The synthesis of silica nanotubes through chlorosilanization of single wall carbon nanotubes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lin, Tsung-Wu; Shen, Hsin-Hui

2010-09-01

We demonstrate that single wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) can be coated by a layer of silica through the reaction between chlorosilane and acid-treated SWCNTs. The presence of carboxylic acid groups in the SWCNTs provides the active sites where chlorosilane can be anchored to form the silica coating. Silica nanotubes with diameters ranging from 5 to 23 nm were synthesized after the calcination of silica coated SWCNTs at 900 °C in air. It was found that the presence of SWCNT templates and carboxylic acid groups on the SWCNTs' surface is essential to the formation of silica nanotubes. Furthermore, the dependence of the inner diameters of the silica nanotubes on the diameters of bundled or isolated SWCNTs was observed. This novel technique can be applied to the synthesis of other oxide nanotubes if a precursor such as TiCl4 or ZrCl4 is used.

Critical evaluation and comparison of enrichment efficiency of multi-walled carbon nanotubes, C18 silica and activated carbon towards some pesticides from environmental waters.

PubMed

El-Sheikh, Amjad H; Sweileh, Jamal A; Al-Degs, Yahya S; Insisi, Ahmad A; Al-Rabady, Nancy

2008-02-15

In this work, optimization of multi-residue solid phase extraction (SPE) procedures coupled with high-performance liquid chromatography for the determination of Propoxur, Atrazine and Methidathion from environmental waters is reported. Three different sorbents were used in this work: multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs), C18 silica and activated carbon (AC). The three optimized SPE procedures were compared in terms of analytical performance, application to environmental waters, cartridge re-use, adsorption capacity and cost of adsorbent. Although the adsorption capacity of MWCNT was larger than AC and C18, however, the analytical performance of AC could be made close to the other sorbents by appropriate optimization of the SPE procedures. A sample of AC was then oxidized with various oxidizing agents to show that ACs of various surface properties has different enrichment efficiencies. Thus researchers are advised to try AC of various surface properties in SPE of pollutants prior to using expensive sorbents (such as MWCNT and C18 silica).

Precipitated Silica from Pumice and Carbon Dioxide Gas (Co2) in Bubble Column Reactor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dewati, R.; Suprihatin, S.; Sumada, K.; Muljani, S.; Familya, M.; Ariani, S.

2018-01-01

Precipitated silica from silica and carbon dioxide gas has been studied successfully. The source of silica was obtained from pumice stone while precipitation process was carried out with carbon dioxide gas (CO2). The sodium silicate solution was obtained by extracting the silica from pumice stone with sodium hydroxide (NaOH) solution and heated to 100 °C for 1 h. The carbon dioxide gas is injected into the aqueous solution of sodium silicate in a bubble column reactor to form precipitated silica. m2/g. The results indicate that the products obtained are precipitate silica have surface area in the range of 100 - 227 m2/g, silica concentration more than 80%, white in appearance, and silica concentration reached 90% at pH 7.

Preparation of porous bio-char and activated carbon from rice husk by leaching ash and chemical activation.

PubMed

Ahiduzzaman, Md; Sadrul Islam, A K M

2016-01-01

Preparation porous bio-char and activated carbon from rice husk char study has been conducted in this study. Rice husk char contains high amount silica that retards the porousness of bio-char. Porousness of rice husk char could be enhanced by removing the silica from char and applying heat at high temperature. Furthermore, the char is activated by using chemical activation under high temperature. In this study no inert media is used. The study is conducted at low oxygen environment by applying biomass for consuming oxygen inside reactor and double crucible method (one crucible inside another) is applied to prevent intrusion of oxygen into the char. The study results shows that porous carbon is prepared successfully without using any inert media. The adsorption capacity of material increased due to removal of silica and due to the activation with zinc chloride compared to using raw rice husk char. The surface area of porous carbon and activated carbon are found to be 28, 331 and 645 m(2) g(-1) for raw rice husk char, silica removed rice husk char and zinc chloride activated rice husk char, respectively. It is concluded from this study that porous bio-char and activated carbon could be prepared in normal environmental conditions instead of inert media. This study shows a method and possibility of activated carbon from agro-waste, and it could be scaled up for commercial production.

Influence of spatial configurations on electromagnetic interference shielding of ordered mesoporous carbon/ordered mesoporous silica/silica composites

PubMed Central

Wang, Jiacheng; Zhou, Hu; Zhuang, Jiandong; Liu, Qian

2013-01-01

Ordered mesoporous carbons (OMCs), obtained by nanocasting using ordered mesoporous silicas (OMSs) as hard templates, exhibit unique arrangements of ordered regular nanopore/nanowire mesostructures. Here, we used nanocasting combined with hot-pressing to prepare 10 wt% OMC/OMS/SiO2 ternary composites possessing various carbon mesostructure configurations of different dimensionalities (1D isolated CS41 carbon nanowires, 2D hexagonal CMK-3 carbon, and 3D cubic CMK-1 carbon). The electric/dielectric properties and electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding efficiency (SE) of the composites were influenced by spatial configurations of carbon networks. The complex permittivity and the EMI SE of the composites in the X-band frequency range decreased for the carbon mesostructures in the following order: CMK-3-filled > CMK-1-filled > CS41-filled. Our study provides technical directions for designing and preparing high-performance EMI shielding materials. Our OMC-based silica composites can be used for EMI shielding, especially in high-temperature or corrosive environments, owing to the high stability of the OMC/OMS fillers and the SiO2 matrix. Related shielding mechanisms are also discussed. PMID:24248277

New insights into the early stages of silica-controlled barium carbonate crystallisation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eiblmeier, Josef; Schürmann, Ulrich; Kienle, Lorenz; Gebauer, Denis; Kunz, Werner; Kellermeier, Matthias

2014-11-01

Recent work has demonstrated that the dynamic interplay between silica and carbonate during co-precipitation can result in the self-assembly of unusual, highly complex crystal architectures with morphologies and textures resembling those typically displayed by biogenic minerals. These so-called biomorphs were shown to be composed of uniform elongated carbonate nanoparticles that are arranged according to a specific order over mesoscopic scales. In the present study, we have investigated the circumstances leading to the continuous formation and stabilisation of such well-defined nanometric building units in these inorganic systems. For this purpose, in situ potentiometric titration measurements were carried out in order to monitor and quantify the influence of silica on both the nucleation and early growth stages of barium carbonate crystallisation in alkaline media at constant pH. Complementarily, the nature and composition of particles occurring at different times in samples under various conditions were characterised ex situ by means of high-resolution electron microscopy and elemental analysis. The collected data clearly evidence that added silica affects carbonate crystallisation from the very beginning (i.e. already prior to, during, and shortly after nucleation), eventually arresting growth on the nanoscale by cementation of BaCO3 particles within a siliceous matrix. Our findings thus shed light on the fundamental processes driving bottom-up self-organisation in silica-carbonate materials and, for the first time, provide direct experimental proof that silicate species are responsible for the miniaturisation of carbonate crystals during growth of biomorphs, hence confirming previously discussed theoretical models for their formation mechanism.Recent work has demonstrated that the dynamic interplay between silica and carbonate during co-precipitation can result in the self-assembly of unusual, highly complex crystal architectures with morphologies and textures

Rational design and synthesis of efficient Carbon and/or Silica functional nanomaterials for electrocatalysis and nanomedicine

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Da Silva, Rafael

In nanomaterials there is a strong correlation between structure and properties. Thus, the design and synthesis of nanomaterials with well-defined structures and morphology is essential in order to produce materials with not only unique but also tailorable properties. The unique properties of nanomaterials in turn can be taken advantage of to create materials and nanoscale devices that can help address important societal issues, such as meeting renewable energy sources and efficient therapeutic and diagnostic methods to cure a range of diseases. In this thesis, the different synthetic approaches I have developed to produce functional nanomaterials composed of earth-abundant elements (mainly carbon and silica) at low cost in a very sustainable manner are discussed. In Chapter 1, the fundamental properties of nanomaterials and their properties and potential applications in many areas are introduced. In chapter 2, a novel synthetic method that allows polymerization of polyaniline (PANI), a conducting polymer, inside cylindrical channel pores of nanoporous silica (SBA-15) is discussed. In addition, the properties of the III resulting conducting polymer in the confined nanochannel spaces of SBA-15, and more importantly, experimental demonstration of the use of the resulting hybrid material (PANI/SBA-15 material) as electocatalyst for electrooxidation reactions with good overpotential, close to zero, are detailed. In chapter 3, the synthetic approach discussed in Chapter 2 is further extended to afford nitrogen- and oxygen-doped mesoporous carbons. This is possible by pyrolysis of the PANI/SBA-15 composite materials under inert atmosphere, followed by etching away their silica framework. The high catalytic activity of resulting carbon-based materials towards oxygen reduction reaction despite they do not possess any metal dopants is also included. The potential uses of nanomaterials in areas such as nanomedicine need deep understanding of the biocompatibility/ toxicity of

Dynamic and structural properties of room-temperature ionic liquids near silica and carbon surfaces.

PubMed

Li, Song; Han, Kee Sung; Feng, Guang; Hagaman, Edward W; Vlcek, Lukas; Cummings, Peter T

2013-08-06

The dynamic and structural properties of a room-temperature ionic liquid (RTIL) 1-butyl-3-methyl-imidazolium(trifluoromethanesulfonimide) ([C4mim][Tf2N]) confined in silica and carbon mesopores were investigated by molecular dynamics (MD) simulations and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) experiments. The complex interfacial microstructures of confined [C4mim][Tf2N] are attributed to the distinctive surface features of the silica mesopore. The temperature-dependent diffusion coefficients of [C4mim][Tf2N] confined in the silica or carbon mesopore exhibit divergent behavior. The loading fraction (f = 1.0, 0.5, and 0.25) has a large effect on the magnitude of the diffusion coefficient in the silica pore and displays weaker temperature dependence as the loading fraction decreases. The diffusion coefficients of mesoporous carbon-confined [C4mim][Tf2N] are relatively insensitive to the loading faction and exhibit a temperature dependence that is similar to the bulk dependence at all loading levels. Such phenomena can be attributed to the unique surface heterogeneity, dissimilar interfacial microstructures, and interaction potential profile of RTILs near silica and carbon walls.

Hierarchically structured activated carbon for ultracapacitors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Mok-Hwa; Kim, Kwang-Bum; Park, Sun-Min; Roh, Kwang Chul

2016-02-01

To resolve the pore-associated bottleneck problem observed in the electrode materials used for ultracapacitors, which inhibits the transport of the electrolyte ions, we designed hierarchically structured activated carbon (HAC) by synthesizing a mesoporous silica template/carbon composite and chemically activating it to simultaneously remove the silica template and increase the pore volume. The resulting HAC had a well-designed, unique porous structure, which allowed for large interfaces for efficient electric double-layer formation. Given the unique characteristics of the HAC, we believe that the developed synthesis strategy provides important insights into the design and fabrication of hierarchical carbon nanostructures. The HAC, which had a specific surface area of 1,957 m2 g-1, exhibited an extremely high specific capacitance of 157 F g-1 (95 F cc-1), as well as a high rate capability. This indicated that it had superior energy storage capability and was thus suitable for use in advanced ultracapacitors.

Pyrolytic carbon membranes containing silica: morphological approach on gas transport behavior

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Park, Ho Bum; Lee, Sun Yong; Lee, Young Moo

2005-04-01

Pyrolytic carbon membrane containing silica (C-SiO 2) is a new-class material for gas separation, and in the present work we will deal with it in view of the morphological changes arising from the difference in the molecular structure of the polymeric precursors. The silica embedded carbon membranes were fabricated by a predetermined pyrolysis step using imide-siloxane copolymers (PISs) that was synthesized from benzophenone tetracarboxylic dianhydrides (BTDA), 4,4'-oxydianiline (ODA), and amine-terminated polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS). To induce different morphologies at the same chemical composition, the copolymers were prepared using one-step (preferentially a random segmented copolymer) sand two-step polymerization (a block segmented copolymer) methods. The polymeric precursors and their pyrolytic C-SiO 2 membranes were analyzed using thermal analysis, atomic force microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy, etc. It was found that the C-SiO 2 membrane derived from the random PIS copolymer showed a micro-structure containing small well-dispersed silica domains, whereas the C-SiO 2 membrane from the block PIS copolymer exhibited a micro-structure containing large silica domains in the continuous carbon matrix. Eventually, the gas transport through these C-SiO 2 membranes was significantly affected by the morphological changes of the polymeric precursors.

Lung toxicities of core–shell nanoparticles composed of carbon, cobalt, and silica

PubMed Central

Al Samri, Mohammed T; Silva, Rafael; Almarzooqi, Saeeda; Albawardi, Alia; Othman, Aws Rashad Diab; Al Hanjeri, Ruqayya SMS; Al Dawaar, Shaikha KM; Tariq, Saeed; Souid, Abdul-Kader; Asefa, Tewodros

2013-01-01

We present here comparative assessments of murine lung toxicity (biocompatibility) after in vitro and in vivo exposures to carbon (C–SiO2-etched), carbon–silica (C–SiO2), carbon–cobalt–silica (C–Co–SiO2), and carbon–cobalt oxide–silica (C–Co3O4–SiO2) nanoparticles. These nanoparticles have potential applications in clinical medicine and bioimaging, and thus their possible adverse events require thorough investigation. The primary aim of this work was to explore whether the nanoparticles are biocompatible with pneumatocyte bioenergetics (cellular respiration and adenosine triphosphate content). Other objectives included assessments of caspase activity, lung structure, and cellular organelles. Pneumatocyte bioenergetics of murine lung remained preserved after treatment with C–SiO2-etched or C–SiO2 nanoparticles. C–SiO2-etched nanoparticles, however, increased caspase activity and altered lung structure more than C–SiO2 did. Consistent with the known mitochondrial toxicity of cobalt, both C–Co–SiO2 and C–Co3O4–SiO2 impaired lung tissue bioenergetics. C–Co–SiO2, however, increased caspase activity and altered lung structure more than C–Co3O4–SiO2. The results indicate that silica shell is essential for biocompatibility. Furthermore, cobalt oxide is the preferred phase over the zerovalent Co(0) phase to impart biocompatibility to cobalt-based nanoparticles. PMID:23658487

Hybrid carbon nanoparticles modified core-shell silica: a high efficiency carbon-based phase for hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography.

PubMed

Ibrahim, Mohammed E A; Wahab, M Farooq; Lucy, Charles A

2014-04-11

Hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography (HILIC) is a fast growing separation technique for hydrophilic and polar analytes. In this work, we combine the unique selectivity of carbon surfaces with the high efficiency of core-shell silica. First, 5 μm core-shell silica is electrostatically coated with 105 nm cationic latex bearing quaternary ammonium groups. Then 50 nm anionic carbon nanoparticles are anchored onto the surface of the latex coated core-shell silica particles to produce a hybrid carbon-silica phase. The hybrid phase shows different selectivity than ten previously classified HILIC column chemistries and 36 stationary phases. The hybrid HILIC phase has shape selectivity for positional isomeric pairs (phthalic/isophthalic and 1-naphthoic/2-naphthoic acids). Fast and high efficiency HILIC separations of biologically important carboxylates, phenols and pharmaceuticals are reported with efficiencies up to 85,000 plates m(-1). Reduced plate height of 1.9 (95,000 plates m(-1)) can be achieved. The hybrid phase is stable for at least 3 months of usage and storage under typical HILIC eluents. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Effective utilizations of palm oil mill fly ash for synthetic amorphous silica and carbon zeolite composite synthesis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Utama, P. S.; Saputra, E.; Khairat

2018-04-01

Palm Oil Mill Fly Ash (POMFA) the solid waste of palm oil industry was used as a raw material for synthetic amorphous silica and carbon zeolite composite synthesis in order to minimize the wastes of palm oil industry. The alkaline extraction combine with the sol-gel precipitation and mechanical fragmentation was applied to produce synthetic amorphous silica. The byproduct, extracted POMFA was rich in carbon and silica content in a significant amount. The microwave heated hydrothermal process used to synthesize carbon zeolite composite from the byproduct. The obtained silica had chemical composition, specific surface area and the micrograph similar to commercial precipitated silica for rubber filler. The microwave heated hydrothermal process has a great potential for synthesizing carbon zeolite composite. The process only needs one-step and shorter time compare to conventional hydrothermal process.

Larnite powders and larnite/silica aerogel composites as effective agents for CO2 sequestration by carbonation.

PubMed

Santos, A; Ajbary, M; Morales-Flórez, V; Kherbeche, A; Piñero, M; Esquivias, L

2009-09-15

This paper presents the results of the carbonation reaction of two sample types: larnite (Ca(2)SiO(4)) powders and larnite/silica aerogel composites, the larnite acting as an active phase in a process of direct mineral carbonation. First, larnite powders were synthesized by the reaction of colloidal silica and calcium nitrate in the presence of ethylene glycol. Then, to synthesize the composites, the surface of the larnite powders was chemically modified with 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES), and later this mixture was added to a silica sol previously prepared from tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS). The resulting humid gel was dried in an autoclave under supercritical conditions for the ethanol. The textures and chemical compositions of the powders and composites were characterized.The carbonation reaction of both types of samples was evaluated by means of X-ray diffraction and thermogravimetric analysis. Both techniques confirm the high efficiency of the reaction at room temperature and atmospheric pressure. A complete transformation of the silicate into carbonate resulted after submitting the samples to a flow of pure CO(2) for 15 min. This indicates that for this reaction time, 1t of larnite could eliminate about 550 kg of CO(2). The grain size, porosity, and specific surface area are the factors controlling the reaction.

Active Salt/Silica-Templated 2D Mesoporous FeCo-Nx -Carbon as Bifunctional Oxygen Electrodes for Zinc-Air Batteries.

PubMed

Li, Shuang; Cheng, Chong; Zhao, Xiaojia; Schmidt, Johannes; Thomas, Arne

2018-02-12

Two types of templates, an active metal salt and silica nanoparticles, are used concurrently to achieve the facile synthesis of hierarchical meso/microporous FeCo-N x -carbon nanosheets (meso/micro-FeCo-N x -CN) with highly dispersed metal sites. The resulting meso/micro-FeCo-N x -CN shows high and reversible oxygen electrocatalytic performances for both ORR and OER, thus having potential for applications in rechargeable Zn-air battery. Our approach creates a new pathway to fabricate 2D meso/microporous structured carbon architectures for bifunctional oxygen electrodes in rechargeable Zn-air battery as well as opens avenues to the scale-up production of rationally designed heteroatom-doped catalytic materials for a broad range of applications. © 2018 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Supercritical carbon dioxide versus toluene as reaction media in silica functionalisation: Synthesis and characterisation of bonded aminopropyl silica intermediate.

PubMed

Ashu-Arrah, Benjamin A; Glennon, Jeremy D

2017-06-09

This research reports supercritical carbon dioxide versus toluene as reaction media in silica functionalisation for use in liquid chromatography. Bonded aminopropyl silica (APS) intermediates were prepared when porous silica particles (Exsil-pure, 3μm) were reacted with 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (3-APTES) or N,N-dimethylaminopropyltrimethoxysilane (DMAPTMS) using supercritical carbon dioxide (sc-CO 2 ) and toluene as reaction media. Covalent bonding to silica was confirmed using elemental microanalysis (CHN), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), zeta potential (ξ), diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform (DRIFT) spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (CP/MAS NMR) spectroscopy. The results demonstrate that under sc-CO 2 conditions of 100°C/414bar in a substantial reduced time of 3h, the surface coverage of APS (evaluated from%C obtained from elemental analysis) prepared with APTES (%C: 8.03, 5.26μmol/m -2 ) or DMAPTES (%C: 5.12, 4.58μmol/m 2 ) is somewhat higher when compared to organic based reactions under reflux in toluene at a temperature of 110°C in 24h with APTES (%C: 7.33, 4.71μmol/m 2 ) and DMAPTMS (%C: 4.93, 4.38μmol/m 2 ). Zeta potential measurements revealed a change in electrostatic surface charge from negative values for bare Exsil-pure silica to positive for functionalised APS materials indicating successful immobilization of the aminosilane onto the surface of silica. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Silica and carbonate relationships in silcrete-calcrete intergrade duricrusts from the Kalahari of Botswana and Namibia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nash, David J.; Shaw, Paul A.

1998-07-01

Silcrete-calcrete intergrade duricrusts (surface or near-surface chemically precipitated crusts with a cement comprising a mixture of silica and CaCO 3) have been widely identified in the geological, geomorphological and pedological literature, but have not, to date, been systematically described or classified. This paper presents a review of previous definitions of the end members of the silcrete-calcrete spectrum and subsequently identifies the major silica-carbonate relationships within intergrade types are identified on the the Kalahari of Botswana and Namibia. Three main intergrade types are identified on the basis of silica-carbonate associations: duricrusts where secondary silica occurs within a calcareous matrix; varieties where secondary carbonate occurs within a siliceous matrix; and materials where silica and carbonate matrix cements appear to have been precipitated contemporaneously or in close succession. Within each of these three groups, sub-types are identified dependent upon whether secondary materials have replaced or been emplaced within a pre-existing duricrust. Finally, a practical procedure for the simple definition of silcrete-calcrete intergrade duricrusts is suggested based upon a combination of bulk chemical and thin-section analyses.

Impregnation of Fenofibrate on mesoporous silica using supercritical carbon dioxide.

PubMed

Bouledjouidja, Abir; Masmoudi, Yasmine; Van Speybroeck, Michiel; Schueller, Laurent; Badens, Elisabeth

2016-02-29

Low oral bioavailability can be circumvented by the formulation of the poorly water soluble drug in ordered mesoporous silica (OMS-L-7). Fenofibrate is an orally administered, poorly water-soluble active pharmaceutical ingredient (API), used clinically to lower lipid levels. Fenofibrate was loaded into silica using two methods: incipient wetness and supercritical impregnation. This study investigates the impact of loading and the impact of varying supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO2) processing conditions. The objective is to enhance Fenofibrate loading into silica while reducing degree of the drug crystallinity, so as to increase the drug's dissolution rate and its bioavailability. The comparison of both impregnation processes was made in terms of impregnation yields and duration as well as physical characterization of the drug. While incipient wetness method led to a Fenofibrate loading up to 300 mgdrug/gsilica in 48 h of impregnation, the supercritical impregnation method yielded loading up to 485 mgdrug/gsilica in 120 min of impregnation duration, at 16 MPa and 308 K, with a low degree of crystallinity (about 1%) comparable to the crystallinity observed via the solvent method. In addition to the enhancement of impregnation efficiency, the supercritical route provides a solvent-free alternative for impregnation. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Effects of silica-coated carbon nanotubes on the curing behavior and properties of epoxy composites

DOE PAGES

Li, Ao; Li, Weizhen; Ling, Yang; ...

2016-02-22

Multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) were coated with silica by a sol–gel method to improve interfacial bonding and dispersion of nanotubes in the diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A (DGEBA) matrix. TEM and FE-SEM measurements showed that the silica shell was successfully coated on the surface of r-MWCNTs (as-received MWCNTs), and that the dispersion of MWCNT@SiO 2 in the epoxy matrix and interfacial adhesion between MWCNTs and epoxy were improved through the silica shell formation. The effects of silica-coated multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT@SiO 2) addition on the curing behavior of epoxy resin, and on the physical and thermomechanical properties of epoxy composites,more » were studied. FT-IR measurements of different blends at different curing times indicated that the curing reaction was accelerated with the presence of MWCNTs and increased with the content of MWCNT@SiO 2. DSC results confirmed that the value of activation energy decreased with the introduction of MWCNTs in the order of MWCNT@SiO 2 < r-MWCNTs < epoxy. It was found that the thermal conductivity of epoxy composites were significantly enhanced by incorporation of MWCNT@SiO 2, relative to composites with r-MWCNTs, while the values of the glass transition temperature slightly increased, and the high electrical resistivity of these composites was retained overall.« less

Fibrous composites comprising carbon nanotubes and silica

DOEpatents

Peng, Huisheng [Shanghai, CN; Zhu, Yuntian Theodore [Cary, NC; Peterson, Dean E [Los Alamos, NM; Jia, Quanxi [Los Alamos, NM

2011-10-11

Fibrous composite comprising a plurality of carbon nanotubes; and a silica-containing moiety having one of the structures: (SiO).sub.3Si--(CH.sub.2).sub.n--NR.sub.1R.sub.2) or (SiO).sub.3Si--(CH.sub.2).sub.n--NCO; where n is from 1 to 6, and R.sub.1 and R.sub.2 are each independently H, CH.sub.3, or C.sub.2H.sub.5.

Nano-structured silica coated mesoporous carbon micro-granules for potential application in water filtration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Das, Avik; Sen, D.; Mazumder, S.; Ghosh, A. K.

2017-05-01

A novel nano-composite spherical micro-granule has been synthesized using a facile technique of solvent evaporation induced assembly of nanoparticles for potential application in water filtration. The spherical micro-granule is comprised of nano-structured shell of hydrophilic silica encapsulating a hydrophobic mesoporous carbon at the core. Hierarchical structure of such core-shell micro-granules has been rigorously characterized using small-angle neutron and X-ray scattering techniques and complemented with scanning electron microscopy. The hydrophilic silica envelope around the carbon core helps in incorporation of such granules into the hydrophilic polymeric ultra-filtration membrane. The interstitial micro-pores present in the silica shell can serve as water transport channels and the mesoporus carbon core enhances the separation performance due its well adsorption characteristics. It has been found that the incorporation of such granules inside the ultra-filtration membrane indeed enhances the water permeability as well as the separation performance in a significant way.

Synthesis and Properties of Carbon Nanotube-Grafted Silica Nanoarchitecture-Reinforced Poly(Lactic Acid)

PubMed Central

Hsu, Yao-Wen; Wu, Chia-Ching; Wu, Song-Mao

2017-01-01

A novel nanoarchitecture-reinforced poly(lactic acid) (PLA) nanocomposite was prepared using multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT)-grafted silica nanohybrids as reinforcements. MWCNT-grafted silica nanohybrids were synthesized by the generation of silica nanoparticles on the MWCNT surface through the sol-gel technique. This synthetic method involves organo-modified MWCNTs that are dispersed in tetrahydrofuran, which incorporates tetraethoxysilane that undergoes an ultrasonic sol-gel process. Gelation yielded highly dispersed silica on the organo-modified MWCNTs. The structure and properties of the nanohybrids were established using 29Si nuclear magnetic resonance, Raman spectroscopy, wide-angle X-ray diffraction, thermogravimetric analysis, and transmission electron microscopy. The resulting MWCNT nanoarchitectures were covalently assembled into silica nanoparticles, which exhibited specific and controllable morphologies and were used to reinforce biodegradable PLA. The tensile strength and the heat deflection temperature (HDT) of the PLA/MWCNT-grafted silica nanocomposites increased when the MWCNT-grafted silica was applied to the PLA matrix; by contrast, the surface resistivity of the PLA/MWCNT-grafted silica nanocomposites appeared to decline as the amount of MWCNT-grafted silica in the PLA matrix increased. Overall, the reinforcement of PLA using MWCNT-grafted silica nanoarchitectures was efficient and improved its mechanical properties, heat resistance, and electrical resistivity. PMID:28773187

Cadmium(II) and lead(II) adsorption onto hetero-atom functional mesoporous silica and activated carbon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Machida, Motoi; Fotoohi, Babak; Amamo, Yoshimasa; Mercier, Louis

2012-07-01

Adsorption of cadmium(II) and lead(II) on amino-, mercapto-functionalized mesoporous silica (HMS) and carboxylic-functionalized activated carbon (AC) were examined. The resultant isotherms fitted the Langmuir model and amino-functionalized HMS exhibited the highest adsorption capacity for both cadmium(II) and lead(II). Adsorption affinities for cadmium(II) were always greater than those for lead(II) in all three adsorbent types, while the difference between the two values was the largest for mercapto-functionalized HMS indicating a selective adsorption of cadmium(II). Influence of equilibrium solution pH on adsorption of cadmium(II), lead(II) and their binary mixtures was also studied. Carboxylic-functionalized AC adsorbed cadmium(II) and lead(II) in a wide pH range than conditions for the mercapto-functionalized HMS. It was concluded that each functional group had its own characteristics and advantages for adsorption of heavy metal ions; amino-groups showed high adsorption capacity, while mercapto-groups had good selectivity toward cadmium(II) adsorption and a wide solution pH in adsorption by carboxylic-groups were established in this study.

A new record of silica-rich coating on carbonate substrates in southeast-central Iran: Constraints on geochemical signatures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aftabi, Alijan; Atapour, Habibeh

2018-10-01

There exist few data on the geochemical signatures and occurrence of silica-rich coatings developed on siliceous carbonate substrates. The rock coatings in the Maran-e-Galu area in southeast-central Iran are composed of four layers; a lower thick layer (1 mm) of silica, a lower thin film of Fe-Mn oxide, an upper thick (1 mm) silica-rich layer, and an upper thin film of Fe-Mn oxide. Energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer (EDS), X-ray diffraction and bulk coating geochemistry data obtained by XRF and ICP-MS highlight that the 1-3 mm thick silica-rich coatings occur as a silica glaze of opal composition on the siliceous carbonate substrate. The coatings were probably formed by the interaction of rainfall, water vapor or dew with silicate and carbonate-rich detrital atmospheric dust, releasing H4SiO4with a pH of 5-10 in this semiarid-arid desert environment. This led to the formation of silica gels as well as minor Fe-Mn oxide gels by evaporation and supersaturation, and finally changed to the black brown silica glaze probably at ambient temperatures of >40 °C Major and minor element signatures are consistent with the known silica glazes, displaying enrichment in Ba, Sr, P, and LREEs with little to no Eu and Ce anomalies and a weak Tm anomaly. However, the very low content of aluminum oxide is well correlated with the known classified silica glaze of genetic type 1, reflecting the absence of detrital clay minerals. The low Fe and Mn contents in bulk coatings (3.6 and 10 magnitudes lower than crustal abundance, respectively) and lack of biochemical processes in the atmospheric dust highlight the semiarid-arid climate setting. We thereby conclude that a new variant of silica glaze of 1-3 mm thickness could form on siliceous carbonate substrates under an alkaline pH in semiarid-arid regions.

Silica, hybrid silica, hydride silica and non-silica stationary phases for liquid chromatography.

PubMed

Borges, Endler M

2015-04-01

Free silanols on the surface of silica are the "villains", which are responsible for detrimental interactions of those compounds and the stationary phase (i.e., bad peak shape, low efficiency) as well as low thermal and chemical stability. For these reasons, we began this review describing new silica and hybrid silica stationary phases, which have reduced and/or shielded silanols. At present, in liquid chromatography for the majority of analyses, reversed-phase liquid chromatography is the separation mode of choice. However, the needs for increased selectivity and increased retention of hydrophilic bases have substantially increased the interest in hydrophilic interaction chromatography (HILIC). Therefore, stationary phases and this mode of separation are discussed. Then, non-silica stationary phases (i.e., zirconium oxide, titanium oxide, alumina and porous graphitized carbon), which afford increased thermal and chemical stability and also selectivity different from those obtained with silica and hybrid silica, are discussed. In addition, the use of these materials in HILIC is also reviewed. © Crown copyright 2014.

Highly Dispersed Nickel-Containing Mesoporous Silica with Superior Stability in Carbon Dioxide Reforming of Methane: The Effect of Anchoring

PubMed Central

Cai, Wenjia; Ye, Lin; Zhang, Li; Ren, Yuanhang; Yue, Bin; Chen, Xueying; He, Heyong

2014-01-01

A series of nickel-containing mesoporous silica samples (Ni-SiO2) with different nickel content (3.1%–13.2%) were synthesized by the evaporation-induced self-assembly method. Their catalytic activity was tested in carbon dioxide reforming of methane. The characterization results revealed that the catalysts, e.g., 6.7%Ni-SiO2, with highly dispersed small nickel particles, exhibited excellent catalytic activity and long-term stability. The metallic nickel particle size was significantly affected by the metal anchoring effect between metallic nickel particles and unreduced nickel ions in the silica matrix. A strong anchoring effect was suggested to account for the remaining of small Ni particle size and the improved catalytic performance. PMID:28788570

Formation of carbon nanoclusters by implantation of keV carbon ions in fused silica followed by thermal annealing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Olivero, P.; Peng, J. L.; Liu, A.; Reichart, P.; McCallum, J. C.; Sze, J. Y.; Lau, S. P.; Tay, B. K.; Kalish, R.; Dhar, S.; Feldman, Leonard; Jamieson, David N.; Prawer, Steven

2005-02-01

In the last decade, the synthesis and characterization of nanometer sized carbon clusters have attracted growing interest within the scientific community. This is due to both scientific interest in the process of diamond nucleation and growth, and to the promising technological applications in nanoelectronics and quantum communications and computing. Our research group has demonstrated that MeV carbon ion implantation in fused silica followed by thermal annealing in the presence of hydrogen leads to the formation of nanocrystalline diamond, with cluster size ranging from 5 to 40 nm. In the present paper, we report the synthesis of carbon nanoclusters by the implantation into fused silica of keV carbon ions using the Plasma Immersion Ion Implantation (PIII) technique, followed by thermal annealing in forming gas (4% 2H in Ar). The present study is aimed at evaluating this implantation technique that has the advantage of allowing high fluence-rates on large substrates. The carbon nanostructures have been characterized with optical absorption and Raman spectroscopies, cross sectional Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), and Parallel Electron Energy Loss Spectroscopy (PEELS). Nuclear Reaction Analysis (NRA) has been employed to evaluate the deuterium incorporation during the annealing process, as a key mechanism to stabilize the formation of the clusters.

