Improving the Performance of BaMnO3 Perovskite as Soot Oxidation Catalyst Using Carbon Black during Sol-Gel Synthesis

A series of BaMnO3 solids (BM-CX) were prepared by a modified sol-gel method in which a carbon black (VULCAN XC-72R), and different calcination temperatures (600 °C–850 °C) were used. The fresh and used catalysts were characterized by ICP-OES, XRD, XPS, FESEM, TEM, O2-TPD and H2- TPR-. The characterization results indicate that the use of low calcination temperatures in the presence of carbon black allows decreasing the sintering effects and achieving some improvements regarding BM reference catalyst: (i) smaller average crystal and particles size, (ii) a slight increase in the BET surface area, (iii) a decrease in the macropores diameter range and, (iv) a lower temperature for the reduction of manganese. The hydrogen consumption confirms Mn(III) and Mn(IV) are presented in the samples, Mn(III) being the main oxidation state. The BM-CX catalysts series shows an improved catalytic performance regarding BM reference catalyst for oxidation processes (NO to NO2 and NO2-assisted soot oxidation), promoting higher stability and higher CO2 selectivity. BM-C700 shows the best catalytic performance, i.e., the highest thermal stability and a high initial soot oxidation rate, which decreases the accumulation of soot during the soot oxidation and, consequently, minimizes the catalyst deactivation.

Hybrid Biochar/Ceria Nanomaterials: Synthesis, Characterization and Activity Assessment for the Persulfate-Induced Degradation of Antibiotic Sulfamethoxazole

Biochar from spent malt rootlets was employed as the template to synthesize hybrid biochar-ceria materials through a wet impregnation method. The materials were tested for the activation of persulfate (SPS) and subsequent degradation of sulfamethoxazole (SMX), a representative antibiotic, in various matrices. Different calcination temperatures in the range 300–500 °C were employed and the resulting materials were characterized by means of N2 adsorption and potentiometric mass titration as well as TGA, XRD, SEM, FTIR, DRS, and Raman spectroscopy. Calcination temperature affects the biochar content and the physicochemical properties of the hybrid materials, which were tested for the degradation of 500 μg L−1 SMX with SPS (in the range 200–500 mg L−1) in various matrices including ultrapure water (UPW), bottled water, wastewater, and UPW spiked with bicarbonate, chloride, or humic acid. Materials calcined at 300–350 °C, with a surface area of ca. 120 m2 g−1, were the most active, yielding ca. 65% SMX degradation after 120 min of reaction in UPW; materials calcined at higher temperatures as well as bare biochar were less active. Degradation decreased with increasing matrix complexity due to the interactions amongst the surface, the contaminant, and the oxidant. Experiments in the presence of scavengers (i.e., methanol, t-butanol, and sodium azide) revealed that sulfate and hydroxyl radicals as well as singlet oxygen were the main oxidative species.

EPR Study of CeO2 Nano Particles

In this paper, we have studied the EPR spectra, X-ray diffraction and Raman Analysis, Microstructures-morphology of the Ceria NPs calcined at different temperatures of 700 °C, 850 °C ,these materials have been synthesized by Co precipitation (CPT) method by using Cerium tri-nitrate hexahydrate and potassium carbonate solutions. Then synthesized precipitate was heated at 70 °C for 20 hour. Slow grinding of the precipitate and calcined for 3 hours at different temperatures viz. 700 °C and 850 °C to form fine Cerium oxide powder-Ceria NPs. The EPR measurements were made using continuous wave spectrometer (X-band, Bruker Biospin EMX Plus). The g values were obtained by using diphynelpirichylhydrageyl (DPPH-C18H12N5O6) sample and got g value is around 1.97. This g tensor is decreased when the calcined temperature are increased, EPR parameters are also changed as the calcined temperature increases. When the calcined temperature is increased from 700 °C to 850 °C, a doublet separated, intensity increased. The X-Ray diffraction pattern shows the nature of the Ceria NPs crystal, with a cubic structure and got the lattice parameters 5.392 Å for samples calcined at temperature of 700 °C and 5.357 Å at 850 °C which shows decreasing trend in lattice parameter with calcination temperature. The intensity of Raman peaks is also shifted upwards with a rise in temperature. This intensity difference could be because of the rise in vibrational amplitudes of the closest neighboring bonds because of the increase in particle size 11.3± 1.0 to 15.6± 1.0 nm at calcination temperatures of 700 °C and 850 °C and the Raman peak of peak I, 461 cm-1 and peak II, 463 cm-1 respectively. Other peaks were not observed in this Raman pattern. The EDS analysis confirms the presence of the Ce and O atoms in the synthesized samples. Spherical shapes and homogeneously distributed Ceria NPs and a rather tendency for agglomeration were confirmed.

