-propylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethanesulfone) imide covalently tethered to silica nanoparticles (SiO 2-IL-TFSI). The ionic conductivity exhibits a pronounced maximum versus LiTFSI composition, and in mixtures containing 13.4 wt% LiTFSI, the room-temperature ionic conductivity is enhanced by over 3 orders of magnitude relative to either of the mixture components, without compromising lithium transference number. The SiO 2-IL-TFSI/LiTFSI hybrid electrolytes are thermally stable up to 400°C and exhibit tunable mechanical properties and attractive (4.25V) electrochemical stability in the presence of metallic lithium. We explain these observations in terms of ionic coupling between counterion species in the mobile and immobile (particle-tethered) phases of the electrolytes. © 2012 The Royal Society of Chemistry.

  5. Production of graphite spheres with a high density

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tscherry, V.

    1976-01-01

    It is possible to obtain small spheres with a diameter of approximately 1,000 μm with the help of an automated press fitted with a profiled plunger. The spheres consist of graphite and a binder. Depending on the size of the plunger, 1 + 6 Σn (n = 0,1,2,...) spheres of equivalent diameter may be pressed with one stroke of the plunger. The spheres are bound to each other by a thin burr. The green end product is obtained by breaking the sheets of spheres and deburring them. (orig.) [de

  6. Hole trapping at Al impurities in silica: A challenge for density functional theories

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Lægsgaard, Jesper; Stokbro, Kurt

    2001-01-01

    The atomic geometry and electronic structure around a neutral substitutional Al impurity in silica is investigated using either the unrestricted Hartree-Fock (UHF) approximation, or Beckes three-parameter hybrid functional (B3LYP). It is found that the B3LYP functional fails to describe...... the structural distortions around the Al impurity, while the UHF results are consistent with experimental information. We argue that the failure of the B3LYP functional is caused by the incomplete self-interaction cancellation usually present in density functional theories....

  7. Silica particles and method of preparation thereof

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    2015-01-01

    The invention is in the field of silica products. More in particular, the invention is in the field of amorphous silica particles. The invention is directed to amorphous silica particles and related products including clusters of said silica particles, a suspension of said silica particles, and an

  8. One-pot preparation of a mixed-mode organic-silica hybrid monolithic capillary column and its application in determination of endogenous gibberellins in plant tissues.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Zheng; Hao, Yan-Hong; Ding, Jun; Xu, Sheng-Nan; Yuan, Bi-Feng; Feng, Yu-Qi

    2015-10-16

    A newly improved one-pot method, based on "thiol-ene" click chemistry and sol-gel approach in microemulsion system, was developed for the preparation of C8/PO(OH)2-silica hybrid monolithic capillary column. The prepared monolith possesses large specific surface area, narrow mesopore size distribution and high column efficiency. The monolithic column was demonstrated to have cation exchange/reversed-phase (CX/RP) mixed-mode retention for analytes on nano-liquid chromatography (nano-LC). On the basis of the developed nano-LC system with MS detector coupled to pipette tip solid phase extraction (PT-SPE) and derivatization process, we then realized simultaneous determination of 10 gibberellins (GAs) with low limits of detection (LODs, 0.003-0.025 ng/mL). Furthermore, 6 endogenous GAs in only 5mg rice leaves (fresh weight) were successfully detected and quantified. The developed PT-SPE-nano-LC-MS strategy may offer promising applications in the determination of low abundant bioactive molecules from complex matrix. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  9. Evolution of nickel sulfide hollow spheres through topotactic transformation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wei, Chengzhen; Lu, Qingyi; Sun, Jing; Gao, Feng

    2013-11-01

    In this study, a topotactic transformation route was proposed to synthesize single-crystalline β-NiS hollow spheres with uniform phase and morphology evolving from polycrystalline α-NiS hollow spheres. Uniform polycrystalline α-NiS hollow spheres were firstly prepared with thiourea and glutathione as sulfur sources under hydrothermal conditions through the Kirkendall effect. By increasing the reaction temperature the polycrystalline α-NiS hollow spheres were transformed to uniform β-NiS hollow spheres. The β-NiS crystals obtained through the topotactic transformation route not only have unchanged morphology of hollow spheres but are also single-crystalline in nature. The as-prepared NiS hollow spheres display a good ability to remove the organic pollutant Congo red from water, which makes them have application potential in water treatment.In this study, a topotactic transformation route was proposed to synthesize single-crystalline β-NiS hollow spheres with uniform phase and morphology evolving from polycrystalline α-NiS hollow spheres. Uniform polycrystalline α-NiS hollow spheres were firstly prepared with thiourea and glutathione as sulfur sources under hydrothermal conditions through the Kirkendall effect. By increasing the reaction temperature the polycrystalline α-NiS hollow spheres were transformed to uniform β-NiS hollow spheres. The β-NiS crystals obtained through the topotactic transformation route not only have unchanged morphology of hollow spheres but are also single-crystalline in nature. The as-prepared NiS hollow spheres display a good ability to remove the organic pollutant Congo red from water, which makes them have application potential in water treatment. Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available: XRD patterns; SEM images and TEM images. See DOI: 10.1039/c3nr03371f

  10. COOH-functionalisation of silica particles

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Majewski, Peter, E-mail: peter.majewski@unisa.edu.au [School of Advanced Manufacturing and Mechanical Engineering, Mawson Institute, University of South Australia, Adelaide (Australia); Albrecht, Trent [Ian Wark Research Institute, University of South Australia, Adelaide (Australia); Weber, Siegfried [Department of Biotechnology, University of Applied Sciences, Mannheim (Germany)

    2011-09-01

    In this study COOH-functionalised silica is synthesised using phosphonateN-(phosphonomethyl)iminodiacetic acid (PMIDA) in an aqueous solution. The presence of PMIDA on the silica particles was verified using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy, X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy and titration. Experimentally, surface concentrations of COOH functional groups of up to about 3 mmol/g{sub silica} were achieved, whereas theoretical calculation of the maximum COOH functional group concentration gave about 1 mmol/g{sub silica}. The discrepancy may be caused by PMIDA multilayer formation on the particle.

  11. A FEW CONSIDERATIONS REGARDING THE SPHERE OF FINANCIAL RELATIONS

    OpenAIRE

    Bota Anton Florin

    2009-01-01

    The author discusses his financial affairs sphere, looking at this issue under a double aspect: analysis of the financial relations sphere and analyzing the financial activity sphere. Analysis of the financial relations sphere is made on the basis of fou

  12. The Positive Freedom of the Public Sphere

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hansen, Ejvind

    2015-01-01

    calls for new reflections on the possible relationship between media, public sphere and democracy. This paper argues that we should change the questions that are raised when we try to assess the public sphere. It is argued that the traditional (Enlightenment) focus upon negative liberties and the truth-value......The relationship between democracy and the media since the appearance of Habermas' major texts in the 1960s has been articulated through theories of the public sphere. The structure of the public sphere is significantly influenced by the communicative media, and the emergence of the internet thus...