Hollow Mesoporous Carbon Microparticles and Micromotors with Single Holes Templated by Colloidal Silica-Assisted Gas Bubbles.

PubMed

Huang, Xiaoxi; Zhang, Tao; Asefa, Tewodros

2017-07-01

A simple, new synthetic method that produces hollow, mesoporous carbon microparticles, each with a single hole on its surface, is reported. The synthesis involves unique templates, which are composed of gaseous bubbles and colloidal silica, and poly(furfuryl alcohol) as a carbon precursor. The conditions that give these morphologically unique carbon microparticles are investigated, and the mechanisms that result in their unique structures are proposed. Notably, the amount of colloidal silica and the type of polymer are found to hugely dictate whether or not the synthesis results in hollow asymmetrical microparticles, each with a single hole. The potential application of the particles as self-propelled micromotors is demonstrated. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Repetitive Dosing of Fumed Silica Leads to Profibrogenic Effects through Unique Structure–Activity Relationships and Biopersistence in the Lung

DOE PAGES

Sun, Bingbing; Wang, Xiang; Liao, Yu-Pei; ...

2016-08-02

Contrary to the notion that the use of fumed silica in consumer products can “generally (be) regarded as safe” (GRAS), the high surface reactivity of pyrogenic silica differs from other forms of synthetic amorphous silica (SAS), including the capacity to induce membrane damage and acute proinflammatory changes in the murine lung. Additionally, the chain-like structure and reactive surface silanols also allow fumed silica to activate the NLRP3 inflammasome, leading to IL-1β production. This pathway is known to be associated with subchronic inflammation and profibrogenic effects in the lung by α-quartz and carbon nanotubes. Different from the latter materials, bolus dosemore » instillation of 21 mg/kg fumed silica did not induce sustained IL-1β production or subchronic pulmonary effects. In contrast, the NLRP3 inflammasome pathway was continuously activated by repetitive-dose administration of 3 × 7 mg/kg fumed silica, 1 week apart. We also found that while single-dose exposure failed to induce profibrotic effects in the lung, repetitive dosing can trigger increased collagen production, even at 3 × 3 mg/kg. The change between bolus and repetitive dosing was due to a change in lung clearance, with recurrent dosing leading to fumed silica biopersistence, sustained macrophage recruitment, and activation of the NLRP3 pathway. These subchronic proinflammatory effects disappeared when less surface-reactive titanium-doped fumed silica was used for recurrent administration. Finally, these data indicate that while fumed silica may be regarded as safe for some applications, we should reconsider the GRAS label during repetitive or chronic inhalation exposure conditions.« less

Photoluminescence of carbon dots from mesoporous silica

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nelson, D. K.; Razbirin, B. S.; Starukhin, A. N.; Eurov, D. A.; Kurdyukov, D. A.; Stovpiaga, E. Yu; Golubev, V. G.

2016-09-01

Photophysical properties of carbon dots were investigated under various excitation conditions and over a wide temperature region - from room to liquid helium temperatures. The carbon dots (CDs) were synthesized using mesoporous silica particles as a reactor and (3-aminopropyl)triethoxysilane (APTES) as a precursor. The photoluminescence spectra of CDs exhibit a strong dependence on the excitation wavelength and demonstrate a significant inhomogeneous broadening. Lowering sample temperature reveals the doublet structure of the spectra, which is associated with the vibronic structure of radiative transitions. The vibration energy ∼1200 cm-1 is close to the energy of Csbnd O stretching vibration. Long-lived phosphorescence of carbon dots with its decay time ∼0.2 s at T = 80 K was observed. The fluorescence and phosphorescence spectra are shown to be spectrally separated. The long-lived component of the emission was ascribed to optically forbidden triplet-singlet transitions. The value of the singlet-triplet splitting was found to be about 0.3 eV. Photo-induced polarization of the luminescence of carbon dots was revealed. The degree of the linear polarization is dependent on the wavelengths of both excitation and emitted light. The effect indicates a hidden anisotropy of optical dipole transitions in the dots and demonstrates the loss of the dipole orientation during the electron energy relaxation.

Encapsulating Silica/Antimony into Porous Electrospun Carbon Nanofibers with Robust Structure Stability for High-Efficiency Lithium Storage.

PubMed

Wang, Hongkang; Yang, Xuming; Wu, Qizhen; Zhang, Qiaobao; Chen, Huixin; Jing, Hongmei; Wang, Jinkai; Mi, Shao-Bo; Rogach, Andrey L; Niu, Chunming

2018-04-24

To address the volume-change-induced pulverization problems of electrode materials, we propose a "silica reinforcement" concept, following which silica-reinforced carbon nanofibers with encapsulated Sb nanoparticles (denoted as SiO 2 /Sb@CNFs) are fabricated via an electrospinning method. In this composite structure, insulating silica fillers not only reinforce the overall structure but also contribute to additional lithium storage capacity; encapsulation of Sb nanoparticles into the carbon-silica matrices efficiently buffers the volume changes during Li-Sb alloying-dealloying processes upon cycling and alleviates the mechanical stress; the porous carbon nanofiber framework allows for fast charge transfer and electrolyte diffusion. These advantageous characteristics synergistically contribute to the superior lithium storage performance of SiO 2 /Sb@CNF electrodes, which demonstrate excellent cycling stability and rate capability, delivering reversible discharge capacities of 700 mA h/g at 200 mA/g, 572 mA h/g at 500 mA/g, and 468 mA h/g at 1000 mA/g each after 400 cycles. Ex situ as well as in situ TEM measurements confirm that the structural integrity of silica-reinforced Sb@CNF electrodes can efficiently withstand the mechanical stress induced by the volume changes. Notably, the SiO 2 /Sb@CNF//LiCoO 2 full cell delivers high reversible capacities of ∼400 mA h/g after 800 cycles at 500 mA/g and ∼336 mA h/g after 500 cycles at 1000 mA/g.

Treatment with activated carbon and other adsorbents as an effective method for the removal of volatile compounds in agricultural distillates.

PubMed

Balcerek, Maria; Pielech-Przybylska, Katarzyna; Patelski, Piotr; Dziekońska-Kubczak, Urszula; Jusel, Tomaš

2017-05-01

This study investigates the effect of treatment with activated carbon and other adsorbents on the chemical composition and organoleptics of a barley malt-based agricultural distillate. Contact with activated carbon is one of the methods by which the quality of raw distillates and spirit beverages can be improved. Samples placed in contact with 1 g activated carbon (SpiritFerm) per 100 ml distillate with ethanol content of 50% v/v for 1 h showed the largest reductions in the concentrations of most volatile compounds (aldehydes, alcohols, esters). Increasing the dose of adsorbent to over 1 g 100 ml -1 did not improve the purity of the agricultural distillate significantly. Of the tested compounds, acetaldehyde and methanol showed the lowest adsorption on activated carbon. The lowest concentrations of these congeners (expressed in mg l -1 alcohol 100% v/v) were measured in solutions with ethanol contents of 70-80% v/v, while solutions with an alcoholic strength by volume of 40% did not show statistically significant decreases in these compounds in relation the control sample. The reductions in volatile compounds were compared with those for other adsorbents based on silica or activated carbon and silica. An interesting alternative to activated carbon was found to be an adsorbent prepared from activated carbon and silica (Spiricol). Treatment with this adsorbent produced distillate with the lowest concentrations of acetaldehyde and isovaleraldehyde, and led to the greatest improvement in its organoleptics.

Microbial Activity and Silica Degradation in Rice Straw

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Esther Jin-kyung

Abundantly available agricultural residues like rice straw have the potential to be feedstocks for bioethanol production. Developing optimized conditions for rice straw deconstruction is a key step toward utilizing the biomass to its full potential. One challenge associated with conversion of rice straw to bioenergy is its high silica content as high silica erodes machinery. Another obstacle is the availability of enzymes that hydrolyze polymers in rice straw under industrially relevant conditions. Microbial communities that colonize compost may be a source of enzymes for bioconversion of lignocellulose to products because composting systems operate under thermophilic and high solids conditions that have been shown to be commercially relevant. Compost microbial communities enriched on rice straw could provide insight into a more targeted source of enzymes for the breakdown of rice straw polysaccharides and silica. Because rice straw is low in nitrogen it is important to understand the impact of nitrogen concentrations on the production of enzyme activity by the microbial community. This study aims to address this issue by developing a method to measure microbial silica-degrading activity and measure the effect of nitrogen amendment to rice straw on microbial activity and extracted enzyme activity during a high-solids, thermophilic incubation. An assay was developed to measure silica-degrading enzyme or silicase activity. This process included identifying methods of enzyme extraction from rice straw, identifying a model substrate for the assay, and optimizing measurement techniques. Rice straw incubations were conducted with five different levels of nitrogen added to the biomass. Microbial activity was measured by respiration and enzyme activity. A microbial community analysis was performed to understand the shift in community structure with different treatments. With increased levels of nitrogen, respiration and cellulose and hemicellulose degrading activity

Serpentinization processes: Influence of silica

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, R.; Sun, W.; Ding, X.; Song, M.; Zhan, W.

2016-12-01

Serpentinization systems are highly enriched in molecular hydrogen (H2) and hydrocarbons (e.g. methane, ethane and propane). The production of hydrocarbons results from reactions between H2 and oxidized carbon (carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide), which possibly contribute to climate changes during early history of the Earth. However, the influence of silica on the production of H2 and hydrocarbons was poorly constrained. We performed experiments at 311-500 °C and 3.0 kbar using mechanical mixtures of silica and olivine in ratios ranging from 0 to 40%. Molecular hydrogen (H2), methane, ethane and propane were formed, which were analyzed by gas chromatography. It was found that silica largely decreased H2 production. Without any silica, olivine serpentinization produced 94.5 mmol/kg H2 after 20 days of reaction time. By contrast, with the presence of 20% silica, H2 concentrations decreased largely, 8.5 mmol/kg. However, the influence of silica on the production of hydrocarbons is negligible. Moreover, with the addition of 20%-40% silica, the major hydrous minerals are talc, which was quantified according to an established standard curve calibrated by infrared spectroscopy analyses. It shows that silica greatly enhances olivine hydration, especially at 500 °C. Without any addition of silica, reaction extents were <5% at 17 days during olivine serpentinization at 500 °C and 3.0 kbar. By contrast, with the presence of 50% silica, olivine was completely transformed to talc within 9 days. This study indicates that silica impedes the oxidation of ferrous iron into ferric iron, and that rates of olivine hydration in natural geological settings are much faster with silica supply.

Genesis of Silica-Carbonate Type Mercury Ore Deposits in Coast Range California from Mantle Derived Fluids

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rytuba, J. J.; Kirby, S. H.; Kellner, C. R.

2016-12-01

In the Coast Range of California 51 major mercury (Hg) deposits and numerous smaller Hg occurrences began forming when subduction transitioned to the transpressive continental-transform kinematics of the San Andreas Fault System. The Hg deposits become progressively younger to the north reflecting the change in tectonic environment as the Mendocino Triple Junction moved 400 km northward since the Miocene to its present location in northern California. The silica-carbonate mercury deposits are vein and replacement ore bodies developed within and adjacent to serpentinite that was emplaced along regional faults and altered to an assemblage of silica and carbonate minerals. The initial alteration process consists of the addition of carbonate to the serpentinite followed by introduction of silica into the central core. The peripheral zone of calcite-dolomite veining may extend for several kilometers outward from a mercury deposit. The large Hg deposits formed in structural traps, such as antiformal structures, and the ores locally extend into adjacent clastic metasedimentary rocks. The mineralogy of the primary ores is simple consisting of cinnabar, metacinnabar and elemental Hg. The deposits formed from low-temperature, <120oC, CO2-CH4-H2S-rich fluids. The hydrothermal fluids are consistent with a mantle source water derived from the former forearc during subduction and after the transition to transpressive continental-transform boundary as proposed by Kirby et al. (EPS, 2014). Some of the silica-carbonate Hg deposits are overprinted by younger hot spring type Hg mineralization associated temporally with volcanic vents. These Hg deposits have distinctly different types of alteration and geochemistry and formed in the near surface from meteoric waters.

Surface Properties and Catalytic Performance of Activated Carbon Fibers Supported TiO2 Photocatalyst

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Huifen; Fu, Pingfeng

Activated carbon fibers supported TiO2 photocatalyst (TiO2/ACF) in felt-form was successfully prepared with a dip-coating process using organic silicon modified acrylate copolymer as a binder followed by calcination at 500°C in a stream of Ar gas. The photocatalyst was characterized by SEM, XRD, XPS, FTIR, and BET surface area. Most of carbon fibers were coated with uniformly distributed TiO2 clusters of nearly 100 nm. The loaded TiO2 layer was particulate for the organic binder in the compact film was carbonized. According to XPS and FTIR analysis, amorphous silica in carbon grains was synthesized after carbonizing organic silicon groups, and the Ti-O-Si bond was formed between the interface of loaded TiO2 and silica. Additionally, the space between adjacent carbon fibers still remained unfilled after TiO2 coating, into which both UV light and polluted solutions could penetrate to form a three-dimensional environment for photocatalytic reactions. While loaded TiO2 amount increased to 456 mg TiO2/1 g ACF, the TiO2/ACF catalyst showed its highest photocatalytic activity, and this activity only dropped about 10% after 12 successive runs, exhibiting its high fixing stability of coated TiO2.

Engineering catalytic activity via ion beam bombardment of catalyst supports for vertically aligned carbon nanotube growth

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Islam, A. E.; Nikolaev, P.; Amama, P. B.; Zakharov, D.; Sargent, G.; Saber, S.; Huffman, D.; Erford, M.; Semiatin, S. L.; Stach, E. A.; Maruyama, B.

2015-09-01

Carbon nanotube growth depends on the catalytic activity of metal nanoparticles on alumina or silica supports. The control on catalytic activity is generally achieved by variations in water concentration, carbon feed, and sample placement on a few types of alumina or silica catalyst supports obtained via thin film deposition. We have recently expanded the choice of catalyst supports by engineering inactive substrates like c-cut sapphire via ion beam bombardment. The deterministic control on the structure and chemistry of catalyst supports obtained by tuning the degree of beam-induced damage have enabled better regulation of the activity of Fe catalysts only in the ion beam bombarded areas and hence enabled controllable super growth of carbon nanotubes. A wide range of surface characterization techniques were used to monitor the catalytically active surface engineered via ion beam bombardment. The proposed method offers a versatile way to control carbon nanotube growth in patterned areas and also enhances the current understanding of the growth process. With the right choice of water concentration, carbon feed and sample placement, engineered catalyst supports may extend the carbon nanotube growth yield to a level that is even higher than the ones reported here, and thus offers promising applications of carbon nanotubes in electronics, heat exchanger, and energy storage.

A dual-emitting core-shell carbon dot-silica-phosphor composite for white light emission

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Yonghao; Lei, Bingfu; Zheng, Mingtao; Zhang, Haoran; Zhuang, Jianle; Liu, Yingliang

2015-11-01

A unique dual-emitting core-shell carbon dot-silica-phosphor (CDSP) was constructed from carbon dots (CDs), tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) and Sr2Si5N8:Eu2+ phosphor through a one-pot sol-gel method. Blue emitting CDs uniformly disperse in the silica layer covering the orange emitting phosphor via a polymerization process, which makes CDSP achieve even white light emission. Tunable photoluminescence of CDSP is observed and the preferable white light emission is achieved through changing the excitation wavelength or controlling the mass ratio of the phosphor. When CDSP powders with a phosphor rate of 3.9% and 5.1% are excited at a wavelength of 400 nm, preferable white light emission is observed, with Commission Internationale de l'Eclairage (CIE) coordinates of (0.32, 0.32) and (0.34, 0.32), respectively. Furthermore, CDSP can mix well with epoxy resin to emit strong and even white light, and based on this, a CDSP-based white LED with a high colour rendering index (CRI) of 94 was fabricated.A unique dual-emitting core-shell carbon dot-silica-phosphor (CDSP) was constructed from carbon dots (CDs), tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) and Sr2Si5N8:Eu2+ phosphor through a one-pot sol-gel method. Blue emitting CDs uniformly disperse in the silica layer covering the orange emitting phosphor via a polymerization process, which makes CDSP achieve even white light emission. Tunable photoluminescence of CDSP is observed and the preferable white light emission is achieved through changing the excitation wavelength or controlling the mass ratio of the phosphor. When CDSP powders with a phosphor rate of 3.9% and 5.1% are excited at a wavelength of 400 nm, preferable white light emission is observed, with Commission Internationale de l'Eclairage (CIE) coordinates of (0.32, 0.32) and (0.34, 0.32), respectively. Furthermore, CDSP can mix well with epoxy resin to emit strong and even white light, and based on this, a CDSP-based white LED with a high colour rendering index (CRI) of 94 was fabricated

Engineering catalytic activity via ion beam bombardment of catalyst supports for vertically aligned carbon nanotube growth

DOE PAGES

Islam, A. E.; Zakharov, D.; Stach, E. A.; ...

2015-09-16

Carbon nanotube growth depends on the catalytic activity of metal nanoparticles on alumina or silica supports. The control on catalytic activity is generally achieved by variations in water concentration, carbon feed, and sample placement on a few types of alumina or silica catalyst supports obtained via thin film deposition. We have recently expanded the choice of catalyst supports by engineering inactive substrates like c-cut sapphire via ion beam bombardment. The deterministic control on the structure and chemistry of catalyst supports obtained by tuning the degree of beam-induced damage have enabled better regulation of the activity of Fe catalysts only inmore » the ion beam bombarded areas and hence enabled controllable super growth of carbon nanotubes. A wide range of surface characterization techniques were used to monitor the catalytically active surface engineered via ion beam bombardment. The proposed method offers a versatile way to control carbon nanotube growth in patterned areas and also enhances the current understanding of the growth process. As a result, with the right choice of water concentration, carbon feed and sample placement, engineered catalyst supports may extend the carbon nanotube growth yield to a level that is even higher than the ones reported here, and thus offers promising applications of carbon nanotubes in electronics, heat exchanger, and energy storage.« less

Behavior of macroporous vinyl silica and silica monolithic columns in high pressure gas chromatography.

PubMed

Maniquet, Adrien; Bruyer, Nicolas; Raffin, Guy; Baco-Antionali, Franck; Demesmay, Claire; Dugas, Vincent; Randon, Jérôme

2017-06-30

80% vinyltrimethoxysilane-based hybrid silica monoliths (80-VTMS), which have been initially developed for separation in reversed-phase liquid chromatography, have been investigated in high pressure gas chromatography separations (carrier gas pressure up to 60bar) and compared to silica monolithic columns. The behavior of both silica and 80-VTMS monolithic columns was investigated using helium, nitrogen and carbon dioxide as carrier gas. The efficiency of 80-VTMS monolithic columns was shown to vary differently than silica monolithic columns according to the temperature and the carrier gas used. Carrier gas nature was a significant parameter on the retention for both silica and vinyl columns in relation to its adsorption onto the stationary phase in such high pressure conditions. The comparison of retention and selectivity between 80-VTMS monoliths and silica was performed under helium using the logarithm of the retention factor according to the number of carbon atoms combined to Kovats indexes. The very good performances of these columns were demonstrated, allowing the separation of 8 compounds in less than 1min. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Silica crystals and aluminum salts mediate NALP-3 inflammasome activation via phagosomal destabilization

PubMed Central

Hornung, Veit; Bauernfeind, Franz; Halle, Annett; Samstad, Eivind O.; Kono, Hajime; Rock, Kenneth L.; Fitzgerald, Katherine A.; Latz, Eicke

2010-01-01

Inhalation of silica crystals causes inflammation in the alveolar space. Prolonged silica exposure can lead to the development of silicosis, an irreversible, fibrotic pulmonary disease. The mechanisms by which silica and other crystals activate immune cells are not well understood. Here, we demonstrate that silica and aluminum salt crystals activate the NALP3 inflammasome. NALP3 activation requires crystal phagocytosis and crystal uptake leads to lysosomal damage and rupture. Sterile lysosomal damage is also sufficient to induce NALP3 activation and inhibition of phagosomal acidification or cathepsin B impairs NALP3 activation. These results indicate that the NALP3 inflammasome can sense lysosomal damage induced by various means as an endogenous danger signal. PMID:18604214

Carbon-dot-based dual-emission silica nanoparticles as a ratiometric fluorescent probe for Bisphenol A

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xiang, Guo-Qiang; Ren, Yue; Xia, Yin; Mao, Wenjie; Fan, Chao; Guo, Si-Yu; Wang, Pan-Pan; Yang, Deng-Hui; He, Lijun; Jiang, Xiuming

2017-04-01

A simple and effective strategy for designing a ratiometric fluorescent nanosensor is described in this work. A carbon dots (CDs) based dual-emission nanosensor for Bisphenol A (BPA) was prepared by coating CDs on the surface of dye-doped silica nanoparticles. The fluorescence of dual-emission silica nanoparticles was quenched in hydrochloric acid by potassium bromate (KBrO3) oxidation; BPA inhibited KBrO3 oxidation, resulting in the ratiometric fluorescence response of dual-emission silica nanoparticles. Several important parameters affecting the performance of the nanosensor were investigated and optimized. The detection limit of this nanosensor was 0.80 ng mL- 1 with a linear range from 10 to 500 ng mL- 1. This was applied successfully to determine BPA in the leached solution of different plastic products with satisfactory results.

Date palm waste-derived biochar composites with silica and zeolite: synthesis, characterization and implication for carbon stability and recalcitrant potential.

PubMed

Ahmad, Munir; Ahmad, Mahtab; Usman, Adel R A; Al-Faraj, Abdullah S; Abduljabbar, Adel; Ok, Yong Sik; Al-Wabel, Mohammad I

2017-03-23

Engineered organo-mineral composites were synthesized from date palm waste biochar and silica or zeolite via mechanochemical treatments. Date palm tree rachis (leaves) waste biomass was pre-treated with silica or zeolite minerals via ball milling and sonication prior to pyrolysis at 600 °C. The resultant organo-mineral composites and pristine materials were characterized using X-ray diffraction, thermogravimetric-differential thermal (TG-DTA), Fourier transform infrared, scanning electron microscope analyses and surface area and porosity analyzer to investigate the variations in physiochemical and structural characteristics. Compared to the resultant composites derived from non-milled date palm biomass, ball milling increased surface area, while decreased crystallinity index and effective particle size of the biochar composites. Silica composited biochars were located near origin in the van Krevelen diagram indicating lowest H/C and O/C molar ratios, thus suggesting higher aromaticity and lower polarity compared to other biochars. TGA thermograms indicated highest thermal stability of silica composited biochars. Ash and moisture corrected TGA thermograms were used to calculate recalcitrance index (R 50 ) of the materials, which speculated high degradability of biomass (R 50  < 0.4), minimal degradability of biochars and zeolite composited biochars (0.5 < R 50  < 0.7) and high recalcitrant nature of silica composited biochars (R 50  > 0.7). Silica composited biochars exhibited highest carbon sequestration potential (64.17-95.59%) compared to other biochars. Highest recalcitrance and carbon sequestration potential of silica composited biochars may be attributed to changes in structural arrangements in the silica-biochar complex. Encapsulations of biochar particles with amorphous silica via Si-C bonding may have prevented thermal degradation, subsequently increasing recalcitrance potential of silica composited biochars.

The analysis of false prolongation of the activated partial thromboplastin time (activator: silica): Interference of C-reactive protein.

PubMed

Liu, Jie; Li, Fanfan; Shu, Kuangyi; Chen, Tao; Wang, Xiaoou; Xie, Yaoqi; Li, Shanshan; Zhang, Zhaohua; Jin, Susu; Jiang, Minghua

2018-05-13

To investigate the effect of C-reactive protein on the activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) (different activators) in different detecting systems. The C-reactive protein and coagulation test of 112 patients with the infectious disease were determined by automation protein analyzer IMMAG 800 and automation coagulation analyzer STA-R Evolution, respectively. The pooled plasma APTT with different concentrations of C-reactive protein was measured by different detecting system: STA-R Evolution (activator: silica, kaolin), Sysmex CS-2000i (activator: ellagic acid), and ACL TOP 700 (activator: colloidal silica). In addition, the self-made platelet lysate (phospholipid) was added to correct the APTT prolonged by C-reactive protein (150 mg/L) on STA-R Evolution (activator: silica) system. The good correlation between C-reactive protein and APTT was found on the STA-R Evolution (activator: silica) system. The APTT on the STA-R Evolution (activator: silica) system was prolonged by 24.6 second, along with increasing C-reactive protein concentration. And the APTT of plasma containing 150 mg/L C-reactive protein was shortened by 3.4-6.9 second when the plasma was mixed with self-made platelet lysate. However, the APTT was prolonged unobviously on other detecting systems including STA-R Evolution (activator: kaolin), Sysmex CS-2000i, and ACL TOP 700. C-reactive protein interferes with the detection of APTT, especially in STA-R Evolution (activator: silica) system. The increasing in C-reactive protein results in a false prolongation of the APTT (activator: silica), and it is most likely that C-reactive protein interferes the coagulable factor binding of phospholipid. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Selective Laser Sintering of Porous Silica Enabled by Carbon Additive

PubMed Central

Chang, Shuai; Li, Liqun; Lu, Li

2017-01-01

The aim of this study is to investigate the possibility of a freeform fabrication of porous ceramic parts through selective laser sintering (SLS). SLS was proposed to manufacture ceramic green parts because this additive manufacturing technique can be used to fabricate three-dimensional objects directly without a mold, and the technique has the capability of generating porous ceramics with controlled porosity. However, ceramic printing has not yet fully achieved its 3D fabrication capabilities without using polymer binder. Except for the limitations of high melting point, brittleness, and low thermal shock resistance from ceramic material properties, the key obstacle lies in the very poor absorptivity of oxide ceramics to fiber laser, which is widely installed in commercial SLS equipment. An alternative solution to overcome the poor laser absorptivity via improving material compositions is presented in this study. The positive effect of carbon additive on the absorptivity of silica powder to fiber laser is discussed. To investigate the capabilities of the SLS process, 3D porous silica structures were successfully prepared and characterized. PMID:29144425

Selective Laser Sintering of Porous Silica Enabled by Carbon Additive.

PubMed

Chang, Shuai; Li, Liqun; Lu, Li; Fuh, Jerry Ying Hsi

2017-11-16

The aim of this study is to investigate the possibility of a freeform fabrication of porous ceramic parts through selective laser sintering (SLS). SLS was proposed to manufacture ceramic green parts because this additive manufacturing technique can be used to fabricate three-dimensional objects directly without a mold, and the technique has the capability of generating porous ceramics with controlled porosity. However, ceramic printing has not yet fully achieved its 3D fabrication capabilities without using polymer binder. Except for the limitations of high melting point, brittleness, and low thermal shock resistance from ceramic material properties, the key obstacle lies in the very poor absorptivity of oxide ceramics to fiber laser, which is widely installed in commercial SLS equipment. An alternative solution to overcome the poor laser absorptivity via improving material compositions is presented in this study. The positive effect of carbon additive on the absorptivity of silica powder to fiber laser is discussed. To investigate the capabilities of the SLS process, 3D porous silica structures were successfully prepared and characterized.

Mesoporous silica nanoparticles for active corrosion protection.

PubMed

Borisova, Dimitriya; Möhwald, Helmuth; Shchukin, Dmitry G

2011-03-22

This work presents the synthesis of monodisperse, mesoporous silica nanoparticles and their application as nanocontainers loaded with corrosion inhibitor (1H-benzotriazole (BTA)) and embedded in hybrid SiOx/ZrOx sol-gel coating for the corrosion protection of aluminum alloy. The developed porous system of mechanically stable silica nanoparticles exhibits high surface area (∼1000 m2·g(-1)), narrow pore size distribution (d∼3 nm), and large pore volume (∼1 mL·g(-1)). As a result, a sufficiently high uptake and storage of the corrosion inhibitor in the mesoporous nanocontainers was achieved. The successful embedding and homogeneous distribution of the BTA-loaded monodisperse silica nanocontainers in the passive anticorrosive SiOx/ZrOx film improve the wet corrosion resistance of the aluminum alloy AA2024 in 0.1 M sodium chloride solution. The enhanced corrosion protection of this newly developed active system in comparison to the passive sol-gel coating was observed during a simulated corrosion process by the scanning vibrating electrode technique (SVET). These results, as well as the controlled pH-dependent release of BTA from the mesoporous silica nanocontainers without additional polyelectrolyte shell, suggest an inhibitor release triggered by the corrosion process leading to a self-healing effect.

Storage and sustained release of volatile substances from a hollow silica matrix

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Jiexin; Ding, Haomin; Tao, Xia; Chen, Jianfeng

2007-06-01

Porous hollow silica nanospheres (PHSNSs) prepared by adopting a nanosized CaCO3 template were utilized for the first time as a novel carrier for the storage and sustained release of volatile substances. Two types of volatile substances, Indian pipal from perfumes and peroxyacetic acid from disinfectants, were selected and then tested by one simple adsorption process with two separate comparative carriers, i.e. activated carbon and solid porous silica. It was demonstrated that a high storage capacity (9.6 mlperfume/mgcarrier) of perfume could be achieved in a PHSNS matrix, which was almost 14 times as much as that of activated carbon. The perfume release profiles showed that PHSNSs exhibited sustained multi-stage release behaviour, while the constant release of activated carbon at a low level was discerned. Further, a Higuchi model study proved that the release process of perfume in both carriers followed a Fickian diffusion mechanism. For peroxyacetic acid as a disinfectant model, PHSNSs also displayed a much better delayed-delivery process than a solid porous silica system owing to the existence of unique hollow frameworks. Therefore, the aforementioned excellent sustained-release behaviours would make PHSNSs a promising carrier for storage and sustained delivery applications of volatile substances.

Delivery and Establishing Slow Release Carbon Source to the Hanford Vadose Zone Using Colloidal Silica Suspension Injection and Subsequent Gelation - Laboratory Study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhong, L.; Lee, M. H.; Lee, B.; Yang, S.

2016-12-01

Delivery of nutrient to and establish a slow release carbon source in the vadose zone and capillary fringe zone is essential for setting up of a long-lasting bioremediation of contaminations in those zones. Conventional solution-based injection and infiltration approaches are facing challenges to achieve the delivery and remedial goals. Aqueous silica suspensions undergo a delayed gelation process under favorite geochemical conditions. The delay in gelation provides a time window for the injection of the suspension into the subsurface; and the gelation of the amendment-silica suspension enables the amendment-laden gel to stay in the target zone and slowly release the constituents for contaminant remediation. This approach can potentially be applied to deliver bio-nutrients to the vadose zone and capillary fringe zone for enhanced bioremediation and achieve remedial goals. This research was conducted to demonstrate delayed gelation of colloidal silica suspensions when carbon sources were added and to prove the gelation occurs in sediments under vadose conditions. Sodium lactate, vegetable oil, ethanol, and molasses were tested as the examples of carbon source (or nutrient) amendments. The rheological properties of the silica suspensions during the gelation were characterized. The influence of silica, salinity, nutrient concentrations, and the type of nutrients was studied. The kinetics of nutrient release from silica-nutrient gel was quantified using molasses as the example, and the influence of suspension gelation time was evaluated. The injection behavior of the suspensions was investigated by monitoring their viscosity changes and the injection pressures when the suspensions were delivered into sediment columns.

A polyacrylonitrile copolymer-silica template for three-dimensional hierarchical porous carbon as a Pt catalyst support for the oxygen reduction reaction.

PubMed

Liu, Minmin; Li, Jian; Cai, Chao; Zhou, Ziwei; Ling, Yun; Liu, Rui

2017-08-01

Herein, we report a novel route to construct a hierarchical three-dimensional porous carbon (3DC) through a copolymer-silica assembly. In the synthesis, silica acts as a hard template and leads to the formation of an interconnected 3D macropore, whereas styrene-co-acrylonitrile polymer has been used as both a carbon source and a soft template for micro- and meso-pores. The obtained 3DC materials possess a large surface area (∼550.5 m 2 g -1 ), which facilitates high dispersion of Pt nanoparticles on the carbon support. The 3DC-supported Pt electrocatalyst shows excellent performance in the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). The easy processing ability along with the characteristics of hierarchical porosity offers a new strategy for the preparation of carbon nanomaterials for energy application.

Characterization of carbon silica hybrid fillers obtained by pyrolysis of waste green tires by the STEM–EDX method

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Al-Hartomy, Omar A.; Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, University of Tabuk, Tabuk 71491; Al-Ghamdi, Ahmed A.

