In situ fabrication of nanostructured titania coating on the surface of titanium wire: A new approach for preparation of solid-phase microextraction fiber

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cao Dandan [State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, P.O. Box 2871, Beijing 100085 (China); Environmental Science Division, School of Earth and Space Science, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui Province 230026 (China); Lue Jianxia [State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, P.O. Box 2871, Beijing 100085 (China); Liu Jingfu [State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, P.O. Box 2871, Beijing 100085 (China)], E-mail: jfliu@rcees.ac.cn; Jiang Guibin [State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, P.O. Box 2871, Beijing 100085 (China)

2008-03-17

Nanostructured titania-based solid-phase microextraction (SPME) fibers were fabricated through the in situ oxidation of titanium wires with H{sub 2}O{sub 2} (30%, w/w) at 80 deg. C for 24 h. The obtained SPME fibers possess a {approx}1.2 {mu}m thick nanostructured coating consisting of {approx}100 nm titania walls and 100-200 nm pores. The use of these fibers for headspace SPME coupled with gas chromatography with electron capture detection (GC-ECD) resulted in improved analysis of dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) and its degradation products. The presented method to detect DDT and its degradation products has high sensitivity (0.20-0.98 ng L{sup -1}), high precision (relative standard deviation R.S.D. = 9.4-16%, n = 5), a wide linear range (5-5000 ng L{sup -1}), and good linearity (coefficient of estimation R{sup 2} = 0.991-0.998). As the nanostructured titania was in situ formed on the surface of a titanium wire, the coating was uniformly and strongly adhered on the titanium wire. Because of the inherent chemical stability of the titania coating and the mechanical durability of the titanium wire substrate, this new SPME fiber exhibited long life span (over 150 times)

M-Polynomials and Topological Indices of Titania Nanotubes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mobeen Munir

2016-10-01

Full Text Available Titania is one of the most comprehensively studied nanostructures due to their widespread applications in the production of catalytic, gas sensing, and corrosion-resistant materials. M-polynomial of nanotubes has been vastly investigated, as it produces many degree-based topological indices, which are numerical parameters capturing structural and chemical properties. These indices are used in the development of quantitative structure-activity relationships (QSARs in which the biological activity and other properties of molecules, such as boiling point, stability, strain energy, etc., are correlated with their structure. In this report, we provide M-polynomials of single-walled titania (SW TiO2 nanotubes and recover important topological degree-based indices to theoretically judge these nanotubes. We also plot surfaces associated to single-walled titania (SW TiO2 nanotubes.

Development and characterization of silica and titania based nano structured materials for the removal of indoor and outdoor air pollutants

Science.gov (United States)

Peiris, Thelge Manindu Nirasha

Solar energy driven catalytic systems have gained popularity in environmental remediation recently. Various photocatalytic systems have been reported in this regard and most of the photocatalysts are based on well-known semiconducting material, Titanium Dioxide, while some are based on other materials such as Silicon Dioxide and various Zeolites. However, in titania based photocatalysts, titania is actively involved in the catalytic mechanism by absorbing light and generating exitons. Because of this vast popularity of titania in the field of photocatalysis it is believed that photocatalysis mainly occurs via non-localized mechanisms and semiconductors are extremely important. Even though it is still rare, photocatalysis could be localized and possible without use of a semiconductor as well. Thus, to support localized photocatalytic systems, and to compare the activity to titania based systems, degradation of organic air pollutants by nanostructured silica, titania and mixed silica titania systems were studied. New materials were prepared using two different approaches, precipitation technique (xerogel) and aerogel preparation technique. The prepared xerogel samples were doped with both metal (silver) and non-metals (carbon and sulfur) and aerogel samples were loaded with Chromium, Cobalt and Vanadium separately, in order to achieve visible light photocatalytic activity. Characterization studies of the materials were carried out using Nova BET analysis, DR UV-vis spectrometry, powder X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron Spectroscopy, FT-IR spectroscopy, Transmission Electron Microscopy, etc. Kinetics of the catalytic activities was studied using a Shimadzu GCMS-QP 5000 instrument using a closed glass reactor. All the experiments were carried out in gaseous phase using acetaldehyde as the model pollutant. Kinetic results suggest that chromium doped silica systems are good UV and visible light active photocatalysts. This is a good example for a localized

Optimized nanostructured TiO2 photocatalysts

Science.gov (United States)

Topcu, Selda; Jodhani, Gagan; Gouma, Pelagia

2016-07-01

Titania is the most widely studied photocatalyst. In it’s mixed-phase configuration (anatase-rutile form) -as manifested in the commercially available P25 Degussa material- titania was previously found to exhibit the best photocatalytic properties reported for the pure system. A great deal of published research by various workers in the field have not fully explained the underlying mechanism for the observed behavior of mixed-phase titania photocatalysts. One of the prevalent hypothesis in the literature that is tested in this work involves the presence of small, active clusters of interwoven anatase and rutile crystallites or “catalytic “hot-spots””. Therefore, non-woven nanofibrous mats of titania were produced and upon calcination the mats consisted of nanostructured fibers with different anatase-rutile ratios. By assessing the photocatalytic and photoelectrochemical properties of these samples the optimized photocatalyst was determined. This consisted of TiO2 nanostructures annealed at 500˚C with an anatase /rutile content of 90/10. Since the performance of this material exceeded that of P25 complete structural characterization was employed to understand the catalytic mechanism involved. It was determined that the dominant factors controlling the photocatalytic behavior of the titania system are the relative particle size of the different phases of titania and the growth of rutile laths on anatase grains which allow for rapid electron transfer between the two phases. This explains how to optimize the response of the pure system.

Enhanced ductility in thermally sprayed titania coating synthesized using a nanostructured feedstock

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lima, R.S.; Marple, B.R.

2005-01-01

Nanostructured and conventional titania (TiO 2 ) feedstock powders were thermally sprayed via high velocity oxy-fuel (HVOF). The microstructure, porosity, Vickers hardness, crack propagation resistance, bond strength (ASTM C633), abrasion behavior (ASTM G65) and the wear scar characteristics of these two types of coatings were analyzed and compared. The coating made from the nanostructured feedstock exhibited a bimodal microstructure, with regions containing particles that were fully molten (conventional matrix) and regions with embedded particles that were semi-molten (nanostructured zones) during the thermal spraying process. The bimodal coating also exhibited higher bond strength and higher wear resistance when compared to the conventional coating. By comparing the wear scars of both coatings (via scanning electron microscopy and roughness measurements) it was observed that when the coatings were subjected to the same abrasive conditions the wear scar of the bimodal coating was smoother, with more plastically deformed regions than the conventional coating. It was concluded that this enhanced ductility of the bimodal coating was caused by its higher toughness. The results suggest that nanostructured zones randomly distributed in the microstructure of the bimodal coating act as crack arresters, thereby enhancing toughness and promoting higher critical depth of cut, which provides a broader plastic deformation range than that exhibited by the conventional coating. This work provides evidence that the enhanced ductility of the bimodal coating is a nanostructured-related property, not caused by any other microstructural artifact

Hydrolysis and ion exchange of titania nanoparticles towards large-scale titania and titanate nanobelts for gas sensing applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bela, Somaiah; Ho, Ghim Wei; Wong, Andrew See Weng

2010-01-01

One-dimensional titanate and titania nanostructures are prepared by hydrothermal method from titania nanoparticles precursor via hydrolysis and ion exchange processes. The formation mechanism and the reaction process of the nanobelts are elucidated. The effects of the NaOH concentration, HCl leaching duration and the calcination temperature on the morphology and chemical composition of the produced nanobelts are investigated. Na + ions of the titanate nanobelts can be effectively removed by longer acid leaching and neutralization process and transformed into metastable hydrogen titanate compound. A hybrid hydrogen titanate and anatase titania nanobelts can be obtained under dehydration process of 500 0 C. The nanobelts are produced in gram quantities and easily made into nanostructure paper for the bulk study on their electrical and sensing properties. The sensing properties of the nanobelts sheet are tested and exhibited response to H 2 gas.

Improved electrochemical properties of morphology-controlled titania/titanate nanostructures prepared by in-situ hydrothermal surface modification of self-source Ti substrate for high-performance supercapacitors.

Science.gov (United States)

Banerjee, Arghya Narayan; Anitha, V C; Joo, Sang W

2017-10-16

Ti substrate surface is modified into two-dimensional (2D) TiO 2 nanoplatelet or one-dimensional (1D) nanorod/nanofiber (or a mixture of both) structure in a controlled manner via a simple KOH-based hydrothermal technique. Depending on the KOH concentration, different types of TiO 2 nanostructures (2D platelets, 1D nanorods/nanofibers and a 2D+1D mixed sample) are fabricated directly onto the Ti substrate surface. The novelty of this technique is the in-situ modification of the self-source Ti surface into titania nanostructures, and its direct use as the electrochemical microelectrode without any modifications. This leads to considerable improvement in the interfacial properties between metallic Ti and semiconducting TiO 2 . Since interfacial states/defects have profound effect on charge transport properties of electronic/electrochemical devices, therefore this near-defect-free interfacial property of Ti-TiO 2 microelectrode has shown high supercapacitive performances for superior charge-storage devices. Additionally, by hydrothermally tuning the morphology of titania nanostructures, the electrochemical properties of the electrodes are also tuned. A Ti-TiO 2 electrode comprising of a mixture of 2D-platelet+1D-nanorod structure reveals very high specific capacitance values (~7.4 mF.cm -2 ) due to the unique mixed morphology which manifests higher active sites (hence, higher utilization of the active materials) in terms of greater roughness at the 2D-platelet structures and higher surface-to-volume-ratio in the 1D-nanorod structures.

Ceramic nanostructures and methods of fabrication

Science.gov (United States)

Ripley, Edward B [Knoxville, TN; Seals, Roland D [Oak Ridge, TN; Morrell, Jonathan S [Knoxville, TN

2009-11-24

Structures and methods for the fabrication of ceramic nanostructures. Structures include metal particles, preferably comprising copper, disposed on a ceramic substrate. The structures are heated, preferably in the presence of microwaves, to a temperature that softens the metal particles and preferably forms a pool of molten ceramic under the softened metal particle. A nano-generator is created wherein ceramic material diffuses through the molten particle and forms ceramic nanostructures on a polar site of the metal particle. The nanostructures may comprise silica, alumina, titania, or compounds or mixtures thereof.

Synthesis of anatase and rutile TiO{sub 2} nanostructures from natural ilmenite

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wahyuingsih, Sayekti, E-mail: sayekti@mipa.uns.ac.id; Ramelan, Ari Handono; Pramono, Edi; Sulistya, Ariantama Djati; Argawan, Panji Rofa; Dharmawan, Frenandha Dwi; Rinawati, Ludfiaastu; Hanif, Qonita Awliya [Inorganic Materials Research Group, Faculty of Mathematic and Natural Science, Sebelas Maret University (Indonesia); Sulistiyono, Eko; Firdiyono, Florentinus [Metallurgy Extraction Laboratory, Central of Metallurgy Research LIPI, Serpong (Indonesia)

2016-02-08

Nanostructure anatase and rutile type TiO{sub 2} were synthesized from dissolution roasted ilmenite from natural ilmenite sand as the starting materials. Anatase TiO{sub 2} and rutile TiO{sub 2} (high crystallinity) with the diameters of 20–100 nm were obtained by calcined soluble ilmenite sand produced by leaching process. Calcinations of the xerogel TiO{sub 2} from liquor products were conducted for 4 hours at temperature of 450 °C. The samples were characterized by XRD (X-ray diffraction), STA (simultant thermal analysis), TEM (Transmission Electron Microscopy), and BET surface area. Titania Anatase-Rutile form as a mixture were produced by titania slag with the hydrolysis product. While, in another route, complete titania anatase phase was produced through hydrolysis and condensation steps of leach liquors. This synthesis methods provide a simple route to fabricate nanostructure TiO{sub 2} from low cost material.

Fabrication of homogeneous titania/MWNT composite materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Korbely, Barbara; Nemeth, Zoltan; Reti, Balazs; Seo, Jin Won; Magrez, Arnaud; Forro, Laszlo; Hernadi, Klara

2011-01-01

Highlights: → Homogenous titania coverage on MWNT surface in a controllable way. → Various titanium alkoxy precursors are suitable for layer formation. → Acetone and ethanol are the best to promote interaction between MWNT and titania. -- Abstract: MWNT/titania nanocomposites were prepared by an impregnation method and subsequent heat treatment at 400 o C. Precursor compounds such as titanium (IV) propoxide and titanium (IV) ethoxide were used to cover the surface of CNTs under solution conditions. Electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction techniques were carried out to characterize the as-prepared titania layers.

Electrochemical coating of dental implants with anodic porous titania for enhanced osteointegration

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Amirreza Shayganpour

2015-11-01

Full Text Available Clinical long-term osteointegration of titanium-based biomedical devices is the main goal for both dental and orthopedical implants. Both the surface morphology and the possible functionalization of the implant surface are important points. In the last decade, following the success of nanostructured anodic porous alumina, anodic porous titania has also attracted the interest of academic researchers. This material, investigated mainly for its photocatalytic properties and for applications in solar cells, is usually obtained from the anodization of ultrapure titanium. We anodized dental implants made of commercial grade titanium under different experimental conditions and characterized the resulting surface morphology with scanning electron microscopy equipped with an energy dispersive spectrometer. The appearance of nanopores on these implants confirm that anodic porous titania can be obtained not only on ultrapure and flat titanium but also as a conformal coating on curved surfaces of real objects made of industrial titanium alloys. Raman spectroscopy showed that the titania phase obtained is anatase. Furthermore, it was demonstrated that by carrying out the anodization in the presence of electrolyte additives such as magnesium, these can be incorporated into the porous coating. The proposed method for the surface nanostructuring of biomedical implants should allow for integration of conventional microscale treatments such as sandblasting with additive nanoscale patterning. Additional advantages are provided by this material when considering the possible loading of bioactive drugs in the porous cavities.

Nanostructured composite reinforced material

Science.gov (United States)

Seals, Roland D [Oak Ridge, TN; Ripley, Edward B [Knoxville, TN; Ludtka, Gerard M [Oak Ridge, TN

2012-07-31

A family of materials wherein nanostructures and/or nanotubes are incorporated into a multi-component material arrangement, such as a metallic or ceramic alloy or composite/aggregate, producing a new material or metallic/ceramic alloy. The new material has significantly increased strength, up to several thousands of times normal and perhaps substantially more, as well as significantly decreased weight. The new materials may be manufactured into a component where the nanostructure or nanostructure reinforcement is incorporated into the bulk and/or matrix material, or as a coating where the nanostructure or nanostructure reinforcement is incorporated into the coating or surface of a "normal" substrate material. The nanostructures are incorporated into the material structure either randomly or aligned, within grains, or along or across grain boundaries.

Eco-Material Selection for Auto Bodies

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mayyas, Ahmad T [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Omar, Mohammed [Masdar Institute of Science & Technology; Hayajneh, Mohammed T. [Jordan University of Science and Technology

2017-09-25

In the last decades, majority of automakers started to include lightweight materials in their vehicles to meet hard environmental regulations and to improve fuel efficiency of their vehicles. As a result, eco-material selection for vehicles emerged as a new discipline under design for environment. This chapter will summarize methods of eco-material selections for automotive applications with more emphasis into auto-bodies. A set of metrics for eco-material selection that takes into account all economic, environmental and social factors will be developed using numerical and qualitative methods. These metrics cover products' environmental impact, functionality and manufacturability, in addition to the economic and societal factors.

Primary role of electron work function for evaluation of nanostructured titania implant surface against bacterial infection

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Golda-Cepa, M., E-mail: golda@chemia.uj.edu.pl [Faculty of Chemistry, Jagiellonian University, Ingardena 3, 30-060 Krakow (Poland); Syrek, K. [Faculty of Chemistry, Jagiellonian University, Ingardena 3, 30-060 Krakow (Poland); Brzychczy-Wloch, M. [Department of Bacteriology, Microbial Ecology and Parasitology, Jagiellonian University Medical College, Czysta 18, 31-121 Krakow (Poland); Sulka, G.D. [Faculty of Chemistry, Jagiellonian University, Ingardena 3, 30-060 Krakow (Poland); Kotarba, A., E-mail: kotarba@chemia.uj.edu.pl [Faculty of Chemistry, Jagiellonian University, Ingardena 3, 30-060 Krakow (Poland)

2016-09-01

The electron work function as an essential descriptor for the evaluation of metal implant surfaces against bacterial infection is identified for the first time. Its validity is demonstrated on Staphylococcus aureus adhesion to nanostructured titania surfaces. The established correlation: work function–bacteria adhesion is of general importance since it can be used for direct evaluation of any electrically conductive implant surfaces. - Highlights: • The correlation between work function and bacteria adhesion was discovered. • The discovered correlation is rationalized in terms of electrostatic bacteria–surface repulsion. • The results provide basis for the simple evaluation of implant surfaces against infection.

Primary role of electron work function for evaluation of nanostructured titania implant surface against bacterial infection

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Golda-Cepa, M.; Syrek, K.; Brzychczy-Wloch, M.; Sulka, G.D.; Kotarba, A.

2016-01-01

The electron work function as an essential descriptor for the evaluation of metal implant surfaces against bacterial infection is identified for the first time. Its validity is demonstrated on Staphylococcus aureus adhesion to nanostructured titania surfaces. The established correlation: work function–bacteria adhesion is of general importance since it can be used for direct evaluation of any electrically conductive implant surfaces. - Highlights: • The correlation between work function and bacteria adhesion was discovered. • The discovered correlation is rationalized in terms of electrostatic bacteria–surface repulsion. • The results provide basis for the simple evaluation of implant surfaces against infection.

Copper supported on nanostructured mesoporous ceria-titania composites as catalysts for sustainable environmental protection: Effect of support composition

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Issa, G. S.; Tsoncheva, T.; Mileva, A.; Dimitrov, M.D.; Kovacheva, D.; Henych, Jiří; Štengl, Václav

2017-01-01

Roč. 49, SI D (2017), s. 55-62 ISSN 0324-1130 Grant - others:AV ČR(CZ) BAS-17-13 Program:Bilaterální spolupráce Institutional support: RVO:61388980 Keywords : Mesoporous nanostructured ceria-titania doped with copper * template-assisted hydrothermal synthesis * ethyl acetate oxidation * methanol decomposition Subject RIV: CA - Inorganic Chemistry OBOR OECD: Inorganic and nuclear chemistry Impact factor: 0.238, year: 2016 http://www.bcc.bas.bg/BCC_Volumes/Volume_49_Special_D_2017/BCC2017-49-SE-D-055-062.pdf

Preparation and characterization of titania based nanowires

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stengl, Vaclav; Bakardjieva, Snejana; Murafa, Natalie; Vecernikova, Eva; Subrt, Jan; Balek, Vladimir

2007-01-01

A new method for preparation of titania nanowires with diameter around 10 nm and length up to 2-3 μm is described. The precursor was prepared from sodium titanate by adding ethylene glycole (EG) and heating at temperature of 198 deg. C for 6 h under reflux. The sodium titanate glycolate formed by this way aggregated into 1D nanostructures and was subsequently transformed into titania glycolate during a chemical treatment with 98% sulfuric acid. Titania nanowires with variable amount of anatase and rutile were prepared by heating to temperatures in the range 350-1000 deg. C. The precursor as well as titania based samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction, Infrared spectroscopy, Scanning electron microscopy, High resolution transmission microscopy, Thermogravimetry, Differential thermal analysis, Evolved gas analysis and Emanation thermal analysis. The nitrogen adsorption/desorption was used for surface area and porosity determination. The photoactivity of the prepared titania samples was assessed by the photocatalytic decomposition of 4-chlorophenol in an aqueous slurry under UV irradiation of 365 nm wavelength

The innovative application studty on eco-packaging design and materials

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cui Yong Min

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The paper solves the increasingly deteriorate environmental problems by positively exploring how to utilize and develop eco-packaging design reasonably. The paper explores an effective method that combines eco-packaging and environmental protection materials, hoping to define the sustainable development road of packaging design. The paper is centered on the design application of eco-packaging and environmental protection materials, applies and analyzes the method to obtain innovative design requirements and development tendency of eco-packaging design by analyzing status and significance of eco-packaging design, combining with the development and main types of eco-packaging packaging materials, and based on the achievements acquired by eco-packaging and environmental protection materials. Meanwhile, the paper also reveals mutual dependence and mutual promotion of eco-packaging design and eco-packaging materials.

Nanostructured materials for hydrogen storage

Science.gov (United States)

Williamson, Andrew J.; Reboredo, Fernando A.

2007-12-04

A system for hydrogen storage comprising a porous nano-structured material with hydrogen absorbed on the surfaces of the porous nano-structured material. The system of hydrogen storage comprises absorbing hydrogen on the surfaces of a porous nano-structured semiconductor material.

Development of highly porous crystalline titania photocatalysts

Science.gov (United States)

Marszewski, Michal

The objectives of this dissertation are the design, synthesis, and characterization of titania materials with surface area, porosity, crystallinity and doping tailored toward photocatalytic applications. Ultimately, the research should result in a strategy allowing the synthesis of titania with all these important features. The synthetic methods investigated in this research will include: i) soft-templating, ii) hard-templating, and iii) modified precursor strategy. Soft-templating strategy uses organic templates--either block copolymers or surfactants--that under specific conditions assemble into micelles, and later, these micelles are used to template the desired material around them. The resulting organic-inorganic composite is then calcined in air to remove the organic template and recover the final material with high surface area and large pore volume. This work explores 1) synthesis of titania materials in the presence of polymer templates, and the effects of different synthetic conditions on the structure of the resulting materials. Hard-templating, in contrast to soft-templating, uses inorganic templates. The hard template is introduced during the synthesis to cast its shape onto the fabricated material and removed afterwards, when the material has formed. The final material is an inverse replica of the hard template used, typically with a well-developed mesostructure. This work explores 1) hard templating synthesis of titania materials using silica and alumina, and 2) the effects of the template amount and type. The modified precursor strategy is a novel synthetic method, developed in this research, and designed specifically to achieve titania material with high surface area, large pore volume, high crystallinity, and possibly doping. The modified precursors are prepared by reacting generic titania precursors, such as titanium isopropoxide (TIPO), with organic acids, which results in substitution of some or all alkoxide groups in TIPO structure. The goal

Nanostructured layers of thermoelectric materials

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Urban, Jeffrey J.; Lynch, Jared; Coates, Nelson; Forster, Jason; Sahu, Ayaskanta; Chabinyc, Michael; Russ, Boris

2018-01-30

This disclosure provides systems, methods, and apparatus related to thermoelectric materials. In one aspect, a method includes providing a plurality of nanostructures. The plurality of nanostructures comprise a thermoelectric material, with each nanostructure of the plurality of nanostructures having first ligands disposed on a surface of the nanostructure. The plurality of nanostructures is mixed with a solution containing second ligands and a ligand exchange process occurs in which the first ligands disposed on the plurality of nanostructures are replaced with the second ligands. The plurality of nanostructures is deposited on a substrate to form a layer. The layer is thermally annealed.

Composite materials formed with anchored nanostructures

Science.gov (United States)

Seals, Roland D; Menchhofer, Paul A; Howe, Jane Y; Wang, Wei

2015-03-10

A method of forming nano-structure composite materials that have a binder material and a nanostructure fiber material is described. A precursor material may be formed using a mixture of at least one metal powder and anchored nanostructure materials. The metal powder mixture may be (a) Ni powder and (b) NiAl powder. The anchored nanostructure materials may comprise (i) NiAl powder as a support material and (ii) carbon nanotubes attached to nanoparticles adjacent to a surface of the support material. The process of forming nano-structure composite materials typically involves sintering the mixture under vacuum in a die. When Ni and NiAl are used in the metal powder mixture Ni.sub.3Al may form as the binder material after sintering. The mixture is sintered until it consolidates to form the nano-structure composite material.

Nanoscale roughness and morphology affect the IsoElectric Point of titania surfaces.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Francesca Borghi

Full Text Available We report on the systematic investigation of the role of surface nanoscale roughness and morphology on the charging behaviour of nanostructured titania (TiO2 surfaces in aqueous solutions. IsoElectric Points (IEPs of surfaces have been characterized by direct measurement of the electrostatic double layer interactions between titania surfaces and the micrometer-sized spherical silica probe of an atomic force microscope in NaCl aqueous electrolyte. The use of a colloidal probe provides well-defined interaction geometry and allows effectively probing the overall effect of nanoscale morphology. By using supersonic cluster beam deposition to fabricate nanostructured titania films, we achieved a quantitative control over the surface morphological parameters. We performed a systematical exploration of the electrical double layer properties in different interaction regimes characterized by different ratios of characteristic nanometric lengths of the system: the surface rms roughness Rq, the correlation length ξ and the Debye length λD. We observed a remarkable reduction by several pH units of IEP on rough nanostructured surfaces, with respect to flat crystalline rutile TiO2. In order to explain the observed behavior of IEP, we consider the roughness-induced self-overlap of the electrical double layers as a potential source of deviation from the trend expected for flat surfaces.

Nanostructured Materials for Magnetoelectronics

CERN Document Server

Mikailzade, Faik

2013-01-01

This book provides an up-to-date review of nanometer-scale magnetism and focuses on the investigation of the basic properties of magnetic nanostructures. It describes a wide range of physical aspects together with theoretical and experimental methods. A broad overview of the latest developments in this emerging and fascinating field of nanostructured materials is given with emphasis on the practical understanding and operation of submicron devices based on nanostructured magnetic materials.

The innovative application studty on eco-packaging design and materials

OpenAIRE

Cui Yong Min; Ren Xin Guang

2016-01-01

The paper solves the increasingly deteriorate environmental problems by positively exploring how to utilize and develop eco-packaging design reasonably. The paper explores an effective method that combines eco-packaging and environmental protection materials, hoping to define the sustainable development road of packaging design. The paper is centered on the design application of eco-packaging and environmental protection materials, applies and analyzes the method to obtain innovative design r...

PREFACE: International Symposium on Materials Science and Innovation for Sustainable Society - Eco-Materials and Eco-Innovation for Global Sustainability - The 21st Iketani Conference 2011

Science.gov (United States)

Takahashi, Yasuo

2012-08-01

Conference logo The 21st century has been called the century of environmental revolution. Green innovations and environmentally friendly production systems based on physics, chemistry, materials science, and electronic engineering will be indispensable for ensuring renewable energy and establishing a sustainable society. In particular, production design, materials processing, and fabrication technologies such as welding and joining will be very important components of such green innovations. For these reasons, the International Symposium on Materials Science and Innovation for Sustainable Society - eco-materials and eco-innovation for global sustainability - (ECO-MATES 2011) was organized by the Joining and Welding Research Institute (JWRI) and the Center of Environmental Innovation Design for Sustainability (CEIDS), Osaka University. ECO-MATES 2011 was held at Hotel Hankyu Expo Park, Osaka, Japan from 28-30 November 2011. 435 participants from 20 countries around the world attended the symposium. 149 oral presentations including 60 invited talks and 160 posters were presented at the symposium to discuss the latest research and developments in green innovations in relation to environmental issues. The topics of the symposium covered all environmentally related fields including renewable energy, energy-materials, environment and resources, waste and biomass, power electronics, semiconductor, rare-earth metals, functional materials, organic electronics materials, electronics packaging, smart processing, joining and welding, eco-efficient processes, and green applied physics and chemistry. Therefore, 55 full papers concerning green innovations and environmentally benign production were selected and approved by the editorial board and the program committee of ECO-MATES 2011. All papers were accepted through peer review processes. I believe that all the papers have many informative contents. On behalf of the steering committee of the symposium, I would like to express

Study of hybrid solar cells made of multilayer nanocrystalline titania and poly(3-octylthiophene) or poly-(3-(2-methylhex-2-yl)-oxy-carbonyldithiophene)

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Antoniadou, Maria; Stathatos, Elias; Boukos, Nikolaos

2009-01-01

Hybrid solar cells have been constructed by using nanocrystalline titania and hole-transporting polymers. Titania was deposited on fluorine-doped tin-oxide transparent electrodes in three layers: a blocking layer and two nanostructured layers, giving densely packed or open structures. Open...

Fabrication of Self-Cleaning, Reusable Titania Templates for Nanometer and Micrometer Scale Protein Patterning.

Science.gov (United States)

Moxey, Mark; Johnson, Alexander; El-Zubir, Osama; Cartron, Michael; Dinachali, Saman Safari; Hunter, C Neil; Saifullah, Mohammad S M; Chong, Karen S L; Leggett, Graham J

2015-06-23

The photocatalytic self-cleaning characteristics of titania facilitate the fabrication of reuseable templates for protein nanopatterning. Titania nanostructures were fabricated over square centimeter areas by interferometric lithography (IL) and nanoimprint lithography (NIL). With the use of a Lloyd's mirror two-beam interferometer, self-assembled monolayers of alkylphosphonates adsorbed on the native oxide of a Ti film were patterned by photocatalytic nanolithography. In regions exposed to a maximum in the interferogram, the monolayer was removed by photocatalytic oxidation. In regions exposed to an intensity minimum, the monolayer remained intact. After exposure, the sample was etched in piranha solution to yield Ti nanostructures with widths as small as 30 nm. NIL was performed by using a silicon stamp to imprint a spin-cast film of titanium dioxide resin; after calcination and reactive ion etching, TiO2 nanopillars were formed. For both fabrication techniques, subsequent adsorption of an oligo(ethylene glycol) functionalized trichlorosilane yielded an entirely passive, protein-resistant surface. Near-UV exposure caused removal of this protein-resistant film from the titania regions by photocatalytic degradation, leaving the passivating silane film intact on the silicon dioxide regions. Proteins labeled with fluorescent dyes were adsorbed to the titanium dioxide regions, yielding nanopatterns with bright fluorescence. Subsequent near-UV irradiation of the samples removed the protein from the titanium dioxide nanostructures by photocatalytic degradation facilitating the adsorption of a different protein. The process was repeated multiple times. These simple methods appear to yield durable, reuseable samples that may be of value to laboratories that require nanostructured biological interfaces but do not have access to the infrastructure required for nanofabrication.

Hydroxyapatite formation on titania-based materials in a solution mimicking body fluid: Effects of manganese and iron addition in anatase.

Science.gov (United States)

Shin, Euisup; Kim, Ill Yong; Cho, Sung Baek; Ohtsuki, Chikara

2015-03-01

Hydroxyapatite formation on the surfaces of implanted materials plays an important role in osteoconduction of bone substitutes in bone tissues. Titania hydrogels are known to instigate hydroxyapatite formation in a solution mimicking human blood plasma. To date, the relationship between the surface characteristics of titania and hydroxyapatite formation on its surface remains unclear. In this study, titania powders with varying surface characteristics were prepared by addition of manganese or iron to examine hydroxyapatite formation in a type of simulated body fluid (Kokubo solution). Hydroxyapatite formation was monitored by observation of deposited particles with scale-like morphology on the prepared titania powders. The effect of the titania surface characteristics, i.e., crystal structure, zeta potential, hydroxy group content, and specific surface area, on hydroxyapatite formation was examined. Hydroxyapatite formation was observed on the surface of titania powders that were primarily anatase, and featured a negative zeta potential and low specific surface areas irrespective of the hydroxy group content. High specific surface areas inhibited the formation of hydroxyapatite because calcium and phosphate ions were mostly consumed by adsorption on the titania surface. Thus, these surface characteristics of titania determine its osteoconductivity following exposure to body fluid. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Sol-gel formed spherical nanostructured titania based liquefied petroleum gas sensor

Science.gov (United States)

Sabhajeet, S. R.; Yadav, B. C.; Sonker, Rakesh K.

2018-05-01

The present work reports the preparation of Titania(TiO2) thin film by sol-gel technique and its Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) sensing. TiO2 exists in numerous phases possessing different structural properties like amorphous, anatase or anatase/rutile mixed phases. The structural analysis confirmed the formation of TiO2 having an average crystallite size 21 nm. SEM showed the regular and porous surface morphology. The band gap of the material was found as 3.65 eV. This film was employed for LPG sensing and variations in resistance with exposure of LPG were observed. Sensor response (S) as a function of time was calculated and its maximum value was found as 2.8 for 4% vol. of LPG with a response and recovery times of 240 sec and 248 sec respectively.

Through-mask anodization of titania dot- and pillar-like nanostructures on bulk Ti substrates using a nanoporous anodic alumina mask

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sjoestroem, Terje; Su Bo; Fox, Neil

2009-01-01

Nanosized surface topography on an implant material has the capability of stimulating the acceptance of the material in its host surrounding. Fine-tuning of nanotopography feature size has been shown to trigger differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells into bone cells in vitro. For this purpose we have created well defined nanosized titania dot- and pillar-like structures on mechanically polished Ti substrates using a through-mask anodization technique with an anodic porous alumina template. The anodization technique allowed the titania structure dimensions to be precisely tuned in the range 15-140 nm in a single electrolyte system. The fabricated surfaces serve as good model surfaces for precise studies of in vitro cell behaviour. The through-mask anodization technique was used directly on bulk Ti surfaces, thus demonstrating a potential application for patterning of actual Ti implant surfaces.

Synthesis and processing of nanostructured materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Siegel, R.W.

1992-12-01

Significant and growing interest is being exhibited in the novel and enhanced properties of nanostructured materials. These materials, with their constituent phase or grain structures modulated on a length scale less than 100 nm, are artificially synthesized by a wide variety of physical, chemical, and mechanical methods. In this NATO Advanced Study Institute, where mechanical behavior is emphasized, nanostructured materials with modulation dimensionalities from one (multilayers) to three (nanophase materials) are mainly considered. No attempt is made in this review to cover in detail all of the diverse methods available for the synthesis of nanostructured materials. Rather, the basic principles involved in their synthesis are discussed in terms of the special properties sought using examples of particular synthesis and processing methodologies. Some examples of the property changes that can result from one of these methods, cluster assembly of nanophase materials, are presented

Lamellar Micelles - Mediated Synthesis of Nanoscale Thick Sheets of Titania

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Klusoň, P.; Lusková, H.; Šolcová, Olga; Matějová, Lenka; Cajthaml, Tomáš

2007-01-01

Roč. 61, 14-15 (2007), s. 2931-2934 ISSN 0167-577X R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GA104/04/0963; GA ČR(CZ) GD203/03/H140 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z40720504; CEZ:AV0Z50200510 Keywords : nanostructures * lamellar titania * templating Subject RIV: CA - Inorganic Chemistry Impact factor: 1.625, year: 2007

Seeded Growth of Titania Colloids with Refractive Index Tunability and Fluorophore-Free Luminescence

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Demirors, A.F.; Jannasch, A.; van Oostrum, P.D.J.; Schäffer, E.; Imhof, A.; van Blaaderen, A.

2011-01-01

Titania is an important material in modern materials science, chemistry, and physics because of its special catalytic, electric, and optical properties. Here, we describe a novel method to synthesize colloidal particles with a crystalline titania, anatase core and an amorphous titania-shell

Optimizing sol-gel infiltration for the fabrication of high-quality titania inverse opal and its photocatalytic activity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu Weijie; Zou Bo; Zhao Jing; Cui Haining

2010-01-01

This article reports an optimized sol-gel opal infiltration technique for the fabrication of high-quality titania inverse opal. Different from previous reports, the presently proposed method is facile, efficient and suitable for other inorganic oxide. We have compared two different infiltration strategies and their influences on the structure, photonic properties and photocatalytic activity. The obtained titania inverse opal displays excellent photonic properties with photonic band gap at 320 nm and better photocatalytic effect, which is attributed to its high-quality inverse opal nanostructure. Reproducibility tests prove that the photocatalytic activity of the resultant titania inverse opal remains intact even after five repeated photocatalytic reactions under the same procedure and experimental conditions.

Crystalline phase-dependent eco-toxicity of titania nanoparticles to freshwater biofilms

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, Kun; Qian, Jin; Wang, Peifang; Wang, Chao; Liu, Jingjing; Tian, Xin; Lu, Bianhe; Shen, Mengmeng

2017-01-01

The potential toxic impacts of different crystal phases of titania nanoparticles (TNPs) on freshwater biofilms, especially under ultraviolet C irradiation (UVC), are unknown. Here, adverse impacts of three phases (anatase, rutile, and P25, 50 mg L −1 respectively) with UVC irradiation (An-UV, Ru-UV, and P25-UV) on freshwater biofilms were conducted. Characterization experiments revealed that rutile TNPs had a higher water environment stability than anatase and P25 TNPs, possessing a stronger photocatalytic activity under UVC irradiation. Phase-dependent inhibition of cell viability and significant decreases of four- and five-fold in algal biomass at 12 h of exposure were observed compared with unexposed biofilms. Moreover, phase-dependent oxidative stress resulted in remarkably significant reductions (P < 0.01) of the photosynthetic yields of the biofilms, to 40.32% (P25-UV), 48.39% (An-UV), and 46.77% (Ru-UV) of the plateau value obtained in the unexposed biofilms. A shift in community composition that manifested as a strong reduction in diatoms, indicating cyanobacteria and green algae were more tolerant than diatoms when exposed to TNPs. In terms of the toxic mechanisms, rutile TNPs resulted in apoptosis by inducing excessive intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, whereas P25 and anatase TNPs tended to catalyze enormous acellular ROS lead to cell necrosis under UVC irradiation. - Highlights: • Phase-dependent response of freshwater biofilms to three TNPs was studied with UVC. • Rutile is more stable yet P25 and anatase own better photooxidation level in water. • Decrease in Chl-a and φM and a shift in algae bio-cenosis were phase-dependent. • Phase-dependent stress induced cellular or acellular ROS to reduce cells viability. • Rutile tend to induced apoptosis yet P25 and anatase prefer to cause cell necrosis. - Crystalline-dependent eco-toxicity of TNPs to freshwater biofilms show allotrope of nanoparticles must be considered

Hierarchically Nanostructured Materials for Sustainable Environmental Applications

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zheng eRen

2013-11-01

Full Text Available This article presents a comprehensive overview of the hierarchical nanostructured materials with either geometry or composition complexity in environmental applications. The hierarchical nanostructures offer advantages of high surface area, synergistic interactions and multiple functionalities towards water remediation, environmental gas sensing and monitoring as well as catalytic gas treatment. Recent advances in synthetic strategies for various hierarchical morphologies such as hollow spheres and urchin-shaped architectures have been reviewed. In addition to the chemical synthesis, the physical mechanisms associated with the materials design and device fabrication have been discussed for each specific application. The development and application of hierarchical complex perovskite oxide nanostructures have also been introduced in photocatalytic water remediation, gas sensing and catalytic converter. Hierarchical nanostructures will open up many possibilities for materials design and device fabrication in environmental chemistry and technology.

Soft template strategy to synthesize iron oxide-titania yolk-shell nanoparticles as high-performance anode materials for lithium-ion battery applications.

Science.gov (United States)

Lim, Joohyun; Um, Ji Hyun; Ahn, Jihoon; Yu, Seung-Ho; Sung, Yung-Eun; Lee, Jin-Kyu

2015-05-18

Yolk-shell-structured nanoparticles with iron oxide core, void, and a titania shell configuration are prepared by a simple soft template method and used as the anode material for lithium ion batteries. The iron oxide-titania yolk-shell nanoparticles (IO@void@TNPs) exhibit a higher and more stable capacity than simply mixed nanoparticles of iron oxide and hollow titania because of the unique structure obtained by the perfect separation between iron oxide nanoparticles, in combination with the adequate internal void space provided by stable titania shells. Moreover, the structural effect of IO@void@TNPs clearly demonstrates that the capacity retention value after 50 cycles is approximately 4 times that for IONPs under harsh operating conditions, that is, when the temperature is increased to 80 °C. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Titania based nanocomposites as a photocatalyst: A review

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Farha Modi

2016-08-01

Full Text Available Titanium dioxide or Titania is a semiconductor compound having remarkable dielectric, electronic and physico-chemical surface properties. It has excellent photocatalytic efficiency in presence of UV light. The curious grey matter of scientists has forced them to focus their attention to make Titania capable of utilizing the whole visible spectrum of light also. The hurdle that they faced was larger band gap of 3 eV and more, for this, efforts were directed towards adding other materials to Titania. The present article reviews the recent advances in the synthesis of different Titanium-based nanocomposite materials and their photocatalytic efficiency so as to apply them for several applications such as removal of dyes, other water pollutants, microbes and metals. A brief explanation of the photocatalytic process and the structural properties of TiO2 are also touched upon. Various past and recent approaches made in these directions of utilizing Titania based nanocomposites for photocatalytic activities are reviewed. It is suggested that there is a need to establish the kinetics of photo-corrosion and thermodynamic part of the photo-corrosion of various composites developed by different group across the globe, so that Titania based nanocomposites could be commercially utilized.

Nanomanufacturing of titania interfaces with controlled structural and functional properties by supersonic cluster beam deposition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Podestà, Alessandro; Borghi, Francesca; Indrieri, Marco; Bovio, Simone; Piazzoni, Claudio; Milani, Paolo

2015-01-01

Great emphasis is placed on the development of integrated approaches for the synthesis and the characterization of ad hoc nanostructured platforms, to be used as templates with controlled morphology and chemical properties for the investigation of specific phenomena of great relevance in interdisciplinary fields such as biotechnology, medicine, and advanced materials. Here, we discuss the crucial role and the advantages of thin film deposition strategies based on cluster-assembling from supersonic cluster beams. We select cluster-assembled nanostructured titania (ns-TiO 2 ) as a case study to demonstrate that accurate control over morphological parameters can be routinely achieved, and consequently, over several relevant interfacial properties and phenomena, like surface charging in a liquid electrolyte, and proteins and nanoparticles adsorption. In particular, we show that the very good control of nanoscale morphology is obtained by taking advantage of simple scaling laws governing the ballistic deposition regime of low-energy, mass-dispersed clusters with reduced surface mobility

Nanomanufacturing of titania interfaces with controlled structural and functional properties by supersonic cluster beam deposition

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Podestà, Alessandro, E-mail: alessandro.podesta@mi.infn.it, E-mail: pmilani@mi.infn.it; Borghi, Francesca; Indrieri, Marco; Bovio, Simone; Piazzoni, Claudio; Milani, Paolo, E-mail: alessandro.podesta@mi.infn.it, E-mail: pmilani@mi.infn.it [Centro Interdisciplinare Materiali e Interfacce Nanostrutturati (C.I.Ma.I.Na.), Dipartimento di Fisica, Università degli Studi di Milano, via Celoria 16, 20133 Milano (Italy)

2015-12-21

Great emphasis is placed on the development of integrated approaches for the synthesis and the characterization of ad hoc nanostructured platforms, to be used as templates with controlled morphology and chemical properties for the investigation of specific phenomena of great relevance in interdisciplinary fields such as biotechnology, medicine, and advanced materials. Here, we discuss the crucial role and the advantages of thin film deposition strategies based on cluster-assembling from supersonic cluster beams. We select cluster-assembled nanostructured titania (ns-TiO{sub 2}) as a case study to demonstrate that accurate control over morphological parameters can be routinely achieved, and consequently, over several relevant interfacial properties and phenomena, like surface charging in a liquid electrolyte, and proteins and nanoparticles adsorption. In particular, we show that the very good control of nanoscale morphology is obtained by taking advantage of simple scaling laws governing the ballistic deposition regime of low-energy, mass-dispersed clusters with reduced surface mobility.

Nanomanufacturing of titania interfaces with controlled structural and functional properties by supersonic cluster beam deposition

Science.gov (United States)

Podestà, Alessandro; Borghi, Francesca; Indrieri, Marco; Bovio, Simone; Piazzoni, Claudio; Milani, Paolo

2015-12-01

Great emphasis is placed on the development of integrated approaches for the synthesis and the characterization of ad hoc nanostructured platforms, to be used as templates with controlled morphology and chemical properties for the investigation of specific phenomena of great relevance in interdisciplinary fields such as biotechnology, medicine, and advanced materials. Here, we discuss the crucial role and the advantages of thin film deposition strategies based on cluster-assembling from supersonic cluster beams. We select cluster-assembled nanostructured titania (ns-TiO2) as a case study to demonstrate that accurate control over morphological parameters can be routinely achieved, and consequently, over several relevant interfacial properties and phenomena, like surface charging in a liquid electrolyte, and proteins and nanoparticles adsorption. In particular, we show that the very good control of nanoscale morphology is obtained by taking advantage of simple scaling laws governing the ballistic deposition regime of low-energy, mass-dispersed clusters with reduced surface mobility.

Investigation of advanced nanostructured multijunction photoanodes for enhanced solar hydrogen generation via water splitting

Science.gov (United States)

Ishihara, Hidetaka

density was observed for the nano-capped titania nanotubes due to the enhanced charge transfer process. Similarly, another metal oxide semiconductor was investigated tungsten trioxide (WO3), which has a much higher absorption capability (12%) in the solar spectrum. The WO3 porous nanostructures suffered from surface corrosion resulting in a large reduction in the photocurrent density as a function of time in the alkaline electrolytes. However, with a protective coating of Indium Tin Oxide (100 nm), the surface corrosion of WO3 porous nanostructures was reduced. A large increase in the photocurrent density of as much as 340% was observed after the ITO was applied to the WO3 porous nanostructures

Lithium ion batteries with titania/graphene anodes

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Jun; Choi, Daiwon; Yang, Zhenguo; Wang, Donghai; Graff, Gordon L; Nie, Zimin; Viswanathan, Vilayanur V; Zhang, Jason; Xu, Wu; Kim, Jin Yong

2013-05-28

Lithium ion batteries having an anode comprising at least one graphene layer in electrical communication with titania to form a nanocomposite material, a cathode comprising a lithium olivine structure, and an electrolyte. The graphene layer has a carbon to oxygen ratio of between 15 to 1 and 500 to 1 and a surface area of between 400 and 2630 m.sup.2/g. The nanocomposite material has a specific capacity at least twice that of a titania material without graphene material at a charge/discharge rate greater than about 10 C. The olivine structure of the cathode of the lithium ion battery of the present invention is LiMPO.sub.4 where M is selected from the group consisting of Fe, Mn, Co, Ni and combinations thereof.

Band Gap Engineering of Titania Systems Purposed for Photocatalytic Activity

Science.gov (United States)

Thurston, Cameron

Ab initio computer aided design drastically increases candidate population for highly specified material discovery and selection. These simulations, carried out through a first-principles computational approach, accurately extrapolate material properties and behavior. Titanium Dioxide (TiO2 ) is one such material that stands to gain a great deal from the use of these simulations. In its anatase form, titania (TiO2 ) has been found to exhibit a band gap nearing 3.2 eV. If titania is to become a viable alternative to other contemporary photoactive materials exhibiting band gaps better suited for the solar spectrum, then the band gap must be subsequently reduced. To lower the energy needed for electronic excitation, both transition metals and non-metals have been extensively researched and are currently viable candidates for the continued reduction of titania's band gap. The introduction of multicomponent atomic doping introduces new energy bands which tend to both reduce the band gap and recombination loss. Ta-N, Nb-N, V-N, Cr-N, Mo-N, and W-N substitutions were studied in titania and subsequent energy and band gap calculations show a favorable band gap reduction in the case of passivated systems.

Solventless acid-free synthesis of mesostructured titania: Nanovessels for metal complexes and metal nanoclusters

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dag, Oe.; Celik, Oe.; Ozin, G.A. [Department of Chemistry, Bilkent University, 06533 Ankara (Turkey); Soten, I.; Polarz, S.; Coombs, N. [Materials Chemistry Research Group, Chemistry Department, University of Toronto, 80 St. George Street, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3H6 (Canada)

2003-01-01

A new and highly reproducible method to obtain mesostructured titania materials is introduced in this contribution. The mesostructured titania is obtained by employing self-assembled structures of non-ionic alkyl-poly(ethylene oxide) surfactants as templates. The materials are produced without additional solvents such as alcohols, or even water. Only the titanium(IV) ethoxide and the surfactant (C{sub 12}EO{sub 10}) are needed. Water, in the form of that attached to the surfactant and from the atmosphere, induces growth of titania nanoclusters in the synthesis sol. It is indicated that these nanoclusters interact with the surfactant EO-head groups to form a new titanotropic amphiphile. The new amphiphiles self-assemble into titanium nanocluster-surfactant hybrid lyotropic phases, which are transformed to the final mesostructured materials by further condensation of the titania network. The titania materials can be obtained also with noble-metal particles immobilized in the mesostructured framework. It is seen that when different metal salts are used as the metal precursors, different interactions with the titania walls are found. The materials are characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), polarization optical microscopy (POM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), UV-vis spectroscopy, and micro-Raman analysis. (Abstract Copyright [2003], Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Degradation of organophosphorus pesticide parathion methyl on nanostructured titania-iron mixed oxides

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Henych, Jiří; Štengl, Václav; Slušná, Michaela; Matys Grygar, Tomáš; Janoš, P.; Kuráň, P.; Šťastný, M.

2015-01-01

Roč. 344, JUL (2015), s. 9-16 ISSN 0169-4332 R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GAP106/12/1116 Institutional support: RVO:61388980 Keywords : Titania-iron oxides * Homogeneous hydrolysis * Degradation of organophosphates * Parathion methyl Subject RIV: CA - Inorganic Chemistry Impact factor: 3.150, year: 2015

Nanostructured Materials for Li-Ion Batteries and Beyond

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xifei Li

2016-04-01

Full Text Available This Special Issue “Nanostructured Materials for Li-Ion Batteries and Beyond” of Nanomaterials is focused on advancements in the synthesis, optimization, and characterization of nanostructured materials, with an emphasis on the application of nanomaterials for building high performance Li-ion batteries (LIBs and future systems.[...

Nanostructured materials for water desalination

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Humplik, T; Lee, J; O' Hern, S C; Fellman, B A; Karnik, R; Wang, E N [Department of Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge (United States); Baig, M A; Hassan, S F; Atieh, M A; Rahman, F; Laoui, T, E-mail: tlaoui@kfupm.edu.sa, E-mail: karnik@mit.edu, E-mail: enwang@mit.edu [Departments of Mechanical Engineering and Chemical Engineering and Research Institute, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, Dhahran (Saudi Arabia)

2011-07-22

Desalination of seawater and brackish water is becoming an increasingly important means to address the scarcity of fresh water resources in the world. Decreasing the energy requirements and infrastructure costs of existing desalination technologies remains a challenge. By enabling the manipulation of matter and control of transport at nanometer length scales, the emergence of nanotechnology offers new opportunities to advance water desalination technologies. This review focuses on nanostructured materials that are directly involved in the separation of water from salt as opposed to mitigating issues such as fouling. We discuss separation mechanisms and novel transport phenomena in materials including zeolites, carbon nanotubes, and graphene with potential applications to reverse osmosis, capacitive deionization, and multi-stage flash, among others. Such nanostructured materials can potentially enable the development of next-generation desalination systems with increased efficiency and capacity. (topical review)

Nanostructured materials for water desalination

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Humplik, T; Lee, J; O'Hern, S C; Fellman, B A; Karnik, R; Wang, E N; Baig, M A; Hassan, S F; Atieh, M A; Rahman, F; Laoui, T

2011-01-01

Desalination of seawater and brackish water is becoming an increasingly important means to address the scarcity of fresh water resources in the world. Decreasing the energy requirements and infrastructure costs of existing desalination technologies remains a challenge. By enabling the manipulation of matter and control of transport at nanometer length scales, the emergence of nanotechnology offers new opportunities to advance water desalination technologies. This review focuses on nanostructured materials that are directly involved in the separation of water from salt as opposed to mitigating issues such as fouling. We discuss separation mechanisms and novel transport phenomena in materials including zeolites, carbon nanotubes, and graphene with potential applications to reverse osmosis, capacitive deionization, and multi-stage flash, among others. Such nanostructured materials can potentially enable the development of next-generation desalination systems with increased efficiency and capacity. (topical review)

Nanostructured materials for water desalination

Science.gov (United States)

Humplik, T.; Lee, J.; O'Hern, S. C.; Fellman, B. A.; Baig, M. A.; Hassan, S. F.; Atieh, M. A.; Rahman, F.; Laoui, T.; Karnik, R.; Wang, E. N.

2011-07-01

Desalination of seawater and brackish water is becoming an increasingly important means to address the scarcity of fresh water resources in the world. Decreasing the energy requirements and infrastructure costs of existing desalination technologies remains a challenge. By enabling the manipulation of matter and control of transport at nanometer length scales, the emergence of nanotechnology offers new opportunities to advance water desalination technologies. This review focuses on nanostructured materials that are directly involved in the separation of water from salt as opposed to mitigating issues such as fouling. We discuss separation mechanisms and novel transport phenomena in materials including zeolites, carbon nanotubes, and graphene with potential applications to reverse osmosis, capacitive deionization, and multi-stage flash, among others. Such nanostructured materials can potentially enable the development of next-generation desalination systems with increased efficiency and capacity.

Nanotechnologies. Properties and applications of nanostructured materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rempel, A A

2007-01-01

The review summarises the main methods for the preparation of nanostructured metals, alloys, semiconductors and ceramics. The formation mechanisms of nanostructures based on two different principles, viz. the assembly principle (bottom-up) and the disintegration principle (top-down), are analysed. Isolated nanoparticles, nanopowders and compact nanomaterials produced by these methods possess different properties. The scope of application of various classes of nanostructured materials is considered and the topicality of the development of nanoindustry is emphasised.

Inorganic nanostructured materials for high performance electrochemical supercapacitors

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Sheng; Sun, Shouheng; You, Xiao-Zeng

2014-01-01

Electrochemical supercapacitors (ES) are a well-known energy storage system that has high power density, long life-cycle and fast charge-discharge kinetics. Nanostructured materials are a new generation of electrode materials with large surface area and short transport/diffusion path for ions and electrons to achieve high specific capacitance in ES. This mini review highlights recent developments of inorganic nanostructure materials, including carbon nanomaterials, metal oxide nanoparticles, and metal oxide nanowires/nanotubes, for high performance ES applications.

Mixed conductivity, structural and microstructural characterization of titania-doped yttria tetragonal zirconia polycrystalline/titania-doped yttria stabilized zirconia composite anode matrices

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Colomer, M.T.; Maczka, M.

2011-01-01

Taking advantage of the fact that TiO 2 additions to 8YSZ cause not only the formation of a titania-doped YSZ solid solution but also a titania-doped YTZP solid solution, composite materials based on both solutions were prepared by solid state reaction. In particular, additions of 15 mol% of TiO 2 give rise to composite materials constituted by 0.51 mol fraction titania-doped yttria tetragonal zirconia polycrystalline and 0.49 mol fraction titania-doped yttria stabilized zirconia (0.51TiYTZP/0.49TiYSZ). Furthermore, Y 2 (Ti 1-y Zr y ) 2 O 7 pyrochlore is present as an impurity phase with y close to 1, according to FT-Raman results. Lower and higher additions of titania than that of 15 mol%, i.e., x=0, 5, 10, 20, 25 and 30 mol% were considered to study the evolution of 8YSZ phase as a function of the TiO 2 content. Furthermore, zirconium titanate phase (ZrTiO 4 ) is detected when the titania content is equal or higher than 20 mol% and this phase admits Y 2 O 3 in solid solution according to FE-SEM-EDX. The 0.51TiYTZP/0.49TiYSZ duplex material was selected in this study to establish the mechanism of its electronic conduction under low oxygen partial pressures. In the pO 2 range from 0.21 to 10 -7.5 atm. the conductivity is predominantly ionic and constant over the range and its value is 0.01 S/cm. The ionic plus electronic conductivity is 0.02 S/cm at 1000 o C and 10 -12.3 atm. Furthermore, the onset of electronic conductivity under reducing conditions exhibits a -1/4 pO 2 dependence. Therefore, it is concluded that the n-type electronic conduction in the duplex material can be due to a small polaron-hopping between Ti 3+ and Ti 4+ . -- Graphical abstract: FE-SEM micrograph of a polished and thermal etched surface of a Ti-doped YTZP/Ti-doped YSZ composite material. Display Omitted Research highlights: → Ti-doped YTZP/Ti-doped YSZ composite materials are mixed conductors under low partial pressures. → From 5 mol% of TiO 2 , Y 2 (Ti 1-y ,Zr y ) 2 O 7 pyrochlore is

Fabrication of polyaniline/graphene/titania nanotube arrays nanocomposite and their application in supercapacitors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Huang, Hua; Gan, Mengyu; Ma, Li; Yu, Lei; Hu, Haifeng; Yang, Fangfang; Li, Yanjun; Ge, Chengqiang

2015-01-01

Highlights: • The PANI/graphene/TiO 2 nanotube arrays were fabricated firstly. • The composite shows a high specific capacitance and superior rate capability. • A high capacity retention rate of 91% after 1000 cycles can be achieved. • The composite possesses a novel three-dimensional (3D) highly ordered nanostructure. • TiO 2 NTs enhance the adhesion between PANI and substrate. - Abstract: Polyaniline/graphene/titania nanotube arrays (PGTNs) nanocomposite as a supercapacitor electrode is fabricated by in-situ polymerization for the first time. Herein, the PGTNs possesses a novel three-dimensional (3D) highly ordered hybrid nanostructure consisting of coaxial polyaniline (PANI)/TiO 2 nanotube arrays and graphene coated with PANI on the surface of TiO 2 in some degree. The synthesized three-dimensional PGTNs is characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Raman spectroscopy, and its electrochemical performance is measured by cyclic voltammetry (CV), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and galvanostatic charge/discharge. The maximum specific capacitance of PGTNs is as high as 933 F g −1 at current density of 0.75 A g −1 and the specific capacitance retains 91% of the initial after constant charge–discharge 1000 cycles. The improved electrochemical performance is due to the 3D nanostructure, which effectively prevents the mechanical deformation during the fast charge/discharge process and favors the diffusion of the electrolyte ions into the inner region of active materials. The composite electrode material is very promising for the next generation of high-performance electrochemical supercapacitors

Synthesis of hierarchical anatase TiO 2 nanostructures with tunable morphology and enhanced photocatalytic activity

KAUST Repository

Rahal, Raed; Wankhade, Atul V.; Cha, Dong Kyu; Fihri, Aziz; Ould-Chikh, Samy; Patil, Umesh; Polshettiwar, Vivek

2012-01-01

A facile one-pot method to prepare three-dimensional hierarchical nanostructures of titania with good control over their morphologies without the use of hydrofluoric acid is developed. The reaction is performed under microwave irradiation conditions in pure water, and enables enhanced photocatalytic activity. This study indicates that photocatalytic activity depends not only on the surface area but also on the morphology of the titania. © 2012 The Royal Society of Chemistry.

Materials 2014: a great success for materials sector

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Isnard, Olivier; Crepin, Jerome

2014-01-01

In this work are presented the summaries of the 19 symposiums presented at the conference: 'Materials 2014' and whose topics were: eco-materials, materials for energy storage and conversion, strategic materials, rare elements and recycling, surfaces functionalization and physico-chemical characterization, interfaces and coatings, corrosion, aging, durability, damage mechanical behaviours, disordered materials, glasses and their functionalization, materials and health, functional materials, porous, granular and with a high surface area materials, nano-materials, nano-structured systems, assembling processes, carbonaceous materials, great instruments and studies of materials, materials in severe conditions, powder forming processes, metallic materials and structures lightening. (O.M.)

Kinetic Monte Carlo Study of Ambipolar Lithium Ion and Electron-Polaron Diffusion into Nanostructured TiO2

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yu, Jianguo; Sushko, Maria L.; Kerisit, Sebastien N.; Rosso, Kevin M.; Liu, Jun

2012-01-01

Nanostructured titania (TiO2) polymorphs have proved to be promising electrode materials for next generation lithium-ion batteries. However, there is still a lack of understanding of the fundamental microscopic processes that control charge transport in these materials. Here we present microscopic simulations of the collective dynamics of lithium-ion (Li+) and charge compensating electron polarons (e-) in rutile TiO2 nanoparticles in contact with idealized conductive matrix and electrolyte. Kinetic Monte Carlo simulations are used, parameterized by molecular dynamics-based predictions of activation energy barriers for Li+ and e- diffusion. Simulations reveal the central role of electrostatic coupling between Li+ and e- on their collective drift diffusion at the nanoscale. They also demonstrate that high contact area between conductive matrix and rutile nanoparticles leads to undesirable coupling-induced surface saturation effects during Li+ insertion, which limits the overall capacity and conductivity of the material. These results help provide guidelines for design of nanostructured electrode materials with improved electrochemical performance.