  13. Lithium-ion storage capacitors achieved by CVD graphene/TaC/Ta-wires and carbon hollow spheres

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhao, Liwei; Li, Hongji; Li, Mingji; Xu, Sheng; Li, Cuiping; Qu, Changqing; Zhang, Lijun; Yang, Baohe

    2016-01-01

    Highlights: • Graphene/TaC/Ta wire electrode was prepared by CVD. • Carbon hollow spheres as a solid electrolyte were prepared by hydrothermal. • Specific capacitance of assembled capacitor reached 593 F g −1 at 10 A g −1 . • The capacitor provided high energy and power densities (132 W h kg −1 /3.17 kW kg −1 ). • The hybrid capacitor also exhibited a high stability during long endurance tests. - Abstract: Lithium-ion storage capacitors were assembled using graphene/tantalum carbide/tantalum wire electrodes and carbon hollow spheres as electrolyte. The graphene/tantalum carbide layers were prepared by electron-assisted hot filament chemical vapor deposition; the carbon hollow spheres were synthesized by hydrothermal reaction and pyrolysis treatment. The specific capacitance of the capacitor was 593 F g −1 at a current density of 10 A g −1 . The capacitor showed excellent cycling stability, retaining 91.2% of its initial capacitance after 8000 cycles. Moreover, the capacitor provided a high specific energy density of 132 W h kg −1 at a high power density of 3.17 kW kg −1 . The high energy density is attributed to the widened operation window ranging from 0 to 3.0 V. The graphene layer of the electrode and carbon hollow spheres in electrolyte synergistic affect influence on the electrochemical performance of the capacitor are discussed. In addition, the use of a low-cost lithium salt, lithium chloride, is also featured in this paper.

  14. Spherical Approximation on Unit Sphere

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Eman Samir Bhaya

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available In this paper we introduce a Jackson type theorem for functions in LP spaces on sphere And study on best approximation of  functions in  spaces defined on unit sphere. our central problem is to describe the approximation behavior of functions in    spaces for  by modulus of smoothness of functions.

  15. A FEW CONSIDERATIONS REGARDING THE SPHERE OF FINANCIAL RELATIONS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bota Anton Florin

    2009-05-01

    Full Text Available The author discusses his financial affairs sphere, looking at this issue under a double aspect: analysis of the financial relations sphere and analyzing the financial activity sphere. Analysis of the financial relations sphere is made on the basis of fou

  16. TWO FERROMAGNETIC SPHERES IN HOMOGENEOUS MAGNETIC FIELD

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yury A. Krasnitsky

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available The problem of two spherical conductors is studied quite in detail with bispherical coordinates usage and has numerous appendices in an electrostatics. The boundary-value problem about two ferromagnetic spheres enclosed on homogeneous and infinite environment in which the lack of spheres exists like homogeneous magnetic field is considered. The solution of Laplace's equation in the bispherical system of coordinates allows us to find the potential and field distribution in all spaces, including area between spheres. The boundary conditions in potential continuity and in ordinary density constituent of spheres surfaces induction flux are used. It is supposed that spheres are identical, and magnetic permeability of their material is expressed in  >> 0. The problem about falling of electromagnetic plane wave on the system of two spheres, which possesses electrically small sizes, can be considered as quasistationary. The scalar potentials received as a result of Laplace's equation solution are represented by the series containing Legendre polynomials. The concept of two spheres system effective permeability is introduced. It is equal to the advantage in magnitude of magnetic induction flux vector through a certain system’s section arising due to its magnetic properties. Necessary ratios for the effective permeability referred to the central system’s section are obtained. Particularly, the results can be used during the analysis of ferroxcube core clearance, which influences on the magnetic antenna properties. 

  17. Metal-silica sol-gel materials

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stiegman, Albert E. (Inventor)

    2002-01-01

    The present invention relates to a single phase metal-silica sol-gel glass formed by the co-condensation of a transition metal with silicon atoms where the metal atoms are uniformly distributed within the sol-gel glass as individual metal centers. Any transition metal may be used in the sol-gel glasses. The present invention also relates to sensor materials where the sensor material is formed using the single phase metal-silica sol-gel glasses. The sensor materials may be in the form of a thin film or may be attached to an optical fiber. The present invention also relates to a method of sensing chemicals using the chemical sensors by monitoring the chromatic change of the metal-silica sol-gel glass when the chemical binds to the sensor. The present invention also relates to oxidation catalysts where a metal-silica sol-gel glass catalyzes the reaction. The present invention also relates to a method of performing oxidation reactions using the metal-silica sol-gel glasses. The present invention also relates to organopolymer metal-silica sol-gel composites where the pores of the metal-silica sol-gel glasses are filled with an organic polymer polymerized by the sol-gel glass.

  18. Characterization of nutrient disorders of gerbera hybrid 'Festival Light Eye Pink'

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gerbera hybrid ‘Festival Yellow with Light Eye’ plants were grown in silica sand culture to induce and photograph nutritional disorder symptoms. Plants were grown with a complete modified Hoagland's all nitrate solution: (macronutrients in mM) 15 NO3-N, 1.0 PO4-P, 6.0 K, 5.0 Ca, 2.0 Mg, and 2.0 SO4...

  19. The impact of framework organic functional groups on the hydrophobicity and overall stability of mesoporous silica materials

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Smeulders, Geert; Meynen, Vera; Silvestre-Albero, Ana; Houthoofd, Kristof; Mertens, Myrjam; Silvestre-Albero, Joaquin; Martens, Johan A.; Cool, Pegie

    2012-01-01

    Graphical abstract: The stability (hydrothermal, mechanical and chemical) of PMOs is studied in a systematic way and ranks them between classic and other hybrid mesoporous silica materials. Highlights: ► The stability (hydrothermal, mechanical and chemical) of PMOs is studied. ► Compared stability of PMOs with classic and other hybrid mesoporous silica materials. ► Immersion calorimetry to study the effect of hydrophobicity. ► PMOs show superior stability. - Abstract: The hydrothermal, mechanical and chemical stability of various mesoporous materials have been studied in detail, using X-ray diffraction and nitrogen sorption. Pure siliceous nanoporous powders (MCM-41 and SBA-15) are evaluated against their hybrid counterparts; namely 2 types of periodic mesoporous organosilicas (benzene and ethane bridged PMOs) and an organosilane grafted MCM-41 material. In primary tests, the stability of the hybrid materials is found to be superior compared to that of the pure siliceous ones. The stability of the materials was correlated to their hydrophobicity via immersion calorimetry, applied for the first time in this context. Based on these results, a clear correlation between the hydrophobicity of a material and its stability has been revealed. In addition, with 29 Si-MAS-NMR and vacuum experiments, the mechanism of the structural deterioration in the three different stability treatments could be unambiguously identified as the hydrolyzation of the siloxane bonds. The homogeneity of the hydrophobic groups throughout the entire network was found to be of great importance, irrespective of the hydrophobic nature at the surface as determined by calorimetric measurements. The results reveal that the most stable material can withstand (a) a pressure of 740 MPa during 5 min, (b) a 2 h stirring in a 2 M NaOH solution and (c) a 3 day steaming treatment at 393 K.

  20. The impact of framework organic functional groups on the hydrophobicity and overall stability of mesoporous silica materials

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Smeulders, Geert, E-mail: geert.smeulders@ua.ac.be [University of Antwerpen (Ukraine), Laboratory of Adsorption and Catalysis, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610 Wilrijk (Belgium); Meynen, Vera [University of Antwerpen (Ukraine), Laboratory of Adsorption and Catalysis, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610 Wilrijk (Belgium); Silvestre-Albero, Ana [Universidad de Alicante, Laboratorio de Materiales Avanzados, Apartado 99, 03080 Alicante (Spain); Houthoofd, Kristof [KULeuven, Centre for Surface Chemistry and Catalysis, Kasteelpark Arenberg 23, 3001 Heverlee (Belgium); Mertens, Myrjam [Flemish Institute for Technological Research (VITO N.V.), Boeretang 200, 2400 Mol (Belgium); Silvestre-Albero, Joaquin [Universidad de Alicante, Laboratorio de Materiales Avanzados, Apartado 99, 03080 Alicante (Spain); Martens, Johan A. [KULeuven, Centre for Surface Chemistry and Catalysis, Kasteelpark Arenberg 23, 3001 Heverlee (Belgium); Cool, Pegie [University of Antwerpen (Ukraine), Laboratory of Adsorption and Catalysis, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610 Wilrijk (Belgium)

