Structural, Morphological, Optical, Thermal and Fungicidal Effects of Gamma Aluminum Nanoparticles Synthesized from Pepsi Cans

In the present work, Gamma Aluminum oxide (γ-Al2O3) is prepared from wastes (Pepsi Cans). These cans have a structure that contains more than 98 percent aluminum oxide, and they were effectively manufactured to generate nano-sized gamma alumina under mild parameters. Characterization of the prepared nanoparticles are characterizes using different techniques as X-ray diffraction (XRD), High resolution transmission electron microscope (HRTEM), Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope (FESEM), Attenuated total Reflection-Fourier Transform Infrared (ATR-FTIR), Ultraviolet-Visible (UV-Vis) spectrophotometer and Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Also, antifungal activity of γ Al2O3 was applied to widespread pathogenic fungi: Aspergillus flavus, Fusarium oxysporum and Alternaria sp..at different nanoparticles concentrations to determine the maximum fungicidal concentration of the tested nanoparticles on the fungal strains. All characterization confirmed the formation of γ Al2O3 with nearly 2-3 nm and TGA data explains it is thermal stability. By investigating the fungicidal concentration, Data showed the antifungal activity of the selected nanoparticles shows concentration dependent manner based on the fungal strain sensitivity. The maximum antifungal activity of aluminum nanoparticles detected at concentration (3, 6 and 50mg/100ml) with inhibition percentage of (94.2, 95 and 93.3 %) for A flavus, F.oxsporum andAlternaria sp., respectively.

Thermodynamic analysis of Al clusters formation over aluminum melt

The formation of the aluminum nanoparticles with the size of up to 60 atoms in a gas phase is theoretically studied. Thermodynamic modeling has been applied to investigate the effect of the synthesis conditions on the distribution of the nanoparticles. The magic numbers of the particles have been estimated and found to be consistent with the available data. Furthermore, the simulations showed that higher amounts of larger nanoparticles are obtained during condensation from the supercooled aluminum vapor. In contrast, lower amounts of smaller clusters may be formed in a gas phase over the aluminum melt. Varying the temperature and concentration of supercooled aluminum vapor in a broad range results in no significant change in cluster size distribution. This effect is governed by the equilibrium shift.

Nanoscale Schottky diodes for studying the activity of aluminum nanoparticles in reaction with water

Hydrogen is a promising fuel for energy storage, transportation, production and consumption. At the same time, hydrogen in its pure form is not found on Earth in large quantities and therefore it is necessary to develop a technology for its production. One of the promising technologies for hydrogen production is the reaction of aluminum nanoparticles with water. At the same time, experimental studies of the elementary mechanisms of this reaction are difficult due to the aggressive properties of a concentrated alkaline solution, which is used to activate the aluminum surface. Here we show that the kinetics of the aluminum-water reaction can be monitored in real time using a Schottky nanodiode sensor, provided that the characteristic size of the nanodiode electrodes does not exceed 10 nm. The investigated nanoparticles are applied to the sensor surface by means of nanofabrication. The charge generated in the aluminum nanoparticles as a result of the reaction creates an electrical signal that is proportional to the rate of the chemical process. This makes it possible to use this technology to study the activity even of small groups of nanoparticles, when the volume of released hydrogen is insufficient to measure the reaction rate.

Preparation of Aluminum Nanoparticles and Study of the Laser Effect on them by the Laser Ablation Method

In this research, aluminum nanoparticles (AL NPs) were prepared using the Nd-YAG pulsed laser ablation method with a wavelength of 1064 nm with a frequency of 6 Hz and a fixed pulse of 250 pulses. A pure aluminum metal target was immersed in ethanol and aluminum nanoparticles removed using five different laser energies ranging from (400-800) mj and the effect of the laser energy difference on the optical properties of aluminum nanoparticles was studied. The optical properties were studied using UV spectroscopy for both the absorption and transmittance spectrum and according to the change of laser power, and a change in the absorption behavior was observed. The transmittance changes with wavelength and laser energy and the best pulsed laser energy is known to ablate these particles.