Quantitative characterization of the influence of the nanoscale morphology of nanostructured surfaces on bacterial adhesion and biofilm formation.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ajay Vikram Singh

Full Text Available Bacterial infection of implants and prosthetic devices is one of the most common causes of implant failure. The nanostructured surface of biocompatible materials strongly influences the adhesion and proliferation of mammalian cells on solid substrates. The observation of this phenomenon has led to an increased effort to develop new strategies to prevent bacterial adhesion and biofilm formation, primarily through nanoengineering the topology of the materials used in implantable devices. While several studies have demonstrated the influence of nanoscale surface morphology on prokaryotic cell attachment, none have provided a quantitative understanding of this phenomenon. Using supersonic cluster beam deposition, we produced nanostructured titania thin films with controlled and reproducible nanoscale morphology respectively. We characterized the surface morphology; composition and wettability by means of atomic force microscopy, X-ray photoemission spectroscopy and contact angle measurements. We studied how protein adsorption is influenced by the physico-chemical surface parameters. Lastly, we characterized Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus adhesion on nanostructured titania surfaces. Our results show that the increase in surface pore aspect ratio and volume, related to the increase of surface roughness, improves protein adsorption, which in turn downplays bacterial adhesion and biofilm formation. As roughness increases up to about 20 nm, bacterial adhesion and biofilm formation are enhanced; the further increase of roughness causes a significant decrease of bacterial adhesion and inhibits biofilm formation. We interpret the observed trend in bacterial adhesion as the combined effect of passivation and flattening effects induced by morphology-dependent protein adsorption. Our findings demonstrate that bacterial adhesion and biofilm formation on nanostructured titanium oxide surfaces are significantly influenced by nanoscale morphological

Hybrid nanostructured materials for high-performance electrochemical capacitors

KAUST Repository

Yu, Guihua

2013-03-01

The exciting development of advanced nanostructured materials has driven the rapid growth of research in the field of electrochemical energy storage (EES) systems which are critical to a variety of applications ranging from portable consumer electronics, hybrid electric vehicles, to large industrial scale power and energy management. Owing to their capability to deliver high power performance and extremely long cycle life, electrochemical capacitors (ECs), one of the key EES systems, have attracted increasing attention in the recent years since they can complement or even replace batteries in the energy storage field, especially when high power delivery or uptake is needed. This review article describes the most recent progress in the development of nanostructured electrode materials for EC technology, with a particular focus on hybrid nanostructured materials that combine carbon based materials with pseudocapacitive metal oxides or conducting polymers for achieving high-performance ECs. This review starts with an overview of EES technologies and the comparison between various EES systems, followed by a brief description of energy storage mechanisms for different types of EC materials. This review emphasizes the exciting development of both hybrid nanomaterials and novel support structures for effective electrochemical utilization and high mass loading of active electrode materials, both of which have brought the energy density of ECs closer to that of batteries while still maintaining their characteristic high power density. Last, future research directions and the remaining challenges toward the rational design and synthesis of hybrid nanostructured electrode materials for next-generation ECs are discussed. © 2012 Elsevier Ltd.

Quantitative Characterization of Nanostructured Materials

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dr. Frank (Bud) Bridges, University of California-Santa Cruz

2010-08-05

The two-and-a-half day symposium on the "Quantitative Characterization of Nanostructured Materials" will be the first comprehensive meeting on this topic held under the auspices of a major U.S. professional society. Spring MRS Meetings provide a natural venue for this symposium as they attract a broad audience of researchers that represents a cross-section of the state-of-the-art regarding synthesis, structure-property relations, and applications of nanostructured materials. Close interactions among the experts in local structure measurements and materials researchers will help both to identify measurement needs pertinent to real-world materials problems and to familiarize the materials research community with the state-of-the-art local structure measurement techniques. We have chosen invited speakers that reflect the multidisciplinary and international nature of this topic and the need to continually nurture productive interfaces among university, government and industrial laboratories. The intent of the symposium is to provide an interdisciplinary forum for discussion and exchange of ideas on the recent progress in quantitative characterization of structural order in nanomaterials using different experimental techniques and theory. The symposium is expected to facilitate discussions on optimal approaches for determining atomic structure at the nanoscale using combined inputs from multiple measurement techniques.

Adsorption of vitamin E on mesoporous titania nanocrystals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shih, C.J.; Lin, C.T.; Wu, S.M.

2010-01-01

Tri-block nonionic surfactant and titanium chloride were used as starting materials for the synthesis of mesoporous titania nanocrystallite powders. The main objective of the present study was to examine the synthesis of mesoporous titania nanocrystals and the adsorption of vitamin E on those nanocrystals using X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy, and nitrogen adsorption and desorption isotherms. When the calcination temperature was increased to 300 o C, the reflection peaks in the XRD pattern indicated the presence of an anatase phase. The crystallinity of the nanocrystallites increased from 80% to 98.6% with increasing calcination temperature from 465 o C to 500 o C. The N 2 adsorption data and XRD data taken after vitamin E adsorption revealed that the vitamin E molecules were adsorbed in the mesopores of the titania nanocrystals.

The preparation and characterization of nanostructured TiO2-ZrO2 mixed oxide electrode for efficient dye-sensitized solar cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kitiyanan, Athapol; Ngamsinlapasathian, Supachai; Pavasupree, Soropong; Yoshikawa, Susumu

2005-01-01

The preparation of nanostructured mixed metal oxide based on a sol-gel method with surfactant-assisted mechanism, and its application for dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) are reported. The mixed zirconia (ZrO 2 ) and titania (TiO 2 ) mesoporous powder possessed larger surface area than the corresponding titania. For the UV action spectra of unsensitized photochemical cell, the mixed zirconia/titania electrode can absorb UV light below 380nm, corresponding to band gap (E g ) around 3.27eV, which is higher than that of pure component of titania (E g =3.2eV). Both of these improved properties, i.e., BET surface area and band gap, contributed to the improvement on a short-circuit photocurrent up to 11%, an open-circuit voltage up to 4%, and a solar energy conversion efficiency up to 17%, for the DSSC fabricated by mesoporous zirconia/titania mixed system when compared to the cell that was fabricated only by nanostructured TiO 2 . The cell fabricated by 5μm thick mixed TiO 2 -ZrO 2 electrode gave the short-circuit photocurrent about 13mA/cm 2 , open-circuit voltage about 600 mV and the conversion efficiency 5.4%

Fabrication of polyaniline/graphene/titania nanotube arrays nanocomposite and their application in supercapacitors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Huang, Hua; Gan, Mengyu; Ma, Li, E-mail: mlsys607@126.com; Yu, Lei; Hu, Haifeng; Yang, Fangfang; Li, Yanjun; Ge, Chengqiang

2015-05-05

Highlights: • The PANI/graphene/TiO{sub 2} nanotube arrays were fabricated firstly. • The composite shows a high specific capacitance and superior rate capability. • A high capacity retention rate of 91% after 1000 cycles can be achieved. • The composite possesses a novel three-dimensional (3D) highly ordered nanostructure. • TiO{sub 2} NTs enhance the adhesion between PANI and substrate. - Abstract: Polyaniline/graphene/titania nanotube arrays (PGTNs) nanocomposite as a supercapacitor electrode is fabricated by in-situ polymerization for the first time. Herein, the PGTNs possesses a novel three-dimensional (3D) highly ordered hybrid nanostructure consisting of coaxial polyaniline (PANI)/TiO{sub 2} nanotube arrays and graphene coated with PANI on the surface of TiO{sub 2} in some degree. The synthesized three-dimensional PGTNs is characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Raman spectroscopy, and its electrochemical performance is measured by cyclic voltammetry (CV), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and galvanostatic charge/discharge. The maximum specific capacitance of PGTNs is as high as 933 F g{sup −1} at current density of 0.75 A g{sup −1} and the specific capacitance retains 91% of the initial after constant charge–discharge 1000 cycles. The improved electrochemical performance is due to the 3D nanostructure, which effectively prevents the mechanical deformation during the fast charge/discharge process and favors the diffusion of the electrolyte ions into the inner region of active materials. The composite electrode material is very promising for the next generation of high-performance electrochemical supercapacitors.

Synthetic opal as a template for nanostructured materials

Science.gov (United States)

White, Paul A.; Heales, Lindsey; Barber, Richard L.; Turney, Terence W.

2001-04-01

Synthetic opal has been used as a template for making 3D inverse opals of silica, titania and silicone rubber. The materials are mesoporous with connected pores and channels and have better opalescence than the opal templates they replace. Thin films of synthetic opal have been grown onto glass substrates by spin coating and these have also been used as templates for making thin films of inverse opal and as masks for depositing metal nanodots. This method produced hexagonally patterned 50 nm gold dots on a flat graphite substrate.

Adsorption of vitamin E on mesoporous titania nanocrystals

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shih, C.J., E-mail: cjshih@kmu.edu.tw [Department of Fragrance and Cosmetic Science, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan (China); Lin, C.T.; Wu, S.M. [School of Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan (China)

2010-07-15

Tri-block nonionic surfactant and titanium chloride were used as starting materials for the synthesis of mesoporous titania nanocrystallite powders. The main objective of the present study was to examine the synthesis of mesoporous titania nanocrystals and the adsorption of vitamin E on those nanocrystals using X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy, and nitrogen adsorption and desorption isotherms. When the calcination temperature was increased to 300 {sup o}C, the reflection peaks in the XRD pattern indicated the presence of an anatase phase. The crystallinity of the nanocrystallites increased from 80% to 98.6% with increasing calcination temperature from 465 {sup o}C to 500 {sup o}C. The N{sub 2} adsorption data and XRD data taken after vitamin E adsorption revealed that the vitamin E molecules were adsorbed in the mesopores of the titania nanocrystals.

Morphology and growth of titania nanotubes. Nanostructuring and applications

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Albu, Sergiu P.

2012-10-26

Self-ordering phenomena during anodic oxidation of metals and the formation of porous oxides have been of a great interest to science and technology for more than 50 years. Particularly, after Masuda et al. demonstrated ideally ordered porous alumina by fine tuning the experimental parameters during aluminum anodization, these structures were increasingly used as a template for the deposition and growth of large varieties of 1D functional materials. For some time, such self-organized oxide structures seemed to be limited to Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}, but in 1999 Zwilling et al. reported self-organized oxide structures (aligned nanotubes) anodically grown on Ti in a dilute fluoride solution. Dilute fluoride electrolytes were then found suitable to grow ordered tubular or porous oxides on a large range of other metals and alloys. Subsequently, the control over the morphology (diameter, length, smoothness of the walls) was strongly improved by continuously optimizing the anodizing conditions. Most research work has been directed towards TiO{sub 2} nanotubes, as TiO{sub 2} with its semiconductive nature makes the nanotubular structures promising for use in solar cells, photocatalysis and sensors, and also its ion insertion properties and its high degree of biocompatibility have attracted wide interest. The experimental optimization of growth parameters led to various semi-quantitative or qualitative models that provide a mechanistic reasoning for the occurrence of self-organization. Although theoretical modeling of self-ordered structures grown anodically on valve metals was increasingly refined, a main source of difficulty remained, namely the multitude of experimental factors which influence the growth of self-ordered nanostructures. The present work represents an attempt to provide a detailed experimental view over the growth of TiO{sub 2} nanotubes in organic electrolytes. The first part is based on describing the methods and set-ups used for growth and characterization of

Leafy nanostructure PANI for material of supercapacitors

OpenAIRE

XI Dong; CHEN Xinman

2013-01-01

Nanostructure conducting polyaniline(PANI) has great potential applications in supercapacitor electrode materials.In this paper,we report a template-free approach to synthesize PANI by a galvanostatic current procedure with a three-electrode configuration directly on indium-doped tin-oxide substrates (ITO).The morphology of product was characterized by Hitachi S-4800 field emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM).Due to the nanostructure,the specific capacitance of PANI film with the th...

Nanostructured manganese oxide thin films as electrode material for supercapacitors

Science.gov (United States)

Xia, Hui; Lai, Man On; Lu, Li

2011-01-01

Electrochemical capacitors, also called supercapacitors, are alternative energy storage devices, particularly for applications requiring high power densities. Recently, manganese oxides have been extensively evaluated as electrode materials for supercapacitors due to their low cost, environmental benignity, and promising supercapacitive performance. In order to maximize the utilization of manganese oxides as the electrode material for the supercapacitors and improve their supercapacitive performance, the nanostructured manganese oxides have therefore been developed. This paper reviews the synthesis of the nanostructured manganese oxide thin films by different methods and the supercapacitive performance of different nanostructures.

Application of Nanostructures in Electrochromic Materials and Devices: Recent Progress

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jin Min Wang

2010-11-01

Full Text Available The recent progress in application of nanostructures in electrochromic materials and devices is reviewed. ZnO nanowire array modified by viologen and WO3, crystalline WO3 nanoparticles and nanorods, mesoporous WO3 and TiO2, poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene nanotubes, Prussian blue nanoinks and nanostructures in switchable mirrors are reviewed. The electrochromic properties were significantly enhanced by applying nanostructures, resulting in faster switching responses, higher stability and higher optical contrast. A perspective on the development trends in electrochromic materials and devices is also proposed.

The properties of weft knitted fabric medical and preventive treatment action using eco-raw materials

Science.gov (United States)

Halavska, L.; Batrak, O.

2016-07-01

A new trend in the world is the clothing production using the new types of ecological raw materials application - milk, pineapple, coconut, hemp, banana, eucalyptus, clams, corn, bamboo, soya, nettle yarn. This makes it possible to create textile materials of new generation with unique antibacterial and antiseptic properties. Such materials have a positive preventive and sometimes therapeutic effect on people, and their health. Eco-raw materials clothing is able to protect the human body from the environment harmful effects: cold, heat, rain, dust, opportunely remove from underclothing layer the steam and gases, sweat; maintain in underclothing layer the necessary microclimate for normal organism functioning. Study of knitwear consumer properties, produced with eco-materials, is an urgent task of the world vector, directed on ecological environmental protection. This paper presents the research results of hygroscopicity and capillarity weft knitted fabrics, what knitted from different types of eco-raw materials: bamboo yarn, yarn containing soybean and nettle yarn. Character of influence of the liquid raising level changes depending on the experiment time and the knitting structure is revealed.

Novel structuring routines of titania films for application in photovoltaics

OpenAIRE

Niedermeier, Martin A.

2014-01-01

Novel routines to structure titania thin films on various length scales are investigated regarding photovoltaic applications. The main focus of the investigations lies on the custom-tailoring of the morphologies of the titania films using sol-gel chemistry in combination with block copolymer templating. Additionally, a low-temperature routine for functional hybrid films as well as the growth of gold as electrode material on top of an organic hole-conductor are investigated. Im Hinblick auf...

Insights into biogenic and chemical production of inorganic nanomaterials and nanostructures.

Science.gov (United States)

Faramarzi, Mohammad Ali; Sadighi, Armin

2013-03-01

The synthesis of inorganic nanomaterials and nanostructures by the means of diverse physical, chemical, and biological principles has been developed in recent decades. The nanoscale materials and structures creation continue to be an active area of researches due to the exciting properties of the resulting nanomaterials and their innovative applications. Despite physical and chemical approaches which have been used for a long time to produce nanomaterials, biological resources as green candidates that can replace old production methods have been focused in recent years to generate various inorganic nanoparticles (NPs) or other nanoscale structures. Cost-effective, eco-friendly, energy efficient, and nontoxic produced nanomaterials using diverse biological entities have been received increasing attention in the last two decades in contrast to physical and chemical methods owe using toxic solvents, generate unwanted by-products, and high energy consumption which restrict the popularity of these ways employed in nanometric science and engineering. In this review, the biosynthesis of gold, silver, gold-silver alloy, magnetic, semiconductor nanocrystals, silica, zirconia, titania, palladium, bismuth, selenium, antimony sulfide, and platinum NPs, using bacteria, actinomycetes, fungi, yeasts, plant extracts and also informational bio-macromolecules including proteins, polypeptides, DNA, and RNA have been reported extensively to mention the current status of the biological inorganic nanomaterial production. In other hand, two well-known wet chemical techniques, namely chemical reduction and sol-gel methods, used to produce various types of nanocrystalline powders, metal oxides, and hybrid organic-inorganic nanomaterials have presented. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Modeling of space environment impact on nanostructured materials. General principles

Science.gov (United States)

Voronina, Ekaterina; Novikov, Lev

2016-07-01

In accordance with the resolution of ISO TC20/SC14 WG4/WG6 joint meeting, Technical Specification (TS) 'Modeling of space environment impact on nanostructured materials. General principles' which describes computer simulation methods of space environment impact on nanostructured materials is being prepared. Nanomaterials surpass traditional materials for space applications in many aspects due to their unique properties associated with nanoscale size of their constituents. This superiority in mechanical, thermal, electrical and optical properties will evidently inspire a wide range of applications in the next generation spacecraft intended for the long-term (~15-20 years) operation in near-Earth orbits and the automatic and manned interplanetary missions. Currently, ISO activity on developing standards concerning different issues of nanomaterials manufacturing and applications is high enough. Most such standards are related to production and characterization of nanostructures, however there is no ISO documents concerning nanomaterials behavior in different environmental conditions, including the space environment. The given TS deals with the peculiarities of the space environment impact on nanostructured materials (i.e. materials with structured objects which size in at least one dimension lies within 1-100 nm). The basic purpose of the document is the general description of the methodology of applying computer simulation methods which relate to different space and time scale to modeling processes occurring in nanostructured materials under the space environment impact. This document will emphasize the necessity of applying multiscale simulation approach and present the recommendations for the choice of the most appropriate methods (or a group of methods) for computer modeling of various processes that can occur in nanostructured materials under the influence of different space environment components. In addition, TS includes the description of possible

Photocatalytic polymerization induced by a transparent anatase titania aqueous sol and fabrication of polymer composites

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

2010-06-01

Full Text Available The surface modification of the anatase titania nanoparticles prepared via a controlled nonhydrolytic sol-gel process is achieved by the formation of the bidentate coordination between titania and methacrylic acid (MAA molecules. The in situ photocatalytic polymerization of methyl methacrylate (MMA monomer is initiated by surface modified anatase titania nanoparticles under Xe lamp irradiation. A variety of techniques including differential scanning calorimetry (DSC, thermo-gravimetric analysis (TGA and scanning electron microscopy (SEM are employed to characterize the resulting materials. The glass transition temperatures and the thermal stabilities of polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA composite materials prepared via photocatalytic polymerization are enhanced compared with pure polymer. The partial aggregation of titania nanoparticles in PMMA composite films is derived from the surface polymerization of MMA, which makes the inorganic particles hydrophobic and drives them to the water/oil interfaces.

Current status of nanostructured tungsten-based materials development

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kurishita, H; Matsuo, S; Arakawa, H; Hatakeyama, M; Shikama, T; Sakamoto, T; Kobayashi, S; Nakai, K; Okano, H; Watanabe, H; Yoshida, N; Torikai, Y; Hatano, Y; Takida, T; Kato, M; Ikegaya, A; Ueda, Y

2014-01-01

Nanostructured tungsten (W)-based materials offer many advantages for use as plasma facing materials and components exposed to heavy thermal loads combined with irradiation with high-energy neutron and low-energy ion. This paper first presents the recent progress in nanostructured toughened, fine grained, recrystallized W materials. Thermal desorption spectrometry apparatus equipped with an ion gun has been installed in the radiation controlled area in our Center at Tohoku University to systematically investigate the effects of displacement damage due to high-energy neutron irradiation on hydrogen isotope retention in connection with the nano- or micro-structures in W-based materials. In this paper, the effects of high-energy heavy ion irradiation on deuterium retention in W with different microstructures are described as a preliminary work with the prospective view of neutron irradiation effects. (paper)

Electrochemical biosensing based on polypyrrole/titania nanotube hybrid

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Xie, Yibing, E-mail: ybxie@seu.edu.cn; Zhao, Ye

2013-12-01

The glucose oxidase (GOD) modified polypyrrole/titania nanotube enzyme electrode is fabricated for electrochemical biosensing application. The titania nanotube array is grown directly on a titanium substrate through an anodic oxidation process. A thin film of polypyrrole is coated onto titania nanotube array to form polypyrrole/titania nanotube hybrid through a normal pulse voltammetry process. GOD-polypyrrole/titania nanotube enzyme electrode is prepared by the covalent immobilization of GOD onto polypyrrole/titania nanotube hybrid via the cross-linker of glutaraldehyde. The morphology and microstructure of nanotube electrodes are characterized by field emission scanning electron microscopy and Fourier transform infrared analysis. The biosensing properties of this nanotube enzyme electrode have been investigated by means of cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry. The hydrophilic polypyrrole/titania nanotube hybrid provides highly accessible nanochannels for GOD encapsulation, presenting good enzymatic affinity. As-formed GOD-polypyrrole/titania nanotube enzyme electrode well conducts bioelectrocatalytic oxidation of glucose, exhibiting a good biosensing performance with a high sensitivity, low detection limit and wide linear detection range. - Graphical abstract: The schematic diagram presents the fabrication of glucose oxidase modified polypyrrole/titania (GOD-PPy/TiO{sub 2}) nanotube enzyme electrode for biosensing application. - Highlights: • Hydrophilic polypyrrole/titania nanotube hybrid is well used as biosensing substrate. • Polypyrrole promotes GOD immobilization on titania nanotubes via glutaraldehyde. • GOD-polypyrrole/titania enzyme electrode shows good bioelectrocatalytic reactivity.

Electrochemical biosensing based on polypyrrole/titania nanotube hybrid

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xie, Yibing; Zhao, Ye

2013-01-01

The glucose oxidase (GOD) modified polypyrrole/titania nanotube enzyme electrode is fabricated for electrochemical biosensing application. The titania nanotube array is grown directly on a titanium substrate through an anodic oxidation process. A thin film of polypyrrole is coated onto titania nanotube array to form polypyrrole/titania nanotube hybrid through a normal pulse voltammetry process. GOD-polypyrrole/titania nanotube enzyme electrode is prepared by the covalent immobilization of GOD onto polypyrrole/titania nanotube hybrid via the cross-linker of glutaraldehyde. The morphology and microstructure of nanotube electrodes are characterized by field emission scanning electron microscopy and Fourier transform infrared analysis. The biosensing properties of this nanotube enzyme electrode have been investigated by means of cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry. The hydrophilic polypyrrole/titania nanotube hybrid provides highly accessible nanochannels for GOD encapsulation, presenting good enzymatic affinity. As-formed GOD-polypyrrole/titania nanotube enzyme electrode well conducts bioelectrocatalytic oxidation of glucose, exhibiting a good biosensing performance with a high sensitivity, low detection limit and wide linear detection range. - Graphical abstract: The schematic diagram presents the fabrication of glucose oxidase modified polypyrrole/titania (GOD-PPy/TiO 2 ) nanotube enzyme electrode for biosensing application. - Highlights: • Hydrophilic polypyrrole/titania nanotube hybrid is well used as biosensing substrate. • Polypyrrole promotes GOD immobilization on titania nanotubes via glutaraldehyde. • GOD-polypyrrole/titania enzyme electrode shows good bioelectrocatalytic reactivity

Preparation and characterization of nanostructured MWCNT-TiO2 composite materials for photocatalytic water treatment applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang Wendong; Serp, Philippe; Kalck, Philippe; Silva, Claudia Gomes; Faria, Joaquim Luis

2008-01-01

Nanoscale composite materials containing multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) and titania were prepared by using a modified sol-gel method. The composites were comprehensively characterized by thermogravimetric analysis, nitrogen adsorption-desorption isotherm, powder X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray analysis, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and UV-vis absorption spectroscopy. The analysis revealed the presence of titania crystallites of about 7.5 nm aggregated together with MWCNT in particles of 15-20 nm of diameter. The photoactivity of the prepared materials, under UV or visible irradiation, was tested using the conversion of phenol from model aqueous solutions as probe reaction. A synergy effect on the photocatalytic activities observed for the composite catalysts was discussed in terms of a strong interphase interaction between carbon and TiO 2 phases by comparing the different roles of MWCNT in the composite materials

Quantitative Analysis of Micro-porosity of Eco-material by Using SEM Technique

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

ZHANG Ji-ru; LIU Yuan-zhi; LIU Zu-de

2004-01-01

Microstructure of the eco-material combining vegetation recovery with slope protection is important for determining plant-growing properties.Several techniques for analyzing the eco-material microstructure are presented,including the freeze-cut-drying method of preparing samples for scanning electronic microscopy (SEM),the SEM image processing technique and quantifying analysis method of the SEM images,and etc.The aggregates and pores in SEM images are identified using the different mathematics operators,and their effects are compared.The areas of aggregates and pores are obtained using the operator of morphology,and the influences of different thresholds in image segmentation are also discussed.The results show that the method,in which the variation of non-maximum grey-level gradient is limited,improves the effect of edge detections due to a weak distinction existing at the edge between the aggregates and pores in image.The determination of the threshold should combine the image characteristic with filling operation,so as to assure the precision of the image analysis,in which the contact-segmentation is the simplest and most effective method.The results also show that the pore areas in eco-materials are generally larger than those in the correlative soils,and their increment is large as soil fabric being fine.These differences are related to admixture of expansive perliticThe operator of morphology provides a new method for the image analysis of other porous material microstructure such as soils and concretes.

Construction of highly ordered lamellar nanostructures through Langmuir-Blodgett deposition of molecularly thin titania nanosheets tens of micrometers wide and their excellent dielectric properties.

Science.gov (United States)

Akatsuka, Kosho; Haga, Masa-aki; Ebina, Yasuo; Osada, Minoru; Fukuda, Katsutoshi; Sasaki, Takayoshi

2009-05-26

Exfoliated unilamellar titania nanosheets of Ti(0.87)O(2) with a lateral size of 10-30 microm were deposited layer-by-layer onto various substrates by Langmuir-Blodgett procedure to produce a highly ordered lamellar nanofilms. The nanosheets dispersed in an aqueous suspension containing quaternary ammonium ions as a supporting electrolyte floated spontaneously at the air/liquid interface, and they were successfully transferred onto the substrate after surface compression. Neat tiling of the nanosheets could be realized at an optimized surface pressure. The film thus obtained was exposed to UV light to turn the substrate surface hydrophilic, which was helpful for stable repetition of monolayer deposition. Layer-by-layer growth was confirmed by UV-visible absorption spectra, which showed progressive enhancement of an absorption band due to the nanosheet. Cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy images visualized the ultrathin film homogeneously deposited on the substrate surface and a lamellar fringe of the layer-by-layer assembled nanosheets was clearly resolved at a higher magnification. X-ray diffraction data on the films showed sharp basal reflections up to the seventh order, and Williamson-Hall analysis of the pattern indicated that the film was coherent across the total thickness with respect to X-ray and that the lattice strain was extremely small. In addition, the first basal reflection was accompanied by small satellite peaks, which are accounted for by the Laue interference function. All these features clearly indicate the formation of a highly ordered lamellar nanostructure of the titania nanosheets comparable to artificial lattice films produced via modern vapor-phase deposition processes. The obtained films showed superior dielectric and insulating properties as a reflection of the highly organized film nanoarchitecture.

Quantum Simulations of Materials and Nanostructures (Q-SIMAN). Final Report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Galli, Giulia [Univ. of California, Davis, CA (United States); Bai, Zhaojun [Univ. of California, Davis, CA (United States); Ceperley, David [Univ. of Illinois, Urbana, IL (United States); Cai, Wei [Stanford Univ., CA (United States); Gygi, Francois [Univ. of California, Davis, CA (United States); Marzari, Nicola [Massachusetts Inst. of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA (United States); Pickett, Warren [Univ. of California, Davis, CA (United States); Spaldin, Nicola [Univ. of California, Santa Barbara, CA (United States); Fattebert, Jean-Luc [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Schwegler, Eric [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)

2015-09-16

The focus of this SciDAC SAP (Scientific Application) is the development and use of quantum simulations techniques to understand materials and nanostructures at the microscopic level, predict their physical and chemical properties, and eventually design integrated materials with targeted properties. (Here the word ‘materials’ is used in a broad sense and it encompasses different thermodynamic states of matter, including solid, liquids and nanostructures.) Therefore our overarching goal is to enable scientific discoveries in the field of condensed matter and advanced materials through high performance computing.

Eco-marketing and eco-design of products

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Filipović Jovan

2007-01-01

Full Text Available Environmental marketing (Eco-marketing, as a relatively new movement, emerged at the beginning of the 20th century, is in the growing phase of its development. Eco-labeling and other ways/types of eco-marketing are attracting more attention of consumers, since they are aware of the necessity of nature conservation and environmental protection. There has been a lot of misunderstanding and miss leadings in interpretation and substantiation of ecomarketing claims in previous period of time. One of the most concrete improvements in eco-marketing was appearance and establishment of ISO 14020 guidelines. ISO 14020 guidelines are integral part of ISO 14000 series of standards, which could be implemented in eco-marketing. At the same time, development of "green" products and marketing of "green" products, are direct positive contributions to resources reduction, environmental protection and sustainable economic development. Companies designing this kind of products can expect better position on the market, improvement of competitiveness, reduction of expenses (less raw materials, less waste, less harmful effects on the environment, raising corporate social responsibility, higher export.

Nanostructured Mo-based electrode materials for electrochemical energy storage.

Science.gov (United States)

Hu, Xianluo; Zhang, Wei; Liu, Xiaoxiao; Mei, Yueni; Huang, Yunhui

2015-04-21

The development of advanced energy storage devices is at the forefront of research geared towards a sustainable future. Nanostructured materials are advantageous in offering huge surface to volume ratios, favorable transport features, and attractive physicochemical properties. They have been extensively explored in various fields of energy storage and conversion. This review is focused largely on the recent progress in nanostructured Mo-based electrode materials including molybdenum oxides (MoO(x), 2 ≤ x ≤ 3), dichalconides (MoX2, X = S, Se), and oxysalts for rechargeable lithium/sodium-ion batteries, Mg batteries, and supercapacitors. Mo-based compounds including MoO2, MoO3, MoO(3-y) (0 energy storage systems because of their unique physicochemical properties, such as conductivity, mechanical and thermal stability, and cyclability. In this review, we aim to provide a systematic summary of the synthesis, modification, and electrochemical performance of nanostructured Mo-based compounds, as well as their energy storage applications in lithium/sodium-ion batteries, Mg batteries, and pseudocapacitors. The relationship between nanoarchitectures and electrochemical performances as well as the related charge-storage mechanism is discussed. Moreover, remarks on the challenges and perspectives of Mo-containing compounds for further development in electrochemical energy storage applications are proposed. This review sheds light on the sustainable development of advanced rechargeable batteries and supercapacitors with nanostructured Mo-based electrode materials.

Novel nanostructured materials for high energy density supercapacitors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yuan, C.Z.; Zhang, X.G. [Nanjing Univ. of Aeronautics and Astronautics (China). College of Material Science and Engineering

2010-07-01

Researchers are currently examining methods of improving energy density while not sacrificing the high power density of supercapacitors. In this study, nanostructured materials assembled from nanometer-sized building blocks with mesoporosity were synthesized in order investigate diffusion time, kinetics, and capacitances. Petal-like cobalt hydroxide Co(OH){sub 2} mesocrystals, urchin-like Co(OH){sub 2} and dicobalt tetroxide (Co{sub 2}O{sub 4}) ordered arrays as well as N{sub i}O microspheres were assembled from 0-D nanoparticles, 1-D mesoporous nanowires and nanobelts, and 2-D mesoporous nanopetals. The study showed that all the synthesized nanostructured materials delivered larger energy densities while showing electrochemical stability at high rates.

Patterned titania nanostructures produced by electrochemical anodization of titanium sheet

Science.gov (United States)

Dong, Junzhe; Ariyanti, Dessy; Gao, Wei; Niu, Zhenjiang; Weil, Emeline

2017-07-01

A two-step anodization method has been used to produce patterned arrays of TiO2 on the surface of Ti sheet. Hexagonal ripples were created on Ti substrate after removing the TiO2 layer produced by first-step anodization. The shallow concaves were served as an ideal position for the subsequent step anodization due to their low electrical resistance, resulting in novel hierarchical nanostructures with small pits inside the original ripples. The mechanism of morphology evolution during patterned anodization was studied through changing the anodizing voltages and duration time. This work provides a new idea for controlling nanostructures and thus tailoring the photocatalytic property and wettability of anodic TiO2.

Polyaniline nanowire array encapsulated in titania nanotubes as a superior electrode for supercapacitors

Science.gov (United States)

Xie, Keyu; Li, Jie; Lai, Yanqing; Zhang, Zhi'an; Liu, Yexiang; Zhang, Guoge; Huang, Haitao

2011-05-01

Conducting polymer with 1D nanostructure exhibits excellent electrochemical performances but a poor cyclability that limits its use in supercapacitors. In this work, a novel composite electrode made of polyaniline nanowire-titania nanotube array was synthesized via a simple and inexpensive electrochemical route by electropolymerizing aniline onto an anodized titania nanotube array. The specific capacitance was as high as 732 F g-1 at 1 A g-1, which remained at 543 F g-1 when the current density was increased by 20 times. 74% of the maximum energy density (36.6 Wh kg-1) was maintained even at a high power density of 6000 W kg-1. An excellent long cycle life of the electrode was observed with a retention of ~86% of the initial specific capacitance after 2000 cycles. The good electrochemical performance was attributed to the unique microstructure of the electrode with disordered PANI nanowire arrays encapsulated inside the TiO2 nanotubes, providing high surface area, fast diffusion path for ions and long-term cycle stability. Such a nanocomposite electrode is attractive for supercapacitor applications.

Synthesis, characterization and photocatalytic activity of porous manganese oxide doped titania for toluene decomposition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jothiramalingam, R.; Wang, M.K.

2007-01-01

The present study describes the photocatalytic degradation of toluene in gas phase on different porous manganese oxide doped titanium dioxide. As synthesized birnessite and cryptomelane type porous manganese oxide were doped with titania and tested for photocatalytic decomposition of toluene in gas phase. The effects of the inlet concentration of toluene, flow rate (retention time) were examined and the relative humidity was maintained constantly. Thermal and textural characterization of manganese oxide doped titania materials were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravemetry (TG), BET and TEM-EDAX studies. The aim of the present study is to synthesize the porous manganese oxide doped titania and to study its photocatalytic activity for toluene degradation in gas phase. Cryptomelane doped titania catalyst prepared in water medium [K-OMS-2 (W)] is shown the good toluene degradation with lower catalysts loading compared to commercial bulk titania in annular type photo reactor. The higher photocatalytic activity due to various factors such as catalyst preparation method, experimental conditions, catalyst loading, surface area, etc. In the present study manganese oxide OMS doped titania materials prepared by both aqueous and non-aqueous medium, aqueous medium prepared catalyst shows the good efficiency due to the presence of OH bonded groups on the surface of catalyst. The linear forms of different kinetic equations were applied to the adsorption data and their goodness of fit was evaluated based on the R 2 and standard error. The goodness to the linear fit was observed for Elovich model with high R 2 (≥0.9477) value

Nanocasting of Periodic Mesoporous Materials as an Effective Strategy to Prepare Mixed Phases of Titania

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Luther Mahoney

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Mesoporous titanium dioxide materials were prepared using a nanocasting technique involving silica SBA-15 as the hard-template. At an optimal loading of titanium precursor, the hexagonal periodic array of pores in SBA-15 was retained. The phases of titanium dioxide could be easily varied by the number of impregnation cycles and the nature of titanium alkoxide employed. Low number of impregnation cycles produced mixed phases of anatase and TiO2(B. The mesoporous TiO2 materials were tested for solar hydrogen production, and the material consisting of 98% anatase and 2% TiO2(B exhibited the highest yield of hydrogen from the photocatalytic splitting of water. The periodicity of the pores was an important factor that influenced the photocatalytic activity. This study indicates that mixed phases of titania containing ordered array of pores can be prepared by using the nanocasting strategy.

Nanostructured energetic materials derived from sol-gel chemistry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Simpson, R L; Tillotson, T M; Hrubesh, L W; Gash, A E

2000-01-01

Initiation and detonation properties are dramatically affected by an energetic material's microstructural properties. Sol-gel chemistry allows intimacy of mixing to be controlled and dramatically improved over existing methodologies. One material goal is to create very high power energetic materials which also have high energy densities. Using sol-gel chemistry we have made a nanostructured composite energetic material. Here a solid skeleton of fuel, based on resorcinol-formaldehyde, has nanocrystalline ammonium perchlorate, the oxidizer, trapped within its pores. At optimum stoichiometry it has approximately the energy density of HMX. Transmission electron microscopy indicated no ammonium perchlorate crystallites larger than 20 nm while near-edge soft x-ray absorption microscopy showed that nitrogen was uniformly distributed, at least on the scale of less than 80 nm. Small-angle neutron scattering studies were conducted on the material. Those results were consistent with historical ones for this class of nanostructured materials. The average skeletal primary particle size was on the order of 2.7 nm, while the nanocomposite showed the growth of small 1 nm size crystals of ammonium perchlorate with some clustering to form particles greater than 10 nm

Structure and Optical Properties of Titania-PDMS Hybrid Nanocomposites Prepared by In Situ Non-Aqueous Synthesis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Antoine R. M. Dalod

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Organic-inorganic hybrid materials are attractive due to the combination of properties from the two distinct types of materials. In this work, transparent titania-polydimethylsiloxane hybrid materials with up to 15.5 vol. % TiO2 content were prepared by an in situ non-aqueous method using titanium (IV isopropoxide and hydroxy-terminated polydimethylsiloxane as precursors. Spectroscopy (Fourier transform infrared, Raman, Ultraviolet-visible, ellipsometry and small-angle X-ray scattering analysis allowed to describe in detail the structure and the optical properties of the nanocomposites. Titanium alkoxide was successfully used as a cross-linker and titania-like nanodomains with an average size of approximately 4 nm were shown to form during the process. The resulting hybrid nanocomposites exhibit high transparency and tunable refractive index from 1.42 up to 1.56, depending on the titania content.

Storage of hydrogen in nanostructured carbon materials

OpenAIRE

Yürüm, Yuda; Yurum, Yuda; Taralp, Alpay; Veziroğlu, T. Nejat; Veziroglu, T. Nejat

2009-01-01

Recent developments focusing on novel hydrogen storage media have helped to benchmark nanostructured carbon materials as one of the ongoing strategic research areas in science and technology. In particular, certain microporous carbon powders, carbon nanomaterials, and specifically carbon nanotubes stand to deliver unparalleled performance as the next generation of base materials for storing hydrogen. Accordingly, the main goal of this report is to overview the challenges, distinguishing trait...

Reduced Titania Films with Ordered Nanopores and Their Application to Visible Light Water Splitting

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shahid, Muhammad; Choi, Seoyeong; Liu, Jingling; Kwon, Younguk

2013-01-01

We report on the photoelectrochemical properties of partially reduced mesoporous titania thin films. The fabrication is achieved by synthesizing mesoporous titania thin films through the self-assembly of a titania precursor and a block copolymer, followed by aging and calcination, and heat-treatment under a H 2 (1 torr) environment. Depending on the temperature used for the reaction with H2, the degree of the reduction (generation of oxygen vacancies) of the titania is controlled. The oxygen vacancies induce visible light absorption, and decrease of resistance while the mesoporosity is practically unaltered. The photoelectrochemical activity data on these films, by measuring their photocurrent-potential behavior in 1 M NaOH electrolyte under AM 1.5G 100 mW cm -2 illumination, show that the three effects of the oxygen vacancies contribute to the enhancement of the photoelectrochemical properties of the mesoporous titania thin films. The results show that these oxygen deficient TiO 2 mesoporous thin films hold great promise for a solar hydrogen generation. Suggestions for the materials design for improved photoelectrochemical properties are made

Adherence and scratching resistance of nanometric titania films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pascoali, S.; Dominguini, L.; Borges, J.B.

2012-01-01

TiO 2 films has been used to extend the wear resistance in bearing, seals for pumps and bone prostheses. In this study was analyzed the conventional hardness and scratch toughness. The scratching test equipment used was developed at the Laboratory of materials Labmat / UFSC. The tests were performed on Titania films deposited on glass plates and ceramics via reactive DC magnetron sputtering. The films were deposited by 10, 15 and 60 min. One of the samples has a titanium metal film of a few nanometers thick between the substrate and the Titania film, the oxide has been deposited for 30 min. At this rang of tests loads the deposited films show good adhesion to substrate, there was no cracking or spalling of the film. (author)

Nanostructured core-shell electrode materials for electrochemical capacitors

Science.gov (United States)

Jiang, Long-bo; Yuan, Xing-zhong; Liang, Jie; Zhang, Jin; Wang, Hou; Zeng, Guang-ming

2016-11-01

Core-shell nanostructure represents a unique system for applications in electrochemical energy storage devices. Owing to the unique characteristics featuring high power delivery and long-term cycling stability, electrochemical capacitors (ECs) have emerged as one of the most attractive electrochemical storage systems since they can complement or even replace batteries in the energy storage field, especially when high power delivery or uptake is needed. This review aims to summarize recent progress on core-shell nanostructures for advanced supercapacitor applications in view of their hierarchical architecture which not only create the desired hierarchical porous channels, but also possess higher electrical conductivity and better structural mechanical stability. The core-shell nanostructures include carbon/carbon, carbon/metal oxide, carbon/conducting polymer, metal oxide/metal oxide, metal oxide/conducting polymer, conducting polymer/conducting polymer, and even more complex ternary core-shell nanoparticles. The preparation strategies, electrochemical performances, and structural stabilities of core-shell materials for ECs are summarized. The relationship between core-shell nanostructure and electrochemical performance is discussed in detail. In addition, the challenges and new trends in core-shell nanomaterials development have also been proposed.

Hybrid nanostructured materials for high-performance electrochemical capacitors

KAUST Repository

Yu, Guihua; Xie, Xing; Pan, Lijia; Bao, Zhenan; Cui, Yi

2013-01-01

The exciting development of advanced nanostructured materials has driven the rapid growth of research in the field of electrochemical energy storage (EES) systems which are critical to a variety of applications ranging from portable consumer

Environment Conscious Ceramics (Ecoceramics): An Eco-Friendly Route to Advanced Ceramic Materials

Science.gov (United States)

Singh, M.

2001-01-01

Environment conscious ceramics (Ecoceramics) are a new class of materials, which can be produced with renewable natural resources (wood) or wood wastes (wood sawdust). This technology provides an eco-friendly route to advanced ceramic materials. Ecoceramics have tailorable properties and behave like ceramic materials manufactured by conventional approaches. Silicon carbide-based ecoceramics have been fabricated by reactive infiltration of carbonaceous preforms by molten silicon or silicon-refractory metal alloys. The fabrication approach, microstructure, and mechanical properties of SiC-based ecoceramics are presented.

Potential of AlN nanostructures as hydrogen storage materials.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Qian; Sun, Qiang; Jena, Puru; Kawazoe, Yoshiyuki

2009-03-24

The capability of AlN nanostructures (nanocages, nanocones, nanotubes, and nanowires) to store hydrogen has been studied using gradient-corrected density functional theory. In contrast to bulk AlN, which has the wurtzite structure and four-fold coordination, the Al sites in AlN nanostructures are unsaturated and have two- and three-fold coordination. Each Al atom is capable of binding one H(2) molecule in quasi-molecular form, leading to 4.7 wt % hydrogen, irrespective of the topology of the nanostructures. With the exception of AlN nanotubes, energetics does not support the adsorption of additional hydrogen. The binding energies of hydrogen to these unsaturated metal sites lie in the range of 0.1-0.2 eV/H(2) and are ideal for applications under ambient thermodynamic conditions. Furthermore, these materials do not suffer from the clustering problem that often plagues metal-coated carbon nanostructures.

In vivo demonstration of enhanced radiotherapy using rare earth doped titania nanoparticles.

Science.gov (United States)

Townley, Helen E; Kim, Jeewon; Dobson, Peter J

2012-08-21

Radiation therapy is often limited by damage to healthy tissue and associated side-effects; restricting radiation to ineffective doses. Preferential incorporation of materials into tumour tissue can enhance the effect of radiation. Titania has precedent for use in photodynamic therapy (PDT), generating reactive oxygen species (ROS) upon photoexcitation, but is limited by the penetration depth of UV light. Optimization of a nanomaterial for interaction with X-rays could be used for deep tumour treatment. As such, titania nanoparticles were doped with gadolinium to optimize the localized energy absorption from a conventional medical X-ray, and further optimized by the addition of other rare earth (RE) elements. These elements were selected due to their large X-ray photon interaction cross-section, and potential for integration into the titania crystal structure. Specific activation of the nanoparticles by X-ray can result in generation of ROS leading to cell death in a tumour-localized manner. We show here that intratumoural injection of RE doped titania nanoparticles can enhance the efficacy of radiotherapy in vivo.

Thermal replacement reaction: a novel route for synthesizing eco-friendly ZnO@γ-In2Se3 hetero-nanostructures by replacing cadmium with indium and their photoelectrochemical and photocatalytic performances.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Zhuo; Choi, Mingi; Baek, Minki; Yong, Kijung

2015-05-21

A novel route called thermal replacement reaction was demonstrated for synthesizing eco-friendly ZnO@γ-In2Se3 hetero-structural nanowires on FTO glass by replacing the element cadmium with indium for the first time. The indium layer was coated on the surface of the ZnO nanowires beforehand, then CdSe quantum dots were deposited onto the coated indium layer, and finally the CdSe quantum dots were converted to γ-In2Se3 quantum dots by annealing under vacuum at 350 °C for one hour. The prepared ZnO@γ-In2Se3 hetero-nanostructures exhibit stable photoelectrochemical properties that can be ascribed to the protection of the In2O3 layer between the ZnO nanowire and γ-In2Se3 quantum dots and better photocatalytic performance in the wide wavelength region from 400 nm to nearly 750 nm. This strategy for preparing the ZnO@γ-In2Se3 hetero-nanostructures not only enriches our understanding of the single replacement reaction where the active element cadmium can be replaced with indium, but also opens a new way for the in situ conversion of cadmium-based to eco-friendly indium-based nano-devices.

Topological insulator materials and nanostructures for future electronics, spintronics and energy conversion

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kantser, Valeriu

2011-01-01

Two fundamental electrons attributes in materials and nanostructures - charge and spin - determine their electronic properties. The processing of information in conventional electronic devices is based only on the charge of the electrons. Spin electronics, or spintronics, uses the spin of electrons, as well as their charge, to process information. Metals, semiconductors and insulators are the basic materials that constitute the components of electronic devices, and these have been transforming all aspects of society for over a century. In contrast, magnetic metals, half-metals, magnetic semiconductors, dilute magnetic semiconductors and magnetic insulators are the materials that will form the basis for spintronic devices. Materials with topological band structure attributes and having a zero-energy band gap surface states are a special class of these materials that exhibit some fascinating and superior electronic properties compared to conventional materials allowing to combine both charge and spin functionalities. This article reviews a range of topological insulator materials and nanostructures with tunable surface states, focusing on nanolayered and nanowire like structures. These materials and nanostructures all have intriguing physical properties and numerous potential practical applications in spintronics, electronics, optics and sensors.

Hydrogen peroxide route to Sn-doped titania photocatalysts

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Štengl Václav

2012-10-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The work aims at improving photocatalytic activity of titania under Vis light irradiation using modification by Sn ions and an original, simple synthesis method. Tin-doped titania catalysts were prepared by thermal hydrolysis of aqueous solutions of titanium peroxo-complexes in the presence of SnCl4 or SnCl2 using an original, proprietary "one pot" synthesis not employing organic solvents, metallo-organic precursors, autoclave aging nor post-synthesis calcination. The products were characterized in details by powder diffraction, XPS, UV–vis, IR, and Raman spectroscopies, electron microscopy and surface area and porosity measurements Results The presence of tin in synthesis mixtures favors the formation of rutile and brookite at the expense of anatase, decreases the particle size of all formed titania polymorphs, and extends light absorption of titania to visible light region >400 nm by both red shift of the absorption edge and introduction of new chromophores. The photocatalytic activity of titania under UV irradiation and >400 nm light was tested by decomposition kinetics of Orange II dye in aqueous solution Conclusions Doping by Sn improves titania photoactivity under UV light and affords considerable photoactivity under >400 nm light due to increased specific surface area and a phase heterogeneity of the Sn-doped titania powders.

Electron microscopy of nanostructured semiconductor materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Neumann, Wolfgang

2003-01-01

For various material systems of low dimensions, including multilayers, islands, and quantum dots, the potential applicability of transmission electron microscopy (TEM) is demonstrated. Conventional TEM is applied to elucidate size, shape, and arrangement of nanostructures, whereas high-resolution imaging is used for visualizing their atomic structure. In addition, microchemical peculiarities of the nanoscopic objects are investigated by analytical TEM techniques (energy-filtered TEM, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy)

Fabrication of Semiordered Nanopatterned Diamond-like Carbon and Titania Films for Blood Contacting Applications.

Science.gov (United States)

Nandakumar, Deepika; Bendavid, Avi; Martin, Philip J; Harris, Kenneth D; Ruys, Andrew J; Lord, Megan S

2016-03-23

Biomaterials with the ability to interface with, but not activate, blood components are essential for a multitude of medical devices. Diamond-like carbon (DLC) and titania (TiO2) have shown promise for these applications; however, both support platelet adhesion and activation. This study explored the fabrication of nanostructured DLC and TiO2 thin film coatings using a block copolymer deposition technique that produced semiordered nanopatterns with low surface roughness (5-8 nm Rrms). These surfaces supported fibrinogen and plasma protein adsorption that predominantly adsorbed between the nanofeatures and reduced the overall surface roughness. The conformation of the adsorbed fibrinogen was altered on the nanopatterned surfaces as compared with the planar surfaces to reveal higher levels of the platelet binding region. Planar DLC and TiO2 coatings supported less platelet adhesion than nanopatterned DLC and TiO2. However, platelets on the nanopatterned DLC coatings were less spread indicating a lower level of platelet activation on the nanostructured DLC coatings compared with the planar DLC coatings. These data indicated that nanostructured DLC coatings may find application in blood contacting medical devices in the future.

Boron carbide nanostructures: A prospective material as an additive in concrete

Science.gov (United States)

Singh, Paviter; Kaur, Gurpreet; Kumar, Rohit; Kumar, Umesh; Singh, Kulwinder; Kumar, Manjeet; Bala, Rajni; Meena, Ramovatar; Kumar, Akshay

2018-05-01

In recent decades, manufacture and ingestion of concrete have increased particularly in developing countries. Due to its low cost, safety and strength, concrete have become an economical choice for protection of radiation shielding material in nuclear reactors. As boron carbide has been known as a neutron absorber material makes it a great candidate as an additive in concrete for shielding radiation. This paper presents the synthesis of boron carbide nanostructures by using ball milling method. The X-ray diffraction pattern, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) and Scanning Electron Microscope analysis confirms the formation of boron carbide nanostructures. The effect of boron carbide nanostructures on the strength of concrete samples was demonstrated. The compressive strength tests of concrete cube B4C powder additives for 0 % and 5 % of total weight of cement was compared for different curing time period such as 7, 14, 21 and 28 days. The high compressive strength was observed when 5 wt % boron carbide nanostructures were used as an additive in concrete samples after 28 days curing time and showed significant improvement in strength.

Manufacturing a durable superhydrophobic polypropylene coating on aluminum alloy substrate by adding nano-titania nanoparticles.

Science.gov (United States)

Jiang, Haiyun; Wu, Ruomei; Hu, Zhongliang; Yuan, Zhiqing; Zhao, Xuehui; Liu, Qilong

2014-07-01

A superhydrophobic polypropylene (PP) coating on the surface of aluminum alloy coupons is unstable because of the existence of metastable state in curing process. Nano-titania particles were added into PP solution to form hierarchical micro- and nano-structures of PP coatings on the surface of aluminum alloy coupons. The morphology of the coatings was observed with Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), and the corresponding structure and components were investigated with Energy Dispersive Spectrometer (EDS) and X-ray diffractometer (XRD), respectively. The results indicated that nano-TiO2 particles are the main nucleation cores in the curing of the coatings; PP in solution is enclosed in these cores and crystallizes gradually. The coatings can preserve the stable micro- and nano-structure on six months due to the nucleation action of nano-TiO2 particles, and its durable water contact angle (WCA) is about 164 +/- 1.5 degrees.

Mechanical properties of nanostructure of biological materials

Science.gov (United States)

Ji, Baohua; Gao, Huajian

2004-09-01

Natural biological materials such as bone, teeth and nacre are nanocomposites of protein and mineral with superior strength. It is quite a marvel that nature produces hard and tough materials out of protein as soft as human skin and mineral as brittle as classroom chalk. What are the secrets of nature? Can we learn from this to produce bio-inspired materials in the laboratory? These questions have motivated us to investigate the mechanics of protein-mineral nanocomposite structure. Large aspect ratios and a staggered alignment of mineral platelets are found to be the key factors contributing to the large stiffness of biomaterials. A tension-shear chain (TSC) model of biological nanostructure reveals that the strength of biomaterials hinges upon optimizing the tensile strength of the mineral crystals. As the size of the mineral crystals is reduced to nanoscale, they become insensitive to flaws with strength approaching the theoretical strength of atomic bonds. The optimized tensile strength of mineral crystals thus allows a large amount of fracture energy to be dissipated in protein via shear deformation and consequently enhances the fracture toughness of biocomposites. We derive viscoelastic properties of the protein-mineral nanostructure and show that the toughness of biocomposite can be further enhanced by the viscoelastic properties of protein.

Impact of Nanostructuring on the Phase Behavior of Insertion Materials: The Hydrogenation Kinetics of a Magnesium Thin Film

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bannenberg, L.J.; Schreuders, H.; van Eijck, L.; Heringa, J.R.; Steinke, N.J.; Dalgliesh, RM; Dam, B.; Mulder, F.M.; van Well, A.A.

2016-01-01

Nanostructuring is widely applied in both battery and hydrogen materials to improve the performance of these materials as energy carriers. Nanostructuring changes the diffusion length as well as the thermodynamics of materials. We studied the impact of nanostructuring on the hydrogenation in a model

In-vitro bioactivity and electrochemical behavior of polyaniline encapsulated titania nanotube arrays for biomedical applications

Science.gov (United States)

Agilan, P.; Rajendran, N.

2018-05-01

Titania nanotube arrays (TNTA) have attracted increasing attention due to their outstanding properties and potential applications in biomedical field. Fabrication of titania nanotubes on titanium surface enhances the biocompatibility. Polyaniline (PANI) is one of the best conducting polymers with remarkable corrosion resistance and reasonable biocompatibility. In this work, the corrosion resistance and biocompatibility of polyaniline encapsulated TiO2 nanotubes for orthopaedic applications were investigated. The vertically oriented, highly ordered TiO2 nanotubes were fabricated on titanium by electrochemical anodization process using fluoride containing electrolytes. The anodization parameters viz., voltage, pH, time and electrolyte concentration were optimized to get orderly arranged TNTA. Further, the conducting polymer PANI was encapsulated on TNTA by electropolymerization process to enhance the corrosion resistance. The nanostructure of the fabricated TNTA and polyaniline encapsulated titania nanotube arrays (PANI-TNTA) were investigated by HR SEM analysis. The formed phases and functional groups were find using XRD, ATR-FTIR. The hydrophilic surface of TNTA and PANI-TNTA was identified by water contact angle studies. The corrosion behavior of specimens was evaluated by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and potentiodynamic polarization studies. In-vitro immersion studies were carried out in simulated body fluid solution (Hanks' solution) to evaluate the bioactivity of the TNTA and PANI-TNTA. The surface morphological studies revealed the formation of PANI on the TNTA surface. Formation of hydroxyapatite (HAp) on the surfaces of TNTA and PANI-TNTA enhanced the bioactivity and corrosion resistance.

Visible-light photochemical activity of heterostructured core-shell materials composed of selected ternary titanates and ferrites coated by tiO2.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Li; Liu, Xuan; Zhang, Yiling; Nuhfer, Noel T; Barmak, Katayun; Salvador, Paul A; Rohrer, Gregory S

2013-06-12

Heterostructured photocatalysts comprised of microcrystalline (mc-) cores and nanostructured (ns-) shells were prepared by the sol-gel method. The ability of titania-coated ATiO3 (A = Fe, Pb) and AFeO3 (A = Bi, La, Y) catalysts to degrade methylene blue in visible light (λ > 420 nm) was compared. The catalysts with the titanate cores had enhanced photocatalytic activities for methylene blue degradation compared to their components alone, whereas the catalysts with ferrite cores did not. The temperature at which the ns-titania shell is crystallized influences the photocatalytic dye degradation. mc-FeTiO3/ns-TiO2 annealed at 500 °C shows the highest reaction rate. Fe-doped TiO2, which absorbs visible light, did not show enhanced photocatalytic activity for methylene blue degradation. This result indicates that iron contamination is not a decisive factor in the reduced reactivity of the titania coated ferrite catalysts. The higher reactivity of materials with the titanate cores suggests that photogenerated charge carriers are more easily transported across the titanate-titanate interface than the ferrite-titanate interface and this provides guidance for materials selection in composite catalyst design.

Structurally stabilized organosilane-templated thermostable mesoporous titania.

Science.gov (United States)

Amoli, Vipin; Tiwari, Rashmi; Dutta, Arghya; Bhaumik, Asim; Sinha, Anil Kumar

2014-01-13

Structurally thermostable mesoporous anatase TiO2 (m-TiO2) nanoparticles, uniquely decorated with atomically dispersed SiO2, is reported for the first time. The inorganic Si portion of the novel organosilane template, used as a mesopores-directing agent, is found to be incorporated in the pore walls of the titania aggregates, mainly as isolated sites. This is evident by transmission electron microscopy and high-angle annular dark field scanning transmission electron microscopy, combined with electron dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. This type of unique structure provides exceptional stability to this new material against thermal collapse of the mesoporous structure, which is reflected in its high surface area (the highest known for anatase titania), even after high-temperature (550 °C) calcination. Control of crystallite size, pore diameter, and surface area is achieved by varying the molar ratios of the titanium precursor and the template during synthesis. These mesoporous materials retain their porosity and high surface area after template removal and further NaOH/HCl treatment to remove silica. We investigate their performance for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) with bilayer TiO2 electrodes, which are prepared by applying a coating of m-TiO2 onto a commercial titania (P25) film. The high surface area of the upper mesoporous layer in the P25-m-TiO2 DSSC significantly increases the dye loading ability of the photoanode. The photocurrent and fill factor for the DSSC with the bilayer TiO2 electrode are greatly improved. The large increase in photocurrent current (ca. 56%) in the P25-m-TiO2 DSSC is believed to play a significant role in achieving a remarkable increase in the photovoltaic efficiency (60%) of the device, compared to DSSCs with a monolayer of P25 as the electrode. Copyright © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Leafy nanostructure PANI for material of supercapacitors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

XI Dong

2013-06-01

Full Text Available Nanostructure conducting polyaniline(PANI has great potential applications in supercapacitor electrode materials.In this paper,we report a template-free approach to synthesize PANI by a galvanostatic current procedure with a three-electrode configuration directly on indium-doped tin-oxide substrates (ITO.The morphology of product was characterized by Hitachi S-4800 field emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM.Due to the nanostructure,the specific capacitance of PANI film with the thickness of 100nm were measured as high as 829 F/g and 667 F/g at a charge-discharge current density of 1 A/g and 10 A/g respectively.After 500 cycle charge-discharge test employed at the current density of 20 A/g the PANI film still had a 95.1% capacitance retention.