    2012-02-15

    Graphical abstract: The stability (hydrothermal, mechanical and chemical) of PMOs is studied in a systematic way and ranks them between classic and other hybrid mesoporous silica materials. Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The stability (hydrothermal, mechanical and chemical) of PMOs is studied. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Compared stability of PMOs with classic and other hybrid mesoporous silica materials. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Immersion calorimetry to study the effect of hydrophobicity. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer PMOs show superior stability. - Abstract: The hydrothermal, mechanical and chemical stability of various mesoporous materials have been studied in detail, using X-ray diffraction and nitrogen sorption. Pure siliceous nanoporous powders (MCM-41 and SBA-15) are evaluated against their hybrid counterparts; namely 2 types of periodic mesoporous organosilicas (benzene and ethane bridged PMOs) and an organosilane grafted MCM-41 material. In primary tests, the stability of the hybrid materials is found to be superior compared to that of the pure siliceous ones. The stability of the materials was correlated to their hydrophobicity via immersion calorimetry, applied for the first time in this context. Based on these results, a clear correlation between the hydrophobicity of a material and its stability has been revealed. In addition, with {sup 29}Si-MAS-NMR and vacuum experiments, the mechanism of the structural deterioration in the three different stability treatments could be unambiguously identified as the hydrolyzation of the siloxane bonds. The homogeneity of the hydrophobic groups throughout the entire network was found to be of great importance, irrespective of the hydrophobic nature at the surface as determined by calorimetric measurements. The results reveal that the most stable material can withstand (a) a pressure of 740 MPa during 5 min, (b) a 2 h stirring in a 2 M NaOH solution and (c) a 3 day steaming treatment at 393 K.

  1. Spinning the fuzzy sphere

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Berenstein, David; Dzienkowski, Eric; Lashof-Regas, Robin

    2015-01-01

    We construct various exact analytical solutions of the SO(3) BMN matrix model that correspond to rotating fuzzy spheres and rotating fuzzy tori. These are also solutions of Yang Mills theory compactified on a sphere times time and they are also translationally invariant solutions of the N=1"∗ field theory with a non-trivial charge density. The solutions we construct have a ℤ_N symmetry, where N is the rank of the matrices. After an appropriate ansatz, we reduce the problem to solving a set of polynomial equations in 2N real variables. These equations have a discrete set of solutions for each value of the angular momentum. We study the phase structure of the solutions for various values of N. Also the continuum limit where N→∞, where the problem reduces to finding periodic solutions of a set of coupled differential equations. We also study the topology change transition from the sphere to the torus.

  2. Influence of silica nanospheres on corrosion behavior of magnesium matrix syntactic foam

    Science.gov (United States)

    Qureshi, W.; Kannan, S.; Vincent, S.; Eddine, N. N.; Muhammed, A.; Gupta, M.; Karthikeyan, R.; Badari, V.

    2018-04-01

    Over the years, the development of Magnesium alloys as biodegradable implants has seen significant advancements. Magnesium based materials tend to provide numerous advantages in the field of biomedical implants over existing materials such as titanium or stainless steel. The present research focuses on corrosive behavior of Magnesium reinforced with different volume percentages of Hollow Silica Nano Spheres (HSNS). These behaviors were tested in two different simulated body fluids (SBF) namely, Hank’s Buffered Saline Solution (HBSS) and Phosphate Buffered Solution (PBS). This corrosion study was done using the method of electrochemical polarization with a three-electrode configuration. Comparative studies were established by testing pure Mg which provided critical information on the effects of the reinforcing material. The HSNS reinforced Mg displayed desirable characteristics after corrosion experiments; increased corrosion resistance was witnessed with higher volume percentage of HSNS.

  3. Silica aerogel Cerenkov counter

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yasumi, S.; Masaike, A.; Yamamoto, A.; Yoshimura, Y.; Kawai, H.

    1984-03-01

    In order to obtain silica aerogel radiators of good quality, the prescription used by Saclay group has been developed. We have done several experiments using beams from KEK.PS to test the performance of a Cerenkov counter with aerogel modules produced in KEK. It turned out that these modules had excellent quality. The production rate of silica aerogel in KEK is 15 -- 20 litres a week. Silica aerogel modules of 20 x 10 x 3 cm 3 having the refractive index of 1.058 are successfully being used by Kyoto University group in the KEK experiment E92 (Σ). Methodes to produce silica aerogel with higher refractive index than 1.06 has been investigated both by heating an module with the refractive index of 1.06 and by hydrolyzing tetraethyl silicate. (author)

  4. Melt flow and mechanical properties of silica/perfluoropolymer nanocomposites Fabricated by direct melt-compounding without surface modification on nano-silica.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tanahashi, Mitsuru; Watanabe, Yusuke; Lee, Jeong-Chang; Takeda, Kunihiko; Fujisawa, Toshiharu

    2009-01-01

    The authors have previously developed a novel method for the fabrication of silica/perfluoropolymer nanocomposites, wherein nano-sized silica particles without surface modification were dispersed uniformly through breakdown of loosely packed agglomerates of silica nanoparticles with low fracture strength in a polymer melt during direct melt-compounding. The method consists of two stages; the first stage involves preparation of the loose silica agglomerate, and the second stage involves melt-compounding of a completely hydrophobic perfluoropolymer, PFA (poly(tetrafluoroethylene-co-perfluoropropylvinylether)), with the loose silica agglomerates. By using this simple method without any lipophilic treatment of the silica surfaces, silica nanoparticles with a primary diameter of 190 nm could be dispersed uniformly into the PFA matrix. The main purpose of the present study is to evaluate the melt flow and tensile properties of silica/PFA nanocomposites fabricated by the above method. In order to elucidate the effects of the size of the dispersed silica in the PFA matrix on the properties of the composites, silica/PFA composite samples exhibiting the dispersion of larger-sized silica particle-clusters were fabricated as negative controls of the silica dispersion state. The results obtained under the present experimental conditions showed that the size of the dispersed silica in the PFA matrix exerts a strong influence on the ultimate tensile properties, such as tensile strength and elongation at break, and the melt flow rate (MFR) of the composite materials. The MFR of the silica/PFA nanocomposite became higher than that of the pure PFA without silica addition, although the MFR of the PFA composites containing larger silica particle-clusters became much lower than that of the pure PFA. Furthermore, uniform dispersion of isolated silica nanoparticles was found to improve not only the Young's modulus but also the ultimate tensile properties of the composite.