2015-03-15

Dual phase carbon–silica hybrid fillers obtained by pyrolysis-cum-water vapor of waste green tires have been characterized by energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy in a scanning transmission electron microscope, silicate analysis, weight analysis, atomic absorption spectroscopy and by inductively coupled plasma–optical emission spectroscopy. The results achieved have shown that the location and distribution of the phases in the carbon silica hybrid fillers as well as their most essential characteristics are influenced by the pyrolysis conditions. The carbon phase of the filler thus obtained is located predominantly in the space among silica aggregates which have already been existing while it has been formedmore » by elastomer destruction in the course of pyrolysis. The presence of ZnS also has been found in the hybrid fillers investigated. - Highlights: • Dual phase fillers obtained by pyrolysis of waste green tires have been characterized. • The STEM–EDX method was used for characterization. • The phase distributions in the fillers are influenced by the pyrolysis conditions.« less

Phagolysosome acidification is required for silica and engineered nanoparticle-induced lysosome membrane permeabilization and resultant NLRP3 inflammasome activity

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Jessop, Forrest; Hamilton, Raymond F.; Rhoderick,

NLRP3 inflammasome activation occurs in response to hazardous particle exposures and is critical for the development of particle-induced lung disease. Mechanisms of Lysosome Membrane Permeabilization (LMP), a central pathway for activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome by inhaled particles, are not fully understood. We demonstrate that the lysosomal vATPases inhibitor Bafilomycin A1 blocked LMP in vitro and ex vivo in primary murine macrophages following exposure to silica, multi-walled carbon nanotubes, and titanium nanobelts. Bafilomycin A1 treatment of particle-exposed macrophages also resulted in decreased active cathepsin L in the cytosol, a surrogate measure for leaked cathepsin B, which was associated with lessmore » NLRP3 inflammasome activity. Silica-induced LMP was partially dependent upon lysosomal cathepsins B and L, whereas nanoparticle-induced LMP occurred independent of cathepsin activity. Furthermore, inhibition of lysosomal cathepsin activity with CA-074-Me decreased the release of High Mobility Group Box 1. Together, these data support the notion that lysosome acidification is a prerequisite for particle-induced LMP, and the resultant leak of lysosome cathepsins is a primary regulator of ongoing NLRP3 inflammasome activity and release of HMGB1. - Highlights: • Silica and nanoparticles cause LMP in macrophages in vitro and in vivo. • Phagolysosome acidification is required for particle-induced LMP. • Cathepsin B and L are not required for nanoparticle-induced LMP. • Cathepsin B/L regulate the secretion of HMGB1 with particle exposure.« less

Anaerobic digestion of olive mill wastewaters in biofilm reactors packed with granular activated carbon and "Manville" silica beads.

PubMed

Bertin, Lorenzo; Berselli, Sara; Fava, Fabio; Petrangeli-Papini, Marco; Marchetti, Leonardo

2004-01-01

Anaerobic digestion is one of the most promising technologies for disposing olive mill wastewaters (OMWs). The process is generally carried out in the conventional contact bioreactors, which however are often unable to efficiently remove OMW phenolic compounds, that therefore occur in the effluents. The possibility of mitigating this problem by employing an anaerobic OMW-digesting microbial consortium passively immobilized in column reactors packed with granular activated carbon (GAC) or "Manville" silica beads (SB) was here investigated. Under batch conditions, both GAC- and SB-packed-bed biofilm reactors exhibited OMW COD and phenolic compound removal efficiencies markedly higher (from 60% to 250%) than those attained in a parallel anaerobic dispersed growth reactor developed with the same inoculum; GAC-reactor exhibited COD and phenolic compound depletion yields higher by 62% and 78%, respectively, than those achieved with the identically configured SB-biofilm reactor. Both biofilm reactors also mediated an extensive OMW remediation under continuous conditions, where GAC-reactor was much more effective than the corresponding SB-one, and showed a tolerance to high and variable organic loads along with a volumetric productivity in terms of COD and phenolic compound removal significantly higher than those averagely displayed by most of the conventional and packed-bed laboratory-scale reactors previously proposed for the OMW digestion.

A porous silica rock ("tripoli") in the footwall of the Jurassic Úrkút manganese deposit, Hungary: composition, and origin through carbonate dissolution

USGS Publications Warehouse

Polgari, Marta; Szabo, Zoltan; Szabo-Drubina, Magda; Hein, James R.; Yeh, Hsueh-Wen

2005-01-01

The mineralogical, chemical, and isotopic compositions were determined for a white tripoli from the footwall of the Jurassic Úrkút Mn-oxide ore deposit in the Bakony Mountains, Hungary. The tripoli consists of quartz and chalcedony, with SiO2 contents up to 100 wt.%; consequently, trace-element contents are very low. Oxygen isotopes and quartz crystallinity indicate a low-temperature diagenetic origin for this deposit. The tripoli was formed by dissolution of the carbonate portion of the siliceous (sponge spicules) Isztimér Limestone. Dissolution of the carbonate was promoted by inorganic and organic acids generated during diagensis and left a framework composed of diagenetic silica that preserved the original volume of the limestone layer. The relative enrichment of silica and high porosity is the result of that carbonate dissolution. The silty texture of this highly friable rock is due to the structurally weak silica framework.

Mesoporous CLEAs-silica composite microparticles with high activity and enhanced stability

PubMed Central

Cui, Jiandong; Jia, Shiru; Liang, Longhao; Zhao, Yamin; Feng, Yuxiao

2015-01-01

A novel enzyme immobilization approach was used to generate mesoporous enzymes-silica composite microparticles by co-entrapping gelatinized starch and cross-linked phenylalanine ammonia lyase (PAL) aggregates (CLEAs) containing gelatinized starch into biomemitic silica and subsequently removing the starch by α-amylase treatment. During the preparation process, the gelatinzed starch served as a pore-forming agent to create pores in CLEAs and biomimetic silica. The resulting mesoporous CLEAs-silica composite microparticles exhibited higher activity and stability than native PAL, conventional CLEAs, and PAL encapsulated in biomimetic silica. Furthermore, the mesoporous CLEAs-silica composite microparticles displayed good reusability due to its suitable size and mechanical properties, and had excellent stability for storage. The superior catalytic performances were attributed to the combinational unique structure from the intra-cross-linking among enzyme aggregates and hard mesoporous silica shell, which not only decreased the enzyme-support negative interaction and mass-transfer limitations, but also improved the mechanical properties and monodispersity. This approach will be highly beneficial for preparing various bioactive mesoporous composites with excellent catalytic performance. PMID:26374188

Diagenetic silica enrichment and late-stage groundwater activity in Gale crater, Mars

USGS Publications Warehouse

Frydenvang, Jens; Gasda, Patrick J.; Hurowitz, Joel A.; Grotzinger, John P.; Wiens, Roger C.; Newsom, Horton E.; Edgett, Ken S.; Watkins, Jessica; Bridges, John C.; Maurice, Sylvestre; Fisk, Martin R.; Johnson, Jeffrey R.; Rapin, William; Stein, Nathan; Clegg, Sam M.; Schwenzer, S. P.; Bedford, C.; Edwards, P.; Mangold, Nicolas; Cousin, Agnes; Anderson, Ryan; Payre, Valerie; Vaniman, David; Blake, David; Lanza, Nina L.; Gupta, Sanjeev; Van Beek, Jason; Sautter, Violaine; Meslin, Pierre-Yves; Rice, Melissa; Milliken, Ralf; Gellert, Ralf; Thompson, Lucy; Clark, Ben C.; Sumner, Dawn Y.; Fraeman, Abigail A.; Kinch, Kjartan M; Madsen, Morten B.; Mitofranov, Igor; Jun, Insoo; Calef, Fred J.; Vasavada, Ashwin R.

2017-01-01

Diagenetic silica enrichment in fracture-associated halos that crosscut lacustrine and unconformably overlying aeolian sedimentary bedrock is observed on the lower north slope of Aeolis Mons in Gale crater, Mars. The diagenetic silica enrichment is colocated with detrital silica enrichment observed in the lacustrine bedrock yet extends into a considerably younger, unconformably draping aeolian sandstone, implying that diagenetic silica enrichment postdates the detrital silica enrichment. A causal connection between the detrital and diagenetic silica enrichment implies that water was present in the subsurface of Gale crater long after deposition of the lacustrine sediments and that it mobilized detrital amorphous silica and precipitated it along fractures in the overlying bedrock. Although absolute timing is uncertain, the observed diagenesis likely represents some of the most recent groundwater activity in Gale crater and suggests that the timescale of potential habitability extended considerably beyond the time that the lacustrine sediments of Aeolis Mons were deposited.

Colloidal titania-silica-iron oxide nanocomposites and the effect from silica thickness on the photocatalytic and bactericidal activities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chanhom, Padtaraporn; Charoenlap, Nisanart; Tomapatanaget, Boosayarat; Insin, Numpon

2017-04-01

New types of colloidal multifunctional nanocomposites that combine superparamagnetic character and high photocatalytic activity were synthesized and investigated. The superparamagnetic nanocomposites composed of anatase titania, silica, and iron oxide nanoparticles (TSI) were synthesized using thermal decomposition method followed by microemulsion method, without calcination at high temperature. Different techniques including X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscope (TEM) were used to characterize and confirm the structure of the nanocomposites. These nanocomposites showed high photocatalytic activity when used in the photodegradation of methylene blue under irradiation with a black light lamp. Moreover, the nanocomposites exhibited high antibacterial properties. From our study, the nanocomposites can be useful in various applications such as removal of pollutants with readily separation from the environment using an external magnetic field. These composites could effectively photo-degrade the dye at least three cycles without regeneration. The effects of silica shell thickness on the photocatalytic activity was investigated, and the thickness of 6 nm of the silica interlayer is enough for the inhibition of electron translocation between titania and iron oxide nanoparticles and maintaining the efficiency of photocatalytic activity of titania nanoparticles.

Silica hydride intermediate for octadecylsilica and phenyl bonded phase preparation via heterogeneous hydrosilation in supercritical carbon dioxide.

PubMed

Scully, N M; Ashu-Arrah, B A; Nagle, A P; Omamogho, J O; O'Sullivan, G P; Friebolin, V; Dietrich, B; Albert, K; Glennon, J D

2011-04-15

Investigations into the preparation of silica hydride intermediate in supercritical carbon dioxide (sc-CO(2)) that avoids the use of organic solvents such as toluene or dioxane are described. The effects of reaction temperature, pressure and time on the surface coverage of the supercritical fluid generated silica hydride intermediate were studied. Under optimised supercritical conditions of 120°C, 483 bar and 3 h reaction time, silica hydride (Si-H) conversion efficiencies of ca. 40% were achieved for the hydride intermediate prepared from a monofunctional silane reagent (dimethylmethoxysilane). Si-H conversion efficiencies (as determined from (29)Si CP-MAS NMR spectral analysis) for the hydride intermediate prepared from triethoxysilane (TES) in sc-CO(2) were found to be comparable to those obtained using a TES silanisation approach in an organic solvent. (13)C and (29)Si CP-MAS-NMR spectroscopy was employed to provide a complete structural assignment of the silica hydride intermediates. Furthermore, supercritical CO(2) was subsequently employed as a reaction medium for the heterogenous hydrosilation of silica hydride with octadecene and with styrene, in the presence of a free radical initiator. These supercritical fluid generated reversed-phase materials were prepared in a substantially reduced reaction time (3 h) compared to organic solvent based methods (100 h reaction time). Silica functionalisation in sc-CO(2) presents an efficient and clean alternative to organic solvent based methods for the preparation of important silica hydride intermediate and silica bonded stationary phases via a hydrosilation approach. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Carbon dots based dual-emission silica nanoparticles as ratiometric fluorescent probe for nitrite determination in food samples.

PubMed

Xiang, Guoqiang; Wang, Yule; Zhang, Heng; Fan, Huanhuan; Fan, Lu; He, Lijun; Jiang, Xiuming; Zhao, Wenjie

2018-09-15

In this work, a simple and effective strategy for designing a ratiometric fluorescent nanosensor was described. A carbon dots (CDs) based dual-emission nanosensor for nitrite was prepared by coating the CDs on to dye-doped silica nanoparticles. Dual-emission silica nanoparticles fluorescence was quenched in sulfuric acid using potassium bromate (KBrO 3 ). The nitrite present catalyzed the KBrO 3 oxidation, resulting in ratiometric fluorescence response of the dual-emission silica nanoparticles. Several important parameters affecting the performance of the nanosensor were investigated. Under optimized conditions, the limit of detection was 1.0 ng mL -1 and the linear range 10-160 ng mL -1 . Furthermore, the sensor was suitable for nitrite determination in different food samples. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Advances in the Determination of the Speciation of the Carbon Associated with Biogenic Silica Produced by Plants

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Masion, A.; Alexandre, A. E.; Ziarelli, F.; Viel, S.; Santos, G.

2016-12-01

Biogenic silica resulting from the precipitation of dissolved Si through biological processes in plants, often contains small amounts of occluded organic carbon. These phases, called phytoliths, have a long persistence in soils, making them tracers of past conditions. In this context, the knowledge of the carbon speciation associated with phytoliths bears significant importance in examining the carbon dynamics in soils. With carbon concentrations as low as the 0.1% range, examining the nature of organic carbon remains very challenging, and available tools (e.g. pyrolysis) are often prone to serious artifacts. Recent improvements of microwave sources enabled the application of the Dynamic Nuclear Polarization (DNP) technique to NMR, thereby establishing a new non-destructive tool for the qualitative and quantitative determination of the carbon speciation. Applied to the analysis of phytoliths, this method showed the presence of carbons from different sources within the sample: About 20% of the signal correspond to carbohydrates, and are assigned to photosynthetic carbon; the marked alkyl, N-alkyl and carbonyl signals indicate a significant proportion of proteins. This is consistent with the hypothesis that parts of the carbon associated with the phytoliths is imported into the host plant via uptake from the soil. Finally, lignins, glomalin-like and/or humic-like compounds are minor species associated with biogenic silica. This speciation was obtained overnight with a DNP-NMR set-up with an excellent sensitivity (few tens of weight ppm); the same spectrum on a standard NMR spectrometer would have required at least 250 days of data acquisition. The considerable gain in sensitivity associated with the use of DNP now makes NMR a relevant technique for the analysis of environmental samples.

Biomimetic mineral self-organization from silica-rich spring waters.

PubMed

García-Ruiz, Juan Manuel; Nakouzi, Elias; Kotopoulou, Electra; Tamborrino, Leonardo; Steinbock, Oliver

2017-03-01

Purely inorganic reactions of silica, metal carbonates, and metal hydroxides can produce self-organized complex structures that mimic the texture of biominerals, the morphology of primitive organisms, and that catalyze prebiotic reactions. To date, these fascinating structures have only been synthesized using model solutions. We report that mineral self-assembly can be also obtained from natural alkaline silica-rich water deriving from serpentinization. Specifically, we demonstrate three main types of mineral self-assembly: (i) nanocrystalline biomorphs of barium carbonate and silica, (ii) mesocrystals and crystal aggregates of calcium carbonate with complex biomimetic textures, and (iii) osmosis-driven metal silicate hydrate membranes that form compartmentalized, hollow structures. Our results suggest that silica-induced mineral self-assembly could have been a common phenomenon in alkaline environments of early Earth and Earth-like planets.

Chemical acceleration of a neutral granulated blast-furnace slag activated by sodium carbonate

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kovtun, Maxim, E-mail: max.kovtun@up.ac.za; Kearsley, Elsabe P., E-mail: elsabe.kearsley@up.ac.za; Shekhovtsova, Julia, E-mail: j.shekhovtsova@gmail.com

2015-06-15

This paper presents results of a study on chemical acceleration of a neutral granulated blast-furnace slag activated using sodium carbonate. As strength development of alkali-activated slag cements containing neutral GBFS and sodium carbonate as activator at room temperature is known to be slow, three accelerators were investigated: sodium hydroxide, ordinary Portland cement and a combination of silica fume and slaked lime. In all cements, the main hydration product is C–(A)–S–H, but its structure varies between tobermorite and riversideite depending on the accelerator used. Calcite and gaylussite are present in all systems and they were formed due to either cation exchangemore » reaction between the slag and the activator, or carbonation. With accelerators, compressive strength up to 15 MPa can be achieved within 24 h in comparison to 2.5 MPa after 48 h for a mix without an accelerator.« less

No More HF: Teflon-Assisted Ultrafast Removal of Silica to Generate High-Surface-Area Mesostructured Carbon for Enhanced CO2 Capture and Supercapacitor Performance.

PubMed

Singh, Dheeraj Kumar; Krishna, Katla Sai; Harish, Srinivasan; Sampath, Srinivasan; Eswaramoorthy, Muthusamy

2016-02-05

An innovative technique to obtain high-surface-area mesostructured carbon (2545 m(2)  g(-1)) with significant microporosity uses Teflon as the silica template removal agent. This method not only shortens synthesis time by combining silica removal and carbonization in a single step, but also assists in ultrafast removal of the template (in 10 min) with complete elimination of toxic HF usage. The obtained carbon material (JNC-1) displays excellent CO2 capture ability (ca. 26.2 wt % at 0 °C under 0.88 bar CO2 pressure), which is twice that of CMK-3 obtained by the HF etching method (13.0 wt %). JNC-1 demonstrated higher H2 adsorption capacity (2.8 wt %) compared to CMK-3 (1.2 wt %) at -196 °C under 1.0 bar H2 pressure. The bimodal pore architecture of JNC-1 led to superior supercapacitor performance, with a specific capacitance of 292 F g(-1) and 182 F g(-1) at a drain rate of 1 A g(-1) and 50 A g(-1) , respectively, in 1 m H2 SO4 compared to CMK-3 and activated carbon. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Preparation, characterization, and catalytic activity of zirconocene bridged on surface of silica gel

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

El Majdoub, Lotfia; Shi, Yasai; Yuan, Yuan; Zhou, Annan; Abutartour, Abubaker; Xu, Qinghong

2015-10-01

Zirconocene catalyst supported on silica gel was prepared for olefin polymerization by surface modification of calcined silica with SiCl4, and the reaction between the modified silica and cyclopentadienyl sodium and ZrCl4. The catalyst was characterized by using Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) spectrometer, thermogravimetric (TG), and differential scanning calorimetric (DSC) analytic spectrometer. It was found that the metallocene structure could be formed and connected on silica surface by chemical bond. Initial catalytic tests showed that the supported metallocene was catalytically active (methylaluminoxane as a cocatalyst), producing polymer with higher molecular weight than the metallocene just immobilized on the surface of silica gel.

Recent Advances in Research on the Synthetic Fiber Based Silica Aerogel Nanocomposites

PubMed Central

Ślosarczyk, Agnieszka

2017-01-01

The presented paper contains a brief review on the synthesis and characterization of silica aerogels and its nanocomposites with nanofibers and fibers based on a literature study over the past twenty years and my own research. Particular attention is focused on carbon fiber-based silica aerogel nanocomposites. Silica aerogel is brittle in nature, therefore, it is necessary to improve this drawback, e.g., by polymer modification or fiber additives. Nevertheless, there are very few articles in the literature devoted to the synthesis of silica aerogel/fiber nanocomposites, especially those focusing on carbon fibers and nanofibers. Carbon fibers are very interesting materials, namely due to their special properties: high conductivity, high mechanical properties in relation to very low bulk densities, high thermal stability, and chemical resistance in the silica aerogel matrix, which can help enhance silica aerogel applications in the future. PMID:28336876

Recent Advances in Research on the Synthetic Fiber Based Silica Aerogel Nanocomposites.

PubMed

Ślosarczyk, Agnieszka

2017-02-16

The presented paper contains a brief review on the synthesis and characterization of silica aerogels and its nanocomposites with nanofibers and fibers based on a literature study over the past twenty years and my own research. Particular attention is focused on carbon fiber-based silica aerogel nanocomposites. Silica aerogel is brittle in nature, therefore, it is necessary to improve this drawback, e.g., by polymer modification or fiber additives. Nevertheless, there are very few articles in the literature devoted to the synthesis of silica aerogel/fiber nanocomposites, especially those focusing on carbon fibers and nanofibers. Carbon fibers are very interesting materials, namely due to their special properties: high conductivity, high mechanical properties in relation to very low bulk densities, high thermal stability, and chemical resistance in the silica aerogel matrix, which can help enhance silica aerogel applications in the future.

Concentration gradient induced morphology evolution of silica nanostructure growth on photoresist-derived carbon micropatterns

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Dan; Shi, Tielin; Xi, Shuang; Lai, Wuxing; Liu, Shiyuan; Li, Xiaoping; Tang, Zirong

2012-09-01

The evolution of silica nanostructure morphology induced by local Si vapor source concentration gradient has been investigated by a smart design of experiments. Silica nanostructure or their assemblies with different morphologies are obtained on photoresist-derived three-dimensional carbon microelectrode array. At a temperature of 1,000°C, rope-, feather-, and octopus-like nanowire assemblies can be obtained along with the Si vapor source concentration gradient flow. While at 950°C, stringlike assemblies, bamboo-like nanostructures with large joints, and hollow structures with smaller sizes can be obtained along with the Si vapor source concentration gradient flow. Both vapor-liquid-solid and vapor-quasiliquid-solid growth mechanisms have been applied to explain the diverse morphologies involving branching, connecting, and batch growth behaviors. The present approach offers a potential method for precise design and controlled synthesis of nanostructures with different features.

Performance and durability of carbon black-supported Pd catalyst covered with silica layers in membrane-electrode assemblies of proton exchange membrane fuel cells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fujii, Keitaro; Ito, Mizuki; Sato, Yasushi; Takenaka, Sakae; Kishida, Masahiro

2015-04-01

Pd metal particles supported on a high surface area carbon black (Pd/CB) were covered with silica layers to improve the durability under severe cathode condition of proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs). The performance and the durability of the silica-coated Pd/CB (SiO2/Pd/CB) were investigated by rotating disk electrode (RDE) in aqueous HClO4 and single cell test of the membrane-electrode assemblies (MEAs). SiO2/Pd/CB showed excellent durability exceeding Pt/CB during potential cycle in single cell test as well as in RDE measurement while Pd/CB significantly degraded. Furthermore, the MEA using SiO2/Pd/CB as the cathode catalyst showed higher performance than that using Pd/CB even in the initial state. The catalytic activity of SiO2/Pd/CB was higher than that of Pd/CB, and the drop of the cell performances due to the inhibition of electron conduction, proton conduction, and oxygen diffusion by the silica layer was not significant. It has been shown that the silica-coating is a very practical technique that can stabilize metal species originally unstable in the cathode condition of PEMFCs without a decrease in the cell performance.

Liposomes as protective capsules for active silica sol-gel biocomposite synthesis.

PubMed

Li, Ye; Yip, Wai Tak

2005-09-21

Using liposome to shield an enzyme from hostile chemical environments during the sol-gel formation process has resulted in a novel approach to synthesizing silica sol-gel biocomposite materials. By reporting the encapsulation of horseradish peroxidase and firefly luciferase, we demonstrate that this new protocol can produce silica biocomposites that are more active than trapping the enzymes directly into hydrogels.

Chitosan/silica coated carbon nanotubes composite proton exchange membranes for fuel cell applications.

PubMed

Liu, Hai; Gong, Chunli; Wang, Jie; Liu, Xiaoyan; Liu, Huanli; Cheng, Fan; Wang, Guangjin; Zheng, Genwen; Qin, Caiqin; Wen, Sheng

2016-01-20

Silica-coated carbon nanotubes (SCNTs), which were obtained by a simple sol-gel method, were utilized in preparation of chitosan/SCNTs (CS/SCNTs) composite membranes. The thermal and oxidative stability, morphology, mechanical properties, water uptake and proton conductivity of CS/SCNTs composite membranes were investigated. The insulated and hydrophilic silica layer coated on CNTs eliminates the risk of electronic short-circuiting and enhances the interaction between SCNTs and chitosan to ensure the homogenous dispersion of SCNTs, although the water uptake of CS/SCNTs membranes is reduced owing to the decrease of the effective number of the amino functional groups of chitosan. The CS/SCNTs composite membranes are superior to the pure CS membrane in thermal and oxidative stability, mechanical properties and proton conductivity. The results of this study suggest that CS/SCNTs composite membranes exhibit promising potential for practical application in proton exchange membranes. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Biosynthesis of glycerol carbonate from glycerol by lipase in dimethyl carbonate as the solvent.

PubMed

Lee, Kyung Hwa; Park, Chang-Ho; Lee, Eun Yeol

2010-11-01

Glycerol carbonate was synthesized from renewable glycerol and dimethyl carbonate using lipase in solvent-free reaction system in which excess dimethyl carbonate played as the reaction medium. A variety of lipases have been tested for their abilities to catalyze transesterification reaction, and Candida antartica lipase B and Novozyme 435 exhibited higher catalytic activities. The silica-coated glycerol with a 1:1 ratio was supplied to prevent two-phase formation between hydrophobic dimethyl carbonate and hydrophilic glycerol. Glycerol carbonate was successfully synthesized with more than 90% conversion from dimethyl carbonate and glycerol with a molar ratio of 10 using Novozyme 435-catalyzed transesterification at 70 °C. The Novozyme 435 [5% (w/w) and 20% (w/w)] and silica gel were more than four times recycled with good stability in a repeated batch operation for the solvent-free synthesis of glycerol carbonate.

High surface area silicon carbide-coated carbon aerogel

DOEpatents

Worsley, Marcus A; Kuntz, Joshua D; Baumann, Theodore F; Satcher, Jr, Joe H

2014-01-14

A metal oxide-carbon composite includes a carbon aerogel with an oxide overcoat. The metal oxide-carbon composite is made by providing a carbon aerogel, immersing the carbon aerogel in a metal oxide sol under a vacuum, raising the carbon aerogel with the metal oxide sol to atmospheric pressure, curing the carbon aerogel with the metal oxide sol at room temperature, and drying the carbon aerogel with the metal oxide sol to produce the metal oxide-carbon composite. The step of providing a carbon aerogel can provide an activated carbon aerogel or provide a carbon aerogel with carbon nanotubes that make the carbon aerogel mechanically robust. Carbon aerogels can be coated with sol-gel silica and the silica can be converted to silicone carbide, improved the thermal stability of the carbon aerogel.

Zero-valent iron particles embedded on the mesoporous silica-carbon for chromium (VI) removal from aqueous solution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xiong, Kun; Gao, Yuan; Zhou, Lin; Zhang, Xianming

2016-09-01

Nanoscale zero-valent iron (nZVI) particles were embedded on the walls of mesoporous silica-carbon (MSC) under the conditions of high-temperature carbonization and reduction and used to remove chromium (VI) from aqueous solution. The structure and textural properties of nZVI-MSC were characterized by the powder X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy and N2 adsorption and desorption. The results show that nZVI-MSC has highly ordered mesoporous structure and large surface area, indistinguishable with that of MSC. Compared with the support MSC and iron particles supported on the activated carbon (nZVI/AC), nZVI-MSC exhibited much higher Cr(VI) removal efficiency with about 98 %. The removal process obeys a pseudo first-order model. Such excellent performance of nZVI-MSC could be ascribed to the large surface and iron particles embedded on the walls of the MSC, forming an intimate contact with the MSC. It is proposed that this feature might create certain micro-electrode on the interface of iron particles and MSC, which prevented the formation of metal oxide on the surface and provided fresh Fe surface for Cr(VI) removal.

Silica-grafted ionic liquids for revealing the respective charging behaviors of cations and anions in supercapacitors.

PubMed

Dou, Qingyun; Liu, Lingyang; Yang, Bingjun; Lang, Junwei; Yan, Xingbin

2017-12-19

Supercapacitors based on activated carbon electrodes and ionic liquids as electrolytes are capable of storing charge through the electrosorption of ions on porous carbons and represent important energy storage devices with high power delivery/uptake. Various computational and instrumental methods have been developed to understand the ion storage behavior, however, techniques that can probe various cations and anions of ionic liquids separately remain lacking. Here, we report an approach to monitoring cations and anions independently by using silica nanoparticle-grafted ionic liquids, in which ions attaching to silica nanoparticle cannot access activated carbon pores upon charging, whereas free counter-ions can. Aided by this strategy, conventional electrochemical characterizations allow the direct measurement of the respective capacitance contributions and acting potential windows of different ions. Moreover, coupled with electrochemical quartz crystal microbalance, this method can provide unprecedented insight into the underlying electrochemistry.

Enzyme encapsulation in silica gel prepared by polylysine and its catalytic activity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kawachi, Yuki; Kugimiya, Shin-ichi; Nakamura, Hitomi; Kato, Katsuya

2014-09-01

Enzymes used in industrial applications are often immobilized onto different types of supports because they are sensitive to pH, temperature, and various other environmental conditions. However, many of the current immobilization approaches face problems such as the requirement of tedious multi-step procedures, loss of enzyme activity during immobilization, and poor reusability. In this study, we chose poly-L-lysine (Ki) as a catalyst for silica mineralization and attempted a one-step "leave to stand" synthesis method under mild conditions, so as to simultaneously maintain both high enzymatic activity and reusability. To examine the effect of Kx on the enzymatic reaction of lipase, we performed hydrolysis of 2-octylacetate without adding a silica precursor. Results indicate that Kx hardly exerts adverse influence on the enzymatic activity of lipase. The lipase encapsulated in the silica gel prepared by leave to stand (Gelstand) retained 70% of the activity compared to the free solution, which is two times higher than that obtained by mixing (Gelmix). However, the Km value was found to be similar to that of free enzymes. These results suggest that the leave to stand is a suitable procedure for immobilization, without any decrease in the mass transfer of substrate. The Gel-stand sample retained 100% activity even after the 5th cycle, and retained above 95% of its activity after 4 h of heat treatment at 65 °C. Using phenyltriethoxysilane as a silica precursor, tertiary structural stability of enzyme was obtained, and its Kcat value was improved when compared to a free solution.

Solid-phase extraction of polar pesticides from environmental water samples on graphitized carbon and Empore-activated carbon disks and on-line coupling to octadecyl-bonded silica analytical columns.

PubMed

Slobodník, J; Oztezkizan, O; Lingeman, H; Brinkman, U A

1996-10-25

The suitability of Empore-activated carbon disks (EACD), Envi-Carb graphitized carbon black (GCB) and CPP-50 graphitized carbon for the trace enrichment of polar pesticides from water samples was studied by means of off-line and on-line solid-phase extraction (SPE). In the off-line procedure, 0.5-2 l samples spiked with a test mixture of oxamyl, methomyl and aldicarb sulfoxide were enriched on EnviCarb SPE cartridges or 47 mm diameter EACD and eluted with dichloromethane-methanol. After evaporation, a sample was injected onto a C18-bonded silica column and analysed by liquid chromatography with ultraviolet (LC-UV) detection. EACD performed better than EnviCarb cartridges in terms of breakthrough volumes (> 2 l for all test analytes), reproducibility (R.S.D. of recoveries, 4-8%, n = 3) and sampling speed (100 ml/min); detection limits in drinking water were 0.05-0.16 microgram/l. In the on-line experiments, 4.6 mm diameter pieces cut from original EACD and stacked onto each other in a 9 mm long precolumn, and EnviCarb and CPP-50 packed in 10 x 2.0 mm I.D. precolumn, were tested, and 50-200 ml spiked water samples were preconcentrated. Because of the peak broadening caused by the strong sorption of the analytes on carbon, the carbon-packed precolumns were eluted by a separate stream of 0.1 ml/min acetonitrile which was mixed with the gradient LC eluent in front of the C18 analytical column. The final on-line procedure was also applied for the less polar propoxur, carbaryl and methiocarb. EnviCarb could not be used due to its poor pressure resistance. CPP-50 provided less peak broadening than EACD: peak widths were 0.1-0.3 min and R.S.D. of peak heights 4-14% (n = 3). In terms of analyte trapping efficiency on-line SPE-LC-UV with a CPP-50 precolumn also showed better performance than when Bondesil C18/OH or polymeric PLRP-S was used, but chromatographic resolution was similar. With the CPP-50-based system, detection limits of the test compounds were 0.05-1 microgram

A novel method to characterize silica bodies in grasses.

PubMed

Dabney, Clemon; Ostergaard, Jason; Watkins, Eric; Chen, Changbin

2016-01-01

The deposition of silicon into epidermal cells of grass species is thought to be an important mechanism that plants use as a defense against pests and environmental stresses. There are a number of techniques available to study the size, density and distribution pattern of silica bodies in grass leaves. However, none of those techniques can provide a high-throughput analysis, especially for a great number of samples. We developed a method utilizing the autofluorescence of silica bodies to investigate their size and distribution, along with the number of carbon inclusions within the silica bodies of perennial grass species Koeleria macrantha. Fluorescence images were analyzed by image software Adobe Photoshop CS5 or ImageJ that remarkably facilitated the quantification of silica bodies in the dry ash. We observed three types of silica bodies or silica body related mineral structures. Silica bodies were detected on both abaxial and adaxial epidermis of K. macrantha leaves, although their sizes, density, and distribution patterns were different. No auto-fluorescence was detected from carbon inclusions. The combination of fluorescence microscopy and image processing software displayed efficient utilization in the identification and quantification of silica bodies in K. macrantha leaf tissues, which should applicable to biological, ecological and geological studies of grasses including forage, turf grasses and cereal crops.