Surface modification of microfibrous materials with nanostructured carbon

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Krasnikova, Irina V., E-mail: tokareva@catalysis.ru [Boreskov Institute of Catalysis SB RAS, pr. Ac. Lavrentieva, 5, Novosibirsk 630090 (Russian Federation); National Research Tomsk Polytechnic University, Lenin av., 30, Tomsk 634050 (Russian Federation); Mishakov, Ilya V.; Vedyagin, Aleksey A. [Boreskov Institute of Catalysis SB RAS, pr. Ac. Lavrentieva, 5, Novosibirsk 630090 (Russian Federation); National Research Tomsk Polytechnic University, Lenin av., 30, Tomsk 634050 (Russian Federation); Bauman, Yury I. [Boreskov Institute of Catalysis SB RAS, pr. Ac. Lavrentieva, 5, Novosibirsk 630090 (Russian Federation); Korneev, Denis V. [State Research Center of Virology and Biotechnology VECTOR, Koltsovo, Novosibirsk Region 630559 (Russian Federation)

2017-01-15

The surface of fiberglass cloth, carbon and basalt microfibers was modified with carbon nanostructured coating via catalytic chemical vapor deposition (CCVD) of 1,2-dichloroethane. Incipient wetness impregnation and solution combustion synthesis (SCS) methods were used to deposit nickel catalyst on the surface of microfibrous support. Prepared NiO/support samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction analysis and temperature-programmed reduction. The samples of resulted hybrid materials were studied by means of scanning and transmission electron microscopies as well as by low-temperature nitrogen adsorption. The nature of the support was found to have considerable effect on the CCVD process peculiarities. High yield of nanostructured carbon with largest average diameter of nanofibers within the studied series was observed when carbon microfibers were used as a support. This sample characterized with moderate surface area (about 80 m{sup 2}/g after 2 h of CCVD) shows the best anchorage effect. Among the mineral supports, fiberglass tissue was found to provide highest carbon yield (up to 3.07 g/g{sub FG}) and surface area (up to 344 m{sup 2}/g) due to applicability of SCS method for Ni deposition. - Highlights: • The microfibers of different nature were coated with nanostructured carbon layer. • Features of CNF growth and characteristics of hybrid materials were studied. • Appropriate anchorage of CNF layer on microfiber’s surface was demonstrated.

Nanotechnology and health safety--toxicity and risk assessments of nanostructured materials on human health.

Science.gov (United States)

Singh, Surya; Nalwa, Hari Singh

2007-09-01

The field of nanotechnology has recently emerged as the most commercially viable technology of this century because of its wide-ranging applications in our daily lives. Man-made nanostructured materials such as fullerenes, nanoparticles, nanopowders, nanotubes, nanowires, nanorods, nanofibers, quantum dots, dendrimers, nanoclusters, nanocrystals, and nanocomposites are globally produced in large quantities due to their wide potential applications, e.g., in skincare and consumer products, healthcare, electronics, photonics, biotechnology, engineering products, pharmaceuticals, drug delivery, and agriculture. Human exposure to these nanostructured materials is inevitable, as they can enter the body through the lungs or other organs via food, drink, and medicine and affect different organs and tissues such as the brain, liver, kidney, heart, colon, spleen, bone, blood, etc., and may cause cytotoxic effects, e.g., deformation and inhibition of cell growth leading to various diseases in humans and animals. Since a very wide variety of nanostructured materials exits, their interactions with biological systems and toxicity largely depend upon their properties, such as size, concentration, solubility, chemical and biological properties, and stability. The toxicity of nanostructured materials could be reduced by chemical approaches such by surface treatment, functionalization, and composite formation. This review summarizes the sources of various nanostructured materials and their human exposure, biocompatibility in relation to potential toxicological effects, risk assessment, and safety evaluation on human and animal health as well as on the environment.

Faceted titania nanocrystals doped with indium oxide nanoclusters as a superior candidate for sacrificial hydrogen evolution without any noble-metal cocatalyst under solar irradiation.

Science.gov (United States)

Amoli, Vipin; Sibi, Malayil Gopalan; Banerjee, Biplab; Anand, Mohit; Maurya, Abhayankar; Farooqui, Saleem Akhtar; Bhaumik, Asim; Sinha, Anil Kumar

2015-01-14

Development of unique nanoheterostructures consisting of indium oxide nanoclusters like species doped on the TiO2 nanocrystals surfaces with {101} and {001} exposed facets, resulted in unprecedented sacrificial hydrogen production (5.3 mmol h(-1) g(-1)) from water using methanol as a sacrificial agent, under visible light LED source and AM 1.5G solar simulator (10.3 mmol h(-1) g(-1)), which is the highest H2 production rate ever reported for titania based photocatalysts, without using any noble metal cocatalyst. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis of the nanostructures reveals the presence of Ti-O-In and In-O-In like species on the surface of nanostructures. Electron energy-loss spectroscopy (EELS) elemental mapping and EDX spectroscopy techniques combined with transmission electron microscope evidenced the existence of nanoheterostructures. XPS, EELS, EDX, and HAADF-STEM tools collectively suggest the presence of indium oxide nanoclusters like species on the surface of TiO2 nanostructures. These indium oxide nanocluster doped TiO2 (In2O3/T{001}) single crystals with {101} and {001} exposed facets exhibited 1.3 times higher visible light photocatalytic H2 production than indium oxide nanocluster doped TiO2 nanocrystals with only {101}facets (In2O3/T{101}) exposed. The remarkable photocatalytic activity of the obtained nanoheterostructures is attributed to the combined synergetic effect of indium oxide nanoclusters interacting with the titania surface, enhanced visible light response, high crystallinity, and unique structural features.

Potential applications of nanostructured materials in nuclear waste management.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Braterman, Paul S. (The University of North Texas, Denton, TX); Phol, Phillip Isabio; Xu, Zhi-Ping (The University of North Texas, Denton, TX); Brinker, C. Jeffrey; Yang, Yi (University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM); Bryan, Charles R.; Yu, Kui; Xu, Huifang (University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM); Wang, Yifeng; Gao, Huizhen

2003-09-01

This report summarizes the results obtained from a Laboratory Directed Research & Development (LDRD) project entitled 'Investigation of Potential Applications of Self-Assembled Nanostructured Materials in Nuclear Waste Management'. The objectives of this project are to (1) provide a mechanistic understanding of the control of nanometer-scale structures on the ion sorption capability of materials and (2) develop appropriate engineering approaches to improving material properties based on such an understanding.

Mechanical Properties of Nanostructured Materials Determined Through Molecular Modeling Techniques

Science.gov (United States)

Clancy, Thomas C.; Gates, Thomas S.

2005-01-01

The potential for gains in material properties over conventional materials has motivated an effort to develop novel nanostructured materials for aerospace applications. These novel materials typically consist of a polymer matrix reinforced with particles on the nanometer length scale. In this study, molecular modeling is used to construct fully atomistic models of a carbon nanotube embedded in an epoxy polymer matrix. Functionalization of the nanotube which consists of the introduction of direct chemical bonding between the polymer matrix and the nanotube, hence providing a load transfer mechanism, is systematically varied. The relative effectiveness of functionalization in a nanostructured material may depend on a variety of factors related to the details of the chemical bonding and the polymer structure at the nanotube-polymer interface. The objective of this modeling is to determine what influence the details of functionalization of the carbon nanotube with the polymer matrix has on the resulting mechanical properties. By considering a range of degree of functionalization, the structure-property relationships of these materials is examined and mechanical properties of these models are calculated using standard techniques.

Waste glass as eco-friendly replacement material in construction products

Science.gov (United States)

Sharma, Gayatri; Sharma, Anu

2018-05-01

Atpresent time the biggest issue is increasing urban population, industrialization and development all over the world. The quantity of the raw materials of construction products like cement, concrete etc is gradually depleting. This is important because if we don't find the alternative material to accomplish need of this industry, with every year it will put pressure on natural resources which are limited in quantity. This major issue can be solved by partial replacing with waste glass of different construction products. This paper gives an overview of the current growth and recycling situation of waste glass and point out the direction for the proper use of waste glass as replacement of construction material. These will not only help in the reuse of waste glass but also create eco-friendly environment.

Synthesis of polymeric micro- and nanostructural materials for application in non-linear optics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kravets, Lyubov; Palistrant, Natalia; Bivol, Valerii; Robu, Stepan; Barba, Nikolai; Orelovitch, Oleg

2007-01-01

The present paper describes a new approach developed for the preparation of micro- and nanostructural materials on the basis of polymeric compositions used as a matrix in non-linear optics. This approach consists in filling the pores of poly(ethylene terephthalate) track membranes (PET TM) from polymeric compositions using an impregnation method. It is shown that depending on the concentration of polymeric compositions in the solution it is possible to form a variety of micro- and nanostructural materials (tubules and wires as well as composite membranes) with a wide spectrum of characteristics. The developed method of producing micro- and nanostructural materials provides a possible way for creating polymeric objects with non-linear optic properties which can be used to design electronic micro- and nanodevices and to obtain chemical and optical sensors

Ascorbic Acid-Assisted Eco-friendly Synthesis of NiCo2O4 Nanoparticles as an Anode Material for High-Performance Lithium-Ion Batteries

Science.gov (United States)

Karunakaran, Gopalu; Maduraiveeran, Govindhan; Kolesnikov, Evgeny; Balasingam, Suresh Kannan; Viktorovich, Lysov Dmitry; Ilinyh, Igor; Gorshenkov, Mikhail V.; Sasidharan, Manickam; Kuznetsov, Denis; Kundu, Manab

2018-05-01

We have synthesized NiCo2O4 nanoparticles (NCO NPs) using an ascorbic acid-assisted co-precipitation method for the first time. When NCO NPs are used as an anode material for lithium-ion batteries, the cell exhibits superior lithium storage properties, such as high capacity (700 mA h g-1 after 300 cycles at 200 mA g-1), excellent rate capabilities (applied current density range 100-1200 mA g-1), and impressive cycling stability (at 1200 mA g-1 up to 650 cycles). The enhanced electrochemical properties of NCO NPs are due to the nanometer dimensions which not only offers a smooth charge-transport pathway and short diffusion paths of the lithium ions but also adequate spaces for volume expansion during Li storage. Hence, this eco-friendly synthesis approach will provide a new strategy for the synthesis of various nanostructured metal oxide compounds, for energy conversion and storage systems applications.

Review on recent progress of nanostructured anode materials for Li-ion batteries

KAUST Repository

Goriparti, Subrahmanyam

2014-07-01

This review highlights the recent research advances in active nanostructured anode materials for the next generation of Li-ion batteries (LIBs). In fact, in order to address both energy and power demands of secondary LIBs for future energy storage applications, it is required the development of innovative kinds of electrodes. Nanostructured materials based on carbon, metal/semiconductor, metal oxides and metal phosphides/nitrides/sulfides show a variety of admirable properties for LIBs applications such as high surface area, low diffusion distance, high electrical and ionic conductivity. Therefore, nanosized active materials are extremely promising for bridging the gap towards the realization of the next generation of LIBs with high reversible capacities, increased power capability, long cycling stability and free from safety concerns. In this review, anode materials are classified, depending on their electrochemical reaction with lithium, into three groups: intercalation/de-intercalation, alloy/de-alloy and conversion materials. Furthermore, the effect of nanoscale size and morphology on the electrochemical performance is presented. Synthesis of the nanostructures, lithium battery performance and electrode reaction mechanisms are also discussed. To conclude, the main aim of this review is to provide an organic outline of the wide range of recent research progresses and perspectives on nanosized active anode materials for future LIBs.

Review on recent progress of nanostructured anode materials for Li-ion batteries

KAUST Repository

Goriparti, Subrahmanyam; Miele, Ermanno; De Angelis, Francesco; Di Fabrizio, Enzo M.; Proietti Zaccaria, Remo; Capiglia, Claudio

2014-01-01

This review highlights the recent research advances in active nanostructured anode materials for the next generation of Li-ion batteries (LIBs). In fact, in order to address both energy and power demands of secondary LIBs for future energy storage applications, it is required the development of innovative kinds of electrodes. Nanostructured materials based on carbon, metal/semiconductor, metal oxides and metal phosphides/nitrides/sulfides show a variety of admirable properties for LIBs applications such as high surface area, low diffusion distance, high electrical and ionic conductivity. Therefore, nanosized active materials are extremely promising for bridging the gap towards the realization of the next generation of LIBs with high reversible capacities, increased power capability, long cycling stability and free from safety concerns. In this review, anode materials are classified, depending on their electrochemical reaction with lithium, into three groups: intercalation/de-intercalation, alloy/de-alloy and conversion materials. Furthermore, the effect of nanoscale size and morphology on the electrochemical performance is presented. Synthesis of the nanostructures, lithium battery performance and electrode reaction mechanisms are also discussed. To conclude, the main aim of this review is to provide an organic outline of the wide range of recent research progresses and perspectives on nanosized active anode materials for future LIBs.

Macroscale and Nanoscale Morphology Evolution during in Situ Spray Coating of Titania Films for Perovskite Solar Cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Su, Bo; Caller-Guzman, Herbert A; Körstgens, Volker; Rui, Yichuan; Yao, Yuan; Saxena, Nitin; Santoro, Gonzalo; Roth, Stephan V; Müller-Buschbaum, Peter

2017-12-20

Mesoporous titania is a cheap and widely used material for photovoltaic applications. To enable a large-scale fabrication and a controllable pore size, we combined a block copolymer-assisted sol-gel route with spray coating to fabricate titania films, in which the block copolymer polystyrene-block-poly(ethylene oxide) (PS-b-PEO) is used as a structure-directing template. Both the macroscale and nanoscale are studied. The kinetics and thermodynamics of the spray deposition processes are simulated on a macroscale, which shows a good agreement with the large-scale morphology of the spray-coated films obtained in practice. On the nanoscale, the structure evolution of the titania films is probed with in situ grazing incidence small-angle X-ray scattering (GISAXS) during the spray process. The changes of the PS domain size depend not only on micellization but also on solvent evaporation during the spray coating. Perovskite (CH 3 NH 3 PbI 3 ) solar cells (PSCs) based on sprayed titania film are fabricated, which showcases the suitability of spray-deposited titania films for PSCs.

Improved antireflection based on biomimetic nanostructures at material interface

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Lingyu; Song, Gang

2018-02-01

Reducing light reflections on the surface of materials has important applications in many fields, such as solar cells, photodetectors, and optical sensors, etc. An effective method of decreasing reflection is using the anti-reflective coating with a gradient refractive index. In this study, we designed a nanostructure composed of optimized cone arrays on the flat thin film surface. The tapered nanostructure forms an anti-reflection layer. The effective refractive index of the anti-reflection layer changes smoothly with the depth so that the surface can efficiently reduce the reflection in a wide visible light range. Moreover, the reflection can also be modulated by adjusting the height and the period of the nanocones. Furthermore, there is an optimal wavelength at which the highest anti-reflection efficiency is achieved. The results here provide a theoretical guidance for the practical design of broadband anti-reflection nanostructures at the device surface.

Improving the photovoltaic performance of dye-sensitized solar cell by graphene/titania photoanode

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhao, Junchang; Wu, Jihuai; Zheng, Ming; Huo, Jinghao; Tu, Yongguang

2015-01-01

Highlights: • A colloid of graphene/titania is prepared, and thus a graphene/titania film is made. • The film shows high porosity, large surface area and small transfer resistance. • The cell with graphene/titania photoanode obtains a conversion efficiency of 7.52%. • Which is increased by 18% compared to the cell with pristine titania electrode. - Abstract: A mixed colloid of graphene and titania is synthesized by a one-step hydrothermal reaction, thus a graphene/titania film photoanode is prepared. The graphene/titania film shows high porosity and large specific surface area, which favors a full adsorption of sensitized dye. On the other hand, the graphene/titania electrode has smaller charge transfer resistance than the pristine titania electrode, which replies that the graphene/titania electrode accelerates electronic transportation and suppresses the charge recombination. Under an optimal condition, the dye-sensitized solar cell based on graphene/titania photoanode achieve a power conversion efficiency of 7.52%, which is increased by 17.7% compared to the cell based on the pristine titania electrode under a simulated solar light irradiation of 100 mW·cm −2

Nanostructured hybrid materials from aqueous polymer dispersions.

Science.gov (United States)

Castelvetro, Valter; De Vita, Cinzia

2004-05-20

Organic-inorganic (O-I) hybrids with well-defined morphology and structure controlled at the nanometric scale represent a very interesting class of materials both for their use as biomimetic composites and because of their potential use in a wide range of technologically advanced as well as more conventional application fields. Their unique features can be exploited or their role envisaged as components of electronic and optoelectronic devices, in controlled release and bioencapsulation, as active substrates for chromatographic separation and catalysis, as nanofillers for composite films in packaging and coating, in nanowriting and nanolithography, etc. A synergistic combination or totally new properties with respect to the two components of the hybrid can arise from nanostructuration, achieved by surface modification of nanostructures, self-assembling or simply heterophase dispersion. In fact, owing to the extremely large total surface area associated with the resulting morphologies, the interfacial interactions can deeply modify the bulk properties of each component. A wide range of starting materials and of production processes have been studied in recent years for the controlled synthesis and characterization of hybrid nanostructures, from nanoparticle or lamellar dispersions to mesoporous materials obtained from templating nanoparticle dispersions in a continuous, e.g. ceramic precursor, matrix. This review is aimed at giving some basic definitions of what is intended as a hybrid (O-I) material and what are the main synthetic routes available. The various methods for preparing hybrid nanostructures and, among them, inorganic-organic or O-I core-shell nanoparticles, are critically analyzed and classified based on the reaction medium (aqueous, non-aqueous), and on the role it plays in directing the final morphology. Particular attention is devoted to aqueous systems and water-borne dispersions which, in addition to being environmentally more acceptable or even a

Infrared hyperbolic metasurface based on nanostructured van der Waals materials

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Peining; Dolado, Irene; Alfaro-Mozaz, Francisco Javier; Casanova, Fèlix; Hueso, Luis E.; Liu, Song; Edgar, James H.; Nikitin, Alexey Y.; Vélez, Saül; Hillenbrand, Rainer

2018-02-01

Metasurfaces with strongly anisotropic optical properties can support deep subwavelength-scale confined electromagnetic waves (polaritons), which promise opportunities for controlling light in photonic and optoelectronic applications. We developed a mid-infrared hyperbolic metasurface by nanostructuring a thin layer of hexagonal boron nitride that supports deep subwavelength-scale phonon polaritons that propagate with in-plane hyperbolic dispersion. By applying an infrared nanoimaging technique, we visualize the concave (anomalous) wavefronts of a diverging polariton beam, which represent a landmark feature of hyperbolic polaritons. The results illustrate how near-field microscopy can be applied to reveal the exotic wavefronts of polaritons in anisotropic materials and demonstrate that nanostructured van der Waals materials can form a highly variable and compact platform for hyperbolic infrared metasurface devices and circuits.

Eco-trench: a novel trench solution based on reusing excavated material and a finishing layer of expansive concrete

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Blanco, A.; Pujadas, R.; Fernández, C.; Cavalaro, S.H.P.; Aguado, A.

2017-01-01

Installing utility pipelines generates a significant amount of trench arisings, which are usually transported to landfills instead of being reused as backfill material. This practice generates CO2 emissions and wastes raw materials. This paper presents a more sustainable solution, an eco-trench, which is based on re-using trench arisings as backfill and adding a top layer of expansive concrete to improve the eco-trench’s structural performance. The technical feasibility of the eco-trench was evaluated through a finite element model, which identified the degree of expansion in concrete required to avoid failure or subside the stresses caused by traffic. The potential expansion of concrete was measured under confined conditions in the laboratory by means of a novel test developed for this purpose. The results showed that adding calcium oxide generates the required internal stress. The results were then confirmed in a pilot experience. [es

Eco-trench: a novel trench solution based on reusing excavated material and a finishing layer of expansive concrete

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. Blanco

2017-09-01

Full Text Available Installing utility pipelines generates a significant amount of trench arisings, which are usually transported to landfills instead of being reused as backfill material. This practice generates CO2 emissions and wastes raw materials. This paper presents a more sustainable solution, an eco-trench, which is based on re-using trench arisings as backfill and adding a top layer of expansive concrete to improve the eco-trench’s structural performance. The technical feasibility of the eco-trench was evaluated through a finite element model, which identified the degree of expansion in concrete required to avoid failure or subside the stresses caused by traffic. The potential expansion of concrete was measured under confined conditions in the laboratory by means of a novel test developed for this purpose. The results showed that adding calcium oxide generates the required internal stress. The results were then confirmed in a pilot experience.

Sustainable packaging: from eco-efficiency to eco-effectiveness

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Niero, Monia; Boas, Simon H.; Olsen, Stig Irving

2014-01-01

According to Verghese et al (2012) sustainable packaging should be: effective in delivering its functional requirements, efficient in its use of materials, energy, and water throughout its life cycle, cyclic in its use of renewable materials and recoverability at end-of-life, and safe for people...... and the natural environment. Companies in the packaging sector have traditionally been using the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology to fulfill these requirements. However, being inspired by the eco-efficiency principle, LCA aims to reduce the negative environmental footprint of human activities by optimizing...... and emissions can be taken up as nutrients by other processes instead of reducing the amount of waste as eco-efficiency advocates. From a company point of view, LCA and C2C are complementary approaches to develop sustainable andinnovative solutions for packaging, see Figure 1. We will illustrate the challenges...

Micro-/nanostructured multicomponent molecular materials: design, assembly, and functionality.

Science.gov (United States)

Yan, Dongpeng

2015-03-23

Molecule-based micro-/nanomaterials have attracted considerable attention because their properties can vary greatly from the corresponding macro-sized bulk systems. Recently, the construction of multicomponent molecular solids based on crystal engineering principles has emerged as a promising alternative way to develop micro-/nanomaterials. Unlike single-component materials, the resulting multicomponent systems offer the advantages of tunable composition, and adjustable molecular arrangement, and intermolecular interactions within their solid states. The study of these materials also supplies insight into how the crystal structure, molecular components, and micro-/nanoscale effects can influence the performance of molecular materials. In this review, we describe recent advances and current directions in the assembly and applications of crystalline multicomponent micro-/nanostructures. Firstly, the design strategies for multicomponent systems based on molecular recognition and crystal engineering principles are introduced. Attention is then focused on the methods of fabrication of low-dimensional multicomponent micro-/nanostructures. Their new applications are also outlined. Finally, we briefly discuss perspectives for the further development of these molecular crystalline micro-/nanomaterials. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Gold nanostructure materials in diabetes management

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Si, Satyabrata; Mohanta, Jagdeep; Satapathy, Smith Sagar; Pal, Arttatrana

2017-01-01

Diabetes mellitus is a group of metabolic diseases characterized by hyperglycemia, and is now one of the most non-communicable diseases globally and can be lethal if not properly controlled. Prolonged exposure to chronic hyperglycemia, without proper management, can lead to various vascular complications and represents the main cause of morbidity and mortality in diabetes patients. Studies have indicated that major long-term complications of diabetes arise from persistent oxidative-nitrosative stress and dysregulation in multiple metabolic pathways. Presently, the main focus for diabetes management is to optimize the available techniques to ensure adequate blood sugar level, blood pressure and lipid profile, thereby minimizing the diabetes complications. In this regard, nanomedicine utilizing gold nanostructures has great potential and seems to be a promising option. The present review highlights the basic concepts and up-to-date literature survey of gold nanostructure materials in management of diabetes in several ways, which include sensing, imaging, drug delivery and therapy. The work can be of interest to various researchers working on basic and applied sciences including nanosciences. (paper)

Fabrication and structural characterization of highly ordered titania nanotube arrays

Science.gov (United States)

Shi, Hongtao; Ordonez, Rosita

Titanium (Ti) dioxide nanotubes have drawn much attention in the past decade due to the fact that titania is an extremely versatile material with a variety of technological applications. Anodizing Ti in different electrolytes has proved to be quite successful so far in creating the nanotubes, however, their degree of order is still not nearly as good as nanoporous anodic alumina. In this work, we first deposit a thin layer of aluminum (Al) onto electropolished Ti substrates, using thermal evaporation. Such an Al layer is then anodized in 0.3 M oxalic acid, forming an ordered nanoporous alumina mask on top of Ti. Afterwards, the anodization of Ti is accomplished at 20 V in solutions containing 1 M NaH2PO4 and 0.5% HF or H2SO4, which results in the creation of ordered titania nanotube arrays. The inner pore diameter of the nanotubes can be tuned from ~50 nm to ~75 nm, depending on the anodization voltage applied to Al or Ti. X-ray diffractometry shows the as-grown titania nanotubes are amorphous. Samples annealed at different temperatures in ambient atmosphere will be also reported.

The development of biopolymer-based nanostructured materials : plastics, gels, IPNs and nanofoams

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Soest, van J.J.G.

2006-01-01

The ability to design products with structural features on a nanometric scale is a major technology driver in materials research Nanostructured materials are defined as materials with structural features on a sub-micron scale determining specific properties They consist of materials such as metals,

Silica sacrificial layer-assisted in-plane incorporation of Au nanoparticles into mesoporous titania thin films through different reduction methods.

Science.gov (United States)

Liang, Chih-Peng; Yamauchi, Yusuke; Liu, Chia-Hung; Wu, Kevin C-W

2013-06-28

This study focuses on the incorporation of gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) into our previously synthesized mesoporous titania thin films consisting of titania nanopillars and inverse mesospace (C. W. Wu, T. Ohsuna, M. Kuwabara and K. Kuroda, J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2006, 128, 4544-4545, denoted as MTTFs). Recently, mesoporous titania materials doped with noble metals such as gold have attracted considerable attention because noble metals can enhance the efficiency of mesoporous titania-based devices. In this research, we attempted to use four different reduction methods (i.e., thermal treatment, photo irradiation, liquid immersion, and vapor contacting) to introduce gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) into MTTFs. The synthesized Au@MTTFs were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). We further systematically investigated the formation mechanism of gold nanoparticles on the external and internal surfaces of the MTTFs. With the assistance of a silica sacrificial layer, well-dispersed Au NPs with sizes of 4.1 nm were obtained inside the MTTF by photo irradiation. The synthesized Au@MTTF materials show great potential in various photo-electronic and photo-catalytic applications.

Synthesis and Plasmonic Understanding of Core/Satellite and Core Shell Nanostructures

Science.gov (United States)

Ruan, Qifeng

Au nanospheres with molecular linkers. The plasmon resonances of the core/satellite nanostructures undergo red shifts in comparison to those of the sole Au cores, which is consistent with Mie theory analysis. As predicted by finite-difference time-domain simulations, the assembled core/satellite nanostructures exhibit large enhancements for Raman scattering. The facile growth of Au nanospheres and assembly of core/satellite nanostructures blaze a new way to the design of nanoarchitectures with desired plasmonic properties and functions. Coating semiconductors onto Au nanocrystals to form core shell configurations can increase the interactions between the two materials, benefiting from their large active interfacial area. The shell can also protect the Au nanocrystal core from aggregation, reshaping, and chemical corrosion. In this thesis, (Au nanocrystal core) (titania shell) nanostructures with tunable shell thicknesses were prepared by a facile wetchemistry method. Au nanocrystals with strong and tunable plasmon resonances in the visible and near-infrared regions can enhance and broaden the light utilization of TiO2 through the scattering/absorption enhancement, sensitization, and hot-electron injection. The integration of Au nanocrystals therefore hold the prospect of breaking the light-harvesting limit of TiO2 arising from its wide band gap. The resultant (Au core) (TiO2 shell) nanostructures were examined to be capable of efficiently generating reactive oxygen species under near-infrared resonant excitation. On the other hand, the transverse plasmon modes of Au nanorods, which are often too weak to be observed on scattering spectra, are enhanced by the TiO2 shell through energy transfer. With the increment of the shell thickness, the intensity of the transverse plasmon mode increases significantly and even becomes comparable with the longitudinal plasmon mode. Interestingly, both the transverse and longitudinal modes of the (Au core) (TiO2 shell) nanostructures

Nanomanufacturing : nano-structured materials made layer-by-layer.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cox, James V.; Cheng, Shengfeng; Grest, Gary Stephen; Tjiptowidjojo, Kristianto (University of New Mexico); Reedy, Earl David, Jr.; Fan, Hongyou; Schunk, Peter Randall; Chandross, Michael Evan; Roberts, Scott A.

2011-10-01

Large-scale, high-throughput production of nano-structured materials (i.e. nanomanufacturing) is a strategic area in manufacturing, with markets projected to exceed $1T by 2015. Nanomanufacturing is still in its infancy; process/product developments are costly and only touch on potential opportunities enabled by growing nanoscience discoveries. The greatest promise for high-volume manufacturing lies in age-old coating and imprinting operations. For materials with tailored nm-scale structure, imprinting/embossing must be achieved at high speeds (roll-to-roll) and/or over large areas (batch operation) with feature sizes less than 100 nm. Dispersion coatings with nanoparticles can also tailor structure through self- or directed-assembly. Layering films structured with these processes have tremendous potential for efficient manufacturing of microelectronics, photovoltaics and other topical nano-structured devices. This project is designed to perform the requisite R and D to bring Sandia's technology base in computational mechanics to bear on this scale-up problem. Project focus is enforced by addressing a promising imprinting process currently being commercialized.

Computational design of surfaces, nanostructures and optoelectronic materials

Science.gov (United States)

Choudhary, Kamal

Properties of engineering materials are generally influenced by defects such as point defects (vacancies, interstitials, substitutional defects), line defects (dislocations), planar defects (grain boundaries, free surfaces/nanostructures, interfaces, stacking faults) and volume defects (voids). Classical physics based molecular dynamics and quantum physics based density functional theory can be useful in designing materials with controlled defect properties. In this thesis, empirical potential based molecular dynamics was used to study the surface modification of polymers due to energetic polyatomic ion, thermodynamics and mechanics of metal-ceramic interfaces and nanostructures, while density functional theory was used to screen substituents in optoelectronic materials. Firstly, polyatomic ion-beams were deposited on polymer surfaces and the resulting chemical modifications of the surface were examined. In particular, S, SC and SH were deposited on amorphous polystyrene (PS), and C2H, CH3, and C3H5 were deposited on amorphous poly (methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) using molecular dynamics simulations with classical reactive empirical many-body (REBO) potentials. The objective of this work was to elucidate the mechanisms by which the polymer surface modification took place. The results of the work could be used in tailoring the incident energy and/or constituents of ion beam for obtaining a particular chemistry inside the polymer surface. Secondly, a new Al-O-N empirical potential was developed within the charge optimized many body (COMB) formalism. This potential was then used to examine the thermodynamic stability of interfaces and mechanical properties of nanostructures composed of aluminum, its oxide and its nitride. The potentials were tested for these materials based on surface energies, defect energies, bulk phase stability, the mechanical properties of the most stable bulk phase, its phonon properties as well as with a genetic algorithm based evolution theory of

Transparent sculptured titania films for enhanced light absorption in thin-film Si solar cells

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hung, Kai-Hsiang, E-mail: khhung@itri.org.tw [Green Energy and Environment Research Laboratories, Industrial Technology Research Institute, Hsinchu, Taiwan (China); Chiou, Guan-Di; Wong, Ming-Show [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, National Dong Hwa University, Hualien, Taiwan (China); Wang, Yu-Chih [Green Energy and Environment Research Laboratories, Industrial Technology Research Institute, Hsinchu, Taiwan (China); Chung, I-Shan [Electronics and Optoelectronics Research Laboratories, Industrial Technology Research Institute, Hsinchu, Taiwan (China)

2011-12-30

This study presents a description of the enhancement of light absorption in thin-film silicon (Si) solar cells by using sculptured titania (TiO{sub 2}) films. We used an electron-beam evaporation system with a glancing angle deposition (GLAD) method to deposit porous TiO{sub 2} films on fluorine-doped SnO{sub 2} (FTO) substrates. The GLAD TiO{sub 2}/FTO films were used as conductive electrodes in hydrogenated microcrystalline silicon ({mu}c-Si:H) solar cells. Transmission electron microscopy revealed that the GLAD TiO{sub 2} films are composed of sculptured nano-pillars on an FTO surface, and this nanostructure provides a synergistic route for light scattering enhancement. The GLAD TiO{sub 2}/FTO exhibited a 68% improvement of optical haze (at {lambda} = 600 nm). The {mu}c-Si:H solar cells consisting of the GLAD-nanostructured TiO{sub 2} resulted in a 5% improvement of short-circuit current (J{sub sc}) and yielded a cell efficiency of 6.6%.

Towards the Industrial Application of Spark Ablation for Nanostructured Functional Materials

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Pfeiffer, T.V.

2014-01-01

Nanostructuring of functional materials is an essential part in the design of energy related devices – but the industrial tools we have to make these materials are lacking. This dissertation explores the green, flexible, and scalable spark discharge process for the fabrication of complex

Development of iron oxide and titania treated fly ash based ceramic and its bioactivity

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sultana, Parveen [Physics Department, Jadavpur University, Kolkata-700 032 (India); Das, Sukhen, E-mail: das_sukhen@yahoo.com [Physics Department, Jadavpur University, Kolkata-700 032 (India); Bhattacharya, Alakananda [Physics Department, West Bengal State University, Barasat (India); Basu, Ruma [Physics Department, Jogamaya Devi College, Kolkata-700026 (India); Nandy, Papiya [Centre for Interdisciplinary Research and Education, Kolkata-700 068 (India)

2012-08-01

The increasing accumulation of fly ash from thermal power plants poses a major problem to the environment. The present work reflects the novel utilization of this profusely available industrial waste in the form of an antibacterial hard ceramic material by treating fly ash with ferric oxide (Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3}) and titania (TiO{sub 2}) during sintering process at 1600 Degree-Sign C. The developed material shows more than 90% bacterial reduction against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. The mechanism of their antibacterial action was studied by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) image analysis of the bacterial cross-section. The developed ceramic material acquires hardness due to the enhancement of the natural mullite content in the matrix. The mullite content and the crystallinity of mullite have shown their increasing trend with increasing concentration of the metal oxide during sintering process. A maximum of {approx} 37% increase in mullite was obtained for 7% w/w Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3} and TiO{sub 2}. Metal oxide lowered the activation energy of the reaction and enhanced the reaction rate of alumina (Al{sub 2}O{sub 3})-silica (SiO{sub 2}) to form mullite which increases the hardness. The study highlights novel utilization of fly ash as a hard ceramic antibacterial product (bioceramics) for both structural and hygiene applications in an eco-friendly way. - Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer A novel antibacterial hard ceramic material by treating fly ash with metal oxide. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The material shows excellent antibacterial activity (> 90%) against pathogenic bacteria. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Mechanism of antibacterial action by TEM analysis. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Enhancement of the concentration of 'natural mullite content' in the material. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Hardness induced by enhanced mullite content is an added advantage for prolonged product life.

Size and morphology effects of titania on dye-sensitized solar cells performance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chien, Wen-Chen; Lin, Chien-Chih; Jang, Shiue-Ming; Kao, Tien-Hsieh

2013-01-01

This study uses commercial titania (P25) to prepare titania nanowires (NWs) using alkali and hydrothermal treatments. Nanosized titania P25 and NWs were used to prepare spray-dried titania P25 (SP25) and spray-dried titania nanowires (SNWs), respectively, using the spray-drying process. These different titania sizes and morphologies were used to fabricate photoelectrodes for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) and to investigate their effect on cell performance. All prepared titania NWs and SNWs were in the anatase phase after heat treatment at 450 °C for 2 h. The specific areas for titania with different morphologies were 49.5 m 2 /g for P25, 48.3 m 2 /g for SP25, 42.6 m 2 /g for NWs, and 40.3 m 2 /g for SNWs. The results show that the surface areas decreased when the titania P25 or NWs were processed by spray drying. In optimal conditions, DSSCs prepared from P25 + 2.5 wt.% NWs with a light-to-electric energy conversion efficiency of 5.88% were produced using a simulated solar light irradiation of 100 mW/cm 2 (AM 1.5). - Highlights: • Titania with different size and morphology were prepared. • Hydrothermal and spray drying process were applied. • Solar cells with an efficiency of 5.88% were produced

Size and morphology effects of titania on dye-sensitized solar cells performance

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chien, Wen-Chen, E-mail: wcchien@mail.mcut.edu.tw [Department of Chemical Engineering, Ming Chi University of Technology, 84 Gunjuan Road, New Taipei City 243, Taiwan (China); Battery Research Center of Green Energy, Ming Chi University of Technology, 84 Gunjuan Road, New Taipei City 243, Taiwan (China); Lin, Chien-Chih [Department of Chemical Engineering, Ming Chi University of Technology, 84 Gunjuan Road, New Taipei City 243, Taiwan (China); Jang, Shiue-Ming [Industrial Technology Research Institute, Hsinchu 310, Taiwan (China); Kao, Tien-Hsieh [Department of Chemical Engineering, Ming Chi University of Technology, 84 Gunjuan Road, New Taipei City 243, Taiwan (China)

2013-10-01

This study uses commercial titania (P25) to prepare titania nanowires (NWs) using alkali and hydrothermal treatments. Nanosized titania P25 and NWs were used to prepare spray-dried titania P25 (SP25) and spray-dried titania nanowires (SNWs), respectively, using the spray-drying process. These different titania sizes and morphologies were used to fabricate photoelectrodes for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) and to investigate their effect on cell performance. All prepared titania NWs and SNWs were in the anatase phase after heat treatment at 450 °C for 2 h. The specific areas for titania with different morphologies were 49.5 m{sup 2}/g for P25, 48.3 m{sup 2}/g for SP25, 42.6 m{sup 2}/g for NWs, and 40.3 m{sup 2}/g for SNWs. The results show that the surface areas decreased when the titania P25 or NWs were processed by spray drying. In optimal conditions, DSSCs prepared from P25 + 2.5 wt.% NWs with a light-to-electric energy conversion efficiency of 5.88% were produced using a simulated solar light irradiation of 100 mW/cm{sup 2} (AM 1.5). - Highlights: • Titania with different size and morphology were prepared. • Hydrothermal and spray drying process were applied. • Solar cells with an efficiency of 5.88% were produced.

Contribution of tin in electrochemical properties of zinc antimonate nanostructures: An electrode material for supercapacitors

Science.gov (United States)

Balasubramaniam, M.; Balakumar, S.

2018-04-01

Tin (Sn) doped ZnSb2O6 nanostructures was synthesized by chemical precipitation method and was used as an electrode material for supercapacitors to explore its electrochemical stability and potentiality as energy storage materials. Their characteristic structural, morphological and compositional features were investigated through XRD, FESEM and XPS analysis. Results showed that the nanostructures have well ordered crystalline features with spherical particle morphology. As the size and morphology are the vital parameters in exhibiting better electrochemical properties, the prepared nanostructures exhibited a significant specific capacitance of 222 F/g at a current density of 0.5 A/g respectively. While charging and discharging for 1000 cycles, the capacitance retention was enhanced to 105.0% which depicts the stability and activeness of electrochemical sites present in the Sn doped ZnSb2O6 nanostructures even after cycling. Hence, the inclusion of Sn into ZnSb2O6 has contributed in improving the electrochemical properties thereby it represents itself as a potential electrode material for supercapacitors.

Development of eco-friendly polymeric materials by radiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Choi, Jae-hak; Shim, Kihyung; Kim, Jaeyoung

2012-12-01

In this project, the core technologies such as fabrication of eco-friendly and high-performance bioplastics, anionic exchange membranes for the energy generation, and anisotropic conductive films (ACF) for the electronic devices were developed by using an eco-friendly and low-energy consumption radiation. In the 1 st project group, the fabrication technologies of biodegradable polymer-based blends, biocompoistes, and foam were developed using a radiation crosslinking technology, and the possibility of their commercialization was evaluated through the fabrication of prototype products (fruits packaging material and adhesive) in the practical production lines. In the 2 nd project group, the fabrication technology of the anion exchange membranes for alkaline fuel cell were prepared by utilizing the inherent property of radiation such as high ionizing energy and penetrating depth. The ion exchange capacity, ion conductivity, high ionizing energy and penetrating depth. The ion exchange capacity, ion conductivity, high ionizing energy and penetrating depth. The ion exchange capacity, ion conductivity, mechanical property, and chemical stability of the prepared membranes were measured. The results of the MEA performance test, the maximum power density of 115 mW and operation for 200 hours, indicates the possibility of the use of anion exchange membranes for alkaline fuel cell. In the 3rd project group, the electron beam-induced room temperature and fast curable epoxy was developed and the mechanism of electron beam-induced curing was investigated using various analytical methods. On the basis of the physical and electrical characterization, the prepared ACF exhibited lower resistance and higher tensile strength compared to that of the commercialized one

Development of eco-friendly polymeric materials by radiation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Choi, Jae-hak; Shim, Kihyung; Kim, Jaeyoung; and others

2012-12-15

In this project, the core technologies such as fabrication of eco-friendly and high-performance bioplastics, anionic exchange membranes for the energy generation, and anisotropic conductive films (ACF) for the electronic devices were developed by using an eco-friendly and low-energy consumption radiation. In the 1{sup st} project group, the fabrication technologies of biodegradable polymer-based blends, biocompoistes, and foam were developed using a radiation crosslinking technology, and the possibility of their commercialization was evaluated through the fabrication of prototype products (fruits packaging material and adhesive) in the practical production lines. In the 2{sup nd} project group, the fabrication technology of the anion exchange membranes for alkaline fuel cell were prepared by utilizing the inherent property of radiation such as high ionizing energy and penetrating depth. The ion exchange capacity, ion conductivity, high ionizing energy and penetrating depth. The ion exchange capacity, ion conductivity, high ionizing energy and penetrating depth. The ion exchange capacity, ion conductivity, mechanical property, and chemical stability of the prepared membranes were measured. The results of the MEA performance test, the maximum power density of 115 mW and operation for 200 hours, indicates the possibility of the use of anion exchange membranes for alkaline fuel cell. In the 3rd project group, the electron beam-induced room temperature and fast curable epoxy was developed and the mechanism of electron beam-induced curing was investigated using various analytical methods. On the basis of the physical and electrical characterization, the prepared ACF exhibited lower resistance and higher tensile strength compared to that of the commercialized one.

Advanced nanostructured materials as media for hydrogen storage

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

David, E.; Niculescu, V.; Armeanu, A.; Sandru, C.; Constantinescu, M.; Sisu, C.

2005-01-01

Full text: In a future sustainable energy system based on renewable energy, environmentally harmless energy carriers like hydrogen, will be of crucial importance. One of the major impediments for the transition to a hydrogen based energy system is the lack of satisfactory hydrogen storage alternatives. Hydrogen storage in nanostructured materials has been proposed as a solution for adequate hydrogen storage for a number of applications, in particular for transportation. This paper is a preliminary study with the focus on possibilities for hydrogen storage in zeolites, alumina and nanostructured carbon materials. The adsorption properties of these materials were evaluated in correlation with their internal structure. From N 2 physisorption data the BET surface area (S BET ) , total pore volume (PV), micropore volume (MPV) and total surface area (S t ) were derived. H 2 physisorption measurements were performed at 77 K and a pressure value of 1 bar. From these data the adsorption capacities of sorbent materials were determined. Apparently the microporous adsorbents, e.g activated carbons, display appreciable sorption capacities. Based on their micropore volume, carbon-based sorbents have the largest adsorption capacity for H 2 , over 230 cm 3 (STP)/g, at the previous conditions. By increasing the micropore volume (∼ 1 cm 3 /g) of sorbents and optimizing the adsorption conditions it is expected to obtain an adsorption capacity of ∼ 560 cm 3 (STP)/g, close to targets set for mobile applications. (authors)

Hybrid thin films based on bilayer heterojunction of titania nanocrystals/polypyrrole/natural dyes (Kappaphycus alvarezii) materials

Science.gov (United States)

Ghazali, Salmah Mohd; Salleh, Hasiah; Dagang, Ahmad Nazri; Ghazali, Mohd Sabri Mohd; Ali, Nik Aziz Nik; Rashid, Norlaily Abdul; Kamarulzaman, Nurul Huda; Ahmad, Wan Almaz Dhafina Che Wan

2017-09-01

In this research, hybrid thin films which consist of a combination of organic red seaweed (RS) (Kappaphycus alvarezii) and polypyrrole (PPy) with inorganic titania nanocrystals (TiO2 NCs) materials were fabricated. These hybrid thin films were fabricated accordingly with bilayer heterojunction of ITO/TiO2 NCs/PPy/RS via electrochemical method using Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS). The effect of number of scans (thickness) of titania on optical and electrical properties of hybrid thin films were studied. TiO2 NCs function as an electron acceptor and electronic conductor. Meanwhile, PPy acts as holes conductor and RS dye acts as a photosensitizer enhances the optical and electrical properties of the thin films. The UV absorption spectrum of TiO2 NCs, PPy and RS are characterized by UV-Visible spectroscopy, while the functional group of RS was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The UV-Vis spectra showed that TiO2 NCs, PPy and RS were absorbed over a wide range of light spectrum which were 200-300 nm, 300-900 nm and 250-900 nm; respectively. The FTIR spectra of the RS showed the presence of hydroxyl group which was responsible for a good sensitizer for these hybrid solar cells. The electrical conductivity of these hybrid thin films were measured by using four point probes. The electrical conductivity of ITO/ (1)TiO2 NCs/PPy/RS thin film under the radiation of 100 Wm-2 was 0.062 Scm-1, hence this hybrid thin films can be applied in solar cell application.

Eco-friendly synthesis for MCM-41 nanoporous materials using the non-reacted reagents in mother liquor.

Science.gov (United States)

Ng, Eng-Poh; Goh, Jia-Yi; Ling, Tau Chuan; Mukti, Rino R

2013-03-04

Nanoporous materials such as Mobil composite material number 41 (MCM-41) are attractive for applications such as catalysis, adsorption, supports, and carriers. Green synthesis of MCM-41 is particularly appealing because the chemical reagents are useful and valuable. We report on the eco-friendly synthesis of MCM-41 nanoporous materials via multi-cycle approach by re-using the non-reacted reagents in supernatant as mother liquor after separating the solid product. This approach was achieved via minimal requirement of chemical compensation where additional fresh reactants were added into the mother liquor followed by pH adjustment after each cycle of synthesis. The solid product of each successive batch was collected and characterized while the non-reacted reagents in supernatant can be recovered and re-used to produce subsequent cycle of MCM-41. The multi-cycle synthesis is demonstrated up to three times in this research. This approach suggests a low cost and eco-friendly synthesis of nanoporous material since less waste is discarded after the product has been collected, and in addition, product yield can be maintained at the high level.

Characterization of sodium phenytoin co-gelled with titania for a controlled drug-release system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lopez, T.; Quintana, P.; Ortiz-Islas, E.; Vinogradova, E.; Manjarrez, J.; Aguilar, D.H.; Castillo-Ocampo, P.; Magana, C.; Azamar, J.A.

2007-01-01

Sodium phenytoin, C 15 H 11 N 2 NaO 2 , in several concentrations was co-gelled with titania (TiO 2 ), by a sol-gel process. This technique is a promising method to encapsulate several drugs, in this case, phenytoin is an anticonvulsant used to control epileptic seizures. Samples were prepared by adding different concentrations (X = 50, 100, 200 and 250 mg per 20 g of titania matrix) of sodium phenytoin (Ph) to a solution of titanium n-butoxide. The resulting titania-Ph-X materials were characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier transformed infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Brunauer-Emmet-Teller (BET) surface areas. The porous nanomaterials showed a wide range of particle size, from 10 to 210 nm, with a mean pore diameter of 5 nm. X-ray diffraction showed an amorphous structure of the prepared samples

Semiconductive Nanostructures - Materials for Spinelectronics: New Data Bank Requirement

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Paata J Kervalishvili

2007-12-01

Full Text Available Nanoscience, the interdisciplinary science that draws on physics, chemistry, biology, and computational mathematics, is still in its infancy. Control and manipulation on a nanometric scale allow the fabrication of nanostructures, the properties of which are mainly determined by quantum mechanics and differ considerably from that of the common crystalline state. Nanostructures constructed from inorganic solids such as semiconductors have new electronic and optical properties because of their size and quantization effects [1, 2]. The quantization effects reflect the fundamental characteristics of structures as soon as their size falls below a certain limit. An example of the simplest nanostructure is the quantum dot formed from the energy well of certain semiconductor materials with 5-10nm thickness sandwiched between other semiconductors with normal properties. Quantum dots, for example, have led to important novel technology for lasers, optical sensors, and other electronic devices. The application of nanolayers to data storage, switching, lighting, and other devices can lead to substantially new hardware, for example, energy cells, and eventually to the quantum-based internet. Nanoscience and nanotechnology encompass the development of nano-spinelectronics, spinelectronics materials production, and nano-spinelectronic measuring devices and technologies. Nano-spinelectronics, based on usage of magnetic semiconductors, represents a new and emerging area of science and engineering of the 21st century. It is a primary example of the creation and enhancement of new materials and devices for information technologies, operating with charge and spin degrees of freedom of carriers, free from present-day limitations. This new multi-disciplinary direction of science and technology is very much in need of support from new data banks, which will function as a source of new ideas and approaches.

Synthesis and polymorphic control for visible light active titania nanoparticles

Science.gov (United States)

Kaewgun, Sujaree

Titania (TiO2) is useful for many applications in photocatalysis, antimicrobials, pigment, deodorization, and decomposition of harmful organics and undesirable compounds in the air and waste water under UV irradiation. Among the three phases of TiO2, Rutile, Anatase, and Brookite, studies have been more focused on the anatase and rutile phases. Pure brookite is the most difficult phase to prepare, even under hydrothermal conditions. Predominantly brookite phase TiO2 nanoparticles were prepared by the Water-based Ambient Condition Sol (WACS) process in our laboratory. The objectives of this research were to enhance visible light active (VLA) photocatalytic properties of polymorphic brookite TiO2 by minimizing the lattice defects and narrowing band gap of titania by nitrogen and/or carbon chromophone, and to investigate the deactivation, reusability, and regeneration of the VLA titania in order to design better titania catalysts for organic compound degradation applications. In order to study the influence of hydroxyl content on photocatalytic activities (PCAs) of polymorphic titania nanoparticles, the WACS samples were post-treated by a Solvent-based Ambient Condition Sol (SACS) process in sec-butanol (sec-BuOH). All samples were characterized for phase composition, surface area, hydroxyl contamination, and particle morphology by x-ray diffraction, N2 physisorption, FT-IR, solid state 1H NMR and scanning electron microscopy, and then compared to a commercial titania, Degussa P25. Evaluation of methyl orange (MO) degradation under UV irradiation results showed that the lower lattice hydroxyl content in SACS titania enhanced the PCA. As-prepared titania and SACS samples, which have similar surface areas and crystallinity, were compared in order to prove that the superior PCA came from the reduction in the lattice hydroxyl content. To enhance PCA and VLA properties of WACS, an alternative high boiling point polar solvent, N-methylpyrrolidone (NMP), was utilized in the

The immobilization of titania nanoparticles on hyaluronan films and their photocatalytic properties

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pasqui, Daniela; Atrei, Andrea; Barbucci, Rolando

2009-01-01

We have developed a method to bind titania nanoparticles onto hyaluronic films (HA) photoimmobilized on silanized glass. Titania nanoparticles were deposited on the HA films from commercially available dispersions by casting and dip-coating methods at various pH values. XPS was used to monitor the deposition of titania and to estimate the surface coverage of the nanoparticles. The topography of the titania-modified HA films was investigated by means of AFM. XPS results indicate that the titania surface coverage depends on the preparation method and the pH of the dispersion. We found that the maximum titania nanoparticle surface coverage was obtained by the casting method with the formation of aggregates and multilayers of particles. The titania surface coverage for the surfaces prepared by the dip-coating method is pH-dependent. The surfaces prepared at pH 2 show a surface coverage of 65% and a rather uniform distribution of particles. We found that titania nanoparticles are anchored in a stable way to the HA substrate in a phosphate buffer solution (PBS) and that the interaction between the HA and the titania is through the carbonyl group of carboxylates and amidic groups of the polymer. AFM images clearly show that titania nanoparticles are uniformly distributed over the HA films. By measuring the average diameter and the average height of the nanoparticles deposited on HA films it appears that the particles are partially embedded in the polysaccharide films. The results of the study on the photobleaching of methylene blue indicate that the characteristic photocatalytic activity of titania is maintained when the nanoparticles are anchored to the HA substrate.

Electrostatic Self-Assembly Enabling Integrated Bulk and Interfacial Sodium Storage in 3D Titania-Graphene Hybrid.

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, Gui-Liang; Xiao, Lisong; Sheng, Tian; Liu, Jianzhao; Hu, Yi-Xin; Ma, Tianyuan; Amine, Rachid; Xie, Yingying; Zhang, Xiaoyi; Liu, Yuzi; Ren, Yang; Sun, Cheng-Jun; Heald, Steve M; Kovacevic, Jasmina; Sehlleier, Yee Hwa; Schulz, Christof; Mattis, Wenjuan Liu; Sun, Shi-Gang; Wiggers, Hartmut; Chen, Zonghai; Amine, Khalil

2018-01-10

Room-temperature sodium-ion batteries have attracted increased attention for energy storage due to the natural abundance of sodium. However, it remains a huge challenge to develop versatile electrode materials with favorable properties, which requires smart structure design and good mechanistic understanding. Herein, we reported a general and scalable approach to synthesize three-dimensional (3D) titania-graphene hybrid via electrostatic-interaction-induced self-assembly. Synchrotron X-ray probe, transmission electron microscopy, and computational modeling revealed that the strong interaction between titania and graphene through comparably strong van der Waals forces not only facilitates bulk Na + intercalation but also enhances the interfacial sodium storage. As a result, the titania-graphene hybrid exhibits exceptional long-term cycle stability up to 5000 cycles, and ultrahigh rate capability up to 20 C for sodium storage. Furthermore, density function theory calculation indicated that the interfacial Li + , K + , Mg 2+, and Al 3+ storage can be enhanced as well. The proposed general strategy opens up new avenues to create versatile materials for advanced battery systems.

Electrostatic Self-Assembly Enabling Integrated Bulk and Interfacial Sodium Storage in 3D Titania-Graphene Hybrid

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Xu, Gui-Liang [Chemical; Xiao, Lisong [Center; Sheng, Tian [Collaborative; Liu, Jianzhao [Chemical; Hu, Yi-Xin [Chemical; Department; Ma, Tianyuan [Chemical; Amine, Rachid [Materials; Xie, Yingying [Chemical; Zhang, Xiaoyi [X-ray Science; Liu, Yuzi [Nanoscience; Ren, Yang [X-ray Science; Sun, Cheng-Jun [X-ray Science; Heald, Steve M. [X-ray Science; Kovacevic, Jasmina [Center; Sehlleier, Yee Hwa [Center; Schulz, Christof [Center; Mattis, Wenjuan Liu [Microvast Power Solutions, 12603; Sun, Shi-Gang [Collaborative; Wiggers, Hartmut [Center; Chen, Zonghai [Chemical; Amine, Khalil [Chemical

2017-12-15

Room temperature sodium-ion batteries have attracted increased attention for energy storage due to the natural abundance of sodium. However, it remains a huge challenge to develop versatile electrode materials with favorable properties, which requires smart structure design and good mechanistic understanding. Herein, we reported a general and scalable approach to synthesize 3D titania-graphene hybrid via electrostatic-interaction-induced self-assembly. Synchrotron X-ray probe, transmission electron microscopy and computational modeling revealed that the strong interaction between Titania and graphene through comparably strong van-der-Waals forces not only facilitates bulk Na+ intercalation but also enhances the interfacial sodium storage. As a result, the titania-graphene hybrid exhibits exceptional long-term cycle stability up to 5000 cycles, and ultrahigh rate capability up to 20 C for sodium storage. Furthermore, density function theory calculation indicated that the interfacial Li+, K+, Mg2+ and Al3+ storage can be enhanced as well. The proposed general strategy opens up new avenues to create versatile materials for advanced battery systems.

Visible-Light Degradation of Dyes and Phenols over Mesoporous Titania Prepared by Using Anthocyanin from Red Radish as Template

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhiying Yan

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Heterogeneous photocatalysis is able to operate effectively to eliminate organic compounds from wastewater in the presence of semiconductor photocatalyst and a light source. Although photosensitization of titania by organic dyes is one of the conventional ways for visible-light utilization of titania, previous studies have not yet addressed the use of natural food coloring agents as templates in the synthesis of mesostructured materials, let alone the simultaneous achievement of highly crystalline mesoscopic framework and visible-light photocatalytic activity. In this work, anthocyanin, a natural pigment from red radish was directly used as template in synthesis of highly crystalline mesoporous titania. The synthesized mesoporous titania samples were characterized by a combination of various physicochemical techniques, such as XRD, SEM, HRTEM, nitrogen adsorption/desorption, and diffuse reflectance UV-Vis. The prepared mesoporous titania photocatalyst exhibited significant activity under visible-light irradiation for the degradation of dyes and phenols due to its red shift of band-gap-absorption onset and visible-light response as a result of the incorporation of surface carbon species.

An overview on cellulose-based material in tailoring bio-hybrid nanostructured photocatalysts for water treatment and renewable energy applications.

Science.gov (United States)

Mohamed, Mohamad Azuwa; Abd Mutalib, Muhazri; Mohd Hir, Zul Adlan; M Zain, M F; Mohamad, Abu Bakar; Jeffery Minggu, Lorna; Awang, Nor Asikin; W Salleh, W N

2017-10-01

A combination between the nanostructured photocatalyst and cellulose-based materials promotes a new functionality of cellulose towards the development of new bio-hybrid materials for various applications especially in water treatment and renewable energy. The excellent compatibility and association between nanostructured photocatalyst and cellulose-based materials was induced by bio-combability and high hydrophilicity of the cellulose components. The electron rich hydroxyl group of celluloses helps to promote superior interaction with photocatalyst. The formation of bio-hybrid nanostructured are attaining huge interest nowadays due to the synergistic properties of individual cellulose-based material and photocatalyst nanoparticles. Therefore, in this review we introduce some cellulose-based material and discusses its compatibility with nanostructured photocatalyst in terms of physical and chemical properties. In addition, we gather information and evidence on the fabrication techniques of cellulose-based hybrid nanostructured photocatalyst and its recent application in the field of water treatment and renewable energy. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Semi-transparent ordered TiO_2 nanostructures prepared by anodization of titanium thin films deposited onto the FTO substrate

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Szkoda, Mariusz; Lisowska-Oleksiak, Anna; Grochowska, Katarzyna; Skowroński, Łukasz; Karczewski, Jakub; Siuzdak, Katarzyna

2016-01-01

Highlights: • High quality titanium coatings were doposited using industrial magnetron sputtering equipment. • Semi-transparent TiO_2 were prepared via anodization realized in various conditions. • Depending on electrolyte type, ordered tubular or porous TiO_2 layers were obtained. • Prepared material can act as semiconducting layer in photovoltaic cells. - Abstract: In a significant amount of cases, the highly ordered TiO_2 nanotube arrays grow through anodic oxidation of a titanium metal plate immersed in electrolyte containing fluoride ions. However, for some practical applications, e.g. solar cells or electrochromic windows, the semi-transparent TiO_2 formed directly on the transparent, conductive substrate is very much desired. This work shows that high-quality Ti coating could be formed at room temperature using an industrial magnetron sputtering system within 50 min. Under optimized conditions, the anodization process was performed on 2 μm titanium films deposited onto the FTO (fluorine-tin-oxide) support. Depending on the electrolyte type, highly ordered tubular or porous titania layers were obtained. The fabricated samples, after their thermal annealing, were investigated using scanning electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy and UV–vis spectroscopy in order to investigate their morphology, crystallinity and absorbance ability. The photocurrent response curves indicate that materials are resistant to the photocorrosion process and their activity is strongly connected to optical properties. The most transparent TiO_2 films were fabricated when Ti was anodized in water electrolyte, whereas the highest photocurrent densities (12 μA cm"−"2) were registered for titania received after Ti anodization in ethylene glycol solution. The obtained results are of significant importance in the production of thin, semi-transparent titania nanostructures on a commercial scale.