  5. Mastering VMware vSphere 5.5

    CERN Document Server

    Lowe, Scott; Guthrie, Forbes; Liebowitz, Matt; Atwell, Josh

    2013-01-01

    The 2013 edition of the bestselling vSphere book on the market Virtualization remains the hottest trend in the IT world, and VMware vSphere is the industry's most widely deployed virtualization solution. The demand for IT professionals skilled in virtualization and cloud-related technologies is great and expected to keep growing. This comprehensive Sybex guide covers all the features and capabilities of VMware vSphere, showing administrators step by step how to install, configure, operate, manage, and secure it. This perfect blend of hands-on instruction, conceptual explanation, and practic

  6. Finding a source inside a sphere

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tsitsas, N L; Martin, P A

    2012-01-01

    A sphere excited by an interior point source or a point dipole gives a simplified yet realistic model for studying a variety of applications in medical imaging. We suppose that there is an exterior field (transmission problem) and that the total field on the sphere is known. We give analytical inversion algorithms for determining the interior physical characteristics of the sphere as well as the location, strength and orientation of the source/dipole. We start with static problems (Laplace’s equation) and then proceed to acoustic problems (Helmholtz equation). (paper)

  7. Multifunctional nanomedicine with silica: Role of silica in nanoparticles for theranostic, imaging, and drug monitoring.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Fang; Hableel, Ghanim; Zhao, Eric Ruike; Jokerst, Jesse V

    2018-07-01

    The idea of multifunctional nanomedicine that enters the human body to diagnose and treat disease without major surgery is a long-standing dream of nanomaterials scientists. Nanomaterials show incredible properties that are not found in bulk materials, but achieving multi-functionality on a single material remains challenging. Integrating several types of materials at the nano-scale is critical to the success of multifunctional nanomedicine device. Here, we describe the advantages of silica nanoparticles as a tool for multifunctional nano-devices. Silica nanoparticles have been intensively studied in drug delivery due to their biocompatibility, degradability, tunable morphology, and ease of modification. Moreover, silica nanoparticles can be integrated with other materials to obtain more features and achieve theranostic capabilities and multimodality for imaging applications. In this review, we will first compare the properties of silica nanoparticles with other well-known nanomaterials for bio-applications and describe typical routes to synthesize and integrate silica nanoparticles. We will then highlight theranostic and multimodal imaging application that use silica-based nanoparticles with a particular interest in real-time monitoring of therapeutic molecules. Finally, we will present the challenges and perspective on future work with silica-based nanoparticles in medicine. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  8. Role of surface functionality on the formation of raspberry-like polymer/silica composite particles: Weak acid–base interaction and steric effect

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang, Lan; Song, LinYong; Chao, ZhiYin; Chen, PengPeng; Nie, WangYan; Zhou, YiFeng

    2015-01-01

    Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • Core–shell structured polymer/SiO 2 was obtained with carboxylic-functionalized templates. • Raspberry-like structure was observed with carboxylic and poly(ethylene glycol) hybrid-functionalized polymer microspheres. • Carboxylic groups contributed to the nucleation and the poly(ethylene glycol) chains was used to control the growth of silica particles. • Super-hydrophobic surface was obtained and the contact angle of water on the dual-sized structured surface was up to 160°. - Abstract: The surface functionality of polymer microspheres is the crucial factor to determine the nucleation and growth of silica particles and to construct the organic/inorganic hierarchical structures. The objective of this work was to evaluate the surface functionality and hierarchical morphology relationship via in situ sol–gel reaction. Carboxylic-functionalized poly (styrene-co-maleic anhydride) [P(S-co-MA)], poly(ethylene glycol)-functionalized poly(styrene-co-poly(ethylene glycol) methacrylate) [P(S-co-PEGMA)], and hybrid functionalized poly(styrene-co-maleic anhydride-co-poly(ethylene glycol) methacrylate) [P(S-co-MA-co-PEGMA)] microspheres were synthesized by emulsifier-free polymerization and used as templates. The morphologies of the composite particles were observed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results showed that core–shell structure was obtained with P(S-co-MA) as templates; raspberry-like structure was observed by using P(S-co-MA-co-PEGMA) as templates; and no silica particles were attached onto the surface of P(S-co-PEGMA) microspheres. These results indicated that the carboxylic groups on the surface formed by hydrolysis of anhydride groups were the determinate factor to control the nucleation of silica nanoparticles, and the PEG chains on the surface can affect the growth of silica particles. In addition, the particulate films were constructed by assembling these

  9. Silica supported TiO{sub 2} nanostructures for highly efficient photocatalytic application under visible light irradiation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Pal, A.; Jana, T.K.; Chatterjee, K., E-mail: kuntal2k@gmail.com

    2016-04-15

    Highlights: • Synthesis of silica–titania nanocomposite by simple and facile chemical route and characterization of the materials. • Excellent catalytic activity on organic pollutant methylene blue under the visible light irradiation. • Photocatalytic rate is much higher than commercial P25 TiO{sub 2} catalyst powder. • The higher activity is attributed to the special structure and synergistic effect of the materials which has immense application potential. - Abstract: Titanium dioxide decorated silica nanospheres have been synthesized by a simple wet chemical approach. X-ray diffraction, electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray analysis revealed that anatase phase of TiO{sub 2} nanostructures, with exposed {0 0 1} and {1 0 1} facets, are anchored onto the amorphous silica spheres of ∼60 nm diameter. The photocatalytic activity of the sample under visible light irradiation was examined. It is found that photocatalytic efficiency of the material is better than commercial P25 TiO{sub 2} photocatalyst and the result is attributed to the unique synergistic effect of SiO{sub 2}–TiO{sub 2} nanocomposite structure resulting enhanced charge separation and charge transfer.

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

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sundblom, Andreas; Palmqvist, Anders E C; Holmberg, Krister

    2010-02-02

    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.

  11. Silica coatings on clarithromycin.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bele, Marjan; Dmitrasinovic, Dorde; Planinsek, Odon; Salobir, Mateja; Srcic, Stane; Gaberscek, Miran; Jamnik, Janko

    2005-03-03

    Pre-crystallized clarithromycin (6-O-methylerythromycin A) particles were coated with silica from the tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS)-ethanol-aqueous ammonia system. The coatings had a typical thickness of 100-150 nm and presented about 15 wt.% of the silica-drug composite material. The properties of the coatings depended on reactant concentration, temperature and mixing rate and, in particular, on the presence of a cationic surfactant (cetylpyridinium chloride). In the presence of cetylpyridinium chloride the silica coatings slightly decreased the rate of pure clarithromycin dissolution.

  12. Oxygen configurations in silica

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chelikowsky, James R.; Chadi, D. J.; Binggeli, N.

    2000-01-01

    We propose a transition state for oxygen in silica. This state is produced by the insertion of an oxygen molecule into the Si-O-Si bond, i.e., it consists of producing a Si-O-O-O-Si bond. This state allows molecular oxygen diffusion in silica without breaking the molecular O 2 bond and it is energetically more stable than a peroxy configuration. This configuration may allow for exchange of molecular oxygen with the oxygen in the silica framework. (c) 2000 The American Physical Society

  13. IBM WebSphere Application Server 80 Administration Guide

    CERN Document Server

    Robinson, Steve

    2011-01-01

    IBM WebSphere Application Server 8.0 Administration Guide is a highly practical, example-driven tutorial. You will be introduced to WebSphere Application Server 8.0, and guided through configuration, deployment, and tuning for optimum performance. If you are an administrator who wants to get up and running with IBM WebSphere Application Server 8.0, then this book is not to be missed. Experience with WebSphere and Java would be an advantage, but is not essential.

  14. The Effect of Various Acids to the Gelation Process to the Silica Gel Characteristic Using Organic Silica

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rahman, NA; Widiyastuti, W.; Sigit, D.; Ajiza, M.; Sujana, W.

    2018-01-01

    Bagasse ash is solid waste of cane sugar industry which contain of silica more than 51%. Some previous study of silica gel from bagasse ash have been conducted often and been applied. This study concerns about the effect of various acid used in the process of gelation to the characteristic of silica gel produced. Then, this silica gel will be used as adsorbent. As that, the silica gel must fulfill the requirements of adsorbent, as have good pores characteristics, fit in mesoporous size so that adsorbent diffusion process is not disturbed. A fitted pores size of silica gel can be prepared by managing acid concentration used. The effect of acid, organic acid (tartaric acid) and inorganic acid (hydrochloric acid), is investigated in detail. The acid is added into sodium silicate solution in that the gel is formed, the pores structures can be investigated with BET, the crystal form is analyzed with XRD and the pore structure is analyzed visually with SEM. By managing the acid concentration added, it gets the effect of acid to the pore structure of silica gel. The bigger concentration is, the bigger the pore’s size of silica gel produced.

