111,827 research outputs found

    Micro-sized TiO2 photocatalyst for the purification of air from acetone and acethaldeide

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    In the last years increasingly restrictive regulations about the concentration limit of pollutants in air enhanced the development of more efficient treatment processes. In particular, advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) are chemical oxidation technologies that rely on the formation of the hydroxyl radical (OH ̇) to further oxide organic contaminants which are completely mineralized or converted to less harmful products. AOPs based on UV radiation involve photocatalysts, such as titanium dioxide (TiO2) mostly in nanometric size. However, nanoparticles give rise to many problems such as the catalyst-recovering, hindering their commercial application, other than possible damages on both human safety and environment. The present paper reports a comparative study on the application of nano (P25 by Evonik) and micro-sized (1077 by Kronos) TiO2 samples as photocatalyst on degradation of acetone (AC) and acetaldehyde (AD). Photocatalytic degradations of both pollutants were performed in a Pyrex glass cylindrical reactor of 5 L with 0.05 g of photocatalyst. The gaseous mixture in the reactor was obtained by mixing hot chromatographic air, humidified at 4, 40 and 75%, and an initial concentration of pollutant of 400 ppmV verified by an online micro-GC. The irradiation is carried out by an iron halogenide lamp (Jelosil, model HG 500) emitting in the 315-400 nm wavelength range (UV-A) with power of 30 W/m2. As shown in Fig. 1 the activity of the micro-TiO2 is comparable with that of the nano-sized one even if it is a little bit slower. In both cases, micro-GC analyses detected the formation of CO2 after the degradation: experimental results indicate the formation of CO2 at 100%, confirming a full degradation of the starting molecule (acetone).Considering these outcomes, the employment of microsized TiO2 as a photocatalyst turns out to be a valid alternative to the nano-sized catalysts. Moreover, in order to complete this study, TiO2 samples have been also doped with F to verify the influence of such a dopant on the material photoefficiency

    On the Role of Morphology of CoFeO4 Spinel in Methanol Anaerobic Oxidation

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    A CoFe2O4 inverse spinel calcined at two different temperatures (450 and 750 °C), in order to modulate the growth of the crystallites, has been employed in methanol anaerobic oxidation. A correlation between physicochemical properties and catalytic performances of the material has been pursued. The study of both surface and bulk properties has been carried out by means of different experimental techniques, among which are X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and in situ FTIR spectroscopy. The FTIR study of both bulk and surface spectral features reveals that the calcination step is responsible for the different type of exposed surface sites and as a consequence for the different catalytic behavior. As the use of the spinel as the catalyst for methanol transformation into H2 necessarily implies a regeneration step with steam, in order to recover the oxidative capacity of the solid, both surface and bulk features of the reoxidized solids have been also studied. All results reveal that the two samples, originally morphologically quite different from one another, become very similar after just one redox cycle. Still, it has been also demonstrated that both used materials irreversibly modify their surface properties after the reduction/oxidation process

    Synthesis and structural characterisation of CuII-based MOFs constructed by combining functionalised 1,4-bis(1H-imidazol-1-Yl)benzene ligands with copper sulfate

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    Anion-pillared metal-organic frameworks (APMOFs) are a class of coordination polymers in which divalent anions connect two adjacent layers of a 2D network generated by neutral ligands and cationic metal centres. This class of MOFs is commonly composed by materials built using pyridine-based ligands and octahedral fluorinated anions as linear pillars. Only recently, the use of nitrogen based five-membered ring ligands and/or tetrahedral anions, such as sulfate, has been reported. The combination of 1,1′-(2-(trifluoromethyl)-1,4-phenylene)bis(1H-imidazole) (bibCF3) ligand with copper(ii) sulfate generates a 2D MOF (UdP-20) of minimal formula [CuSO4(bibCF3)1.5]·3H2O. UdP-20 possesses a square lattice (sql) topology in which the copper sulfate dimer molecular building block acts as 4-connected nodes and exhibits flexibility, transitioning to a closed pore phase (UdP-20-cp) upon heating. The use of different functionalised bib ligands allowed us to obtain three new examples of APMOFs: UdP-21 with 1,1′-(2-chloro-1,4-phenylene)bis(1H-imidazole) (bibCl), UdP-22 with 1,1′-(2-methyl-1,4-phenylene)bis(1H-imidazole) (bibMe) and UdP-23 with 1,1′-(2-methoxy-1,4-phenylene)bis(1H-imidazole) bibOMe. All these materials possess 2D layers connected to each other by bridging sulfate anions leading to an overall 3D anion pillared framework. All the herein reported materials were characterised by elemental analysis, thermogravimetric analysis, and powder and single crystal X-ray diffraction. Moreover, their CO2 adsorption behaviour was investigated, revealing results in alignment with what is already reported in the literature for similar materials in the case of UdP-20, while UdP-21, UdP-22 and UdP-23 exhibited moderate CO2 adsorption, due to transition to denser phases upon activation