Towards highly sensitive strain sensing based on nanostructured materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dao, Dzung Viet; Nakamura, Koichi; Sugiyama, Susumu; Bui, Tung Thanh; Dau, Van Thanh; Yamada, Takeo; Hata, Kenji

2010-01-01

This paper presents our recent theoretical and experimental study of piezo-effects in nanostructured materials for highly sensitive, high resolution mechanical sensors. The piezo-effects presented here include the piezoresistive effect in a silicon nanowire (SiNW) and single wall carbon nanotube (SWCNT) thin film, as well as the piezo-optic effect in a Si photonic crystal (PhC) nanocavity. Firstly, the electronic energy band structure of the silicon nanostructure is discussed and simulated by using the First-Principles Calculations method. The result showed a remarkably different energy band structure compared with that of bulk silicon. This difference in the electronic state will result in different physical, chemical, and therefore, sensing properties of silicon nanostructures. The piezoresistive effects of SiNW and SWCNT thin film were investigated experimentally. We found that, when the width of ( 110 ) p-type SiNW decreases from 500 to 35 nm, the piezoresistive effect increases by more than 60%. The longitudinal piezoresistive coefficient of SWCNT thin film was measured to be twice that of bulk p-type silicon. Finally, theoretical investigations of the piezo-optic effect in a PhC nanocavity based on Finite Difference Time Domain (FDTD) showed extremely high resolution strain sensing. These nanostructures were fabricated based on top-down nanofabrication technology. The achievements of this work are significant for highly sensitive, high resolution and miniaturized mechanical sensors

Different Device Architectures for Bulk-Heterojunction Solar Cells

Science.gov (United States)

Adam, Getachew; Munkhbat, Battulga; Denk, Patrick; Ulbricht, Christoph; Hrelescu, Calin; Scharber, Markus

2016-08-01

Titania is the most widely studied photocatalyst. In it’s mixed-phase configuration (anatase-rutile form) -as manifested in the commercially available P25 Degussa material- titania was previously found to exhibit the best photocatalytic properties reported for the pure system. A great deal of published research by various workers in the field have not fully explained the underlying mechanism for the observed behavior of mixed-phase titania photocatalysts. One of the prevalent hypothesis in the literature that is tested in this work involves the presence of small, active clusters of interwoven anatase and rutile crystallites or “catalytic “hot-spots””. Therefore, non-woven nanofibrous mats of titania were produced and upon calcination the mats consisted of nanostructured fibers with different anatase-rutile ratios. By assessing the photocatalytic and photoelectrochemical properties of these samples the optimized photocatalyst was determined. This consisted of TiO2 nanostructures annealed at 500˚C with an anatase /rutile content of 90/10. Since the performance of this material exceeded that of P25 complete structural characterization was employed to understand the catalytic mechanism involved. It was determined that the dominant factors controlling the photocatalytic behavior of the titania system are the relative particle size of the different phases of titania and the growth of rutile laths on anatase grains which allow for rapid electron transfer between the two phases. This explains how to optimize the response of the pure system.

Solar energy systems: Sustainable or not? Environmental effects of materials of solar systems with Eco-Quantum: the break even point

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Knapen, M.; Anink, D.; Donze, G.

2000-01-01

Solar systems seem a sustainable way of providing energy. But are nowadays PV-systems with materials like heavy metals sustainable? Is PV really environmentally sound with the actual efficiency? And what about solar collectors? This paper provides the answers and indicates improvement options for solar systems to make them more overall sustainable in the future. With Eco-Quantum, a simulation tool for analysing the environmental performance of buildings, the overall environmental profit of buildings with PV-systems and solar collectors is shown. It calculates the environmental effects during the entire life cycle of a complete building ('cradle to grave'). This includes the impact of energy and water use, maintenance during use phase, differences in durability of parts or construction needs, like adhesives and nails. The basis of Eco-Quantum is environmental life cycle assessment (LCA). IEA BCS Annex 31 indicated Eco-Quantum as one of the most sophisticated tools to calculate environment al performance of a build ing. The results of Eco-Quantum are the environmental indicators: Exhaustion of resources; Emissions; Energy and Waste. Options like PV and solar collectors are investigated in a reference building. On the one hand the energy during use is reduced by the options. On the other hand the environmental effects because of materials exhaustion of resources and emissions during production is increased as a consequence of additional material use. (au)

Fabrication of modified lithium orthosilicate pebbles by addition of titania

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Knitter, R., E-mail: regina.knitter@kit.edu [Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Institute for Applied Materials (IAM-WPT), Karlsruhe, 76021 (Germany); Kolb, M.H.H.; Kaufmann, U. [Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Institute for Applied Materials (IAM-WPT), Karlsruhe, 76021 (Germany); Goraieb, A.A. [Goraieb Versuchstechnik (GVT), Karlsruhe, 76227 (Germany)

2013-11-15

Highlights: ► Lithium orthosilicate pebbles with additions of titania were fabricated by a modified melt-based process. ► The fabricated pebbles exhibit a very fine-grained microstructure with lithium metatitanate as a secondary phase. ► Due to the addition of titanate, the crush load of the pebbles was significantly increased. ► The closed porosity was found to be slightly increased with increasing titanate content. -- Abstract: Lithium orthosilicate pebbles are one of the ceramic tritium breeder materials destined for the European solid breeder test blanket modules of ITER, the large-scale scientific experiment intended to prove the viability of fusion as an energy source, presently under construction in Cadarache, France. While the current reference material is fabricated by melt-spraying with 2.5 wt.% excess of silica, resulting in a two-phase material of lithium orthosilicate and metasilicate, a modified melt-based process was used to fabricate breeder pebbles with additions of titania in order to obtain pebbles with lithium metatitanate as a secondary phase. The fabricated two-phase pebbles exhibit a fine-grained microstructure and increased crush loads. The optimum titanate content has yet to be evaluated, nonetheless the pebbles may have the potential to combine the advantages of both lithium orthosilicate and metatitanate breeder ceramics.

Fabrication of Titania Nanotubes for Gas Sensing Applications

Science.gov (United States)

Dzilal, A. A.; Muti, M. N.; John, O. D.

2010-03-01

Detection of hydrogen is needed for industrial process control and medical applications where presence of hydrogen indicates different type of health problems. Titanium dioxide nanotube structure is chosen as an active component in the gas sensor because of its highly sensitive electrical resistance to hydrogen over a wide range of concentrations. The objective of the work is to fabricate good quality titania nanotubes suitable for hydrogen sensing applications. The fabrication method used is anodizing method. The anodizing parameters namely the voltage, time duration, concentration of hydrofluoric acid in water, separation between the electrodes and the ambient temperature are varied accordingly to find the optimum anodizing conditions for production of good quality titania nanotubes. The highly ordered porous titania nanotubes produced by this method are in tabular shape and have good uniformity and alignment over large areas. From the investigation done, certain set of anodizing parameters have been found to produce good quality titania nanotubes with diameter ranges from 47 nm to 94 nm.

High-capacity nanostructured germanium-containing materials and lithium alloys thereof

Science.gov (United States)

Graetz, Jason A.; Fultz, Brent T.; Ahn, Channing; Yazami, Rachid

2010-08-24

Electrodes comprising an alkali metal, for example, lithium, alloyed with nanostructured materials of formula Si.sub.zGe.sub.(z-1), where 0electrodes made from graphite. These electrodes are useful as anodes for secondary electrochemical cells, for example, batteries and electrochemical supercapacitors.

Computer simulation of radiation-induced nanostructure formation in amorphous materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, K.-D.; Perez-Bergquist, Alejandro; Wang, Lumin

2009-01-01

In this study, 3D simulations based on a theoretical model were developed to investigate radiation-induced nanostructure formation in amorphous materials. Model variables include vacancy production and recombination rates, ion sputtering effects, and redeposition of sputtered atoms. In addition, a phase field model was developed to predict vacancy diffusion as a function of free energies of mixing and interfacial energies. The distribution profile of the vacancy production rate along the depth of an irradiated matrix was considered as a near Gaussian approximation according to Monte-Carlo TRIM code calculations. Dynamic processes responsible for nanostructure evolution were simulated by updating the vacancy concentration profile over time. Simulated morphologies include cellular nanoholes, nanowalls, nanovoids, and nanofibers, with the resultant morphology dependant upon the incident ion species and ion fluence. These simulated morphologies are consistent with experimental observations achieved under comparable experimental conditions. Our model provides a distinct numerical approach to accurately predicting morphological results for ion-irradiation-induced nanostructures.

Semi-transparent ordered TiO{sub 2} nanostructures prepared by anodization of titanium thin films deposited onto the FTO substrate

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Szkoda, Mariusz, E-mail: mariusz-szkoda@wp.pl [Department of Chemistry and Technology of Functional Materials, Faculty of Chemistry, Gdańsk University of Technology, Narutowicza 11/12, Gdańsk 80-233 (Poland); Lisowska-Oleksiak, Anna [Department of Chemistry and Technology of Functional Materials, Faculty of Chemistry, Gdańsk University of Technology, Narutowicza 11/12, Gdańsk 80-233 (Poland); Grochowska, Katarzyna [Centre for Plasma and Laser Engineering, Szewalski Institute of Fluid-Flow Machinery, Polish Academy of Science, Fiszera 14, 80-231 Gdańsk (Poland); Skowroński, Łukasz [Institute of Mathematics and Physics, UTP University of Science and Technology, Kaliskiego 7, 85-796 Bydgoszcz (Poland); Karczewski, Jakub [Faculty of Applied Physics and Mathematics, Gdańsk University of Technology, Narutowicza 11/12, 80-233 Gdańsk (Poland); Siuzdak, Katarzyna [Centre for Plasma and Laser Engineering, Szewalski Institute of Fluid-Flow Machinery, Polish Academy of Science, Fiszera 14, 80-231 Gdańsk (Poland)

2016-09-15

Highlights: • High quality titanium coatings were doposited using industrial magnetron sputtering equipment. • Semi-transparent TiO{sub 2} were prepared via anodization realized in various conditions. • Depending on electrolyte type, ordered tubular or porous TiO{sub 2} layers were obtained. • Prepared material can act as semiconducting layer in photovoltaic cells. - Abstract: In a significant amount of cases, the highly ordered TiO{sub 2} nanotube arrays grow through anodic oxidation of a titanium metal plate immersed in electrolyte containing fluoride ions. However, for some practical applications, e.g. solar cells or electrochromic windows, the semi-transparent TiO{sub 2} formed directly on the transparent, conductive substrate is very much desired. This work shows that high-quality Ti coating could be formed at room temperature using an industrial magnetron sputtering system within 50 min. Under optimized conditions, the anodization process was performed on 2 μm titanium films deposited onto the FTO (fluorine-tin-oxide) support. Depending on the electrolyte type, highly ordered tubular or porous titania layers were obtained. The fabricated samples, after their thermal annealing, were investigated using scanning electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy and UV–vis spectroscopy in order to investigate their morphology, crystallinity and absorbance ability. The photocurrent response curves indicate that materials are resistant to the photocorrosion process and their activity is strongly connected to optical properties. The most transparent TiO{sub 2} films were fabricated when Ti was anodized in water electrolyte, whereas the highest photocurrent densities (12 μA cm{sup −2}) were registered for titania received after Ti anodization in ethylene glycol solution. The obtained results are of significant importance in the production of thin, semi-transparent titania nanostructures on a commercial scale.

Synthesis, characterization, and thermal stability of SiO2/TiO2/CR-Ag multilayered nanostructures

Science.gov (United States)

Díaz, Gabriela; Chang, Yao-Jen; Philipossian, Ara

2018-06-01

The controllable synthesis and characterization of novel thermally stable silver-based particles are described. The experimental approach involves the design of thermally stable nanostructures by the deposition of an interfacial thick, active titania layer between the primary substrate (SiO2 particles) and the metal nanoparticles (Ag NPs), as well as the doping of Ag nanoparticles with an organic molecule (Congo Red, CR). The nanostructured particles were composed of a 330-nm silica core capped by a granular titania layer (10 to 13 nm in thickness), along with monodisperse 5 to 30 nm CR-Ag NPs deposited on top. The titania-coated support (SiO2/TiO2 particles) was shown to be chemically and thermally stable and promoted the nucleation and anchoring of CR-Ag NPs, which prevented the sintering of CR-Ag NPs when the structure was exposed to high temperatures. The thermal stability of the silver composites was examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). Larger than 10 nm CR-Ag NPs were thermally stable up to 300 °C. Such temperature was high enough to destabilize the CR-Ag NPs due to the melting point of the CR. On the other hand, smaller than 10 nm Ag NPs were stable at temperatures up to 500 °C because of the strong metal-metal oxide binding energy. Energy dispersion X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) was carried out to qualitatively analyze the chemical stability of the structure at different temperatures which confirmed the stability of the structure and the existence of silver NPs at temperatures up to 500 °C.

Debye screening length effects of nanostructured materials

CERN Document Server

Ghatak, Kamakhya Prasad

2014-01-01

This monograph solely investigates the Debye Screening Length (DSL) in semiconductors and their nano-structures. The materials considered are quantized structures of non-linear optical, III-V, II-VI, Ge, Te, Platinum Antimonide, stressed materials, Bismuth, GaP, Gallium Antimonide, II-V and Bismuth Telluride respectively. The DSL in opto-electronic materials and their quantum confined counterparts is studied in the presence of strong light waves and intense electric fields on the basis of newly formulated electron dispersion laws that control the studies of such quantum effect devices. The suggestions for the experimental determination of 2D and 3D DSL and the importance of measurement of band gap in optoelectronic materials under intense built-in electric field in nano devices and strong external photo excitation (for measuring photon induced physical properties) have also been discussed in this context. The influence of crossed electric and quantizing magnetic fields on the DSL and the DSL in heavily doped ...

Sustainable steric stabilization of colloidal titania nanoparticles

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Elbasuney, Sherif, E-mail: sherif_basuney2000@yahoo.com

2017-07-01

Graphical abstract: Controlled surface properties of titania nanoparticles via surface modification, flocculation from aqueous phase (a), stabilization in aqueous phase (b), extraction to organic phase (c). - Highlights: • Complete change in surface properties of titania nanoparticles from hydrophilic to hydrophobic. • Harvesting the formulated nanoparticles from the aqueous phase to the organic phase. • Exclusive surface modification in the reactor during nanoparticle synthesis. • Sustainable stabilization of titania nanoparticles in aqueous media with polar polymeric dispersant. - Abstract: A route to produce a stable colloidal suspension is essential if mono-dispersed particles are to be successfully synthesized, isolated, and used in subsequent nanocomposite manufacture. Dispersing nanoparticles in fluids was found to be an important approach for avoiding poor dispersion characteristics. However, there is still a great tendency for colloidal nanoparticles to flocculate over time. Steric stabilization can prevent coagulation by introducing a thick adsorbed organic layer which constitutes a significant steric barrier that can prevent the particle surfaces from coming into direct contact. One of the main features of hydrothermal synthesis technique is that it offers novel approaches for sustainable nanoparticle surface modification. This manuscript reports on the sustainable steric stabilization of titanium dioxide nanoparticles. Nanoparticle surface modification was performed via two main approaches including post-synthesis and in situ surface modification. The tuneable hydrothermal conditions (i.e. temperature, pressure, flow rates, and surfactant addition) were optimized to enable controlled steric stabilization in a continuous fashion. Effective post synthesis surface modification with organic ligand (dodecenyl succinic anhydride (DDSA)) was achieved; the optimum surface coating temperature was reported to be 180–240 °C to ensure DDSA ring opening

Single-crystalline self-branched anatase titania nanowires for dye-sensitized solar cells

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Zhenquan; Yang, Huang; Wu, Fei; Fu, Jianxun; Wang, Linjun; Yang, Weiguang

2017-03-01

The morphology of the anatase titania plays an important role in improving the photovoltaic performance in dye-sensitized solar cells. In this work, single-crystalline self-branched anatase TiO2 nanowires have been synthesized by hydrothermal method using TBAH and CTAB as morphology controlling agents. The obtained self-branched TiO2 nanowires dominated by a large percentage of (010) facets. The photovoltaic conversion efficiency (6.37%) of dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) based on the self-branched TiO2 nanowires shows a significant improvement (26.6%) compared to that of P25 TiO2 (5.03%). The enhanced performance of the self-branched TiO2 nanowires-based DSSC is due to heir large percent of exposed (010) facets which have strong dye adsorption capacity and effective charge transport of the self-branched 1D nanostructures.

Optimization of mechanical strength of titania fibers fabricated by direct drawing

Science.gov (United States)

Hanschmidt, Kelli; Tätte, Tanel; Hussainova, Irina; Part, Marko; Mändar, Hugo; Roosalu, Kaspar; Chasiotis, Ioannis

2013-11-01

Nanostructured polycrystalline titania (TiO2) microfibers were produced by direct drawing from visco-elastic alkoxide precursors. The fiber crystallinity and grain size were shown to depend on post-treatment calcination temperature. Tensile tests with individual fibers showed strong sensitivity of the elastic modulus and the tensile strength to microstructural details of the fibers. The elastic modulus of as-fabricated fibers increased about 10 times after calcination at 700 ∘C, while the strain at failure remained almost the same at ˜1.4 %. The highest tensile strength of more than 800 MPa was exhibited by nanoscale grained fibers with a bimodal grain size distribution consisting of rutile grains embedded into an anatase matrix. This structure is believed to have reduced the critical defect size, and thus increased the tensile strength. The resultant fibers showed properties that were appropriate for reinforcement of different matrixes.

Self-assembled nanostructures

CERN Document Server

Zhang, Jin Z; Liu, Jun; Chen, Shaowei; Liu, Gang-yu

2003-01-01

Nanostructures refer to materials that have relevant dimensions on the nanometer length scales and reside in the mesoscopic regime between isolated atoms and molecules in bulk matter. These materials have unique physical properties that are distinctly different from bulk materials. Self-Assembled Nanostructures provides systematic coverage of basic nanomaterials science including materials assembly and synthesis, characterization, and application. Suitable for both beginners and experts, it balances the chemistry aspects of nanomaterials with physical principles. It also highlights nanomaterial-based architectures including assembled or self-assembled systems. Filled with in-depth discussion of important applications of nano-architectures as well as potential applications ranging from physical to chemical and biological systems, Self-Assembled Nanostructures is the essential reference or text for scientists involved with nanostructures.

Sintering and mechanical properties of the alumina–tricalcium phosphate–titania composites

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sakka, Siwar, E-mail: sakka.siwar@yahoo.fr; Bouaziz, Jamel; Ben Ayed, Foued

2014-07-01

The objective of this study was to determine the effect of the content of titania and the sintering process on the transformation phase, the densification, the rupture strength and the microstructures of the alumina–10 wt.% tricalcium phosphate composites. After the sintering process, the samples were examined by using {sup 31}P and {sup 27}Al magic angle scanning nuclear magnetic resonance, X-ray powder diffraction and scanning electron microscopy analysis. The Brazilian test was used to measure the rupture strength of the samples. The present results provide new information about solid-state reactivity in the ternary system α-alumina-β-tricalcium phosphate–anatase–titania. The differential thermal analysis of the α-alumina-β-tricalcium phosphate–titania composites shows two endothermic peaks, at 1360 °C and at 1405 °C, which are caused by the reactions between titania/alumina and titania/tricalcium phosphate, respectively. Thus, the presence of titania in the alumina–10 wt.% tricalcium phosphate leads to the formation of β-Al{sub 2}TiO{sub 5} at 1360 °C. At 1600 °C, the alumina–10 wt.% tricalcium phosphate–5 wt.% titania composites displayed the highest rupture strength (74 MPa), compared to the alumina–10 wt.% tricalcium phosphate composites (13.5 MPa). Accordingly, the increase of the rupture strength is due to the formation of the new β-Al{sub 2}TiO{sub 5} phase. - Highlights: • We examine the mechanical properties of bioceramics. • We measure the rupture strength by the Brazilian test. • We characterize the alumina–10 wt.% tricalcium phosphate–titania composites.

Mechanical properties of BixSb2−xTe3 nanostructured thermoelectric material

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, G; Gadelrab, K R; Souier, T; Chiesa, M; Potapov, P L; Chen, G

2012-01-01

Research on thermoelectric (TE) materials has been focused on their transport properties in order to maximize their overall performance. Mechanical properties, which are crucial for system reliability, are often overlooked. The recent development of a new class of high-performance, low-dimension thermoelectric materials calls for a better understanding of their mechanical behavior to achieve the desired system reliability. In the present study we investigate the mechanical behavior of nanostructure bulk TE material p-type Bi x Sb 2−x Te 3 by means of nanoindentation and 3D finite element analysis. The Young’s modulus of the material was estimated by the Oliver–Pharr (OP) method and by means of numerically assisted nanoindentation analysis yielding comparable values about 40 GPa. Enhanced hardness and yield strength can be predicted for this nanostructured material. Microstructure is studied and correlation with mechanical properties is discussed. (paper)

Hybrids of ethylene vinyl acetate with Na-montmorillonite and titania: preparation and characterization

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ashfaq, M.

2010-01-01

Hybrids of Ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) with Na-montmorillonite and titania were formed. Montmorillonite was organically modified by two different modifiers: Pyridinium ions and 4. 4-oxydianilinium ions. X-ray diffraction results revealed that Pyridinium ions increased the .interlayer spacing by 0.33 nm and 4, 4-oxydianilinium by 0.55 nm approximately. These modified organo-clays were successfully exfoliated in EVA using melt blending. These hybrids showed improvement in mechanical and thermal properties. 4, 4-oxydianilinium ions were degraded at higher temperature due to which thermal degradation was enhanced in EVA. In addition to this, EVA/titania hybrids were also prepared using sot-gel technique and modified by triethoxy vinyl silane and (3-aminopropyI)- triethoxy silane to increase their compatibility with EVA. Some portion of unmodified titania was heat treated to 600 degree C to obtain particulate titania. The hybrid of particulate titania and modified titania improved the mechanical properties and thermal properties. Especially in case of modified titania toughness was almost doubled. (author)

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.

Silk fibroin nanostructured materials for biomedical applications

Science.gov (United States)

Mitropoulos, Alexander N.

Nanostructured biopolymers have proven to be promising to develop novel biomedical applications where forming structures at the nanoscale normally occurs by self-assembly. However, synthesizing these structures can also occur by inducing materials to transition into other forms by adding chemical cross-linkers, changing pH, or changing ionic composition. Understanding the generation of nanostructures in fluid environments, such as liquid organic solvents or supercritical fluids, has not been thoroughly examined, particularly those that are based on protein-based block-copolymers. Here, we examine the transformation of reconstituted silk fibroin, which has emerged as a promising biopolymer due to its biocompatibility, biodegradability, and ease of functionalization, into submicron spheres and gel networks which offer applications in tissue engineering and advanced sensors. Two types of gel networks, hydrogels and aerogels, have small pores and large surface areas that are defined by their structure. We design and analyze silk nanoparticle formation using a microfluidic device while offering an application for drug delivery. Additionally, we provide a model and characterize hydrogel formation from micelles to nanoparticles, while investigating cellular response to the hydrogel in an in vitro cell culture model. Lastly, we provide a second model of nanofiber formation during near-critical and supercritical drying and characterize the silk fibroin properties at different drying pressures which, when acting as a stabilizing matrix, shows to improve the activity of entrapped enzymes dried at different pressures. This work has created new nanostructured silk fibroin forms to benefit biomedical applications that could be applied to other fibrous proteins.

Ultrasonic micro-burnishing in view of eco-materials processing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Han, C.-H.; Kim, C.S.

2002-01-01

Surface finishing using ultrasonic vibration has been introduced as an eco-materials process in view of the fact that essentially no chemical lubricants of environmental impact are required for the process. An example of a recent application in manufacturing is given. Using a specially designed ultrasonic burnishing tool, we have carried out experiments on aluminum and steel, making surface roughness and hardness measurements and taking photographs of surface morphology using a scanning electron microscope These results are compared with those from ordinary burnishing. Based on the results, the contributions to the measured mechanical properties of each load from the total contact load onto the workpiece surface are discussed, and distinguishing features of surface finishing process using ultrasonic vibration have emerged. Copyright (2002) AD-TECH - International Foundation for the Advancement of Technology Ltd

Ultrahigh temperature-sensitive silicon MZI with titania cladding

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jong-Moo eLee

2015-05-01

Full Text Available We present a possibility of intensifying temperature sensitivity of a silicon Mach-Zehnder interferometer (MZI by using a highly negative thermo-optic property of titania (TiO2. Temperature sensitivity of an asymmetric silicon MZI with a titania cladding is experimentally measured from +18pm/C to -340 pm/C depending on design parameters of MZI.

Structure, hardness and fracture features of nanostructural materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Noskova, N.I.; Korznikov, A.V.; Idrisova, S.R.

2000-01-01

A study is made into nanocrystalline metals Cu and Mo, nanocrystalline intermetallic compound Ni 3 Al produced using severe plastic deformation; nanophase alloys Fe 73.5 Cu 1 Nb 3 Si 1.35 B 9 and Pd 81 Cu 7 Si 12 produced by crystallization from amorphous state as well as nanophase materials TiN and Al 2 O 3 produced by nano powder compacting in the temperature range of 273-573 K. Methods of transmission and scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction analysis, mechanical testing and microhardness measurement are applied to study structure, internal elastic stress, phase composition, hardness, strength and plastic properties, surface fracture mode of nanostructural materials [ru

Advanced nanostructured materials for energy storage and conversion

Science.gov (United States)

Hutchings, Gregory S.

Due to a global effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and to utilize renewable sources of energy, much effort has been directed towards creating new alternatives to fossil fuels. Identifying novel materials for energy storage and conversion can enable radical changes to the current fuel production infrastructure and energy utilization. The use of engineered nanostructured materials in these systems unlocks unique catalytic activity in practical configurations. In this work, research efforts have been focused on the development of nanostructured materials to address the need for both better energy conversion and storage, with applications toward Li-O2 battery electrocatalysts, electrocatalytic generation of H2, conversion of furfural to useful chemicals and fuels, and Li battery anode materials. Highly-active alpha-MnO2 materials were synthesized for use as bifunctional oxygen reduction (ORR) and evolution (OER) catalysts in Li-O2 batteries, and were evaluated under operating conditions with a novel in situ X-ray absorption spectroscopy configuration. Through detailed analysis of local coordination and oxidation states of Mn atoms at key points in the electrochemical cycle, a self-switching behavior affecting the bifunctional activity was identified and found to be critical. In an additional study of materials for lithium batteries, nanostructured TiO2 anode materials doped with first-row transition metals were synthesized and evaluated for improving battery discharge capacity and rate performance, with Ni and Co doping at low levels found to cause the greatest enhancement. In addition to battery technology research, I have also sought to find inexpensive and earth-abundant electrocatalysts to replace state-of-the-art Pt/C in the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), a systematic computational study of Cu-based bimetallic electrocatalysts was performed. During the screening of dilute surface alloys of Cu mixed with other first-row transition metals, materials with

Metal Nanoparticles and Carbon-Based Nanostructures as Advanced Materials for Cathode Application in Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pietro Calandra

2010-01-01

Full Text Available We review the most advanced methods for the fabrication of cathodes for dye-sensitized solar cells employing nanostructured materials. The attention is focused on metal nanoparticles and nanostructured carbon, among which nanotubes and graphene, whose good catalytic properties make them ideal for the development of counter electrode substrates, transparent conducting oxide, and advanced catalyst materials.

Leading research on super metal. 3. Amorphous and nanostructured metallic materials; Super metal no sendo kenkyu. 3. Kogata buzai

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1996-03-01

Very fine structure control technique for amorphous and nanostructured metallic materials was reviewed to exceed the marginal performance of small metallic member materials. In Japan, high strength alloys and anticorrosion alloys are currently developed as an amorphous structure control technique, and ultra fine powder production and nano-compaction molding are studied for nanostructured materials. Fabrication of amorphous alloy wire materials and metal glass in USA are also introduced. Fabrication of metallic nanocrystals deposited within gas phase in Germany are attracting attention. The strength and abrasion resistance are remarkably enhanced by making nanostructured crystals and dispersing them. It may be most suitable to utilize amorphous and nanostructured metallic materials for earth-friendly materials having anticorrosion, and catalyst and biomaterial affinities, and also for magnetic materials. It is important for controlling micro-structures to clarify the formation mechanism of structures. For their processing techniques, the diversity and possibility are suggested, as to the condensation and solidification of gaseous and liquid phase metals, the molding and processing of very fine solid phase alloys, and the manufacturing members by heat treatment. 324 refs., 109 figs., 21 tabs.

Immobilization of lipase and keratinase on functionalized SBA-15 nanostructured materials

Science.gov (United States)

Le, Hy G.; Vu, Tuan A.; Tran, Hoa T. K.; Dang, Phuong T.

2013-12-01

SBA-15 nanostructured materials were synthesized via hydrothermal treatment and were functionalized with 3- aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES). The obtained samples were characterized by different techniques such as XRD, BET, TEM, IR and DTA. After functionalization, it showed that these nanostrucrured materials still maintained the hexagonal pore structure of the parent SBA-15. The model enzyms chosen in this study were lipase and keratinase. Lipase was a biocatalyst for hydrolyzation of long chain triglycerides or methyl esters of long chain alcohols and fatty acids; keratinase is a proteolytic enzyme that catalyzes the cleavage of keratin. The functionalized SBA-15 materials were used to immobilize lipase and keratinase, exhibiting higher activity than that of the unfunctionalized pure silica SBA-15 ones. This might be due to the enhancing of surface hydrophobicity upon functionalization. The surface functionalization of the nanostructured silicas with organic groups can favor the interaction between enzyme and the supports and consequently increasing the operational stability of the immobilized enzymes. The loading of lipase on functionalized SBA-15 materials was higher than that of keratinase. This might be rationalized by the difference in size of enzyms.

Self-assembly strategies for the synthesis of functional nanostructured materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Perego, M.; Seguini, G.

2016-01-01

Self-assembly is the autonomous organization of components into patterns or structures without human intervention. This is the approach followed by nature to generate living cells and represents one of the practical strategies to fabricate ensembles of nanostructures. In static self-assembly the formation of ordered structures could require energy but once formed the structures are stable. The introduction of additional regular features in the environment could be used to template the self-assembly guiding the organization of the components and determining the final structure they form. In this regard self-assembly of block copolymers represents a potent platform for fundamental studies at the nanoscale and for application-driven investigation as a tool to fabricate functional nanostructured materials. Block copolymers can hierarchically assemble into chemically distinct domains with size and periodicity on the order of 10 nm or below, offering a potentially inexpensive route to generate large-area nanostructured materials. The final structure characteristics of these materials are dictated by the properties of the elementary block copolymers, like chain length, volume fraction or degree of block incompatibility. Modern synthetic chemistry offers the possibility to design these macromolecules with very specific length scales and geometries, directly embodying in the block copolymers the code that drives their self- assembling process. The understanding of the kinetics and thermodynamics of the block copolymer selfassembly process in the bulk phase as well as in thin films represents a fundamental prerequisite toward the exploitation of these materials. Incorporating block copolymer into device fabrication procedures or directly into devices, as active elements, will lead to the development of a new generation of devices fabricated using the fundamental law of nature to our advantage in order to minimize cost and power consumption in the fabrication process

Self-assembly strategies for the synthesis of functional nanostructured materials

Science.gov (United States)

Perego, M.; Seguini, G.

2016-06-01

Self-assembly is the autonomous organization of components into patterns or structures without human intervention. This is the approach followed by nature to generate living cells and represents one of the practical strategies to fabricate ensembles of nanostructures. In static self-assembly the formation of ordered structures could require energy but once formed the structures are stable. The introduction of additional regular features in the environment could be used to template the self-assembly guiding the organization of the components and determining the final structure they form. In this regard self-assembly of block copolymers represents a potent platform for fundamental studies at the nanoscale and for application-driven investigation as a tool to fabricate functional nanostructured materials. Block copolymers can hierarchically assemble into chemically distinct domains with size and periodicity on the order of 10nm or below, offering a potentially inexpensive route to generate large-area nanostructured materials. The final structure characteristics of these materials are dictated by the properties of the elementary block copolymers, like chain length, volume fraction or degree of block incompatibility. Modern synthetic chemistry offers the possibility to design these macromolecules with very specific length scales and geometries, directly embodying in the block copolymers the code that drives their self- assembling process. The understanding of the kinetics and thermodynamics of the block copolymer self-assembly process in the bulk phase as well as in thin films represents a fundamental prerequisite toward the exploitation of these materials. Incorporating block copolymer into device fabrication procedures or directly into devices, as active elements, will lead to the development of a new generation of devices fabricated using the fundamental law of nature to our advantage in order to minimize cost and power consumption in the fabrication process

Degradation of organophosphorus pesticide parathion methyl on nanostructured titania-iron mixed oxides

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Henych, Jiří, E-mail: henych@iic.cas.cz [Department of Material Chemistry, Institute of Inorganic Chemistry AS CR v.v.i., 25068 Řež (Czech Republic); Štengl, Václav; Slušná, Michaela; Matys Grygar, Tomáš [Department of Material Chemistry, Institute of Inorganic Chemistry AS CR v.v.i., 25068 Řež (Czech Republic); Janoš, Pavel; Kuráň, Pavel; Štastný, Martin [Faculty of the Environment, J.E. Purkyně University, Králova Výšina 7, 400 96 Ústí nad Labem (Czech Republic)

2015-07-30

Highlights: • Ti–Fe mixed oxides were synthesized via low-temperature one-pot method. • Mixed oxides were used for degradation of parathion methyl. • Pure reference oxide samples showed no degradation ability. • Mixed oxides reached 70% degree of conversion of parathion methyl. - Abstract: Titania-iron mixed oxides with various Ti:Fe ratio were prepared by homogeneous hydrolysis of aqueous solutions of titanium(IV) oxysulphate and iron(III) sulphate with urea as a precipitating agent. The synthesized samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction, Raman and infrared spectroscopy, scanning and transmission electron microscopy, XRF analysis, specific surface area (BET) and porosity determination (BJH). These oxides were used for degradation of organophosporus pesticide parathion methyl. The highest degradation efficiency approaching <70% was found for the samples with Ti:Fe ratio 0.25:1 and 1:0.25. Contrary, parathion methyl was not degraded on the surfaces of pure oxides. In general, the highest degradation rate exhibited samples consisted of the iron or titanium oxide containing a moderate amount of the admixture. However, distinct correlations between the degradation rate and the sorbent composition were not identified.

The Process of Nanostructuring of Metal (Iron Matrix in Composite Materials for Directional Control of the Mechanical Properties

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Elena Zemtsova

2014-01-01

Full Text Available We justified theoretical and experimental bases of synthesis of new class of highly nanostructured composite nanomaterials based on metal matrix with titanium carbide nanowires as dispersed phase. A new combined method for obtaining of metal iron-based composite materials comprising the powder metallurgy processes and the surface design of the dispersed phase is considered. The following stages of material synthesis are investigated: (1 preparation of porous metal matrix; (2 surface structuring of the porous metal matrix by TiC nanowires; (3 pressing and sintering to give solid metal composite nanostructured materials based on iron with TiC nanostructures with size 1–50 nm. This material can be represented as the material type “frame in the frame” that represents iron metal frame reinforcing the frame of different chemical compositions based on TiC. Study of material functional properties showed that the mechanical properties of composite materials based on iron with TiC dispersed phase despite the presence of residual porosity are comparable to the properties of the best grades of steel containing expensive dopants and obtained by molding. This will solve the problem of developing a new generation of nanostructured metal (iron-based materials with improved mechanical properties for the different areas of technology.

Eco-efficiency Analysis of Furniture Product Using Life Cycle Assessment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ika Rinawati Dyah

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Furniture is one of Indonesia’s main commodities strategically role in economic growth and employment in Indonesia. In their production process there many wastes resulted, such as such as sawdust, cuttings - pieces of wood, components that do not conform to specifications and the edges of wood from a log. Contrast with requirement of timber for furniture industries, availability of raw material sources decrease because of limited forest areas. Beside that, using electricity and chemical material in furniture production process have impact to environment. This study aim to assess the eco-cost and eco-efficiency ratio of the product so strategic recommendations to improve the eco-efficiency of products can be designed. The results of data processing showed the environmental costs of the furniture production process amount Rp 30.887.84. Eco-efficiency index of furniture products studied was 4,79 with the eco-efficiency ratio of 79,12%. This result means that the measured furniture products already profitable and sustainable, as well as its production process is already fairly efficient. However, improved performance of the production process can still be done to improve the eco-efficiency by minimizing the use of raw materials.

Eco-efficiency Analysis of Furniture Product Using Life Cycle Assessment

Science.gov (United States)

Rinawati, Dyah Ika; Sriyanto; Sari, Diana Puspita; Prayodha, Andana Cantya

2018-02-01

Furniture is one of Indonesia's main commodities strategically role in economic growth and employment in Indonesia. In their production process there many wastes resulted, such as such as sawdust, cuttings - pieces of wood, components that do not conform to specifications and the edges of wood from a log. Contrast with requirement of timber for furniture industries, availability of raw material sources decrease because of limited forest areas. Beside that, using electricity and chemical material in furniture production process have impact to environment. This study aim to assess the eco-cost and eco-efficiency ratio of the product so strategic recommendations to improve the eco-efficiency of products can be designed. The results of data processing showed the environmental costs of the furniture production process amount Rp 30.887.84. Eco-efficiency index of furniture products studied was 4,79 with the eco-efficiency ratio of 79,12%. This result means that the measured furniture products already profitable and sustainable, as well as its production process is already fairly efficient. However, improved performance of the production process can still be done to improve the eco-efficiency by minimizing the use of raw materials.

Analisa Eco-friendly Attitudes Dan Eco-friendly Behavior Terhadap Eco-friendly Intention Green Hotel Di Indonesia

OpenAIRE

Silvia, Lanny; Rudijanto, Diana Gabriela; Kristanti, Monika

2017-01-01

Kesadaran masyarakat akan lingkungan yang semakin meningkat membuat masyarakat gencar mencari hotel yang ramah lingkungan dibandingkan dengan hotel konvensional. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui perbedaan eco-friendly attitude, eco- friendly behavior, dan eco-friendly intention konsumen generasi x dan generasi y terhadap green hotel di Indonesia dan apakah eco-friendly attitudes dan eco-friendly behavior berpengaruh signifikan terhadap eco-friendly intention. Total responden dalam pe...

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.

Eco-friendly electron beam lithography using water-developable resist material derived from biomass

Science.gov (United States)

Takei, Satoshi; Oshima, Akihiro; Wakabayashi, Takanori; Kozawa, Takahiro; Tagawa, Seiichi

2012-07-01

We investigated the eco-friendly electron beam (EB) lithography using a high-sensitive negative type of water-developable resist material derived from biomass on hardmask layer for tri-layer processes. A water developable, non-chemically amplified, high sensitive, and negative tone resist material in EB lithography was developed for environmental affair, safety, easiness of handling, and health of the working people, instead of the common developable process of trimethylphenylammonium hydroxide. The images of 200 nm line and 800 nm space pattern with exposure dose of 7.0 μC/cm2 and CF4 etching selectivity of 2.2 with hardmask layer were provided by specific process conditions.

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

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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.

Molecularly imprinted titania nanoparticles for selective recognition and assay of uric acid

Science.gov (United States)

Mujahid, Adnan; Khan, Aimen Idrees; Afzal, Adeel; Hussain, Tajamal; Raza, Muhammad Hamid; Shah, Asma Tufail; uz Zaman, Waheed

2015-06-01

Molecularly imprinted titania nanoparticles are su ccessfully synthesized by sol-gel method for the selective recognition of uric acid. Atomic force microscopy is used to study the morphology of uric acid imprinted titania nanoparticles with diameter in the range of 100-150 nm. Scanning electron microscopy images of thick titania layer indicate the formation of fine network of titania nanoparticles with uniform distribution. Molecular imprinting of uric acid as well as its subsequent washing is confirmed by Fourier transformation infrared spectroscopy measurements. Uric acid rebinding studies reveal the recognition capability of imprinted particles in the range of 0.01-0.095 mmol, which is applicable in monitoring normal to elevated levels of uric acid in human blood. The optical shift (signal) of imprinted particles is six times higher in comparison with non-imprinted particles for the same concentration of uric acid. Imprinted titania particles have shown substantially reduced binding affinity toward interfering and structurally related substances, e.g. ascorbic acid and guanine. These results suggest the possible application of titania nanoparticles in uric acid recognition and quantification in blood serum.

Cavitational synthesis of nanostructured inorganic materials for enhanced heterogeneous catalysis

Science.gov (United States)

Krausz, Ivo Michael

The synthesis of nanostructured inorganic materials by hydrodynamic cavitation processing was investigated. The goal of this work was to develop a general synthesis technique for nanostructured materials with a control over crystallite size in the 1--20 nm range. Materials with crystallite sizes in this range have shown enhanced catalytic activity compared to materials with larger crystallite sizes. Several supported and unsupported inorganic materials were studied to understand the effects of cavitation on crystallite size. Cavitation processing of calcium fluoride resulted in more spherical particles, attached to one another by melted necks. This work produced the first evidence of shock wave heating of nanostructured materials by hydrodynamic cavitation processing. Hydrodynamic cavitation synthesis of various catalytic support materials indicated that their phase composition and purity could be controlled by adjustment of the processing parameters. Zirconia/alumina supports synthesized using hydro-dynamic cavitation and calcined to 1368 K retained a high purity cubic zirconia phase, whereas classically prepared samples showed a phase transformation to monoclinic zirconia. Similarly, the synthesis of alumina resulted in materials with varying Bohmite and Bayerite contents as a function of the process parameters. High temperature calcination resulted in stable alumina supports with varying amounts of delta-, and theta-alumina. Synthesis studies of palladium and silver showed modest variations in crystallite size as a function of cavitation process parameters. Calcination resulted in larger grain materials, indicating a disappearance of intergrain boundaries. Based on these results, a new synthesis method was studied involving controlled agglomeration of small silver crystallites by hydrodynamic cavitation processing, followed by deposition on alumina. The optimal pH, concentration, and processing time for controlling the silver crystallite size in the cavitation

Advanced Magnetic Nanostructures

CERN Document Server

Sellmyer, David

2006-01-01

Advanced Magnetic Nanostructures is devoted to the fabrication, characterization, experimental investigation, theoretical understanding, and utilization of advanced magnetic nanostructures. Focus is on various types of 'bottom-up' and 'top-down' artificial nanostructures, as contrasted to naturally occurring magnetic nanostructures, such as iron-oxide inclusions in magnetic rocks, and to structures such as perfect thin films. Chapter 1 is an introduction into some basic concepts, such as the definitions of basic magnetic quantities. Chapters 2-4 are devoted to the theory of magnetic nanostructures, Chapter 5 deals with the characterization of the structures, and Chapters 6-10 are devoted to specific systems. Applications of advanced magnetic nanostructures are discussed in Chapters11-15 and, finally, the appendix lists and briefly discusses magnetic properties of typical starting materials. Industrial and academic researchers in magnetism and related areas such as nanotechnology, materials science, and theore...

In situ iron-57 Moessbauer spectroscopic investigations of the effect of titania surface area on the reducibility of titania-supported iron oxide

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Berry, F.J.; Du Hongzhang

1990-01-01

Iron-57 Moessbauer spectroscopy has been used to monitor the reducibility in hydrogen of iron oxides supported on titania of differing surface areas. The results show that although Fe 3+ in the iron oxide supported on low surface area titania (11 m 2 g -1 ) is not amenable to facile reduction at low temperatures, complete reduction to metallic iron is achieved by treatment at 600deg C. The data also show that the extent of reduction at elevated temperatures exceeds that which is obtained on similar silica- and alumina-supported systems. Fe 3+ in iron oxide supported on higher surface area titania (50 m 2 g -1 and 240 m 2 g -1 ) is partially reduced in hydrogen at 235deg C to Fe 2+ but fails to attain complete reduction to the metallic state following treatment at 600deg C. The results are related to the different dispersions of iron oxide which can be attained on titania of differing surface area and the consequent interactions between the support and the supported phases. (orig.)

Optical, mechanical and TEM assessment of titania-doped Bi2V1 ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

2016-08-26

Aug 26, 2016 ... Home; Journals; Bulletin of Materials Science; Volume 37; Issue 7. Optical, mechanical and TEM assessment of titania-doped Bi2V1−TiO5.5−δ bismuth vanadate oxides. Gurbinder Kaur Gary Pickrell Vishal Kumar Om Prakash Pandey Kulvir Singh Daniel Homa. Volume 37 Issue 7 December 2014 pp ...

Guided in Situ Polymerization of MEH-PPV in Mesoporous Titania Photoanodes.

Science.gov (United States)

Minar, Norma K; Docampo, Pablo; Fattakhova-Rohlfing, Dina; Bein, Thomas

2015-05-20

Incorporation of conjugated polymers into porous metal oxide networks is a challenging task, which is being pursued via many different approaches. We have developed the guided in situ polymerization of poly(2-methoxy-5-(2'-ethylhexyloxy)-p-phenylenevinylene) (MEH-PPV) in porous titania films by means of surface functionalization. The controlled polymerization via the Gilch route was induced by an alkoxide base and by increasing the temperature. The selected and specially designed surface-functionalizing linker molecules mimic the monomer or its activated form, respectively. In this way, we drastically enhanced the amount of MEH-PPV incorporated into the porous titania phase compared to nonfunctionalized samples by a factor of 6. Additionally, photovoltaic measurements were performed. The devices show shunting or series resistance limitations, depending on the surface functionalization prior to in situ polymerization of MEH-PPV. We suggest that the reason for this behavior can be found in the orientation of the grown polymer chains with respect to the titania surface. Therefore, the geometry of the anchoring via the linker molecules is relevant for exploiting the full electronic potential of the conjugated polymer in the resulting hybrid composite. This observation will help to design future synthesis methods for new hybrid materials from conjugated polymers and n-type semiconductors to take full advantage of favorable electronic interactions between the two phases.

Thermally modified titania photocatalysts for phenol removal from water

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Joanna Grzechulska-Damszel

2006-01-01

Full Text Available Two kinds of titanium dioxide were used as starting materials for thermal modification: Tytanpol A11 supplied by Chemical Factory “Police” S.A. (Poland and Degussa P25 supplied by Degussa AG (Germany. The photocatalytic activity of titania materials modified by thermal treatment was tested in the reaction of photocatalytic oxidation of phenol. It was found that the highest activity in the reaction of photocatalytic decomposition of phenol, in case of Tytanpol A11, shows the samples of material modified at temperatures of 700 and 750°C. These catalysts were more active than untreated A11, whereas materials modified at higher temperatures show lower activity. In the case of P25, all thermally treated materials were less active than the unmodified material. The photocatalyst samples were characterized by UV-Vis/DR, FTIR/DRS, and XRD methods.

Comprehensive Enhancement of Nanostructured Lithium-Ion Battery Cathode Materials via Conformal Graphene Dispersion.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Kan-Sheng; Xu, Rui; Luu, Norman S; Secor, Ethan B; Hamamoto, Koichi; Li, Qianqian; Kim, Soo; Sangwan, Vinod K; Balla, Itamar; Guiney, Linda M; Seo, Jung-Woo T; Yu, Xiankai; Liu, Weiwei; Wu, Jinsong; Wolverton, Chris; Dravid, Vinayak P; Barnett, Scott A; Lu, Jun; Amine, Khalil; Hersam, Mark C

2017-04-12

Efficient energy storage systems based on lithium-ion batteries represent a critical technology across many sectors including consumer electronics, electrified transportation, and a smart grid accommodating intermittent renewable energy sources. Nanostructured electrode materials present compelling opportunities for high-performance lithium-ion batteries, but inherent problems related to the high surface area to volume ratios at the nanometer-scale have impeded their adoption for commercial applications. Here, we demonstrate a materials and processing platform that realizes high-performance nanostructured lithium manganese oxide (nano-LMO) spinel cathodes with conformal graphene coatings as a conductive additive. The resulting nanostructured composite cathodes concurrently resolve multiple problems that have plagued nanoparticle-based lithium-ion battery electrodes including low packing density, high additive content, and poor cycling stability. Moreover, this strategy enhances the intrinsic advantages of nano-LMO, resulting in extraordinary rate capability and low temperature performance. With 75% capacity retention at a 20C cycling rate at room temperature and nearly full capacity retention at -20 °C, this work advances lithium-ion battery technology into unprecedented regimes of operation.

Electrostatic interactions for directed assembly of high performance nanostructured energetic materials of Al/Fe2O3/multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang, Tianfu; Ma, Zhuang; Li, Guoping; Wang, Zhen; Zhao, Benbo; Luo, Yunjun

2016-01-01

Electrostatic self-assembly in organic solvent without intensively oxidative or corrosive environments, was adopted to prepare Al/Fe 2 O 3 /MWCNT nanostructured energetic materials as an energy generating material. The negatively charged MWCNT was used as a glue-like agent to direct the self-assembly of the well dispersed positively charged Al (fuel) and Fe 2 O 3 (oxide) nanoparticles. This spontaneous assembly method without any surfactant chemistry or other chemical and biological moieties decreased the aggregation of the same nanoparticles largely, moreover, the poor interfacial contact between the Al (fuel) and Fe 2 O 3 (oxide) nanoparticles was improved significantly, which was the key characteristic of high performance nanostructured energetic materials. In addition, the assembly process was confirmed as Diffusion-Limited Aggregation. The assembled Al/Fe 2 O 3 /MWCNT nanostructured energetic materials showed excellent performance with heat release of 2400 J/g, peak pressure of 0.42 MPa and pressurization rate of 105.71 MPa/s, superior to that in the control group Al/Fe 2 O 3 nanostructured energetic materials prepared by sonication with heat release of 1326 J/g, peak pressure of 0.19 MPa and pressurization rate of 33.33 MPa/s. Therefore, the approach, which is facile, opens a promising route to the high performance nanostructured energetic materials. - Graphical abstract: The negatively charged MWCNT was used as a glue-like agent to direct the self-assembly of the well dispersed positively charged Al (fuel) and Fe 2 O 3 (oxide) nanoparticles. - Highlights: • A facile spontaneous electrostatic assembly strategy without surfactant was adopted. • The fuels and oxidizers assembled into densely packed nanostructured composites. • The assembled nanostructured energetic materials have excellent performance. • This high performance energetic material can be scaled up for practical application. • This strategy can be applied into other nanostructured

Increased fibroblast functionality on CNN2-loaded titania nanotubes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wei HB

2012-02-01

Full Text Available Hongbo Wei*, Shuyi Wu*, Zhihong Feng, Wei Zhou, Yan Dong, Guofeng Wu, Shizhu Bai, Yimin Zhao Department of Prosthodontics, School of Stomatology, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, People's Republic of China *These authors contributed equally to this workAbstract: Infection and epithelial downgrowth are major problems associated with maxillofacial percutaneous implants. These complications are mainly due to the improper closure of the implant–skin interface. Therefore, designing a percutaneous implant that better promotes the formation of a stable soft tissue biologic seal around percutaneous sites is highly desirable. Additionally, the fibroblast has been proven to play an important role in the formation of biologic seals. In this study, titania nanotubes were filled with 11.2 kDa C-terminal CCN2 (connective tissue growth factor fragment, which could exert full CCN2 activity to increase the biological functionality of fibroblasts. This drug delivery system was fabricated on a titanium implant surface. CCN2 was loaded into anodized titania nanotubes using a simplified lyophilization method and the loading efficiency was approximately 80%. Then, the release kinetics of CCN2 from these nanotubes was investigated. Furthermore, the influence of CCN2-loaded titania nanotubes on fibroblast functionality was examined. The results revealed increased fibroblast adhesion at 0.25, 0.5, 1, 2, 4, and 24 hours, increased fibroblast viability over the course of 5 days, as well as enhanced actin cytoskeleton organization on CCN2-loaded titania nanotubes surfaces compared to uncoated, unmodified counterparts. Therefore, the results from this in vitro study demonstrate that CCN2-loaded titania nanotubes have the ability to increase fibroblast functionality and should be further studied as a method of promoting the formation of a stable soft tissue biologic seal around percutaneous sites.Keywords: anodization, titania nanotubes, adhesion, connective

Water-evaporation-induced electricity with nanostructured carbon materials.

Science.gov (United States)

Xue, Guobin; Xu, Ying; Ding, Tianpeng; Li, Jia; Yin, Jun; Fei, Wenwen; Cao, Yuanzhi; Yu, Jin; Yuan, Longyan; Gong, Li; Chen, Jian; Deng, Shaozhi; Zhou, Jun; Guo, Wanlin

2017-05-01

Water evaporation is a ubiquitous natural process that harvests thermal energy from the ambient environment. It has previously been utilized in a number of applications including the synthesis of nanostructures and the creation of energy-harvesting devices. Here, we show that water evaporation from the surface of a variety of nanostructured carbon materials can be used to generate electricity. We find that evaporation from centimetre-sized carbon black sheets can reliably generate sustained voltages of up to 1 V under ambient conditions. The interaction between the water molecules and the carbon layers and moreover evaporation-induced water flow within the porous carbon sheets are thought to be key to the voltage generation. This approach to electricity generation is related to the traditional streaming potential, which relies on driving ionic solutions through narrow gaps, and the recently reported method of moving ionic solutions across graphene surfaces, but as it exploits the natural process of evaporation and uses cheap carbon black it could offer advantages in the development of practical devices.

Evaluation of the Morphology and Osteogenic Potential of Titania-Based Electrospun Nanofibers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xiaokun Wang

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Submicron-scale titania-based ceramic fibers with various compositions have been prepared by electrospinning. The as-prepared nanofibers were heat-treated at 700°C for 3 h to obtain pure inorganic fiber meshes. The results show that the diameter and morphology of the nanofibers are affected by starting polymer concentration and sol-gel composition. The titania and titania-silica nanofibers had the average diameter about 100–300 nm. The crystal phase varied from high-crystallized rutile-anatase mixed crystal to low-crystallized anatase with adding the silica addition. The morphology and crystal phase were evaluated by SEM and XRD. Bone-marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells were seeded on titania-silica 50/50 fiber meshes. Cell number and early differentiation marker expressions were analyzed, and the results indicated osteogenic potential of the titania-silica 50/50 fiber meshes.

Preparation and bioactivity evaluation of hydroxyapatite-titania/chitosan-gelatin polymeric biocomposites

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mohamed, Khaled R.; Mostafa, Amani A.

2008-01-01

Biocomposites consisting of hydroxyapatite (HA) and natural polymers such as collagen, chitosan, chitin,and gelatin have been extensively investigated. However, studies on the combination of HA and titania with chitosan and gelatin have not been conducted yet. Novel biodegradable hydroxyapatite-titania/chitosan-gelatin polymeric composites were fabricated. In this work, our results are concerning with the preparation and characterization of HA powder and HA filler containing titania powder (10 and 30%) with a chitosan and gelatin copolymer matrix. The present research focuses on characterizing the structure of this novel class of biocomposites. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Fourier Transformed Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR), Scanning electron microscopy (SEM-EDAX) were employed to assess the produced composites. The mechanical properties in terms of compressive strength and hardness test were also investigated. The in vitro study in simulated body fluid (SBF) was performed to assess the bioactivity of composites. The results proved that apatite resembling natural bone are formed faster and greater in the case the composite of HA containing 10% titania into chitosan-gelatin polymeric matrix when they are soaked in a simulated body fluid (SBF) than the composite containing 30% titania. The biocomposites containing HA with 10% titania are expected to be attractive for bioapplications as bone substitutes and scaffolds for tissue engineering in future

Synthesis and study of nano-structured cellulose acetate based materials for energy applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fischer, F.

2006-12-01

Nano-structured materials have unique properties (high exchange areas, containment effect) because of their very low characteristic dimensions. The elaboration way set up in this PhD work consists in applying the classical processes for the preparation of aerogel-like materials (combining sol-gel synthesis and CO 2 supercritical extraction) to cellulosic polymers. This work is divided in four parts: a literature review, the presentation and the study of the chemical synthesis that leads to cellulose acetate-based aerogel, the characterizations (chemical, structural and thermal) of the elaborated nano-materials, and finally the study of the first carbons that were obtained after pyrolysis of the organic matrix. The formulations and the sol-gel protocol lead to chemical gels by crosslinking cellulose acetate using a poly-functional iso-cyanate. The dry materials obtained after solvent extraction with supercritical CO 2 are nano-structured and mainly meso-porous. Correlations between chemical synthesis parameters (reagent concentrations, crosslinking rate and degree of polymerisation) and porous properties (density, porosity, pore size distribution) were highlighted thanks to structural characterizations. An ultra-porous reference aerogel, with a density equals to 0,245 g.cm -3 together with a meso-porous volume of 3,40 cm 3 .g -1 was elaborated. Once in granular shape, this material has a thermal conductivity of 0,029 W.m -1 .K -1 . In addition, carbon materials produced after pyrolysis of the organic matrix and after grinding are nano-structured and nano-porous, even if important structural modifications have occurred during the carbonization process. The elaborated materials are evaluated for applications in relation with energy such as thermal insulation (organic aerogels) but also for energy conversion and storage through electrochemical way (carbon aerogels). (author)

Nanostructured implant surface effect on osteoblast gene expression and bone-to-implant contact in vivo

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mendonca, Gustavo, E-mail: gustavo_mendonca@dentistry.unc.edu [Universidade Catolica de Brasilia, Pos-Graduacao em Ciencias Genomicas e Biotecnologia, SGAN Quadra 916, Modulo B, Av. W5 Norte 70.790-160-Asa Norte Brasilia/DF (Brazil); Bone Biology and Implant Therapy Laboratory, Department of Prosthodontics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 404 Brauer Hall, CB 7450, Chapel Hill, NC 27511 (United States); Universidade Catolica de Brasilia, Curso de Odontologia, Taguatinga/DF (Brazil); Baccelli Silveira Mendonca, Daniela [Universidade Catolica de Brasilia, Pos-Graduacao em Ciencias Genomicas e Biotecnologia, SGAN Quadra 916, Modulo B, Av. W5 Norte 70.790-160-Asa Norte Brasilia/DF (Brazil) and Bone Biology and Implant Therapy Laboratory, Department of Prosthodontics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 404 Brauer Hall, CB 7450, Chapel Hill, NC 27511 (United States); Pagotto Simoes, Luis Gustavo; Araujo, Andre Luis; Leite, Edson Roberto [Departmento de Quimica, Universidade Federal de Sao Carlos-UFSCAR, Rod. Washington Luiz, 13565-905 Sao Carlos, SP (Brazil); Golin, Alexsander Luiz [Departmento de Engenharia Mecanica, Faculdade de Engenharia Mecanica, Pontificia Universidade Catolica de Curitiba, Curitiba, PR (Brazil); Aragao, Francisco J.L. [Universidade Catolica de Brasilia, Pos-Graduacao em Ciencias Genomicas e Biotecnologia, SGAN Quadra 916, Modulo B, Av. W5 Norte 70.790-160-Asa Norte Brasilia/DF (Brazil); Embrapa Recursos Geneticos e Biotecnologia, Laboratorio de Introducao e Expressao de Genes, PqEB W5 Norte, 70770-900, Brasilia, DF (Brazil); Cooper, Lyndon F., E-mail: lyndon_cooper@dentistry.unc.edu [Bone Biology and Implant Therapy Laboratory, Department of Prosthodontics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 404 Brauer Hall, CB 7450, Chapel Hill, NC 27511 (United States)

2011-12-01

The aim of this study was to investigate the response of nanostructured implant surfaces at the level of osteoblast differentiation and its effects in bone-to-implant contact (BIC) and removal-torque values (RTV). CpTi grade IV implants (1.6 x 4.0 mm) were machined or machined and subsequently coated with an oxide solution. The surfaces were divided into: machined (M), titania-anatase (An), titania-rutile (Ru), and zirconia (Zr). Surfaces were examined by scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, and by X-ray microanalysis. Implants were inserted in rat tibia and harvested from 0 to 21 days for measurement of Alkaline Phosphatase, Bone Sialoprotein, Osteocalcin, Osteopontin, and RUNX-2 mRNA levels by real time PCR; from 0 to 56 days for RTV; and from 0 to 56 days for BIC. The roughness parameter (Sa) was compared by one-way ANOVA followed by Tukey Test. Comparison of Torque removal values and histomorphometric measurements on implants in vivo was performed by Kruskal-Wallis test and the significance level for all statistical analyses was set at p {<=} 0.05. mRNA levels on all nanostructured surfaces were increased compared to M. At 56 days, the mean RTV in Ncm was 11.6 {+-} 2.5, 11.3 {+-} 2.4, 11.1 {+-} 3.5, 9.7 {+-} 1.4 for An, Ru, Zr, and M, respectively. Higher BIC (%) was measured for all the nanostructured surfaces versus M at 21 and 56 days (p < 0.05). Nanostructured topographic features composed of TiO{sub 2} or ZrO{sub 2} applied to machined cpTi implant promoted greater mesenchymal stem cell commitment to the osteoblast phenotype and associated increased BIC and physical association with bone. Highlights: {yields} Nanostructured surfaces using a sol-gel technique coated cpTi with TiO{sub 2} or ZrO{sub 2}. {yields} Evaluated molecular and mechanical effect of nanofeatures in vivo in rat tibiae. {yields} Nanofeatures improved the differentiation of rat MSCs into osteoblasts. {yields} Nanofeatures improved increased bone-to-implant contact and

The detection of improvised nonmilitary peroxide based explosives using a titania nanotube array sensor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Banerjee, Subarna; Mohapatra, Susanta K; Misra, Mano; Mishra, Indu B

2009-01-01

There is a critical need to develop an efficient, reliable and highly selective sensor for the detection of improvised nonmilitary explosives. This paper describes the utilization of functionalized titania nanotube arrays for sensing improvised organic peroxide explosives such as triacetone triperoxide (TATP). TATP forms complexes with titania nanotube arrays (prepared by anodization and sensitized with zinc ions) and thus affects the electron state of the nanosensing device, which is signaled as a change in current of the overall nanotube material. The response is rapid and a signal of five to eight orders of magnitude is observed. These nanotube array sensors can be used as hand-held miniaturized devices as well as large scale portable units for military and homeland security applications.