  15. Silica-supported tungsten carbynes (≡SiO)xW(≡CH)(Me)y (x = 1, y = 2; X = 2, y = 1): New efficient catalysts for alkyne cyclotrimerization

    KAUST Repository

    Riache, Nassima

    2015-02-23

    The activity of silica-supported tungsten carbyne complexes (≡SiO)xW(≡CH)(Me)y (x = 1, y = 2; x = 2, y = 1) toward alkynes is reported. We found that they are efficient precatalysts for terminal alkyne cyclotrimerization with high TONs. We also demonstrate that this catalyst species is active for alkyne cyclotrimerization without the formation of significant alkyne metathesis products. Additional DFT calculations highlight the importance of the W coordination sphere in supporting this experimental behavior.

  16. Unsteady flow over a decelerating rotating sphere

    Science.gov (United States)

    Turkyilmazoglu, M.

    2018-03-01

    Unsteady flow analysis induced by a decelerating rotating sphere is the main concern of this paper. A revolving sphere in a still fluid is supposed to slow down at an angular velocity rate that is inversely proportional to time. The governing partial differential equations of motion are scaled in accordance with the literature, reducing to the well-documented von Kármán equations in the special circumstance near the pole. Both numerical and perturbation approaches are pursued to identify the velocity fields, shear stresses, and suction velocity far above the sphere. It is detected that an induced flow surrounding the sphere acts accordingly to adapt to the motion of the sphere up to some critical unsteadiness parameters at certain latitudes. Afterward, the decay rate of rotation ceases such that the flow at the remaining azimuths starts revolving freely. At a critical unsteadiness parameter corresponding to s = -0.681, the decelerating sphere rotates freely and requires no more torque. At a value of s exactly matching the rotating disk flow at the pole identified in the literature, the entire flow field around the sphere starts revolving faster than the disk itself. Increasing values of -s almost diminish the radial outflow. This results in jet flows in both the latitudinal and meridional directions, concentrated near the wall region. The presented mean flow results will be useful for analyzing the instability features of the flow, whether of a convective or absolute nature.

  17. Reversible thermal gelation in soft spheres

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kapnistos, M.; Vlassopoulos, D.; Fytas, G.

    2000-01-01

    Upon heating, concentrated solutions of star polymers and block copolymer micelles in a good solvent, representing soft spheres, undergo a reversible gelation. This phenomenon is attributed to the formation of clusters causing a partial dynamic arrest of the swollen interpenetrating spheres at hi...

  18. Spheres of discharge of springs

    Science.gov (United States)

    Springer, Abraham E.; Stevens, Lawrence E.

    2009-02-01

    Although springs have been recognized as important, rare, and globally threatened ecosystems, there is as yet no consistent and comprehensive classification system or common lexicon for springs. In this paper, 12 spheres of discharge of springs are defined, sketched, displayed with photographs, and described relative to their hydrogeology of occurrence, and the microhabitats and ecosystems they support. A few of the spheres of discharge have been previously recognized and used by hydrogeologists for over 80 years, but others have only recently been defined geomorphologically. A comparison of these spheres of discharge to classification systems for wetlands, groundwater dependent ecosystems, karst hydrogeology, running waters, and other systems is provided. With a common lexicon for springs, hydrogeologists can provide more consistent guidance for springs ecosystem conservation, management, and restoration. As additional comprehensive inventories of the physical, biological, and cultural characteristics are conducted and analyzed, it will eventually be possible to associate spheres of discharge with discrete vegetation and aquatic invertebrate assemblages, and better understand the habitat requirements of rare or unique springs species. Given the elevated productivity and biodiversity of springs, and their highly threatened status, identification of geomorphic similarities among spring types is essential for conservation of these important ecosystems.

  19. Electroactive Properties of 1-propyl-3-methylimidazolium Ionic Liquid Covalently Bonded on Mesoporous Silica Surface: Development of an Electrochemical Sensor Probed for NADH, Dopamine and Uric Acid Detection

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Maroneze, Camila M.; Rahim, Abdur; Fattori, Natália; Costa, Luiz P. da; Sigoli, Fernando A.; Mazali, Italo O.; Custodio, Rogério; Gushikem, Yoshitaka

    2014-01-01

    Graphical abstract: - Abstract: A hybrid organic-inorganic porous material was successfully prepared through chemical modification of a non-ordered mesoporous silica, obtained by the sol-gel process, with 1-propyl-3-methylimidazolium groups. The porous material was evaluated as a platform for the development of electrochemical sensors, here probed toward the electrooxidation of NADH (β-nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide), uric acid (UA) and dopamine (DA). The presence of cationic imidazolium groups on the surface of the hybrid silica-based material allowed the electrochemical detection of these biomolecules without any other electron mediator or biomolecular recognition component. Such behavior highlights the potentiality of this material to be applied in the development of new electrochemical sensing devices. Theoretical calculations based on density functional theory emphasizes that the cationic character of imidazolium group provides better oxidation conditions if the solvent effect is minimized

  20. vSphere high performance cookbook

    CERN Document Server

    Sarkar, Prasenjit

    2013-01-01

    vSphere High Performance Cookbook is written in a practical, helpful style with numerous recipes focusing on answering and providing solutions to common, and not-so common, performance issues and problems.The book is primarily written for technical professionals with system administration skills and some VMware experience who wish to learn about advanced optimization and the configuration features and functions for vSphere 5.1.

  1. Differential Calculus on Quantum Spheres

    OpenAIRE

    Welk, Martin

    1998-01-01

    We study covariant differential calculus on the quantum spheres S_q^2N-1. Two classification results for covariant first order differential calculi are proved. As an important step towards a description of the noncommutative geometry of the quantum spheres, a framework of covariant differential calculus is established, including a particular first order calculus obtained by factorization, higher order calculi and a symmetry concept.

  2. Scattering characteristics of relativistically moving concentrically layered spheres

    Science.gov (United States)

    Garner, Timothy J.; Lakhtakia, Akhlesh; Breakall, James K.; Bohren, Craig F.

    2018-02-01

    The energy extinction cross section of a concentrically layered sphere varies with velocity as the Doppler shift moves the spectral content of the incident signal in the sphere's co-moving inertial reference frame toward or away from resonances of the sphere. Computations for hollow gold nanospheres show that the energy extinction cross section is high when the Doppler shift moves the incident signal's spectral content in the co-moving frame near the wavelength of the sphere's localized surface plasmon resonance. The energy extinction cross section of a three-layer sphere consisting of an olivine-silicate core surrounded by a porous and a magnetite layer, which is used to explain extinction caused by interstellar dust, also depends strongly on velocity. For this sphere, computations show that the energy extinction cross section is high when the Doppler shift moves the spectral content of the incident signal near either of olivine-silicate's two localized surface phonon resonances at 9.7 μm and 18 μm.

  3. Silica-Coated Liposomes for Insulin Delivery

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Neelam Dwivedi

    2010-01-01

    Full Text Available Liposomes coated with silica were explored as protein delivery vehicles for their enhanced stability and improved encapsulation efficiency. Insulin was encapsulated within the fluidic phosphatidylcholine lipid vesicles by thin film hydration at pH 2.5, and layer of silica was formed above lipid bilayer by acid catalysis. The presence of silica coating and encapsulated insulin was identified using confocal and electron microscopy. The native state of insulin present in the formulation was evident from Confocal Micro-Raman spectroscopy. Silica coat enhances the stability of insulin-loaded delivery vehicles. In vivo study shows that these silica coated formulations were biologically active in reducing glucose levels.