A silica-supported solid dispersion of bifendate using supercritical carbon dioxide method with enhanced dissolution rate and oral bioavailability.

PubMed

Cai, Cuifang; Liu, Muhua; Li, Yun; Guo, Bei; Chang, Hui; Zhang, Xiangrong; Yang, Xiaoxu; Zhang, Tianhong

2016-01-01

In this study, to enhance the dissolution rate and oral bioavailability of bifendate, a silica-supported solid dispersion (SD) of bifendate was prepared using supercritical carbon dioxide (ScCO2) technology. The properties of bifendate-silica SD were characterized by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), X-ray diffraction (X-RD) and scanning electron microscopy. The pharmacokinetic study was carried out in beagle dogs using commercial bifendate dropping pills as a reference which is a conventional SD formulation of bifendate and PEG6000. A novel method of Ultra Performance Convergence Chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPC(2)™-MS/MS) method was applied to determine bifendate concentration in plasma. The amorphous state of bifendate in bifendate-silica SD was revealed in X-RD and DSC when the ratios of bifendate and silica were 1:15 and 1:19, respectively. In vitro dissolution rate was significantly improved with cumulative release of 67% within 20 min relative to 8% for the physical mixture of bifendate and silica, and which was also higher than the commercial dropping pill of 52%. After storage at 75% relative humidity (RH) for 10 d, no recrystallization was found and reduced dissolution rate was obtained due to the absorption of moisture. In pharmacokinetic study, Cmax and AUC0-t for bifendate-silica SD were 153.1 ng/ml and 979.8 ng h/ml, respectively. AUC0-t of bifendate-silica SDs was ∼1.6-fold higher than that of the commercial dropping pills. These results suggest that adsorbing bifendate onto porous silica via ScCO2 technique could be a feasible method to enhance oral bioavailability together with a higher dissolution rate.

Novel silica surface charge density mediated control of the optical properties of embedded optically active materials and its application for fiber optic pH sensing at elevated temperatures.

PubMed

Wang, Congjun; Ohodnicki, Paul R; Su, Xin; Keller, Murphy; Brown, Thomas D; Baltrus, John P

2015-02-14

Silica and silica incorporated nanocomposite materials have been extensively studied for a wide range of applications. Here we demonstrate an intriguing optical effect of silica that, depending on the solution pH, amplifies or attenuates the optical absorption of a variety of embedded optically active materials with very distinct properties, such as plasmonic Au nanoparticles, non-plasmonic Pt nanoparticles, and the organic dye rhodamine B (not a pH indicator), coated on an optical fiber. Interestingly, the observed optical response to varying pH appears to follow the surface charge density of the silica matrix for all the three different optically active materials. To the best of our knowledge, this optical effect has not been previously reported and it appears universal in that it is likely that any optically active material can be incorporated into the silica matrix to respond to solution pH or surface charge density variations. A direct application of this effect is for optical pH sensing which has very attractive features that can enable minimally invasive, remote, real time and continuous distributed pH monitoring. Particularly, as demonstrated here, using highly stable metal nanoparticles embedded in an inorganic silica matrix can significantly improve the capability of pH sensing in extremely harsh environments which is of increasing importance for applications in unconventional oil and gas resource recovery, carbon sequestration, water quality monitoring, etc. Our approach opens a pathway towards possible future development of robust optical pH sensors for the most demanding environmental conditions. The newly discovered optical effect of silica also offers the potential for control of the optical properties of optically active materials for a range of other potential applications such as electrochromic devices.

Facile electrosynthesis of silicon carbide nanowires from silica/carbon precursors in molten salt.

PubMed

Zou, Xingli; Ji, Li; Lu, Xionggang; Zhou, Zhongfu

2017-08-30

Silicon carbide nanowires (SiC NWs) have attracted intensive attention in recent years due to their outstanding performances in many applications. A large-scale and facile production of SiC NWs is critical to its successful application. Here, we report a simple method for the production of SiC NWs from inexpensive and abundantly available silica/carbon (SiO 2 /C) precursors in molten calcium chloride. The solid-to-solid electroreduction and dissolution-electrodeposition mechanisms can easily lead to the formation of homogenous SiC NWs. This template/catalyst-free approach greatly simplifies the synthesis procedure compared to conventional methods. This general strategy opens a direct electrochemical route for the conversion of SiO 2 /C into SiC NWs, and may also have implications for the electrosynthesis of other micro/nanostructured metal carbides/composites from metal oxides/carbon precursors.

The ebb and flood of Silica: Quantifying dissolved and biogenic silica fluxes from a temperate salt marsh

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vieillard, Amanda M.; Fulweiler, Robinson W.; Hughes, Zoe J.; Carey, Joanna C.

2011-12-01

Salt marshes are widely studied due to the broad range of ecosystem services they provide including serving as crucial wildlife habitat and as hotspots for biogeochemical cycling. Nutrients such as nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and carbon (C) are well studied in these systems. However, salt marshes may also be important environments for the cycling of another key nutrient, silica (Si). Found at the land-sea interface, these systems are silica replete with large stocks in plant biomass, sediments, and porewater, and therefore, have the potential to play a substantial role in the transformation and export of silica to coastal waters. In an effort to better understand this role, we measured the fluxes of dissolved (DSi) and biogenic (BSi) silica into and out of two tidal creeks in a temperate, North American (Rowley, Massachusetts, USA) salt marsh. One of the creeks has been fertilized from May to September for six years allowing us to examine the impacts of nutrient addition on silica dynamics within the marsh. High-resolution sampling in July 2010 showed no significant differences in Si concentrations between the fertilized and reference creeks with dissolved silica ranging from 0.5 to 108 μM and biogenic from 2.0 to 56 μM. Net fluxes indicated that the marsh is a point source of dissolved silica to the estuary in the summer with a net flux of approximately 169 mol h -1, demonstrating that this system exports DSi on the same magnitude as some nearby, mid-sized rivers. If these findings hold true for all salt marshes, then these already valuable regions are contributing yet another ecosystem service that has been previously overlooked; by exporting DSi to coastal receiving waters, salt marshes are actively providing this important nutrient for coastal primary productivity.

Alkali silica reaction (ASR) in cement free alkali activated sustainable concrete.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2016-12-19

This report summarizes the findings of an experimental evaluation into alkali silica : reaction (ASR) in cement free alkali-activated slag and fly ash binder concrete. The : susceptibility of alkali-activated fly ash and slag concrete binders to dele...

Solid-phase extraction using bis(indolyl)methane-modified silica reinforced with multiwalled carbon nanotubes for the simultaneous determination of flavonoids and aromatic organic acid preservatives.

PubMed

Wang, Na; Liao, Yuan; Wang, Jiamin; Tang, Sheng; Shao, Shijun

2015-12-01

A novel bis(indolyl)methane-modified silica reinforced with multiwalled carbon nanotubes sorbent for solid-phase extraction was designed and synthesized by chemical immobilization of nitro-substituted 3,3'-bis(indolyl)methane on silica modified with multiwalled carbon nanotubes. Coupled with high-performance liquid chromatography analysis, the extraction properties of the sorbent were evaluated for flavonoids and aromatic organic acid compounds. Under optimum conditions, the sorbent can simultaneously extract five flavonoids and two aromatic organic acid preservatives in aqueous solutions in a single-step solid-phase extraction procedure. Wide linear ranges were obtained with correlation coefficients (R(2) ) ranging from 0.9843 to 0.9976, and the limits of detection were in the range of 0.5-5 μg/L for the compounds tested. Compared with the silica modified with multiwalled carbon nanotubes sorbent and the nitro-substituted 3,3'-bis(indolyl)methane-modified silica sorbent, the developed sorbent exhibited higher extraction efficiency toward the selected analytes. The synergistic effect of nitro-substituted 3,3'-bis(indolyl)methane and multiwalled carbon nanotubes not only improved the surface-to-volume ratio but also enhanced multiple intermolecular interactions, such as hydrogen bonds, π-π, and hydrophobic interactions, between the new sorbent and the selected analytes. The as-established solid-phase extraction with high-performance liquid chromatography and diode array detection method was successfully applied to the simultaneous determination of flavonoids and aromatic organic acid preservatives in grape juices with recoveries ranging from 83.9 to 112% for all the selected analytes. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Silica in alkaline brines

USGS Publications Warehouse

Jones, B.F.; Rettig, S.L.; Eugster, H.P.

1967-01-01

Analysis of sodium carbonate-bicarbonate brines from closed basins in volcanic terranes of Oregon and Kenya reveals silica contents of up to 2700 parts per million at pH's higher than 10. These high concentrations of SiO 2 can be attributed to reaction of waters with silicates, and subsequent evaporative concentration accompanied by a rise in pH. Supersaturation with respect to amorphous silica may occur and persist for brines that are out of contact with silicate muds and undersaturated with respect to trona; correlation of SiO2 with concentration of Na and total CO2 support this interpretation. Addition of moredilute waters to alkaline brines may lower the pH and cause inorganic precipitation of substantial amounts of silica.

Immobilization of ruthenium phthalocyanine on silica-coated multi-wall partially oriented carbon nanotubes: Electrochemical detection of fenitrothion pesticide

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Canevari, Thiago C., E-mail: tccanevari@gmail.com; Prado, Thiago M.; Cincotto, Fernando H.

Highlights: • Hybrid material, SiO{sub 2}/MWCNTs containing ruthenium phthalocyanine (RuPc) synthesized in situ. • Silica containing multi-walled carbon nanotube partially oriented. • Determination of pesticide fenitrothion in orange juice. - Abstract: This paper reports on the determination of the pesticide fenitrothion using a glassy carbon electrode modified with silica-coated, multi-walled, partially oriented carbon nanotubes, SiO{sub 2}/MWCNTs, containing ruthenium phthalocyanine (RuPc) synthesized in situ. The hybrid SiO{sub 2}/MWCNTs/RuPc material was characterized by UV–vis absorption spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM) and differential pulse voltammetry. The modified electrode showed well-defined peaks in the presencemore » of fenitrothion in acetate buffer, pH 4.5, with a sensitivity of 0.0822 μA μM{sup −1} mm{sup −2} and a detection limit of 0.45 ppm. Notably, the modified SiO{sub 2}/MWCNTs/RuPc electrodes with did not suffer from significant influences in the presence of other organophosphorus pesticides during the determination of the fenitrothion pesticide. Moreover, this modified electrode showed excellent performance in the determination of fenitrothion in orange juice.« less

In vitro characterisation of a sol-gel derived in situ silica-coated silicate and carbonate co-doped hydroxyapatite nanopowder for bone grafting.

PubMed

Latifi, Seyed Mohsen; Fathi, Mohammadhossein; Sharifnabi, Ali; Varshosaz, Jaleh

2017-06-01

Design and synthesis of materials with better properties and performance are essential requirements in the field of biomaterials science that would directly improve patient quality of life. For this purpose, in situ silica-coated silicate and carbonate co-doped hydroxyapatite (Sc/S.C.HA) nanopowder was synthesized via the sol-gel method. Characterisation of the prepared nanopowder was carried out by XRD, FTIR, TEM, SEM, EDX, ICP, zeta potential, acid dissolution test, and cell culture test. The substitution of the silicate and carbonate ions into hydroxyapatite structure was confirmed by FTIR analysis. XRD analysis showed that silica is an amorphous phase, which played a role in covering the surface of the S.C.HA nanoparticles as confirmed by acid dissolution test. Low thickness and low integrity of the amorphous silica surface layer facilitated ions release from S.C.HA nanoparticles into physiological saline solution. Zeta potential of the prepared nanopowder suspended in physiological saline solution was -27.3±0.2mV at pH7.4. This negatively charged surface, due to the presence of amorphous silica layer upon the S.C.HA nanoparticles, not only had an accelerating effect on in vitro biomineralization of apatite, but also had a positive effect on cell attachment. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Nano-Welding of Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes on Silicon and Silica Surface by Laser Irradiation.

PubMed

Yuan, Yanping; Chen, Jimin

2016-02-24

In this study, a continuous fiber laser (1064 nm wavelength, 30 W/cm²) is used to irradiate multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) on different substrate surfaces. Effects of substrates on nano-welding of MWCNTs are investigated by scanning electron microscope (SEM). For MWCNTs on silica, after 3 s irradiation, nanoscale welding with good quality can be achieved due to breaking C-C bonds and formation of new graphene layers. While welding junctions can be formed until 10 s for the MWCNTs on silicon, the difference of irradiation time to achieve welding is attributed to the difference of thermal conductivity for silica and silicon. As the irradiation time is prolonged up to 12.5 s, most of the MWCNTs are welded to a silicon substrate, which leads to their frameworks of tube walls on the silicon surface. This is because the accumulation of absorbed energy makes the temperature rise. Then chemical reactions among silicon, carbon and nitrogen occur. New chemical bonds of Si-N and Si-C achieve the welding between the MWCNTs and silicon. Vibration modes of Si₃N₄ appear at peaks of 363 cm -1 and 663 cm -1 . There are vibration modes of SiC at peaks of 618 cm -1 , 779 cm -1 and 973 cm -1 . The experimental observation proves chemical reactions and the formation of Si₃N₄ and SiC by laser irradiation.

Preparation and characterization of activated carbon from the char produced in the thermolysis of granulated scrap tyres.

PubMed

López, F A; Centeno, T A; Rodríguez, O; Alguacil, E J

2013-05-01

The char produced in the thermolysis of granulated scrap tyres has few market outlets, reducing the economic viability of the thermolytic process. This paper reports the potential of this char as a low-cost precursor of porous carbons. The tyre-derived char was demineralized in either alkaline or acidic media to reduce its ash, zinc, sulfur, and silica contents. The lowest impurity content was achieved with an HNO3/H2O treatment. The resulting demineralized char was then subjected to activation by KOH or CO2. The Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET)-specific surface area of the activated carbon produced by the KOH treatment was 242 m2/g, whereas that of the CO2-activated carbon was 720 m2/g. The textural properties of the latter product were similar to those of some commercial activated carbons. The use of tyre-derived char as a precursor of porous carbons could render the thermolytic treatment of scrap tyres more economically attractive. Char produced in thermolysis of granulated scrap tyres has a few market outlets; in this paper an alternative for its use is presented. The char was converted into activated carbon with textural properties similar to those of some commercial activated carbons. This process could render the thermolytic treatment of scrap tyres more economically attractive.

Immobilization of pectinase on silica-based supports: Impacts of particle size and spacer arm on the activity.

PubMed

Alagöz, Dilek; Tükel, S Seyhan; Yildirim, Deniz

2016-06-01

The pectinase was separately immobilized onto Florisil and nano silica supports through both glutaraldehyde and 3-glyoxypropyltrietoxysilane spacer arms. The effects of spacer arm, particle size of support and ionic liquids on the activities of pectinase preparations were investigated. The immobilization of pectinase onto Florisil and nano silica through 3-glyoxypropyltrietoxysilane spacer arm completely led to inactivation of enzyme; however, 10 and 75% pectinase activity were retained when it was immobilized through glutaraldehyde spacer arm onto Florisil and nano silica, respectively. The pectinase immobilized onto nano silica through glutaraldehyde spacer arm showed 6.3-fold higher catalytic efficiency than that of the pectinase immobilized onto Florisil through same spacer arm. A 2.3-fold increase in thermal stability of pectinase was provided upon immobilization onto nano silica at 35°C. The effects of IL/buffer mixture and volume ratio of IL/buffer mixture on the catalytic activities of free and immobilized pectinase preparations were also tested. All the pectinase preparations showed highest activity in 10% (v/v) 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate containing medium and their activities significantly affected from the concentration of 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Carbon-dot-based dual-emission silica nanoparticles as a ratiometric fluorescent probe for vanadium(V) detection in mineral water samples

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

He, Lijun; Zhang, Heng; Fan, Huanhuan; Jiang, Xiuming; Zhao, Wenjie; Xiang, Guo Qiang

2018-01-01

Herein, we propose a simple and effective strategy for designing a ratiometric fluorescent nanosensor. We designed and developed a carbon dots (CDs) based dual-emission nanosensor for vanadium(V) by coating the surface of dye-doped silica nanoparticles with CDs. The fluorescence of dual-emission silica nanoparticles was quenched in acetic acid through potassium bromate (KBrO3) oxidation. V(V) could catalyze KBrO3 oxidation reaction process, resulting in the ratiometric fluorescence quenching of dual-emission silica nanoparticles. We investigated several important parameters affecting the performance of the nanosensor. Under the optimized conditions, the detection limit of this nanosensor reached 1.1 ng mL- 1 and the linear range from 10 to 800 ng mL- 1. Furthermore, we found that the sensor was suitable for determination of V(V) in different mineral water samples with satisfactory results.

Fast and Minimal-Solvent Production of Superinsulating Silica Aerogel Granulate.

PubMed

Huber, Lukas; Zhao, Shanyu; Malfait, Wim J; Vares, Sirje; Koebel, Matthias M

2017-04-18

With their low thermal conductivity (λ), silica aerogels can reduce carbon emissions from heating and cooling demands, but their widespread adoption is limited by the high production cost. A one-pot synthesis for silica aerogel granulate is presented that drastically reduces solvent use, production time, and global warming potential. The inclusion of the hydrophobization agent prior to gelation with a post-gelation activation step, enables a complete production cycle of less than four hours at the lab scale for a solvent use close to the theoretical minimum, and limits the global warming potential. Importantly, the one-pot aerogel granulate retains the exceptional properties associated with silica aerogel, mostly λ=14.4±1.0 mW m -1 ⋅K -1 for the pilot scale materials, about half that of standing air (26 mW m -1 ⋅K -1 ). The resource-, time-, and cost-effective production will allow silica aerogels to break out of its niche into the mainstream building and industrial insulation markets. © 2017 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Graphene-silica composite thin films as transparent conductors.

PubMed

Watcharotone, Supinda; Dikin, Dmitriy A; Stankovich, Sasha; Piner, Richard; Jung, Inhwa; Dommett, Geoffrey H B; Evmenenko, Guennadi; Wu, Shang-En; Chen, Shu-Fang; Liu, Chuan-Pu; Nguyen, SonBinh T; Ruoff, Rodney S

2007-07-01

Transparent and electrically conductive composite silica films were fabricated on glass and hydrophilic SiOx/silicon substrates by incorporation of individual graphene oxide sheets into silica sols followed by spin-coating, chemical reduction, and thermal curing. The resulting films were characterized by SEM, AFM, TEM, low-angle X-ray reflectivity, XPS, UV-vis spectroscopy, and electrical conductivity measurements. The electrical conductivity of the films compared favorably to those of composite thin films of carbon nanotubes in silica.

Graphene-silica Composite Thin Films as Transparent Conductors

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Watcharotone,S.; Dikin, D.; Stankovich, S.

2007-01-01

Transparent and electrically conductive composite silica films were fabricated on glass and hydrophilic SiO{sub x}/silicon substrates by incorporation of individual graphene oxide sheets into silica sols followed by spin-coating, chemical reduction, and thermal curing. The resulting films were characterized by SEM, AFM, TEM, low-angle X-ray reflectivity, XPS, UV-vis spectroscopy, and electrical conductivity measurements. The electrical conductivity of the films compared favorably to those of composite thin films of carbon nanotubes in silica.

[Ambient pressure synthesis and characterization of silica aerogel as adsorbent for dieldrin].

PubMed

Sha, Wei; Liu, Rui-ping; Liu, Hui-juan; Qu, Jiu-hui

2008-12-01

Hydrophobic silica aerogels were prepared from cheap waterglass precursors via surface modification of wet gels and ambient pressure drying route. Its adsorption capacity of Dieldrin, a typical of persistent organic pollutants (POPs), was examined. It is characterized via BET, FTIR, and DSC-TGA. The silica aerogels were highly hydrophobic with contact angles of 135 degrees-142 degrees, and the hydrophobicity of the aerogels could be maintained up to the temperature of 380 degrees C. The silica aerogels were porous with, pore size distribution of 17.5-23.4 nm, porosity of 94.8%-95.6%, and surface area of 444-560 m2 x g(-1). The results of adsorption experiments indicated that the hydrophobic aerogels could remove 84% of dieldrin from aqueous solution within 4 h; the adsorption process followed the pseudo-second-order kinetics process. Based on the adsorption equilibrium results, the adsorption capacity of silica aerogel was 11 times bigger than by active carbon.

One stone, two birds: silica nanospheres significantly increase photocatalytic activity and colloidal stability of photocatalysts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rasamani, Kowsalya D.; Foley, Jonathan J., IV; Sun, Yugang

2018-03-01

Silver-doped silver chloride [AgCl(Ag)] nanoparticles represent a unique class of visible-light-driven photocatalysts, in which the silver dopants introduce electron-abundant mid-gap energy levels to lower the bandgap of AgCl. However, free-standing AgCl(Ag) nanoparticles, particularly those with small sizes and large surface areas, exhibit low colloidal stability and low compositional stability upon exposure to light irradiation, leading to easy aggregation and conversion to metallic silver and thus a loss of photocatalytic activity. These problems could be eliminated by attaching the small AgCl(Ag) nanoparticles to the surfaces of spherical dielectric silica particles with submicrometer sizes. The high optical transparency in the visible spectral region (400-800 nm), colloidal stability, and chemical/electronic inertness displayed by the silica spheres make them ideal for supporting photocatalysts and significantly improving their stability. The spherical morphology of the dielectric silica particles can support light scattering resonances to generate significantly enhanced electric fields near the silica particle surfaces, on which the optical absorption cross-section of the AgCl(Ag) nanoparticles is dramatically increased to promote their photocatalytic activity. The hybrid silica/AgCl(Ag) structures exhibit superior photocatalytic activity and stability, suitable for supporting photocatalysis sustainably; for instance, their efficiency in the photocatalytic decomposition of methylene blue decreases by only ˜9% even after ten cycles of operation.

Novel Silica Nanostructured Platforms with Engineered Surface Functionality and Spherical Morphology for Low-Cost High-Efficiency Carbon Capture

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lai, Cheng-Yu; Radu, Daniela R.; Pizzi, Nicholas

Carbon capture is an integral part of the CO 2 mitigation efforts, and encompasses, among other measures, the demonstration of effective and inexpensive CO 2 capture technologies. The project demonstrated a novel platform—the amine-functionalized stellate mesoporous silica nanosphere (MSN)—for effective CO 2 absorption. The reported CO 2 absorption data are superior to the performance of other reported silica matrices utilized for carbon capture, featuring an amount of over 4 milimoles CO 2/g sorbent at low temperatures (in the range of 30-45 ºC), selected for simulating the temperature of actual flue gas. The reported platform is highly resilient, showing recyclability andmore » 85 % mass conservation of sorbent upon nine tested cycles. Importantly, the stellate MSNs show high CO 2 selectivity at room temperature, indicating that the presence of nitrogen in flue gas will not impair the CO 2 absorption performance. The results could lead to a simple and inexpensive new technology for CO 2 mitigation which could be implemented as measure of CO 2 mitigation in current fossil-fuel burning plants in the form of solid sorbent.« less

Nano-Welding of Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes on Silicon and Silica Surface by Laser Irradiation

PubMed Central

Yuan, Yanping; Chen, Jimin

2016-01-01

In this study, a continuous fiber laser (1064 nm wavelength, 30 W/cm2) is used to irradiate multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) on different substrate surfaces. Effects of substrates on nano-welding of MWCNTs are investigated by scanning electron microscope (SEM). For MWCNTs on silica, after 3 s irradiation, nanoscale welding with good quality can be achieved due to breaking C–C bonds and formation of new graphene layers. While welding junctions can be formed until 10 s for the MWCNTs on silicon, the difference of irradiation time to achieve welding is attributed to the difference of thermal conductivity for silica and silicon. As the irradiation time is prolonged up to 12.5 s, most of the MWCNTs are welded to a silicon substrate, which leads to their frameworks of tube walls on the silicon surface. This is because the accumulation of absorbed energy makes the temperature rise. Then chemical reactions among silicon, carbon and nitrogen occur. New chemical bonds of Si–N and Si–C achieve the welding between the MWCNTs and silicon. Vibration modes of Si3N4 appear at peaks of 363 cm−1 and 663 cm−1. There are vibration modes of SiC at peaks of 618 cm−1, 779 cm−1 and 973 cm−1. The experimental observation proves chemical reactions and the formation of Si3N4 and SiC by laser irradiation. PMID:28344293

Process for sequestering carbon dioxide and sulfur dioxide

DOEpatents

Maroto-Valer, M Mercedes [State College, PA; Zhang, Yinzhi [State College, PA; Kuchta, Matthew E [State College, PA; Andresen, John M [State College, PA; Fauth, Dan J [Pittsburgh, PA

2009-10-20

A process for sequestering carbon dioxide, which includes reacting a silicate based material with an acid to form a suspension, and combining the suspension with carbon dioxide to create active carbonation of the silicate-based material, and thereafter producing a metal salt, silica and regenerating the acid in the liquid phase of the suspension.

Facile synthesis of blue-emitting carbon dots@mesoporous silica composite spheres

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guo, Ziying; Zhu, Zhenpeng; Zhang, Xinguo; Chen, Yibo

2018-02-01

This paper reported a facile and effective approach towards high-efficient composite luminophores by embedding blue-emitting N-doped carbon dots into spherical SiO2 matrix (CDs@SiO2). Mesoporous silica microspheres (r-CDs@MSN) with strong luminescence were synthesized by removing CTAB templates in CDs@SiO2 using reflux with acetone. The r-CDs@MSN possess a spherical morphology with smooth surface and a diameter of 130 nm, while it exhibits an excitation-independent blue emission peak at 440 nm with an internal quantum yield of 21.5%. BET result shows that the corresponding surface area and adsorption total pore volume are 156.27 m2/g and 0.682 cm3/g, which is suitable for the drugs loading and release. The results indicate that r-CDs@MSN might act as a potential fluorescent drug carrier.

pH-Responsive Mesoporous Silica and Carbon Nanoparticles for Drug Delivery

PubMed Central

Gisbert-Garzarán, Miguel; Manzano, Miguel; Vallet-Regí, María

2017-01-01

The application of nanotechnology to medicine constitutes a major field of research nowadays. In particular, the use of mesoporous silica and carbon nanoparticles has attracted the attention of numerous researchers due to their unique properties, especially when applied to cancer treatment. Many strategies based on stimuli-responsive nanocarriers have been developed to control the drug release and avoid premature release. Here, we focus on the use of the subtle changes of pH between healthy and diseased areas along the body to trigger the release of the cargo. In this review, different approximations of pH-responsive systems are considered: those based on the use of the host-guest interactions between the nanocarriers and the drugs, those based on the hydrolysis of acid-labile bonds and those based on supramolecular structures acting as pore capping agents. PMID:28952481

The Fate and Transport of the SiO2 Nanoparticles in a Granular Activated Carbon Bed and Their Impact on the Removal of VOCs

EPA Science Inventory

Adsorption isotherm, adsorption kinetics and column breakthrough experiments evaluating trichloroethylene (TCE) adsorption onto granular activated carbon (GAC) were conducted in the presence and absence of silica nanoparticles (SiO₂ NPs). Zeta potential of the SiO

Performance of Silica Gel in the Role of Residual Air Drying

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jan, Darrell L.; Hogan, John A.; Koss, Brian; Palmer, Gary H.; Richardson, Justine; Linggi, Paul

2014-01-01

Removal of carbon dioxide (CO2) is a necessary step in air revitalization and is often accomplished with sorbent materials. Since moisture competes with CO2 in sorbent materials, it is necessary to remove the water first. This is typically accomplished in two stages: bulk removal and residual drying. Silica gel is used as the bulk drying material in the Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly (CDRA) in operation on ISS. There has been some speculation that silica gel may also be capable of serving as the residual drying material. This paper will describe test apparatus and procedures for determining the performance of silica gel in residual air drying.

Uranium-series dating of pedogenic silica and carbonate, Crater Flat, Nevada

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ludwig, K. R.; Paces, J. B.

2002-02-01

A 230Th-234U-238U dating study on pedogenic silica-carbonate clast rinds and matrix laminae from alluvium in Crater Flat, Nevada was conducted using small-sample thermal-ionization mass spectrometry (TIMS) analyses on a large suite of samples. Though the 232Th content of these soils is not particularly low (mostly 0.1-9 ppm), the high U content of the silica component (mostly 4-26 ppm) makes them particularly suitable for 230Th/U dating on single, 10 to 200 mg totally-digested samples using TIMS. We observed that (1) both micro- (within-rind) and macro-stratigraphic (mappable deposit) order of the 230Th/U ages were preserved in all cases; (2) back-calculated initial 234U/238U fall in a restricted range (typically 1.67±0.19), so that 234U/238U ages with errors of about 100 kyr (2σ) could be reliably determined for the oldest, 400 to 1000 ka rinds; and (3) though 13 of the samples were >350 ka, only three showed evidence for an open-system history, even though the sensitivity of such old samples to isotopic disruption is very high. An attempt to use leach-residue techniques to separate pedogenic from detrital U and Th failed, yielding corrupt 230Th/U ages. We conclude that 230Th/U ages determined from totally dissolved, multiple sub-mm size subsamples provide more reliable estimates of soil chronology than methods employing larger samples, chemical enhancement of 238U/232Th, or isochrons.

Polyhydroxy glucose functionalized silica for the dehydration of bio-ethanol distillate.

PubMed

Tang, Baokun; Bi, Wentao; Row, Kyung Ho

2014-07-01

Although most of the water in a bio-ethanol fermentation broth can be removed by distillation, a small amount of water remains in the bio-ethanol distillate as the water-ethanol azeotrope. To improve the use of ethanol as a fuel, glucose-modified silica, as an adsorbent, was prepared using a facile method and applied to the dehydration of bio-ethanol distillate. The factors affecting the adsorption capacity of the adsorbent, such as the particle size, initial concentration of water in the samples, adsorption temperature and adsorbent dose, were examined by measuring the adsorption kinetics and equilibrium. The Langmuir, Freundlich and Temkin isotherms were used to evaluate the adsorption efficiency. Of these, the Freundlich and Temkin isotherms showed a good correlation with the experimental data. The Langmuir isotherm showed some deviation from the experimental results, and indicated that adsorption in this case was not a simple monolayer adsorption. The property of the adsorbent was attributed to functionalized silica with many hydroxyl groups on its surface. An examination of the separation factors of water/ethanol revealed the modified silica to have preferential selectivity for water. Compared to activated carbon and silica, glucose-modified silica exhibited higher adsorption capacity for water under the same adsorption conditions. In addition, the glucose-modified silica adsorbent exhibited a relatively constant adsorption capacity for five adsorption/desorption cycles.

Investigating Interactions between the Silica and Carbon Cycles during Precipitation and Early Diagenesis of Authigenic Clay/Carbonate-Mineral Associations in the Carbonate Rock Record

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McKenzie, J. A.; Francisca Martinez Ruiz, F.; Sanchez-Roman, M.; Anjos, S.; Bontognali, T. R. R.; Nascimento, G. S.; Vasconcelos, C.

2017-12-01

The study of authigenic clay/carbonate-mineral associations within carbonate sequences has important implications for the interpretation of scientific problems related with rock reservoir properties, such as alteration of potential porosity and permeability. More specifically, when clay minerals are randomly distributed within the carbonate matrix, it becomes difficult to predict reservoir characteristics. In order to understand this mineral association in the geological record, we have undertaken a comparative study of specially designed laboratory experiments with modern environments, where clay minerals have been shown to precipitate together with a range of carbonate minerals, including calcite, Mg-calcite and dolomite. Two modern dolomite-forming environments, the Coorong lakes, South Australia and Brejo do Espinho Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, were selected for this investigation. For comparative evaluation, enrichment microbial culture experiments, using natural pore water from Brejo do Espinho as the growth medium to promote mineral precipitation, were performed under both aerobic and anaerobic conditions. To establish the environmental parameters and biological processes facilitating the dual mineral association, the experimental samples have been compared with the natural minerals using HRTEM measurements. The results demonstrate that the clay and carbonate minerals apparently do not co-precipitate, but the precipitation of the different minerals in the same sample has probably occurred under different environmental conditions with variable chemistries, e.g., hypersalinity versus normal salinity resulting from the changing ratio of evaporation versus precipitation. Thus, the investigated mineral association is not a product of diagenetic processes but of sequential in situ precipitation processes related to changes in the silica and carbon availability. Implications for ancient carbonate formations will be presented and discussed in the context of a specific

One-step synthesis of solid state luminescent carbon-based silica nanohybrids for imaging of latent fingerprints

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Feng; Li, Hongren; Cui, Tianfang

2017-11-01

Fluorescent carbon-based nanomaterials(CNs) with tunable visible emission are biocompatible, environment friendly and most suitable for various biomedical applications. Despite the successes in preparing strongly fluorescent CNs, preserving the luminescence in solid materials is still challenging because of the serious emission quenching of CNs in solid state materials. In this work, fluorescent carbon and silica nanohybrids (SiCNHs) were synthesized via a simple one-step hydrothermal approach by carbonizing sodium citrate and (3-aminopropyl)triethoxysilane(APTES), and hydrolysis of tetraethyl orthosilicate(TEOS). The resultant SiCNs were characterized through X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), FT-IR, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy. The SiCNs exhibited strong fluorescence in both aqueous and solid states. The luminescent solid state SiCNs power were successfully used as a fluorescent labeling material for enhanced imaging of latent fingerprints(LFPs) on single background colour and multi-coloured surfaces substrates in forensic science for individual identification.

