0000000000125424

AUTHOR

Jesús Sanz

Alkaline treatment as a means to boost the activity of TiO(2)in selective photocatalytic processes

In this work, the activity enhancement of TiO(2)photocatalysts by alkaline treatment has been investigated. Commercial (BDH, U.K., anatase phase) TiO(2)samples, treated in alkaline solutions of NaOH at different concentrations and temperatures, were tested for the photocatalytic partial oxidation of 3-pyridinemethanol in water under UVA irradiation to form vitamin B-3. Photocatalyst characterization has been carried out by XRD, BET, TEM, TGA, photoluminescence, FTIR, Raman, DRS, EPR and photocurrent measurements. The alkaline-treated samples showed an increased activity of up to 7 times (by considering first order rate constant values) compared to untreated BDH and the superior performance …

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The influence of the anatase nanoparticles boundaries on the titania activity performance

Metal oxides structures, formed by ordered self-assembling of crystalline nanoparticles aggregates, are attracting growing attention in fields such as catalysis or solar cells. The properties of these structures are influenced not only by their morphology and nanoparticles composition but also by the assembled particles boundaries. In order to determine the influence of these boundaries on the structures properties, the present investigation has been devoted to study the characteristics of anatase nanoparticles boundaries in titania aggregates prepared by TiCl4 hydrolysis at low temperature. Proton magic angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance and high resolution transmission electron mic…

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Chemosystematic study on leaf volatile compounds of Saxifraga L. series Ceratophyllae (Saxifragaceae)

Extracts from 65 samples corresponding to 13 species and 18 taxa of Saxifraga series Ceratophyllae s. l. were analysed by GC and GC/MS. This paper provides the first chemosystematic information on volatile composition of a seemingly natural group in the Saxifragaceae. Diterpenoids and n-alkanes appear to be the most important constituents and some of them are associated to different species and taxonomic series. The application of multivariate analysis techniques to GC and GC/MS data has allowed the classification of samples into two groups, corresponding approximately to the series Ceratophyllae s. str. and Pentadactyles, previously proposed on the basis of morphological and cytotaxonomica…

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Influence of the Preparation Temperature on the Photocatalytic Activity of 3D-Ordered Macroporous Anatase Formed with an Opal Polymer Template

Even if many aspects of three-dimensionally ordered macroporous (3DOM) titania have been extensively studied, the interplay between the amorphous and crystalline components of their skeleton wall has not attracted too much attention, although it should strongly influence the properties of these materials. In order to gain new insight on this interplay, we have studied in detail the wall structure of three 3DOM titania samples prepared by heating the 3DOM titania precursor at 673, 773, and 873 K by X-ray diffraction, thermogravimetric analysis, differential thermal analysis, N2 adsorption/desorption, pore-size distribution, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, and IHmagic-angle-…

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Tuning The Selectivity To Aldehyde Via Ph Regulation In The Photocatalytic Oxidation Of 4-Methoxybenzyl Alcohol And Vanillyl Alcohol By Tio2 Catalysts

Abstract The influence of pH on the photocatalytic partial oxidation of 4-methoxybenzyl alcohol (MBA) and vanillyl alcohol (VA) to their corresponding aldehydes in aqueous suspension under UVA irradiation was investigated by using poorly crystalline home-prepared and crystalline commercial TiO2 (BDH, Merck and Degussa P25) photocatalysts. The results clearly show as tuning pH can strongly impart selectivity and activity to photocatalytic processes which are often quite unselective in aqueous suspensions. It was found that pH effect on reaction rate and product selectivity strongly depended on TiO2 crystallinity and substrate type. In the case of MBA oxidation, photoreactivity and selectivit…

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