The detection of improvised nonmilitary peroxide based explosives using a titania nanotube array sensor.

Science.gov (United States)

Banerjee, Subarna; Mohapatra, Susanta K; Misra, Mano; Mishra, Indu B

2009-02-18

There is a critical need to develop an efficient, reliable and highly selective sensor for the detection of improvised nonmilitary explosives. This paper describes the utilization of functionalized titania nanotube arrays for sensing improvised organic peroxide explosives such as triacetone triperoxide (TATP). TATP forms complexes with titania nanotube arrays (prepared by anodization and sensitized with zinc ions) and thus affects the electron state of the nanosensing device, which is signaled as a change in current of the overall nanotube material. The response is rapid and a signal of five to eight orders of magnitude is observed. These nanotube array sensors can be used as hand-held miniaturized devices as well as large scale portable units for military and homeland security applications.

Hydrothermal growth of titania nanowires for SAW device sensing area

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zakaria Mohd Rosydi

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Synthesis of titania or titanium dioxide (TiO2 is attracted to energy and environmental applications. Here, the growth of nanostructure TiO2 nanowires on Si (100 substrates by using the two-step method. Different seed layers of TiO2 were deposited by spin coating and annealing, followed by the growth of TiO2 nanowires by using the hydrothermal method. The sol-gel technique was used in preparing the TiO2 solution for the thin film deposition purpose. Acetic acid, hydrochloric acid and tris (2-aminoethyl amine were used as a stabilizer to synthesize three different TiO2 seed layers. The aim of this study was to understand the role of polycrystalline size on thin film towards the diameter of nanowires grown as a sensing area in Surface Acoustic Wave (SAW Biosensor. The morphology and structure of the thin film and TiO2 nanowires were characterized using X-Ray diffraction (XRD, scanning electron microscope (SEM, field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM and atomic force microscopy (AFM.

Hydroxyapatite nucleated and grown on nano titania particles enhances recruitment of Escherichia coli for subsequent photocatalytic elimination

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Huang, Jing; Liu, Yi; Liu, Yuxin; Li, Hua

2015-01-01

Titania-hydroxyapatite (HA) nanocomposites were fabricated by wet chemical synthesis approach. HA exhibited crystallographic orientation of nucleation on nano titania particle, forming the composite particles with titania being partially enwrapped with HA. Microstructural characterization by high resolution transmission electron microscopy revealed coherent interfacial bond of (110) and (222) planes of HA crystal with (101) plane of anatase. The HA layer promoted significantly recruitment of Escherichia coli bacteria onto the titania-based particles for subsequent photocatalytic killing. Less extent of enwrapping of HA on titania particle, as accomplished by increasing the aging time of HA suspension, gave rise to better capability of photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue and sterilization of the bacteria. The novel HA-enwrapped titania powder shows great potential for environmental applications. - Highlights: • Titania-hydroxyapatite nanocomposite powder was fabricated with cladding structure. • Hydroxyapatite nucleated and grew on titania particle with preferred orientation. • Hydroxyapatite layer promotes recruitment of Escherichia coli onto titania-based particles. • The titania-hydroxyapatite particles show excellent antibacterial performances. • The nanocomposite powder exhibits excellent photocatalytic performances

Hydroxyapatite nucleated and grown on nano titania particles enhances recruitment of Escherichia coli for subsequent photocatalytic elimination

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Huang, Jing; Liu, Yi; Liu, Yuxin; Li, Hua, E-mail: lihua@nimte.ac.cn

2015-02-01

Titania-hydroxyapatite (HA) nanocomposites were fabricated by wet chemical synthesis approach. HA exhibited crystallographic orientation of nucleation on nano titania particle, forming the composite particles with titania being partially enwrapped with HA. Microstructural characterization by high resolution transmission electron microscopy revealed coherent interfacial bond of (110) and (222) planes of HA crystal with (101) plane of anatase. The HA layer promoted significantly recruitment of Escherichia coli bacteria onto the titania-based particles for subsequent photocatalytic killing. Less extent of enwrapping of HA on titania particle, as accomplished by increasing the aging time of HA suspension, gave rise to better capability of photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue and sterilization of the bacteria. The novel HA-enwrapped titania powder shows great potential for environmental applications. - Highlights: • Titania-hydroxyapatite nanocomposite powder was fabricated with cladding structure. • Hydroxyapatite nucleated and grew on titania particle with preferred orientation. • Hydroxyapatite layer promotes recruitment of Escherichia coli onto titania-based particles. • The titania-hydroxyapatite particles show excellent antibacterial performances. • The nanocomposite powder exhibits excellent photocatalytic performances.

Preparation of nitrogen-doped titania using sol-gel technique and its photocatalytic activity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Qin Haoli; Gu Guobang; Liu Song

2008-01-01

Yellowish nitrogen-doped titania was produced through sol-gel method at room temperature, with the elemental nitrogen derived from aqua ammonia. The titania catalysts were characterized using TG-DSC, XRD, BET, TEM, and UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectrophotometer. Methyl orange (MO) and 2-mercaptobenzothiazole (MBT) were used in this study as model chemicals and both the adsorption isotherm and photocatalytic activity of the nitrogen-doped titania catalysts were evaluated based on the MO and MBT photodegradation in aqueous solution under UV and visible light, respectively. The results showed that all titania catalysts were anatase. The crystallite size of nitrogen-doped ones increased with the increase of N/Ti proportion, both the adsorption capacity and adsorption equilibrium constants of the nitrogen-doped titania catalysts were improved by the doping of nitrogen. The doping of nitrogen could extend the absorption shoulder into the visible-light region, thus nitrogen-doped titania possessed visible-light activity illustrated by that higher capability of degradation of MO and MBT under the irradiation of visible light, whereas the pure ones showed little such kind of visible-light activity. The kinetics of the MO and MBT photodegradation using different nitrogen-doped titania were also studied, the experiments demonstrated that there was an optimum N/Ti proportion of 4 mol% to exhibit the highest visible-light activity. The UV activity of nitrogen-doped titania catalysts were worse than that of the pure one and Degussa P-25. In addition, nitrogen-doped titania had weakened appreciably activity in the visible-light region as the N/Ti proportion increased, while a reverse relationship exists for the UV light. It was concluded that the enhancement of MO and MBT photodegradation using the nitrogen-doped titania catalysts mainly involved in both the improvement of the organic substrate adsorption in catalysts suspension and the enhancement of the separation of electron

Experimental characterisation of Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) bottle Eco-bricks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Taaffe, Jonathan; O’Sullivan, Seán; Rahman, Muhammad Ekhlasur; Pakrashi, Vikram

2014-01-01

Highlights: • Characterisation of a novel “Eco-brick” by recycling PET bottles and plastic waste. • Eco-bricks have properties for possible uses in construction. • Consistent manufacturing of Eco-bricks demonstrated to be possible. • Weight of Eco-bricks has a nearly linear relationship with mechanical strength. • Light passage and sound reduction potential of Eco-bricks shown to be good. - Abstract: This paper addresses the issue of recycling waste plastic by considering the feasibility of use of Eco-bricks for constructional purposes. The Eco-bricks are formed by packing plastic within Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) bottles. Guidelines were provided for the construction of Eco-bricks. Experiments were carried out to characterise some of the properties of these bricks. Compression test, sound insulation assessment and light transmission were considered in this regard and compared with traditional construction materials and conditions. Possible applications of Eco-bricks were discussed. The paper presents the first attempt to characterise these bricks and the results encourage future use of them to a significantly wider extent and for various purposes

Fiscal 2000 achievement report on the important regional technology research and development. Research and development of eco-tailored tribo-material creation process technology (Research and development of nanometer-order controlled material creation process technology); 2000 nendo juyo chiiki gijutsu kenkyu kaihatsu seika hokokusho. Eco tailored tribo material sosei process gijutsu no kenkyu kaihatsu (nanometer order de seigyo sareta material sosei process gijutsu no kenkyu kaihatsu)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2001-03-01

Efforts are made to develop tribo-material creation process technologies capable of meeting the needs of environmental protection and energy conservation relative to automobile engine parts such as piston rings, cams, shims, and the like. Activities are conducted in the three fields of (1) the research and development of nanostructure material creation technologies, (2) research and development of tribological evaluation technologies, and (3) the verification of the developed technologies. In field (1), a nanostructure control process is studied, and tribo-composite materials are examined. In field (1), in fiscal 2000, the arc ion plating method is selected as a nanostructure control process, and the closed type nonequilibrium magnetron sputtering method as the base for development into a process. As for tribo-composite materials, Ti-Si-N based and Cr-Si-N based coatings find their feasibility in shims, and Cr-Si-N based and Cr-Si-C-N based coatings in piston rings. Compiled in this report are the summary, and the studies of nanostructure control process technologies, joint studies, composite ceramic coating practicalization technologies, and technologies for putting to practical use coatings which comprise layers of different substances. (NEDO)

Nanostructured Electrode Materials for Electrochemical Capacitor Applications.

Science.gov (United States)

Choi, Hojin; Yoon, Hyeonseok

2015-06-02

The advent of novel organic and inorganic nanomaterials in recent years, particularly nanostructured carbons, conducting polymers, and metal oxides, has enabled the fabrication of various energy devices with enhanced performance. In this paper, we review in detail different nanomaterials used in the fabrication of electrochemical capacitor electrodes and also give a brief overview of electric double-layer capacitors, pseudocapacitors, and hybrid capacitors. From a materials point of view, the latest trends in electrochemical capacitor research are also discussed through extensive analysis of the literature and by highlighting notable research examples (published mostly since 2013). Finally, a perspective on next-generation capacitor technology is also given, including the challenges that lie ahead.

Thermal Characterization of Nanostructures and Advanced Engineered Materials

Science.gov (United States)

Goyal, Vivek Kumar

Continuous downscaling of Si complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) technology and progress in high-power electronics demand more efficient heat removal techniques to handle the increasing power density and rising temperature of hot spots. For this reason, it is important to investigate thermal properties of materials at nanometer scale and identify materials with the extremely large or extremely low thermal conductivity for applications as heat spreaders or heat insulators in the next generation of integrated circuits. The thin films used in microelectronic and photonic devices need to have high thermal conductivity in order to transfer the dissipated power to heat sinks more effectively. On the other hand, thermoelectric devices call for materials or structures with low thermal conductivity because the performance of thermoelectric devices is determined by the figure of merit Z=S2sigma/K, where S is the Seebeck coefficient, K and sigma are the thermal and electrical conductivity, respectively. Nanostructured superlattices can have drastically reduced thermal conductivity as compared to their bulk counterparts making them promising candidates for high-efficiency thermoelectric materials. Other applications calling for thin films with low thermal conductivity value are high-temperature coatings for engines. Thus, materials with both high thermal conductivity and low thermal conductivity are technologically important. The increasing temperature of the hot spots in state-of-the-art chips stimulates the search for innovative methods for heat removal. One promising approach is to incorporate materials, which have high thermal conductivity into the chip design. Two suitable candidates for such applications are diamond and graphene. Another approach is to integrate the high-efficiency thermoelectric elements for on-spot cooling. In addition, there is strong motivation for improved thermal interface materials (TIMs) for heat transfer from the heat-generating chip

Liquid crystal alignment in electro-responsive nanostructured thermosetting materials based on block copolymer dispersed liquid crystal

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tercjak, A; Garcia, I; Mondragon, I [Materials-Technologies Group, Departamento IngenierIa Quimica y M Ambiente, Escuela Politecnica, Universidad PaIs Vasco/Euskal Herriko Unibertsitatea, Plaza Europa 1, E-20018 Donostia-San Sebastian (Spain)], E-mail: scptesza@sc.ehu.es, E-mail: inaki.mondragon@ehu.es

2008-07-09

Novel well-defined nanostructured thermosetting systems were prepared by modification of a diglicydylether of bisphenol-A epoxy resin (DGEBA) with 10 or 15 wt% amphiphilic poly(styrene-b-ethylene oxide) block copolymer (PSEO) and 30 or 40 wt% low molecular weight liquid crystal 4'-(hexyl)-4-biphenyl-carbonitrile (HBC) using m-xylylenediamine (MXDA) as a curing agent. The competition between well-defined nanostructured materials and the ability for alignment of the liquid crystal phase in the materials obtained has been studied by atomic and electrostatic force microscopy, AFM and EFM, respectively. Based on our knowledge, this is the first time that addition of an adequate amount (10 wt%) of a block copolymer to 40 wt% HBC-(DGEBA/MXDA) leads to a well-organized nanostructured thermosetting system (between a hexagonal and worm-like ordered structure), which is also electro-responsive with high rate contrast. This behavior was confirmed using electrostatic force microscopy (EFM), by means of the response of the HBC liquid crystal phase to the voltage applied to the EFM tip. In contrast, though materials containing 15 wt% PSEO and 30 wt% HBC also form a well-defined nanostructured thermosetting system, they do not show such a high contrast between the uncharged and charged surface.

Liquid crystal alignment in electro-responsive nanostructured thermosetting materials based on block copolymer dispersed liquid crystal.

Science.gov (United States)

Tercjak, A; Garcia, I; Mondragon, I

2008-07-09

Novel well-defined nanostructured thermosetting systems were prepared by modification of a diglicydylether of bisphenol-A epoxy resin (DGEBA) with 10 or 15 wt% amphiphilic poly(styrene-b-ethylene oxide) block copolymer (PSEO) and 30 or 40 wt% low molecular weight liquid crystal 4'-(hexyl)-4-biphenyl-carbonitrile (HBC) using m-xylylenediamine (MXDA) as a curing agent. The competition between well-defined nanostructured materials and the ability for alignment of the liquid crystal phase in the materials obtained has been studied by atomic and electrostatic force microscopy, AFM and EFM, respectively. Based on our knowledge, this is the first time that addition of an adequate amount (10 wt%) of a block copolymer to 40 wt% HBC-(DGEBA/MXDA) leads to a well-organized nanostructured thermosetting system (between a hexagonal and worm-like ordered structure), which is also electro-responsive with high rate contrast. This behavior was confirmed using electrostatic force microscopy (EFM), by means of the response of the HBC liquid crystal phase to the voltage applied to the EFM tip. In contrast, though materials containing 15 wt% PSEO and 30 wt% HBC also form a well-defined nanostructured thermosetting system, they do not show such a high contrast between the uncharged and charged surface.

Liquid crystal alignment in electro-responsive nanostructured thermosetting materials based on block copolymer dispersed liquid crystal

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tercjak, A; Garcia, I; Mondragon, I

2008-01-01

Novel well-defined nanostructured thermosetting systems were prepared by modification of a diglicydylether of bisphenol-A epoxy resin (DGEBA) with 10 or 15 wt% amphiphilic poly(styrene-b-ethylene oxide) block copolymer (PSEO) and 30 or 40 wt% low molecular weight liquid crystal 4'-(hexyl)-4-biphenyl-carbonitrile (HBC) using m-xylylenediamine (MXDA) as a curing agent. The competition between well-defined nanostructured materials and the ability for alignment of the liquid crystal phase in the materials obtained has been studied by atomic and electrostatic force microscopy, AFM and EFM, respectively. Based on our knowledge, this is the first time that addition of an adequate amount (10 wt%) of a block copolymer to 40 wt% HBC-(DGEBA/MXDA) leads to a well-organized nanostructured thermosetting system (between a hexagonal and worm-like ordered structure), which is also electro-responsive with high rate contrast. This behavior was confirmed using electrostatic force microscopy (EFM), by means of the response of the HBC liquid crystal phase to the voltage applied to the EFM tip. In contrast, though materials containing 15 wt% PSEO and 30 wt% HBC also form a well-defined nanostructured thermosetting system, they do not show such a high contrast between the uncharged and charged surface

Biological performance of titania containing phosphate-based glasses for bone tissue engineering applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abou Neel, Ensanya Ali; Chrzanowski, Wojciech; Knowles, Jonathan Campbell

2014-01-01

The interplay between glass chemistry, structure, degradation kinetics, and biological activity provides flexibility for the development of scaffolds with highly specific cellular response. The aim of this study was therefore to investigate the role of titania inclusion into the phosphate-based glass on its ability to stimulate osteoblast-like human osteosarcoma (HOS) cells to adhere, proliferate and differentiate. In depth morphological and biochemical characterisation was performed on HOS cells cultured on the surface of glass discs. Cell proliferation was also studied in the presence of the glass extract. Cell differentiation, through osteoblast phenotype genes, alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity and osteocalcin production, was carried out using normal or osteogenic media. Both Thermanox® and titania free glass were used as controls. The data demonstrated that titania inclusion provides desired cytocompatible surface that supported initial cell attachment, sustained viability, and increased cell proliferation similar or significantly higher than Thermanox®. The modified glasses regulated osteoblastic cell differentiation as detected by osteoblast phenotype gene transcription and upregulated ALP and osteocalcin expression. Using osteogenic media had no significant effect on ALP activity and osteocalcin expression. Therefore, titania modified phosphate glasses may have future use as bone tissue engineering scaffolds. - Highlights: • This study investigated the role of titania on the biological response of phosphate glasses. • Incorporation of titania improved HOS cell attachment, viability and proliferation. • Titania modified glasses regulated osteoblastic cell differentiation. • Using osteogenic media had no significant effect on cell differentiation. • Titania modified glasses may have future use as bone tissue engineering scaffolds

Synthesis of eccentric titania-silica core-shell and composite particles

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Demirors, A.F.; van Blaaderen, A.; Imhof, A.

2009-01-01

We describe a novel method to synthesize colloidal particles with an eccentric core-shell structure. Titania-silica core-shell particles were synthesized by silica coating of porous titania particles under Sto¨ber (Sto¨ber et al. J. Colloid Interface Sci. 1968, 26, 62) conditions. We can control

Hydrogen gas sensing feature of polyaniline/titania (rutile) nanocomposite at environmental conditions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Milani Moghaddam, Hossain, E-mail: hossainmilani@yahoo.com [Solid State Physics Department, University of Mazandaran, Babolsar (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Nasirian, Shahruz [Solid State Physics Department, University of Mazandaran, Babolsar (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Basic Sciences Department, Mazandaran University of Science and Technology, Babol (Iran, Islamic Republic of)

2014-10-30

Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • Polyaniline/titania (rutile) nanocomposite (TPNC) was synthesized by a chemical oxidative polymerization method. • Surface morphology and titania (rutile) wt% in TPNC sensors were significant factors for H{sub 2} gas sensing. • TPNC sensors could be used for H{sub 2} gas sensing at different R.H. humidity. • TPNC Sensors exhibited considerable sensitive, reversible and repeatable response to H{sub 2} gas at environmental conditions. - Abstract: The resistance-based sensors of polyaniline/titania (rutile) nanocomposite (TPNC) were prepared by spin coating technique onto an epoxy glass substrate with Cu-interdigited electrodes to study their hydrogen (H{sub 2}) gas sensing features. Our findings are that the change of the surface morphology, porosity and wt% of titania in TPNCs have a significant effect on H{sub 2} gas sensing of sensors. All of the sensors had a reproducibility response toward 0.8 vol% H{sub 2} gas at room temperature, air pressure and 50% relative humidity. A sensor with 40 wt% of titania nanoparticles had better response/recovery time and the response than other sensors. Moreover, H{sub 2} gas sensing mechanism of TPNC sensors based contact areas and the correlation of energy levels between PANI chains and the titania grains were studied.

Self-assembly of protein-based biomaterials initiated by titania nanotubes.

Science.gov (United States)

Forstater, Jacob H; Kleinhammes, Alfred; Wu, Yue

2013-12-03

Protein-based biomaterials are a promising strategy for creating robust highly selective biocatalysts. The assembled biomaterials must sufficiently retain the near-native structure of proteins and provide molecular access to catalytically active sites. These requirements often exclude the use of conventional assembly techniques, which rely on covalent cross-linking of proteins or entrapment within a scaffold. Here we demonstrate that titania nanotubes can initiate and template the self-assembly of enzymes, such as ribonuclease A, while maintaining their catalytic activity. Initially, the enzymes form multilayer thick ellipsoidal aggregates centered on the nanotube surface; subsequently, these nanosized entities assemble into a micrometer-sized enzyme material that has enhanced enzymatic activity and contains as little as 0.1 wt % TiO2 nanotubes. This phenomenon is uniquely associated with the active anatase (001)-like surface of titania nanotubes and does not occur on other anatase nanomaterials, which contain significantly fewer undercoordinated Ti surface sites. These findings present a nanotechnology-enabled mechanism of biomaterial growth and open a new route for creating stable protein-based biomaterials and biocatalysts without the need for chemical modification.

Development and characterization of ceramic composites alumina-titania based reinforced with lanthanum oxide for fabrication of inert coatings for metallic tanks of the oil industry; Desenvolvimento e caracterizacao de compositos ceramicos baseados em alumina-titania reforcados com oxido de lantanio para fabricacao de revestimentos inertes em tanques metalicos da industria petrolifera

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bandeira, J.M.; Yadava, Y.P.; Silva, N.D.G.; Ferreira, R.A.S., E-mail: julianamb91@gmail.com, E-mail: yadava@ufpe.br [Universidade Federal de Pernambuco (UFPE), Recife, PE (Brazil). Centro de Tecnologia e Geociencias. Departamento de Engenharia Mecanica

2016-07-01

Crude petroleum is highly corrosive causing superficial degradation in metallic tanks used for storage and transportation of this material, which causes a serious problem in the oil industry. An alternative to solve this problem is to use some kind of coating that is inert to this kind of corrosion. Alumina and titania are interesting materials for several engineering applications because, when compared with other ceramic materials, they present superior mechanical properties, e.g. high mechanical strength, good chemical stability and high fracture toughness combined with good wear resistance and a coefficient of thermal expansion close to the iron's, which makes them fit to use in ceramic hardening process and coating. In this paper, alumina-titania ceramic composites with 5%, 10%, 15% and 20% of titania (TiO2) and reinforced with 2% of lanthanum oxide of were produced by thermo-mechanical processing and sintering techniques at 1350 deg C. In these composites, microstructure and mechanical properties were analyzed using X-ray spectroscopy, optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy and Vickers hardness in order to evaluate their applicability. X-ray spectroscopy showed the formation of composite without the presence of other phases. Optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy showed a homogeneous microstructure in terms of particle size and distribution. Vickers hardness test showed a gradual decrease in hardness with the addition of titania. The composite with 5% of titania and 2% of lanthanum oxide is the best choice for structural applications. The composites were submerged in crude petroleum for 30 days to study their stability in such environment. Through the analysis of X-ray spectroscopy, optical microscopy and Vickers hardness before and after the submersion in crude petroleum, it was not observed structural or microstructural degradation nether alterations in mechanical properties. This way, it was concluded that these composites have

ECO-INDUSTRIAL PARK - A TOOL FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

BUGNAR NICOLETA GEORGETA

2013-07-01

Full Text Available Local communities embracing the concept of Eco-industrial park are looking for some additional benefits for all the interested parties – both public and private: higher economic efficiency, the increase of competitivity by applying last minute technologies, generation of additional revenues through positive regulations at the community level, the creation of jobs, solving the conflict between economy and environment, diminishing the demand on the county infrastructure, decreasing the effects of pollution, using energy from regenerating sources and replacement materials. Communities and enterprises creating Eco-industrial parks will have common grounds for industrial development, which is much more competitive, more efficient and much cleaner than traditional industrial parks. Moreover, the new business niches will be open to recruitment or new incubators. Eco-industrial parks represent a special category compared to industrial parks, a category which is different from the classical ones due to the fact that they are designed in such a way so that they promote the collaboration between companies in order to reuse recyclable materials and green energy sources. A long-term vision must reflect the focus on the creation of collaboration networks between firms and the fact that an Eco-industrial park should be a business community, not only a mathematical sum of companies located in the same geographical area. The quality, continuity and interconnection of economic flows within the firms of an Eco-industrial park are important characteristics for the success of Eco-industrial networks. The following discussion tackles the way in which an Eco-industrial park is set-up: creating and implementing an Eco-industrial park in accordance with the principles of circular economy or transforming an already existing industrial park into an Eco- industrial park. The quality, the continuity, the number of interconnected firms, the flows of resources and the

Metatitanic acid pseudomorphs after titanyl sulfates: nanostructured sorbents and precursors for crystalline titania with desired particle size and shape

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Klementová, Mariana; Motlochová, Monika; Boháček, Jaroslav; Kupčík, Jaroslav; Palatinus, Lukáš; Pližingrová, Eva; Szatmáry, L.; Šubrt, Jan

2017-01-01

Roč. 17, č. 12 (2017), s. 6762-6769 ISSN 1528-7483 R&D Projects: GA TA ČR(CZ) TH02020110; GA MŠk(CZ) LM2015073 Institutional support: RVO:61388980 ; RVO:68378271 Keywords : metatitanic acid * titania * pseudomorph * titanyl sulfate dihydrate structure * morphology control * sorption * radionuclides Subject RIV: CA - Inorganic Chemistry; BM - Solid Matter Physics ; Magnetism (FZU-D) OBOR OECD: Inorganic and nuclear chemistry; Condensed matter physics (including formerly solid state physics, supercond.) (FZU-D) Impact factor: 4.055, year: 2016

Performance engineering of dye sensitized solar cells (DSSC) using Ag modified titania as photoanode

Science.gov (United States)

Nair, Ranjith G.; Mathan Kumar, P.; Samdarshi, S. K.

2018-01-01

Present work reports the fabrication of silver (Ag) modified titania photoanode as an efficient photoanode for Dye Sensitized Solar Cell (DSSC). Pristine and Ag modified Titania nanomaterials were prepared using sol gel method. The structural analyses confirm the high crystallinity of the samples with crystallite size distribution in nanorange. TEM micrograph confirms that the synthesized nanomaterials are in uniform size. A red shift is observed in the UV DRS spectra compared to pristine Titania and which confirm the incorporation of Ag inside titania. A prototype DSSC was fabricated using the pristine and modified Titania as photoanode, Ruthenium dye as sensitizer, I-/I-3 as redox electrolyte and platinum counter electrode. The cell with Ag modified titania photoanode showed 15 times enhanced photoconversion efficiency (PCE) than the pristine one. This improved performance of the Ag modified DSSC can be ascribed to reduced recombination and improved charge carrier transport of electrons/holes at the interfaces.

A Short Overview on the Biomedical Applications of Silica, Alumina and Calcium Phosphate-based Nanostructured Materials.

Science.gov (United States)

Ellahioui, Younes; Prashar, Sanjiv; Gómez-Ruiz, Santiago

2016-01-01

This article reviews the use of silica, alumina and calcium phosphate-based nanostructured materials with biomedical applications. A short introduction on the use of the materials in Science, Nanotechnology and Health is included followed by a revision of each of the selected materials. A description of the principal synthetic methods used in the preparation of the materials in nanostructured form is included. The most widely used applications in biomedicine are reviewed including, for example drug-delivery, bone regeneration, imaging, sensoring amongst others. Finally, a short description of the toxicity and cytotoxicity associated with each of the materials of this revision is presented. This short literature revision serves to demonstrate the very promising future ahead of nanosystems based on silica, alumina and calcium phosphate for biological and biomedical applications.

Iron on mixed zirconia-titania substrate F-T catalyst

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dyer, P.N.; Nordquist, A.F.; Pierantozzi, R.

1988-01-01

This patent deals with a Fischer-Tropsch catalyst comprising iron co-deposited with or deposited on particles comprising a mixture of zirconia and titania, preferably formed by co-precipitation of compounds convertible to zirconia and titania, such as zirconium and titanium alkoxide. The invention also comprises the method of making this catalyst and an improved Fischer-Tropsch reaction process in which the catalyst is utilized

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.

Controlling drug delivery kinetics from mesoporous titania thin films by pore size and surface energy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Karlsson J

2015-07-01

Full Text Available Johan Karlsson, Saba Atefyekta, Martin Andersson Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Chalmers University of Technology, Gothenburg, Sweden Abstract: The osseointegration capacity of bone-anchoring implants can be improved by the use of drugs that are administrated by an inbuilt drug delivery system. However, to attain superior control of drug delivery and to have the ability to administer drugs of varying size, including proteins, further material development of drug carriers is needed. Mesoporous materials have shown great potential in drug delivery applications to provide and maintain a drug concentration within the therapeutic window for the desired period of time. Moreover, drug delivery from coatings consisting of mesoporous titania has shown to be promising to improve healing of bone-anchoring implants. Here we report on how the delivery of an osteoporosis drug, alendronate, can be controlled by altering pore size and surface energy of mesoporous titania thin films. The pore size was varied from 3.4 nm to 7.2 nm by the use of different structure-directing templates and addition of a swelling agent. The surface energy was also altered by grafting dimethylsilane to the pore walls. The drug uptake and release profiles were monitored in situ using quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation (QCM-D and it was shown that both pore size and surface energy had a profound effect on both the adsorption and release kinetics of alendronate. The QCM-D data provided evidence that the drug delivery from mesoporous titania films is controlled by a binding–diffusion mechanism. The yielded knowledge of release kinetics is crucial in order to improve the in vivo tissue response associated to therapeutic treatments. Keywords: mesoporous titania, controlled drug delivery, release kinetics, alendronate, QCM-D

Macrostructure-dependent photocatalytic property of high-surface-area porous titania films

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kimura, T., E-mail: t-kimura@aist.go.jp [Advanced Manufacturing Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Shimoshidami, Moriyama-ku, Nagoya 463-8560 (Japan)

2014-11-01

Porous titania films with different macrostructures were prepared with precise control of condensation degree and density of the oxide frameworks in the presence of spherical aggregates of polystyrene-block-poly(oxyethylene) (PS-b-PEO) diblock copolymer. Following detailed explanation of the formation mechanisms of three (reticular, spherical, and large spherical) macrostructures by the colloidal PS-b-PEO templating, structural variation of the titania frameworks during calcination were investigated by X-ray diffraction and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Then, photocatalytic performance of the macroporous titania films was evaluated through simple degradation experiments of methylene blue under an UV irradiation. Consequently, absolute surface area of the film and crystallinity of the titania frameworks were important for understanding the photocatalytic performance, but the catalytic performance can be improved further by the macrostructural design that controls diffusivity of the targeted molecules inside the film and their accessibility to active sites.

Macrostructure-dependent photocatalytic property of high-surface-area porous titania films

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

T. Kimura

2014-11-01

Full Text Available Porous titania films with different macrostructures were prepared with precise control of condensation degree and density of the oxide frameworks in the presence of spherical aggregates of polystyrene-block-poly(oxyethylene (PS-b-PEO diblock copolymer. Following detailed explanation of the formation mechanisms of three (reticular, spherical, and large spherical macrostructures by the colloidal PS-b-PEO templating, structural variation of the titania frameworks during calcination were investigated by X-ray diffraction and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Then, photocatalytic performance of the macroporous titania films was evaluated through simple degradation experiments of methylene blue under an UV irradiation. Consequently, absolute surface area of the film and crystallinity of the titania frameworks were important for understanding the photocatalytic performance, but the catalytic performance can be improved further by the macrostructural design that controls diffusivity of the targeted molecules inside the film and their accessibility to active sites.

Nanostructured Electrode Materials for Electrochemical Capacitor Applications

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hojin Choi

2015-06-01

Full Text Available The advent of novel organic and inorganic nanomaterials in recent years, particularly nanostructured carbons, conducting polymers, and metal oxides, has enabled the fabrication of various energy devices with enhanced performance. In this paper, we review in detail different nanomaterials used in the fabrication of electrochemical capacitor electrodes and also give a brief overview of electric double-layer capacitors, pseudocapacitors, and hybrid capacitors. From a materials point of view, the latest trends in electrochemical capacitor research are also discussed through extensive analysis of the literature and by highlighting notable research examples (published mostly since 2013. Finally, a perspective on next-generation capacitor technology is also given, including the challenges that lie ahead.

The influence of sodium lauryl sulfate on the crystal phases of titania by hydrothermal method

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Chaohong; Wang, Xin

2012-11-01

In this paper, we prepared TiO2 nanostructures by a hydrothermal method and investigated the influence of the SO4^{2-} ion and the effect of long alkyl chains of sodium dodecyl sulfate on the crystal phases of TiO2 by experiments and theoretical calculations. The results indicate that the absorption of the H+HSO4 fragment on rutile (110) is more stable than that of the 2H+SO4 fragment and more favorable to the formation of anatase. The absorption and steric effects of sodium dodecyl sulfate on the surfaces of TiO2 grains also have an important influence on the formation of mixed crystals by changing the speed and the way of octahedral TiO6 units combining. Based on the above facts, we revised the original reaction scheme for crystalline titania formation by previous authors.

Hydrogen gas sensing feature of polyaniline/titania (rutile) nanocomposite at environmental conditions

Science.gov (United States)

Milani Moghaddam, Hossain; Nasirian, Shahruz

2014-10-01

The resistance-based sensors of polyaniline/titania (rutile) nanocomposite (TPNC) were prepared by spin coating technique onto an epoxy glass substrate with Cu-interdigited electrodes to study their hydrogen (H2) gas sensing features. Our findings are that the change of the surface morphology, porosity and wt% of titania in TPNCs have a significant effect on H2 gas sensing of sensors. All of the sensors had a reproducibility response toward 0.8 vol% H2 gas at room temperature, air pressure and 50% relative humidity. A sensor with 40 wt% of titania nanoparticles had better response/recovery time and the response than other sensors. Moreover, H2 gas sensing mechanism of TPNC sensors based contact areas and the correlation of energy levels between PANI chains and the titania grains were studied.

Optical switching systems using nanostructures

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Stubkjær, Kristian

2004-01-01

High capacity multiservice optical networks require compact and efficient switches. The potential benefits of optical switch elements based on nanostructured material are reviewed considering various material systems.......High capacity multiservice optical networks require compact and efficient switches. The potential benefits of optical switch elements based on nanostructured material are reviewed considering various material systems....

Chirality of Single-Handed Twisted Titania Tubular Nanoribbons Prepared Through Sol-gel Transcription.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Sibing; Zhang, Chuanyong; Li, Yi; Li, Baozong; Yang, Yonggang

2015-08-01

Single-handed twisted titania tubular nanoribbons were prepared through sol-gel transcription using a pair of enantiomers. Handedness was controlled by that of the template. The obtained samples were characterized using field-emission electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, diffuse reflectance circular dichroism (DRCD), and X-ray diffraction. The DRCD spectra indicated that the titania nanotubes exhibit optical activity. Although the tubular structure was destroyed after being calcined at 700 °C for 2.0 h, DRCD signals were still identified. However, the DRCD signals disappeared after being calcined at 1000 °C for 2.0 h. The optical activity of titania was proposed to be due to chiral defects. Previous results showed that straight titania tubes could be used as asymmetric autocatalysts, indicating that titania exhibit chirality at the angstrom level. Herein, it was found that they also exhibit DRCD signals, indicating that there are no obvious relationships between morphology at the nano level and chirality at the angstrom level. The nanotube chirality should originate from the chiral defects on the nanotube inner surface. The Fourier transform infrared spectra indicated that the chirality of the titania was transferred from the gelators through the hydrogen bonding between N-H and Ti-OH. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Commercial and home-made nitrogen modified titanias. A short reflection about the advantageous/disadvantageous properties of nitrogen doping in the frame of their applicability

Science.gov (United States)

Pap, Zs.; Mogyorósi, K.; Veréb, G.; Dombi, A.; Hernádi, K.; Danciu, V.; Baia, L.

2014-09-01

As visible light driven photocatalysis became more and more intensively studied, the first commercial products showed up on the market. Simultaneously controversial results appeared in the literature generating an intensive debate regarding the advantages and draw-backs of nitrogen doping of titania. Hence, the present work focuses on two commercially available and four sol-gel made nitrogen modified titania powders regarding their structure and activity. It is demonstrated that the interstitial nitrogen entities “leak out” from the catalysts if the material is irradiated with UV light, while substitutional nitrogen remains stable. However, the latter one was proven to be less important in the photocatalytic point of view. These observations were also valid in the case of sol-gel made nitrogen modified titanias. Furthermore, the results obtained after applying different spectroscopic methods (IR, XPS and DRS) shown that the yellow color of the titanias, does not necessary mean that a successful doping is achieved.

Photovoltaic behaviour of titanyl phthalocyanine thin films and titania bilayer films

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Drabik, M.; Zachary, A. M.; Choi, Y.; Hanuš, J.; Toušek, J.; Toušková, J.; Cimrová, Věra; Slavinská, D.; Biederman, H.; Hanley, L.

2008-01-01

Roč. 268, č. 1 (2008), s. 57-60 ISSN 1022-1360. [Microsymposium on Advanced Polymer Materials for Photonics and Electronics /47./. Prague, 15.07.2007-19.07.2007] R&D Projects: GA MŠk(CZ) 1M06031 Grant - others:National Science Foundation(US) CHE0241425; GA MŠk(CZ) 1P05ME754 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z40500505 Keywords : conjugated polymers * photovoltaics * phthalocyanine * thin films * titania Subject RIV: BM - Solid Matter Physics ; Magnetism

Eco Logic signs deal to destroy Japanese PCB stocks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1997-01-01

According to a recent announcement, Eco Logic of Rockwood, Ontario, has entered into a partnership with the Japanese companies Tokyo Boeki and Nippon Sharyo for the destruction of stockpiled PCB materials in Japan, using Eco Logic's non-incineration technology. The deal is reported to be worth about $50 million in revenues to Eco Logic, spread over the next few years. The agreement includes provisions for the Japanese companies to purchase, or manufacture under licence, a number of Eco Logic's gas phase chemical reduction processing units to serve the Japanese market. In exchange for exclusive rights to the Japanese market, Eco Logic will receive license fees and royalties of up to nine per cent for the use of its process. Eco Logic is currently building a demonstration unit under contract with the two Japanese companies. The Japanese PCB waste destruction market is estimated to be worth as much as $400 million. Incineration, the conventional form of disposal, is strongly opposed by local governments

ECO DESIGN IN DESIGN PROCESS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

PRALEA Jeni

2014-05-01

Full Text Available Eco-design is a new domain, required by the new trends and existing concerns worldwide, generated by the necessity of adopting new design principles. New design principles require the designer to provide a friendly relationship between concept created, environment and consume. This "friendly" relationship should be valid both at present and in the future, generating new opportunities for product, product components or materials from which it was made. Awareness, by the designer, the importance of this new trend, permits the establishment of concepts that have as their objective the protection of present values and ensuring the legacy of future generations. Ecodesig, by its principles, is involved in the design process, from early stage, the stage of product design. Priority objective of the designers will consist in reducing the negative effects on the environment through the entire life cycle and after it is taken out of use. The main aspects of the eco-design will consider extending product exploitation, make better use of materials, reduction of emission of waste. The design process in the "eco"domein must be started by selecting the function of the concept, materials and technological processes, causing the shape of macro and micro geometric of the product through an analysis that involves optimizing and streamlining the product. This paper presents the design process of a cross-sports footwear concept, built on the basis of the principles of ecodesign

The Effect of Titanium Tetrahedral Coordination of Silica-Titania Catalyst on the Physical Properties of Biodiesel

Science.gov (United States)

Nizar, U. K.; Hidayatul, J.; Sundari, R.; Bahrizal, B.; Amran, A.; Putra, A.; Latisma DJ, L.; Dewata, I.

2018-04-01

This study investigates the correlation of the number of titanium tetrahedral coordination and biodiesel production. The solid-state method has been used to synthesis of silica-titania catalyst for biodiesel production, which the precursors, i.e. silica and titania commercials were heated in the temperature range of 450 - 550°C. The characterization of the prepared silica-titania has been studied by FTIR and DR UV-Vis in order to identify and calculate the presence of titanium tetrahedral coordination in silica-titania catalyst. A very small peak at around 950 cm-1 indicated the presence of titanium tetrahedral coordination through Si–O–Ti bonds. Deconvolution of DR UV-Vis spectra showed the coordination of titanium in silica-titania is more octahedral. However, the number of titanium tetrahedral coordination of the prepared silica-titania is found higher than that of TiO2 commercial. The increasing of titanium tetrahedral fraction in silica-titania affects the physical properties of biodiesel in terms of boiling point, viscosity and density, which is produced by the reaction of methanol and palm oil.

Nanostructured Carbon Materials as Supports in the Preparation of Direct Methanol Fuel Cell Electrocatalysts

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

María Jesús Lázaro

2013-08-01

Full Text Available Different advanced nanostructured carbon materials, such as carbon nanocoils, carbon nanofibers, graphitized ordered mesoporous carbons and carbon xerogels, presenting interesting features such as high electrical conductivity and extensively developed porous structure were synthesized and used as supports in the preparation of electrocatalysts for direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs. The main advantage of these supports is that their physical properties and surface chemistry can be tailored to adapt the carbonaceous material to the catalytic requirements. Moreover, all of them present a highly mesoporous structure, diminishing diffusion problems, and both graphitic character and surface area can be conveniently modified. In the present work, the influence of the particular features of each material on the catalytic activity and stability was analyzed. Results have been compared with those obtained for commercial catalysts supported on Vulcan XC-72R, Pt/C and PtRu/C (ETEK. Both a highly ordered graphitic and mesopore-enriched structure of these advanced nanostructured materials resulted in an improved electrochemical performance in comparison to the commercial catalysts assayed, both towards CO and alcohol oxidation.

Laser Photolysis and Thermolysis of Organic Selenides and Tellurides for Chemical Gas-phase Deposition of Nanostructured Materials

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Josef Pola

2009-03-01

Full Text Available Laser radiation-induced decomposition of gaseous organic selenides and tellurides resulting in chemical deposition of nanostructured materials on cold surfaces is reviewed with regard to the mechanism of the gas-phase decomposition and properties of the deposited materials. The laser photolysis and laser thermolysis of the Se and Te precursors leading to chalcogen deposition can also serve as a useful approach to nanostructured chalcogen composites and IVA group (Si, Ge, Sn element chalcogenides provided that it is carried out simultaneously with laser photolysis or thermolysis of polymer and IVA group element precursor.

Recovery evaluation of organophosphorus pesticides from bee pollen by matrix solid-phase dispersion extraction using sorbents based on silica and titania

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Torres-Perea, C; Muñoz-Rodríguez, D; Carrera-Figueiras, C; Medina-Peralta, S; Moguel-Ordóñez, Y B

2013-01-01

This work focused on the evaluation of the recovery of organophosphorus pesticides from bee pollen after matrix solid phase-dispersion extraction (MSPD). Materials based on silica, titania and titania modified with polivylnylimidazole or polyestirene were used as adsorbents for the extraction of pesticides. Small amounts of fortified pollen (0.1 g, at 1 micro-g/g of pesticides), adsorbent (0.4 g) and solvent elution (1 mL de acetonitrile – ACN) were used in the extractions. For recovery evaluation, pollen extracts were analyzed by gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry.

Development and characterization of ceramic composites alumina-titania based reinforced with lanthanum oxide for fabrication of inert coatings for metallic tanks of the oil industry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bandeira, J.M.; Yadava, Y.P.; Silva, N.D.G.; Ferreira, R.A.S.

2016-01-01

Crude petroleum is highly corrosive causing superficial degradation in metallic tanks used for storage and transportation of this material, which causes a serious problem in the oil industry. An alternative to solve this problem is to use some kind of coating that is inert to this kind of corrosion. Alumina and titania are interesting materials for several engineering applications because, when compared with other ceramic materials, they present superior mechanical properties, e.g. high mechanical strength, good chemical stability and high fracture toughness combined with good wear resistance and a coefficient of thermal expansion close to the iron's, which makes them fit to use in ceramic hardening process and coating. In this paper, alumina-titania ceramic composites with 5%, 10%, 15% and 20% of titania (TiO2) and reinforced with 2% of lanthanum oxide of were produced by thermo-mechanical processing and sintering techniques at 1350 deg C. In these composites, microstructure and mechanical properties were analyzed using X-ray spectroscopy, optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy and Vickers hardness in order to evaluate their applicability. X-ray spectroscopy showed the formation of composite without the presence of other phases. Optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy showed a homogeneous microstructure in terms of particle size and distribution. Vickers hardness test showed a gradual decrease in hardness with the addition of titania. The composite with 5% of titania and 2% of lanthanum oxide is the best choice for structural applications. The composites were submerged in crude petroleum for 30 days to study their stability in such environment. Through the analysis of X-ray spectroscopy, optical microscopy and Vickers hardness before and after the submersion in crude petroleum, it was not observed structural or microstructural degradation nether alterations in mechanical properties. This way, it was concluded that these composites have good

[Eco-efficiency change and its driving factors in Tongling City of Anhui Province].

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Yi-Chen; Wang, Yuan; Zhu, Xiao-Dong; Wu, Xiao-Qing; Wang, Ke; Ren, Ke-Xiu; Lu, Gen-Fa

2011-02-01

This paper first applied material flow analysis (MFA) to construct three levels of regional eco-efficiency indicators, i.e., regional direct eco-efficiency (RDE), regional total eco-efficiency (RTE), and holistic eco-efficiency (HE), and adopted the newly developed data envelopment analysis (DEA) to evaluate the eco-efficiency of Tongling City during the period of 1990-2008. We also applied Malmquist productivity index (MPI) to explore the eco-efficiency change between two following years and its driving factors. The main results were summarized as 1) though the RDE of Tongling City in 1990-2008 kept an increasing trend, its mean eco-efficiency was not high (close to 0.8 in 80% of the years), being lower than that of the RTE and HE, and 2) the RDE change was closely relevant to the improvement in resource management and the technical input in environmental protection in recent years. In order to further improve the RDE of the City, it would be necessary to raise its eco-efficiency via expanding raw material input, reducing domestic extraction, promoting resources productivity, and taking more measures on environmental protection facilities construction.

Vapor phase modification of sol-gel derived titania (TiO{sub 2}) surfaces

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Piwonski, Ireneusz [University of Lodz, Department of Chemical Technology and Environmental Protection, Pomorska 163, 90-236 Lodz (Poland)]. E-mail: irek@uni.lodz.pl; Ilik, Aneta [University of Lodz, Department of Chemical Technology and Environmental Protection, Pomorska 163, 90-236 Lodz (Poland)

2006-12-30

Chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method was used in titania surface modification. Titania layers were obtained in sol-gel process and prepared as thin films on silicon wafers in dip-coating method. In order to define the influence of modification on titania surface properties (e.g., friction), various types of fluoroalkylsilanes were used. The effectiveness of the modification was monitored by FT-IR spectroscopy. The topography and frictional measurements were investigated with the use of atomic force microscopy (AFM)

In situ neutron scattering study of nanostructured PbTe-PbS bulk thermoelectric material

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ren, Fei [Temple University; Schmidt, Robert D [ORNL; Case, Eldon D [Michigan State University, East Lansing; An, Ke [ORNL

2016-01-01

Nanostructures play an important role in thermoelectric materials. Their thermal stability, such as phase change and evolution at elevated temperatures, is thus of great interest to the thermoelectric community. In this study, in situ neutron diffraction was used to examine the phase evolution of nanostructured bulk PbTe-PbS materials fabricated using hot pressing and pulsed electrical current sintering (PECS). The PbS second phase was observed in all samples in the as-pressed condition. The temperature dependent lattice parameter and phase composition data show an initial formation of PbS precipitates followed by a redissolution during heating. The redissolution process started around 570 600 K, and completed at approximately 780 K. During cooling, the PECS sample followed a reversible curve while the heating/cooling behavior of the hot pressed sample was irreversible.

Electrostatic interactions for directed assembly of high performance nanostructured energetic materials of Al/Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3}/multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhang, Tianfu; Ma, Zhuang; Li, Guoping; Wang, Zhen; Zhao, Benbo; Luo, Yunjun, E-mail: yjluo@bit.edu.cn

2016-05-15

Electrostatic self-assembly in organic solvent without intensively oxidative or corrosive environments, was adopted to prepare Al/Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3}/MWCNT nanostructured energetic materials as an energy generating material. The negatively charged MWCNT was used as a glue-like agent to direct the self-assembly of the well dispersed positively charged Al (fuel) and Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3} (oxide) nanoparticles. This spontaneous assembly method without any surfactant chemistry or other chemical and biological moieties decreased the aggregation of the same nanoparticles largely, moreover, the poor interfacial contact between the Al (fuel) and Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3} (oxide) nanoparticles was improved significantly, which was the key characteristic of high performance nanostructured energetic materials. In addition, the assembly process was confirmed as Diffusion-Limited Aggregation. The assembled Al/Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3}/MWCNT nanostructured energetic materials showed excellent performance with heat release of 2400 J/g, peak pressure of 0.42 MPa and pressurization rate of 105.71 MPa/s, superior to that in the control group Al/Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3} nanostructured energetic materials prepared by sonication with heat release of 1326 J/g, peak pressure of 0.19 MPa and pressurization rate of 33.33 MPa/s. Therefore, the approach, which is facile, opens a promising route to the high performance nanostructured energetic materials. - Graphical abstract: The negatively charged MWCNT was used as a glue-like agent to direct the self-assembly of the well dispersed positively charged Al (fuel) and Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3} (oxide) nanoparticles. - Highlights: • A facile spontaneous electrostatic assembly strategy without surfactant was adopted. • The fuels and oxidizers assembled into densely packed nanostructured composites. • The assembled nanostructured energetic materials have excellent performance. • This high performance energetic material can be scaled up for practical application. • This

Epitaxial growth of hybrid nanostructures

Science.gov (United States)

Tan, Chaoliang; Chen, Junze; Wu, Xue-Jun; Zhang, Hua

2018-02-01

Hybrid nanostructures are a class of materials that are typically composed of two or more different components, in which each component has at least one dimension on the nanoscale. The rational design and controlled synthesis of hybrid nanostructures are of great importance in enabling the fine tuning of their properties and functions. Epitaxial growth is a promising approach to the controlled synthesis of hybrid nanostructures with desired structures, crystal phases, exposed facets and/or interfaces. This Review provides a critical summary of the state of the art in the field of epitaxial growth of hybrid nanostructures. We discuss the historical development, architectures and compositions, epitaxy methods, characterization techniques and advantages of epitaxial hybrid nanostructures. Finally, we provide insight into future research directions in this area, which include the epitaxial growth of hybrid nanostructures from a wider range of materials, the study of the underlying mechanism and determining the role of epitaxial growth in influencing the properties and application performance of hybrid nanostructures.

Photocatalytic Activity and Characterization of Carbon-Modified Titania for Visible-Light-Active Photodegradation of Nitrogen Oxides

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chun-Hung Huang

2012-01-01

Full Text Available A variety of carbon-modified titania powders were prepared by impregnation method using a commercial available titania powder, Hombikat UV100, as matrix material while a range of alcohols from propanol to hexanol were used as precursors of carbon sources. Rising the carbon number of alcoholic precursor molecule, the modified titania showed increasing visible activities of NOx photodegradation. The catalyst modified with cyclohexanol exhibited the best activities of 62%, 62%, 59%, and 54% for the total NOx removal under UV, blue, green, and red light irradiation, respectively. The high activity with long wavelength irradiation suggested a good capability of photocatalysis in full visible light spectrum. Analysis of UV-visible spectrum indicated that carbon modification promoted visible light absorption and red shift in band gap. XPS spectroscopic analysis identified the existence of carbonate species (C=O, which increased with the increasing carbon number of precursor molecule. Photoluminescence spectra demonstrated that the carbonate species suppressed the recombination rate of electron-hole pair. As a result, a mechanism of visible-light-active photocatalyst was proposed according to the formation of carbonate species on carbon-modified TiO2.

Sustainable steric stabilization of colloidal titania nanoparticles

Science.gov (United States)

Elbasuney, Sherif

2017-07-01

A route to produce a stable colloidal suspension is essential if mono-dispersed particles are to be successfully synthesized, isolated, and used in subsequent nanocomposite manufacture. Dispersing nanoparticles in fluids was found to be an important approach for avoiding poor dispersion characteristics. However, there is still a great tendency for colloidal nanoparticles to flocculate over time. Steric stabilization can prevent coagulation by introducing a thick adsorbed organic layer which constitutes a significant steric barrier that can prevent the particle surfaces from coming into direct contact. One of the main features of hydrothermal synthesis technique is that it offers novel approaches for sustainable nanoparticle surface modification. This manuscript reports on the sustainable steric stabilization of titanium dioxide nanoparticles. Nanoparticle surface modification was performed via two main approaches including post-synthesis and in situ surface modification. The tuneable hydrothermal conditions (i.e. temperature, pressure, flow rates, and surfactant addition) were optimized to enable controlled steric stabilization in a continuous fashion. Effective post synthesis surface modification with organic ligand (dodecenyl succinic anhydride (DDSA)) was achieved; the optimum surface coating temperature was reported to be 180-240 °C to ensure DDSA ring opening and binding to titania nanoparticles. Organic-modified titania demonstrated complete change in surface properties from hydrophilic to hydrophobic and exhibited phase transfer from the aqueous phase to the organic phase. Exclusive surface modification in the reactor was found to be an effective approach; it demonstrated surfactant loading level 2.2 times that of post synthesis surface modification. Titania was also stabilized in aqueous media using poly acrylic acid (PAA) as polar polymeric dispersant. PAA-titania nanoparticles demonstrated a durable amorphous polymeric layer of 2 nm thickness. This

Energy sustainable cities. From eco villages, eco districts towards zero carbon cities

Science.gov (United States)

Zaręba, Anna; Krzemińska, Alicja; Łach, Janusz

2017-11-01

Minimizing energy consumption is the effect of sustainable design technics as among many others: designing buildings with solar access and natural ventilation, using climate responsive design materials and effective insulation. Contemporary examples of zero-carbon cities: Masdar City, United Arab Emirates and Dongtan, China, confirm technical feasibility of renewable energy by implementation of solar PV and wind technologies. The ecological city - medium or high density urban settlement separated by greenspace causes the smallest possible ecological footprint on the surrounding countryside through efficient use of land and its resources, recycling used materials and converting waste to energy. This paper investigates the concept of energy sustainable cities, examines, how urban settlements might affect building energy design in eco-villages, eco-districts (e.g. Vauban, Freiburg in Germany, Bo01 Malmo in Sweden), and discuss the strategies for achieving Zero Emission Cities principles in densely populated areas. It is focused on low energy architectural design solutions which could be incorporated into urban settlements to create ecological villages, districts and cities, designed with consideration of environmental impact, required minimal inputs of energy, water, food, waste and pollution.

High-capacity nanostructured germanium-containing materials and lithium alloys thereof

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Graetz, Jason A. (Upton, NY); Fultz, Brent T. (Pasadena, CA); Ahn, Channing (Pasadena, CA); Yazami, Rachid (Los Angeles, CA)

2010-08-24

Electrodes comprising an alkali metal, for example, lithium, alloyed with nanostructured materials of formula Si.sub.zGe.sub.(z-1), where 0

Nanostructured implant surface effect on osteoblast gene expression and bone-to-implant contact in vivo

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mendonca, Gustavo; Baccelli Silveira Mendonca, Daniela; Pagotto Simoes, Luis Gustavo; Araujo, Andre Luis; Leite, Edson Roberto; Golin, Alexsander Luiz; Aragao, Francisco J.L.; Cooper, Lyndon F.

2011-01-01

The aim of this study was to investigate the response of nanostructured implant surfaces at the level of osteoblast differentiation and its effects in bone-to-implant contact (BIC) and removal-torque values (RTV). CpTi grade IV implants (1.6 x 4.0 mm) were machined or machined and subsequently coated with an oxide solution. The surfaces were divided into: machined (M), titania-anatase (An), titania-rutile (Ru), and zirconia (Zr). Surfaces were examined by scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, and by X-ray microanalysis. Implants were inserted in rat tibia and harvested from 0 to 21 days for measurement of Alkaline Phosphatase, Bone Sialoprotein, Osteocalcin, Osteopontin, and RUNX-2 mRNA levels by real time PCR; from 0 to 56 days for RTV; and from 0 to 56 days for BIC. The roughness parameter (Sa) was compared by one-way ANOVA followed by Tukey Test. Comparison of Torque removal values and histomorphometric measurements on implants in vivo was performed by Kruskal-Wallis test and the significance level for all statistical analyses was set at p ≤ 0.05. mRNA levels on all nanostructured surfaces were increased compared to M. At 56 days, the mean RTV in Ncm was 11.6 ± 2.5, 11.3 ± 2.4, 11.1 ± 3.5, 9.7 ± 1.4 for An, Ru, Zr, and M, respectively. Higher BIC (%) was measured for all the nanostructured surfaces versus M at 21 and 56 days (p 2 or ZrO 2 applied to machined cpTi implant promoted greater mesenchymal stem cell commitment to the osteoblast phenotype and associated increased BIC and physical association with bone. Highlights: → Nanostructured surfaces using a sol-gel technique coated cpTi with TiO 2 or ZrO 2 . → Evaluated molecular and mechanical effect of nanofeatures in vivo in rat tibiae. → Nanofeatures improved the differentiation of rat MSCs into osteoblasts. → Nanofeatures improved increased bone-to-implant contact and removal torque values. → TiO 2 or ZrO 2 nanofeatures improved the biological response of machined titanium.

Nanostructured Materials for Renewable Energy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

None

2009-11-01

This factsheet describes a research project whose overall objective is to advance the fundamental understanding of novel photoelectronic organic device structures integrated with inorganic nanostructures, while also expanding the general field of nanomaterials for renewable energy devices and systems.

Probing the Effects of Templating on the UV and Visible Light Photocatalytic Activity of Porous Nitrogen-Modified Titania Monoliths for Dye Removal.

Science.gov (United States)

Nursam, Natalita M; Wang, Xingdong; Tan, Jeannie Z Y; Caruso, Rachel A

2016-07-13

Porous nitrogen-modified titania (N-titania) monoliths with tailored morphologies were prepared using phase separation and agarose gel templating techniques. The doping and templating process were simultaneously carried out in a one-pot step using alcohol amine-assisted sol-gel chemistry. The amount of polymer used in the monoliths that were prepared using phase separation was shown to affect both the physical and optical properties: higher poly(ethylene glycol) content increased the specific surface area, porosity, and visible light absorption of the final materials. For the agarose-templated monoliths, the infiltration conditions affected the monolith morphology. A porous monolith with high surface area and the least shrinkage was obtained when the N containing alkoxide precursor was infiltrated into the agarose scaffolds at 60 °C. The effect of the diverse porous morphologies on the photocatalytic activity of N-titania was studied for the decomposition of methylene blue (MB) under visible and UV light irradiation. The highest visible light activity was achieved by the agarose-templated N-titania monolith, in part due to higher N incorporation. This sample also showed better UV activity, partly because of the higher specific surface area (up to 112 m(2) g(-1)) compared to the phase separation-induced monoliths (up to 103 m(2) g(-1)). Overall, agarose-templated, porous N-titania monoliths provided better features for effectively removing the MB contaminant.

