Search results for "crystallin"

Photocatalytic activity of nanocrystalline TiO2 (brookite, rutile and brookite-based) powders prepared by thermohydrolysis of TiCl4 in aqueous chlori…

2008

Abstract Nanocrystalline TiO2 powders were synthesized by thermohydrolysis of TiCl4 in HCl or NaCl aqueous solutions. Rutile, mixtures of brookite and rutile or mixtures of anatase, brookite and rutile were obtained depending on the acidity of the medium. Crystalline phases and composition of the mixtures were identified by using XRD analysis. Pure brookite nanoparticles, separated from the mixtures of brookite and rutile by simple peptization with water, were stable against transformation to rutile up to 750 °C. The prepared TiO2 powders were characterized by thermal analysis, diffuse reflectance spectroscopy and BET surface area determinations. The band gap of bulky brookite was estimated…

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

2020

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 …

Hybrid TiO2 @ phthalocyanine catalysts in photooxidation of 4-nitrophenol: Effect of the matrix and sensitizer type

2020

Abstract Microcrystalline and nanocrystalline anatase (TiO2) based hybrid photocatalysts including selected phthalocyanine sensitizers were explored in photooxidation of 4-nitrophenol (4-NP) in water. Composites obtained with the homemade pure nano-anatase displayed a very poor catalytic performance compared to the other ones prepared from the commercial Tioxide-Huntsman (micro) and Evonik P25 (nano) products. In particular, the microcrystalline anatase impregnated with sandwich phthalocyanines of Gd or Yb showed excellent results both in photooxidation of 4-NP and hydroquinone, and proved the only ones which completely removed these two compounds from the system during the same reaction cy…

Preparation characterization and photocatalytic activity of polycrystalline ZnO/TiO2 systems. 1. Surface and bulk characterization

2001

Polycrystalline ZnO/TiO2 solids have been prepared with four different methods using home prepared TiO2 (anatase) or TiO2 (rutile) as supports and Zn(NO3)2·6H2O or Zn(CH3COO)2·2H2O as precursors for ZnO. The bulk and surface properties of the samples were investigated by means of TG-DTA, XRD, TEM, SEM-EDAX, XPS, BET surface area determination, and porosity measurements. XRD and TEM results indicate that no significant defect structures exist in any of the samples. The ZnO crystallinity and its enrichment on the surface of TiO2 particles were dependent on the preparation method. The surface areas generally decrease by increasing the amount of ZnO except when ZnO from Zn(CH3COO)2·2H2O was sup…

2018

We report a novel multi-step method for the preparation of ordered mesoporous titania scaffolds and show an illustrative example of their application to solar cells. The method is based on (monolayer) colloidal nanosphere lithography that makes use of polystyrene nanoparticles organised at a water–air interface and subsequently transferred onto a solid substrate. A titania precursor solution (titanium(IV) isopropoxide in ethanol) is then drop-cast onto the monolayer and left to “incubate” overnight. Surprisingly, instead of the expected inverse monolayer-structure, a subsequent calcination step of the precursor yields an ordered monolayer of hollow titania nanospheres with a wall thickness …

Nanostructured Solids from Freeze-Dried Precursors: Multigram Scale Synthesis of TiO2 -Based Powders

2012

Nanocrystalline TiO2 and Ti1−xVxO2 (x = 0.01) powders have been prepared by thermal decomposition, in air, of amorphous precursors resulting from the freeze-drying of appropriate solutions. In addition, TiO2−xNy (anatase and rutile) and TiOxNy (rock-salt) have been prepared by thermal treatment in ammonia of a crystalline precursor (TiO2 obtained at 673 K). TEM and SEM images, as well as the analysis of the X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns, show the nanoparticulated character of those solids obtained at low temperatures, with typical particle sizes in the 10–20 nm range when prepared at 673 K. The UV–Vis results indicate both the insertion of V in the anatase lattice and the feasibility of …

Study of phase composition, photocatalytic activity, and photoluminescence of TiO2 with Eu additive produced by the extraction-pyrolytic method

2021

The Institute of Solid State Physics, University of Latvia as the Center of Excellence has received funding from the H2020-WIDESPREAD-01-2016-2017-TeamingPhase2 under grant agreement No. 739508, project CAMART2. The work was also partially supported by the LZP grant 2020/2-0074. R. Burve has been supported by the project “Synthesis of nanostructured materials based on titanium dioxide and tin dioxide and investigation of their physicochemical properties” Nr. MP-2019/7, for strengthening scientific personnel capacity 2019/2020 at the Riga Technical University. Authors are grateful to Dr. K. Šmits for the microscopic measurements and SEM images.

Plant extracts as green reductants for the synthesis of silver nanoparticles: lessons from chemical synthesis.

2018

The increasing use of silver (Ag) nanoparticles (NPs) in daily-life applications, electronics, or catalysis calls for green and cost-efficient synthetic methods. Ag NPs are used especially in biomedicine because of their antibacterial, antifungal, or anticancer properties. Chemical synthesis allows tuning the particle morphology, size, and crystallinity, but requires toxic and hazardous chemicals. Bioinspired synthetic protocols have shown promise to minimize environmental impact, but biological protocols for the synthesis of Ag NPs lack control on the morphology and crystallinity. This review briefly compiles the chemical synthesis of Ag NPs and contrasts it with "green" protocols based on…

Facile synthesis and characterization of functionalized, monocrystalline rutile TiO2 nanorods.

2006

Functionalized, monocrystalline rutile TiO2 nanorods were prepared from TiCl4 in aqueous solution under acidic conditions in the presence of dopamine, followed by aging and hydrothermal treatment at 150 degrees C. The surface-bound organic ligand controls the morphology as well as the crystallinity and the phase selection of TiO2. The presence of monocrystalline rutile TiO2 was confirmed by X-ray powder diffraction and HRTEM investigations. The as-prepared nanorods are soluble in water at pH3. The surface functionalization was analyzed by IR and 1H NMR, confirming the presence of dopamine on the surface. The surface amine groups can be tailored further with functional molecules such as dyes…

Role of Water During Crystallization of Amorphous Cobalt Phosphate Nanoparticles

2016

The transformation of amorphous precursors into crystalline solids and the associated mechanisms are still poorly understood. We illuminate the formation and reactivity of an amorphous cobalt phosphate hydrate precursor and the role of water for its crystallization process. Amorphous cobalt phosphate hydrate nanoparticles (ACP) with diameters of ∼20 nm were prepared in the absence of additives from aqueous solutions at low concentrations and with short reaction times. To avoid the kinetically controlled transformation of metastable ACP into crystalline Co3(PO4)2 × 8 H2O (CPO) its separation must be fast. The crystallinity of ACP could be controlled through the temperature during precipitati…