Ta8(μ3-O)2(μ-O)8(μ-OEt)6(OEt)14 (1) was obtained by the controlled hydrolysis of tantalum ethoxide Ta(OEt)5 in the presence of ammonia. Compound 1 is considered as the intermediate building block in the sol-gel polymerization of Ta(OEt)5. Further hydrolysis of compound 1 yielded nanoparticles of Ta2O5, which were characterized by various techniques such as TGA-DTA-DSC, UV-vis DRS, XRD, SEM, TEM...

The waste shell was utilized as a bioresource of calcium oxide (CaO) in catalyzing a transesterification to produce biodiesel (methyl ester). The economic and environmen-friendly catalysts were prepared by a calcination method at 700-1,000°C for 4 h. The heterogeneous catalysts were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray fluorescence (XRF), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and the B...

Two new metal-organic framework (MOF) structures, IRMOF-3b and -3c, were prepared by ring-opening reaction of 1,3-propanesultone and 2-methylaziridine with an amine functionalized MOF, IRMOF-3. The new structures are permanently functionalized with covalently linked sulfonate and alkyamine units, respectively. The underlying framework structure is retained after reaction as confirmed by powder ...

Titania-supported palladium, gold and bimetallic nanoparticles (second-generation nanoparticles) demonstrate promising photocatalytic properties. However, due to unusual reactivity, second-generation nanoparticles can be hazardous for living organisms. Considering the ever-growing number of new types of nanoparticles that can potentially contaminate the environment, a determination of their tox...

A novel photocatalyst based on TiO2-PANI composite supported on small pieces of cork has been reported. It was prepared by simple impregnation method of the polyaniline (PANI)-modified TiO2 on cork. The TiO2-PANI/Cork catalyst shows the unique feature of floating on the water surface. The as-synthesized catalyst was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron micrograph (SEM), t...

During the past 20 years, multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) have become an important industrial material. Hundreds of tons are produced each year. This review is a survey of the scientific literature, motivated by industrial requirements and guidelines for environment, health and safety compliance. Sampling, size, area, density, color, crystallinity, as well as purity compared to properties o...

Anatase phase TiO2 nanostructures (Nanoparticles and nanorods) were prepared by two different methods. The prepared samples were characterized with Powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), High resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) method and Barrett-Joyner-Halenda (BJH) analysis. The PXRD pattern shows tha...

In₂O₃/SnO₂ composite hetero-nanofibers were synthesized by an electrospinning technique for detecting indoor volatile organic gases. The physical and chemical properties of In₂O₃/SnO₂ hetero-nanofibers were characterized and analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM), Energy Dispersive X-Ray Spectroscopy (EDX), specific surface Brunauer-Emmett-Tell...

The first problem in the application of positron annihilation lifetime (PAL) spectroscopy for the study of elementary free volumes (EFV) in solids comes from inhibition of positronium formation, i.e. essential influence of small admixtures on the long-lived component intensity of the PAL spectrum. The nature of this effect and correlation of the phenomena with thermo-stimulated luminescence (TS...

A novel silica catalyst was synthesized by evaporation-induced self-assembly (EISA) method and tested for the catalytic selective hydrolysis of cellulose to glucose. This silica catalyst exhibited a higher catalytic activity than other oxides prepared by the same method, such as ZrO2, TiO2, and Al2O3. Using silica as a catalyst, cellulose was selectively hydrolyzed into glucose with a glucose y...