Silicon-embedded copper nanostructure network for high energy storage

Science.gov (United States)

Yu, Tianyue

2016-03-15

Provided herein are nanostructure networks having high energy storage, electrochemically active electrode materials including nanostructure networks having high energy storage, as well as electrodes and batteries including the nanostructure networks having high energy storage. According to various implementations, the nanostructure networks have high energy density as well as long cycle life. In some implementations, the nanostructure networks include a conductive network embedded with electrochemically active material. In some implementations, silicon is used as the electrochemically active material. The conductive network may be a metal network such as a copper nanostructure network. Methods of manufacturing the nanostructure networks and electrodes are provided. In some implementations, metal nanostructures can be synthesized in a solution that contains silicon powder to make a composite network structure that contains both. The metal nanostructure growth can nucleate in solution and on silicon nanostructure surfaces.

Silicon-embedded copper nanostructure network for high energy storage

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yu, Tianyue

2018-01-23

Provided herein are nanostructure networks having high energy storage, electrochemically active electrode materials including nanostructure networks having high energy storage, as well as electrodes and batteries including the nanostructure networks having high energy storage. According to various implementations, the nanostructure networks have high energy density as well as long cycle life. In some implementations, the nanostructure networks include a conductive network embedded with electrochemically active material. In some implementations, silicon is used as the electrochemically active material. The conductive network may be a metal network such as a copper nanostructure network. Methods of manufacturing the nanostructure networks and electrodes are provided. In some implementations, metal nanostructures can be synthesized in a solution that contains silicon powder to make a composite network structure that contains both. The metal nanostructure growth can nucleate in solution and on silicon nanostructure surfaces.

EcoMark 2.0

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Guo, Chenjuan; Yang, Bin; Andersen, Ove

2015-01-01

Eco-routing is a simple yet effective approach to substantially reducing the environmental impact, e.g., fuel consumption and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, of vehicular transportation. Eco-routing relies on the ability to reliably quantify the environmental impact of vehicles as they travel...... in a spatial network. The procedure of quantifying such vehicular impact for road segments of a spatial network is called eco-weight assignment. EcoMark 2.0 proposes a general framework for eco-weight assignment to enable eco-routing. It studies the abilities of six instantaneous and five aggregated models......, and experiments for assessing the utility of the impact models in assigning eco-weights. The application of EcoMark 2.0 indicates that the instantaneous model EMIT and the aggregated model SIDRA-Running are suitable for assigning eco-weights under varying circumstances. In contrast, other instantaneous models...

Polar order in nanostructured organic materials

Science.gov (United States)

Sayar, M.; Olvera de la Cruz, M.; Stupp, S. I.

2003-02-01

Achiral multi-block liquid crystals are not expected to form polar domains. Recently, however, films of nanoaggregates formed by multi-block rodcoil molecules were identified as the first example of achiral single-component materials with macroscopic polar properties. By solving an Ising-like model with dipolar and asymmetric short-range interactions, we show here that polar domains are stable in films composed of aggregates as opposed to isolated molecules. Unlike classical molecular systems, these nanoaggregates have large intralayer spacings (a approx 8 nm), leading to a reduction in the repulsive dipolar interactions which oppose polar order within layers. In finite-thickness films of nanostructures, this effect enables the formation of polar domains. We compute exactly the energies of the possible structures consistent with the experiments as a function of film thickness at zero temperature (T). We also provide Monte Carlo simulations at non-zero T for a disordered hexagonal lattice that resembles the smectic-like packing in these nanofilms.

Photocatalytic composites based on titania nanoparticles and carbon nanomaterials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nguyen, Bich Ha; Nguyen, Van Hieu; Vu, Dinh Lam

2015-01-01

In this article we present a review on recent experimental works toward the formation of visible light responsive composite photocatalysts on the basis of titania nanoparticles and carbon nanomaterials of different types. The research results achieved in last years has shown that the nanocomposite photocatalysts comprising titania nanoparticles and graphene or graphene oxide sheets, and also nanoparticles of noble metals and metallic oxides, exhibited the evident priority compared to the others. Therefore our review emphasizes the research on these promising visible light responsive nanophotocatalysts. (review)

The improved stability of enzyme encapsulated in biomimetic titania particles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jiang Yanjun; Sun Qianyun; Jiang Zhongyi; Zhang Lei; Li Jian; Li Lin; Sun Xiaohui

2009-01-01

This study demonstrates a novel biomimetic approach for the entrapment of yeast alcohol dehydrogenase (YADH) within titania nanoparticles to improve its stability. Protamine was as the template and catalyst for the condensation of titanium (IV) bis(ammonium lactato) dihydroxide (Ti-BALDH) into titania nanoparticles in which YADH was trapped. The as-prepared titania/protamine/YADH composites were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), dynamic light scattering (DLS), X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The mechanism of YADH encapsulation was tentatively proposed from a series of experimental results. The preliminary investigation showed that encapsulated YADH could retain most of its initial activity. Compared to free YADH, encapsulated YADH exhibited significantly improved thermal, pH and recycling stability. After 5 weeks storage, no substantial loss of catalytic activity for encapsulated YADH was observed

Nanostructuring superconductors by ion beams: A path towards materials engineering

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gerbaldo, Roberto; Ghigo, Gianluca; Gozzelino, Laura; Laviano, Francesco [Department of Applied Science and Technology, Politecnico di Torino c.so Duca degli Abruzzi 24, 10129 Torino, Italy and INFN Sez. Torino, via P. Giuria 1, 10125 Torino (Italy); Amato, Antonino; Rovelli, Alberto [INFN Laboratori Nazionali del Sud, via S. Sofia 62, 95125 Catania (Italy); Cherubini, Roberto [INFN Laboratori Nazionali di Legnaro, viale dell' Universita 2, 35020 Legnaro (Italy)

2013-07-18

The paper deals with nanostructuring of superconducting materials by means of swift heavy ion beams. The aim is to modify their structural, optical and electromagnetic properties in a controlled way, to provide possibility of making them functional for specific applications. Results are presented concerning flux pinning effects (implantation of columnar defects with nanosize cross section to enhance critical currents and irreversibility fields), confined flux-flow and vortex guidance, design of devices by locally tailoring the superconducting material properties, analysis of disorder-induced effects in multi-band superconductors. These studies were carried out on different kinds of superconducting samples, from single crystals to thin films, from superconducting oxides to magnesium diboride, to recently discovered iron-based superconductors.

Material and Structural Performance Evaluations of Hwangtoh Admixtures and Recycled PET Fiber-Added Eco-Friendly Concrete for CO₂ Emission Reduction.

Science.gov (United States)

Koo, Bon-Min; Kim, Jang-Ho Jay; Kim, Sung-Bae; Mun, Sungho

2014-08-19

In order to reduce carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions and produce an eco-friendly construction material, a type of concrete that uses a minimal amount of cement, yet still retains equivalent properties to ordinary cement concrete, has been developed and studied all over the world. Hwangtoh, a type of red clay broadly deposited around the world, has traditionally been considered an eco-friendly construction material, with bonus advantages of having health and cost benefits. Presently, Hwangtoh is not commonly used as a modern construction material due to properties such as low strength and high rates of shrinkage cracking. Recent studies, however, have shown that Hwangtoh can be used as a mineral admixture to improve the strength of concrete. In addition, polyethylene terephthalate (PET) fibers recycled from PET bottle waste can be used to control shrinkage cracks in Hwangtoh concrete. Therefore, in this study, performance verification is conducted on newly developed Hwangtoh concrete mixed with short recycled PET fibers. The results show that Hwangtoh concrete has compressive strength, elastic modulus, and pH properties that are similar to these features in ordinary cement concrete. The properties of carbonation depth and creep strain of Hwangtoh concrete, however, are larger and smaller, respectively, than in ordinary cement concrete. According to flexural tests, reinforced concrete (RC) specimens cast with Hwangtoh admixtures (with and without PET fibers) possess similar or better capacities than ordinary RC specimens. The addition of PET fibers significantly improves the structural ductility of RC specimens under normal environmental conditions. However, the implementations of the concrete in aggressive environment must be carefully considered, since a previous study result indicates degradation of its durability performance in aggressive environments, such as seawater [1]. The results of this study validate the possibility of using eco-friendly Hwangtoh concrete

A Product Line Analysis for Eco-Designed Fashion Products: Evidence from an Outdoor Sportswear Brand

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Luo Wang

2017-07-01

Full Text Available With the increasing awareness of sustainability, eco-design has been an important trend in the fashion industry. Many fashion brands such as Nike, Adidas, and The North Face have developed sustainable fashion by incorporating eco-design elements. Eco-design is an important part of sustainable supply chains. In this paper, we conducted a product line analysis of eco-designed products from a famous outdoor sportswear brand, Patagonia. We collected Patagonia’s 2017 Spring Season product line data and analyzed the data through descriptive analysis, factor analysis and correlation analysis. We found that Patagonia mainly uses organic, recycled, and traceable materials in their eco-product line development. We identified that the usage of eco-materials may significantly affect the number of color choices and product weight as well as gender difference, pattern design, product fit and online reviewers’ opinions at Patagonia. We argued that Patagonia should focus on functionality more than aesthetics in eco-design. We discussed how sustainable fashion firms should manage eco-design in the supply chain.

Rapid synthesis of nitrogen doped titania with mixed crystal lattice via microwave-assisted hydrothermal method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang Peilin; Liu Bin; Yin Shu; Wang Yuhua; Petrykin, Valery; Kakihana, Masato; Sato, Tsugio

2009-01-01

A microwave-assisted hydrothermal method was employed to synthesize nitrogen doped titania nanoparticles. Due to the high heating efficiency of microwave, rapid synthesis could be achieved in comparison with the conventional oven. Mixed crystal lattice was found existing in the obtained product, and the phase transformation behaviour under calcination was studied by XRD measurement together with Raman spectroscopy in details. The obtained nitrogen doped titania showed high specific surface area, about 300 m 2 g -1 . Photocatalytic activity in destructing NO x gas by the prepared sample exceeded that of commercial titania (P 25) or nitrogen doped titania synthesized by conventional hydrothermal method, under both visible-light and ultraviolet-light irradiation.

The potential health risk of titania nanoparticles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang, Ruinan; Bai, Yuhong; Zhang, Bin; Chen, Lingxin; Yan, Bing

2012-01-01

Highlights: ► Nanotechnology has been widely used in environmental treatments. ► The safety of nanomaterials to human is under-studied. ► Taking titania nanoparticle as an example to address nanotoxicity and remedy. ► The much needed future investigations are suggested. - Abstract: Widespread use of titania nanoparticles (TNPs) has caused a significant release of TNPs into the environment, increasing human exposure to TNPs. The potential toxicity of TNPs has become an urgent concern. Various models have been used to evaluate the toxic effects of TNPs, but the relationship between TNPs’ toxicity and physicochemical properties is largely unknown. This review summarizes relevant reports to support the development of better predictive toxicological models and the safe future application of TNPs.

Development of a dielectric ceramic based on diatomite-titania part two: dielectric properties characterization

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Medeiros Jamilson Pinto

1998-01-01

Full Text Available Dielectric properties of sintered diatomite-titania ceramics are presented. Specific capacitance, dissipation factor, quality factor and dielectric constant were determined as a function of sintering temperature, titania content and frequency; the temperature coefficient of capacitance was measured as a function of frequency. Besides leakage current, the dependence of the insulation resistance and the dielectric strength on the applied dc voltage were studied. The results show that diatomite-titania compositions can be used as an alternative dielectric.

Large scale atomistic approaches to thermal transport and phonon scattering in nanostructured materials

Science.gov (United States)

Savic, Ivana

2012-02-01

Decreasing the thermal conductivity of bulk materials by nanostructuring and dimensionality reduction, or by introducing some amount of disorder represents a promising strategy in the search for efficient thermoelectric materials [1]. For example, considerable improvements of the thermoelectric efficiency in nanowires with surface roughness [2], superlattices [3] and nanocomposites [4] have been attributed to a significantly reduced thermal conductivity. In order to accurately describe thermal transport processes in complex nanostructured materials and directly compare with experiments, the development of theoretical and computational approaches that can account for both anharmonic and disorder effects in large samples is highly desirable. We will first summarize the strengths and weaknesses of the standard atomistic approaches to thermal transport (molecular dynamics [5], Boltzmann transport equation [6] and Green's function approach [7]) . We will then focus on the methods based on the solution of the Boltzmann transport equation, that are computationally too demanding, at present, to treat large scale systems and thus to investigate realistic materials. We will present a Monte Carlo method [8] to solve the Boltzmann transport equation in the relaxation time approximation [9], that enables computation of the thermal conductivity of ordered and disordered systems with a number of atoms up to an order of magnitude larger than feasible with straightforward integration. We will present a comparison between exact and Monte Carlo Boltzmann transport results for small SiGe nanostructures and then use the Monte Carlo method to analyze the thermal properties of realistic SiGe nanostructured materials. This work is done in collaboration with Davide Donadio, Francois Gygi, and Giulia Galli from UC Davis.[4pt] [1] See e.g. A. J. Minnich, M. S. Dresselhaus, Z. F. Ren, and G. Chen, Energy Environ. Sci. 2, 466 (2009).[0pt] [2] A. I. Hochbaum et al, Nature 451, 163 (2008).[0pt

Tin-Platinum catalysts interactions on titania and silica

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nava, N.; Del Angel, P.; Salmones, J.; Baggio-Saitovitch, E.; Santiago, P.

2007-01-01

Pt-Sn was supported on titania and silica, and the resulting interactions between the components in prepared samples and the resulting interactions between the components before and after treatment with hydrogen were characterized by Moessbauer spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, Rietveld refinement, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) and catalytic tests data. Results show the presence of Pt and SnO 2 after calcinations, and Pt 3 Sn, PtSn and PtSn 3 after reduction. Rietveld analysis shows that some Ti 4+ are replaced by Sn 4+ atoms in the titania structure. Finally, HRTEM and the practically absence of activity observed confirms that metallic platinum is encapsulated

Development of Nanostructured Materials with Improved Radiation Tolerance for Advanced Nuclear Systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zinghang Zhang; Hartwig, K. Ted

2009-01-01

This project will explore the fundamental mechanisms through which interfaces in nanolayered structures and grain boundaries of bulk nanomaterials are able to attract and rapidly eliminate point defects and unwanted foreign species. Candidate materials that will be studied include both nanostructured multilayer composites synthesized by magnetron sputtering and structural bulk nanomaterials produced by severed plastic deformation, equal channel angular extrusion

Chemical Sensors Based on Metal Oxide Nanostructures

Science.gov (United States)

Hunter, Gary W.; Xu, Jennifer C.; Evans, Laura J.; VanderWal, Randy L.; Berger, Gordon M.; Kulis, Mike J.; Liu, Chung-Chiun

2006-01-01

This paper is an overview of sensor development based on metal oxide nanostructures. While nanostructures such as nanorods show significan t potential as enabling materials for chemical sensors, a number of s ignificant technical challenges remain. The major issues addressed in this work revolve around the ability to make workable sensors. This paper discusses efforts to address three technical barriers related t o the application of nanostructures into sensor systems: 1) Improving contact of the nanostructured materials with electrodes in a microse nsor structure; 2) Controling nanostructure crystallinity to allow co ntrol of the detection mechanism; and 3) Widening the range of gases that can be detected by using different nanostructured materials. It is concluded that while this work demonstrates useful tools for furt her development, these are just the beginning steps towards realizati on of repeatable, controlled sensor systems using oxide based nanostr uctures.

Performance enhancement of direct ethanol fuel cell using Nafion composites with high volume fraction of titania

Science.gov (United States)

Matos, B. R.; Isidoro, R. A.; Santiago, E. I.; Fonseca, F. C.

2014-12-01

The present study reports on the performance enhancement of direct ethanol fuel cell (DEFC) at 130 °C with Nafion-titania composite electrolytes prepared by sol-gel technique and containing high volume fractions of the ceramic phase. It is found that for high volume fractions of titania (>10 vol%) the ethanol uptake of composites is largely reduced while the proton conductivity at high-temperatures is weakly dependent on the titania content. Such tradeoff between alcohol uptake and conductivity resulted in a boost of DEFC performance at high temperatures using Nafion-titania composites with high fraction of the inorganic phase.

Titania-coated manganite nanoparticles: Synthesis of the shell, characterization and MRI properties

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jirák, Zdeněk; Kuličková, Jarmila [Institute of Physics, AS CR, Cukrovarnická 10, 162 00 Praha 6 (Czech Republic); Herynek, Vít [Institute for Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Vídeňská 1958/9, 140 21 Praha 4 (Czech Republic); Maryško, Miroslav [Institute of Physics, AS CR, Cukrovarnická 10, 162 00 Praha 6 (Czech Republic); Koktan, Jakub [Institute of Physics, AS CR, Cukrovarnická 10, 162 00 Praha 6 (Czech Republic); University of Chemistry and Technology, Prague, Technická 5, 166 28 Praha 6 (Czech Republic); Kaman, Ondřej, E-mail: kamano@seznam.cz [Institute of Physics, AS CR, Cukrovarnická 10, 162 00 Praha 6 (Czech Republic)

2017-04-01

Novel procedure for coating of oxide nanoparticles with titania, employing hydrolysis and polycondensation of titanium alkoxides under high-dilution conditions and cationic surfactants, is developed and applied to magnetic cores of perovskite manganite. Bare particles of the ferromagnetic La{sub 0.65}Sr{sub 0.35}MnO{sub 3} phase, possessing high magnetization, M{sub 10} {sub kOe}(4.5 K) = 63.5 emu g{sup −1}, and Curie temperature, T{sub C} = 355 K, are synthesized by sol-gel procedure and subsequently coated with titania. Further, a comparative silica-coated product is prepared. In order to analyse the morphology, colloidal stability, and surface properties of these two types of coated particles, a detailed study by means of transmission electron microscopy, dynamic light scattering, zeta-potential measurements, and IR spectroscopy is carried out. The experiments on the titania-coated sample reveal a continuous though porous character of the TiO{sub 2} shell, the nature of which is amorphous but can be transformed to anatase at higher temperatures. Finally, the relaxometric study at the magnetic field of 0.5 T, performed to quantity the transverse relaxivity and its temperature dependence, reveals important differences between the titania-coated and silica-coated nanoparticles. - Highlights: • Magnetic nanoparticles of perovskite La{sub 0.65}Sr{sub 0.35}MnO{sub 3} phase are coated with TiO{sub 2}. • The titania forms a continuous and amorphous shell and provides colloidal stability. • Morphology and surface properties are compared to a silica-coated product. • MRI properties of both the titania- and silica-coated particles are studied at 0.5 T. • The temperature dependence of r{sub 2} is strongly affected by the type of coating.

Eco-balance of a vacuum insulation panel (VIP); Oekobilanz eines Vakuum-Isolations-Paneels (VIP)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Schonhardt, U.; Binz, A.; Wohler, M.; Dott, R. [Institut fuer Energie - Fachhochschule beider Basel, Muttenz (Switzerland); Frischknecht, R. [ESU-services, Uster (Switzerland)

2003-07-01

This report for the Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE) made by the Institute for Energy at the University of Applied Sciences in Muttenz and ESU Services in Uster, Switzerland, presents the results of an eco-balance made on the ecological impact of vacuum insulation panels. These panels are being used more and more instead of bulky, traditional insulation materials. The three eco-balance models used - Eco-Indicator 99, Ecological Scarcity UBP 97 and Cumulative Energy Use KEA - are introduced. Comparisons were made between vacuum insulation systems and glass-fibre and polystyrene insulation materials. The methods used are described and the results of the eco-balance analyses made are presented for the three types of insulation. In an appendix to the report, the influence of power generation methods and transport services on the eco-balance is discussed.

Lignin as a Binder Material for Eco-Friendly Li-Ion Batteries

Science.gov (United States)

Lu, Huiran; Cornell, Ann; Alvarado, Fernando; Behm, Mårten; Leijonmarck, Simon; Li, Jiebing; Tomani, Per; Lindbergh, Göran

2016-01-01

The industrial lignin used here is a byproduct from Kraft pulp mills, extracted from black liquor. Since lignin is inexpensive, abundant and renewable, its utilization has attracted more and more attention. In this work, lignin was used for the first time as binder material for LiFePO4 positive and graphite negative electrodes in Li-ion batteries. A procedure for pretreatment of lignin, where low-molecular fractions were removed by leaching, was necessary to obtain good battery performance. The lignin was analyzed for molecular mass distribution and thermal behavior prior to and after the pretreatment. Electrodes containing active material, conductive particles and lignin were cast on metal foils, acting as current collectors and characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and galvanostatic charge-discharge cycles. Good reversible capacities were obtained, 148 mAh·g−1 for the positive electrode and 305 mAh·g−1 for the negative electrode. Fairly good rate capabilities were found for both the positive electrode with 117 mAh·g−1 and the negative electrode with 160 mAh·g−1 at 1C. Low ohmic resistance also indicated good binder functionality. The results show that lignin is a promising candidate as binder material for electrodes in eco-friendly Li-ion batteries. PMID:28773252

Highly efficient perovskite solar cells based on a nanostructured WO3-TiO2 core-shell electron transporting material

KAUST Repository

Mahmood, Khalid; Swain, Bhabani Sankar; Kirmani, Ahmad R.; Amassian, Aram

2015-01-01

Until recently, only mesoporous TiO2 and ZnO were successfully demonstrated as electron transport layers (ETL) alongside the reports of ZrO2 and Al2O3 as scaffold materials in organometal halide perovskite solar cells, largely owing to ease of processing and to high power conversion efficiency. In this article, we explore tungsten trioxide (WO3)-based nanostructured and porous ETL materials directly grown hydrothermally with different morphologies such as nanoparticles, nanorods and nanosheet arrays. The nanostructure morphology strongly influences the photocurrent and efficiency in organometal halide perovskite solar cells. We find that the perovskite solar cells based on WO3 nanosheet arrays yield significantly enhanced photovoltaic performance as compared to nanoparticles and nanorod arrays due to good perovskite absorber infiltration in the porous scaffold and more rapid carrier transport. We further demonstrate that treating the WO3 nanostructures with an aqueous solution of TiCl4 reduces charge recombination at the perovskite/WO3 interface, resulting in the highest power conversion efficiency of 11.24% for devices based on WO3 nanosheet arrays. The successful demonstration of alternative ETL materials and nanostructures based on WO3 will open up new opportunities in the development of highly efficient perovskite solar cells. This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry 2015.

SUSTAINABLE ECONOMIC GROWTH AND ECO-EFFICIENCY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mariana\tLUPAN

2015-06-01

Full Text Available The current economic and social contexts have brought forth the issues regarding growth and sustainability. The concept of growth has always been linked to an increase in consumption levels, and this inevitably led to pressures on the environment and on the resources that support human activity. Given these circumstances, the question whether we can avoid an environmental disaster while maintaining economic growth, has become more stringent. We chose to approach this aspect by examining the concept of eco-efficiency, a concept that embodies aspects of both economic efficiency and environmental efficiency. Eco-efficiency can be regarded as the effectiveness with which resources are used in order to create products and services that satisfy human needs. Based on this idea, the last decade has produced an increasing number of studies on eco-efficiency and how it can be measured and implemented in the production of goods and services, but also in the field regarding demand patterns. An analysis regarding the aspects of eco-efficiency at the macro level of the Romanian economy is in line with the current environmental concerns, thus I have chosen to cover these questions, as well as the evolution of the locale economy towards a more sustainable development. The outcome of the examined aspects shows that, in spite of an increase in eco-efficiency levels, energy and material consumption and emissions have increased. This raises the question if measuring economic and environmental efficiency by reporting to the GDP value is becoming obsolete and if there is a need to revaluate eco-efficiency indicators in order to measure the transition to a greener and more sustainable development from different points of view.

Dossier Shell Eco-Marathon; Dossier Shell Eco-Marathon

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Matla, P.

2012-05-15

Three articles address subjects concerning the annual race with highly energy efficient cars: the Shell Eco-Marathon. [Dutch] In 3 artikelen wordt aandacht besteed aan de ontwerpen voor de jaarlijkse race met superzuinige auto's, de Shell Eco-Marathon.

The potential health risk of titania nanoparticles

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhang, Ruinan, E-mail: ruinanzhang87@gmail.com [School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Shandong University, Jinan 250100 (China); Bai, Yuhong, E-mail: yuhong.bai1983@gmail.com [School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Shandong University, Jinan 250100 (China); Zhang, Bin, E-mail: binzhang1968@hotmail.com [School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Shandong University, Jinan 250100 (China); Chen, Lingxin, E-mail: lxchen@yic.ac.cn [Yantai Institute of Coastal Zone Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Yantai, Shandong 264003 (China); Yan, Bing, E-mail: dr.bingyan@gmail.com [School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Shandong University, Jinan 250100 (China); Department of Chemical Biology and Therapeutics, St. Jude Children' s Research Hospital, Memphis, TN 38105 (United States)

2012-04-15

Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Nanotechnology has been widely used in environmental treatments. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The safety of nanomaterials to human is under-studied. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Taking titania nanoparticle as an example to address nanotoxicity and remedy. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The much needed future investigations are suggested. - Abstract: Widespread use of titania nanoparticles (TNPs) has caused a significant release of TNPs into the environment, increasing human exposure to TNPs. The potential toxicity of TNPs has become an urgent concern. Various models have been used to evaluate the toxic effects of TNPs, but the relationship between TNPs' toxicity and physicochemical properties is largely unknown. This review summarizes relevant reports to support the development of better predictive toxicological models and the safe future application of TNPs.

Trade-off between Photon Management Efficacy and Material Quality in Thin-Film Solar Cells on Nanostructured Substrates of High Aspect Ratio Structures

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alan H. Chin

2018-04-01

Full Text Available Although texturing of the transparent electrode of thin-film solar cells has long been used to enhance light absorption via light trapping, such texturing has involved low aspect ratio features. With the recent development of nanotechnology, nanostructured substrates enable improved light trapping and enhanced optical absorption via resonances, a process known as photon management, in thin-film solar cells. Despite the progress made in the development of photon management in thin-film solar cells using nanostructures substrates, the structural integrity of the thin-film solar cells deposited onto such nanostructured substrates is rarely considered. Here, we report the observation of the reduction in the open circuit voltage of amorphous silicon solar cells deposited onto a nanostructured substrate with increasing areal number density of high aspect ratio structures. For a nanostructured substrate with the areal number density of such nanostructures increasing in correlation with the distance from one edge of the substrate, a correlation between the open circuit voltage reduction and the increase of the areal number density of high aspect ratio nanostructures of the front electrode of the small-size amorphous silicon solar cells deposited onto different regions of the substrate with graded nanostructure density indicates the effect of the surface morphology on the material quality, i.e., a trade-off between photon management efficacy and material quality. This observed trade-off highlights the importance of optimizing the morphology of the nanostructured substrate to ensure conformal deposition of the thin-film solar cell.

Precursor Derived Nanostructured Si-C-X Materials for Nuclear Applications. Final Report, October 2010 - September 2014

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bordia, Rajendra; Tomar, Vikas; Henager, Chuck

2015-01-01

Polymer derived ceramic route is an attractive approach to make structural materials with unique nanostructures that have very desirable high temperature properties. Processing techniques to make a variety of needed shapes and forms (e.g. coatings, matrices for fiber reinforced composites, porous ceramics) have been developed. With appropriate high temperature processing, the precursors can be converted to nano-crystalline materials. In this collaborative project, we investigated the processing, stability and properties of nanostructured Si-C materials, derived from polymeric precursors, and their performance under conditions appropriate for nuclear energy applications. All the milestones of the project were accomplished. Some of the results are being currently analyzed and additional papers being prepared in which support from NEUP will be acknowledged. So far, eight peer-reviewed papers have been published and one invention disclosure made. In this report, we summarize the major findings of this project.

Precursor Derived Nanostructured Si-C-X Materials for Nuclear Applications. Final Report, October 2010 - September 2014

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bordia, Rajendra [Univ. of Washington, Seattle, WA (United States); Tomar, Vikas [Purdue Univ., West Lafayette, IN (United States); Henager, Chuck [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)

2015-04-08

Polymer derived ceramic route is an attractive approach to make structural materials with unique nanostructures that have very desirable high temperature properties. Processing techniques to make a variety of needed shapes and forms (e.g. coatings, matrices for fiber reinforced composites, porous ceramics) have been developed. With appropriate high temperature processing, the precursors can be converted to nano-crystalline materials. In this collaborative project, we investigated the processing, stability and properties of nanostructured Si-C materials, derived from polymeric precursors, and their performance under conditions appropriate for nuclear energy applications. All the milestones of the project were accomplished. Some of the results are being currently analyzed and additional papers being prepared in which support from NEUP will be acknowledged. So far, eight peer-reviewed papers have been published and one invention disclosure made. In this report, we summarize the major findings of this project.

Integration of nanostructured materials with MEMS microhotplate platforms to enhance chemical sensor performance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Benkstein, Kurt D.; Martinez, Carlos J.; Li, Guofeng; Meier, Douglas C.; Montgomery, Christopher B.; Semancik, Steve

2006-01-01

The development of miniaturized chemical sensors is an increasingly active area of research. Such devices, particularly when they feature low mass and low power budgets, can impact a broad range of applications including industrial process monitoring, building security and extraterrestrial exploration. Nanostructured materials, because of their high surface area, can provide critical enhancements in the performance of chemical microsensors. We have worked to integrate nanomaterial films with MEMS (microelectromechanical systems) microhotplate platforms developed at the National Institute of Standards and Technology in order to gain the benefits of both the materials and the platforms in high-performance chemical sensor arrays. Here, we describe our success in overcoming the challenges of integration and the benefits that we have achieved with regard to the critical sensor performance characteristics of sensor response, speed, stability and selectivity. Nanostructured metal oxide sensing films were locally deposited onto microhotplates via chemical vapor deposition and microcapillary pipetting, and conductive polymer nanoparticle films were deposited via electrophoretic patterning. All films were characterized by scanning electron microscopy and evaluated as conductometric gas sensors

Synthesis of Titania-supported Copper Nanoparticles via Refined Alkoxide Sol-gel Process

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wu, Jeffrey C.S.; Tseng, I.-Hsiang; Chang, W.-C.

2001-01-01

Nanoparticles of titania and copper-loaded titania were synthesized by a refined sol-gel method using titanium butoxide. Unlike the conventional sol-gel procedure of adding water directly, the esterification of anhydrous butanol and glacial acetic acid provided the hydrolyzing water. In addition, acetic acid also served as a chelating ligand to stabilize the hydrolysis-condensation process and minimize the agglomeration of titania. Following the hydrolysis, Cu/TiO 2 was prepared by adding copper chloride to titania sol. The sol was dried, then calcined at 500 deg. C to remove organics and transformed to anatase titania which was verified by XRD. Cu/TiO 2 was further hydrogen-reduced at 300 deg. C. The recovery of Ti was exceeded by an average of 95% from titanium butoxide. TEM micrographs show that the Cu/TiO 2 particles are near uniform. The average crystallite sizes are 17-20 nm estimated from the peak broadening of XRD spectra. The bandgaps of TiO 2 and reduced Cu/TiO 2 range from 2.70 to 3.15 eV estimated from the diffusive reflective UV-Vis spectra. XPS analysis shows that Cu 2p 3/2 is 933.4 eV indicating primary Cu 2 O form on the TiO 2 supports. The binding energy of Ti does not exhibit chemical shift suggesting negligible interaction of Cu cluster and TiO 2 support

Synthesis of Titania-supported Copper Nanoparticles via Refined Alkoxide Sol-gel Process

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Jeffrey C. S.; Tseng, I.-Hsiang; Chang, Wan-Chen

2001-06-01

Nanoparticles of titania and copper-loaded titania were synthesized by a refined sol-gel method using titanium butoxide. Unlike the conventional sol-gel procedure of adding water directly, the esterification of anhydrous butanol and glacial acetic acid provided the hydrolyzing water. In addition, acetic acid also served as a chelating ligand to stabilize the hydrolysis-condensation process and minimize the agglomeration of titania. Following the hydrolysis, Cu/TiO2 was prepared by adding copper chloride to titania sol. The sol was dried, then calcined at 500°C to remove organics and transformed to anatase titania which was verified by XRD. Cu/TiO2 was further hydrogen-reduced at 300°C. The recovery of Ti was exceeded by an average of 95% from titanium butoxide. TEM micrographs show that the Cu/TiO2 particles are near uniform. The average crystallite sizes are 17-20 nm estimated from the peak broadening of XRD spectra. The bandgaps of TiO2 and reduced Cu/TiO2 range from 2.70 to 3.15 eV estimated from the diffusive reflective UV-Vis spectra. XPS analysis shows that Cu 2p3/2 is 933.4 eV indicating primary Cu2O form on the TiO2 supports. The binding energy of Ti does not exhibit chemical shift suggesting negligible interaction of Cu cluster and TiO2 support.

Synthesis of Titania-supported Copper Nanoparticles via Refined Alkoxide Sol-gel Process

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wu, Jeffrey C.S., E-mail: Cswu@ccms.ntu.edu.tw; Tseng, I.-Hsiang; Chang, W.-C. [National Taiwan University, Department of Chemical Engineering (China)

2001-06-15

Nanoparticles of titania and copper-loaded titania were synthesized by a refined sol-gel method using titanium butoxide. Unlike the conventional sol-gel procedure of adding water directly, the esterification of anhydrous butanol and glacial acetic acid provided the hydrolyzing water. In addition, acetic acid also served as a chelating ligand to stabilize the hydrolysis-condensation process and minimize the agglomeration of titania. Following the hydrolysis, Cu/TiO{sub 2} was prepared by adding copper chloride to titania sol. The sol was dried, then calcined at 500 deg. C to remove organics and transformed to anatase titania which was verified by XRD. Cu/TiO{sub 2} was further hydrogen-reduced at 300 deg. C. The recovery of Ti was exceeded by an average of 95% from titanium butoxide. TEM micrographs show that the Cu/TiO{sub 2} particles are near uniform. The average crystallite sizes are 17-20 nm estimated from the peak broadening of XRD spectra. The bandgaps of TiO{sub 2} and reduced Cu/TiO{sub 2} range from 2.70 to 3.15 eV estimated from the diffusive reflective UV-Vis spectra. XPS analysis shows that Cu 2p{sub 3/2} is 933.4 eV indicating primary Cu{sub 2}O form on the TiO{sub 2} supports. The binding energy of Ti does not exhibit chemical shift suggesting negligible interaction of Cu cluster and TiO{sub 2} support.

Material and Structural Performance Evaluations of Hwangtoh Admixtures and Recycled PET Fiber-Added Eco-Friendly Concrete for CO2 Emission Reduction

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bon-Min Koo

2014-08-01

Full Text Available In order to reduce carbon dioxide (CO2 emissions and produce an eco-friendly construction material, a type of concrete that uses a minimal amount of cement, yet still retains equivalent properties to ordinary cement concrete, has been developed and studied all over the world. Hwangtoh, a type of red clay broadly deposited around the world, has traditionally been considered an eco-friendly construction material, with bonus advantages of having health and cost benefits. Presently, Hwangtoh is not commonly used as a modern construction material due to properties such as low strength and high rates of shrinkage cracking. Recent studies, however, have shown that Hwangtoh can be used as a mineral admixture to improve the strength of concrete. In addition, polyethylene terephthalate (PET fibers recycled from PET bottle waste can be used to control shrinkage cracks in Hwangtoh concrete. Therefore, in this study, performance verification is conducted on newly developed Hwangtoh concrete mixed with short recycled PET fibers. The results show that Hwangtoh concrete has compressive strength, elastic modulus, and pH properties that are similar to these features in ordinary cement concrete. The properties of carbonation depth and creep strain of Hwangtoh concrete, however, are larger and smaller, respectively, than in ordinary cement concrete. According to flexural tests, reinforced concrete (RC specimens cast with Hwangtoh admixtures (with and without PET fibers possess similar or better capacities than ordinary RC specimens. The addition of PET fibers significantly improves the structural ductility of RC specimens under normal environmental conditions. However, the implementations of the concrete in aggressive environment must be carefully considered, since a previous study result indicates degradation of its durability performance in aggressive environments, such as seawater [1]. The results of this study validate the possibility of using eco

Material and Structural Performance Evaluations of Hwangtoh Admixtures and Recycled PET Fiber-Added Eco-Friendly Concrete for CO2 Emission Reduction

Science.gov (United States)

Koo, Bon-Min; Kim, Jang-Ho Jay; Kim, Sung-Bae; Mun, Sungho

2014-01-01

In order to reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and produce an eco-friendly construction material, a type of concrete that uses a minimal amount of cement, yet still retains equivalent properties to ordinary cement concrete, has been developed and studied all over the world. Hwangtoh, a type of red clay broadly deposited around the world, has traditionally been considered an eco-friendly construction material, with bonus advantages of having health and cost benefits. Presently, Hwangtoh is not commonly used as a modern construction material due to properties such as low strength and high rates of shrinkage cracking. Recent studies, however, have shown that Hwangtoh can be used as a mineral admixture to improve the strength of concrete. In addition, polyethylene terephthalate (PET) fibers recycled from PET bottle waste can be used to control shrinkage cracks in Hwangtoh concrete. Therefore, in this study, performance verification is conducted on newly developed Hwangtoh concrete mixed with short recycled PET fibers. The results show that Hwangtoh concrete has compressive strength, elastic modulus, and pH properties that are similar to these features in ordinary cement concrete. The properties of carbonation depth and creep strain of Hwangtoh concrete, however, are larger and smaller, respectively, than in ordinary cement concrete. According to flexural tests, reinforced concrete (RC) specimens cast with Hwangtoh admixtures (with and without PET fibers) possess similar or better capacities than ordinary RC specimens. The addition of PET fibers significantly improves the structural ductility of RC specimens under normal environmental conditions. However, the implementations of the concrete in aggressive environment must be carefully considered, since a previous study result indicates degradation of its durability performance in aggressive environments, such as seawater [1]. The results of this study validate the possibility of using eco-friendly Hwangtoh concrete

Tin-Platinum catalysts interactions on titania and silica

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nava, N. [Instituto Mexicano del Petroleo Lazaro Cardenas 152, 07730 Mexico, D.F. (Mexico)], E-mail: tnava@imp.mx; Del Angel, P. [Instituto Mexicano del Petroleo Lazaro Cardenas 152, 07730 Mexico, D.F. (Mexico); Salmones, J. [Instituto Politecnico Nacional-ESIQIE UPALM, 07738 Mexico, D.F. (Mexico); Baggio-Saitovitch, E. [Centro Brasileiro de Pesquisas Fisicas, Rua Dr. Xavier Sigaud 150, 22290-180 Rio de Janeiro, Brasil (Brazil); Santiago, P. [Instituto de Fisica, UNAM, Mexico, D. F., 04510 Mexico (Mexico)

2007-09-30

Pt-Sn was supported on titania and silica, and the resulting interactions between the components in prepared samples and the resulting interactions between the components before and after treatment with hydrogen were characterized by Moessbauer spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, Rietveld refinement, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) and catalytic tests data. Results show the presence of Pt and SnO{sub 2} after calcinations, and Pt{sub 3}Sn, PtSn and PtSn{sub 3} after reduction. Rietveld analysis shows that some Ti{sup 4+} are replaced by Sn{sup 4+} atoms in the titania structure. Finally, HRTEM and the practically absence of activity observed confirms that metallic platinum is encapsulated.

Synthesis and characterization of natural hydroxyapatite (recycled) composites with titania

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mendes Filho, Antonio Alves; Gouveia, Vitor Jose Pinto; Pereira, Renato Alves; Araujo, Fernando Gabriel da Silva; Sousa, Camila Mateus de

2010-01-01

Natural hydroxyapatite biphasic ceramics (recycled) with titania (TiO_2-Hap) were studied in this work. For the formation of such ceramic the powders were mixed natural hydroxyapatite obtained from veal bone by the hydrothermal method with titania (TiO_2), forming the composites H9T1. The powders, manually homogenized, were conformed in pellet and sintered at temperatures between 1200 and 1400 deg C The ceramic bodies were characterized by XRD and SEM/EDS. The initial results were not satisfactory and require new studies. (author)

Carbon fiber CVD coating by carbon nanostructured for space materials protection against atomic oxygen

Science.gov (United States)

Pastore, Roberto; Bueno Morles, Ramon; Micheli, Davide

2016-07-01

adhesion and durability in the environment. Though these coatings are efficient in protecting polymer composites, their application imposes severe constraints. Their thermal expansion coefficients may differ markedly from those of polymer composite substrates: as a result, cracks develop in the coatings on thermal cycling and AO can penetrate through them to the substrate. In addition to the technicalities of forming an effective barrier, such factors as cost, convenience of application and ease of repair are important considerations in the selection of a coating for a particular application. The latter issues drive the aerospace research toward the development of novel light composite materials, like the so called polymer nanocomposites, which are materials with a polymer matrix and a filler with at least one dimension less than 100 nanometers. Current interest in nanocomposites has been generated and maintained because nanoparticle-filled polymers exhibit unique combinations of properties not achievable with traditional composites. These combinations of properties can be achieved because of the small size of the fillers, the large surface area the fillers provide, and in many cases the unique properties of the fillers themselves. In particular, the carbon fiber-based polymeric composite materials are the basic point of interest: the aim of the present study is to find new solution to produce carbon fiber-based composites with even more upgraded performances. One intriguing strategy to tackle such an issue has been picked out in the coupling between the carbon fibers and the carbon nanostructures. That for two main reasons: first, carbon nanostructures have shown fancy potentialities for any kind of technological applications since their discovery, second, the chemical affinity between fiber and nanostructure (made of the same element) should be a likely route to approach the typical problems due to thermo-mechanical compatibility. This work is joined in such framework

High-density arrays of titania nanoparticles using monolayer micellar films of diblock copolymers as templates.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Xue; Lau, King Hang Aaron; Kim, Dong Ha; Knoll, Wolfgang

2005-05-24

Highly dense arrays of titania nanoparticles were fabricated using surface micellar films of poly(styrene-block-2-vinylpyridine) diblock copolymers (PS-b-P2VP) as reaction scaffolds. Titania could be introduced selectively within P2VP nanodomains in PS-b-P2VP films through the binary reaction between water molecules trapped in the P2VP domains and the TiCl(4) vapor precursors. Subsequent UV exposure or oxygen plasma treatment removed the organic matrix, leading to titania nanoparticle arrays on the substrate surface. The diameter of the titania domains and the interparticle distance were defined by the lateral scale present in the microphase-separated morphology of the initial PS-b-P2VP films. The typical diameter of titania nanoparticles obtained by oxygen plasma treatment was of the order of approximately 23 nm. Photoluminescence (PL) properties were investigated for films before and after plasma treatment. Both samples showed PL properties with major physical origin due to self-trapped excitons, indicating that the local environment of the titanium atoms is similar.

EcoBears

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nielsen, Nick; Pedersen, Sandra Bleuenn; Sørensen, Jens Ager

2015-01-01

In this paper, we introduce the EcoBears concept that aims to augment household appliances with functional and aesthetic features to promote their "use'' and "longevity of use'' to prevent their disposal. The EcoBears also aim to support the communication of environmental issues in the home setting....... We present our initial design and implementation of the EcoBears that consist of two bear modules (a mother and her cub). We also present our preliminary concept validations and lessons learned to be considered for future directions....

THE EFFECT OF NANO-TITANIA ADDITION ON THE PROPERTIES OF HIGH-ALUMINA LOW-CEMENT SELF-FLOWING REFRACTORY CASTABLES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sasan Otroj

2011-12-01

Full Text Available The self-flow characteristics and properties of high-alumina low-cement refractory castables added with nano-titania particles are investigated. For this reason, the reactive alumina in the castable composition is substituted by nano-titania powder in 0-1 %wt. range. The microstructures, phase composition, physical and mechanical properties of these refractory castables at different temperatures are studied. The results show that the addition of nano-titania particles has great effect on the self-flow characteristics, phase composition, physical and mechanical properties of these refractory castables. With increase of nano-titania particles in castable composition, the self-flow value and working time tend to decrease. With addition of 0.5 wt.% nano-titania in the castable composition, the mechanical strength of castable in all firing temperatures tends to increase. It is attributed to the formation of CA6 phase and enhanced ceramic bonding. Nano-titania particles can act as a nucleating agent for hibonite phase and decrease the formation temperature of hibonite. Because of perovskite phase formation, the addition of 1 wt.% nano-titania can decrease the mechanical strength of castable after firing.

Nanostructured piezoelectric energy harvesters

CERN Document Server

Briscoe, Joe

2014-01-01

This book covers a range of devices that use piezoelectricity to convert mechanical deformation into electrical energy and relates their output capabilities to a range of potential applications. Starting with a description of the fundamental principles and properties of piezo- and ferroelectric materials, where applications of bulk materials are well established, the book shows how nanostructures of these materials are being developed for energy harvesting applications. The authors show how a nanostructured device can be produced, and put in context some of the approaches that are being invest

6. international conference on Nano-technology in Carbon: from synthesis to applications of nano-structured carbon and related materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2004-01-01

This is the sixth international conference sponsored this year by the French Carbon Group (GFEC), the European Research Group on Nano-tubes GDRE 'Nano-E', in collaboration with the British Carbon Group and the 'Institut des Materiaux Jean Rouxel' (local organizer). The aim of this conference is to promote carbon science in the nano-scale as, for example, nano-structured carbons, nano-tubes, nano-wires, fullerenes, etc. This conference is designed to introduce those with an interest in materials to current research in nano-technology and to bring together research scientists working in various disciplines in the broad area of nano-structured carbons, nano-tubes and fullerene-related nano-structures. Elemental carbon is the simplest exemplar of this nano-technology based on covalent bonding, however other systems (for example containing hetero-atoms) are becoming important from a research point of view, and provide alternative nano-materials with unique properties opening a broad field of applications. Nano-technology requires an understanding of these materials on a structural and textural point of view and this will be the central theme. This year the conference will feature sessions on: S1. Control and synthesis of nano-materials 1.1 Nano-structured carbons: pyrolysis of polymers, activation, templates,... 1.2 Nano-tubes: Catalytic method, HiPCO, graphite vaporization, electrolysis,... 1.3 Fullerenes S2. Chemistry of carbon nano-materials 2.1 Purification of carbon nano-tubes 2.2 Functionalization - Self-assembling S3. Structural characterization S4. Theory and modelling S5. Relationship between structure and properties S6. Applications Water and air purification, Gas and energy storage, Composite materials, Field emission, Nano-electronics, Biotechnology,... S7. Environmental impact. Only one paper concerning carbon under irradiation has been added to the INIS database. (authors)

Eco-friendly dentistry: Need of future. An overview

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Savy Arora

2017-01-01

Full Text Available In today's world, it is very necessary to understand the importance of being eco-friendly in every facet of our lives. The color “green” has healing power and denotes renewal, growth, and hope. “Eco-friendly dentistry” attempts to reduce the detrimental impact of dental practices on the environment and promote environmental awareness and sustainability to patients. This paper attempts to cover all possible aspects of making a dental practice eco-friendly, both in a dental perspective as well as a general perspective. While establishing an eco-friendly dental workplace, the dentist needs to assess his choices in planning the infrastructure and purchasing of equipment and dental materials. Eco-friendly dentistry is a newly evolving practice of dentistry, which encompasses a simultaneous devotion to sustainability, prevention, precaution, and a minimally invasive patient-centric, as well as global-centric treatment. There are two main avenues for implementing eco-friendly dentistry: (1 appropriate policy development and implementation and (2 dentists taking responsibility/ownership in the absence of policies and regulations. Although in some cases, it may take a little extra effort or money; dentists throughout the world are doing their best to reduce the environmental impact of the dental practice. Although the commitment of one small dental office cannot save the planet, certainly, the collective efforts of many small offices as well as large dental hospitals/colleges can ensure that dentists, at least, will not be responsible for destroying it. This article discusses various factors that can be incorporated into dental practice that can help make dentistry eco-friendly.

Potential of using coconut shell particle fillers in eco-composite materials

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sarki, J., E-mail: sarksj@yahoo.com [Department of Fire and Safety, Kaduna International Airport, Kaduna-State (Nigeria); Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering, Ahmadu Bello University, Samaru, Zaria (Nigeria); Hassan, S.B., E-mail: hassbolaji@yahoo.com [Department of Fire and Safety, Kaduna International Airport, Kaduna-State (Nigeria); Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering, Ahmadu Bello University, Samaru, Zaria (Nigeria); Aigbodion, V.S., E-mail: aigbodionv@yahoo.com [Department of Fire and Safety, Kaduna International Airport, Kaduna-State (Nigeria); Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering, Ahmadu Bello University, Samaru, Zaria (Nigeria); Oghenevweta, J.E. [Department of Fire and Safety, Kaduna International Airport, Kaduna-State (Nigeria); Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering, Ahmadu Bello University, Samaru, Zaria (Nigeria)

2011-02-03

Research highlights: > The production and characterization of the composites has been done. - Abstract: Morphology and mechanical properties of coconut shell particles reinforced epoxy composites were evaluated to assess the possibility of using it as a new material in engineering applications. Coconut shell filled composites were prepared from epoxy polymer matrix containing up to 30 wt% coconut shell fillers. The effects of coconut shell particle content on the mechanical properties of the composites were investigated. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) of the composite surfaces indicates that there are fairly good interfacial interaction between coconut shell particles and epoxy matrix. It was shown that the value of tensile modulus and tensile strength values increases with the increase of coconut shell particles content, while the impact strength slightly decreased, compared to pure epoxy resin. This work has shown that coconut shell particles can be used to improve properties of epoxy polymer composite to be used in eco-buildings.

Potential of using coconut shell particle fillers in eco-composite materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sarki, J.; Hassan, S.B.; Aigbodion, V.S.; Oghenevweta, J.E.

2011-01-01

Research highlights: → The production and characterization of the composites has been done. - Abstract: Morphology and mechanical properties of coconut shell particles reinforced epoxy composites were evaluated to assess the possibility of using it as a new material in engineering applications. Coconut shell filled composites were prepared from epoxy polymer matrix containing up to 30 wt% coconut shell fillers. The effects of coconut shell particle content on the mechanical properties of the composites were investigated. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) of the composite surfaces indicates that there are fairly good interfacial interaction between coconut shell particles and epoxy matrix. It was shown that the value of tensile modulus and tensile strength values increases with the increase of coconut shell particles content, while the impact strength slightly decreased, compared to pure epoxy resin. This work has shown that coconut shell particles can be used to improve properties of epoxy polymer composite to be used in eco-buildings.

Synchrotron SAXS Studies of Nanostructured Materials and Colloidal Solutions: A Review

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Craievich A.F.

2002-01-01

Full Text Available Structural characterisations using the SAXS technique in a number of nanoheterogeneous materials and liquid solutions are reviewed. The studied systems are protein (lysozyme/water solutions, colloidal ZnO particles/water sols, nanoporous NiO-based xerogels, hybrid organic-inorganic siloxane-PEG and PPG nanocomposites and PbTe semiconductor nanocrystals embedded in a glass matrix. These investigations also focus on the transformations of time-varying structures and on structural changes related to variations in temperature and composition. The reviewed investigations aim at explaining the unusual and often interesting properties of nanostructured materials and solutions. Most of the reported studies were carried out using the SAXS beamline at the National Synchrotron Light Laboratory (LNLS, Campinas, Brazil.

Titania may produce abiotic oxygen atmospheres on habitable exoplanets.

Science.gov (United States)

Narita, Norio; Enomoto, Takafumi; Masaoka, Shigeyuki; Kusakabe, Nobuhiko

2015-09-10

The search for habitable exoplanets in the Universe is actively ongoing in the field of astronomy. The biggest future milestone is to determine whether life exists on such habitable exoplanets. In that context, oxygen in the atmosphere has been considered strong evidence for the presence of photosynthetic organisms. In this paper, we show that a previously unconsidered photochemical mechanism by titanium (IV) oxide (titania) can produce abiotic oxygen from liquid water under near ultraviolet (NUV) lights on the surface of exoplanets. Titania works as a photocatalyst to dissociate liquid water in this process. This mechanism offers a different source of a possibility of abiotic oxygen in atmospheres of exoplanets from previously considered photodissociation of water vapor in upper atmospheres by extreme ultraviolet (XUV) light. Our order-of-magnitude estimation shows that possible amounts of oxygen produced by this abiotic mechanism can be comparable with or even more than that in the atmosphere of the current Earth, depending on the amount of active surface area for this mechanism. We conclude that titania may act as a potential source of false signs of life on habitable exoplanets.

Silicon-germanium (Sige) nanostructures production, properties and applications in electronics

CERN Document Server

Usami, N

2011-01-01

Nanostructured silicon-germanium (SiGe) provides the prospect of novel and enhanced electronic device performance. This book reviews the materials science and technology of SiGe nanostructures, including crystal growth, fabrication of nanostructures, material properties and applications in electronics.$bNanostructured silicon-germanium (SiGe) opens up the prospects of novel and enhanced electronic device performance, especially for semiconductor devices. Silicon-germanium (SiGe) nanostructures reviews the materials science of nanostructures and their properties and applications in different electronic devices. The introductory part one covers the structural properties of SiGe nanostructures, with a further chapter discussing electronic band structures of SiGe alloys. Part two concentrates on the formation of SiGe nanostructures, with chapters on different methods of crystal growth such as molecular beam epitaxy and chemical vapour deposition. This part also includes chapters covering strain engineering and mo...

Photoelectrochemical reactivity of polyoxophosphotungstates embedded in titania tubules

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xie Yibing

2006-01-01

A highly ordered and crystallized titania (TiO 2 ) nanotube array is fabricated by a low-voltage anodization plus a post-embedding calcination process. Polyoxophosphotungstate-titania (POPTA-TiO 2 ) composite catalyst is synthesized by embedding POPTA in TiO 2 tubule channels to improve the photoelectrochemical properties. The morphological characteristics and crystal behaviour of POPTA-TiO 2 are examined by field-emission scanning electron microscopy and x-ray diffraction. The stability of the chemical structure has been analysed by Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy measurements. The photoelectrochemical properties are investigated by means of the polarization current response. Photocatalytic and photoelectrocatalytic reactivities for the degradation of an endocrine disrupting chemical have also been investigated to examine the photoelectrochemical reaction efficiency of POPTA-TiO 2 composite catalyst

Development of an eco- and material-efficient pellet production chain. A chemical study

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kuokkanen, M.

2013-06-01

According to the EU's strategy and the corresponding Finnish national strategy on waste materials, all kinds of waste must be utilised primarily as material (reuse, recycling) and secondarily as energy, and at the lowest level of waste hierarchy is their disposal using environmentally friendly methods. Today material efficiency is an essential topic in promoting sustainable use of natural resources, industrial by-products and waste material. The present goal proposed by the EU sets the target for the total proportion of renewable energy as high as 38% by 2020 in Finland. Up to 20 million tonnes of waste wood biomass per year are left unused in Finland, mainly in the forests during forestry operations, because supply and demand do not meet. As a consequence of high heat energy prices, the looming threat of climate change, the greenhouse effect and global as well as national demands to considerably increase the proportion of renewable energy, Finland currently has a tremendous interest in increasing decentralised pellet production alongside of large-scale factories. The aim of this thesis is to promote the development of eco-, material- and cost-efficient Nordic wood-based pellet production and utilisation of pellet bio-ash by means of chemical research. Using Finnish wood (sawdust and shavings) as a model raw material, the total functionality of a pilot-scale pellet facility combined with an extensive chemical toolbox was tested in this study to promote development of an eco-, material- and cost-efficient wood-based pellet production chain. The chemical toolbox includes measurements of moisture content, density, heat value, mechanical durability and particle size distribution, TG analysis and elementary analysis, as well as new applications for pellet biodegradation using BOD OxiTop equipment and optical microscopic staining methods. To improve the quality of pellets, considering the profitability of production and occupational safety factors (wood dust

Nanostructured carbon materials based electrothermal air pump actuators

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Qing; Liu, Luqi; Kuang, Jun; Dai, Zhaohe; Han, Jinhua; Zhang, Zhong

2014-05-01

Actuator materials can directly convert different types of energy into mechanical energy. In this work, we designed and fabricated electrothermal air pump-type actuators by utilization of various nanostructured carbon materials, including single wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs), reduced graphene oxide (r-GO), and graphene oxide (GO)/SWCNT hybrid films as heating elements to transfer electrical stimulus into thermal energy, and finally convert it into mechanical energy. Both the actuation displacement and working temperature of the actuator films show the monotonically increasing trend with increasing driving voltage within the actuation process. Compared with common polymer nanocomposites based electrothermal actuators, our actuators exhibited better actuation performances with a low driving voltage (film actuator due to the intrinsic gas-impermeability nature of graphene platelets. In addition, the high modulus of the r-GO and GO/SWCNT films also guaranteed the large generated stress and high work density. Specifically, the generated stress and gravimetric work density of the GO/SWCNT hybrid film actuator could reach up to more than 50 MPa and 30 J kg-1, respectively, under a driving voltage of 10 V. The resulting stress value is at least two orders of magnitude higher than that of natural muscles (~0.4 MPa).Actuator materials can directly convert different types of energy into mechanical energy. In this work, we designed and fabricated electrothermal air pump-type actuators by utilization of various nanostructured carbon materials, including single wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs), reduced graphene oxide (r-GO), and graphene oxide (GO)/SWCNT hybrid films as heating elements to transfer electrical stimulus into thermal energy, and finally convert it into mechanical energy. Both the actuation displacement and working temperature of the actuator films show the monotonically increasing trend with increasing driving voltage within the actuation process. Compared with

Developing an eco-routing application.

Science.gov (United States)

2014-01-01

The study develops eco-routing algorithms and investigates and quantifies the system-wide impacts of implementing an eco-routing system. Two eco-routing algorithms are developed: one based on vehicle sub-populations (ECO-Subpopulation Feedback Assign...

Effect of photoanode surface coverage by a sensitizer on the photovoltaic performance of titania based CdS quantum dot sensitized solar cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Prasad, Rajendra M B; Pathan, Habib M

2016-04-08

In spite of the promising design and architecture, quantum dot sensitized solar cells (QDSSCs) have a long way to go before they attain the actual projected photoconversion efficiencies. Such an inferior performance displayed by QDSSCs is primarily because of many unwanted recombination losses of charge carriers at various interfaces of the cell. Electron recombination due to back electron transfer at the photoanode/electrolyte interface is an important one that needs to be addressed, to improve the efficiency of these third generation nanostructured solar cells. The present work highlights the importance of conformal coverage of CdS quantum dots (QDs) on the surface of the nanocrystalline titania photoanode in arresting such recombinations, leading to improvement in the performance of the cells. Using the successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction (SILAR) process, photoanodes are subjected to different amounts of CdS QD sensitization by varying the number of cycles of deposition. The sensitized electrodes are characterized using UV-visible spectroscopy, cyclic voltammetry and transmission electron microscopy to evaluate the extent of surface coverage of titania electrodes by QDs. Sandwich solar cells are then fabricated using these electrodes and characterized employing electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and J-V characteristics. It is observed that maximum solar cell efficiency is obtained for photoanodes with conformal coating of QDs and any further deposition of sensitizer leads to QD aggregation and so reduces the performance of the solar cells.

Nanostructured Diclofenac Sodium Releasing Material

Science.gov (United States)

Nikkola, L.; Vapalahti, K.; Harlin, A.; Seppälä, J.; Ashammakhi, N.