  4. Instability of extremal relativistic charged spheres

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Anninos, Peter; Rothman, Tony

    2002-01-01

    With the question 'Can relativistic charged spheres form extremal black holes?' in mind, we investigate the properties of such spheres from a classical point of view. The investigation is carried out numerically by integrating the Oppenheimer-Volkov equation for relativistic charged fluid spheres and finding interior Reissner-Nordstroem solutions for these objects. We consider both constant density and adiabatic equations of state, as well as several possible charge distributions, and examine stability by both a normal mode and an energy analysis. In all cases, the stability limit for these spheres lies between the extremal (Q=M) limit and the black hole limit (R=R + ). That is, we find that charged spheres undergo gravitational collapse before they reach Q=M, suggesting that extremal Reissner-Nordstroem black holes produced by collapse are ruled out. A general proof of this statement would support a strong form of the cosmic censorship hypothesis, excluding not only stable naked singularities, but stable extremal black holes. The numerical results also indicate that although the interior mass-energy m(R) obeys the usual m/R + as Q→M. In the Appendix we also argue that Hawking radiation will not lead to an extremal Reissner-Nordstroem black hole. All our results are consistent with the third law of black hole dynamics, as currently understood

  5. Insight into the adsorption of tetracycline onto amino and amino-Fe3+ gunctionalized mesoporous silica: Effect of functionalized groups.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Ziyang; Li, Haiyan; Liu, Huijuan

    2018-03-01

    In order to study the influences of functionalized groups onto the adsorption of tetracycline, we prepared a series of amino and amino-Fe 3+ complex mesoporous silica adsorbents with diverse content of amino and Fe 3+ groups (named N,N-SBA15 and Fe-N,N-SBA15). The resulting mesoporous silica adsorbents were fully characterized by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectrometer (FTIR) and N 2 adsorption/desorption isotherms. Furthermore, the effects of functionalized groups on the removal of TC were investigated. The results showed that the periodic ordered structure of SBA-15 was maintained after modification of amino/Fe 3+ groups. The functionalized amino groups decreased the adsorption capacity while the coordinated Fe 3+ increased the adsorption capacity. The adsorption kinetics of TC fitted pseudo-second-order model well and the equilibrium was achieved quickly. The adsorption isotherms fitted the Langmuir model well and with the Fe 3+ content increased from 3.93% to 8.26%, the Q max of the adsorbents increased from 102 to 188mmol/kg. The solution pH affected the adsorption of TC onto amino complex adsorbents slightly while influenced the adsorption onto Fe-amine complex adsorbents greatly. The adsorption of TC on SBA15 and N,N-SBA15 may be related to the formation of outer-sphere surface complexes, while the adsorption of TC onto Fe-N,N-SBA15 was mainly attributed to the inner-sphere surface complexes. This study could offer potential materials that have excellent adsorption behavior for environmental remediation and suggested useful information for the preparing other adsorbents in environmental applications. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  6. AIE-doped poly(ionic liquid) photonic spheres: a single sphere-based customizable sensing platform for the discrimination of multi-analytes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Wanlin; Gao, Ning; Cui, Jiecheng; Wang, Chen; Wang, Shiqiang; Zhang, Guanxin; Dong, Xiaobiao; Zhang, Deqing; Li, Guangtao

    2017-09-01

    By simultaneously exploiting the unique properties of ionic liquids and aggregation-induced emission (AIE) luminogens, as well as photonic structures, a novel customizable sensing system for multi-analytes was developed based on a single AIE-doped poly(ionic liquid) photonic sphere. It was found that due to the extraordinary multiple intermolecular interactions involved in the ionic liquid units, one single sphere could differentially interact with broader classes of analytes, thus generating response patterns with remarkable diversity. Moreover, the optical properties of both the AIE luminogen and photonic structure integrated in the poly(ionic liquid) sphere provide multidimensional signal channels for transducing the involved recognition process in a complementary manner and the acquisition of abundant and sufficient sensing information could be easily achieved on only one sphere sensor element. More importantly, the sensing performance of our poly(ionic liquid) photonic sphere is designable and customizable through a simple ion-exchange reaction and target-oriented multi-analyte sensing can be conveniently realized using a selective receptor species, such as counterions, showing great flexibility and extendibility. The power of our single sphere-based customizable sensing system was exemplified by the successful on-demand detection and discrimination of four multi-analyte challenge systems: all 20 natural amino acids, nine important phosphate derivatives, ten metal ions and three pairs of enantiomers. To further demonstrate the potential of our spheres for real-life application, 20 amino acids in human urine and their 26 unprecedented complex mixtures were also discriminated between by the single sphere-based array.

  7. Silica nanoparticle stability in biological media revisited.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Seon-Ah; Choi, Sungmoon; Jeon, Seon Mi; Yu, Junhua

    2018-01-09

    The stability of silica nanostructure in the core-silica shell nanomaterials is critical to understanding the activity of these nanomaterials since the exposure of core materials due to the poor stability of silica may cause misinterpretation of experiments, but unfortunately reports on the stability of silica have been inconsistent. Here, we show that luminescent silver nanodots (AgNDs) can be used to monitor the stability of silica nanostructures. Though relatively stable in water and phosphate buffered saline, silica nanoparticles are eroded by biological media, leading to the exposure of AgNDs from AgND@SiO 2 nanoparticles and the quenching of nanodot luminescence. Our results reveal that a synergistic effect of organic compounds, particularly the amino groups, accelerates the erosion. Our work indicates that silica nanostructures are vulnerable to cellular medium and it may be possible to tune the release of drug molecules from silica-based drug delivery vehicles through controlled erosion.

  8. Thermally stable silica-coated hydrophobic gold nanoparticles.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kanehara, Masayuki; Watanabe, Yuka; Teranishi, Toshiharu

    2009-01-01

    We have successfully developed a method for silica coating on hydrophobic dodecanethiol-protected Au nanoparticles with coating thickness ranging from 10 to 40 nm. The formation of silica-coated Au nanoparticles could be accomplished via the preparation of hydrophilic Au nanoparticle micelles by cationic surfactant encapsulation in aqueous phase, followed by hydrolysis of tetraethylorthosilicate on the hydrophilic surface of gold nanoparticle micelles. Silica-coated Au nanoparticles exhibited quite high thermal stability, that is, no agglomeration of the Au cores could be observed after annealing at 600 degrees C for 30 min. Silica-coated Au nanoparticles could serve as a template to derive hollow nanoparticles. An addition of NaCN solution to silica-coated Au nanoparticles led the formation of hollow silica nanoparticles, which were redispersible in deionized water. The formation of the hollow silica nanoparticles results from the mesoporous structures of the silica shell and such a mesoporous structure is applicable to both catalyst support and drug delivery.