Sol-Gel Synthesis, Structure, Morphology and Magnetic Properties of Ni0.6Mn0.4Fe2O4 Nanoparticles Embedded in SiO2 Matrix

The structure, morphology and magnetic properties of (Ni0.6Mn0.4Fe2O4)α(SiO2)100−α (α = 0–100%) nanocomposites (NCs) produced by sol-gel synthesis were investigated using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and vibrating sample magnetometry (VSM). At low calcination temperatures (300 °C), poorly crystallized Ni0.6Mn0.4Fe2O4, while at high calcination temperatures, well-crystallized Ni0.6Mn0.4Fe2O4 was obtained along with α-Fe2O3, quartz, cristobalite or iron silicate secondary phase, depending on the Ni0.6Mn0.4Fe2O4 content in the NCs. The average crystallite size increases from 2.6 to 74.5 nm with the increase of calcination temperature and ferrite content embedded in the SiO2 matrix. The saturation magnetization (Ms) enhances from 2.5 to 80.5 emu/g, the remanent magnetization (MR) from 0.68 to 12.6 emu/g and the coercive field (HC) from 126 to 260 Oe with increasing of Ni0.6Mn0.4Fe2O4 content in the NCs. The SiO2 matrix has a diamagnetic behavior with a minor ferromagnetic fraction, Ni0.6Mn0.4Fe2O4 embedded in SiO2 matrix displays superparamagnetic behavior, while unembedded Ni0.6Mn0.4Fe2O4 has a high-quality ferromagnetic behavior.

Electrodes for Paracetamol Sensing Modified with Bismuth Oxide and Oxynitrate Heterostructures: An Experimental and Computational Study

In this work, novel platforms for paracetamol sensing were developed by the deposition of Bi2O3, Bi5O7NO3 and their heterostructures onto screen-printed carbon-paste electrodes. An easy and scalable solid state synthesis route was employed, and by setting the calcination temperatures at 500 °C and 525 °C we induced the formation of heterostructures of Bi2O3 and Bi5O7NO3. Cyclic voltammetry measurements highlighted that the heterostructure produced at 500 °C provided a significant enhancement in performance compared to the monophases of Bi2O and Bi5O7NO3, respectively. That heterostructure showed a mean peak-to-peak separation Ep of 411 mV and a sensitivity increment of up to 70% compared to bare electrodes. A computational study was also performed in order to evaluate the geometrical and kinetic parameters of representative clusters of bismuth oxide and subnitrate when they interact with paracetamol.

Effect of Calcination on the Chemical and Microstructural Properties of Rice Husk Ash

This research study is aimed to evaluate the effects of different calcination temperatures on the properties of rice husk ash such as the chemical and microstructural properties. Rice husk ash is not utilized properly; it is not dumped with proper handling which is also causing environmental issues. Currently researchers are working on supplementary cementitious materials in concrete, in light of which, this research study is aimed to evaluate the effects of burning on Rics Husk Ash (RHA) structure and its pozzolanic reactivity for utilizing it in concrete. The rice husk is burnt at temperatures of 600-800°C for a duration of 8, 16 and 24 hours and for evaluating different chemical and structural properties through tests of X-ray Diffraction (XRD), X-Ray fluorescence (XRF) and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR). It is concluded that burning of rice husk at 600-800°C for duration of 24 hours gives us more reactive and amorphous material and can be used as a cement substitute for sustainable concrete production.

Synthesis of Antibacterial Oxide of Copper for Potential Application as Antifouling Agent

Background: Copper oxide nanoparticles have become very important due to their numerous applications and ease of synthesis. Out of the two oxides of copper, cuprous oxide exhibits better antibacterial, antimicrobial, and antifouling properties. Objective: The study aimed to find a way of synthesizing stable and eco-friendly oxide of copper and test it for antibacterial properties. Methods: The precipitation method was employed for the synthesis of nanoparticles. NaOH and Moringa Oleifera leaves extract were used as the reducing agents to obtain two different sets of samples. Results: Good phases of copper oxides were formed for all the samples (cuprous as well as cupric oxides). SEM studies showed that the structure of cupric oxide (CuO), formed at higher calcination temperatures, is well defined when synthesized using a hybrid method. Conclusion: Our studies indicate that the hybrid method of synthesis used by us is a more effective and quicker way of synthesizing cuprous oxide (Cu2O), which exhibits higher antibacterial properties as compared to cupric oxide (CuO).

Green Synthesis of Hexagonal Hematite (α-Fe2O3) Flakes Using Pluronic F127-Gelatin Template for Adsorption and Photodegradation of Ibuprofen

Hematite (α-Fe2O3) with uniform hexagonal flake morphology has been successfully synthesized using a combination of gelatin as natural template with F127 via hydrothermal method. The resulting hematite was investigated as adsorbent and photocatalyst for removal of ibuprofen as pharmaceutical waste. Hexagonal flake-like hematite was obtained following calcination at 500 °C with the average size was measured at 1–3 µm. Increasing the calcination temperature to 700 °C transformed the uniform hexagonal structure into cubic shape morphology. Hematite also showed high thermal stability with increasing the calcination temperatures; however, the surface area was reduced from 47 m2/g to 9 m2/g. FTIR analysis further confirmed the formation Fe-O-Fe bonds, and the main constituent elements of Fe and O were observed in EDX analysis for all samples. α-Fe2O3 samples have an average adsorption capacity of 55–25.5 mg/g at 12–22% of removal efficiency when used as adsorbent for ibuprofen. The adsorption capacity was reduced as the calcination temperatures increased due to the reduction of available surface area of the hexagonal flakes after transforming into cubes. Photocatalytic degradation of ibuprofen using hematite flakes achieved 50% removal efficiency; meanwhile, combination of adsorption and photocatalytic degradation further removed 80% of ibuprofen in water/hexane mixtures.