2008-02-01

Various techniques have been developed to produce second generation biomaterials for tissue repair. These include extrusion, molding, salt leaching, spinning etc, but success in regenerating tissues has been limited. It is important to develop porous material, yet with a fibrous structure for it to be biomimetic. To mimic biological tissues, the extra-cellular matrix usually contains fibers in nano scale. To produce nanostructures, self-assembly or electrospinning can be used. Adding a drug release function to such a material may advance applications further for use in controlled tissue repair. This turns the resulting device into a multifunctional porous, fibrous structure to support cells and drug releasing properties in order to control tissue reactions. A bioabsorbable poly(ɛ-caprolactone-co-D,L lactide) 95/5 (PCL) was made into diluted solution using a solvent, to which was added 2w-% of diclofenac sodium (DS). Nano-fibers were made by electrospinning onto substrate. Microstructure of the resulting nanomat was studied using SEM and drug release profiles with UV/VIS spectroscopy. Thickness of the electrospun nanomat was about 2 mm. SEM analysis showed that polymeric nano-fibers containing drug particles form a highly interconnected porous nano structure. Average diameter of the nano-fibers was 130 nm. There was a high burst peak in drug release, which decreased to low levels after one day. The used polymer has slow a degradation rate and though the nanomat was highly porous with a large surface area, drug release rate is slow. It is feasible to develop a nano-fibrous porous structure of bioabsorbable polymer, which is loaded with test drug. Drug release is targeted at improving the properties of biomaterial for use in controlled tissue repair and regeneration.

Eco-Friendly Superwetting Material for Highly Effective Separations of Oil/Water Mixtures and Oil-in-Water Emulsions.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Chih-Feng; Yang, Sheng-Yi; Kuo, Shiao-Wei

2017-02-20

Because the treatment of oily wastewater, generated from many industrial processes, has become an increasing environmental concern, the search continues for simple, inexpensive, eco-friendly, and readily scalable processes for fabricating novel materials capable of effective oil/water separation. In this study we prepared an eco-friendly superhydrophilic and underwater superoleophobic polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP)-modified cotton that mediated extremely efficient separations of mixtures of oil/water and oil/corrosive solutions. This PVP-modified cotton exhibited excellent antifouling properties and could be used to separate oil/water mixtures continuously for up to 20 h. Moreover, the compressed PVP-modified cotton could separate both surfactant-free and -stabilized oil-in-water emulsions with fluxes of up to 23,500 L m -2 h -1 bar -1 -a level one to two orders of magnitude higher than that possible when using traditional ultrafiltration membranes having similar rejection properties. The high performance of our PVP-modified cotton and its green, low-energy, cost-effective preparation suggest its great potential for practical applications.

Combining eco-efficiency and eco-effectiveness for continuous loop beverage packaging systems: learnings from the Carlsberg Circular Community

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Niero, Monia; Hauschild, Michael Zwicky; Hoffmeyer, Simon Boas

2017-01-01

Eco-efficiency (i.e., increasing value while reducing resource use and pollution) can with advantage be combined with eco-effectiveness (i.e., maximizing the benefits to ecological and economical systems) to address the challenges posed by the circular economy in the design of circular industrial......, the environmentally optimal beverage packaging life cycle scenario is identified, both in terms of defined use and reuse. Second, the limiting factors are identified for the continuous use of materials in multiple loops, meeting the two requirements in the C2C certification process that address the material level (i...... the most efficient and effective "upcycling" strategy for the beverage packaging, both from an environmental and an economic point of view. In the case of the aluminum cans, the main recommendation from both the LCA and C2C perspective is to ensure a system that enables can-to-can recycling....

Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy as a Probe of the Surface Chemistry of Nanostructured Materials.

Science.gov (United States)

Dick, Susan; Konrad, Magdalena P; Lee, Wendy W Y; McCabe, Hannah; McCracken, John N; Rahman, Taifur M D; Stewart, Alan; Xu, Yikai; Bell, Steven E J

2016-07-01

Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) is now widely used as a rapid and inexpensive tool for chemical/biochemical analysis. The method can give enormous increases in the intensities of the Raman signals of low-concentration molecular targets if they are adsorbed on suitable enhancing substrates, which are typically composed of nanostructured Ag or Au. However, the features of SERS that allow it to be used as a chemical sensor also mean that it can be used as a powerful probe of the surface chemistry of any nanostructured material that can provide SERS enhancement. This is important because it is the surface chemistry that controls how these materials interact with their local environment and, in real applications, this interaction can be more important than more commonly measured properties such as morphology or plasmonic absorption. Here, the opportunity that this approach to SERS provides is illustrated with examples where the surface chemistry is both characterized and controlled in order to create functional nanomaterials. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Iron carbide on titania surface modified with group VA oxides as Fischer-Tropsch catalysts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wachs, I.E.; Fiato, R.A.; Chersich, C.C.

1986-01-01

A catalyst is described comprising iron carbide supported on a surface modified titania wherein the support comprises an oxide of a metal selected form the group consisting of niobium, vanadium, tantalum or mixture thereof supported on the titania wherein at least a portion of the supported oxide of niobium, vanandium, tantalum or mixture is in a non-crystalline form. The amount of the supported oxide ranges from about 0.5 to 25 weight percent metal oxide on the titania support based on the total support composition and the catalyst contains at least about 2 milligrams of iron, calculated as Fe/sub 2/O/sub 3/, per square meter of support surface

Review of Recent Progress of Plasmonic Materials and Nano-Structures for Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alan X. Wang

2015-05-01

Full Text Available Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS has demonstrated single-molecule sensitivity and is becoming intensively investigated due to its significant potential in chemical and biomedical applications. SERS sensing is highly dependent on the substrate, where excitation of the localized surface plasmons (LSPs enhances the Raman scattering signals of proximate analyte molecules. This paper reviews research progress of SERS substrates based on both plasmonic materials and nano-photonic structures. We first discuss basic plasmonic materials, such as metallic nanoparticles and nano-rods prepared by conventional bottom-up chemical synthesis processes. Then, we review rationally-designed plasmonic nano-structures created by top-down approaches or fine-controlled synthesis with high-density hot-spots to provide large SERS enhancement factors (EFs. Finally, we discuss the research progress of hybrid SERS substrates through the integration of plasmonic nano-structures with other nano-photonic devices, such as photonic crystals, bio-enabled nanomaterials, guided-wave systems, micro-fluidics and graphene.

Enhanced photocatalytic activity of titania-silica mixed oxide prepared via basic hydrolyzation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xie Chao; Xu Zili; Yang Qiujing; Xue Baoyong; Du Yaoguo; Zhang Jiahua

2004-01-01

Two different synthesis routes were applied to prepare TiO 2 -XSiO 2 (X denotes mol% of silica in titania-silica mixed oxides) with different silica concentrations by using ammonia water as hydrolysis catalyst. Through comparing the photocatalytic performance of two sets of mixed oxides, we found that the photocatalytic activity of mixed oxides prepared via the route which can promote homogeneity, was significantly enhanced as compared with that of counterparts prepared via the another route, and the highest photocatalytic activity obtained by adding about 9.1 mol% silica into titania was much higher than that of pure TiO 2 . The mixed oxides were investigated by means of XRD, thermal analysis, UV-vis, FT-IR and XPS. The characterization results suggest that, in comparison with pure TiO 2 , the mixed oxides exhibit smaller crystallite size and higher thermal stability which can elevate the temperature of anatase to rutile phase transformation due to the addition of silica. Furthermore, Broensted acidity, which is associated with the formation of Ti-O-Si hetero linkages where tetrahedrally coordinated silica is chemically mixed with the octahedral titania matrix, may be a very important contribution to the enhanced photocatalytic activity of titania-silica mixed oxides as well

Photocatalytic degradation of paraoxon-ethyl in aqueous solution using titania nanoparticulate film

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Prasad, G.K.; Ramacharyulu, P.V.R.K.; Kumar, J. Praveen; Srivastava, A.R.; Singh, Beer

2012-01-01

Photocatalytic degradation of paraoxon-ethyl (o,o-diethyl o-(4-nitrophenyl) phosphate), a well known surrogate of chemical warfare agents, in aqueous solution was studied by using titania nanoparticulate film. Reaction followed pseudo first order behaviour. Photolytic degradation reaction of paraoxon-ethyl demonstrated relatively low rate with a value of rate constant of 2.5 × 10 −3 min −1 . Whereas, degradation reaction in the presence of titania nanoparticulate film and UV light displayed enhanced rate with a value of rate constant of 6.9 × 10 −3 min −1 due to photocatalysis. Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry analysis showed the formation of p-nitrophenol, o,o-diethyl phosphonic acid, o-ethyl, diphosphonic acid, phosphoric acid, dimerized product of o,o-diethyl phosphonic acid, acetaldehyde, and carbon dioxide due to photocatalytic degradation of paraoxon-ethyl. It indicates that, photocatalytic degradation reaction begins with destruction of P–O–C bonds. Subsequently, P, C atoms were found to be oxidized gradually, and contributed to its photocatalytic degradation. - Highlights: ► Synthesis of titania nanoparticles by sol–gel method. ► Fabrication of titania nanoparticulate film by dip coating. ► Paraoxon ethyl degradation reactions followed pseudo first order behaviour. ► Paraoxon-ethyl degraded to non toxic compounds like CO 2 , acetaldehyde, and nitrophenol.

Solvothermal synthesis of carbon coated N-doped TiO{sub 2} nanostructures with enhanced visible light catalytic activity

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yan Xuemin, E-mail: yanzhangmm2002@163.com [College of Chemistry and Environmental Engineering, Yangtze University, Jingzhou 434023 (China); Kang Jialing; Gao Lin; Xiong Lin; Mei Ping [College of Chemistry and Environmental Engineering, Yangtze University, Jingzhou 434023 (China)

2013-01-15

Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Chitosan was used as carbon and nitrogen resource to modify TiO{sub 2} nanostructure. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Nanocomposites with mesostructure were obtained by one-step solvothermal method. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Carbon species were modified on the surface of TiO{sub 2}. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Nitrogen was doped into the anatase titania lattice. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer CTS-TiO{sub 2} nanocomposites show superior visible light photocatalytic activity. - Abstract: Visible light-active carbon coated N-doped TiO{sub 2} nanostructures(CTS-TiO{sub 2}) were prepared by a facile one-step solvothermal method with chitosan as carbon and nitrogen resource at 180 Degree-Sign C. The as-prepared samples were characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), N{sub 2} adsorption-desorption analysis, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) diffuse reflectance spectroscopy. The CTS-TiO{sub 2} nanocomposites possess anatase phase of nanocrystalline structure with average particle size of about 5-7 nm. A wormhole mesostructure can be observed in the CTS-TiO{sub 2} nanocomposites due to the constituent agglomerated of nanoparticles. It has been evidenced that the nitrogen was doped into the anatase titania lattice and the carbon species were modified on the surface of TiO{sub 2}. The photocatalytic activities of the as-prepared photocatalysts were measured by the degradation of methylene blue (MB) under visible light irradiation at {lambda} {>=} 400 nm. The results show that CTS-TiO{sub 2} nanostructures display a higher visible light photocatalytic activity than pure TiO{sub 2}, commercial P25 and C-coated TiO{sub 2} (C-TiO{sub 2}) photocatalysts. The higher photocatalytic activity could be attributed to the band-gap narrowed by N-doping and the accelerated separation of the photo-generated electrons

A New Probe for Mechanical Testing of Nanostructures in Soft Materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hough, L.A.; Ou-Yang, H.D.

1999-01-01

We report a new application of the optical tweezers, where a harmonically driven oscillating tweezer is combined with the forward light scattering and lock-in amplification techniques, for probing the mechanics of nanostructures in soft materials in a broad frequency range. Model independent dynamic moduli G' and G'' of the material at a localized, sub-micron area can be measured directly from the displacement and the phase shift of the particle in the oscillating trap. The probe particles can be as small as 200 nm and the displacement of the particle was in the range of a few nanometers. To illustrate the new methodology, we show the microscopic viscoelastic properties of a transient polymer network in the vicinity of a silica bead

Carbon and oxide nanostructures. Synthesis, characterisation and applications

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yahya, Noorhana [Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS, Tronoh, Perak (Malaysia). Dept. of Fundamental and Applied Sciences

2010-07-01

This volume covers all aspects of carbon and oxide based nanostructured materials. The topics include synthesis, characterization and application of carbon-based namely carbon nanotubes, carbon nanofibres, fullerenes, carbon filled composites etc. In addition, metal oxides namely, ZnO, TiO2, Fe2O3, ferrites, garnets etc., for various applications like sensors, solar cells, transformers, antennas, catalysts, batteries, lubricants, are presented. The book also includes the modeling of oxide and carbon based nanomaterials. The book covers the topics: - Synthesis, characterization and application of carbon nanotubes, carbon nanofibres, fullerenes - Synthesis, characterization and application of oxide based nanomaterials. - Nanostructured magnetic and electric materials and their applications. - Nanostructured materials for petro-chemical industry. - Oxide and carbon based thin films for electronics and sustainable energy. - Theory, calculations and modeling of nanostructured materials. (orig.)

Synthesis and study of nano-structured cellulose acetate based materials for energy applications; Synthese et etude de materiaux nanostructures a base d'acetate de cellulose pour applications energetiques

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fischer, F

2006-12-15

Nano-structured materials have unique properties (high exchange areas, containment effect) because of their very low characteristic dimensions. The elaboration way set up in this PhD work consists in applying the classical processes for the preparation of aerogel-like materials (combining sol-gel synthesis and CO{sub 2} supercritical extraction) to cellulosic polymers. This work is divided in four parts: a literature review, the presentation and the study of the chemical synthesis that leads to cellulose acetate-based aerogel, the characterizations (chemical, structural and thermal) of the elaborated nano-materials, and finally the study of the first carbons that were obtained after pyrolysis of the organic matrix. The formulations and the sol-gel protocol lead to chemical gels by crosslinking cellulose acetate using a poly-functional iso-cyanate. The dry materials obtained after solvent extraction with supercritical CO{sub 2} are nano-structured and mainly meso-porous. Correlations between chemical synthesis parameters (reagent concentrations, crosslinking rate and degree of polymerisation) and porous properties (density, porosity, pore size distribution) were highlighted thanks to structural characterizations. An ultra-porous reference aerogel, with a density equals to 0,245 g.cm{sup -3} together with a meso-porous volume of 3,40 cm{sup 3}.g{sup -1} was elaborated. Once in granular shape, this material has a thermal conductivity of 0,029 W.m{sup -1}.K{sup -1}. In addition, carbon materials produced after pyrolysis of the organic matrix and after grinding are nano-structured and nano-porous, even if important structural modifications have occurred during the carbonization process. The elaborated materials are evaluated for applications in relation with energy such as thermal insulation (organic aerogels) but also for energy conversion and storage through electrochemical way (carbon aerogels). (author)

Recent developments in the nanostructured materials functionalized with ruthenium complexes for targeted drug delivery to tumors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Thangavel P

2017-04-01

Full Text Available Prakash Thangavel,1 Buddolla Viswanath,1 Sanghyo Kim1,2 1Department of Bionanotechnology, Gachon University, Bokjeong-Dong, Sujeong-Gu, Seongnam-Si, Gyeonggi-Do, 2Graduate Gachon Medical Research Institute, Gil Medical Center, Incheon, Republic of Korea Abstract: In recent years, the field of metal-based drugs has been dominated by other existing precious metal drugs, and many researchers have focused their attention on the synthesis of various ruthenium (Ru complexes due to their potential medical and pharmaceutical applications. The beneficial properties of Ru, which make it a highly promising therapeutic agent, include its variable oxidation states, low toxicity, high selectivity for diseased cells, ligand exchange properties, and the ability to mimic iron binding to biomolecules. In addition, Ru complexes have favorable adsorption properties, along with excellent photochemical and photophysical properties, which make them promising tools for photodynamic therapy. At present, nanostructured materials functionalized with Ru complexes have become an efficient way to administer Ru-based anticancer drugs for cancer treatment. In this review, the recent developments in the nanostructured materials functionalized with Ru complexes for targeted drug delivery to tumors are discussed. In addition, information on “traditional” (ie, non-nanostructured Ru-based cancer therapies is included in a precise manner. Keywords: metallodrugs, nanotechnology, cancer treatment, cell apoptosis, DNA damage, toxicity

Plasmonic Titania Photo catalysts Active under UV and Visible-Light Irradiation: Influence of Gold Amount, Size, and Shape

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kowalska, E.; Rau, S.; Kowalska, E.; Kowalska, E.; Ohtani, B.

2012-01-01

Plasmonic titania photo catalysts were prepared by titania modification with gold by photo deposition. It was found that for smaller amount of deposited gold (≤ 0.1 wt%), anatase presence and large surface area were beneficial for efficient hydrogen evolution during methanol dehydrogenation. After testing twelve amounts of deposited gold on large rutile titania, the existence of three optima for 0.5, 2 and >6 wt% of gold was found during acetic acid degradation. Under visible light irradiation, in the case of small gold NPs deposited on fine anatase titania, the dependence of photo activity on gold amount was parabolic, and large gold amount (2 wt%), observable as an intensively coloured powder, caused photo activity decrease. While for large gold NPs deposited on large rutile titania, the dependence represented cascade increase, due to change of size and shape of deposited gold with its amount increase. It has been thought that spherical/hemispherical shape of gold NPs, in comparison with rod-like ones, is beneficial for higher level of photo activity under visible light irradiation. For all tested systems and regardless of deposited amount of gold, each rutile Au/TiO 2 photo catalyst of large gold and titania NPs exhibited much higher photo activity than anatase Au/TiO 2 of small gold and titania NPs

Modelling Of Eco-innovation Diffusion: The EU Eco-label

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

KIJEK TOMASZ

2015-03-01

Full Text Available The aim of this article is to carry out a theoretical and empirical analysis of the process of eco-label diffusion. Eco-labels allow consumers to identify products and services that have a reduced environmental impact during their life cycle. Thus, they are aimed at diminishing the information gap between sellers and buyers. The results of the estimation using the Bass model indicate that the diffusion of the EU eco-label has been most dynamic in countries such as Hungary, Poland, Denmark, Germany and France. In turn, the scope of diffusion (absolute saturation level reached the highest value for companies in France and Italy. In addition, the results of the study confirm the stimulating impact of the scope of eco-label diffusion on consumer awareness of environmental issues. This finding points to the need for environmental education among consumers, which could in turn encourage firms to undertake pro-environmental actions.

ROS mediated malignancy cure performance of morphological, optical, and electrically tuned Sn doped CeO2 nanostructures

Science.gov (United States)

Abbas, Fazal; Iqbal, Javed; Maqbool, Qaisar; Jan, Tariq; Ullah, Muhammad Obaid; Nawaz, Bushra; Nazar, Mudassar; Naqvi, M. S. Hussain; Ahmad, Ishaq

2017-09-01

To grapple with cancer, implementation of differentially cytotoxic nanomedicines have gained prime attention of the researchers across the globe. Now, ceria (CeO2) at nanoscale has emerged as a cut out therapeutic agent for malignancy treatment. Keeping this in view, we have fabricated SnxCe1-xO2 nanostructures by facile, eco-friendly, and biocompatible hydrothermal method. Structural examinations via XRD and FT-IR spectroscopy have revealed single phase cubic-fluorite morphology while SEM analysis has depicted particle size ranging 30-50nm for pristine and doped nanostructures. UV-Vis spectroscopy investigation explored that Sn doping significantly tuned the band gap (eV) energies of SnxCe1-xO2 nanostructures which set up the base for tremendous cellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) generations involved in cancer cells' death. To observe cytotoxicity, synthesized nanostructures were found selectively more toxic to neuroblastoma cell lines as compared to HEK-293 healthy cells. This study anticipates that SnxCe1-xO2 nanostructures, in future, might be used as nanomedicine for safer cancer therapy.

ROS mediated malignancy cure performance of morphological, optical, and electrically tuned Sn doped CeO2 nanostructures

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fazal Abbas

2017-09-01

Full Text Available To grapple with cancer, implementation of differentially cytotoxic nanomedicines have gained prime attention of the researchers across the globe. Now, ceria (CeO2 at nanoscale has emerged as a cut out therapeutic agent for malignancy treatment. Keeping this in view, we have fabricated SnxCe1-xO2 nanostructures by facile, eco-friendly, and biocompatible hydrothermal method. Structural examinations via XRD and FT-IR spectroscopy have revealed single phase cubic-fluorite morphology while SEM analysis has depicted particle size ranging 30-50nm for pristine and doped nanostructures. UV-Vis spectroscopy investigation explored that Sn doping significantly tuned the band gap (eV energies of SnxCe1-xO2 nanostructures which set up the base for tremendous cellular reactive oxygen species (ROS generations involved in cancer cells’ death. To observe cytotoxicity, synthesized nanostructures were found selectively more toxic to neuroblastoma cell lines as compared to HEK-293 healthy cells. This study anticipates that SnxCe1-xO2 nanostructures, in future, might be used as nanomedicine for safer cancer therapy.

Umberto Eco on Libraries: A Discussion of "De Biblioteca."

Science.gov (United States)

Winter, Michael F.

1994-01-01

Discusses a scholar's reactions to libraries made by Umberto Eco in "De Biblioteca." Topics addressed include functions of libraries, including collecting; accessibility of materials; the scholar's creative use of libraries, and discovering materials not looked for or known about; North American research libraries; photocopying; and…

EcoGene 3.0.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, Jindan; Rudd, Kenneth E

2013-01-01

EcoGene (http://ecogene.org) is a database and website devoted to continuously improving the structural and functional annotation of Escherichia coli K-12, one of the most well understood model organisms, represented by the MG1655(Seq) genome sequence and annotations. Major improvements to EcoGene in the past decade include (i) graphic presentations of genome map features; (ii) ability to design Boolean queries and Venn diagrams from EcoArray, EcoTopics or user-provided GeneSets; (iii) the genome-wide clone and deletion primer design tool, PrimerPairs; (iv) sequence searches using a customized EcoBLAST; (v) a Cross Reference table of synonymous gene and protein identifiers; (vi) proteome-wide indexing with GO terms; (vii) EcoTools access to >2000 complete bacterial genomes in EcoGene-RefSeq; (viii) establishment of a MySql relational database; and (ix) use of web content management systems. The biomedical literature is surveyed daily to provide citation and gene function updates. As of September 2012, the review of 37 397 abstracts and articles led to creation of 98 425 PubMed-Gene links and 5415 PubMed-Topic links. Annotation updates to Genbank U00096 are transmitted from EcoGene to NCBI. Experimental verifications include confirmation of a CTG start codon, pseudogene restoration and quality assurance of the Keio strain collection.

EcoGene 3.0

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, Jindan; Rudd, Kenneth E.

2013-01-01

EcoGene (http://ecogene.org) is a database and website devoted to continuously improving the structural and functional annotation of Escherichia coli K-12, one of the most well understood model organisms, represented by the MG1655(Seq) genome sequence and annotations. Major improvements to EcoGene in the past decade include (i) graphic presentations of genome map features; (ii) ability to design Boolean queries and Venn diagrams from EcoArray, EcoTopics or user-provided GeneSets; (iii) the genome-wide clone and deletion primer design tool, PrimerPairs; (iv) sequence searches using a customized EcoBLAST; (v) a Cross Reference table of synonymous gene and protein identifiers; (vi) proteome-wide indexing with GO terms; (vii) EcoTools access to >2000 complete bacterial genomes in EcoGene-RefSeq; (viii) establishment of a MySql relational database; and (ix) use of web content management systems. The biomedical literature is surveyed daily to provide citation and gene function updates. As of September 2012, the review of 37 397 abstracts and articles led to creation of 98 425 PubMed-Gene links and 5415 PubMed-Topic links. Annotation updates to Genbank U00096 are transmitted from EcoGene to NCBI. Experimental verifications include confirmation of a CTG start codon, pseudogene restoration and quality assurance of the Keio strain collection. PMID:23197660

Effect of titania particles on the microstructure and properties of the epoxy resin coatings on sintered NdFeB permanent magnets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xu, J.L.; Huang, Z.X.; Luo, J.M.; Zhong, Z.C.

2014-01-01

The nanometer titania particles enhanced epoxy resin composite coatings were prepared on the sintered NdFeB permanent magnets by cathodic electrophoretic deposition. The effects of titania particle concentrations on the microstructure and properties of the epoxy coatings were investigated by surface and cross-sectional morphologies observation, surface roughness and microhardness measurement, H 2 SO 4 solution immersion test, neutral salt spray test and magnetic properties measurement. The results showed that the thickness of epoxy coatings with and without the titania particles addition was about 40 μm. The titania particles could be uniformly dispersed and embedded in the epoxy matrix if the titania particles concentration was lower than 40 g/l. With increasing titania particle concentrations, the number of the particles embedded in the epoxy matrix increased and the surface roughness and microhardness of the composite coatings increased. At the same time, the weight loss of the coated samples immersed in H 2 SO 4 solution decreased and the neutral salt spray time of the coated samples prolonged. It could be concluded that the titania particles did not change the thickness of the epoxy coatings and did not deteriorate the magnetic properties of NdFeB substrates, but could greatly improve the microhardness and corrosion resistance of the epoxy coatings. - Highlights: • The titania particles enhanced epoxy resin coatings were prepared on sintered NdFeB by cathodic electrophoretic deposition. • The titania particles could be uniformly dispersed and embedded in the epoxy resin matrix. • With increasing titania concentrations, the surface roughness and the microhardness of composite coatings increased. • The addition of titania particles greatly improved the corrosion resistance of the epoxy coatings. • The composition coatings did not deteriorate the magnetic properties of NdFeB substrates

Effect of titania particles on the microstructure and properties of the epoxy resin coatings on sintered NdFeB permanent magnets

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Xu, J.L., E-mail: jlxu@nchu.edu.cn; Huang, Z.X.; Luo, J.M.; Zhong, Z.C., E-mail: zzhong.2006@yahoo.com.cn

2014-04-15

The nanometer titania particles enhanced epoxy resin composite coatings were prepared on the sintered NdFeB permanent magnets by cathodic electrophoretic deposition. The effects of titania particle concentrations on the microstructure and properties of the epoxy coatings were investigated by surface and cross-sectional morphologies observation, surface roughness and microhardness measurement, H{sub 2}SO{sub 4} solution immersion test, neutral salt spray test and magnetic properties measurement. The results showed that the thickness of epoxy coatings with and without the titania particles addition was about 40 μm. The titania particles could be uniformly dispersed and embedded in the epoxy matrix if the titania particles concentration was lower than 40 g/l. With increasing titania particle concentrations, the number of the particles embedded in the epoxy matrix increased and the surface roughness and microhardness of the composite coatings increased. At the same time, the weight loss of the coated samples immersed in H{sub 2}SO{sub 4} solution decreased and the neutral salt spray time of the coated samples prolonged. It could be concluded that the titania particles did not change the thickness of the epoxy coatings and did not deteriorate the magnetic properties of NdFeB substrates, but could greatly improve the microhardness and corrosion resistance of the epoxy coatings. - Highlights: • The titania particles enhanced epoxy resin coatings were prepared on sintered NdFeB by cathodic electrophoretic deposition. • The titania particles could be uniformly dispersed and embedded in the epoxy resin matrix. • With increasing titania concentrations, the surface roughness and the microhardness of composite coatings increased. • The addition of titania particles greatly improved the corrosion resistance of the epoxy coatings. • The composition coatings did not deteriorate the magnetic properties of NdFeB substrates.

'Eco' For Whom? Envisioning Eco-urbanism in the Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-city, China

OpenAIRE

Caprotti, Federico; Springer, Cecilia; Harmer, Nichola

2015-01-01

Eco-cities have attracted international attention from governments, corporations, academics and other actors seeking to use sustainable urban planning to reduce urban environmental impacts. China has devoted significant political will and economic resources to the development of new-build eco-city projects, reflecting the Chinese government's goals to build a 'harmonious society' in which environmental sustainability and social stability are mutually reinforcing. We critically analyse the cas...

Exploring the Possibilities of Biological Fabrication of Gold Nanostructures Using Orange Peel Extract

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Laura Castro

2015-09-01

Full Text Available Development of nanotechnology requires a constant innovation and improvement in many materials. The exploration of natural resources is a promising eco-friendly alternative for physical and chemical methods. In the present work, colloidal gold nanostructures were prepared using orange peel extract as a stabilizing and reducing agent. The initial pH value of the solution and the concentration of the gold precursor had an effect on the formation and morphology of nanoparticles. The method developed is environmentally friendly and allows control of nanoparticles. By controlling the pH and, especially, the gold concentration, we are able to synthesize crystalline gold nanowires using orange peel extract in the absence of a surfactant or polymer to direct nanoparticle growth, and without external seeding. UV-VIS spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM, and X-ray diffraction (XRD were used to characterize the nanoparticles obtained by biosynthesis.

Synthesis of One Dimensional Li2MoO4 Nanostructures and Their Electrochemical Performance as Anode Materials for Lithium-ion Batteries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu, Xudong; Zhao, Yanming; Dong, Youzhong; Fan, Qinghua; Kuang, Quan; Liang, Zhiyong; Lin, Xinghao; Han, Wei; Li, Qidong; Wen, Mingming

2015-01-01

Highlights: • One dimensional Li 2 MoO 4 nanostructures including nanorods and nanotubes have been successfully fabricated via a simple sol-gel method firstly. • Possible crystal formation mechanisms are proposed for these one dimensional Li 2 MoO 4 nanostructures. • These one dimensional Li 2 MoO 4 nanostructure electrode materials present outstanding rate abilities and cycle capabilities in electrochemical performance compared to the carbon-free powder sample when evaluated as anode materials for Lithium-ion batteries. • The carbon-coated Li 2 MoO 4 nanotube electrode improves the charging/discharging capacities of graphite even after applying 60 cycles at very high current density. - Abstract: One dimensional Li 2 MoO 4 nanostructures including nanorods and nanotubes have been successfully fabricated via a simple sol-gel method adding Li 2 CO 3 and MoO 3 powders into distilled water with citric acid as an assistant agent and carbon source. Our experimental results show that the formation of the one dimensional nanostructure morphology is evaporation and crystallization process with self-adjusting into a rod-like hexagonal cross-section structure, while the citric acid played an important role during the formation of Li 2 MoO 4 nanotubes under the acidic environment by capping, stabilizing the {1010} facet of Li 2 MoO 4 structure and controlling the concentration of H + (pH value) of the aqueous solution. Finally, basic electrochemical performance of these one dimensional Li 2 MoO 4 nanostructures including nanorods and nanotubes evaluated as anode materials for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) are discussed, for comparison, the properties of carbon-free powder sample synthesized by solid-state reaction are also displayed. Experimental results show that different morphology and carbon-coating on the surface have an important influence on electrochemical performance

Porous titania surfaces on titanium with hierarchical macro- and mesoporosities for enhancing cell adhesion, proliferation and mineralization

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Han, Guang; Müller, Werner E.G.; Wang, Xiaohong; Lilja, Louise; Shen, Zhijian

2015-01-01

Titanium received a macroporous titania surface layer by anodization, which contains open pores with average pore diameter around 5 μm. An additional mesoporous titania top layer following the contour of the macropores, of 100–200 nm thickness and with a pore diameter of 10 nm, was formed by using the evaporation-induced self-assembly (EISA) method with titanium (IV) tetraethoxide as the precursor. A coherent laminar titania surface layer was thus obtained, creating a hierarchical macro- and mesoporous surface that was characterized by high-resolution electron microscopy. The interfacial bonding between the surface layers and the titanium matrix was characterized by the scratch test that confirmed a stable and strong bonding of titania surface layers on titanium. The wettability to water and the effects on the osteosarcoma cell line (SaOS-2) proliferation and mineralization of the formed titania surface layers were studied systematically by cell culture and scanning electron microscopy. The results proved that the porous titania surface with hierarchical macro- and mesoporosities was hydrophilic that significantly promoted cell attachment and spreading. A synergistic role of the hierarchical macro- and mesoporosities was revealed in terms of enhancing cell adhesion, proliferation and mineralization, compared with the titania surface with solo scale topography. - Highlights: • We developed a hierarchical macro- and mesoporous surface layer on titanium. • New surface layer was strong enough to sustain on implant surface. • New surface owned better surface wettability. • New surface can promote SaOS-2 cell adhesion, proliferation and mineralization. • Synergistic effects on cell responses occur when two porous structures coexist

Porous titania surfaces on titanium with hierarchical macro- and mesoporosities for enhancing cell adhesion, proliferation and mineralization

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Han, Guang [Department of Materials and Environmental Chemistry, Arrhenius Laboratory, Stockholm University, 10691 Stockholm (Sweden); Müller, Werner E.G.; Wang, Xiaohong [ERC Advanced Grant Research Group at the Institute for Physiological Chemistry, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Duesbergweg 6, D-55128 Mainz (Germany); Lilja, Louise [Department of Materials and Environmental Chemistry, Arrhenius Laboratory, Stockholm University, 10691 Stockholm (Sweden); Department of Physics, Chemistry and Biology, Linköping University, SE-581 83 Linköping (Sweden); Shen, Zhijian, E-mail: shen@mmk.su.se [Department of Materials and Environmental Chemistry, Arrhenius Laboratory, Stockholm University, 10691 Stockholm (Sweden)

2015-02-01

Titanium received a macroporous titania surface layer by anodization, which contains open pores with average pore diameter around 5 μm. An additional mesoporous titania top layer following the contour of the macropores, of 100–200 nm thickness and with a pore diameter of 10 nm, was formed by using the evaporation-induced self-assembly (EISA) method with titanium (IV) tetraethoxide as the precursor. A coherent laminar titania surface layer was thus obtained, creating a hierarchical macro- and mesoporous surface that was characterized by high-resolution electron microscopy. The interfacial bonding between the surface layers and the titanium matrix was characterized by the scratch test that confirmed a stable and strong bonding of titania surface layers on titanium. The wettability to water and the effects on the osteosarcoma cell line (SaOS-2) proliferation and mineralization of the formed titania surface layers were studied systematically by cell culture and scanning electron microscopy. The results proved that the porous titania surface with hierarchical macro- and mesoporosities was hydrophilic that significantly promoted cell attachment and spreading. A synergistic role of the hierarchical macro- and mesoporosities was revealed in terms of enhancing cell adhesion, proliferation and mineralization, compared with the titania surface with solo scale topography. - Highlights: • We developed a hierarchical macro- and mesoporous surface layer on titanium. • New surface layer was strong enough to sustain on implant surface. • New surface owned better surface wettability. • New surface can promote SaOS-2 cell adhesion, proliferation and mineralization. • Synergistic effects on cell responses occur when two porous structures coexist.

Nanostructured titanium-based materials for medical implants: Modeling and development

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mishnaevsky, Leon; Levashov, Evgeny; Valiev, Ruslan Z.

2014-01-01

Nanostructuring of titanium-based implantable devices can provide them with superior mechanical properties and enhanced biocompatibity. An overview of advanced fabrication technologies of nanostructured, high strength, biocompatible Ti and shape memory Ni-Ti alloy for medical implants is given. C...

[Review on enterprises'eco-innovation].

Science.gov (United States)

Liao, Zhong Ju; Huang, Chao

2017-12-01

Eco-innovation is an important way to realize sustainable development. It has the dual positive externality of "knowledge spillover" and "environmental spillover", which has attracted much attention from theory and practice. In order to systematically grasp the current situation of eco-innovation, this study collected the relevant foreign literatures on eco-innovation in the past ten years, and made a systematic review of the definition, characteristics and dimensions of eco-innovation. Focusing on the theory of institutional theory, stakeholder theory and resource-based view, this paper explored the antecedents of eco-innovation. Then, this paper also demonstrated the positive and negative effects of eco-innovation on corporate financial performance, and the meditating and moderating mechanisms between eco-innovation and financial performance. Finally, based on the limitations of existing research, the future research direction was put forward.

Synthesis of mesoporous titania by homogeneous hydrolysis of titania oxo-sulfate in the presence of cationic and anionic surfactants

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Štengl, Václav; Houšková, Vendula; Murafa, Nataliya; Bakardjieva, Snejana

2010-01-01

Roč. 54, č. 4 (2010), s. 368-378 ISSN 0862-5468 R&D Projects: GA ČR GA203/08/0334 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z40320502 Keywords : surfactant * titania * mesoporous * photocatalyst Subject RIV: CA - Inorganic Chemistry Impact factor: 0.297, year: 2010

Design of titania nanotube structures by focused laser beam direct writing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Enachi, Mihai; Stevens-Kalceff, Marion A.; Sarua, Andrei; Ursaki, Veaceslav; Tiginyanu, Ion

2013-01-01

In this work, we report on electrochemical fabrication of titania films consisting of nanotubes (NTs) and their treatment by focused laser beam. The results of sample characterization by optical and scanning electron microscopy, cathodoluminescence imaging, and Raman scattering scanning spectroscopy are compared to those inherent to specimens subjected to thermal treatment in a furnace. The obtained data demonstrate possibilities for controlling crystallographic structure of TiO 2 NTs by focused laser beam direct writing. These findings open new prospects for the design and fabrication of spatial architectures based on titania nanotubes

Oxidations of amines with molecular oxygen using bifunctional gold–titania catalysts

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Klitgaard, Søren Kegnæs; Egeblad, Kresten; Mentzel, Uffe Vie

2008-01-01

–titania catalysts can be employed to facilitate the oxidation of amines into amides with high selectivity. Furthermore, we report that pure titania is in fact itself a catalyst for the oxidation of amines with molecular oxygen under very mild conditions. We demonstrate that these new methodologies open up for two......Over the past decades it has become clear that supported gold nanoparticles are surprisingly active and selective catalysts for several green oxidation reactions of oxygen-containing hydrocarbons using molecular oxygen as the stoichiometric oxidant. We here report that bifunctional gold...

Nanostructured materials with plasmonic nanobiosensors for early cancer detection: A past and future prospect.

Science.gov (United States)

Sugumaran, Sathish; Jamlos, Mohd Faizal; Ahmad, Mohd Noor; Bellan, Chandar Shekar; Schreurs, Dominique

2018-02-15

Early cancer detection and treatment is an emerging and fascinating field of plasmonic nanobiosensor research. It paves to enrich a life without affecting living cells leading to a possible survival of the patient. This review describes a past and future prospect of an integrated research field on nanostructured metamaterials, microwave transmission, surface plasmonic resonance, nanoantennas, and their manifested versatile properties with nano-biosensors towards early cancer detection to preserve human health. Interestingly, (i) microwave transmission shows more advantages than other electromagnetic radiation in reacting with biological tissues, (ii) nanostructured metamaterial (Au) with special properties like size and shape can stimulate plasmonic effects, (iii) plasmonic based nanobiosensors are to explore the efficacy for early cancer tumour detection or single molecular detection and (iv) nanoantenna wireless communication by using microwave inverse scattering nanomesh (MISN) technique instead of conventional techniques can be adopted to characterize the microwave scattered signals from the biomarkers. It reveals that the nanostructured material with plasmonic nanobiosensor paves a fascinating platform towards early detection of cancer tumour and is anticipated to be exploited as a magnificent field in the future. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Dynamic Diffraction Studies on the Crystallization, Phase Transformation, and Activation Energies in Anodized Titania Nanotubes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hani Albetran

2018-02-01

Full Text Available The influence of calcination time on the phase transformation and crystallization kinetics of anodized titania nanotube arrays was studied using in-situ isothermal and non-isothermal synchrotron radiation diffraction from room temperature to 900 °C. Anatase first crystallized at 400 °C, while rutile crystallized at 550 °C. Isothermal heating of the anodized titania nanotubes by an increase in the calcination time at 400, 450, 500, 550, 600, and 650 °C resulted in a slight reduction in anatase abundance, but an increase in the abundance of rutile because of an anatase-to-rutile transformation. The Avrami equation was used to model the titania crystallization mechanism and the Arrhenius equation was used to estimate the activation energies of the titania phase transformation. Activation energies of 22 (10 kJ/mol for the titanium-to-anatase transformation, and 207 (17 kJ/mol for the anatase-to-rutile transformation were estimated.

Dynamic Diffraction Studies on the Crystallization, Phase Transformation, and Activation Energies in Anodized Titania Nanotubes.

Science.gov (United States)

Albetran, Hani; Vega, Victor; Prida, Victor M; Low, It-Meng

2018-02-23

The influence of calcination time on the phase transformation and crystallization kinetics of anodized titania nanotube arrays was studied using in-situ isothermal and non-isothermal synchrotron radiation diffraction from room temperature to 900 °C. Anatase first crystallized at 400 °C, while rutile crystallized at 550 °C. Isothermal heating of the anodized titania nanotubes by an increase in the calcination time at 400, 450, 500, 550, 600, and 650 °C resulted in a slight reduction in anatase abundance, but an increase in the abundance of rutile because of an anatase-to-rutile transformation. The Avrami equation was used to model the titania crystallization mechanism and the Arrhenius equation was used to estimate the activation energies of the titania phase transformation. Activation energies of 22 (10) kJ/mol for the titanium-to-anatase transformation, and 207 (17) kJ/mol for the anatase-to-rutile transformation were estimated.

Thin nanostructured crystalline TiO{sub 2} films and their applications in solar cells

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cheng Yajun

2007-06-15

Research on thin nanostructured crystalline TiO{sub 2} films has attracted considerable interests because of their intriguing physical properties and potential applications in photovoltaics. Nanostructured TiO{sub 2} film plays an important role in the TiO{sub 2} based dye-sensitized solar cells because they act as a substrate for the adsorption of dye molecules and a matrix for the transportation of electrons as well. Thus they can influence the solar cell performance significantly. Consequently, the control of the morphology including the shape, size and size distribution of the TiO{sub 2} nanostructures is critical to tune and optimize the performance of the solar cells. To control the TiO{sub 2} morphology, a strategy using amphiphilic block copolymer as templating agent coupled with sol-gel chemistry has been applied. Especially, a good-poor solvent pair induced phase separation process has been developed to guide the microphase separation behavior of the block copolymers. The amphiphilic block copolymers used include polystyrene-block-poly (ethylene oxide) (PS-b-PEO), poly (methyl methacrylate)-block-poly (ethylene oxide) (PMMA-b-PEO), and poly (ethylene oxide)-block-polystyrene-block-poly (ethylene oxide) (PEO-b-PS-b-PEO). The block copolymer undergoes a good-poor-solvent pair induced phase separation in a mixed solution of 1, 4-dioxane or N, N-dimethyl formamide (DMF), concentrated hydrochloric acid (HCl) and Titanium tetraisopropoxide (TTIP). Specifically, in the system of PS-b-PEO, a morphology phase diagram of the inorganic-copolymer composite films was mapped by adjusting the weight fractions among 1, 4-dioxane, HCl, and TTIP in solution. The amorphous TiO{sub 2} within the titania-block copolymer composite films was crystallized by calcination at temperatures above 400 C, where the organic block copolymer was simultaneously burned away. This strategy is further extended to other amphiphilic block copolymers of PMMA-b-PEO and PEO-b-PS-b-PEO, where the

Report on achievements in fiscal 1998. Development of foaming eco-material using magazine waste papers. (The first fiscal year); 1998 nendo zasshi koshi wo mochiita happo seikei eko material no kaihatsu seika hokokusho (dai 1 nendo)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1999-03-01

Such foaming materials as styro-foam, urethane and polyethylene greatly increase load on the environment when discarded, and are a problem as harmful rubbish. On the other hand, magazine waste papers have limitation as regenerated paper because their pulp fibers are cut off and deteriorated during use and regeneration. They are left unused without a prospect of re-use even if recovered. Under such a background, the present research and development is intended to develop magazine waste papers as a reusable cushioning material, commercialize the cushioning material as a low environment load type material, and promote reutilization of magazine waste papers. Specifically, development is performed on a manufacturing technology and a manufacturing equipment for a cushioning material having excellent biodegradation performance manufactured by mixing magazine waste papers with gelatin as a binder, and further by foaming and forming. The research and development items include: (1) development of a manufacturing technology for a foaming eco-material using magazine waste papers, (2) development of manufacturing equipment for the foaming eco-material, and (3) the market research thereon. This paper reports the achievements in the research and development of each item in fiscal 1998. (NEDO)

A smart nanofibrous material for adsorbing and detecting elemental mercury in air

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. Macagnano

2017-06-01

Full Text Available The combination of the affinity of gold for mercury and nanosized frameworks has allowed for the design and fabrication of novel kinds of sensors with promising sensing features for environmental applications. Specifically, conductive sensors based on composite nanofibrous electrospun layers of titania easily decorated with gold nanoparticles were developed to obtain nanostructured hybrid materials capable of entrapping and revealing gaseous elemental mercury (GEM traces from the environment. The electrical properties of the resulting chemosensors were measured. A few minutes of air sampling were sufficient to detect the concentration of mercury in the air, ranging between 20 and 100 ppb, without using traps or gas carriers (LOD: 1.5 ppb. Longer measurements allowed the sensor to detect lower concentrations of GEM. The resulting chemosensors are expected to be low cost and very stable (due to the peculiar structure, requiring low power, low maintenance, and simple equipment.

Complex Nanostructures from Materials based on Metal-Organic Frameworks for Electrochemical Energy Storage and Conversion.

Science.gov (United States)

Guan, Bu Yuan; Yu, Xin Yao; Wu, Hao Bin; Lou, Xiong Wen David

2017-12-01

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have drawn tremendous attention because of their abundant diversity in structure and composition. Recently, there has been growing research interest in deriving advanced nanomaterials with complex architectures and tailored chemical compositions from MOF-based precursors for electrochemical energy storage and conversion. Here, a comprehensive overview of the synthesis and energy-related applications of complex nanostructures derived from MOF-based precursors is provided. After a brief summary of synthetic methods of MOF-based templates and their conversion to desirable nanostructures, delicate designs and preparation of complex architectures from MOFs or their composites are described in detail, including porous structures, single-shelled hollow structures, and multishelled hollow structures, as well as other unusual complex structures. Afterward, their applications are discussed as electrode materials or catalysts for lithium-ion batteries, hybrid supercapacitors, water-splitting devices, and fuel cells. Lastly, the research challenges and possible development directions of complex nanostructures derived from MOF-based-templates for electrochemical energy storage and conversion applications are outlined. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Photocatalytic degradation of paraoxon-ethyl in aqueous solution using titania nanoparticulate film

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Prasad, G.K., E-mail: gkprasad2001@yahoo.com; Ramacharyulu, P.V.R.K.; Kumar, J. Praveen; Srivastava, A.R.; Singh, Beer

2012-06-30

Photocatalytic degradation of paraoxon-ethyl (o,o-diethyl o-(4-nitrophenyl) phosphate), a well known surrogate of chemical warfare agents, in aqueous solution was studied by using titania nanoparticulate film. Reaction followed pseudo first order behaviour. Photolytic degradation reaction of paraoxon-ethyl demonstrated relatively low rate with a value of rate constant of 2.5 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup -3} min{sup -1}. Whereas, degradation reaction in the presence of titania nanoparticulate film and UV light displayed enhanced rate with a value of rate constant of 6.9 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup -3} min{sup -1} due to photocatalysis. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis showed the formation of p-nitrophenol, o,o-diethyl phosphonic acid, o-ethyl, diphosphonic acid, phosphoric acid, dimerized product of o,o-diethyl phosphonic acid, acetaldehyde, and carbon dioxide due to photocatalytic degradation of paraoxon-ethyl. It indicates that, photocatalytic degradation reaction begins with destruction of P-O-C bonds. Subsequently, P, C atoms were found to be oxidized gradually, and contributed to its photocatalytic degradation. - Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Synthesis of titania nanoparticles by sol-gel method. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Fabrication of titania nanoparticulate film by dip coating. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Paraoxon ethyl degradation reactions followed pseudo first order behaviour. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Paraoxon-ethyl degraded to non toxic compounds like CO{sub 2}, acetaldehyde, and nitrophenol.

Establishment of an eco-compensation fund based on eco-services consumption.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Moucheng; Yang, Lun; Min, Qingwen

2018-04-01

Eco-compensation is a type of institutional arrangement that uses economic measures to adjust the relationships among stakeholders in order to conserve and/or sustainably use ecosystem services. The externality of the value of ecosystem services is one of the theoretical bases for eco-compensation. Different types of ecosystem services are consumed by people from different regions. Some are consumed by people living where the services originate, while some are carried by rivers, wind, vehicles or other natural or manmade means to other areas. Thus, the flow and consumption of ecosystem services should be seen as the basis for establishing eco-compensation funds. This paper uses satellite images of the Zhang-Cheng area near Beijing in 2013 to discuss how to establish an eco-compensation fund for stakeholders in this area. Firstly, six important types of ecosystem services in the Zhang-Cheng area were identified based on ecological function zoning, and the value of these ecosystem services was calculated based on ecological pricing methods. Secondly, the field intensity model from physics was used to analyze where Zhang-Cheng area ecosystem services flowed and calculate how much of these services were used by other areas. Thirdly, based on this analysis and calculation, the paper proposes the rates that different stakeholders should invest in the eco-compensation fund, based on their consumption of eco-services. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Glass fiber effect on mechanical properties of Eco-SCC

Science.gov (United States)

Prasad M. L., V.; Loksesh, G.; Ramanjaneyulu, B.; Venkatesh, S.; Mousumi, K.

2017-07-01

Sustainable Construction encouraging the use of recycled materials and implies adoption of fewer natural resources in buildings and other infrastructure. In this paper Quarry Dust (QD) is used as partial replacement for River Sand (RS) to make Self Compacting Concrete (SCC) of grade M40. Glass fiber is used as strengthening material to the developed concrete. The present study mainly focused to develop Eco-SCC using QD. In this study it was found that, for developing Eco-SCC, what is the optimum dosage of replacement of QD in RS. Fresh properties of SCC are satisfying the EFNARC specifications and also target strength is achieved. Further it is concluded that, with the glass fiber addition there is an improvement in the split and flexural strength values.

Eco-design of power transmissions systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, W.

2011-01-01

The demand to preserve the environment and form a sustainable development is greatly increasing in the recent decades all over the world, and this environmental concern is also merged in electrical power industry, resulting in many eco-design approaches in Transmission and Distribution (T and D) industries. As a method of eco-design, Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a systematic tool that enables the assessment of the environmental impacts of a product or service throughout its entire life cycle, i.e. raw material production, manufacture, distribution, use and disposal including all intervening transportation steps necessary or caused by the product's existence. In T and D industries, LCA has been done for a lot of products individually, in order to see one product's environmental impacts and to seek for ways of improving its environmental performance. This eco-design for product approach is a rather well-developed trend, however, as only a single electrical product cannot provide the electrical power to users, electrical system consists of a huge number of components, in order to investigate system's environmental profile, the entire environmental profiles of different composing products has to be integrated systematically, that is to say, a system approach is needed. Under this philosophy, the study 'Eco-design of Power Transmission Systems' is conducted in this thesis, with the purpose of analysing the transmission systems' environmental impacts, locating the major environmental burden sources of transmission systems, selecting and/or developing methodologies of reducing its environmental impacts. (author)

First principles study of vibrational dynamics of ceria-titania hybrid clusters

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Majid, Abdul, E-mail: abdulmajid40@yahoo.com; Bibi, Maryam [University of Gujrat, Department of Physics (Pakistan)

2017-04-15

Density functional theory based calculations were performed to study vibrational properties of ceria, titania, and ceria-titania hybrid clusters. The findings revealed the dominance of vibrations related to oxygen when compared to those of metallic atoms in the clusters. In case of hybrid cluster, the softening of normal modes related to exterior oxygen atoms in ceria and softening/hardening of high/low frequency modes related to titania dimmers are observed. The results calculated for monomers conform to symmetry predictions according to which three IR and three Raman active modes were detected for TiO{sub 2}, whereas two IR active and one Raman active modes were observed for CeO{sub 2}. The comparative analysis indicates that the hybrid cluster CeTiO{sub 4} contains simultaneous vibrational fingerprints of the component dimmers. The symmetry, nature of vibrations, IR and Raman activity, intensities, and atomic involvement in different modes of the clusters are described in detail. The study points to engineering of CeTiO{sub 4} to tailor its properties for technological visible region applications in photocatalytic and electrochemical devices.

Inorganic nanostructure-organic polymer heterostructures useful for thermoelectric devices

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

See, Kevin C.; Urban, Jeffrey J.; Segalman, Rachel A.; Coates, Nelson E.; Yee, Shannon K.

2017-11-28

The present invention provides for an inorganic nanostructure-organic polymer heterostructure, useful as a thermoelectric composite material, comprising (a) an inorganic nanostructure, and (b) an electrically conductive organic polymer disposed on the inorganic nanostructure. Both the inorganic nanostructure and the electrically conductive organic polymer are solution-processable.

Surface characterization of Ag/Titania adsorbents

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Samokhvalov, Alexander; Nair, Sachin; Duin, Evert C.; Tatarchuk, Bruce J.

2010-01-01

The Ag/Titania adsorbent for selective removal of the desulfurization-refractive polycyclic aromatic sulfur heterocycles (PASHs) from liquid hydrocarbon fuels was prepared, its total and the Ag specific surface area were determined and the surface reaction sites in the sorbent that may be active in the adsorptive selective desulfurization were characterized by several spectroscopic and surface science techniques. The sorbent contains Ag, Ti, O and spurious C on its surface, as by the XPS measurements. Silver is present as an oxide, as judged by the XPS Auger parameter (AP). The complementary electron spin resonance (ESR) spectroscopy confirms that the majority of Ag is present in the diamagnetic Ag 1+ form, with the minor concentration (∼0.1% of total Ag) present as Ag 2+ . The findings by XPS and ESR are confirmed by the XRD, UV-vis spectroscopy and thermodynamic considerations. The supported Ag is highly dispersed on the surface of the titania support, with the particle size of ∼30-60 A depending on Ag content, with an Ag specific surface area of ∼7-14 m 2 /g, vs. the total surface area of ∼114-58 m 2 /g.

Hard and transparent films formed by nanocellulose-TiO2 nanoparticle hybrids.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Christina Schütz

Full Text Available The formation of hybrids of nanofibrillated cellulose and titania nanoparticles in aqueous media has been studied. Their transparency and mechanical behavior have been assessed by spectrophotometry and nanoindentation. The results show that limiting the titania nanoparticle concentration below 16 vol% yields homogeneous hybrids with a very high Young's modulus and hardness, of up to 44 GPa and 3.4 GPa, respectively, and an optical transmittance above 80%. Electron microscopy shows that higher nanoparticle contents result in agglomeration and an inhomogeneous hybrid nanostructure with a concomitant reduction of hardness and optical transmittance. Infrared spectroscopy suggests that the nanostructure of the hybrids is controlled by electrostatic adsorption of the titania nanoparticles on the negatively charged nanocellulose surfaces.

Hard and Transparent Films Formed by Nanocellulose–TiO2 Nanoparticle Hybrids

Science.gov (United States)

Schütz, Christina; Sort, Jordi; Bacsik, Zoltán; Oliynyk, Vitaliy; Pellicer, Eva; Fall, Andreas; Wågberg, Lars; Berglund, Lars; Bergström, Lennart; Salazar-Alvarez, German

2012-01-01

The formation of hybrids of nanofibrillated cellulose and titania nanoparticles in aqueous media has been studied. Their transparency and mechanical behavior have been assessed by spectrophotometry and nanoindentation. The results show that limiting the titania nanoparticle concentration below 16 vol% yields homogeneous hybrids with a very high Young’s modulus and hardness, of up to 44 GPa and 3.4 GPa, respectively, and an optical transmittance above 80%. Electron microscopy shows that higher nanoparticle contents result in agglomeration and an inhomogeneous hybrid nanostructure with a concomitant reduction of hardness and optical transmittance. Infrared spectroscopy suggests that the nanostructure of the hybrids is controlled by electrostatic adsorption of the titania nanoparticles on the negatively charged nanocellulose surfaces. PMID:23049689

Application of nanostructural materials in electro optical measuring sets of big powers based on usage of optical effects

Science.gov (United States)

Salihov, Aidar I.; Tljavlin, Anfar Z.; Kusimov, Salavat M.

2005-06-01

Optically transparent nanostructural materials show to themselves a heightened interest owing to display in them the new physic mechanical properties. Variation of structure of the materials received by methods of intensive plastic deformation, results in variation of many fundamental parameters. Among them special interest was caused with variations of fundamental magnetic characteristics. One of them is the magnetization of saturation, which is usually structurally tolerant, but reflects changes in an atomic-crystal structure of solids. Even in the first probing of the transparent nanostructures, received by intensive deformation by torsion of samples, was found that the magnetization of saturation was revealed at room temperature in comparison with coarse-grained samples. High-power measuring devices are based on Faraday effect, representing itself rotation of a plane of polarization of linearly polarized light in optical active substances under action of a magnetic field. Application of nanostructural materials in the optical insulator, which is the main part of the measuring device, allows improving the measuring characteristics of instruments qualitatively. Brought losses in Faraday cell make 0,35 -0,89 dB instead of 0,7 - I,2 dB, and value of the backward losses makes not less than 62 dB instead of 55 dB. Undoubtedly, improvement of the given parameters allows making the measuring operations with the greater accuracy, reducing both absolute, and relative errors.

Nano-Structured Bio-Inorganic Hybrid Material for High Performing Oxygen Reduction Catalyst.

Science.gov (United States)

Jiang, Rongzhong; Tran, Dat T; McClure, Joshua P; Chu, Deryn

2015-08-26

In this study, we demonstrate a non-Pt nanostructured bioinorganic hybrid (BIH) catalyst for catalytic oxygen reduction in alkaline media. This catalyst was synthesized through biomaterial hemin, nanostructured Ag-Co alloy, and graphene nano platelets (GNP) by heat-treatment and ultrasonically processing. This hybrid catalyst has the advantages of the combined features of these bio and inorganic materials. A 10-fold improvement in catalytic activity (at 0.8 V vs RHE) is achieved in comparison of pure Ag nanoparticles (20-40 nm). The hybrid catalyst reaches 80% activity (at 0.8 V vs RHE) of the state-of-the-art catalyst (containing 40% Pt and 60% active carbon). Comparable catalytic stability for the hybrid catalyst with the Pt catalyst is observed by chronoamperometric experiment. The hybrid catalyst catalyzes 4-electron oxygen reduction to produce water with fast kinetic rate. The rate constant obtained from the hybrid catalyst (at 0.6 V vs RHE) is 4 times higher than that of pure Ag/GNP catalyst. A catalytic model is proposed to explain the oxygen reduction reaction at the BIH catalyst.