Fabrication of Silica-Coated Hollow Carbon Nanospheres Encapsulating Fe3O4 Cluster for Magnetical and MR Imaging Guided NIR Light Triggering Hyperthermia and Ultrasound Imaging.

PubMed

Huang, Yun-Kai; Su, Chia-Hao; Chen, Jiu-Jeng; Chang, Chun-Ting; Tsai, Yu-Hsin; Syu, Sheng-Fu; Tseng, Tsu-Ting; Yeh, Chen-Sheng

2016-06-15

Iron oxide nanoparticles (IONPs)-carbon (C) hybrid zero-dimensional nanostructures normally can be categorized into core-shell and yolk-shell architectures. Although IONP-C is a promising theranostic nanoagent, the in vivo study has surprisingly been less described. In addition, little effort has strived toward the fabrication of yolk-shell compared to the core-shell structures. In this context, we synthesized a yolk-shell type of the silica-coated hollow carbon nanospheres encapsulating IONPs cluster, which can be dispersed in aqueous solution for systemic studies in vivo, via the preparation involving the mixed micellization, polymerization/hollowing, sol-gel (hydration-condensation), and pyrolysis processes. Through a surface modification of the polyethylenimine followed by the sol-gel process, the silica shell coating was able to escape from condensing and sintering courses resulting in aggregation, due to the annealing. Not limited to the well-known functionalities in magnetical targeting and magnetic resonance (MR) imaging for IONP-C hybrid structures, we expanded this yolk-shell NPs as a near-infrared (NIR) light-responsive echogenic nanoagent giving an enhanced ultrasound imaging. Overall, we fabricated the NIR sensitive yolk-shell IONP-C to activate ultrasound imaging and photothermal ablation under magnetically and MR imaging guided therapy.

Construction of homogenous/heterogeneous hollow mesoporous silica nanostructures by silica-etching chemistry: principles, synthesis, and applications.

PubMed

Chen, Yu; Chen, Hang-Rong; Shi, Jian-Lin

2014-01-21

Colloidal hollow mesoporous silica nanoparticles (HMSNs) are aspecial type of silica-based nanomaterials with penetrating mesopore channels on their shells. HMSNs exhibit unique structural characteristics useful for diverse applications: Firstly, the hollow interiors can function as reservoirs for enhanced loading of guest molecules, or as nanoreactors for the growth of nanocrystals or for catalysis in confined spaces. Secondly, the mesoporous silica shell enables the free diffusion of guest molecules through the intact shell. Thirdly, the outer silica surface is ready for chemical modifications, typically via its abundant Si-OH bonds. As early as 2003, researchers developed a soft-templating methodto prepare hollow aluminosilicate spheres with penetrating mesopores in a cubic symmetry pattern on the shells. However, adapting this method for applications on the nanoscale, especially for biomedicine, has proved difficult because the soft templating micelles are very sensitive to liquid environments, making it difficult to tune key parameters such as dispersity, morphology and structure. In this Account, we present the most recent developments in the tailored construction of highly dispersive and monosized HMSNs using simple silica-etching chemistry, and we discuss these particles' excellent performance in diverse applications. We first introduce general principles of silica-etching chemistry for controlling the chemical composition and the structural parameters (particle size, pore size, etching modalities, yolk-shell nanostructures, etc.) of HMSNs. Secondly, we include recent progress in constructing heterogeneous, multifunctional, hollow mesoporous silica nanorattles via several methods for diverse applications. These elaborately designed HMSNs could be topologically transformed to prepare hollow mesoporous carbon nanoparticles or functionalized to produce HMSN-based composite nanomaterials. Especially in biomedicine, HMSNs are excellent as carriers to deliver

[Preparation of a novel activated carbon coating fiber for solid phase micro-extraction and its application for halocarbon compound analysis in water].

PubMed

Wang, Shutao; Wang, Yan; You, Hong; Liang, Zhihua

2004-09-01

A novel activated carbon coating fiber used for solid phase micro-extraction (SPME) was prepared using activated carbon powder and silica resin adhesive. The extraction properties of the novel activated carbon coating fiber were investigated. The results indicate that this coating fiber has high concentration ability, with enrichment factors for chloroform, carbon tetrachloride, trichloroethylene and tetrachloroethylene in the range of 13.8 to 18.7. The fiber is stable at temperature as high as 290 degrees C and it can be used for over 140 times at 250 degrees C. The activated carbon coating fiber was then applied to the analysis of the four halocarbon compounds mentioned above. A linear correlation with correlation coefficients between 0.995 2 and 0.999 4 and the detection limits between 0.008 and 0.05 microg/L were observed. The method was also applied to a real water sample analysis and the recoveries of these halocarbon compounds were from 95.5% to 104.6%.

Hierarchically porous carbons with optimized nitrogen doping as highly active electrocatalysts for oxygen reduction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liang, Hai-Wei; Zhuang, Xiaodong; Brüller, Sebastian; Feng, Xinliang; Müllen, Klaus

2014-09-01

Development of efficient, low-cost and stable electrocatalysts as the alternative to platinum for the oxygen reduction reaction is of significance for many important electrochemical devices, such as fuel cells, metal-air batteries and chlor-alkali electrolysers. Here we report a highly active nitrogen-doped, carbon-based, metal-free oxygen reduction reaction electrocatalyst, prepared by a hard-templating synthesis, for which nitrogen-enriched aromatic polymers and colloidal silica are used as precursor and template, respectively, followed by ammonia activation. Our protocol allows for the simultaneous optimization of both porous structures and surface functionalities of nitrogen-doped carbons. Accordingly, the prepared catalysts show the highest oxygen reduction reaction activity (half-wave potential of 0.85 V versus reversible hydrogen electrode with a low loading of 0.1 mg cm-2) in alkaline media among all reported metal-free catalysts. Significantly, when used for constructing the air electrode of zinc-air battery, our metal-free catalyst outperforms the state-of the-art platinum-based catalyst.

Environmentally-Friendly Geopolymeric Binders Made with Silica

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Erdogan, S. T.

2013-12-01

Portland cement (PC) is the ubiquitous binding material for constructions works. It is a big contributor to global warming and climate change since its production is responsible for 5-10 % of all anthropogenic CO2 emissions. Half of this emission arises from the calcination of calcareous raw materials and half from kiln fuel burning and cement clinker grinding. Recently there have been efforts to develop alternative binders with lower greenhouse gas emissions. One such class of binders is geopolymers, formed by activating natural or waste materials with suitable alkaline or acidic solutions. These binders use natural or industrial waste raw materials with a very low CO2 footprint from grinding of the starting materials, and some from the production of the activating chemicals. The total CO2 emissions from carefully formulated mixtures can be as low as 1/10th - 1/5th of those of PC concrete mixtures with comparable properties. While use of industrial wastes as raw materials is environmentally preferable, the variability of their chemical compositions over time renders their use difficult. Use of natural materials depletes resources but can have more consistent properties and can be more easily accepted. Silica sand is a natural material containing very high amounts of quartz. Silica fume is a very fine waste from silicon metal production that is mostly non-crystalline silica. This study describes the use of sodium hydroxide and sodium silicate solutions to yield mortars with mechanical properties comparable to those of portland cement mortars and with better chemical and thermal durability. Strength gain is slower than with PC mixtures at room temperature but adequate ultimate strength can be achieved with curing at slightly elevated temperatures in less than 24 h. The consistency of the chemical compositions of these materials and their abundance in several large, developing countries makes silica attractive for producing sustainable concretes with reduced carbon

Grazers: biocatalysts of terrestrial silica cycling

PubMed Central

Vandevenne, Floor Ina; Barão, Ana Lúcia; Schoelynck, Jonas; Smis, Adriaan; Ryken, Nick; Van Damme, Stefan; Meire, Patrick; Struyf, Eric

2013-01-01

Silica is well known for its role as inducible defence mechanism countering herbivore attack, mainly through precipitation of opaline, biogenic silica (BSi) bodies (phytoliths) in plant epidermal tissues. Even though grazing strongly interacts with other element cycles, its impact on terrestrial silica cycling has never been thoroughly considered. Here, BSi content of ingested grass, hay and faeces of large herbivores was quantified by performing multiple chemical extraction procedures for BSi, allowing the assessment of chemical reactivity. Dissolution experiments with grass and faeces were carried out to measure direct availability of BSi for dissolution. Average BSi and readily soluble silica numbers were higher in faeces as compared with grass or hay, and differences between herbivores could be related to distinct digestive strategies. Reactivity and dissolvability of BSi increases after digestion, mainly due to degradation of organic matrices, resulting in higher silica turnover rates and mobilization potential from terrestrial to aquatic ecosystems in non-grazed versus grazed pasture systems (2 versus 20 kg Si ha−1 y−1). Our results suggest a crucial yet currently unexplored role of herbivores in determining silica export from land to ocean, where its availability is linked to eutrophication events and carbon sequestration through C–Si diatom interactions. PMID:24107532

Reinforcement of natural rubber hybrid composites based on marble sludge/Silica and marble sludge/rice husk derived silica

PubMed Central

Ahmed, Khalil; Nizami, Shaikh Sirajuddin; Riza, Nudrat Zahid

2013-01-01

A research has been carried out to develop natural rubber (NR) hybrid composites reinforced with marble sludge (MS)/Silica and MS/rice husk derived silica (RHS). The primary aim of this development is to scrutinize the cure characteristics, mechanical and swelling properties of such hybrid composite. The use of both industrial and agricultural waste such as marble sludge and rice husk derived silica has the primary advantage of being eco-friendly, low cost and easily available as compared to other expensive fillers. The results from this study showed that the performance of NR hybrid composites with MS/Silica and MS/RHS as fillers is extremely better in mechanical and swelling properties as compared with the case where MS used as single filler. The study suggests that the use of recently developed silica and marble sludge as industrial and agricultural waste is accomplished to provide a probable cost effective, industrially prospective, and attractive replacement to the in general purpose used fillers like china clay, calcium carbonate, and talc. PMID:25685484

The influences of calcia silica contents to the compressive strength of the Al-7000 aluminium foam

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sutarno; Soepriyanto, S.; Korda, A. A.; Dirgantara, T.

2016-08-01

This experiment evaluated the effect of calcia alumina and alumina silica that formed as side products involved in metal mixture of aluminium foam. These compounds are formed from additional calcium carbonate and silica in the mixture. Calcium carbonate (CaCO3) roles as a blowing agent source of carbon dioxide (CO2). The formation of calcia alumina (CaO.Al2O3) is desired to improve the viscosity and to strengthen of cell wall of aluminium foam. However, Al-7000 aluminium foam showed a decrease tendency of compressive strength probably due to existence of alumina silica (3Al2O3.SiO2) in the metal mixture. In this case, the silica that thermally combines with alumina compound may degrade the metal mixture of aluminium foam structure.

Porous carbon-coated silica macroparticles as anode materials for lithium ion batteries: Effect of boric acid

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Young-Kuk; Moon, Jong-Woo; Lee, Jung-Goo; Baek, Youn-Kyung; Hong, Seong-Hyun

2014-12-01

We report carbon-coated porous silica macroparticles (SiO2@C) prepared using polymeric templates and subsequent carbonization with sucrose for improved electrochemical energy storage in lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). In addition, boron is introduced to improve the stability of electrochemical cells by pyrolyzing mixtures of sucrose and boric acid (SiO2@C + B) under inert atmosphere. The initially large surface area of porous SiO2 (SBET ∼ 658 m2 g-1) is reduced to 102 m2 g-1 after carbonization and introduction of boric acid. Surface of both SiO2@C and SiO2@C + B are covered with amorphous carbon. In particular, SiO2@C + B particles containing borosilicate (Si-O-B) phase and B-O bondings and Si-C-O bondings are also detected from the X-ray photoelectron spectra. The SiO2@C + B macroparticles shows high reversible charge capacity up to 503 mAh g-1 after 103 cycles of Li intercalation/de-intercalation although initial capacity was 200 mAh g-1. The improved charge capacity of SiO2@C + B is attributed to formation of advantageous microstructures induced from boric acid.

Ion irradiation induced structural modifications and increase in elastic modulus of silica based thin films

PubMed Central

Shojaee, S. A.; Qi, Y.; Wang, Y. Q.; Mehner, A.; Lucca, D. A.

2017-01-01

Ion irradiation is an alternative to heat treatment for transforming organic-inorganic thin films to a ceramic state. One major shortcoming in previous studies of ion-irradiated films is the assumption that constituent phases in ion-irradiated and heat-treated films are identical and that the ion irradiation effect is limited to changes in composition. In this study, we investigate the effects of ion irradiation on both the composition and structure of constituent phases and use the results to explain the measured elastic modulus of the films. The results indicated that the microstructure of the irradiated films consisted of carbon clusters within a silica matrix. It was found that carbon was present in a non-graphitic sp2-bonded configuration. It was also observed that ion irradiation caused a decrease in the Si-O-Si bond angle of silica, similar to the effects of applied pressure. A phase transformation from tetrahedrally bonded to octahedrally bonded silica was also observed. The results indicated the incorporation of carbon within the silica network. A combination of the decrease in Si-O-Si bond angle and an increase in the carbon incorporation within the silica network was found to be responsible for the increase in the elastic modulus of the films. PMID:28071696

Ion irradiation induced structural modifications and increase in elastic modulus of silica based thin films

DOE PAGES

Shojaee, S. A.; Qi, Y.; Wang, Y. Q.; ...

2017-01-10

Ion irradiation is an alternative to heat treatment for transforming organic-inorganic thin films to a ceramic state. One major shortcoming in previous studies of ion-irradiated films is the assumption that constituent phases in ion-irradiated and heat-treated films are identical and that the ion irradiation effect is limited to changes in composition. Here, we investigate the effects of ion irradiation on both the composition and structure of constituent phases and use the results to explain the measured elastic modulus of the films. Our results indicated that the microstructure of the irradiated films consisted of carbon clusters within a silica matrix. Itmore » was found that carbon was present in a non-graphitic sp 2-bonded configuration. It was also observed that ion irradiation caused a decrease in the Si-O-Si bond angle of silica, similar to the effects of applied pressure. A phase transformation from tetrahedrally bonded to octahedrally bonded silica was also observed. The results indicated the incorporation of carbon within the silica network. Finally, a combination of the decrease in Si-O-Si bond angle and an increase in the carbon incorporation within the silica network was found to be responsible for the increase in the elastic modulus of the films.« less

Soybean peroxidase immobilized onto silica-coated superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles: Effect of silica layer on the enzymatic activity.

PubMed

Donadelli, Jorge A; García Einschlag, Fernando S; Laurenti, Enzo; Magnacca, Giuliana; Carlos, Luciano

2018-01-01

Peroxidase immobilization onto magnetic supports is considered an innovative strategy for the development of technologies that involves enzymes in wastewater treatment. In this work, magnetic biocatalysts were prepared by immobilization of soybean peroxidase (SBP) onto different silica-coated superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles. The obtained magnetic biocatalysts were tested for the degradation of malachite green (MG), a pollutant often found in industrial wastewaters and with significant drawbacks for the human and environmental health. A deep physicochemical characterization of the materials was performed by means of X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), High Resolution-Transmission Electron Microscope (HR-TEM) and magnetization measurements among others techniques. Results showed high immobilization yield of SBP onto nanomaterials with excellent properties for magnetic recoverability. A partial loss of activity with respect to free SBP was observed, compatible with the modification of the conformational structure of the enzyme after immobilization. The structural modification depended on the amount (and thickness) of silica present in the hybrid materials and the activity yield of 43% was obtained for the best biocatalyst. Thermal stability and reusability capacity were also evaluated. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Autophagy deficiency in macrophages enhances NLRP3 inflammasome activity and chronic lung disease following silica exposure

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Jessop, Forrest; Hamilton, Raymond F.; Rhoderick,

Autophagy is an important metabolic mechanism that can promote cellular survival following injury. The specific contribution of autophagy to silica-induced inflammation and disease is not known. The objective of these studies was to determine the effects of silica exposure on the autophagic pathway in macrophages, as well as the general contribution of autophagy in macrophages to inflammation and disease. Silica exposure enhanced autophagic activity in vitro in Bone Marrow derived Macrophages and in vivo in Alveolar Macrophages isolated from silica-exposed mice. Impairment of autophagy in myeloid cells in vivo using Atg5{sup fl/fl}LysM-Cre{sup +} mice resulted in enhanced cytotoxicity and inflammationmore » after silica exposure compared to littermate controls, including elevated IL-18 and the alarmin HMGB1 in the whole lavage fluid. Autophagy deficiency caused some spontaneous inflammation and disease. Greater silica-induced acute inflammation in Atg5{sup fl/fl}LysM-Cre{sup +} mice correlated with increased fibrosis and chronic lung disease. These studies demonstrate a critical role for autophagy in suppressing silica-induced cytotoxicity and inflammation in disease development. Furthermore, this data highlights the importance of basal autophagy in macrophages and other myeloid cells in maintaining lung homeostasis. - Highlights: • Silica exposure increases autophagy in macrophages. • Autophagy deficient mice have enhanced inflammation and silicosis. • Autophagy deficiency in macrophages results in greater silica-induced cytotoxicity. • Autophagy deficiency in macrophages increases extracellular IL-18 and HMGB1.« less

Activated carbon from biomass

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Manocha, S.; Manocha, L. M.; Joshi, Parth; Patel, Bhavesh; Dangi, Gaurav; Verma, Narendra

2013-06-01

Activated carbon are unique and versatile adsorbents having extended surface area, micro porous structure, universal adsorption effect, high adsorption capacity and high degree of surface reactivity. Activated carbons are synthesized from variety of materials. Most commonly used on a commercial scale are cellulosic based precursors such as peat, coal, lignite wood and coconut shell. Variation occurs in precursors in terms of structure and carbon content. Coir having very low bulk density and porous structure is found to be one of the valuable raw materials for the production of highly porous activated carbon and other important factor is its high carbon content. Exploration of good low cost and non conventional adsorbent may contribute to the sustainability of the environment and offer promising benefits for the commercial purpose in future. Carbonization of biomass was carried out in a horizontal muffle furnace. Both carbonization and activation were performed in inert nitrogen atmosphere in one step to enhance the surface area and to develop interconnecting porosity. The types of biomass as well as the activation conditions determine the properties and the yield of activated carbon. Activated carbon produced from biomass is cost effective as it is easily available as a waste biomass. Activated carbon produced by combination of chemical and physical activation has higher surface area of 2442 m2/gm compared to that produced by physical activation (1365 m2/gm).

[Study on influence between activated carbon property and immobilized biological activated carbon purification effect].

PubMed

Wang, Guang-zhi; Li, Wei-guang; He, Wen-jie; Han, Hong-da; Ding, Chi; Ma, Xiao-na; Qu, Yan-ming

2006-10-01

By means of immobilizing five kinds of activated carbon, we studied the influence between the chief activated carbon property items and immobilized bioactivated carbon (IBAC) purification effect with the correlation analysis. The result shows that the activated carbon property items which the correlation coefficient is up 0.7 include molasses, abrasion number, hardness, tannin, uniform coefficient, mean particle diameter and effective particle diameter; the activated carbon property items which the correlation coefficient is up 0.5 include pH, iodine, butane and tetrachloride. In succession, the partial correlation analysis shows that activated carbon property items mostly influencing on IBAC purification effect include molasses, hardness, abrasion number, uniform coefficient, mean particle diameter and effective particle diameter. The causation of these property items bringing influence on IBAC purification is that the activated carbon holes distribution (representative activated carbon property item is molasses) provides inhabitable location and adjust food for the dominance bacteria; the mechanical resist-crash property of activated carbon (representative activated carbon property items: abrasion number and hardness) have influence on the stability of biofilm; and the particle diameter size and distribution of activated carbon (representative activated carbon property items: uniform coefficient, mean particle diameter and effective particle diameter) can directly affect the force of water in IBAC filter bed, which brings influence on the dominance bacteria immobilizing on activated carbon.

Antimicrobial activity of silica coated silicon nano-tubes (SCSNT) and silica coated silicon nano-particles (SCSNP) synthesized by gas phase condensation.

PubMed

Tank, Chiti; Raman, Sujatha; Karan, Sujoy; Gosavi, Suresh; Lalla, Niranjan P; Sathe, Vasant; Berndt, Richard; Gade, W N; Bhoraskar, S V; Mathe, Vikas L

2013-06-01

Silica-coated, silicon nanotubes (SCSNTs) and silica-coated, silicon nanoparticles (SCSNPs) have been synthesized by catalyst-free single-step gas phase condensation using the arc plasma process. Transmission electron microscopy and scanning tunneling microscopy showed that SCSNTs exhibited a wall thickness of less than 1 nm, with an average diameter of 14 nm and a length of several 100 nm. Both nano-structures had a high specific surface area. The present study has demonstrated cheaper, resistance-free and effective antibacterial activity in silica-coated silicon nano-structures, each for two Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) was estimated, using the optical densitometric technique, and by determining colony-forming units. The MIC was found to range in the order of micrograms, which is comparable to the reported MIC of metal oxides for these bacteria. SCSNTs were found to be more effective in limiting the growth of multidrug-resistant Staphylococcus aureus over SCSNPs at 10 μg/ml (IC 50 = 100 μg/ml).

A novel sensor made of Antimony Doped Tin Oxide-silica composite sol on a glassy carbon electrode modified by single-walled carbon nanotubes for detection of norepinephrine.

PubMed

Wang, Zhao; Wang, Kai; Zhao, Lu; Chai, Shigan; Zhang, Jinzhi; Zhang, Xiuhua; Zou, Qichao

2017-11-01

In this study, we designed a novel molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP), Antimony Doped Tin Oxide (ATO)-silica composite sol, which was made using a sol-gel method. Then a sensitive and selective imprinted electrochemical sensor was constructed with the ATO-silica composite sol on a glassy carbon electrode modified by single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs). The introduction of SWNTs increased the sensitivity of the MIP sensor. The surface morphology of the MIP and MIP/SWNTs were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and the optimal conditions for detection were determined. The oxidative peak current increased linearly with the concentration of norepinephrine in the range of 9.99×10 -8 M to 1.50×10 -5 M, as detected by cyclic voltammetry (CV), the detection limit was 3.33×10 -8 M (S/N=3). In addition, the proposed electrochemical sensors were successfully applied to detect the norepinephrine concentration in human blood serum samples. The recoveries of the sensors varied from 99.67% to 104.17%, indicating that the sensor has potential for the determination of norepinephrine in clinical tests. Moreover, the imprinted electrochemical sensor was used to selectively detect norepinephrine. The analytical application was conducted successfully and yielded accurate and precise results. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Enzymatic Conversion of CO2 to Bicarbonate in Functionalized Mesoporous Silica

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Yu, Yuehua; Chen, Baowei; Qi, Wen N.

2012-05-01

We report here that carbonic anhydrase (CA), the fastest enzyme that can covert carbon dioxide to bicarbonate, can be spontaneously entrapped in functionalized mesoporous silica (FMS) with super-high loading density (up to 0.5 mg of protein/mg of FMS) due to the dominant electrostatic interaction. The binding of CA to HOOC-FMS can result in the protein’s conformational change comparing to the enzyme free in solution, but can be overcome with increased protein loading density. The higher the protein loading density, the less conformational change, hence the higher enzymatic activity and the higher enzyme immobilization efficiency. The electrostatically bound CA can bemore » released by changing pH. The released enzyme still displayed the native conformational structure and the same high enzymatic activity as that prior to the enzyme entrapment. This work opens up a new approach converting carbon dioxide to biocarbonate in a biomimetic nanoconfiguration that can be integrated with the other part of biosynthesis process for the assimilation of carbon dioxide.« less

Surface properties of CNTs and their interaction with silica.

PubMed

Sobolkina, Anastasia; Mechtcherine, Viktor; Bellmann, Cornelia; Khavrus, Vyacheslav; Oswald, Steffen; Hampel, Silke; Leonhardt, Albrecht

2014-01-01

In order to improve the embedding of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) in cement-based matrices, silica was deposited on the sidewall of CNTs by a sol-gel method. Knowledge of the conditions of CNTs' surfaces is a key issue in understanding the corresponding interaction mechanisms. In this study various types of CNTs synthesized using acetonitrile, cyclohexane, and methane were investigated with regard to their physicochemical surface properties. Significant differences in surface polarity as well as in the wetting properties of the CNTs, depending on the precursors used, were revealed by combining electro-kinetic potential and contact angle measurements. The hydrophobicity of CNTs decreases by utilising the carbon sources in the following order: cyclohexane, methane, and finally acetonitrile. The XPS analysis, applied to estimate the chemical composition at the CNT surface, showed nitrogen atoms incorporated into the tube structure by using acetonitrile as a carbon source. It was found that the simultaneous presence of nitrogen- and/or oxygen-containing sites with different acid-base properties increased the surface polarity of the CNTs, imparting amphoteric characteristics to them and improving their wetting behaviour. Regarding the silica deposition, strong differences in adsorption capacity of the CNTs were observed. The mechanism of silica adsorption through interfacial bond formation was discussed. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Effect of Silica Nanoparticles on the Photoluminescence Properties of BCNO Phosphor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nuryadin, Bebeh W.; Faryuni, Irfana Diah; Iskandar, Ferry; Abdullah, Mikrajuddin; Khairurrijal, Khairurrijal

2011-12-01

Effect of additional silica nanoparticles on the photoluminescence (PL) performance of boron carbon oxy-nitride (BCNO) phosphor was investigated. As a precursor, boric acid and urea were used as boron and nitrogen sources, respectively. The carbon sources was polyethylene glycol (PEG) with average molecule weight 20000 g/mol.. Precursor solutions were prepared by mixing these raw materials in pure water, followed by stirring to achieve homogeneous solutions. In this precursor, silica nanoparticles were added at various mass ratio from 0 to 7 %wt in the solution. The precursors were then heated at 750 °C for 60 min in a ceramic crucible under atmospheric pressure. The photoluminescence (PL) spectrum that characterized by spectrophotometer showed a single, distinct, and broad emission band varied from blue to near red color, depend on the PEG, boric acid and urea ratio in the precursor. The addition of silica nanoparticles caused the increasing of PL intensity as well as the shifting of peak wavelength of PL spectrum. The peak shifting of PL was affected by the concentration of silica nanoparticles that added into the precursor. We believe that the BCNO-silica composite phosphor becomes a promising material for the phosphor conversion-based white light-emitting diodes.

Activated, coal-based carbon foam

DOEpatents

Rogers, Darren Kenneth; Plucinski, Janusz Wladyslaw

2004-12-21

An ablation resistant, monolithic, activated, carbon foam produced by the activation of a coal-based carbon foam through the action of carbon dioxide, ozone or some similar oxidative agent that pits and/or partially oxidizes the carbon foam skeleton, thereby significantly increasing its overall surface area and concurrently increasing its filtering ability. Such activated carbon foams are suitable for application in virtually all areas where particulate or gel form activated carbon materials have been used. Such an activated carbon foam can be fabricated, i.e. sawed, machined and otherwise shaped to fit virtually any required filtering location by simple insertion and without the need for handling the "dirty" and friable particulate activated carbon foam materials of the prior art.

RGD-conjugated silica-coated gold nanorods on the surface of carbon nanotubes for targeted photoacoustic imaging of gastric cancer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Can; Bao, Chenchen; Liang, Shujing; Fu, Hualin; Wang, Kan; Deng, Min; Liao, Qiande; Cui, Daxiang

2014-05-01

Herein, we reported for the first time that RGD-conjugated silica-coated gold nanorods on the surface of multiwalled carbon nanotubes were successfully used for targeted photoacoustic imaging of in vivo gastric cancer cells. A simple strategy was used to attach covalently silica-coated gold nanorods (sGNRs) onto the surface of multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) to fabricate a hybrid nanostructure. The cross-linked reaction occurred through the combination of carboxyl groups on the MWNTs and the amino group on the surface of sGNRs modified with a silane coupling agent. RGD peptides were conjugated with the sGNR/MWNT nanostructure; resultant RGD-conjugated sGNR/MWNT probes were investigated for their influences on viability of MGC803 and GES-1 cells. The nude mice models loaded with gastric cancer cells were prepared, the RGD-conjugated sGNR/MWNT probes were injected into gastric cancer-bearing nude mice models via the tail vein, and the nude mice were observed by an optoacoustic imaging system. Results showed that RGD-conjugated sGNR/MWNT probes showed good water solubility and low cellular toxicity, could target in vivo gastric cancer cells, and obtained strong photoacoustic imaging in the nude model. RGD-conjugated sGNR/MWNT probes will own great potential in applications such as targeted photoacoustic imaging and photothermal therapy in the near future.

Bioresponsive carbon nano-gated multifunctional mesoporous silica for cancer theranostics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Prasad, Rajendra; Aiyer, Sandhya; Chauhan, Deepak S.; Srivastava, Rohit; Selvaraj, Kaliaperumal

2016-02-01

Designing bioresponsive nanocarriers for controlled and efficient intracellular drug release for cancer therapy is a major thrust area in nanomedicine. With recent recognition by the US FDA as a safe material for human trials, mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNPs) are being extensively explored as promising theranostic agents. Green fluorescent carbon quantum dots (CQDs), though known as possible alternatives for their more toxic and relatively less efficient predecessors, are less known as gate keepers for drug release control. We report for the first time an efficient bioresponse of CQDs when judiciously designed using glutathione cleavable (redox responsive) disulphide bonds. When the anticancer drug doxorubicin loaded MSNPs are capped with these CQDs, they display promising drug release control on exposure to a mimicked intracellular cancer environment. Their dual functionality is well established with good control on preventing the premature release and exceptional bio-imaging of HeLa cancer cells. Fluorescence images prove selective targeting of HeLa cells by overexpression of folate receptors from the surface functionalised folic acid ligand. Extensive characterisation using XRD, TEM, BET analysis, drug loading tests, drug release kinetics, MTT assay and fluoroscence cell imaging helps in understanding the multifunctionalities of the successful design, extending its scope with exciting prospects towards non-invasive targeted drug delivery and bio-imaging for effective cancer diagnosis and treatment.Designing bioresponsive nanocarriers for controlled and efficient intracellular drug release for cancer therapy is a major thrust area in nanomedicine. With recent recognition by the US FDA as a safe material for human trials, mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNPs) are being extensively explored as promising theranostic agents. Green fluorescent carbon quantum dots (CQDs), though known as possible alternatives for their more toxic and relatively less efficient

ATM-activated autotaxin (ATX) propagates inflammation and DNA damage in lung epithelial cells: a new mode of action for silica-induced DNA damage?

PubMed

Zheng, Huiyuan; Högberg, Johan; Stenius, Ulla

2017-12-07

Silica exposure is a common risk factor for lung cancer. It has been claimed that key elements in cancer development are activation of inflammatory cells that indirectly induce DNA damage and proliferative stimuli in respiratory epithelial cells. We studied DNA damage induced by silica particles in respiratory epithelial cells and focused the role of the signaling enzyme autotaxin (ATX). A549 and 16 bronchial epithelial cells (16HBE) lung epithelial cells were exposed to silica particles. Reactive oxygen species (ROS), NOD-like receptor family pyrin domain containing-3 (NLRP3) inflammasome activation, ATX, ataxia telangiectasia mutated (ATM), and DNA damage (γH2AX, pCHK1, pCHK2, comet assay) were end points. Low doses of silica induced NLRP3 activation, DNA damage accumulation, and ATM phosphorylation. A novel finding was that ATM induced ATX generation and secretion. Not only silica but also rotenone, camptothecin and H2O2 activated ATX via ATM, suggesting that ATX is part of a generalized ATM response to double-strand breaks (DSBs). Surprisingly, ATX inhibition mitigated DNA damage accumulation at later time points (6-16 h), and ATX transfection caused NLRP3 activation and DNA damage. Furthermore, the product of ATX enzymatic activity, lysophosphatidic acid, recapitulated the effects of ATX transfection. These data indicate an ATM-ATX-dependent loop that propagates inflammation and DSB accumulation, making low doses of silica effective inducers of DSBs in epithelial cells. We conclude that an ATM-ATX axis interconnects DSBs with silica-induced inflammation and propagates these effects in epithelial cells. Further studies of this adverse outcome pathway may give an accurate assessment of the lowest doses of silica that causes cancer. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Activated carbon material

DOEpatents

Evans, A. Gary

1978-01-01

Activated carbon particles for use as iodine trapping material are impregnated with a mixture of selected iodine and potassium compounds to improve the iodine retention properties of the carbon. The I/K ratio is maintained at less than about 1 and the pH is maintained at above about 8.0. The iodine retention of activated carbon previously treated with or coimpregnated with triethylenediamine can also be improved by this technique. Suitable flame retardants can be added to raise the ignition temperature of the carbon to acceptable standards.

