0000000001313431
AUTHOR
Nicolas Geoffroy
Enhancement of visible light photoelectrocatalytic activity of ZnO(core)/TiO2(shell) composite by N-doping and decorating with Au0 nanoparticles
Abstract The composites consisting of ITO-supported ZnO nanorods covered with TiO2 shell were doped with nitrogen and decorated with gold nanoparticles in order to improve their photocatalytic activity under visible light. N-doped TiO2 (TiO2(N)) was prepared under mild conditions through a simple sol-gel synthesis in the presence of NH4Cl. Such procedure results in formation of a highly porous shell of TiO2(N) on the ZnO nanorods. The gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) of the size 7–25 nm were grafted onto the surface of TiO2 as well as TiO2(N) by a photodeposition method from aqueous solution of [AuCl(4-x)(OH)x]− precursor at pH 6.7. The composition and microstructure of the prepared samples were …
Corrosion behaviour of galvanized steel studied by electrochemical microprobes applied on low-angle cross sections
Abstract The combined use of the microcapillary cell (MEC) and scanning vibrating electrode technique (SVET) and low-angle cross sections was employed to elucidate the role of each coating region on the protection of the cut-edge corrosion of galvanized steels. Different compounds are involved in the blocking action of the corrosion products: Zincite (ZnO) on the steel substrate, hydrozincite (Zn5(OH)6(CO3)2) at the coating/steel interface, and Simonkolleite (Zn5(OH)8Cl2) and ZnO on the different coating regions in different proportions. The coating surface is also active at the initial stage and during long-term protection and thus, must be considered in experimental simulation of the cut-…
A robust viologen and Mn-based porous coordination polymer with two types of Lewis acid sites providing high affinity for H 2 O, CO 2 and NH 3
A novel porous coordination polymer [Mn(pc3)(H2O)2]·xH2O (3 < x < 4) is synthesized in water at pH = 7 using the anionic viologen-carboxylate ligand 4,4′-bipyridinium,1,1′-bis-(2,4-dicarboxyphenyl) (pc32−). Dehydration of the material results in the formation of open pores containing two types of accessible Lewis acid sites: exposed Mn2+ cations and N+ atoms of viologen units. Due to this property the PCP shows high affinity and capacity in the adsorption of H2O, CO2 and NH3. Despite the presence of strong adsorption sites this material is stable in liquid water and in gaseous NH3.
Preparation of magnetic composites of MIL-53(Fe) or MIL-100(Fe) via partial transformation of their framework into γ-Fe2O3
A novel two-step approach is proposed to obtain magnetically active composite materials consisting of MIL-53(Fe) or MIL-100(Fe) and γ-Fe2O3 particles. The first step consists in a partial transformation of the framework into a layer of γ-FeO(OH) (lepidocrocite) covering the MOF particles. We found that such a transformation can be realized under air-free conditions by hydrolysing the MOFs at pH 6.2 in the presence of FeSO4. In the second step the obtained γ-FeO(OH)/MOF composite is heated under an air flow at 250 °C in order to transform γ-FeO(OH) to γ-Fe2O3. The thus prepared composites containing 40 wt% of the magnetic phase were characterized in detail by XRD, HRTEM, FESEM, N2 adsorption…
Ba and Ni speciation in a nodule of binary Mn oxide phase composition from Lake Baikal
The partitioning and incorporation mechanism of Ni and Ba in a ferromanganese nodule from Lake Baikal were characterized by X-ray microfluorescence, microdiffraction, and absorption spectroscopy. Fe is speciated as goethite, and Mn as romanechite (psilomelane) and 10 A ˚ -vernadite (turbostratic buserite) with minor 7 A ˚ -vernadite (turbostratic birnessite). Barium is associated with romanechite and Ni with vernadite in distinct and irregularly distributed layers, and each type of Mn oxide is separated from the other type by goethite. The binary Mn oxide banding pattern is interpreted by a two-mode accretionary model, in which the variation in Ba flux induced by hydrothermal water pulses d…
Improving the high temperature oxidation resistance of pure titanium by shot-peening treatments
International audience; Shot-peening (SP) treatments have shown their capacity to improve the oxidation resistance of titanium and zirconium thanks to the large compressive stresses and the surface hardening induced by this mechanical process. However, shot-peening treatments can produce a surface chemical deposit, which can modify the high temperature oxidation resistance. Here, we study pure titanium samples shot-peened with different type of balls: tungsten carbide, alumina or glass. The oxidation behavior was studied at 700 °C in dry air by thermo gravimetric analysis for short isotherm oxidation periods up to 100 h. Also, long oxidation tests (3000 h) at 700 °C were performed with an i…