Control of ordered mesoporous titanium dioxide nanostructures formed using plasma enhanced glancing angle deposition

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gibson, Des [Institute of Thin Films, Sensors & Imaging, Scottish Universities Physics Alliance, University of West of Scotland, Paisley, PA1 2BE (United Kingdom); Child, David, E-mail: david.child@uws.ac.uk [Institute of Thin Films, Sensors & Imaging, Scottish Universities Physics Alliance, University of West of Scotland, Paisley, PA1 2BE (United Kingdom); Song, Shigeng; Zhao, Chao [Institute of Thin Films, Sensors & Imaging, Scottish Universities Physics Alliance, University of West of Scotland, Paisley, PA1 2BE (United Kingdom); Alajiani, Yahya [Institute of Thin Films, Sensors & Imaging, Scottish Universities Physics Alliance, University of West of Scotland, Paisley, PA1 2BE (United Kingdom); Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, Jazan University, Jazan (Saudi Arabia); Waddell, Ewan [Thin Film Solutions Ltd, West of Scotland Science Park, Glasgow, G20 0TH (United Kingdom)

2015-10-01

Three dimensional nanostructures of mesoporous (pore diameter between 2-50 nm) nanocrystalline titania (TiO{sub 2}) were produced using glancing angle deposition combined with plasma ion assisted deposition, providing plasma enhanced glancing angle deposition eliminating the need for post-annealing to achieve film crystallinity. Electron beam evaporation was chosen to deposit nanostructures at various azimuthal angles, achieving designed variation in three dimensional nanostructure. A thermionic broad beam hollow cathode plasma source was used to enhance electron beam deposition, with ability to vary in real time ion fluxes and energies providing a means to modify and control TiO{sub 2} nanostructure real time with controlled density and porosity along and lateral to film growth direction. Plasma ion assisted deposition was carried out at room temperature using a hollow cathode plasma source, ensuring low heat loading to the substrate during deposition. Plasma enhanced glancing angle TiO{sub 2} structures were deposited onto borosilicate microscope slides and used to characterise the effects of glancing angle and plasma ion energy distribution function on the optical and nanostructural properties. Variation in TiO{sub 2} refractive index from 1.40 to 2.45 (@ 550 nm) using PEGLAD is demonstrated. Results and analysis of the influence of plasma enhanced glancing angle deposition on evaporant path and resultant glancing angle deviation from standard GLAD are described. Control of mesoporous morphology is described, providing a means of optimising light trapping features and film porosity, relevant to applications such as fabrication of dye sensitised solar cells. - Highlights: • Plasma assistance during glancing angle deposition enables control of morphology. • Ion energy variation during glancing angle deposition varies columnar angle • Column thickness of glancing angle deposition dependant on ion current density • Ion current density variation during

Reactive magnetron sputtering deposition of bismuth tungstate onto titania nanoparticles for enhancing visible light photocatalytic activity

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ratova, Marina, E-mail: marina_ratova@hotmail.com [Surface Engineering Group, School of Engineering, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, M1 5GD (United Kingdom); Kelly, Peter J.; West, Glen T. [Surface Engineering Group, School of Engineering, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, M1 5GD (United Kingdom); Tosheva, Lubomira; Edge, Michele [School of Science and the Environment, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester M1 5GD (United Kingdom)

2017-01-15

Highlights: • Bismuth tungstate coatings were deposited by reactive magnetron sputtering. • Oscillating bowl was introduced to the system to enable coating of nanopartulates. • Deposition of Bi{sub 2}WO{sub 6} enhanced visible light activity of titania nanoparticles. • The best results were obtained for coating with Bi:W ratio of approximately 2:1. • Deposition of Bi{sub 2}WO{sub 6} onto TiO{sub 2} resulted in more efficient electron-hole separation. - Abstract: Titanium dioxide − bismuth tungstate composite materials were prepared by pulsed DC reactive magnetron sputtering of bismuth and tungsten metallic targets in argon/oxygen atmosphere onto anatase and rutile titania nanoparticles. The use of an oscillating bowl placed beneath the two magnetrons arranged in a co-planar closed field configuration enabled the deposition of bismuth tungstate onto loose powders, rather than a solid substrate. The atomic ratio of the bismuth/tungsten coatings was controlled by varying the power applied to each target. The effect of the bismuth tungstate coatings on the phase, optical and photocatalytic properties of titania was investigated by X-ray diffraction, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) surface area measurements, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), UV–vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy and an acetone degradation test. The latter involved measurements of the rate of CO{sub 2} evolution under visible light irradiation of the photocatalysts, which indicated that the deposition of bismuth tungstate resulted in a significant enhancement of visible light activity, for both anatase and rutile titania particles. The best results were achieved for coatings with a bismuth to tungsten atomic ratio of 2:1. In addition, the mechanism by which the photocatalytic activity of the TiO{sub 2} nanoparticles was enhanced by compounding it with bismuth tungstate was studied by microwave cavity perturbation. The results of these

EFFECTS OF SYNTHESIS PARAMETERS ON THE STRUCTURE OF TITANIA NANOTUBES

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M. NORANI MUTI

2008-08-01

Full Text Available Detection of hydrogen is crucial for industrial process control and medical applications where presence of hydrogen in breath indicates different type of health problems particularly in infants. A better performed sensor with high sensitivity, selectivity, reliability and faster response time would be critical and sought after especially for medical applications. Titanium dioxide nanotube structure is chosen as an active component in the gas sensor because of its highly sensitive electrical resistance to hydrogen over a wide range of concentrations. The objective of the work is to investigate the effect of the anodizing conditions on the structure of titania nanotubes produced by anodizing method. The anodizing parameters namely the ambient temperature and separation of electrodes are varied accordingly to find the optimum anodizing conditions for production of good quality titania nanotubes for enhanced properties based on their uniformity, coverage, pore size and crystallinity. Samples of nanotubes produced were subjected to annealing process at varying time and temperature in order to improve the crystallinity of the nanotubes. The highly ordered porous titania nanotubes produced by this method are of tabular shape and have good uniformity and alignment over large areas. The pore size of the titania nanotubes ranges from 47 to 94 nm, while the wall thickness is in the range of 17 to 26 nm. The length of the nanotubes was found to be about 280 nm. The structure of nanotubes changes from amorphous to crystalline after undergoing annealing treatment. Nanotubes have also shown to have better crystallinity if they were subjected to annealing treatment at higher temperature. The characteristics of nanotubes obtained are found to be agreeable to those that have been reported to show improved hydrogen gas sensing properties.

Recyclable Aggregates of Mesoporous Titania Synthesized by Thermal Treatment of Amorphous or Peptized Precursors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maria Cristina Mascolo

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Recyclable aggregates of mesoporous titania with different anatase–rutile ratios have been prepared by thermal treatments of either amorphous or peptized precursors. These last two have been obtained by hydrolysis of either Ti(OC2H54 or of Ti(OC2H54 in mixture with 5 mol % Zr(OC3H74 at room temperature in the presence of NH4OH as a catalyzing agent. The anatase–rutile ratio, the recyclable aggregates of the nano-sized particles, the mesoporosity, the surface area and the crystallinity of the resulting crystallized products of titania can be controlled by the synthesis parameters including: concentration of ammonia catalyst, stirring time and concentration of the peptizing HNO3, drying method of peptized precursors, calcination temperature, and finally the ramp rate up to the titania crystallization temperature. A broad range of synthesis parameters control the crystal sizes of titania particles produced. This allows catalyst preparation with very different crystal size, surface area, anatase to rutile crystal ratio and various mesoporous structures. Drying by lyophilization of precursors reduce the aggregation of the primary particles giving micro-/macroporous structures.

Nature of radiative recombination processes in layered semiconductor PbCdI{sub 2} nanostructural scintillation material

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bukivskii, A.P. [Institute of Physics of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, 03028 Kyiv (Ukraine); Gnatenko, Yu.P., E-mail: yuriygnatenko@ukr.net [Institute of Physics of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, 03028 Kyiv (Ukraine); Piryatinskii, Yu.P. [Institute of Physics of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, 03028 Kyiv (Ukraine); Gamernyk, R.V. [Lviv National University, 8 Kyryl o and Mefodiy Str., 29005 Lviv (Ukraine)

2017-05-15

We report on the efficient photoluminescence (PL) and radioluminescence (RL) of the PbI{sub 2} nanoclusters (NCLs), which are naturally formed in the nanostructured Pb{sub 1-X}Cd{sub x}I{sub 2} alloys (X=0.70). Here, we carried out the studies of the nature of radiative recombination processes in the NCLs of various sizes by measuring PL temperature evolution. Our results indicate that at low temperatures the PL is mainly caused by exciton emission and recombination of donor-acceptor pairs, generated in volume of large NCLs. The broad bands, which are associated with the deep intrinsic surface states, including self-trapped excitons (STEs), are dominant in the PL spectra at higher temperature (>100 K). Our work shows that the nature of emission, associated with RL bands is analogous to that for PL bands. It was shown that the investigated nanostructured material is strongly radiation-resistant. Thus, the Pb{sub 1-X}Cd{sub X}I{sub 2} alloys can be considered as new effective layered semiconductor nanostructured materials which can be suitable for the elaboration of perspective semiconductor scintillators. These nanomaterials have promising prospects for applications in new generations of devices for biomedical diagnostics and industrial imaging applications. - Highlights: •The intense PL and RL of nanostructural PbCdI{sub 2} alloys were observed. •The nature of recombination processes of the nanoscintillators was established. •The low temperature PL is caused by exciton and donor-acceptor pairs recombination. •The broad PL bands are due to the deep intrinsic states formed on the NCLs surface. •The PL associated with STEs for NCLs of different sizes was analyzed in detail. •It was shown that the nature of PL and RL spectra is same.

Binder-free cobalt phosphate one-dimensional nanograsses as ultrahigh-performance cathode material for hybrid supercapacitor applications

Science.gov (United States)

Sankar, K. Vijaya; Lee, S. C.; Seo, Y.; Ray, C.; Liu, S.; Kundu, A.; Jun, S. C.

2018-01-01

One-dimensional (1D) nanostructure exhibits excellent electrochemical performance because of their unique physico-chemical properties like fast electron transfer, good rate capability, and cyclic stability. In the present study, Co3(PO4)2 1D nanograsses are grown on Ni foam using a simple and eco-friendly hydrothermal technique with different reaction times. The open space with uniform nanograsses displays a high areal capacitance, rate capability, energy density, and cyclic stability due to the nanostructure enhancing fast ion and material interactions. Ex-situ microscope images confirm the dependence of structural stability on the reaction time, and the nanograsses promoted ion interaction through material. Further, the reproducibility of the electrochemical performance confirms the binder-free Co3(PO4)2 1D nanograsses to be a suitable high-performance cathode material for application to hybrid supercapacitor. Finally, the assembled hybrid supercapacitor exhibits a high energy density (26.66 Wh kg-1 at 750 W kg-1) and longer lifetimes (80% retained capacitance after 6000 cycles). Our results suggests that the Co3(PO4)2 1D nanograss design have a great promise for application to hybrid supercapacitor.

Synthesis and functional properties of nanostructured ceria materials; Synthese und funktionelle Eigenschaften nanostrukturierter Ceroxidmaterialien

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Naumann, Meike

2014-06-02

Nanostructured ceria tubes have been synthesised using electro spun polymer fibers as templating material. These polymer mats are produced by electro spinning starting with a polymer solution. In a next step polymer fibers are decorated with cer containing sol, which is then dried. To receive ceria tubes the polymer is removed on the one hand by thermal decomposition of the polymer or on the other hand by oxygen plasma treatment of ceria/polymer hybrid material. The resulting ceria tubes have a specific surface area of 98 m2 g-1. TEM, XRD, SAED and Raman investigations show a fully nanostructured crystallinity with cubic fluorine type structure. This obtained material shows a photo catalytic activity within decomposition of methylene blue in the Vis part of the electromagnetic spectrum. This photo catalytic activity can be increased using doping ions of transition and rare earth elements that are introduced in the sol-gel synthesis. Also here XRD and TEM investigations show a fully nano crystalline structure of ceria. Raman spectroscopy verifies the doping of ceria by transition and rare earth elements up to 22% of doping. No phase separation can be observed. The photo catalytic activity can be increased using these doped materials. Additionally a catalytic activity of pure ceria and mixed ceria/zirconia materials have been investigated synthesis of dimethylcarboxilate without water addition. Here a direct dependence between turn over and doping cannot be detected. The dependence can be deduced to the synthesis process of the catalyst. Terminal sensoric properties of doped and undoped ceria (n-type semiconductor) are investigated. The prepared materials are used as chemiresistors against oxygen at temperatures of 700 C. These investigations show a reversible increase of the electrical resistance against oxygen.

One-Dimensional Hetero-Nanostructures for Rechargeable Batteries.

Science.gov (United States)

Mai, Liqiang; Sheng, Jinzhi; Xu, Lin; Tan, Shuangshuang; Meng, Jiashen

2018-04-17

Rechargeable batteries are regarded as one of the most practical electrochemical energy storage devices that are able to convert and store the electrical energy generated from renewable resources, and they function as the key power sources for electric vehicles and portable electronics. The ultimate goals for electrochemical energy storage devices are high power and energy density, long lifetime, and high safety. To achieve the above goals, researchers have tried to apply various morphologies of nanomaterials as the electrodes to enhance the electrochemical performance. Among them, one-dimensional (1D) materials show unique superiorities, such as cross-linked structures for external stress buffering and large draw ratios for internal stress dispersion. However, a homogeneous single-component electrode material can hardly have the characteristics of high electronic/ionic conductivity and high stability in the electrochemical environment simultaneously. Therefore, designing well-defined functional 1D hetero-nanostructures that combine the advantages and overcome the limitations of different electrochemically active materials is of great significance. This Account summarizes fabrication strategies for 1D hetero-nanostructures, including nucleation and growth, deposition, and melt-casting and electrospinning. Besides, the chemical principles for each strategy are discussed. The nucleation and growth strategy is suitable for growing and constructing 1D hetero-nanostructures of partial transition metal compounds, and the experimental conditions for this strategy are relatively accessible. Deposition is a reliable strategy to synthesize 1D hetero-nanostructures by decorating functional layers on 1D substrate materials, on the condition that the preobtained substrate materials must be stable in the following deposition process. The melt-casting strategy, in which 1D hetero-nanostructures are synthesizes via a melting and molding process, is also widely used. Additionally

Climatic impacts of stratospheric geoengineering with sulfate, black carbon and titania injection

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. C. Jones

2016-03-01

Full Text Available In this paper, we examine the potential climatic effects of geoengineering by sulfate, black carbon and titania injection against a baseline RCP8.5 scenario. We use the HadGEM2-CCS model to simulate scenarios in which the top-of-the-atmosphere radiative imbalance due to rising greenhouse gas concentrations is offset by sufficient aerosol injection throughout the 2020–2100 period. We find that the global-mean temperature is effectively maintained at historical levels for the entirety of the period for all three aerosol-injection scenarios, though there is a wide range of side-effects which are discussed in detail. The most prominent conclusion is that although the BC injection rate necessary to produce an equivalent global mean temperature response is much lower, the severity of stratospheric temperature changes (> +70 °C and precipitation impacts effectively exclude BC from being a viable option for geoengineering. Additionally, while it has been suggested that titania would be an effective particle because of its high scattering efficiency, it also efficiently absorbs solar ultraviolet radiation producing a significant stratospheric warming (> +20 °C. As injection rates and climatic impacts for titania are close to those for sulfate, there appears to be little benefit in terms of climatic influence of using titania when compared to the injection of sulfur dioxide, which has the added benefit of being well-modeled through extensive research that has been carried out on naturally occurring explosive volcanic eruptions.

The Study of Critical Eco-Linguistic in Green Discourse: Prospective Eco-Linguistic Analysis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tommi Yuniawan

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Eco-linguistic studies are influenced by one of the other interdisciplinary sciences, namely critical discourse analysis. The combination of these two sciences is called critical eco-linguistic studies. Critical eco-linguistic examines the discourse about the environment and various forms of discourse and their ideology which concerns people and the environment. The environmental discourse with all its manifestations (oral text, written text is called green discourse. To that end, critical eco-linguistic dictates the linguistic aspects contained in the green discourse. Utilization of lingual units in green discourse will affect the sense and logic of people involved in the discourse, ie the writers and readers or the speakers and the speakers. What is recorded in their cognition, will affect their attitudes and actions to the environment. If green discourse is constructive, then their attitude and actions to the environment are constructive. Conversely, if green discourse is more destructive and exploitative, then their attitudes and actions towards the environment will also be affected towards destruction and exploitation. For this reason, critical eco-linguistic studies in green discourse deserve to be given space as a form of prospective eco-linguistic analysis.

Surface Properties of Photocatalytic Nano-Crystalline Titania Films and Reactor for Photocatalytic Degradation of Chloroform

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Søgaard, Erik Gydesen; Simonsen, Morten Enggrob; Jensen, Henrik

2006-01-01

In this work two immobilizations techniques of TiO2 onto glass were investigated; deposition of previously made titania powder (PMTP) and a sol-gel method. The titania powder used in this work was Degussa P25, Hombikat UV100 and a powder prepared in our laboratory SC134. The prepared TiO2 films w...

Dispersion tailoring of a silicon strip waveguide employing Titania-Alumina thin-film coating

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Guo, Kai; Christensen, Jesper B.; Christensen, Erik N.

2017-01-01

We numerically demonstrate dispersion tailoring of a silicon strip waveguide employing Titania-Alumina thin-film coating using a finite-difference mode solver. The proposed structure exhibits spectrally-flattened near-zero anomalous dispersion within the telecom wavelength range. We also numerica......We numerically demonstrate dispersion tailoring of a silicon strip waveguide employing Titania-Alumina thin-film coating using a finite-difference mode solver. The proposed structure exhibits spectrally-flattened near-zero anomalous dispersion within the telecom wavelength range. We also...

Combination of SANS and 3D stochastic reconstruction techniques for the study of nanostructured materials

CERN Document Server

Kikkinides, E S; Steriotis, T A; Kanellopoulos, N K; Mitropoulos, A C; Treimer, W

2002-01-01

Ceramic nanostructured materials have recently received scientific and industrial interest due to their unique properties. A series of such nanoporous structures were characterised by SANS techniques. The resulting scattering curves were analysed to obtain basic structural information regarding the pore size distribution and autocorrelation function of each material. Furthermore, stochastic reconstruction models were employed to generate 3D images with the same basic structural characteristics obtained from SANS. Finally, simulation results of permeation on the reconstructed images provide very good agreement with experimental data. (orig.)

Anticancer Applications of Nanostructured Silica-Based Materials Functionalized with Titanocene Derivatives: Induction of Cell Death Mechanism through TNFR1 Modulation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Santiago Gómez-Ruiz

2018-01-01

Full Text Available A series of cytotoxic titanocene derivatives have been immobilized onto nanostructured silica-based materials using two different synthetic routes, namely, (i a simple grafting protocol via protonolysis of the Ti–Cl bond; and (ii a tethering method by elimination of ethanol using triethoxysilyl moieties of thiolato ligands attached to titanium. The resulting nanostructured systems have been characterized by different techniques such as XRD, XRF, DR-UV, BET, SEM, and TEM, observing the incorporation of the titanocene derivatives onto the nanostructured silica and slight changes in the textural features of the materials after functionalization with the metallodrugs. A complete biological study has been carried out using the synthesized materials exhibiting moderate cytotoxicity in vitro against three human hepatic carcinoma (HepG2, SK-Hep-1, Hep3B and three human colon carcinomas (DLD-1, HT-29, COLO320 and very low cytotoxicity against normal cell lines. In addition, the cells’ metabolic activity was modified by a 24-h exposure in a dose-dependent manner. Despite not having a significant effect on TNFα or the proinflammatory interleukin 1α secretion, the materials strongly modulated tumor necrosis factor (TNF signaling, even at sub-cytotoxic concentrations. This is achieved mainly by upregulation of the TNFR1 receptor production, something which has not previously been observed for these systems.

Adsorption of heavy metals on conventional and nanostructured materials for wastewater treatment purposes: A review.

Science.gov (United States)

Burakov, Alexander E; Galunin, Evgeny V; Burakova, Irina V; Kucherova, Anastassia E; Agarwal, Shilpi; Tkachev, Alexey G; Gupta, Vinod K

2018-02-01

The problem of water pollution is of a great concern. Adsorption is one of the most efficient techniques for removing noxious heavy metals from the solvent phase. This paper presents a detailed information and review on the adsorption of noxious heavy metal ions from wastewater effluents using various adsorbents - i.e., conventional (activated carbons, zeolites, clays, biosorbents, and industrial by-products) and nanostructured (fullerenes, carbon nanotubes, graphenes). In addition to this, the efficiency of developed materials for adsorption of the heavy metals is discussed in detail along with the comparison of their maximum adsorption capacity in tabular form. A special focus is made on the perspectives of further wider applications of nanostructured adsorbents (especially, carbon nanotubes and graphenes) in wastewater treatment. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

EcoCount

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Phillip P. Allen

2014-05-01

Full Text Available Techniques that analyze biological remains from sediment sequences for environmental reconstructions are well established and widely used. Yet, identifying, counting, and recording biological evidence such as pollen grains remain a highly skilled, demanding, and time-consuming task. Standard procedure requires the classification and recording of between 300 and 500 pollen grains from each representative sample. Recording the data from a pollen count requires significant effort and focused resources from the palynologist. However, when an adaptation to the recording procedure is utilized, efficiency and time economy improve. We describe EcoCount, which represents a development in environmental data recording procedure. EcoCount is a voice activated fully customizable digital count sheet that allows the investigator to continuously interact with a field of view during the data recording. Continuous viewing allows the palynologist the opportunity to remain engaged with the essential task, identification, for longer, making pollen counting more efficient and economical. EcoCount is a versatile software package that can be used to record a variety of environmental evidence and can be installed onto different computer platforms, making the adoption by users and laboratories simple and inexpensive. The user-friendly format of EcoCount allows any novice to be competent and functional in a very short time.

Activity of nanosized titania synthesized from thermal decomposition of titanium (IV n-butoxide for the photocatalytic degradation of diuron

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jitlada Klongdee, Wansiri Petchkroh, Kosin Phuempoonsathaporn, Piyasan Praserthdam, Alisa S. Vangnai and Varong Pavarajarn

2005-01-01

Full Text Available Nanoparticles of anatase titania were synthesized by the thermal decomposition of titanium (IV n-butoxide in 1,4-butanediol. The powder obtained was characterized by various characterization techniques, such as XRD, BET, SEM and TEM, to confirm that it was a collection of single crystal anatase with particle size smaller than 15 nm. The synthesized titania was employed as catalyst for the photodegradation of diuron, a herbicide belonging to the phenylurea family, which has been considered as a biologically active pollutant in soil and water. Although diuron is chemically stable, degradation of diuron by photocatalyzed oxidation was found possible. The conversions achieved by titania prepared were in the range of 70–80% within 6 h of reaction, using standard UV lamps, while over 99% conversion was achieved under solar irradiation. The photocatalytic activity was compared with that of the Japanese Reference Catalyst (JRC-TIO-1 titania from the Catalysis Society of Japan. The synthesized titania exhibited higher rate and efficiency in diuron degradation than reference catalyst. The results from the investigations by controlling various reaction parameters, such as oxygen dissolved in the solution, diuron concentration, as well as light source, suggested that the enhanced photocatalytic activity was the result from higher crystallinity of the synthesized titania.

Redesign of steam turbine rotor blades and rotor packages – Environmental analysis within systematic eco-design approach

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Baran, Jolanta

2016-01-01

Highlights: • Systematic approach to eco-design of steam turbine rotor blades was applied. • Eco-innovative solutions are based on structural and technological change. • At the stage of detailed design the variants were analyzed using LCA. • Main achieved benefits: energy and material savings, lower environmental impact. • Benefits related to the possible scale of the solution practical application. - Abstract: Eco-design of steam turbine blades could be one of the possibilities of decreasing the environmental impact of energy systems based on turbines. The paper investigates the eco-design approach to elaboration of the rotor blades and packages. The purpose is to present the course of eco-design of the rotor blades and the rotor packages taking account of eco-design assumptions, solutions and the concept itself. The following eco-design variants of the rotor blades and the rotor packages are considered: elements of the rotor blades made separately (baseline variant of the rotor blades); elements of the rotor blades made of one piece of material; blades in packages made separately and welded (baseline variant of the rotor packages); packages milled as integral elements. At the stage of detailed design, the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is performed in relation to a functional unit – the rotor blades and packages ready for installation in a steam turbine, which is the stage of the turbine. The obtained results indicate that eco-innovative solutions for the turbine blades and packages could be achieved through structural and technological changes. Applying new solutions of the rotor blades may produce the following main benefits: 3.3% lower use of materials, 29.4% decrease in energy consumption at the manufacturing stage, 7.7% decrease in the environmental impact in the life cycle. In relation to the rotor packages, the following main benefits may be achieved: 20.5% lower use of materials, 25.0% decrease in energy consumption at the production stage, 16

Note: Comparison of grazing incidence small angle x-ray scattering of a titania sponge structure at the beamlines BW4 (DORIS III) and P03 (PETRA III)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rawolle, M.; Körstgens, V.; Ruderer, M. A.; Metwalli, E.; Guo, S.; Müller-Buschbaum, P.; Herzog, G.; Benecke, G.; Schwartzkopf, M.; Buffet, A.; Perlich, J.; Roth, S. V.

2012-01-01

Grazing incidence small angle x-ray scattering (GISAXS) is a powerful technique for morphology investigation of nanostructured thin films. GISAXS measurements at the newly installed P03 beamline at the storage ring PETRA III in Hamburg, Germany, are compared to the GISAXS data from the beamline BW4 at the storage ring DORIS III, which had been used extensively for GISAXS investigations in the past. As an example, a titania thin film sponge structure is investigated. Compared to BW4, at beamline P03 the resolution of larger structures is slightly improved and a higher incident flux leads to a factor of 750 in scattered intensity. Therefore, the acquisition time in GISAXS geometry is reduced significantly at beamline P03.

Recent developments of nano-structured materials as the catalysts for oxygen reduction reaction

Science.gov (United States)

Kang, SungYeon; Kim, HuiJung; Chung, Yong-Ho

2018-04-01

Developments of high efficient materials for electrocatalyst are significant topics of numerous researches since a few decades. Recent global interests related with energy conversion and storage lead to the expansion of efforts to find cost-effective catalysts that can substitute conventional catalytic materials. Especially, in the field of fuel cell, novel materials for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) have been noticed to overcome disadvantages of conventional platinum-based catalysts. Various approaching methods have been attempted to achieve low cost and high electrochemical activity comparable with Pt-based catalysts, including reducing Pt consumption by the formation of hybrid materials, Pt-based alloys, and not-Pt metal or carbon based materials. To enhance catalytic performance and stability, numerous methods such as structural modifications and complex formations with other functional materials are proposed, and they are basically based on well-defined and well-ordered catalytic active sites by exquisite control at nanoscale. In this review, we highlight the development of nano-structured catalytic materials for ORR based on recent findings, and discuss about an outlook for the direction of future researches.

ECO steam explosion experiments on the conversion of thermal into mechanical energy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cherdron, W.; Kaiser, A.; Schuetz, W.; Will, H.

2001-01-01

In case of a steam explosion, e.g. as a consequence of a severe reactor accident, part of the thermal energy of the melt is transferred into mechanical energy. At Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe, so-called ECO experiments, are being directed to measure the conversion factor under well-defined conditions. In ECO, alumina from a thermite reaction is used as a simulating material instead of corium. Dimensions of the test facility as well as major test conditions, e.g. temperature and release mode of the melt, water inventory and test procedure, are based on the former PREMIX experimental series. In the paper, results of the first test, ECO 01, are given. (orig.)

Nanostructured mesophase electrode materials: modulating charge-storage behavior by thermal treatment.

Science.gov (United States)

Kong, Hye Jeong; Kim, Saerona; Le, Thanh-Hai; Kim, Yukyung; Park, Geunsu; Park, Chul Soon; Kwon, Oh Seok; Yoon, Hyeonseok

2017-11-16

3D nanostructured carbonaceous electrode materials with tunable capacitive phases were successfully developed using graphene/particulate polypyrrole (PPy) nanohybrid (GPNH) precursors without a separate process for incorporating heterogeneous species. The electrode material, namely carbonized GPNHs (CGPNHs) featured a mesophase capacitance consisting of both electric double-layer (EDL) capacitive and pseudocapacitive elements at the molecular level. The ratio of EDL capacitive element to pseudocapacitive element (E-to-P) in the mesophase electrode materials was controlled by varying the PPy-to-graphite weight (P w /G w ) ratio and by heat treatment (T H ), which was demonstrated by characterizing the CGPNHs with elemental analysis, cyclic voltammetry, and a charge/discharge test. The concept of the E-to-P ratio (EPR) index was first proposed to easily identify the capacitive characteristics of the mesophase electrode using a numerical algorithm, which was reasonably consistent with the experimental findings. Finally, the CGPNHs were integrated into symmetric two-electrode capacitor cells, which rendered excellent energy and power densities in both aqueous and ionic liquid electrolytes. It is anticipated that our approach could be widely extended to fabricating versatile hybrid electrode materials with estimation of their capacitive characteristics.

Utilization of waste glass in ECO-cement: Strength properties and microstructural observations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sobolev, Konstantin; Tuerker, Pelin; Soboleva, Svetlana; Iscioglu, Gunsel

2007-01-01

Waste glass creates a serious environmental problem, mainly because of the inconsistency of the waste glass streams. The use of waste glass as a finely ground mineral additive (FGMA) in cement is a promising direction for recycling. Based on the method of mechano-chemical activation, a new group of ECO-cements was developed. In ECO-cement, relatively large amounts (up to 70%) of portland cement clinker can be replaced with waste glass. This report examines the effect of waste glass on the microstructure and strength of ECO-cement based materials. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) investigations were used to observe the changes in the cement hydrates and interface between the cement matrix and waste glass particles. According to the research results, the developed ECO-cement with 50% of waste glass possessed compressive strength properties at a level similar to normal portland cement

Eco-Efficiency Indicators for Urban Transport

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Patrick Moriarty

2015-06-01

Full Text Available This paper focuses on urban passenger transport eco-efficiency, which can be defined as the production of maximum benefits to society while minimising environmental impacts from urban transport’s inputs of energy and materials. Researchers have intensively studied transport’s varied environmental impacts, particularly through Life Cycle Assessment; this paper argues that primary transport energy per capita is presently the best measure of impact. Although transport’s societal benefits have generally been regarded as self-evident, access to out-of-home activities, not passenger-km, should be considered as the fundamental useful output of an urban transport system, since transport is a derived demand. We argue that access levels are roughly similar in all high-income OECD cities, so that these cities can be ranked on transport eco-efficiency simply on the basis of per capita primary transport energy.

First Principles Investigations of Technologically and Environmentally Important Nano-structured Materials and Devices

Science.gov (United States)

Paul, Sujata

In the course of my PhD I have worked on a broad range of problems using simulations from first principles: from catalysis and chemical reactions at surfaces and on nanostructures, characterization of carbon-based systems and devices, and surface and interface physics. My research activities focused on the application of ab-initio electronic structure techniques to the theoretical study of important aspects of the physics and chemistry of materials for energy and environmental applications and nano-electronic devices. A common theme of my research is the computational study of chemical reactions of environmentally important molecules (CO, CO2) using high performance simulations. In particular, my principal aim was to design novel nano-structured functional catalytic surfaces and interfaces for environmentally relevant remediation and recycling reactions, with particular attention to the management of carbon dioxide. We have studied the carbon-mediated partial sequestration and selective oxidation of carbon monoxide (CO), both in the presence and absence of hydrogen, on graphitic edges. Using first-principles calculations we have studied several reactions of CO with carbon nanostructures, where the active sites can be regenerated by the deposition of carbon decomposed from the reactant (CO) to make the reactions self-sustained. Using statistical mechanics, we have also studied the conditions under which the conversion of CO to graphene and carbon dioxide is thermodynamically favorable, both in the presence and in the absence of hydrogen. These results are a first step toward the development of processes for the carbon-mediated partial sequestration and selective oxidation of CO in a hydrogen atmosphere. We have elucidated the atomic scale mechanisms of activation and reduction of carbon dioxide on specifically designed catalytic surfaces via the rational manipulation of the surface properties that can be achieved by combining transition metal thin films on oxide

The Role of Interaction Patterns with Hybrid Electric Vehicle Eco-Features for Drivers' Eco-Driving Performance.

Science.gov (United States)

Arend, Matthias G; Franke, Thomas

2017-03-01

The objective of the present research was to understand drivers' interaction patterns with hybrid electric vehicles' (HEV) eco-features (electric propulsion, regenerative braking, neutral mode) and their relationship to fuel efficiency and driver characteristics (technical system knowledge, eco-driving motivation). Eco-driving (driving behaviors performed to achieve higher fuel efficiency) has the potential to reduce CO 2 emissions caused by road vehicles. Eco-driving in HEVs is particularly challenging due to the systems' dynamic energy flows. As a result, drivers are likely to show diverse eco-driving behaviors, depending on factors like knowledge and motivation. The eco-features represent an interface for the control of the systems' energy flows. A sample of 121 HEV drivers who had constantly logged their fuel consumption prior to the study participated in an online questionnaire. Drivers' interaction patterns with the eco-features were related to fuel efficiency. A common factor was identified in an exploratory factor analysis, characterizing the intensity of actively dealing with electric energy, which was also related to fuel efficiency. Driver characteristics were not related to this factor, yet they were significant predictors of fuel efficiency. From the perspective of user-energy interaction, the relationship of the aggregated factor to fuel efficiency emphasizes the central role of drivers' perception of and interaction with energy conversions in determining HEV eco-driving success. To arrive at an in-depth understanding of drivers' eco-driving behaviors that can guide interface design, authors of future research should be concerned with the psychological processes that underlie drivers' interaction patterns with eco-features.

Eco-feedback for non-consumption

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Lim, V.; Jense, A.; Janmaat, J.; Funk, M.

2014-01-01

Eco-feedback is a strategy to increase awareness of resource use and to encourage conservation. We applied eco-feedback on household food waste with the prospective to increase awareness and explore its impact on food related decision-making. In this paper we present a prototype of an eco-feedback

Eco-friendly Development Of Industry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

An, Gi Cheol; Park, Hun; Lee, Dong Jin; Ryu, Sang Hui

1998-02-01

This book reports eco-friendly development of industry, which has summary on bring up the issue and research way and system of research. It deals with current state of affairs on eco-friendly development of industry and the case of developed countries such as necessity and meaning of eco-friendly development industry, prospect and change of the tendency, environmental issue by field in Korea like the steel industry, nonferrous metal industry, auto industry, and cement industry and general policy for eco-friendly development of industry.

Synthesis and characterization of silica–titania core–shell particles

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

reactants (titanium butoxide and water) and the amount of added silica particles. Differ- ... of titania onto silica can enhance its stability and catalytic activity. It is also an .... This work has been supported by DST India under the Nanomaterials,.

Nanostructured materials for solid-state hydrogen storage: A review of the achievement of COST Action MP1103

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Callini, Elsa; Aguey-Zinsou, Kondo Francois; Ahuja, Rajeev; Ares, Jos Ramon; Bals, Sara; Biliskov, Nikola; Chakraborty, Sudip; Charalambopoulou, Georgia; Chaudhary, Anna Lisa; Cuevas, Fermin; Dam, Bernard; de Jongh, Petra; Dornheim, Martin; Filinchuk, Yaroslav; Novakovic, Jasmina G.; Hirscher, Michael; Hirscher, M.; Jensen, Torben R.; Jensen, Peter Bjerre; Novakovic, Nikola; Lai, Qiwen; Leardini, Fabrice; Gattia, Daniele Mirabile; Pasquini, Luca; Steriotis, Theodore; Turner, Stuart; Vegge, Tejs; Zuttel, Andreas; Montone, Amelia

2016-01-01

In the framework of the European Cooperation in Science and Technology (COST) Action MP1103 Nanostructured Materials for Solid-State Hydrogen Storage were synthesized, characterized and modeled. This Action dealt with the state of the art of energy storage and set up a competitive and coordinated

Nanostructured materials for solid-state hydrogen storage: A review of the achievement of COST Action MP1103

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Callini, Elsa; Aguey-Zinsou, Kondo-Francois; Ahuja, Rajeev

2016-01-01

In the framework of the European Cooperation in Science and Technology (COST) Action MP1103 Nanostructured Materials for Solid-State Hydrogen Storage were synthesized, characterized and modeled. This Action dealt with the state of the art of energy storage and set up a competitive and coordinated...

Piezoelectric ZnO nanostructure for energy harvesting

CERN Document Server

Leprince-Wang, Yamin

2015-01-01

Over the past decade, ZnO as an important II-VI semiconductor has attracted much attention within the scientific community over the world owing to its numerous unique and prosperous properties. This material, considered as a "future material", especially in nanostructural format, has aroused many interesting research works due to its large range of applications in electronics, photonics, acoustics, energy and sensing. The bio-compatibility, piezoelectricity & low cost fabrication make ZnO nanostructure a very promising material for energy harvesting.

Development of materials with dosimetric applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mendoza A, D.; Perez H, R.; Gonzalez, P.R.; Estrada G, R.; Salas C, P.

2003-01-01

The thermoluminescence (Tl) is a property that have certain materials, of emitting light thermally stimulated, when they have been exposed to a field of ionizing radiation. In this work an analysis of the Tl response induced by the gamma radiation in the zircon, titania and hydroxyapatite is presented. First the influence of the presence of graphite in the Tl response of the zircon is analyzed, next the sensitivity of the titania thermally treated to different temperatures is analyzed. Finally the Tl response produced by the hydroxyapatite synthesized by two different processes is studied. (Author)

Nanostructured interfaces for enhancing mechanical properties of composites: Computational micromechanical studies

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mishnaevsky, Leon

2015-01-01

Computational micromechanical studies of the effect of nanostructuring and nanoengineering of interfaces, phase and grain boundaries of materials on the mechanical properties and strength of materials and the potential of interface nanostructuring to enhance the materials properties are reviewed....

Adsorption of CO, CO2, H2, and H2O on titania surfaces with different oxidation states

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Raupp, G.B.; Dumesic, J.A.

1985-01-01

The adsorptive properties of titania surfaces with different oxidation states were proved by temperature-programmed desorption (TPD) of CO, H 2 , CO 2 , and H 2 O. Auger electron spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy revealed that vacuum annealing an oxidized titanium foil at temperatures from 300 to 800 K was an effective means of systematically varying the average surface oxidation state from Ti 4+ to Ti 2+ . Carbon monoxide weakly adsorbed (desorption energy of 44-49 kJ x mol -1 ) in a carbonyl fashion on coordinatively unsaturated cation sites. Titania surfaces were inert with respect to H 2 adsorption and dissociation. Carbon dioxide adsorbed in a linear molecular fashion. Water adsorbed both molecularly and dissociatively. Results are discussed in terms of the role of titania oxidation state in CO hydrogenation over titania-supported metal catalysts. 74 references, 7 figures

Immobilization of Superoxide Dismutase on Polyelectrolyte-Functionalized Titania Nanosheets.

Science.gov (United States)

Rouster, Paul; Pavlovic, Marko; Szilagyi, Istvan

2018-02-16

The superoxide dismutase (SOD) enzyme was successfully immobilized on titania nanosheets (TNS) functionalized with the poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride) (PDADMAC) polyelectrolyte. The TNS-PDADMAC solid support was prepared by hydrothermal synthesis followed by self-assembled polyelectrolyte layer formation. It was found that SOD strongly adsorbed onto oppositely charged TNS-PDADMAC through electrostatic and hydrophobic interactions. The TNS-PDADMAC-SOD material was characterized by light scattering and microscopy techniques. Colloidal stability studies revealed that the obtained nanocomposites possessed good resistance against salt-induced aggregation in aqueous suspensions. The enzyme kept its functional integrity upon immobilization; therefore, TNS-PDADMAC-SOD showed excellent superoxide radical anion scavenging activity. The developed system is a promising candidate for applications in which suspensions of antioxidant activity are required in the manufacturing processes. © 2018 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Surface modification of plasmonic nanostructured materials with thiolated oligonucleotides in 10 seconds using selective microwave heating

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abel, B.; Aslan, K.

2012-01-01

This study demonstrates the proof-of-principle of rapid surface modification of plasmonic nanostructured materials with oligonucleotides using low power microwave heating. Due to their interesting optical and electronic properties, silver nanoparticle films (SNFs, 2 nm thick) deposited onto glass slides were used as the model plasmonic nanostructured materials. Rapid surface modification of SNFs with oligonucleotides was carried out using two strategies (1) Strategy 1: for ss-oligonucleotides, surface hybridization and (2) Strategy 2: for ds-oligonucleotides, solution hybridization, where the samples were exposed to 10, 15, 30 and 60 seconds microwave heating. To assess the efficacy of our new rapid surface modification technique, identical experiments carried out without the microwave heating (i.e., conventional method), which requires 24 hours for the completion of the identical steps. It was found that SNFs can be modified with ss- and ds-oligonucleotides in 10 seconds, which typically requires several hours of incubation time for the chemisorption of thiol groups on to the planar metal surface using conventional techniques. (Copyright copyright 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

Multistack integration of three-dimensional hyperbranched anatase titania architectures for high-efficiency dye-sensitized solar cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Wu-Qiang; Xu, Yang-Fan; Rao, Hua-Shang; Su, Cheng-Yong; Kuang, Dai-Bin

2014-04-30

An unprecedented attempt was conducted on suitably functionalized integration of three-dimensional hyperbranched titania architectures for efficient multistack photoanode, constructed via layer-by-layer assembly of hyperbranched hierarchical tree-like titania nanowires (underlayer), branched hierarchical rambutan-like titania hollow submicrometer-sized spheres (intermediate layer), and hyperbranched hierarchical urchin-like titania micrometer-sized spheres (top layer). Owing to favorable charge-collection, superior light harvesting efficiency and extended electron lifetime, the multilayered TiO2-based devices showed greater J(sc) and V(oc) than those of a conventional TiO2 nanoparticle (TNP), and an overall power conversion efficiency of 11.01% (J(sc) = 18.53 mA cm(-2); V(oc) = 827 mV and FF = 0.72) was attained, which remarkably outperformed that of a TNP-based reference cell (η = 7.62%) with a similar film thickness. Meanwhile, the facile and operable film-fabricating technique (hydrothermal and drop-casting) provides a promising scheme and great simplicity for high performance/cost ratio photovoltaic device processability in a sustainable way.

A Threefold Assessment of the Romanian Economy’s Eco-efficiency

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Viorel Niţă

2012-12-01

Full Text Available The present paper assesses the ecological sustainability of the Romanian economy from three different angles. The first two applications use the economy's energy and material consumption as proxy for its overall environmental impact. The third assessment approach is a qualitative and context-based one: the main obstacles to and opportunities for incorporating sustainability-competitiveness synergies into the Romanian industrial firms' management are identified. In the period 2000-2007, GDP growth was an important contributor to the Romanian economy's eco-efficiency levels, while the material and energy consumption remained constant or even increased. The predominance of competitive advantages based on low labour costs, high potential of increasing labour productivity, deficient environmental and industrial policies, and lack of awareness in both business and policy environment as to the beneficial role of resource productivity increase constitute significant obstacles to adopting competitive sustainability strategies. Fortunately, the relatively low levels of eco-efficiency and eco-innovation in industry offer in fact a wide scope of still unexploited win-win solutions. On the basis of the results, further research directions are sketched and several desirable public policy actions for enhancing the ecological sustainability of the Romanian economy are put forward.

New advantages and challenges for laser-induced nanostructured cluster materials: functional capability for experimental verification of macroscopic quantum phenomena

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abramov, D V; Antipov, A A; Arakelian, S M; Khor’kov, K S; Kucherik, A O; Kutrovskaya, S V; Prokoshev, V G

2014-01-01

The main goal of our work is the laser fabrication of nanostructured materials including the nano- and microclusters for control of electrical, optical and other properties of obtained structures. First, we took an opportunity to select nanoparticles in various sizes and weights and also in topology distribution for some materials (carbon, Ni, PbTe, etc). Second, for a deposited extended array of nanoparticles we used a method of laser-induced nanoparticle fabrication in colloid and deposition metal (and/or oxide) nanoparticles from colloidal systems (LDPCS) to obtain the multilayered nanostructures with controlled topology, including the fractal cluster structures (for Ni, Pb Te et al). Electrophysical properties are analyzed for such nanocluster systems as well. A brief analogy of the obtained nanocluster structures with a quantum correlated state evidence is carried out. (paper)

Thermoelectric properties and nanostructures of materials prepared from rice husk ash

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pukird, S.; Tipparach, U.; Kasian, P. [Ubon Ratchathani Univ., Ubon Ratchathani (Thailand). Dept. of Physics; Limsuwan, P. [King Mongkut' s Univ. of Technology Thonburi, Bangkok (Thailand). Dept. of Physics

2009-07-01

Thailand produces large amounts of agricultural residues such as rice husk and coconut shells. Rice husk is considered to be a potential source for solar grade silicon. Studies have shown that reasonably pure polycrystalline silicon can be prepared from rice husk white ash by a metallothermic reduction process. This paper reported on a study that investigated the thermoelectric properties of ceramic material prepared by mixing silica from rice husk ash and carbon obtained from coconut shell charcoal. The thermoelectric properties of the materials were examined along with their microstructures. The materials were made from burning rice husk ash and coconut shell at different temperatures and then doped with metal oxides. Pellets were heated at temperature of 700 degrees C for 1-3 hours. The voltage on both sides of the pellets was observed. The electromotive force was found when different temperatures were applied on both sides of the pellet specimens. The Seebeck coefficient was then calculated. The results showed that these materials can be used as thermoelectric devices. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) and energy dispersive X-rays (EDX) were used to investigate the source of materials and the products on the substrates. The images of SEM and EDX showed nanostructures of materials such as nanowires, nanorods and nanoparticles of the products and sources. 22 refs., 2 tabs., 9 figs.

The evolution of shrinkage strain of pet-mortar composite eco ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

... resulting from the cement hydration and are governed by various physical and ... of PET volumetric additive amounts for cement substituting and for the behavior ... Keywords: Composite Eco-materials; Cement substitution; Shrinkage strain; ...

Dynamic Processes in Nanostructured Crystals Under Ion Irradiation

Science.gov (United States)

Uglov, V. V.; Kvasov, N. T.; Shimanski, V. I.; Safronov, I. V.; Komarov, N. D.

2018-02-01

The paper presents detailed investigations of dynamic processes occurring in nanostructured Si(Fe) material under the radiation exposure, namely: heating, thermoelastic stress generation, elastic disturbances of the surrounding medium similar to weak shock waves, and dislocation generation. The performance calculations are proposed for elastic properties of the nanostructured material with a glance to size effects in nanoparticles.

Photocatalytic inactivation of hospital-associated bacteria using titania nanoparticle coated textiles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tahir, T.; Qazi, I.A.; Hashmi, I.; Baig, M.A.

2017-01-01

Modification in hospital textiles to include disinfection properties may help in the reduction of nosocomial infections. In this study, antibacterial properties were imparted to cotton fabric by modifying it with pure and (1%) silver doped titania nanoparticles. The nanoparticles were prepared by liquid impregnation process and characterized using X-ray Diffraction (XRD) spectroscopy, Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS). These nanoparticles were attached to cotton fabric using a cross linking agent succinic acid. Samples were washed at three different temperatures (30, 60 and 90 degree C), with and without detergent and for different number of cycles to test the durability of nanoparticles to the fabric. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) was used for studying surface topography of fabric. Energy Dispersive X-ray fluorescence (ED-XRF) spectrometer was used to detect the titanium present on the fabric. Catalytic spectrophotometry using UV/visible spectrophotometer was used to determine titania concentration in washing effluent. The antibacterial activity of the modified fabric was examined against Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) under UV and fluorescent light. The maximum durability of titania nanoparticles to the fabric was retained after washing without detergent at 30 degree C. The overall results of durability testing showed that coating of nanoparticles on fabric was durable against washing at various conditions, hence suitable from an environmental perspective. Antibacterial testing showed 100% photocatalytic inactivation of MRSA after 4 and 24 h of UV and fluorescent light exposure respectively. The potential of using such textiles in hospital environment was validated through the use of modified bed linen in a local hospital for a period of three days consecutively. The viable count indicated the reduced bacterial contamination on nano-coated fabric as compared to uncoated fabric. Bed linen, curtains

The Eco-Innovation Variables which Influence the Performance of Creative Industries Center of Natural Stone Crafts

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Murti Astuti

2018-01-01

Full Text Available This study investigates the eco-innovation variable which has the significant effecton creative industries center’s performance of marble and natural stone craft sector in Tulungagung, Indonesia. The object of the study is the creative industries center with the non-renewable raw material. Mostly, the companies are in form of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs which is ‘passive eco-innovator’ and their eco-innovation variables have not been investigated before in terms of their influenceon their performance. The respondents were 81 craftsmen taken from the population. The data were collected through questionnaires which were tested, processed and analyzed by using Consistent Partial Least Square (PLSc. The eco-innovation variables which significantly effecton innovative performance are eco-organizational innovation and eco-product innovation. Eco-process innovation and eco-marketing innovation don’t directly affecton innovative performance, but its significant effecton eco-product innovation may influence innovative performance. Improving innovative performance will impact on financial performance through improvement of production performance, but market performance does not significantly affect financial performance. The findings of this study could be a reference for creative industries center’s of marble and natural stone craft sector to prioritize which type of eco-innovation should be improved so that its impact on performance is more significant

New nanostructured silica incorporated with isolated Ti material for the photocatalytic conversion of CO2 to fuels

Science.gov (United States)

2014-01-01

In this work, new nanoporous silica (Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology-6 (KIT-6)-dried or KIT-6-calcined) incorporated with isolated Ti materials with different Si/Ti ratios (Si/Ti = 200, 100, and 50) has been synthesized and investigated to establish photocatalytic reduction of CO2 in the presence of H2O vapors. The properties of the materials have been characterized through N2 adsorption/desorption, UV-vis, TEM, FT-IR, and XPS analysis techniques. The intermediate amount of the isolated Ti (Si/Ti = 100) has resulted to be more uniformly distributed on the surface and within the three-dimensional pore structure of the KIT-6 material, without its structure collapsing, than the other two ratios (Si/Ti = 200 and 50). However, titania agglomerates have been observed to have formed due to the increased Ti content (Si/Ti = 50). The Ti-KIT-6 (calcined) materials in the reaction showed higher activity than the Ti-KIT-6 (dried) materials, which produced CH4, H2, CO, and CH3OH (vapors) as fuel products. The Ti-KIT-6 (Si/Ti = 100) material also showed more OH groups, which are useful to obtain a higher production rate of the products, particularly methane, which was even higher than the rate of the best commercial TiO2 (Aeroxide P25, Evonik Industries AG, Essen, Germany) photocatalyst. PMID:24690396

Large-scale synthesis of Tellurium nanostructures via galvanic displacement of metals

Science.gov (United States)

Kok, Kuan-Ying; Choo, Thye-Foo; Ubaidah Saidin, Nur; Rahman, Che Zuraini Che Ab

2018-01-01

Tellurium (Te) is an attractive semiconductor material for a wide range of applications in various functional devices including, radiation dosimeters, optical storage materials, thermoelectric or piezoelectric generators. In this work, large scale synthesis of tellurium (Te) nanostructures have been successfully carried out in different concentrations of aqueous solutions containing TeO2 and NaOH, by galvanic displacements of Zn and Al which served as the sacrificial materials. Galvanic displacement process is cost-effective and it requires no template or surfactant for the synthesis of nanostructures. By varying the concentrations of TeO2 and NaOH, etching temperatures and etching times, Te nanostructures of various forms of nanostructures were successfully obtained, ranging from one-dimensional needles and rod-like structures to more complex hierarchical structures. Microscopy examinations on the nanostructures obtained have shown that both the diameters and lengths of the Te nanostructures increased with increasing etching temperature and etching time.

An iron-57 Moessbauer spectroscopic study of titania-supported iron- and iron-iridium catalysts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Berry, F.J.; Jobson, S.

1992-01-01

57 Fe Moessbauer spectroscopy shows that titania-supported iron is reduced by treatment in hydrogen at significantly lower temperatures than corresponding silica- and alumina-supported catalysts. The metallic iron formed under hydrogen at 600deg C is partially converted to carbide by treatment in carbon monoxide and hydrogen. In contrast to its alumina- and silica-supported counterparts, the remainder of the titania-supported iron is unchanged by this gaseous mixture. The 57 Fe Moessbauer spectra of EXAFS show that iron and iridium in the titania-supported iron-iridium catalysts are reduced in hydrogen at even lower temperatures and, after treatment at 600deg C, are predominantly present as the iron-iridium alloy. The treatment of these reduced catalysts in carbon monoxide and hydrogen is shown by Moessbauer spectroscopy and EXAFS to induce the segregation of iron from the iron-iridium alloy and its conversion to iron oxide. (orig.)

ECO-DRIVING MODELING ENVIRONMENT

Science.gov (United States)

2015-11-01

This research project aims to examine the eco-driving modeling capabilities of different traffic modeling tools available and to develop a driver-simulator-based eco-driving modeling tool to evaluate driver behavior and to reliably estimate or measur...

Toward Eco Product Development with Qualitative and CAE Design Process - Case Study of Flame Guiding Module

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, W. L.; Chao, F. L.

2018-04-01

Sustainable products become increasingly important for company in addressing eco-performance to satisfy global environmental regulations. Case study of flame guiding module reviewed design process and concerns related to the torch design. For enhancing flame height, the torch was embedded with an airflow guidance structure. The design process and design methodologies were investigated as an eco-design case study. Combine qualitative and CAE simulation were proposed to fulfil its main and auxiliary functions including reduction of impact during use. The design guidelines help prevent mistake arrangements, CAE helps understand combustion phenomenon. The flow field simulation enables fine tune of geometric design. Functional test and measurement are carried out to confirm the product features. On Eco-performance, we choose 5 items for evaluation the status of previous and redesign module, namely function need, low impact material, few manufacturing steps, low energy consumption, and safety. The radar diagram indicates that eco-performance of redesign module is better. Life cycle assessment calculated the carbon footprint of the manufacturing and processing stage with Eco-it. By using recycled steel in the flame module, it reduces raw material stage carbon footprint significantly.

Nanostructured Semiconductor Materials for Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Carmen Cavallo

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Since O’Regan and Grätzel’s first report in 1991, dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs appeared immediately as a promising low-cost photovoltaic technology. In fact, though being far less efficient than conventional silicon-based photovoltaics (being the maximum, lab scale prototype reported efficiency around 13%, the simple design of the device and the absence of the strict and expensive manufacturing processes needed for conventional photovoltaics make them attractive in small-power applications especially in low-light conditions, where they outperform their silicon counterparts. Nanomaterials are at the very heart of DSSC, as the success of its design is due to the use of nanostructures at both the anode and the cathode. In this review, we present the state of the art for both n-type and p-type semiconductors used in the photoelectrodes of DSSCs, showing the evolution of the materials during the 25 years of history of this kind of devices. In the case of p-type semiconductors, also some other energy conversion applications are touched upon.

Synthesis of nano-structured materials by laser-ablation and their application to sensors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Okada, T.; Suehiro, J.

2007-01-01

We describe the synthesis of nano-structured materials of ZnO and Pd by laser ablation and their applications to sensors. The synthesis of ZnO nano-wires was performed by nano-particle assisted deposition (NPAD) where nano-crystals were grown with nano-particles generated by laser-ablating a ZnO sintered target in an Ar background gas. The synthesized ZnO nano-wires were characterized with a scanning electron microscopy and the photoluminescent characteristics were examined under an excitation with the third harmonics of a Nd:YAG laser. The nano-wires with a diameter in the range from 50 to 150 nm and a length of up to 5 μm were taken out of the substrate by laser blow-off technique and/or sonication. It was confirmed that the nano-wires showed the stimulated emission under optical pumping, indicating a high quality of the crystalinity. Pd nano-particles were generated by laser-ablating a Pd plate in pure water. The transmission electron microscope observation revealed that Pd nano-particles with a diameter in the range from 3 nm to several tens of nanometers were produced. Using these nano-structured materials, we successfully fabricated sensors by the dielectrophoresis techniques. In the case of the ultraviolet photosensor, a detection sensitivity of 10 nW/cm 2 was achieved and in the case of hydrogen sensing, the response time of less than 10 s has been demonstrated with Pd nano-particles

From “eco-pessimism” to “eco-optimism” ECOMOG And The West ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

From “eco-pessimism” to “eco-optimism” ECOMOG And The West African Integration Process. Emmanuel Kwesi Aning. Abstract. No Abstract African Journal of Political Science Vol.4(1) 1999: 21-39. Full Text: EMAIL FULL TEXT EMAIL FULL TEXT · DOWNLOAD FULL TEXT DOWNLOAD FULL TEXT.

Nanostructured TiOx as a catalyst support material for proton exchange membrane fuel cells

Science.gov (United States)

Phillips, Richard S.

Recent interest in the development of new catalyst support materials for proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) has stimulated research into the viability of TiO2-based support structures. Specifically, substoichiometric TiO2 (TiOx) has been reported to exhibit a combination of high conductivity, stability, and corrosion resistance. These properties make TiOx-based support materials a promising prospect when considering the inferior corrosion resistance of traditional carbon-based supports. This document presents an investigation into the formation of conductive and stable TiOx thin films employing atomic layer deposition (ALD) and a post deposition oxygen reducing anneal (PDORA). Techniques for manufacturing TiOx-based catalyst support nanostructures by means of ALD in conjunction with carbon black (CB), anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) and silicon nanowires (SiNWs) will also be presented. The composition and thickness of resulting TiOx thin films was determined with the aid of Auger electron spectroscopy (AES), Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (RBS), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Film crystal structure was determined with X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. Film conductivity was calculated using four-point probe (4-PP) and film thickness measurement data. Resulting thin films show a significant decrease of oxygen in ALD TiOx films corresponding with a great increase in conductivity following the PDORA. The effectiveness of the PDORA was also found to be highly dependent on ALD process parameters. TiOx-based nanostructures were coated with platinum using one of three Pt deposition techniques. First, liquid phase deposition (LPD), which was performed at room temperature, provided equal access to catalyst support material surfaces which were suspended in solution. Second, plasma enhanced atomic layer deposition (PEALD), which was performed at 450°C, provided good Pt

Does Nationality Matter in Eco-Behaviour?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Michelle Bonera

2017-09-01

Full Text Available Although many authors agree on the role of personal values in explaining the main determinants of eco-behaviour, disagreement about the effects of socio-demographic features exists, particularly about the effect of nationality. In an attempt to fill this gap in the literature, this paper contributes to the debate surrounding the main determinants of eco-behaviour, based on a cross-country analysis. To test the role of nationality and personal values in eco-behaviour, a linear regression model involving 353 Chinese and 333 Italian subjects was performed. A stepwise analysis was then conducted to identify the main significant effects. The explorative and stepwise analyses confirmed that nationality is significant when explaining individual eco-behaviour, for both Italian and Chinese people. Moreover, the linear regression model, as a stepwise analysis, showed that regulatory focus and universalism are the main personal values influencing ecological behaviour. Differences emerging from the analysis show significant differences in terms of eco-behaviour and eco-awareness, for the two countries involved in the analysis, that might lead companies to adopt different marketing strategies when promoting eco-products.

On the determining role of network structure titania in silicone against bacterial colonization: Mechanism and disruption of biofilm

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Depan, D.; Misra, R.D.K.

2014-01-01

Silicone-based biomedical devices are prone to microbial adhesion, which is the primary cause of concern in the functioning of the artificial device. Silicone exhibiting long-term and effective antibacterial ability is highly desirable to prevent implant related infections. In this regard, nanophase titania was incorporated in silicone as an integral part of the silicone network structure through cross-link mechanism, with the objective to reduce bacterial adhesion to a minimum. The bacterial adhesion was studied using crystal violet assay, while the mechanism of inhibition of biofilm formation was studied via electron microscopy. The incorporation of nanophase titania in silicone dramatically reduced the viability of Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and the capability to adhere on the surface of hybrid silicone by ∼ 93% in relation to stand alone silicone. The conclusion of dramatic reduction in the viability of S. aureus is corroborated by different experimental approaches including biofilm inhibition assay, zone of inhibition, and through a novel experiment that involved incubation of biofilm with titania nanoparticles. It is proposed that the mechanism of disruption of bacterial film in the presence of titania involves puncturing of the bacterial cell membrane. - Highlights: • Network structure titania in silicone imparts antimicrobial activity. • Ability to microbial adhesion is significantly reduced. • Antimicrobial mechanism involves rupture of biofilm

Printable nanostructured silicon solar cells for high-performance, large-area flexible photovoltaics.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Sung-Min; Biswas, Roshni; Li, Weigu; Kang, Dongseok; Chan, Lesley; Yoon, Jongseung

2014-10-28

Nanostructured forms of crystalline silicon represent an attractive materials building block for photovoltaics due to their potential benefits to significantly reduce the consumption of active materials, relax the requirement of materials purity for high performance, and hence achieve greatly improved levelized cost of energy. Despite successful demonstrations for their concepts over the past decade, however, the practical application of nanostructured silicon solar cells for large-scale implementation has been hampered by many existing challenges associated with the consumption of the entire wafer or expensive source materials, difficulties to precisely control materials properties and doping characteristics, or restrictions on substrate materials and scalability. Here we present a highly integrable materials platform of nanostructured silicon solar cells that can overcome these limitations. Ultrathin silicon solar microcells integrated with engineered photonic nanostructures are fabricated directly from wafer-based source materials in configurations that can lower the materials cost and can be compatible with deterministic assembly procedures to allow programmable, large-scale distribution, unlimited choices of module substrates, as well as lightweight, mechanically compliant constructions. Systematic studies on optical and electrical properties, photovoltaic performance in experiments, as well as numerical modeling elucidate important design rules for nanoscale photon management with ultrathin, nanostructured silicon solar cells and their interconnected, mechanically flexible modules, where we demonstrate 12.4% solar-to-electric energy conversion efficiency for printed ultrathin (∼ 8 μm) nanostructured silicon solar cells when configured with near-optimal designs of rear-surface nanoposts, antireflection coating, and back-surface reflector.