Antibacterial activity of N-halamine decorated mesoporous silica nanoparticles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Jiarong; Zhang, Yu; Zhao, Yanbao; Zou, Xueyan

2017-09-01

N-halamine decorated mesoporous silica nanoparticles (mSiO2/halamine NPs) were prepared by coating mSiO2 NPs with poly (1-allylhydantoin-co-methyl methacrylate) (AH-co-MMA) by the aid of the radical polymerization, followed by chlorination treatment. The sterilizing effect on the bacterial strain is investigated by incubating Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and Escherichia coli (E. coli). Results indicated that the mSiO2/halamine NPs had excellent antibacterial activity and no significant change occurred in antibacterial efficiency after five recycle experiments.

Sol-gel electrospinning preparation of hybrid carbon silica nanofibers for extracting organophosphorus pesticides prior to analyzing them by gas chromatography-ion mobility spectrometry.

PubMed

Jafari, Mohammad T; Saraji, Mohammad; Kermani, Mansoure

2018-07-13

Carbon-silica hybrid nanofibers as high performance coatings for solid-phase microextraction fibers were used for analyzing some pesticides by using gas chromatography-corona discharge ion mobility spectrometry. To that end, the fibers were prepared by carbonizing sol-gel based on electrospun polyacrylonitrile and tetraethyl orthosilicate nanofibers as carbon and silica precursors, respectively. Different parameters affecting the electrospinning and the extraction processes including spinning distance, voltage, feeding rate, stirring rate, salt concentration, temperature and extraction time were optimized by response surface methodology. The method involved deionized water samples spiked with pesticides at different concentration levels. The calibration curves were linear in the ranges of 0.1-20 and 0.05-20 μg L -1 with determination coefficients (R 2 ) of 0.9976 and 0.9928 for malathion and chlorpyrifos, respectively. The limits of detection of 0.032 and 0.019 μg L -1 and the limits of quantification of 0.1 and 0.05 μg L -1 were found for malathion and chlorpyrifos, respectively. Acceptable reproducibility values were obtained with relative standard deviations (RSD, n = 3) lower than 6 and 15%, for intra-day and inter-day precision, respectively. Finally, the relative recoveries of the proposed method were calculated in the range of 80-111% for real samples. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Agmatine attenuates silica-induced pulmonary fibrosis.

PubMed

El-Agamy, D S; Sharawy, M H; Ammar, E M

2014-06-01

There is a large body of evidence that nitric oxide (NO) formation is implicated in mediating silica-induced pulmonary fibrosis. As a reactive free radical, NO may not only contribute to lung parenchymal tissue injury but also has the ability to combine with superoxide and form a highly reactive toxic species peroxynitrite that can induce extensive cellular toxicity in the lung tissues. This study aimed to explore the effect of agmatine, a known NO synthase inhibitor, on silica-induced pulmonary fibrosis in rats. Male Sprague Dawley rats were treated with agmatine for 60 days following a single intranasal instillation of silica suspension (50 mg in 0.1 ml saline/rat). The results revealed that agmatine attenuated silica-induced lung inflammation as it decreased the lung wet/dry weight ratio, protein concentration, and the accumulation of the inflammatory cells in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid. Agmatine showed antifibrotic activity as it decreased total hydroxyproline content of the lung and reduced silica-mediated lung inflammation and fibrosis in lung histopathological specimen. In addition, agmatine significantly increased superoxide dismutase (p < 0.001) and reduced glutathione (p < 0.05) activities with significant decrease in the lung malondialdehyde (p < 0.001) content as compared to the silica group. Agmatine also reduced silica-induced overproduction of pulmonary nitrite/nitrate as well as tumor necrosis factor α. Collectively, these results demonstrate the protective effects of agmatine against the silica-induced lung fibrosis that may be attributed to its ability to counteract the NO production, lipid peroxidation, and regulate cytokine effects. © The Author(s) 2014.

Rice Husk Silica-Derived Nanomaterials for Battery Applications: A Literature Review.

PubMed

Shen, Yafei

2017-02-08

Silica-rich rice husk (RH) is an abundant and sustainable agricultural waste. The recovery of value-added products from RH or its ash to explore an economic way for the valorization of agricultural wastes has attracted wide attention. For instance, RH can be converted to biofuels and biochars simultaneously via thermochemical processes. In general, the applications of RH biochars include soil remediation, pollutant removal, silicon battery materials, and so forth. This review concludes recent progress in the synthesis of RH-derived silicon materials for lithium-ion battery (LIB) applications. Silica nanomaterials produced from RH are initially discussed. RH amorphous silica can also be fabricated to crystal silicon used for battery materials via widely used magnesiothermic reduction. However, the RH-derived Si nanoparticles suffer from a low Coulombic efficiency in the initial charge/discharge and limited cycle life as anode materials due to high surface reactions and low thermodynamic stability. The synthesis of Si materials with nano/microhierarchical structure would be an ideal way to improve their electrochemical performances. Embedding nano-Si into 3D conductive matrix is an effective way to improve the structural stability. Among the Si/carbon composite materials, carbon nanotubdes (CNTs) are a promising matrix due to the wired morphology, high electronic conductivity, and robust structure. Additionally, CNTs can easily form 3D cross-linked conducting networks, ensuring effective electron transportation among active particles. Si nanomaterials with microhierarchical structures in which CNTs are tightly intertwined between the RH-derived Si nanoparticles have been proven to be ideal LIB anode materials.

Selective Aliphatic Carbon-Carbon Bond Activation by Rhodium Porphyrin Complexes.

PubMed

To, Ching Tat; Chan, Kin Shing

2017-07-18

The carbon-carbon bond activation of organic molecules with transition metal complexes is an attractive transformation. These reactions form transition metal-carbon bonded intermediates, which contribute to fundamental understanding in organometallic chemistry. Alternatively, the metal-carbon bond in these intermediates can be further functionalized to construct new carbon-(hetero)atom bonds. This methodology promotes the concept that the carbon-carbon bond acts as a functional group, although carbon-carbon bonds are kinetically inert. In the past few decades, numerous efforts have been made to overcome the chemo-, regio- and, more recently, stereoselectivity obstacles. The synthetic usefulness of the selective carbon-carbon bond activation has been significantly expanded and is becoming increasingly practical: this technique covers a wide range of substrate scopes and transition metals. In the past 16 years, our laboratory has shown that rhodium porphyrin complexes effectively mediate the intermolecular stoichiometric and catalytic activation of both strained and nonstrained aliphatic carbon-carbon bonds. Rhodium(II) porphyrin metalloradicals readily activate the aliphatic carbon(sp 3 )-carbon(sp 3 ) bond in TEMPO ((2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidin-1-yl)oxyl) and its derivatives, nitriles, nonenolizable ketones, esters, and amides to produce rhodium(III) porphyrin alkyls. Recently, the cleavage of carbon-carbon σ-bonds in unfunctionalized and noncoordinating hydrocarbons with rhodium(II) porphyrin metalloradicals has been developed. The absence of carbon-hydrogen bond activation in these systems makes the reaction unique. Furthermore, rhodium(III) porphyrin hydroxide complexes can be generated in situ to selectively activate the carbon(α)-carbon(β) bond in ethers and the carbon(CO)-carbon(α) bond in ketones under mild conditions. The addition of PPh 3 promotes the reaction rate and yield of the carbon-carbon bond activation product. Thus, both rhodium

Exposure to crystalline silica in abrasive blasting operations where silica and non-silica abrasives are used.

PubMed

Radnoff, Diane L; Kutz, Michelle K

2014-01-01

Exposure to respirable crystalline silica is a hazard common to many industries in Alberta but particularly so in abrasive blasting. Alberta occupational health and safety legislation requires the consideration of silica substitutes when conducting abrasive blasting, where reasonably practicable. In this study, exposure to crystalline silica during abrasive blasting was evaluated when both silica and non-silica products were used. The crystalline silica content of non-silica abrasives was also measured. The facilities evaluated were preparing metal products for the application of coatings, so the substrate should not have had a significant contribution to worker exposure to crystalline silica. The occupational sampling results indicate that two-thirds of the workers assessed were potentially over-exposed to respirable crystalline silica. About one-third of the measurements over the exposure limit were at the work sites using silica substitutes at the time of the assessment. The use of the silica substitute, by itself, did not appear to have a large effect on the mean airborne exposure levels. There are a number of factors that may contribute to over-exposures, including the isolation of the blasting area, housekeeping, and inappropriate use of respiratory protective equipment. However, the non-silica abrasives themselves also contain silica. Bulk analysis results for non-silica abrasives commercially available in Alberta indicate that many contain crystalline silica above the legislated disclosure limit of 0.1% weight of silica per weight of product (w/w) and this information may not be accurately disclosed on the material safety data sheet for the product. The employer may still have to evaluate the potential for exposure to crystalline silica at their work site, even when silica substitutes are used. Limited tests on recycled non-silica abrasive indicated that the silica content had increased. Further study is required to evaluate the impact of product recycling

Interactions Between Biogenic Silica (BSiO2) and Organic Carbon (POC) During the Recycling of Sinking Particles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moriceau, B.; Goutx, M.; Guigue, C.; Tamburini, C.; Lee, C.; Armstrong, R. A.; Duflos, M.; Charriere, B.; Ragueneau, O.

2006-12-01

Despite recent progress in understanding the ocean's role in the global carbon cycle, we are not yet able to predict the response of ecosystems to climate change and feedbacks of the ocean onto atmospheric CO2. In particular, particle flux dynamics must be represented more faithfully in ocean models. We know that particulate organic carbon (POC) flux is associated with ballast minerals (BSiO2, CaCO3), but the processes controlling the interactions between carbon and ballast minerals during decomposition must be explored further. The present study aims to provide a better understanding of interactions between carbon and BSiO2 during mineralization of sinking particles. Previous studies have provided evidence that the degradation of the external membrane by bacteria increase the BSiO2 dissolution rate. Alternatively, it has been hypothesized that biogenic silica could protect carbon from degradation. To test this hypothesis, an in-vitro batch experiment using the diatom Skeletonema costatum was conducted. In this experiment, carbon degradation, bacterial growth, and BSiO2 dissolution were followed simultaneously. To identify the processes involved and the types of carbon that eventually interact with BSiO2 during mineralization, the concentrations of different lipids and amino acids were also measured. A strong increase of the degradation rate constant of the POC and PON was observed after dissolution of 40 % of initial BSiO2. This increase is associated to a peak of glycine in total amino acids and a switch between free and attached bacteria. These results suggest that carbon degradation is increased when enough of the frustule is dissolved to uncover the glycine contain inside the frustule, this amino acid may trigger an increase in the concentration of attached bacteria, which may in turn increase the degradation rate constant of organic carbon.

Cellular complexity captured in durable silica biocomposites

PubMed Central

Kaehr, Bryan; Townson, Jason L.; Kalinich, Robin M.; Awad, Yasmine H.; Swartzentruber, B. S.; Dunphy, Darren R.; Brinker, C. Jeffrey

2012-01-01

Tissue-derived cultured cells exhibit a remarkable range of morphological features in vitro, depending on phenotypic expression and environmental interactions. Translation of these cellular architectures into inorganic materials would provide routes to generate hierarchical nanomaterials with stabilized structures and functions. Here, we describe the fabrication of cell/silica composites (CSCs) and their conversion to silica replicas using mammalian cells as scaffolds to direct complex structure formation. Under mildly acidic solution conditions, silica deposition is restricted to the molecularly crowded cellular template. Inter- and intracellular heterogeneity from the nano- to macroscale is captured and dimensionally preserved in CSCs following drying and subjection to extreme temperatures allowing, for instance, size and shape preserving pyrolysis of cellular architectures to form conductive carbon replicas. The structural and behavioral malleability of the starting material (cultured cells) provides opportunities to develop robust and economical biocomposites with programmed structures and functions. PMID:23045634

Preservation efficiencies and accumulation rates for biogenic silica and organic C, N, and P in high-latitude sediments: The Ross Sea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Demaster, David J.; Ragueneau, Olivier; Nittrouer, Charles A.

1996-08-01

Rates of biogenic sediment accumulation (biogenic silica and organic C, N, and P) and pore water flux have been established for a variety of depositional environments in the Ross Sea. On the basis of 14C measurements in kasten cores, sediment accumulation rates ranged from 250 cm kyr-1 in the coastal basin of Granite Harbor to 1-2 cm kyr-1 in the shelf and slope environments of the northern and eastern Ross Sea. Burial of biogenic material was most rapid in the southwestern Ross Sea, where biogenic silica accumulation rates ranged from 2 to 31 g cm-2 kyr-1 and organic carbon accumulation rates ranged from 0.05 to 1.4 g cm-2 kyr-1. In the northern and eastern Ross Sea, biogenic silica and organic carbon accumulation rates typically equaled 0.02-0.03 g SiO2 cm-2 kyr-1 and 0.002-0.004 g C cm-2 kyr-1. Flux core measurements were used to estimate seabed regeneration rates for biogenic silica, organic carbon, and phosphorus. Pore water fluxes, in general, showed much less variability across the Ross Sea than did the biogenic accumulation rates. Pore water silicate fluxes in the study area ranged from 0.6 to 5.3 g SiO2 cm-2 kyr-1, whereas carbon fluxes ranged from 0.1 to 1.2 g C cm-2 kyr-1 and phosphate fluxes varied from -0.006 to 0.012 g P cm-2 kyr-1. Seabed preservation efficiencies were calculated for biogenic silica, organic carbon, and phosphorus by combining the solid-phase and pore water data. The seabed preservation efficiencies for biogenic silica (1-86%) were greater than for organic carbon (1-71%) at all nine stations examined. The preferential preservation of biogenic silica relative to organic carbon also was apparent in Ross Sea sediments because the biogenic silica/organic carbon ratio in the material buried in the seabed generally was 2 times greater than the ratio in sediment particles arriving at the sediment-water interface. Sediment accumulation rate correlated strongly with both the biogenic silica and the organic carbon preservation efficiency data

Silica nanoparticle stability in biological media revisited.

PubMed

Yang, Seon-Ah; Choi, Sungmoon; Jeon, Seon Mi; Yu, Junhua

2018-01-09

The stability of silica nanostructure in the core-silica shell nanomaterials is critical to understanding the activity of these nanomaterials since the exposure of core materials due to the poor stability of silica may cause misinterpretation of experiments, but unfortunately reports on the stability of silica have been inconsistent. Here, we show that luminescent silver nanodots (AgNDs) can be used to monitor the stability of silica nanostructures. Though relatively stable in water and phosphate buffered saline, silica nanoparticles are eroded by biological media, leading to the exposure of AgNDs from AgND@SiO 2 nanoparticles and the quenching of nanodot luminescence. Our results reveal that a synergistic effect of organic compounds, particularly the amino groups, accelerates the erosion. Our work indicates that silica nanostructures are vulnerable to cellular medium and it may be possible to tune the release of drug molecules from silica-based drug delivery vehicles through controlled erosion.

Loading amorphous Asarone in mesoporous silica SBA-15 through supercritical carbon dioxide technology to enhance dissolution and bioavailability.

PubMed

Zhang, Zhengzan; Quan, Guilan; Wu, Qiaoli; Zhou, Chan; Li, Feng; Bai, Xuequn; Li, Ge; Pan, Xin; Wu, Chuanbin

2015-05-01

The aim of this study was to load amorphous hydrophobic drug into ordered mesoporous silica (SBA-15) by supercritical carbon dioxide technology in order to improve the dissolution and bioavailability of the drug. Asarone was selected as a model drug due to its lipophilic character and poor bioavailability. In vitro dissolution and in vivo bioavailability of the obtained Asarone-SBA-15 were significantly improved as compared to the micronized crystalline drug. This study offers an effective, safe, and environmentally benign means of solving the problems relating to the solubility and bioavailability of hydrophobic molecules. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Non-metallic nanomaterials in cancer theranostics: a review of silica- and carbon-based drug delivery systems

PubMed Central

Chen, Yu-Cheng; Huang, Xin-Chun; Luo, Yun-Ling; Chang, Yung-Chen; Hsieh, You-Zung; Hsu, Hsin-Yun

2013-01-01

The rapid development in nanomaterials has brought great opportunities to cancer theranostics, which aims to combine diagnostics and therapy for cancer treatment and thereby improve the healthcare of patients. In this review we focus on the recent progress of several cancer theranostic strategies using mesoporous silica nanoparticles and carbon-based nanomaterials. Silicon and carbon are both group IV elements; they have been the most abundant and significant non-metallic substances in human life. Their intrinsic physical/chemical properties are of critical importance in the fabrication of multifunctional drug delivery systems. Responsive nanocarriers constructed using these nanomaterials have been promising in cancer-specific theranostics during the past decade. In all cases, either a controlled texture or the chemical functionalization is coupled with adaptive properties, such as pH-, light-, redox- and magnetic field- triggered responses. Several studies in cells and mice models have implied their underlying therapeutic efficacy; however, detailed and long-term in vivo clinical evaluations are certainly required to make these bench-made materials compatible in real bedside circumstances. PMID:27877592

Ultrasound assisted deposition of silica coatings on titanium

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kaş, Recep; Ertaş, Fatma Sinem; Birer, Özgür

2012-10-01

We present a novel ultrasound assisted method for silica coating of titanium surfaces. The coatings are formed by “smashing” silica nanoparticles onto activated titanium surface in solution using intense ultrasonic field. Homogeneous silica coatings are formed by deposition of dense multiple layers of silica nanoparticles. Since the nanoparticles also grow during the reaction, the layers of the coatings have smaller particles on the substrate and larger particles towards the surface. The thickness of the coatings can be controlled with several experimental parameters. Silica layers with thickness over 200 nm are readily obtained.

Characterization of activated carbons from oil-palm shell by CO2 activation with no holding carbonization temperature.

PubMed

Herawan, S G; Hadi, M S; Ayob, Md R; Putra, A

2013-01-01

Activated carbons can be produced from different precursors, including coals of different ranks, and lignocellulosic materials, by physical or chemical activation processes. The objective of this paper is to characterize oil-palm shells, as a biomass byproduct from palm-oil mills which were converted into activated carbons by nitrogen pyrolysis followed by CO2 activation. The effects of no holding peak pyrolysis temperature on the physical characteristics of the activated carbons are studied. The BET surface area of the activated carbon is investigated using N2 adsorption at 77 K with selected temperatures of 500, 600, and 700°C. These pyrolysis conditions for preparing the activated carbons are found to yield higher BET surface area at a pyrolysis temperature of 700°C compared to selected commercial activated carbon. The activated carbons thus result in well-developed porosities and predominantly microporosities. By using this activation method, significant improvement can be obtained in the surface characteristics of the activated carbons. Thus this study shows that the preparation time can be shortened while better results of activated carbon can be produced.

Antiproliferative effect of Antrodia camphorata polysaccharides encapsulated in chitosan-silica nanoparticles strongly depends on the metabolic activity type of the cell line

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kong, Zwe-Ling; Chang, Jenq-Sheng; Chang, Ke Liang B.

2013-09-01

Chitosan molecules interact with silica and encapsulate the Antrodia camphorata extract (ACE) polysaccharides to form composite nanoparticles. The nanoparticle suspensions of ACE polysaccharides encapsulated in silica-chitosan and silica nanoparticles approach an average particle size of 210 and 294 nm in solution, respectively. The encapsulation efficiencies of ACE polysaccharides are 66 and 63.5 %, respectively. Scanning electron micrographs confirm the formation of near-spherical nanoparticles. ACE polysaccharides solution had better antioxidative capability than ACE polysaccharides encapsulated in silica or silica-chitosan nanoparticles suspensions. The antioxidant capacity of nanoparticles increases with increasing dissolution time. The antitumor effects of ACE polysaccharides, ACE polysaccharides encapsulated in silica, or silica-chitosan nanoparticles increased with increasing concentration of nanoparticles. This is the first report demonstrating the potential of ACE polysaccharides encapsulated in chitosan-silica nanoparticles for cancer chemoprevention. Furthermore, this study suggests that antiproliferative effect of nanoparticle-encapsulated bioactive could significantly depend on the metabolic activity type of the cell line.

Enhancing the performance of green solid-state electric double-layer capacitor incorporated with fumed silica nanoparticles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chong, Mee Yoke; Numan, Arshid; Liew, Chiam-Wen; Ng, H. M.; Ramesh, K.; Ramesh, S.

2018-06-01

Solid polymer electrolyte (SPE) based on fumed silica nanoparticles as nanofillers, hydroxylethyl cellulose (HEC) as host polymer, magnesium trifluoromethanesulfonate salt and 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium trifluoromethanesulfonate ionic liquid is prepared by solution casting technique. The ionic conductivity, interactions of adsorbed ions on the host polymer, structural crystallinity and thermal stability are evaluated by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), respectively. Ionic conductivity studies at room temperature reveals that the SPE with 2 wt. % of fumed silica nanoparticles gives the highest conductivity compared to its counterpart. The XRD and FTIR studies confirm the dissolution of salt, ionic liquid and successful incorporation of fumed silica nanoparticles with host polymer. In order to examine the performance of SPEs, electric double-layer capacitor (EDLC) are fabricated by using activated carbon electrodes. EDLC studies demonstrate that SPE incorporated with 2 wt. % fumed silica nanoparticles gives high specific capacitance (25.0 F/g) at a scan rate of 5 mV/s compared to SPE without fumed silica. Additionally, it is able to withstand 71.3% of capacitance from its initial capacitance value over 1600 cycles at a current density of 0.4 A/g.

Bio-active engineered 50 nm silica nanoparticles with bone anabolic activity: therapeutic index, effective concentration, and cytotoxicity profile in vitro

PubMed Central

Ha, Shin-Woo; Sikorski, James A.; Weitzmann, M. Neale; Beck, George R.

2014-01-01

Silica-based nanomaterials are generally considered to be excellent candidates for therapeutic applications particularly related to skeletal metabolism however the current data surrounding the safety of silica based nanomaterials is conflicting. This may be due to differences in size, shape, incorporation of composite materials, surface properties, as well as the presence of contaminants following synthesis. In this study we performed extensive in vitro safety profiling of ~50 nm spherical silica nanoparticles with OH-terminated or Polyethylene Glycol decorated surface, with and without a magnetic core, and synthesized by the Stöber method. Nineteen different cell lines representing all major organ types were used to investigate an in vitro lethal concentration (LC) and results revealed little toxicity in any cell type analyzed. To calculate an in vitro therapeutic index we quantified the effective concentration at 50% response (EC50) for nanoparticle-stimulated mineral deposition activity using primary bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs). The EC50 for BMSCs was not substantially altered by surface or magnetic core. The calculated Inhibitory concentration 50% (IC50) for pre-osteoclasts was similar to the osteoblastic cells. These results demonstrate the pharmacological potential of certain silica-based nanomaterial formulations for use in treating bone diseases based on a favorable in vitro therapeutic index. PMID:24333519

Distribution and sources of carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus and biogenic silica in the sediments of Chilika lagoon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nazneen, Sadaf; Raju, N. Janardhana

2017-02-01

The present study investigated the spatial and vertical distribution of organic carbon (OC), total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP) and biogenic silica (BSi) in the sedimentary environments of Asia's largest brackish water lagoon. Surface and core sediments were collected from various locations of the Chilika lagoon and were analysed for grain-size distribution and major elements in order to understand their distribution and sources. Sand is the dominant fraction followed by silt + clay. Primary production within the lagoon, terrestrial input from river discharge and anthropogenic activities in the vicinity of the lagoon control the distribution of OC, TN, TP and BSi in the surface as well as in the core sediments. Low C/N ratios in the surface sediments (3.49-3.41) and cores (4-11.86) suggest that phytoplankton and macroalgae may be major contributors of organic matter (OM) in the lagoon. BSi is mainly associated with the mud fraction. Core C5 from Balugaon region shows the highest concentration of OC ranging from 0.58-2.34%, especially in the upper 30 cm, due to direct discharge of large amounts of untreated sewage into the lagoon. The study highlights that Chilika is a dynamic ecosystem with a large contribution of OM by autochthonous sources with some input from anthropogenic sources as well.

Production of palm kernel shell-based activated carbon by direct physical activation for carbon dioxide adsorption.

PubMed

Rashidi, Nor Adilla; Yusup, Suzana

2018-05-09

The feasibility of biomass-based activated carbons has received a huge attention due to their excellent characteristics such as inexpensiveness, good adsorption behaviour and potential to reduce a strong dependency towards non-renewable precursors. Therefore, in this research work, eco-friendly activated carbon from palm kernel shell that has been produced from one-stage physical activation by using the Box-Behnken design of Response Surface Methodology is highlighted. The effect of three input parameters-temperature, dwell time and gas flow rate-towards product yield and carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) uptake at room temperature and atmospheric pressure are studied. Model accuracy has been evaluated through the ANOVA analysis and lack-of-fit test. Accordingly, the optimum condition in synthesising the activated carbon with adequate CO 2 adsorption capacity of 2.13 mmol/g and product yield of 25.15 wt% is found at a temperature of 850 °C, holding time of 60 min and CO 2 flow rate of 450 cm 3 /min. The synthesised activated carbon has been characterised by diverse analytical instruments including thermogravimetric analyser, scanning electron microscope, as well as N 2 adsorption-desorption isotherm. The characterisation analysis indicates that the synthesised activated carbon has higher textural characteristics and porosity, together with better thermal stability and carbon content as compared to pristine palm kernel shell. Activated carbon production via one-step activation approach is economical since its carbon yield is within the industrial target, whereas CO 2 uptake is comparable to the synthesised activated carbon from conventional dual-stage activation, commercial activated carbon and other published data from literature.

Phase equilibria and thermodynamic modeling of ethane and propane hydrates in porous silica gels.

PubMed

Seo, Yongwon; Lee, Seungmin; Cha, Inuk; Lee, Ju Dong; Lee, Huen

2009-04-23

In the present study, we examined the active role of porous silica gels when used as natural gas storage and transportation media. We adopted the dispersed water in silica gel pores to substantially enhance active surface for contacting and encaging gas molecules. We measured the three-phase hydrate (H)-water-rich liquid (L(W))-vapor (V) equilibria of C(2)H(6) and C(3)H(8) hydrates in 6.0, 15.0, 30.0, and 100.0 nm silica gel pores to investigate the effect of geometrical constraints on gas hydrate phase equilibria. At specified temperatures, the hydrate stability region is shifted to a higher pressure region depending on pore size when compared with those of bulk hydrates. Through application of the Gibbs-Thomson relationship to the experimental data, we determined the values for the C(2)H(6) hydrate-water and C(3)H(8) hydrate-water interfacial tensions to be 39 +/- 2 and 45 +/- 1 mJ/m(2), respectively. By using these values, the calculation values were in good agreement with the experimental ones. The overall results given in this study could also be quite useful in various fields, such as exploitation of natural gas hydrate in marine sediments and sequestration of carbon dioxide into the deep ocean.

Catalytic activation of carbon-carbon bonds in cyclopentanones.

PubMed

Xia, Ying; Lu, Gang; Liu, Peng; Dong, Guangbin

2016-11-24

In the chemical industry, molecules of interest are based primarily on carbon skeletons. When synthesizing such molecules, the activation of carbon-carbon single bonds (C-C bonds) in simple substrates is strategically important: it offers a way of disconnecting such inert bonds, forming more active linkages (for example, between carbon and a transition metal) and eventually producing more versatile scaffolds. The challenge in achieving such activation is the kinetic inertness of C-C bonds and the relative weakness of newly formed carbon-metal bonds. The most common tactic starts with a three- or four-membered carbon-ring system, in which strain release provides a crucial thermodynamic driving force. However, broadly useful methods that are based on catalytic activation of unstrained C-C bonds have proven elusive, because the cleavage process is much less energetically favourable. Here we report a general approach to the catalytic activation of C-C bonds in simple cyclopentanones and some cyclohexanones. The key to our success is the combination of a rhodium pre-catalyst, an N-heterocyclic carbene ligand and an amino-pyridine co-catalyst. When an aryl group is present in the C3 position of cyclopentanone, the less strained C-C bond can be activated; this is followed by activation of a carbon-hydrogen bond in the aryl group, leading to efficient synthesis of functionalized α-tetralones-a common structural motif and versatile building block in organic synthesis. Furthermore, this method can substantially enhance the efficiency of the enantioselective synthesis of some natural products of terpenoids. Density functional theory calculations reveal a mechanism involving an intriguing rhodium-bridged bicyclic intermediate.

Silaffins in Silica Biomineralization and Biomimetic Silica Precipitation

PubMed Central

Lechner, Carolin C.; Becker, Christian F. W.

2015-01-01

Biomineralization processes leading to complex solid structures of inorganic material in biological systems are constantly gaining attention in biotechnology and biomedical research. An outstanding example for biomineral morphogenesis is the formation of highly elaborate, nano-patterned silica shells by diatoms. Among the organic macromolecules that have been closely linked to the tightly controlled precipitation of silica in diatoms, silaffins play an extraordinary role. These peptides typically occur as complex posttranslationally modified variants and are directly involved in the silica deposition process in diatoms. However, even in vitro silaffin-based peptides alone, with and without posttranslational modifications, can efficiently mediate biomimetic silica precipitation leading to silica material with different properties as well as with encapsulated cargo molecules of a large size range. In this review, the biomineralization process of silica in diatoms is summarized with a specific focus on silaffins and their in vitro silica precipitation properties. Applications in the area of bio- and nanotechnology as well as in diagnostics and therapy are discussed. PMID:26295401

Stimuli-responsive polyaniline coated silica microspheres and their electrorheology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Park, Dae Eun; Choi, Hyoung Jin; Vu, Cuong Manh

2016-05-01

Silica/polyaniline (PANI) core-shell structured microspheres were synthesized by coating the surface of silica micro-beads with PANI and applied as a candidate inorganic/polymer composite electrorheological (ER) material. The silica micro-beads were initially modified using N-[(3-trimethoxysilyl)-propyl] aniline to activate an aniline functional group on the silica surface for a better PANI coating. The morphology of the PANI coating on the silica surface was examined by scanning electron microscopy and the silica/PANI core-shell structure was confirmed by transmission electron microscopy. The chemical structure of the particles was confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Rotational rheometry was performed to confirm the difference in the ER properties between pure silica and silica/PANI microsphere-based ER fluids when dispersed in silicone oil.

Carbon dioxide capture process with regenerable sorbents

DOEpatents

Pennline, Henry W.; Hoffman, James S.

2002-05-14

A process to remove carbon dioxide from a gas stream using a cross-flow, or a moving-bed reactor. In the reactor the gas contacts an active material that is an alkali-metal compound, such as an alkali-metal carbonate, alkali-metal oxide, or alkali-metal hydroxide; or in the alternative, an alkaline-earth metal compound, such as an alkaline-earth metal carbonate, alkaline-earth metal oxide, or alkaline-earth metal hydroxide. The active material can be used by itself or supported on a substrate of carbon, alumina, silica, titania or aluminosilicate. When the active material is an alkali-metal compound, the carbon-dioxide reacts with the metal compound to generate bicarbonate. When the active material is an alkaline-earth metal, the carbon dioxide reacts with the metal compound to generate carbonate. Spent sorbent containing the bicarbonate or carbonate is moved to a second reactor where it is heated or treated with a reducing agent such as, natural gas, methane, carbon monoxide hydrogen, or a synthesis gas comprising of a combination of carbon monoxide and hydrogen. The heat or reducing agent releases carbon dioxide gas and regenerates the active material for use as the sorbent material in the first reactor. New sorbent may be added to the regenerated sorbent prior to subsequent passes in the carbon dioxide removal reactor.

Use of Nanofibers to Strengthen Hydrogels of Silica, Other Oxides, and Aerogels

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Meador, Mary Ann B.; Capadona, Lynn A.; Hurwitz, Frances; Vivod, Stephanie L.; Lake, Max

2010-01-01

Research has shown that including up to 5 percent w/w carbon nanofibers in a silica backbone of polymer crosslinked aerogels improves its strength, tripling compressive modulus and increasing tensile stress-at-break five-fold with no increase in density or decrease in porosity. In addition, the initial silica hydrogels, which are produced as a first step in manufacturing the aerogels, can be quite fragile and difficult to handle before cross-linking. The addition of the carbon nanofiber also improves the strength of the initial hydrogels before cross-linking, improving the manufacturing process. This can also be extended to other oxide aerogels, such as alumina or aluminosilicates, and other nanofiber types, such as silicon carbide.

Activated coconut shell charcoal carbon using chemical-physical activation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Budi, Esmar; Umiatin, Nasbey, Hadi; Bintoro, Ridho Akbar; Wulandari, Futri; Erlina

2016-02-01

The use of activated carbon from natural material such as coconut shell charcoal as metal absorbance of the wastewater is a new trend. The activation of coconut shell charcoal carbon by using chemical-physical activation has been investigated. Coconut shell was pyrolized in kiln at temperature about 75 - 150 °C for about 6 hours in producing charcoal. The charcoal as the sample was shieved into milimeter sized granule particle and chemically activated by immersing in various concentration of HCl, H3PO4, KOH and NaOH solutions. The samples then was physically activated using horizontal furnace at 400°C for 1 hours in argon gas environment with flow rate of 200 kg/m3. The surface morphology and carbon content of activated carbon were characterized by using SEM/EDS. The result shows that the pores of activated carbon are openned wider as the chemical activator concentration is increased due to an excessive chemical attack. However, the pores tend to be closed as further increasing in chemical activator concentration due to carbon collapsing.