Improvement of photocatalytic and photoelectrochemical activity of ZnO/TiO2 core/shell system through additional calcination: Insight into the mechanism
Abstract ZnO/TiO2 composites were prepared by sol-gel deposition of TiO2 on ZnO nanorods hydrothermally grown on electrically conductive indium tin oxide substrate (ITO). It has been shown that the ZnO/TiO2 interface plays a key role in enhancement of photodecomposition of methylene blue (MB) used as a model test pollutant, under monochromatic light irradiation (400 nm). The increase of photocatalytic activity was attributed to the shift of absorption edge of ZnO/TiO2 towards visible light in comparison with bare TiO2. Further enhancement of photocatalytic activity of ZnO/TiO2 was achieved through its additional calcination at 450 °C for 3 h. This treatment brings 40% increase in the rate o…
Investigation of absorber and heterojunction in the pure sulphide kesterite
This paper aims to study the properties of the absorber layer and the heterojunction in kesterite solar cells. The Cu2ZnSnS4 (CZTS) thin films were layered on a glass substrate from a colloidal solution of metal salts and thiourea dissolved in a mixture of water and ethanol and deposited by spin coating technique. The samples were then heat treated in a furnace, in the presence of sulphur powder and under a nitrogen gas flow. The results revealed the formation of homogeneous layers of a pure kesterite phase of CZTS crystallites after heat treatment with correct stoichiometry and oxidation states. The optical transmission measurements indicate an energy band-gap of 1.4 eV and an absorption c…
Real-Time Observation of “Soft” Magic-Size Clusters during Hydrolysis of the Model Metallodrug Bismuth Disalicylate
International audience; Colloidal bismuth therapeutics have been used for hundreds of years, yet remain mysterious. Here we report an X-ray pair distribution function (PDF) study of the solvolysis of bismuth disalicylate, a model for the metallodrug bismuth subsalicylate (Pepto-Bismol). This reveals catalysis by traces of water, followed by multistep cluster growth. The ratio of the two major species, {Bi9O7} and {Bi38O44}, depends on exposure to air, time, and the solvent. The solution-phase cluster structures are of significantly higher symmetry in comparison to solid-state analogues, with reduced off-center Bi3+ displacements. This explains why such “magic-size” clusters can be both stab…
Functionalized Fe3O4 nanoparticles: influence of ligand addition sequence and pH during their continuous hydrothermal synthesis
In this study we report various new efficient ways to synthesize and modify in situ magnetite (Fe3O4) iron oxide nanoparticles (NPs). Thanks to an apparatus especially developed for this new method of grafting, the NPs have been synthesized and functionalized by 3,4-dihydroxyhydrocinnamic acid (DHCA) or 3,4-dihydroxy-L-phenylalanine (LDOPA) in one step and under hydrothermal conditions using varying concentration ratios ([organic molecules]/[ferrous and ferric ions]). The organic molecules were added before or after the NP synthesis. The addition of these organic molecules modifies the structure, the morphology, the oxidation degree and the growth of the crystallites. Adding the organic mol…
Water Adsorption in Flexible Gallium-Based MIL-53 Metal–Organic Framework
Understanding the adsorption of water in metal–organic frameworks (MOF), and particularly in soft porous crystals, is a crucial prerequisite before considering MOFs for industrial applications. We report here a joint experimental and theoretical study on the behavior of a gallium-based breathing MOF, Ga-MIL-53, upon water adsorption. By looking at the energetics and thermodynamics of Ga-MIL-53, we demonstrate why it behaves differently from its sibling Al-MIL-53, showing a different phase at room temperature (a nonporous phase) and the presence of a hydrated narrow-pore structure at gas saturation pressure. Moreover, we present a complete water vapor pressure vs temperature phase diagram of…
CCDC 1571877: Experimental Crystal Structure Determination
Related Article: Antonin Leblanc, Nicolas Mercier, Magali Allain, Marie-Claire Dul, Guy Weber, Nicolas Geoffroy, Jean-Pierre Bellat, Igor Bezverkhyy|2017|Dalton Trans.|46|15666|doi:10.1039/C7DT03541A