    Effect of textural properties on the drug delivery behaviour of nanoporous TiO2 matrices

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    In this work several nanoporous titania powders have been considered as potential carriers for the sustained release of ibuprofen, used as model drug. The textural features and the physico-chemical nature of the surface carriers have been investigated by means of N2 physisorption measurements and FT-IR analyses. The delivery profiles have been collected in vitro in physiological solution at pH 7.4, maintaining the temperature at 37°C. It has been possible to observe a close correlation between the drug release kinetic and the textural properties of the carriers, in particular for what concerns their pores dimension. The choice of the proper synthetic approach allows a high control of the properties of the final material and of its behaviour in the drug delivery process that can be controlled to a very high extent

    Characterization and Modeling of Reversible CO2 Capture from Wet Streams by a MgO/Zeolite Y Nanocomposite

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    The synthesis of CO2 sorbents capable of working on combustion flue gases is a challenging topic in the field of carbon capture and sequestration. Indeed, the presence of moisture in combustion exhausts makes most of the materials capturing CO2 through physisorption ineffective, their affinity being larger for H2O than for CO2. In this work, we investigate a novel nanocomposite sorbent based on a Mg overexchanged zeolite Y (MgOHY), showing single Mg2+ ions and nanoconfined (MgO)(n) clusters. The interaction of CO2 with the material is studied thoroughly by combining IR spectroscopy and simulation, comparing dry and wet conditions. IR spectroscopy shows that while in dry conditions the adsorption is mainly driven by the Mg2+ ions, in wet ones, the (MgO) clusters react with carbon dioxide by forming (bi)carbonate-like species. These easily decompose at mild temperatures (25-200 degrees C). Density functional theory simulations are used to investigate the origin of the CO2 interaction with representative (MgO) clusters in the periodic zeolite structure and their enthalpy of formation as a function of the water coverage. The calculations disclose a synergic effect between CO2 and H2O that, while favoring the CO2 fixation, results in the formation of (bi)carbonate-like species less stable than those formed in the absence of water

    author-bios-SRD-19-0063.R1 – Supplemental material for The Network Structure of Police Misconduct

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    Supplemental material, author-bios-SRD-19-0063.R1 for The Network Structure of Police Misconduct by George Wood, Daria Roithmayr and Andrew V. Papachristos in Socius</p

    Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis

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    The present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed

    Aerogel and xerogel WO3/ZrO2 samplesfor fine chemicals production

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    WO3/ZrO2 systems were prepared by sol-gel technique using different procedures for the solvent extraction: evaporation in vacuum at RT (xerogel) and extraction in supercritical conditions (aerogel). Two reactions of industrial interest were investigated under mild conditions: (i) acylation of veratrole with acetic anhydride; (ii) acylation of anisole with benzoic anhydride. Several techniques were employed in order to study the influence of the synthetic parameters on texture and catalytic activity: N2 physisorption, FT-IR spectroscopy, XPS, TPR and TPO analyses. The solvent extraction strongly influences metal reducibility, surface area, pores organisation, W/Zr surface density and metal interaction. The aerogel sample shows the best catalytic results for both conversion and yield. The supercritical extraction plays a central role especially in the recycling: by proper air activation, the aerogel sample attains the complete restoration of the catalytic activity even after three runs

    Variations on the Author

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    “Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
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