The phagocytosis and toxicity of amorphous silica.

PubMed

Costantini, Lindsey M; Gilberti, Renée M; Knecht, David A

2011-02-02

Inhalation of crystalline silica is known to cause an inflammatory reaction and chronic exposure leads to lung fibrosis and can progress into the disease, silicosis. Cultured macrophages bind crystalline silica particles, phagocytose them, and rapidly undergo apoptotic and necrotic death. The mechanism by which particles are bound and internalized and the reason particles are toxic is unclear. Amorphous silica has been considered to be a less toxic form, but this view is controversial. We compared the uptake and toxicity of amorphous silica to crystalline silica. Amorphous silica particles are phagocytosed by macrophage cells and a single internalized particle is capable of killing a cell. Fluorescent dextran is released from endo-lysosomes within two hours after silica treatment and Caspase-3 activation occurs within 4 hours. Interestingly, toxicity is specific to macrophage cell lines. Other cell types are resistant to silica particle toxicity even though they internalize the particles. The large and uniform size of the spherical, amorphous silica particles allowed us to monitor them during the uptake process. In mCherry-actin transfected macrophages, actin rings began to form 1-3 minutes after silica binding and the actin coat disassembled rapidly following particle internalization. Pre-loading cells with fluorescent dextran allowed us to visualize the fusion of phagosomes with endosomes during internalization. These markers provided two new ways to visualize and quantify particle internalization. At 37 °C the rate of amorphous silica internalization was very rapid regardless of particle coating. However, at room temperature, opsonized silica is internalized much faster than non-opsonized silica. Our results indicate that amorphous and crystalline silica are both phagocytosed and both toxic to mouse alveolar macrophage (MH-S) cells. The pathway leading to apoptosis appears to be similar in both cases. However, the result suggests a mechanistic difference

Isocyanate Cross-Linked Silica: Structurally Strong Aerogels

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Leventis, Nicholas; Sotiriou-Leventis, Chariklia; Zhang, Guo-Hui; Rawashdeh, Abdel-Monem M.

2002-01-01

Molecular-level synergism between the silica nanoparticles of pre-formed monoliths and molecular cross-linkers inverts the relative host-guest roles in glass-polymer composites, leading to new strong low-density materials. Attempts to load gels with variable amounts of polyurethane precursors such as di-ISO and diol end-capped polybutylene adipate followed by heat treatment, washing, and supercritical drying led to opaque materials, somewhat stronger than silica but still quite brittle and much inferior to the materials described above. Direct mixing of a diisocyanate and an alcohol-free sol has been attempted recently by Yim et al. Reportedly, that procedure leads to week-long gelation times and requires an at least equally long aging period. In our attempt to add various amounts of di-ISO in a base-catalyzed sol in PC, we also noticed a week-long gelation time. The resulting aerogels were translucent but no less brittle than native silica. According to more recent studies, if propylene carbonate is replaced with acetone, it leads not only to shorter processing times, but also to much stronger gels that can tolerate loads in excess of 40 kg in the arrangement presented. We attribute that behavior to the lower viscosity of acetone, that allows faster diffusion of the di-ISO solution within the pores before di-ISO has time to react with the surface of silica. Further studies are underway to vary the chemical identity of the diisocyanate, as well as the composition and density of silica.

Occupational Exposure to Respirable Dust, Respirable Crystalline Silica and Diesel Engine Exhaust Emissions in the London Tunnelling Environment.

PubMed

Galea, Karen S; Mair, Craig; Alexander, Carla; de Vocht, Frank; van Tongeren, Martie

2016-03-01

Personal 8-h shift exposure to respirable dust, diesel engine exhaust emissions (DEEE) (as respirable elemental carbon), and respirable crystalline silica of workers involved in constructing an underground metro railway tunnel was assessed. Black carbon (BC) concentrations were also assessed using a MicroAeth AE51. During sprayed concrete lining (SCL) activities in the tunnel, the geometric mean (GM) respirable dust exposure level was 0.91mg m(-3), with the highest exposure measured on a back-up sprayer (3.20mg m(-3)). The GM respirable crystalline silica concentration for SCL workers was 0.03mg m(-3), with the highest measurement also for the back-up sprayer (0.24mg m(-3)). During tunnel boring machine (TBM) activities, the GM respirable dust concentration was 0.54mg m(-3). The GM respirable elemental carbon concentration for all the TBM operators was 18 µg m(-3); with the highest concentration measured on a segment lifter. The BC concentrations were higher in the SCL environment in comparison to the TBM environment (daily GM 18-54 µg m(-3) versus 3-6 µg m(-3)). This small-scale monitoring campaign provides additional personal data on exposures experienced by underground tunnel construction workers. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the British Occupational Hygiene Society.

A system to investigate the remediation of organic vapors using microwave-induced plasma with fluidized carbon granules

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Dawson, Elizabeth A.; Parkes, Gareth M. B.; Bond, Gary

This article describes a system to investigate the parameters for the remediation of organic vapors using microwave-induced plasma on fluidized carbon granules. The system is based on a single mode microwave apparatus with a variable power (2.45 GHz) generator. Carbon granules are fluidized in a silica tube situated in the sample section of a waveguide incorporating two additional ports to allow plasma intensity monitoring using a light sensor and imaging with a digital camera. A fluoroptic probe is used for in situ measurement of the carbon granule temperature, while the effluent gas temperature is measured with a thermocouple situated inmore » the silica tube outside the cavity. Data acquisition and control software allow experiments using a variety of microwave power regimes while simultaneously recording the light intensity of any plasma generated within the carbon bed, together with its temperature. Evaluation using two different granular activated carbons and ethyl acetate, introduced as a vapor into the fluidizing air stream at a concentration of 1 ppm, yielded results which indicated that significant destruction of ethyl acetate, as monitored using a mass spectrometer, was achieved only with the carbon granules showing high plasma activity under pulsed microwave conditions. The system is therefore suitable for comparison of the relative microwave activities of various activated carbon granules and their performance in microwave remediation and regeneration.« less

Bio-active engineered 50 nm silica nanoparticles with bone anabolic activity: therapeutic index, effective concentration, and cytotoxicity profile in vitro.

PubMed

Ha, Shin-Woo; Sikorski, James A; Weitzmann, M Neale; Beck, George R

2014-04-01

Silica-based nanomaterials are generally considered to be excellent candidates for therapeutic applications particularly related to skeletal metabolism however the current data surrounding the safety of silica based nanomaterials is conflicting. This may be due to differences in size, shape, incorporation of composite materials, surface properties, as well as the presence of contaminants following synthesis. In this study we performed extensive in vitro safety profiling of ∼ 50 nm spherical silica nanoparticles with OH-terminated or Polyethylene Glycol decorated surface, with and without a magnetic core, and synthesized by the Stöber method. Nineteen different cell lines representing all major organ types were used to investigate an in vitro lethal concentration (LC) and results revealed little toxicity in any cell type analyzed. To calculate an in vitro therapeutic index we quantified the effective concentration at 50% response (EC50) for nanoparticle-stimulated mineral deposition activity using primary bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs). The EC50 for BMSCs was not substantially altered by surface or magnetic core. The calculated Inhibitory concentration 50% (IC50) for pre-osteoclasts was similar to the osteoblastic cells. These results demonstrate the pharmacological potential of certain silica-based nanomaterial formulations for use in treating bone diseases based on a favorable in vitro therapeutic index. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Synthesis of Dispersible Mesoporous Nitrogen-Doped Hollow Carbon Nanoplates with Uniform Hexagonal Morphologies for Supercapacitors.

PubMed

Cao, Jie; Jafta, Charl J; Gong, Jiang; Ran, Qidi; Lin, Xianzhong; Félix, Roberto; Wilks, Regan G; Bär, Marcus; Yuan, Jiayin; Ballauff, Matthias; Lu, Yan

2016-11-02

In this study, dispersible mesoporous nitrogen-doped hollow carbon nanoplates have been synthesized as a new anisotropic carbon nanostructure using gibbsite nanoplates as templates. The gibbsite-silica core-shell nanoplates were first prepared before the gibbsite core was etched away. Dopamine as carbon precursor was self-polymerized on the hollow silica nanoplates surface assisted by sonification, which not only favors a homogeneous polymer coating on the nanoplates but also prevents their aggregation during the polymerization. Individual silica-polydopamine core-shell nanoplates were immobilized in a silica gel in an insulated state via a silica nanocasting technique. After pyrolysis in a nanoconfine environment and elimination of silica, discrete and dispersible hollow carbon nanoplates are obtained. The resulted hollow carbon nanoplates bear uniform hexagonal morphology with specific surface area of 460 m 2 ·g -1 and fairly accessible small mesopores (∼3.8 nm). They show excellent colloidal stability in aqueous media and are applied as electrode materials for symmetric supercapacitors. When using polyvinylimidazolium-based nanoparticles as a binder in electrodes, the hollow carbon nanoplates present superior performance in parallel to polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) binder.

Impact of Colloidal Silica on Silicone Oil-Silica Mixed Antifoams

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yuan, Zheng

Antifoams are utilized as an industrial additive to control undesired foam during processing. This study focuses on the impact of silica on the antifoam stability. Antifoam stability refers to the ability to maintain efficiency in foam destruction after prolonged shelf storage. Common antifoams are a mixture of hydrophobic silica particles and silicone oil. Based on the general mechanisms of antifoam action discussed in Chapter 1, silica particles play a significant role in foam destruction. Silica particles contribute to foam control by facilitating the entry and the penetration depth of oil-silica globules into surfactant-water films (foam bubble walls). The size, morphology and hydrophobicity of silica can be manipulated to generate optimal antifoam globules. For example, the two silicas with good shelf life performance (8375 and 9512) had the largest silica particles and both showed a tendency to aggregate in toluene solution. We conclude that improved shelf life is related to the propensity of PDMS oil to adsorb on silica, which leads to aggregation and particle size increase. We measured the time-evolution of dynamic light scattering (DLS) from 3-vol% antifoam dissolved in toluene (Chapter 2). For the sample with the largest hydrodynamic radius (9512) the scattered intensity decreased significantly after applying ultrasonic dispersion. Decreasing intensity also occurred for 8375 albeit at later times. The decrease of intensity is attributed to the growth and precipitation of oil-silica globules. The concentration dependence of light scattering confirmed the growth-precipitation hypothesis. FT-IR (Chapter 3) was consistent with precipitation due to oil adsorption, but the data were not definitive. Chapter 4 examines the time-evolution of silica structures by static light scattering and X-ray scattering. The combined data are consistent with a hierarchical structure for silica. Agglomeration occurred fastest for 9512, which is consistent with DLS observations

Living bacteria in silica gels

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nassif, Nadine; Bouvet, Odile; Noelle Rager, Marie; Roux, Cécile; Coradin, Thibaud; Livage, Jacques

2002-09-01

The encapsulation of enzymes within silica gels has been extensively studied during the past decade for the design of biosensors and bioreactors. Yeast spores and bacteria have also been recently immobilized within silica gels where they retain their enzymatic activity, but the problem of the long-term viability of whole cells in an inorganic matrix has never been fully addressed. It is a real challenge for the development of sol-gel processes. Generic tests have been performed to check the viability of Escherichia coli bacteria in silica gels. Surprisingly, more bacteria remain culturable in the gel than in an aqueous suspension. The metabolic activity of the bacteria towards glycolysis decreases slowly, but half of the bacteria are still viable after one month. When confined within a mineral environment, bacteria do not form colonies. The exchange of chemical signals between isolated bacteria rather than aggregates can then be studied, a point that could be very important for 'quorum sensing'.

Transport of oxidized multi-walled carbon nanotubes through silica based porous media: influences of aquatic chemistry, surface chemistry, and natural organic matter.

PubMed

Yang, Jin; Bitter, Julie L; Smith, Billy A; Fairbrother, D Howard; Ball, William P

2013-12-17

This paper provides results from studies of the transport of oxidized multi-walled carbon nanotubes (O-MWCNTs) of varying surface oxygen concentrations under a range of aquatic conditions and through uniform silica glass bead media. In the presence of Na(+), the required ionic strength (IS) for maximum particle attachment efficiency (i.e., the critical deposition concentration, or CDC) increased as the surface oxygen concentration of the O-MWCNTs or pH increased, following qualitative tenets of theories based on electrostatic interactions. In the presence of Ca(2+), CDC values were lower than those with Na(+) present, but were no longer sensitive to surface oxygen content, suggesting that Ca(2+) impacts the interactions between O-MWCNTs and glass beads by mechanisms other than electrostatic alone. The presence of Suwannee River natural organic matter (SRNOM) decreased the attachment efficiency of O-MWCNTs in the presence of either Na(+) or Ca(2+), but with more pronounced effects when Na(+) was present. Nevertheless, low concentrations of SRNOM (<4 mg/L of dissolved organic carbon) were sufficient to mobilize all O-MWCNTs studied at CaCl2 concentrations as high as 10 mM. Overall, this study reveals that NOM content, pH, and cation type show more importance than surface chemistry in affecting O-MWCNTs deposition during transport through silica-based porous media.

The Deep-Sea Natural Products, Biogenic Polyphosphate (Bio-PolyP) and Biogenic Silica (Bio-Silica), as Biomimetic Scaffolds for Bone Tissue Engineering: Fabrication of a Morphogenetically-Active Polymer

PubMed Central

Wang, Xiaohong; Schröder, Heinz C.; Feng, Qingling; Draenert, Florian; Müller, Werner E. G.

2013-01-01

Bone defects in human, caused by fractures/nonunions or trauma, gain increasing impact and have become a medical challenge in the present-day aging population. Frequently, those fractures require surgical intervention which ideally relies on autografts or suboptimally on allografts. Therefore, it is pressing and likewise challenging to develop bone substitution materials to heal bone defects. During the differentiation of osteoblasts from their mesenchymal progenitor/stem cells and of osteoclasts from their hemopoietic precursor cells, a lineage-specific release of growth factors and a trans-lineage homeostatic cross-talk via signaling molecules take place. Hence, the major hurdle is to fabricate a template that is functioning in a way mimicking the morphogenetic, inductive role(s) of the native extracellular matrix. In the last few years, two naturally occurring polymers that are produced by deep-sea sponges, the biogenic polyphosphate (bio-polyP) and biogenic silica (bio-silica) have also been identified as promoting morphogenetic on both osteoblasts and osteoclasts. These polymers elicit cytokines that affect bone mineralization (hydroxyapatite formation). In this manner, bio-silica and bio-polyP cause an increased release of BMP-2, the key mediator activating the anabolic arm of the hydroxyapatite forming cells, and of RANKL. In addition, bio-polyP inhibits the progression of the pre-osteoclasts to functionally active osteoclasts. Based on these findings, new bioinspired strategies for the fabrication of bone biomimetic templates have been developed applying 3D-printing techniques. Finally, a strategy is outlined by which these two morphogenetically active polymers might be used to develop a novel functionally active polymer. PMID:23528950

Improved activity of α-chymotrypsin on silica particles - A high-pressure stopped-flow study.

PubMed

Schuabb, Vitor; Winter, Roland; Czeslik, Claus

2016-11-01

Pressure is well known to affect the catalytic rate of enzymes dissolved in solution. To better understand enzyme kinetics at aqueous-solid interfaces, we have carried out a high-pressure stopped-flow activity study of α-chymotrypsin (α-CT) that is adsorbed on silica particles and, for comparison, dissolved in solution. The enzyme reaction was modulated using pressures up to 2000bar and recorded using the high-pressure stopped-flow technique. The results indicate an 8-fold enhancement of the turnover number upon α-CT adsorption and a further increase of the catalytic rate in the pressure range up to 1000bar. From the pressure dependence of the catalytic rate, apparent activation volumes have been determined. In the adsorbed state of α-CT, a pronounced change of the activation volume is found with increasing pressure. Furthermore, owing to suppression of its autolysis, a significantly longer storage time of α-CT can be achieved when the enzyme is adsorbed on silica particles. The results obtained are discussed in terms of a surface-induced selection of conformational substates of the enzyme-substrate complex. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Successful entrapment of carbon dots within flexible free-standing transparent mesoporous organic-inorganic silica hybrid films for photonic applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vassilakopoulou, Anastasia; Georgakilas, Vasilios; Vainos, Nikolaos; Koutselas, Ioannis

2017-04-01

The effective entrapment of Carbon dots (CDs) into a polymer-silica hybrid matrix, formed as free standing transparent flexible films, is presented. The composite's synthesis, characterization, device application and properties -mechanical, thermal and optical- are being provided and discussed. CDs of 3 nm mean size with strong photoluminescence are embedded into a silica matrix during the sol-gel procedure, using tetraethyl orthosilicate as the precursor and F127 triblock copolymer as the structure directing agent under acidic conditions. The final hybrid nanostructure forms free standing transparent films that show high flexibility and long term stable CDs luminescence indicating the protective character of the hybrid matrix. It is crucial that the photoluminescence of the hybrid's CDs is not seriously affected after thermal treatment at 550 °C for 30 min. Moreover, the herein reported hybrid is demonstrated to be suitable for the fabrication of advanced photonic structures using soft lithography processes due to its low shrinkage and distortion upon drying, both attributable to its porosity. Finally, it is reported that addition of F127 ethanolic solution in aqueous solution of CDs induces a blue-shift of their photoluminescence.

Molecular and Silica-Supported Molybdenum Alkyne Metathesis Catalysts: Influence of Electronics and Dynamics on Activity Revealed by Kinetics, Solid-State NMR, and Chemical Shift Analysis.

PubMed

Estes, Deven P; Gordon, Christopher P; Fedorov, Alexey; Liao, Wei-Chih; Ehrhorn, Henrike; Bittner, Celine; Zier, Manuel Luca; Bockfeld, Dirk; Chan, Ka Wing; Eisenstein, Odile; Raynaud, Christophe; Tamm, Matthias; Copéret, Christophe

2017-12-06

Molybdenum-based molecular alkylidyne complexes of the type [MesC≡Mo{OC(CH 3 ) 3-x (CF 3 ) x } 3 ] (MoF 0 , x = 0; MoF 3 , x = 1; MoF 6 , x = 2; MoF 9 , x = 3; Mes = 2,4,6-trimethylphenyl) and their silica-supported analogues are prepared and characterized at the molecular level, in particular by solid-state NMR, and their alkyne metathesis catalytic activity is evaluated. The 13 C NMR chemical shift of the alkylidyne carbon increases with increasing number of fluorine atoms on the alkoxide ligands for both molecular and supported catalysts but with more shielded values for the supported complexes. The activity of these catalysts increases in the order MoF 0 < MoF 3 < MoF 6 before sharply decreasing for MoF 9 , with a similar effect for the supported systems (MoF 0 ≈ MoF 9 < MoF 6 < MoF 3 ). This is consistent with the different kinetic behavior (zeroth order in alkyne for MoF 9 derivatives instead of first order for the others) and the isolation of stable metallacyclobutadiene intermediates of MoF 9 for both molecular and supported species. Detailed solid-state NMR analysis of molecular and silica-supported metal alkylidyne catalysts coupled with DFT/ZORA calculations rationalize the NMR spectroscopic signatures and discernible activity trends at the frontier orbital level: (1) increasing the number of fluorine atoms lowers the energy of the π*(M≡C) orbital, explaining the more deshielded chemical shift values; it also leads to an increased electrophilicity and higher reactivity for catalysts up to MoF 6 , prior to a sharp decrease in reactivity for MoF 9 due to the formation of stable metallacyclobutadiene intermediates; (2) the silica-supported catalysts are less active than their molecular analogues because they are less electrophilic and dynamic, as revealed by their 13 C NMR chemical shift tensors.

Effect of Steam Activation on Development of Light Weight Biomorphic Porous SiC from Pine Wood Precursor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Manocha, Satish M.; Patel, Hemang; Manocha, L. M.

2013-02-01

Biomorphic SiC materials with tailor-made microstructure and properties similar to ceramic materials manufactured by conventional method are a new class of materials derived from natural biopolymeric cellulose templates (wood). Porous silicon carbide (SiC) ceramics with wood-like microstructure have been prepared by carbothermal reduction of charcoal/silica composites at 1300-1600 °C in inert Ar atmosphere. The C/SiO2 composites were fabricated by infiltrating silica sol into porous activated biocarbon template. Silica in the charcoal/silica composite, preferentially in the cellular pores, was found to get transformed in forms of fibers and rods due to shrinkage during drying. The changes in the morphology of resulting porous SiC ceramics after heat treatment to 1600 °C, as well as the conversion mechanism of wood to activated carbon and then to porous SiC ceramic have been investigated using scanning electron microscope, x-ray diffraction, thermogravimetric analysis, and differential scanning calorimetry. Activation of carbon prior to silica infiltration has been found to enhance conversion of charcoal to SiC. The pore structure is found to be uniform in these materials than in those made from as-such charcoal/silica composites. This provides a low-cost and eco-friendly route to advanced ceramic materials, with near-net shape potential.

Nanoengineered Carbon-Based Materials For Reactive Adsorption of Toxic Industrial Compounds

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-01-13

in phenolic, sulfonic, thioethers and pyrrolic groups. 29. Addition of small amount of sulfanilic acid (grafting with acid) to silica-carbons...thioethers and pyrrolic groups. 29. Addition of small amount of sulfanilic acid (grafting with acid) to silica-carbons composites increases NO2

Mesoporous carbon-supported Pd nanoparticles with high specific surface area for cyclohexene hydrogenation: Outstanding catalytic activity of NaOH-treated catalysts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Puskás, R.; Varga, T.; Grósz, A.; Sápi, A.; Oszkó, A.; Kukovecz, Á.; Kónya, Z.

2016-06-01

Extremely high specific surface area mesoporous carbon-supported Pd nanoparticle catalysts were prepared with both impregnation and polyol-based sol methods. The silica template used for the synthesis of mesoporous carbon was removed by both NaOH and HF etching. Pd/mesoporous carbon catalysts synthesized with the impregnation method has as high specific surface area as 2250 m2/g. In case of NaOH-etched impregnated samples, the turnover frequency of cyclohexene hydrogenation to cyclohexane at 313 K was obtained 14 molecules • site- 1 • s- 1. The specific surface area of HF-etched samples was higher compared to NaOH-etched samples. However, catalytic activity was 3-6 times higher on NaOH-etched samples compared to HF-etched samples, which can be attributed to the presence of sodium and surface hydroxylgroups of the catalysts etched with NaOH solution.

Thin-Layer Polymer Wrapped Enzymes Encapsulated in Hierarchically Mesoporous Silica with High Activity and Enhanced Stability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Fang; Wang, Meitao; Liang, Chao; Jiang, Huangyong; Shen, Jian; Li, Hexing

2014-03-01

A novel soft-hard cooperative approach was developed to synthesize bioactive mesoporous composite by pre-wrapping Penicillin G amidase with poly(acrylaimde) nanogel skin and subsequently incorporating such Penicillin G amidase nanocapsules into hierarchically mesoporous silica. The as-received bioactive mesoporous composite exhibited comparable activity and extraordinarily high stability in comparison with native Penicillin G amidase and could be used repetitively in the water-medium hydrolysis of penicillin G potassium salt. Furthermore, this strategy could be extended to the synthesis of multifunctional bioactive mesoporous composite by simultaneously introducing glucose oxidase nanocapsules and horseradish peroxidase nanocapsules into hierarchically mesoporous silica, which demonstrated a synergic effect in one-pot tandem oxidation reaction. Improvements in the catalytic performances were attributed to the combinational unique structure from soft polymer skin and hard inorganic mesoporous silica shell, which cooperatively helped enzyme molecules to retain their appropriate geometry and simultaneously decreased the enzyme-support negative interaction and mass transfer limitation under heterogeneous conditions.

Anti-listeria effects of chitosan-coated nisin-silica liposome on Cheddar cheese.

PubMed

Cui, H Y; Wu, J; Li, C Z; Lin, L

2016-11-01

Listeria monocytogenes poses an increasing challenge to cheese production. To minimize the risk of bacterial contamination, a chitosan-coated nisin-silica liposome was engineered for the present study. We investigated the characteristics of nisin-silica liposomes and the anti-listeria effects of a chitosan-coated nisin-silica liposome on Cheddar cheese. The encapsulation efficiency of nisin in a liposome was sharply increased after it was adsorbed on a silica particle surface. Chitosan-coated nisin-silica liposomes displayed sustained antibacterial activity against L. monocytogenes, without affecting the sensory properties of the cheese. Chitosan-coated nisin-silica liposomes could be a promising active antimicrobial for cheese preservation. Copyright © 2016 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The Phagocytosis and Toxicity of Amorphous Silica

PubMed Central

Costantini, Lindsey M.; Gilberti, Renée M.; Knecht, David A.

2011-01-01

Background Inhalation of crystalline silica is known to cause an inflammatory reaction and chronic exposure leads to lung fibrosis and can progress into the disease, silicosis. Cultured macrophages bind crystalline silica particles, phagocytose them, and rapidly undergo apoptotic and necrotic death. The mechanism by which particles are bound and internalized and the reason particles are toxic is unclear. Amorphous silica has been considered to be a less toxic form, but this view is controversial. We compared the uptake and toxicity of amorphous silica to crystalline silica. Methodology/Principal Findings Amorphous silica particles are phagocytosed by macrophage cells and a single internalized particle is capable of killing a cell. Fluorescent dextran is released from endo-lysosomes within two hours after silica treatment and Caspase-3 activation occurs within 4 hours. Interestingly, toxicity is specific to macrophage cell lines. Other cell types are resistant to silica particle toxicity even though they internalize the particles. The large and uniform size of the spherical, amorphous silica particles allowed us to monitor them during the uptake process. In mCherry-actin transfected macrophages, actin rings began to form 1-3 minutes after silica binding and the actin coat disassembled rapidly following particle internalization. Pre-loading cells with fluorescent dextran allowed us to visualize the fusion of phagosomes with endosomes during internalization. These markers provided two new ways to visualize and quantify particle internalization. At 37°C the rate of amorphous silica internalization was very rapid regardless of particle coating. However, at room temperature, opsonized silica is internalized much faster than non-opsonized silica. Conclusions/Significance Our results indicate that amorphous and crystalline silica are both phagocytosed and both toxic to mouse alveolar macrophage (MH-S) cells. The pathway leading to apoptosis appears to be similar in both

Effect of support size on the catalytic activity of metal-oxide-doped silica particles in the glycolysis of polyethylene terephthalate.

PubMed

Wi, Rinbok; Imran, Muhammad; Lee, Kyoung G; Yoon, Sun Hong; Cho, Bong Gyoo; Kim, Do Hyun

2011-07-01

Zinc oxide (ZnO) and cerium oxide (CeO2) nanoparticles were deposited on the surface of preformed silica spheres with diameters ranging from 60 to 750 nm. Ultrasonic irradiation was employed to promote the deposition of the metal oxide nanoparticles on the surface of silica. Silica-supported zinc oxide or cerium oxide was used as a catalyst in the glycolysis of polyethylene terephthalate, one of the key processes in the depolymerization of polyethylene terephthalate. The effect of the support size on the catalytic activity was studied in terms of monomer yield, and the monomer concentration was analyzed via high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The morphologies and surface properties of the catalysts were characterized using a scanning electron microscope, a transmission electron microscope, and a BET surface area analyzer, while the monomer was characterized via HPLC and nuclear-magnetic-resonance spectroscopy. Both the zinc oxide and cerium oxide deposited on a smaller support showed better distribution and less aggregation. The high specific surface area of the smaller support catalysts provided a large number of active sites. The highest monomer yield was obtained with a catalyst of 60-nm silica support.

Pd-N-Heterocyclic Carbene (NHC) Organic Silica: Synthesis and Application in Carbon-Carbon Coupling Reactions

EPA Science Inventory

The first Pd-N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) complex in the form of organic silica was prepared using sol-gel method and its application in Heck and Suzuki reaction were demonstrated. These C-C coupling reactions proceeded efficiently under the influence of microwave irradiation, wi...

Face-specific Replacement of Calcite by Amorphous Silica Nanoparticles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liesegang, M.; Milke, R.; Neusser, G.; Mizaikoff, B.

2016-12-01

provides a natural example of the transformation of an atomic crystal to an amorphous, mesoscale ordered material; thus, links the research fields of natural colloidal crystal formation, carbonate-silica replacement, and crystallization by oriented particle aggregation (CPA).

Activity of Highly Dispersed Co/SBA-15 Catalysts (Low Content) in Carbon Black Oxidation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hassan, Nissrine El; Casale, Sandra; Aouad, Samer; Hanein, Theodor; Jabbour, Karam; Chidiac, Elvis; Khoury, Bilal el; Zakhem, Henri El; Nakat, Hanna El

Cobalt supported on mesoporous silica SBA-15 (0.75, 1.5 and 3 wt% Co) were used as catalysts for the oxidation of carbon black. Catalysts were characterized by N2 sorption, XRD, TEM and TPR. The catalytic activity in CB oxidation was measured. It has been shown that only small cobalt domains (less than 5 nm) are present on all samples. A homogeneous dispersion was obtained for all catalysts. With increasing cobalt loading, crystalline species start to appear. Using an intermediate contact between the CB and the catalyst, the best activity is that of 0.75Co/SBA-15 catalyst where the oxidation reaches the maximum (Tmax) 68 K before the non-catalyzed reaction. On the same catalyst used in tight contact mode with CB, even if Tmax didn't decrease for more than additional 12 K but the Ti decreases by 38K and thus starts 83 K before.

Polar silica-based stationary phases. Part II- Neutral silica stationary phases with surface bound maltose and sorbitol for hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography.

PubMed

Rathnasekara, Renuka; El Rassi, Ziad

2017-07-28

Two neutral polyhydroxylated silica bonded stationary phases, namely maltose-silica (MALT-silica) and sorbitol-silica (SOR-silica), have been introduced and chromatographically characterized in hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography (HILIC) for a wide range of polar compounds. The bonding of the maltose and sorbitol to the silica surface was brought about by first converting bare silica to an epoxy-activated silica surface via reaction with γ-glycidoxypropyltrimethoxysilane (GPTMS) followed by attaching maltose and sorbitol to the epoxy surface in the presence of the Lewis acid catalyst BF 3 .ethereate. Both silica based columns offered the expected retention characteristics usually encountered for neutral polar surface. The retention mechanism is majorly based on solute' differential partitioning between an organic rich hydro-organic mobile phase (e.g., ACN rich mobile phase) and an adsorbed water layer on the surface of the stationary phase although additional hydrogen bonding was also responsible in some cases for solute retention. The MALT-silica column proved to be more hydrophilic and offered higher retention, separation efficiency and resolution than the SOR-silica column among the tested polar solutes such as derivatized mono- and oligosaccharides, weak phenolic acids, cyclic nucleotide monophosphate and nucleotide-5'-monophosphates, and weak bases, e.g., nucleobases and nucleosides. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Active Iron Sites of Disordered Mesoporous Silica Catalyst FeKIL-2 in the Oxidation of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC)

PubMed Central

Rangus, Mojca; Mazaj, Matjaž; Dražić, Goran; Popova, Margarita; Tušar, Nataša Novak

2014-01-01

Iron-functionalized disordered mesoporous silica (FeKIL-2) is a promising, environmentally friendly, cost-effective and highly efficient catalyst for the elimination of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from polluted air via catalytic oxidation. In this study, we investigated the type of catalytically active iron sites for different iron concentrations in FeKIL-2 catalysts using advanced characterization of the local environment of iron atoms by a combination of X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy Techniques (XANES, EXAFS) and Atomic-Resolution Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy (AR STEM). We found that the molar ratio Fe/Si ≤ 0.01 leads to the formation of stable, mostly isolated Fe3+ sites in the silica matrix, while higher iron content Fe/Si > 0.01 leads to the formation of oligonuclear iron clusters. STEM imaging and EELS techniques confirmed the existence of these clusters. Their size ranges from one to a few nanometers, and they are unevenly distributed throughout the material. The size of the clusters was also found to be similar, regardless of the nominal concentration of iron (Fe/Si = 0.02 and Fe/Si = 0.05). From the results obtained from sample characterization and model catalytic tests, we established that the enhanced activity of FeKIL-2 with the optimal Fe/Si = 0.01 ratio can be attributed to: (1) the optimal concentration of stable isolated Fe3+ in the silica support; and (2) accelerated diffusion of the reactants in disordered mesoporous silica (FeKIL-2) when compared to ordered mesoporous silica materials (FeSBA-15, FeMCM-41). PMID:28788674

Processing pathway dependence of amorphous silica nanoparticle toxicity - colloidal versus pyrolytic

PubMed Central

Zhang, Haiyuan; Dunphy, Darren R.; Jiang, Xingmao; Meng, Huan; Sun, Bingbing; Tarn, Derrick; Xue, Min; Wang, Xiang; Lin, Sijie; Ji, Zhaoxia; Li, Ruibin; Garcia, Fred L.; Yang, Jing; Kirk, Martin L.; Xia, Tian; Zink, Jeffrey I; Nel, Andre; Brinker, C. Jeffrey

2012-01-01

We have developed structure/toxicity relationships for amorphous silica nanoparticles (NPs) synthesized through low temperature, colloidal (e.g. Stöber silica) or high temperature pyrolysis (e.g. fumed silica) routes. Through combined spectroscopic and physical analyses, we have determined the state of aggregation, hydroxyl concentration, relative proportion of strained and unstrained siloxane rings, and potential to generate hydroxyl radicals for Stöber and fumed silica NPs with comparable primary particle sizes (16-nm in diameter). Based on erythrocyte hemolytic assays and assessment of the viability and ATP levels in epithelial and macrophage cells, we discovered for fumed silica an important toxicity relationship to post-synthesis thermal annealing or environmental exposure, whereas colloidal silicas were essentially non-toxic under identical treatment conditions. Specifically, we find for fumed silica a positive correlation of toxicity with hydroxyl concentration and its potential to generate reactive oxygen species (ROS) and cause red blood cell hemolysis. We propose fumed silica toxicity stems from its intrinsic population of strained three-membered rings (3MRs) along with its chain-like aggregation and hydroxyl content. Hydrogen-bonding and electrostatic interactions of the silanol surfaces of fumed silica aggregates with the extracellular plasma membrane cause membrane perturbations sensed by the Nalp3 inflammasome, whose subsequent activation leads to secretion of the cytokine IL-1β. Hydroxyl radicals generated by the strained 3MRs in fumed silica but largely absent in colloidal silicas may contribute to the inflammasome activation. Formation of colloidal silica into aggregates mimicking those of fumed silica had no effect on cell viability or hemolysis. This study emphasizes that not all amorphous silica is created equal and that the unusual toxicity of fumed silica compared to colloidal silica derives from its framework and surface chemistry along

Nature of active tin species and promoting effect of nickle in silica supported tin oxide for dehydrogenation of propane

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Haoren; Wang, Hui; Li, Xiuyi; Li, Chunyi

2017-06-01

Different with Wang et. al.'s study, we found that polymeric Si-O-Sn2+ rather than Ni-Sn alloy and metallic Sn are active species in silica-supported tin oxide catalysts for dehydrogenation of propane. The results showed that high surface area of mesoporous silica brought about high dispersion of tin oxide species, as a result, catalytic activity and stability were both improved. DRUV-vis, XPS, TPR and XRD studies of fresh and reduced catalysts indicated that the deactivation was related to the reduction of active species rather than the coke formation since active tin species cannot maintain its oxidation state at reaction conditions (high temperature and reducing atmosphere). The formed Ni3Sn2 alloy after reduction just functioned as promoter which accelerated the desorption of H2 and regeneration of active site. A synergy effect between active tin species and Ni3Sn2 alloy were observed.