  9. Synthesis of raspberry-like monodisperse magnetic hollow hybrid nanospheres by coating polystyrene template with Fe(3)O(4)@SiO(2) particles.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Chunlei; Yan, Juntao; Cui, Xuejun; Wang, Hongyan

    2011-02-01

    In this paper, we present a novel method for the preparation of raspberry-like monodisperse magnetic hollow hybrid nanospheres with γ-Fe(2)O(3)@SiO(2) particles as the outer shell. PS@Fe(3)O(4)@SiO(2) composite nanoparticles were successfully prepared on the principle of the electrostatic interaction between negatively charged silica and positively charged polystyrene, and then raspberry-like magnetic hollow hybrid nanospheres with large cavities were achieved by means of calcinations, simultaneously, the magnetite (Fe(3)O(4)) was transformed into maghemite (γ-Fe(2)O(3)). Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) demonstrated that the obtained magnetic hollow silica nanospheres with the perfect spherical profile were well monodisperse and uniform with the mean size of 253nm. The Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectrometry, energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) provided the sufficient evidences for the presence of Fe(3)O(4) in the silica shell. Moreover, the magnetic hollow silica nanospheres possessed a characteristic of superparamagnetic with saturation magnetization value of about 7.84emu/g by the magnetization curve measurement. In addition, the nitrogen adsorption-desorption measurement exhibited that the pore size, BET surface area, pore volume of magnetic hollow silica nanospheres were 3.5-5.5nm, 307m(2)g(-1) and 1.33cm(3)g(-1), respectively. Therefore, the magnetic hollow nanospheres possess a promising future in controlled drug delivery and targeted drug applications. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  10. Chitosan-silica complex membranes from sulfonic acid functionalized silica nanoparticles for pervaporation dehydration of ethanol-water solutions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Ying-Ling; Hsu, Chih-Yuan; Su, Yu-Huei; Lai, Juin-Yih

    2005-01-01

    Nanosized silica particles with sulfonic acid groups (ST-GPE-S) were utilized as a cross-linker for chitosan to form a chitosan-silica complex membranes, which were applied to pervaporation dehydration of ethanol-water solutions. ST-GPE-S was obtained from reacting nanoscale silica particles with glycidyl phenyl ether, and subsequent sulfonation onto the attached phenyl groups. The chemical structure of the functionalized silica was characterized with FTIR, (1)H NMR, and energy-dispersive X-ray. Homogeneous dispersion of the silica particles in chitosan was observed with electronic microscopies, and the membranes obtained were considered as nanocomposites. The silica nanoparticles in the membranes served as spacers for polymer chains to provide extra space for water permeation, so as to bring high permeation rates to the complex membranes. With addition of 5 parts per hundred of functionalized silica into chitosan, the resulting membrane exhibited a separation factor of 919 and permeation flux of 410 g/(m(2) h) in pervaporation dehydration of 90 wt % ethanol aqueous solution at 70 degrees C.

  11. Elastic spheres can walk on water.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Belden, Jesse; Hurd, Randy C; Jandron, Michael A; Bower, Allan F; Truscott, Tadd T

    2016-02-04

    Incited by public fascination and engineering application, water-skipping of rigid stones and spheres has received considerable study. While these objects can be coaxed to ricochet, elastic spheres demonstrate superior water-skipping ability, but little is known about the effect of large material compliance on water impact physics. Here we show that upon water impact, very compliant spheres naturally assume a disk-like geometry and dynamic orientation that are favourable for water-skipping. Experiments and numerical modelling reveal that the initial spherical shape evolves as elastic waves propagate through the material. We find that the skipping dynamics are governed by the wave propagation speed and by the ratio of material shear modulus to hydrodynamic pressure. With these insights, we explain why softer spheres skip more easily than stiffer ones. Our results advance understanding of fluid-elastic body interaction during water impact, which could benefit inflatable craft modelling and, more playfully, design of elastic aquatic toys.

  12. Hollow carbon sphere/metal oxide nanocomposites anodes for lithium-ion batteries

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wenelska, K.; Ottmann, A.; Schneider, P.; Thauer, E.; Klingeler, R.; Mijowska, E.

    2016-01-01

    HCS (Hollow carbon spheres) covered with metal oxide nanoparticles (SnO_2 and MnO_2, respectively) were successfully synthesized and investigated regarding their potential as anode materials for lithium-ion batteries. Raman spectroscopy shows a high degree of graphitization for the HCS host structure. The mesoporous nature of the nanocomposites is confirmed by Brunauer–Emmett–Teller analysis. For both metal oxides under study, the metal oxide functionalization of HCS yields a significant increase of electrochemical performance. The charge capacity of HCS/SnO_2 is 370 mA hg"−"1 after 45 cycles (266 mA hg"−"1 in HCS/MnO_2) which clearly exceeds the value of 188 mA hg"−"1 in pristine HCS. Remarkably, the data imply excellent long term cycling stability after 100 cycles in both cases. The results hence show that mesoporous HCS/metal oxide nanocomposites enable exploiting the potential of metal oxide anode materials in Lithium-ion batteries by providing a HCS host structure which is both conductive and stable enough to accommodate big volume change effects. - Highlights: • Strategy to synthesize hollow carbon spheres decorated by metal oxides nanoparticles. • High-performance of HCS/MOx storage as mesoporous hybrid material. • The results hence demonstrate high electrochemical activity of the HCS/MOx.

  13. QMX: A versatile environment for hybrid calculations applied to the grafting of Al 2 Cl 3 Me 3 on a silica surface

    KAUST Repository

    Kerber, Torsten

    2013-01-23

    We present a new software to easily perform QM:MM and QM:QM\\' calculations called QMX. It follows the subtraction scheme and it is implemented in the Atomic Simulation Environment (ASE). Special attention is paid to couple molecular calculations with periodic boundaries approaches. QMX inherits the flexibility and versatility of the ASE package: any combination of methods namely force field, semiempirical, first principle, and ab initio, can be used as hybrid potential energy surface (PES). Its ease of use is demonstrated by considering the adsorption of Al2Cl3Me3 on silica surface and by combining different levels of theory (from standard DFT to MP2 calculations) for the so-called High Level cluster with standard PW91 density functional theory calculations for the Low Level environment. It is shown that the High Level cluster must contain the silanol group close to the aluminum atoms. The bridging adsorption is favored by 58 kJ mol-1 at the MP2:PW91 level with respect to the terminal position. Using large clusters at the MP2:PW91 level, it is shown that PW91 calculations are sufficient for structure optimization but that embedded methods are required for accurate energy profiles. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  14. Movements of a Sphere Moving Over Smooth and Rough Inclines

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jan, Chyan-Deng

    1992-01-01

    The steady movements of a sphere over a rough incline in air, and over smooth and rough inclines in a liquid were studied theoretically and experimentally. The principle of energy conservation was used to analyze the translation velocities, rolling resistances, and drag coefficients of a sphere moving over the inclines. The rolling resistance to the movement of a sphere from the rough incline was presumed to be caused by collisions and frictional slidings. A varnished wooden board was placed on the bottom of an experimental tilting flume to form a smooth incline and a layer of spheres identical to the sphere moving over them was placed on the smooth wooden board to form a rough incline. Spheres used in the experiments were glass spheres, steel spheres, and golf balls. Experiments show that a sphere moving over a rough incline with negligible fluid drag in air can reach a constant translation velocity. This constant velocity was found to be proportional to the bed inclination (between 11 ^circ and 21^circ) and the square root of the sphere's diameter, but seemingly independent of the sphere's specific gravity. Two empirical coefficients in the theoretical expression of the sphere's translation velocity were determined by experiments. The collision and friction parts of the shear stress exerted on the interface between the moving sphere and rough incline were determined. The ratio of collision to friction parts appears to increase with increase in the bed inclination. These two parts seem to be of the same order of magnitude. The rolling resistances and the relations between the drag coefficient and Reynolds number for a sphere moving over smooth and rough inclines in a liquid, such as water or salad oil, were determined by a regression analysis based on experimental data. It was found that the drag coefficient for a sphere over the rough incline is larger than that for a sphere over the smooth incline, and both of which are much larger than that for a sphere in free

  15. Ultrashort hybrid metal-insulator plasmonic directional coupler.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Noghani, Mahmoud Talafi; Samiei, Mohammad Hashem Vadjed

    2013-11-01

    An ultrashort plasmonic directional coupler based on the hybrid metal-insulator slab waveguide is proposed and analyzed at the telecommunication wavelength of 1550 nm. It is first analyzed using the supermode theory based on mode analysis via the transfer matrix method in the interaction region. Then the 2D model of the coupler, including transition arms, is analyzed using a commercial finite-element method simulator. The hybrid slab waveguide is composed of a metallic layer of silver and two dielectric layers of silica (SiO2) and silicon (Si). The coupler is optimized to have a minimum coupling length and to transfer maximum power considering the layer thicknesses as optimization variables. The resulting coupling length in the submicrometer region along with a noticeable power transfer efficiency are advantages of the proposed coupler compared to previously reported plasmonic couplers.

  16. Amorphous silica from rice husk at various temperatures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Javed, S.J.; Feroze, N.; Tajwar, S.

    2008-01-01

    Rice husk is being used as a source of energy in many heat generating system because of its high calorific value and its availability in many rice producing areas. Rice husk contains approximately 20% silica which is presented in hydrated form. This hydrated silica can be retrieved as amorphous silica under controlled thermal conditions. Uncontrolled burning of rice husk produces crystalline silica which is not reactive silica but can be used as filler in many applications. Amorphous silica is reactive silica which has better market value due to its reactive nature in process industry. The present study deals with the production of amorphous silica at various temperatures from rice husk. Various ashes were prepared in tube furnace by changing the burning temperatures for fixed time intervals and analyzed by XRD. It has been observed that for two hours calculation's of rice husk renders mostly amorphous silica at 650 degree C where as at higher temperatures crystalline silica was obtained. (author)

  17. Cellular membrane trafficking of mesoporous silica nanoparticles

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Fang, I-Ju [Iowa State Univ., Ames, IA (United States)

    2012-01-01

    This dissertation mainly focuses on the investigation of the cellular membrane trafficking of mesoporous silica nanoparticles. We are interested in the study of endocytosis and exocytosis behaviors of mesoporous silica nanoparticles with desired surface functionality. The relationship between mesoporous silica nanoparticles and membrane trafficking of cells, either cancerous cells or normal cells was examined. Since mesoporous silica nanoparticles were applied in many drug delivery cases, the endocytotic efficiency of mesoporous silica nanoparticles needs to be investigated in more details in order to design the cellular drug delivery system in the controlled way. It is well known that cells can engulf some molecules outside of the cells through a receptor-ligand associated endocytosis. We are interested to determine if those biomolecules binding to cell surface receptors can be utilized on mesoporous silica nanoparticle materials to improve the uptake efficiency or govern the mechanism of endocytosis of mesoporous silica nanoparticles. Arginine-glycine-aspartate (RGD) is a small peptide recognized by cell integrin receptors and it was reported that avidin internalization was highly promoted by tumor lectin. Both RGD and avidin were linked to the surface of mesoporous silica nanoparticle materials to investigate the effect of receptor-associated biomolecule on cellular endocytosis efficiency. The effect of ligand types, ligand conformation and ligand density were discussed in Chapter 2 and 3. Furthermore, the exocytosis of mesoporous silica nanoparticles is very attractive for biological applications. The cellular protein sequestration study of mesoporous silica nanoparticles was examined for further information of the intracellular pathway of endocytosed mesoporous silica nanoparticle materials. The surface functionality of mesoporous silica nanoparticle materials demonstrated selectivity among the materials and cancer and normal cell lines. We aimed to determine

  18. Influences of surface charge, size, and concentration of colloidal nanoparticles on fabrication of self-organized porous silica in film and particle forms.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nandiyanto, Asep Bayu Dani; Suhendi, Asep; Arutanti, Osi; Ogi, Takashi; Okuyama, Kikuo

    2013-05-28

    Studies on preparation of porous material have attracted tremendous attention because existence of pores can provide material with excellent performances. However, current preparation reports described successful production of porous material with only partial information on charges, interactions, sizes, and compositions of the template and host materials. In this report, influences of self-assembly parameters (i.e., surface charge, size, and concentration of colloidal nanoparticles) on self-organized porous material fabrication were investigated. Silica nanoparticles (as a host material) and polystyrene (PS) spheres (as a template) were combined to produce self-assembly porous materials in film and particle forms. The experimental results showed that the porous structure and pore size were controllable and strongly depended on the self-assembly parameters. Materials containing highly ordered pores were effectively created only when process parameters fall within appropriate conditions (i.e., PS surface charge ≤ -30 mV; silica-to-PS size ratio ≤0.078; and silica-to-PS mass ratio of about 0.50). The investigation of the self-assembly parameter landscape was also completed using geometric considerations. Because optimization of these parameters provides significant information in regard to practical uses, results of this report could be relevant to other functional properties.

  19. Synthesis of Various Silica Nanoparticles for Foam Stability

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yoon, Suk Bon; Yoon, Inho; Jung, Chonghun; Kim, Chorong; Choi, Wangkyu; Moon, Jeikwon

    2013-01-01

    The synthesis of the non-porous silica nanoparticles with uniform sizes has been reported through the Sto ber method, the synthesis of meso porous silica nanoparticles with a specific morphology such as core-shell, rod-like, and hexagonal shapes is not so common. As a synthetic strategy for controlling the particle size, shape, and porosity, the synthesis of core-shell silicas with meso porous shells formed on silica particle cores through the self-assembly of silica precursor and organic templates or spherical meso porous silicas using modified Sto ber method was also reported. Recently, in an effort to reduce the amount of radioactive waste and enhance the decontamination efficiency during the decontamination process of nuclear facilities contaminated with radionuclides, a few research for the preparation of the decontamination foam containing solid nanoparticles has been reported. In this work, the silica nanoparticles with various sizes, shapes, and structures were synthesized based on the previous literatures. The resulting silica nanoparticles were used to investigate the effect of the nanoparticles on the foam stability. In a study on the foam stability using various silica nanoparticles, the results showed that the foam volume and liquid volume in foam was enhanced when using a smaller size and lower density of the silica nanoparticles. Silica nanoparticles with various sizes, shapes, and structures such as a non-porous, meso porous core-shell, and meso porous silica were synthesized to investigate the effect of the foam stability. The sizes and structural properties of the silica nanoparticles were easily controlled by varying the amount of silica precursor, surfactant, and ammonia solution as a basic catalyst. The foam prepared using various silica nanoparticles showed that foam the volume and liquid volume in the foam were enhanced when using a smaller size and lower density of the silica nanoparticles

  20. Silica removal in industrial effluents with high silica content and low hardness.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Latour, Isabel; Miranda, Ruben; Blanco, Angeles

    2014-01-01

    High silica content of de-inked paper mill effluents is limiting their regeneration and reuse after membrane treatments such as reverse osmosis (RO). Silica removal during softening processes is a common treatment; however, the effluent from the paper mill studied has a low hardness content, which makes the addition of magnesium compounds necessary to increase silica removal. Two soluble magnesium compounds (MgCl₂∙6H₂O and MgSO₄∙7H₂O) were tested at five dosages (250-1,500 mg/L) and different initial pH values. High removal rates (80-90%) were obtained with both products at the highest pH tested (11.5). With these removal efficiencies, it is possible to work at high RO recoveries (75-85%) without silica scaling. Although pH regulation significantly increased the conductivity of the waters (at pH 11.5 from 2.1 to 3.7-4.0 mS/cm), this could be partially solved by using Ca(OH)₂ instead of NaOH as pH regulator (final conductivity around 3.0 mS/cm). Maximum chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal obtained with caustic soda was lower than with lime (15 vs. 30%). Additionally, the combined use of a polyaluminum coagulant during the softening process was studied; the coagulant, however, did not significantly improve silica removal, obtaining a maximum increase of only 10%.