Strong, low-density nanocomposites by chemical vapor deposition and polymerization of cyanoacrylates on aminated silica aerogels.

PubMed

Boday, Dylan J; Stover, Robert J; Muriithi, Beatrice; Keller, Michael W; Wertz, Jason T; Defriend Obrey, Kimberly A; Loy, Douglas A

2009-07-01

Strong polymer-silica aerogel composites were prepared by chemical vapor deposition of cyanoacrylate monomers onto amine-modified aerogels. Amine-modified silica aerogels were prepared by copolymerizing small amounts of (aminopropyl)triethoxysilane with tetraethoxysilane. After silation of the aminated gels with hexamethyldisilazane, they were dried as aerogels using supercritical carbon dioxide processing. The resulting aerogels had only the amine groups as initiators for the cyanoacrylate polymerizations, resulting in cyanoacrylate macromolecules that were higher in molecular weight than those observed with unmodified silica and that were covalently attached to the silica surface. Starting with aminated silica aerogels that were 0.075 g/cm(3) density, composite aerogels were made with densities up to 0.220 g/cm(3) and up to 31 times stronger (flexural strength) than the precursor aerogel and about 2.3 times stronger than an unmodified silica aerogel of the same density.

Activated carbon mitigates mercury and methylmercury bioavailability in contaminated sediments.

PubMed

Gilmour, Cynthia C; Riedel, Georgia S; Riedel, Gerhardt; Kwon, Seokjoon; Landis, Richard; Brown, Steven S; Menzie, Charles A; Ghosh, Upal

2013-11-19

There are few available in situ remediation options for Hg contaminated sediments, short of capping. Here we present the first tests of activated carbon and other sorbents as potential in situ amendments for remediation of mercury and methylmercury (MeHg), using a study design that combined 2 L sediment/water microcosms with 14 day bioaccumulation assays. Our key end points were pore water concentrations, and bioaccumulation of total Hg and MeHg by a deposit-feeding oligochaete Lumbriculus variegatus. Four amendments were tested: an activated carbon (AC); CETCO Organoclay MRM (MRM); Thiol-SAMMS (TS), a thiol-functionalized mesoporous silica; and AMBERSEP GT74, an ion-exchange resin. Amendments were tested in four separate microcosm assays using Hg-contaminated sediments from two freshwater and two estuarine sites. AC and TS amendments, added at 2-7% of the dry weight of sediments significantly reduced both MeHg concentrations in pore waters, relative to unamended controls (by 45-95%) and bioaccumulation of MeHg by Lumbriculus (by between 30 and 90%). Both amendments had only small impacts on microcosm surface water, sediment and pore water chemistry, with the exception of significant reductions in pore water dissolved organic matter. The effectiveness of amendments in reducing bioaccumulation was well-correlated with their effectiveness in increasing sediment:water partitioning, especially of MeHg. Sediments with low native sediment:water MeHg partition coefficients were most effectively treated. Thus, in situ sediment sorbent amendments may be able to reduce the risk of biotic Hg and MeHg uptake in contaminated sediments, and subsequent contamination of food webs.

Interferences of Silica Nanoparticles in Green Fluorescent Protein Folding Processes.

PubMed

Klein, Géraldine; Devineau, Stéphanie; Aude, Jean Christophe; Boulard, Yves; Pasquier, Hélène; Labarre, Jean; Pin, Serge; Renault, Jean Philippe

2016-01-12

We investigated the relationship between unfolded proteins, silica nanoparticles and chaperonin to determine whether unfolded proteins could stick to silica surfaces and how this process could impair heat shock protein activity. The HSP60 catalyzed green fluorescent protein (GFP) folding was used as a model system. The adsorption isotherms and adsorption kinetics of denatured GFP were measured, showing that denaturation increases GFP affinity for silica surfaces. This affinity is maintained even if the surfaces are covered by a protein corona and allows silica NPs to interfere directly with GFP folding by trapping it in its unstructured state. We determined also the adsorption isotherms of HSP60 and its chaperonin activity once adsorbed, showing that SiO2 NP can interfere also indirectly with protein folding through chaperonin trapping and inhibition. This inhibition is specifically efficient when NPs are covered first with a layer of unfolded proteins. These results highlight for the first time the antichaperonin activity of silica NPs and ask new questions about the toxicity of such misfolded proteins/nanoparticles assembly toward cells.

Design of Protein-Coated Carbon Nanotubes Loaded with Hydrophobic Drugs through Sacrificial Templating of Mesoporous Silica Shells.

PubMed

Fiegel, Vincent; Harlepp, Sebastien; Begin-Colin, Sylvie; Begin, Dominique; Mertz, Damien

2018-03-26

One key challenge in the fields of nanomedicine and tissue engineering is the design of theranostic nanoplatforms able to monitor their therapeutic effect by imaging. Among current developed nano-objects, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were found suitable to combine imaging, photothermal therapy, and to be loaded with hydrophobic drugs. However, a main problem is their resulting low hydrophilicity. To face this problem, an innovative method is developed here, which consists in loading the surface of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) with drugs followed by a protein coating around them. The originality of this method relies on first covering CNTs with a sacrificial template mesoporous silica (MS) shell grafted with isobutyramide (IBAM) binders on which a protein nanofilm is strongly adhered through IBAM-mediated physical cross-linking. This concept is first demonstrated without drugs, and is further improved with the suitable loading of hydrophobic drugs, curcumin (CUR) and camptothecin (CPT), which are retained between the CNTs and human serum albumin (HSA) layer. Such novel nanocomposites with favorable photothermal properties are very promising for theranostic systems, drug delivery, and phototherapy applications. © 2018 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Carbon nanotubes gathered onto silica particles lose their biomimetic properties with the cytoskeleton becoming biocompatible.

PubMed

González-Domínguez, Elena; Iturrioz-Rodríguez, Nerea; Padín-González, Esperanza; Villegas, Juan; García-Hevia, Lorena; Pérez-Lorenzo, Moisés; Parak, Wolfgang J; Correa-Duarte, Miguel A; Fanarraga, Mónica L

2017-01-01

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are likely to transform the therapeutic and diagnostic fields in biomedicine during the coming years. However, the fragmented vision of their side effects and toxicity in humans has proscribed their use as nanomedicines. Most studies agree that biocompatibility depends on the state of aggregation/dispersion of CNTs under physiological conditions, but conclusions are confusing so far. This study designs an experimental setup to investigate the cytotoxic effect of individualized multiwalled CNTs compared to that of identical nanotubes assembled on submicrometric structures. Our results demonstrate how CNT cytotoxicity is directly dependent on the nanotube dispersion at a given dosage. When CNTs are gathered onto silica templates, they do not interfere with cell proliferation or survival becoming highly compatible. These results support the hypothesis that CNT cytotoxicity is due to the biomimetics of these nanomaterials with the intracellular nanofilaments. These findings provide major clues for the development of innocuous CNT-containing nanodevices and nanomedicines.

Separation of pharmacologically active nitrogen-containing compounds on silica gels modified with 6,10-ionene, dextran sulfate, and gold nanoparticles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ioutsi, A. N.; Shapovalova, E. N.; Ioutsi, V. A.; Mazhuga, A. G.; Shpigun, O. A.

2017-12-01

New stationary phases for HPLC are obtained via layer-by-layer deposition of polyelectrolytes and studied: (1) silica gel modified layer-by-layer with 6,10-ionene and dextran sulfate (Sorbent 1); (2) silica gel twice subjected to the above modification (Sorbent 2); and (3) silica gel modified with 6,10-ionene, gold nanoparticles, and dextran sulfate (Sorbent 3). The effect the content of the organic solvent in the mobile phase and the concentration and pH of the buffer solution have on the chromatographic behavior of several pharmacologically active nitrogen-containing compounds is studied. The sorbents are stable during the process and allow the effective separation of beta-blockers, calcium channel blockers, alpha-agonists, and antihistamines. A mixture of caffeine, nadolol, tetrahydrozoline, pindolol, orphenadrine, doxylamine, carbinoxamine, and chlorphenamine is separated in 6.5 min on the silica gel modified with 6,10-ionene, gold nanoparticles, and dextran sulfate.

Structural and adsorptive properties of activated carbons prepared by carbonization and activation of resins.

PubMed

Leboda, R; Skubiszewska-Zieba, J; Tomaszewski, W; Gun'ko, V M

2003-07-15

Four activated carbons (S1-S4) possessing different structural characteristics were prepared by carbonization of commercial resins (used for ion exchange) and subsequent activation. Their textural parameters were determined on the basis of nitrogen adsorption-desorption at 77.4 K, analyzed by applying several local and overall adsorption isotherm equations. The nature of carbon surface functionalities was analyzed by FTIR spectroscopy. The GC and solid-phase extraction (SPE) techniques were applied to study the influence of the texture of carbonaceous materials on their adsorptive properties. The adsorption efficiency of synthesized carbons with respect to alkylhalides used as probe compounds in the GC measurements varied over a range from 28% (C(2)H(3)Cl(3)/S2) to 85% (CHBr(3)/S1) depending on the type of adsorbates and adsorbents. The concentrating efficiency of these carbons in SPE of explosive materials changed over a larger range from 12% (trinitroglycerin/S4) and 13% (trinitrotoluene/S2) up to 100% (octogen/S1). Active carbon prepared using Zerolite 225x8 as a precursor demonstrated better results than other carbons in two types of adsorption with average values of the efficiency of 75.4% for explosives and 60.8% for alkylhalides.

Carbon Nanofiber Incorporated Silica Based Aerogels with Di-Isocyanate Cross-Linking

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Vivod, Stephanie L.; Meador, Mary Ann B.; Capadona, Lynn A.; Sullivan, Roy M.; Ghosn, Louis J.; Clark, Nicholas; McCorkle, Linda

2008-01-01

Lightweight materials with excellent thermal insulating properties are highly sought after for a variety of aerospace and aeronautic applications. (1) Silica based aerogels with their high surface area and low relative densities are ideal for applications in extreme environments such as insulators for the Mars Rover battery. (2) However, the fragile nature of aerogel monoliths prevents their widespread use in more down to earth applications. We have shown that the fragile aerogel network can be cross-linked with a di-isocyanate via amine decorated surfaces to form a conformal coating. (3) This coating reinforces the neck regions between secondary silica particles and significantly strengthens the aerogels with only a small effect on density or porosity. Scheme 1 depicts the cross-linking reaction with the di-isocyanate and exhibits the stages that result in polymer cross-linked aerogel monoliths.

Hierarchical porous carbon materials derived from petroleum pitch for high-performance supercapacitors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abudu, Patiman; Wang, Luxiang; Xu, Mengjiao; Jia, Dianzeng; Wang, Xingchao; Jia, Lixia

2018-06-01

In this work, a honeycomb-like carbon material derived from petroleum pitch was synthesized by a simple one-step carbonization/activation method using silica nanospheres as the hard templates. The obtained hierarchical porous carbon materials (HPCs) with a large specific surface area and uniform macropore distribution provide abundant active sites and sufficient ion migration channels. When used as an electrode material for supercapacitors, the HPCs exhibit a high specific capacitance of 341.0 F g-1 at 1 A g-1, excellent rate capability with a capacitance retention of 55.6% at 50 A g-1 (189.5 F g-1), and outstanding cycling performance in the three-electrode system.

Silica/Polymer and Silica/Polymer/Fiber Composite Aerogels

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ou, Danny; Stepanian, Christopher J.; Hu, Xiangjun

2010-01-01

Aerogels that consist, variously, of neat silica/polymer alloys and silica/polymer alloy matrices reinforced with fibers have been developed as materials for flexible thermal-insulation blankets. In comparison with prior aerogel blankets, these aerogel blankets are more durable and less dusty. These blankets are also better able to resist and recover from compression . an important advantage in that maintenance of thickness is essential to maintenance of high thermal-insulation performance. These blankets are especially suitable as core materials for vacuum- insulated panels and vacuum-insulated boxes of advanced, nearly seamless design. (Inasmuch as heat leakage at seams is much greater than heat leakage elsewhere through such structures, advanced designs for high insulation performance should provide for minimization of the sizes and numbers of seams.) A silica/polymer aerogel of the present type could be characterized, somewhat more precisely, as consisting of multiply bonded, linear polymer reinforcements within a silica aerogel matrix. Thus far, several different polymethacrylates (PMAs) have been incorporated into aerogel networks to increase resistance to crushing and to improve other mechanical properties while minimally affecting thermal conductivity and density. The polymethacrylate phases are strongly linked into the silica aerogel networks in these materials. Unlike in other organic/inorganic blended aerogels, the inorganic and organic phases are chemically bonded to each other, by both covalent and hydrogen bonds. In the process for making a silica/polymer alloy aerogel, the covalent bonds are introduced by prepolymerization of the methacrylate monomer with trimethoxysilylpropylmethacrylate, which serves as a phase cross-linker in that it contains both organic and inorganic monomer functional groups and hence acts as a connector between the organic and inorganic phases. Hydrogen bonds are formed between the silanol groups of the inorganic phase and the

Direct synthesis of acid-base bifunctionalized hexagonal mesoporous silica and its catalytic activity in cascade reactions.

PubMed

Shang, Fanpeng; Sun, Jianrui; Wu, Shujie; Liu, Heng; Guan, Jingqi; Kan, Qiubin

2011-03-01

A series of efficient acid-base bifunctionalized hexagonal mesoporous silica (HMS) catalysts contained aminopropyl and propanesulfonic acid have been synthesized through a simple co-condensation by protection of amino group. The results of small-angle XRD, TEM, and N(2) adsorption-desorption measurements show that the resultant materials have mesoscopic structures. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopies, elemental analysis (EA), back titration, (29)Si NMR and (13)C NMR confirm that the organosiloxanes were condensed as a part of the silica framework. The resultant catalysts exhibit excellent acid-basic properties, which make them possess high activity for one-pot deacetalization-Knoevenagel and deacetalization-nitroaldol (Henry) reactions. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Ordered mesoporous porphyrinic carbons with very high electrocatalytic activity for the oxygen reduction reaction

PubMed Central

Cheon, Jae Yeong; Kim, Taeyoung; Choi, YongMan; Jeong, Hu Young; Kim, Min Gyu; Sa, Young Jin; Kim, Jaesik; Lee, Zonghoon; Yang, Tae-Hyun; Kwon, Kyungjung; Terasaki, Osamu; Park, Gu-Gon; Adzic, Radoslav R.; Joo, Sang Hoon

2013-01-01

The high cost of the platinum-based cathode catalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) has impeded the widespread application of polymer electrolyte fuel cells. We report on a new family of non-precious metal catalysts based on ordered mesoporous porphyrinic carbons (M-OMPC; M = Fe, Co, or FeCo) with high surface areas and tunable pore structures, which were prepared by nanocasting mesoporous silica templates with metalloporphyrin precursors. The FeCo-OMPC catalyst exhibited an excellent ORR activity in an acidic medium, higher than other non-precious metal catalysts. It showed higher kinetic current at 0.9 V than Pt/C catalysts, as well as superior long-term durability and MeOH-tolerance. Density functional theory calculations in combination with extended X-ray absorption fine structure analysis revealed a weakening of the interaction between oxygen atom and FeCo-OMPC compared to Pt/C. This effect and high surface area of FeCo-OMPC appear responsible for its significantly high ORR activity. PMID:24056308

Carbonate formation on bioactive glasses.

PubMed

Cerruti, Marta; Morterra, Claudio

2004-07-20

The system termed 58S is a sol-gel-synthesized bioactive glass composed of SiO2, CaO, and P2O5, used in medicine as bone prosthetic because, when immersed in a physiological fluid, a layer of hydroxycarbonate apatite is formed on its surface. The mechanism of bioactive glass 58S carbonation was studied in the vacuum by means of in-situ FTIR spectroscopy with the use of CO2, H2O, and CD3CN as probe molecules. The study in the vacuum was necessary to identify both the molecules specifically involved in the carbonation process and the type of carbonates formed. Bioactive glass 58S was compared to a Ca-doped silica and to CaO. On CaO, ionic carbonates could form by contact with CO2 alone, whereas on 58S and on Ca-doped silica carbonation occurred only if both CO2 and an excess of H2O were present on the sample. The function of H2O was not only to block surface cationic sites, so that CO2 could not manifest its Lewis base behavior, but also to form a liquid-like (mono)layer that allowed the formation of carbonate ions. The presence of H2O is also supposed to promote Ca2+ migration from the bulk to the surface. Carbonates formed at the surface of CaO and of Ca-bearing silicas (thus including bioactive glasses) are of the same type, but are produced through two different mechanisms. The finding that a water excess is necessary to start heavy carbonation on bioactive glasses seemed to imply that the mechanism leading to in-situ carbonation simulates, in a simplified and easy-to-reproduce system, what happens both in solution, when carbonates are incorporated in the apatite layer, and during sample shelf-aging. Copyright 2004 American Chemical Society

Tailored Mesoporous Silicas: From Confinement Effects to Catalysis

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Buchanan III, A C; Kidder, Michelle

2010-01-01

Ordered mesoporous silicas continue to find widespread use as supports for diverse applications such as catalysis, separations, and sensors. They provide a versatile platform for these studies because of their high surface area and the ability to control pore size, topology, and surface properties over wide ranges. Furthermore, there is a diverse array of synthetic methodologies for tailoring the pore surface with organic, organometallic, and inorganic functional groups. In this paper, we will discuss two examples of tailored mesoporous silicas and the resultant impact on chemical reactivity. First, we explore the impact of pore confinement on the thermochemical reactivity ofmore » phenethyl phenyl ether (PhCH2CH2OPh, PPE), which is a model of the dominant {beta}-aryl ether linkage present in lignin derived from woody biomass. The influence of PPE surface immobilization, grafting density, silica pore diameter, and presence of a second surface-grafted inert 'spacer' molecule on the product selectivity has been examined. We will show that the product selectivity can be substantially altered compared with the inherent gas-phase selectivity. Second, we have recently initiated an investigation of mesoporous silica supported, heterobimetallic oxide materials for photocatalytic conversion of carbon dioxide. Through surface organometallic chemistry, isolated M-O-M species can be generated on mesoporous silicas that, upon irradiation, form metal to metal charge transfer bands capable of converting CO{sub 2} into CO. Initial results from studies of Ti(IV)-O-Sn(II) on SBA-15 will be presented.« less

Size- and structure-dependent toxicity of silica particulates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hanada, Sanshiro; Miyaoi, Kenichi; Hoshino, Akiyoshi; Inasawa, Susumu; Yamaguchi, Yukio; Yamamoto, Kenji

2011-03-01

Nano- and micro-particulates firmly attach with the surface of various biological systems. In some chronic pulmonary disease such as asbestosis and silicosis, causative particulates will induce chronic inflammatory disorder, followed by poor prognosis diseases. However, nano- and micro-scale specific toxicity of silica particulates is not well examined enough to recognize the risk of nano- and micro-particulates from the clinical aspect. To clarify the effect of the size and structure of silica particulates on the cellular damage and the biological response, we assessed the cytotoxicity of the various kinds of silica particles including amorphous and crystalline silica, in mouse alveolar macrophage culture, focusing on the fibrotic and inflammatory response. Our study showed that the cytotoxicity, which depends on the particle size and surface area, is correlated with their inflammatory response. By contrast, production of TGF-β, which is one of the fibrotic agents in lung, by addition of crystal silica was much higher than that of amorphous silica. We conclude that fibrosis and inflammation are induced at different phases and that the size- and structure-differences of silica particulates affect the both biological responses, caused by surface activity, radical species, and so on.

Biological activation of carbon filters.

PubMed

Seredyńska-Sobecka, Bozena; Tomaszewska, Maria; Janus, Magdalena; Morawski, Antoni W

2006-01-01

To prepare biological activated carbon (BAC), raw surface water was circulated through granular activated carbon (GAC) beds. Biological activity of carbon filters was initiated after about 6 months of filter operation and was confirmed by two methods: measurement of the amount of biomass attached to the carbon and by the fluorescein diacetate (FDA) test. The effect of carbon pre-washing on WG-12 carbon properties was also studied. For this purpose, the nitrogen adsorption isotherms at 77K and Fourier transform-infrared (FT-IR) spectra analyses were performed. Moreover, iodine number, decolorizing power and adsorption properties of carbon in relation to phenol were studied. Analysis of the results revealed that after WG-12 carbon pre-washing its BET surface increased a little, the pH value of the carbon water extract decreased from 11.0 to 9.4, decolorizing power remained at the same level, and the iodine number and phenol adsorption rate increased. In preliminary studies of the ozonation-biofiltration process, a model phenol solution with concentration of approximately 10mg/l was applied. During the ozonation process a dose of 1.64 mg O(3)/mg TOC (total organic carbon) was employed and the contact time was 5 min. Four empty bed contact times (EBCTs) in the range of 2.4-24.0 min were used in the biofiltration experiment. The effectiveness of purification was measured by the following parameters: chemical oxygen demand (COD(Mn)), TOC, phenol concentration and UV(254)-absorbance. The parameters were found to decrease with EBCT.

Does elevated CO 2 alter silica uptake in trees?

DOE PAGES

Fulweiler, Robinson W.; Maguire, Timothy J.; Carey, Joanna C.; ...

2015-01-13

Human activities have greatly altered global carbon (C) and Nitrogen (N) cycling. In fact, atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide (CO 2) have increased 40% over the last century and the amount of N cycling in the biosphere has more than doubled. In an effort to understand how plants will respond to continued global CO 2 fertilization, longterm free-air CO 2 enrichment experiments have been conducted at sites around the globe. Here we examine how atmospheric CO 2 enrichment and N fertilization affects the uptake of silicon (Si) in the Duke Forest, North Carolina, a stand dominated by Pinus taeda (loblollymore » pine), and five hardwood species. Specifically, we measured foliar biogenic silica concentrations in five deciduous and one coniferous species across three treatments: CO 2 enrichment, N enrichment, and N and CO 2 enrichment. We found no consistent trends in foliar Si concentration under elevated CO 2, N fertilization, or combined elevated CO 2 and N fertilization. However, two-thirds of the tree species studied here have Si foliar concentrations greater than well-known Si accumulators, such as grasses. Based on net primary production values and aboveground Si concentrations in these trees, we calculated forest Si uptake rates under control and elevated CO 2 concentrations. Due largely to increased primary production, elevated CO 2 enhanced the magnitude of Si uptake between 20 and 26%, likely intensifying the terrestrial silica pump. This uptake of Si by forests has important implications for Si export from terrestrial systems, with the potential to impact C sequestration and higher trophic levels in downstream ecosystems.« less

Activated carbon production from bagasse and banana stem at various times of carbonization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Misran, E.; Maulina, S.; Dina, S. F.; Nazar, A.; Harahap, S. A.

2018-02-01

The utilization of bagasse and banana stem as activated carbon precursors has been conducted. In this study, the dried samples were impregnated using phosphoric acid (H3PO4) solution as the activator at a ratio of sample to the activator (w/w) was 1:1. The impregnation was conducted at room temperature for 24 hours. The samples then carbonized at 400 °C for 30, 45 and 60 minutes and finally washed and dried to obtain the activated carbon. The research aimed to investigate the effects of time of carbonization on the characteristics of activated carbon produced from bagasse and banana stem. The result showed that yield of activated carbon was in the range of 40.03 - 46.73 % with a high content of carbon as high 90.33 %. The result of BET analysis showed that the highest surface area reached1130.465 m2/g.

Silica particles cause NADPH oxidase–independent ROS generation and transient phagolysosomal leakage

PubMed Central

Joshi, Gaurav N.; Goetjen, Alexandra M.; Knecht, David A.

2015-01-01

Chronic inhalation of silica particles causes lung fibrosis and silicosis. Silica taken up by alveolar macrophages causes phagolysosomal membrane damage and leakage of lysosomal material into the cytoplasm to initiate apoptosis. We investigated the role of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in this membrane damage by studying the spatiotemporal generation of ROS. In macrophages, ROS generated by NADPH oxidase 2 (NOX2) was detected in phagolysosomes containing either silica particles or nontoxic latex particles. ROS was only detected in the cytoplasm of cells treated with silica and appeared in parallel with an increase in phagosomal ROS, as well as several hours later associated with mitochondrial production of ROS late in apoptosis. Pharmacological inhibition of NOX activity did not prevent silica-induced phagolysosomal leakage but delayed it. In Cos7 cells, which do not express NOX2, ROS was detected in silica-containing phagolysosomes that leaked. ROS was not detected in phagolysosomes containing latex particles. Leakage of silica-containing phagolysosomes in both cell types was transient, and after resealing of the membrane, endolysosomal fusion continued. These results demonstrate that silica particles can generate phagosomal ROS independent of NOX activity, and we propose that this silica-generated ROS can cause phagolysosomal leakage to initiate apoptosis. PMID:26202463

Adsorptive removal of sulfate from acid mine drainage by polypyrrole modified activated carbons: Effects of polypyrrole deposition protocols and activated carbon source.

PubMed

Hong, Siqi; Cannon, Fred S; Hou, Pin; Byrne, Tim; Nieto-Delgado, Cesar

2017-10-01

Polypyrrole modified activated carbon was used to remove sulfate from acid mine drainage water. The polypyrrole modified activated carbon created positively charged functionality that offered elevated sorption capacity for sulfate. The effects of the activated carbon type, approach of polymerization, preparation temperature, solvent, and concentration of oxidant solution over the sulfate adsorption capacity were studied at an array of initial sulfate concentrations. A hardwood based activated carbon was the more favorable activated carbon template, and this offered better sulfate removal than when using bituminous based activated carbon or oak wood activated carbon as the template. The hardwood-based activated carbon modified with polypyrrole removed 44.7 mg/g sulfate, and this was five times higher than for the pristine hardwood-based activated carbon. Various protocols for depositing the polypyrrole onto the activated carbon were investigated. When ferric chloride was used as an oxidant, the deposition protocol that achieved the most N + atomic percent (3.35%) while also maintaining the least oxygen atomic percent (6.22%) offered the most favorable sulfate removal. For the rapid small scale column tests, when processing the AMD water, hardwood-based activated carbon modified with poly pyrrole exhibited 33 bed volume compared to the 5 bed volume of pristine activated carbons. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Encapsulating Cytochrome c in Silica Aerogel Nanoarchitectures without Metal Nanoparticles while Retaining Gas-phase Bioactivity

PubMed Central

Harper-Leatherman, Amanda S.; Pacer, Elizabeth R.; Kosciuszek, Nina D.

2016-01-01

Applications such as sensors, batteries, and fuel cells have been improved through the use of highly porous aerogels when functional compounds are encapsulated within the aerogels. However, few reports on encapsulating proteins within sol–gels that are processed to form aerogels exist. A procedure for encapsulating cytochrome c (cyt. c) in silica (SiO2) sol-gels that are supercritically processed to form bioaerogels with gas-phase activity for nitric oxide (NO) is presented. Cyt. c is added to a mixed silica sol under controlled protein concentration and buffer strength conditions. The sol mixture is then gelled and the liquid filling the gel pores is replaced through a series of solvent exchanges with liquid carbon dioxide. The carbon dioxide is brought to its critical point and vented off to form dry aerogels with cyt. c encapsulated inside. These bioaerogels are characterized with UV-visible spectroscopy and circular dichroism spectroscopy and can be used to detect the presence of gas-phase nitric oxide. The success of this procedure depends on regulating the cyt. c concentration and the buffer concentration and does not require other components such as metal nanoparticles. It may be possible to encapsulate other proteins using a similar approach making this procedure important for potential future bioanalytical device development. PMID:26967257

Encapsulating Cytochrome c in Silica Aerogel Nanoarchitectures without Metal Nanoparticles while Retaining Gas-phase Bioactivity.

PubMed

Harper-Leatherman, Amanda S; Pacer, Elizabeth R; Kosciuszek, Nina D

2016-03-01

Applications such as sensors, batteries, and fuel cells have been improved through the use of highly porous aerogels when functional compounds are encapsulated within the aerogels. However, few reports on encapsulating proteins within sol-gels that are processed to form aerogels exist. A procedure for encapsulating cytochrome c (cyt. c) in silica (SiO2) sol-gels that are supercritically processed to form bioaerogels with gas-phase activity for nitric oxide (NO) is presented. Cyt. c is added to a mixed silica sol under controlled protein concentration and buffer strength conditions. The sol mixture is then gelled and the liquid filling the gel pores is replaced through a series of solvent exchanges with liquid carbon dioxide. The carbon dioxide is brought to its critical point and vented off to form dry aerogels with cyt. c encapsulated inside. These bioaerogels are characterized with UV-visible spectroscopy and circular dichroism spectroscopy and can be used to detect the presence of gas-phase nitric oxide. The success of this procedure depends on regulating the cyt. c concentration and the buffer concentration and does not require other components such as metal nanoparticles. It may be possible to encapsulate other proteins using a similar approach making this procedure important for potential future bioanalytical device development.

Modified silicas with different structure of grafted methylphenylsiloxane layer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bolbukh, Yuliia; Terpiłowski, Konrad; Kozakevych, Roman; Sternik, Dariusz; Deryło-Marczewska, Anna; Tertykh, Valentin

2016-06-01

The method of a chemical assembly of the surface polymeric layer with high contents of the modifying agent was developed. Powders of nanodispersed silica with chemisorbed polymethylphenylsiloxane (PMPS) were synthesized by solvent-free chemical assembly technique with a dimethyl carbonate (DMC) as scission agent. Samples were characterized using FTIR spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and elemental analysis (CHN analysis). Coating microstructure, morphology, and hydrophilic-hydrophobic properties of nanoparticles were estimated. The results indicate a significant effect of the PMPS/DMC ratio at each modification stage on hydrophobic properties of modified silicas. Modification with a similar composition of the PMPS/DMC mixture, even with different polymer amount at each stage, provides the worst hydrophobicity. Results suggest that the highest hydrophobicity (contact angle θ = 135°-140°) is achieved in the case when silica modified with the PMPS/DMC mixture using multistage approach that providing a formation of the monomolecular layer of polysiloxane at the first modification step. The characteristics of surface structure were interpreted in terms of density of polymer-silica bonds at the interfaces that, usually, are reduced for modified surfaces, in a coupling with conformation model that accented the shape of chains (arch- and console-like) adsorbed on solid surfaces.

Isolation of nine gene sequences induced by silica in murine macrophages

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Segade, F.; Claudio, E.; Wrobel, K.

1995-03-01

Macrophage activation by silica is the initial step in the development of silicosis. To identify genes that might be involved in silica-mediated activation, RAW 264.7 mouse macrophages were treated with silica for 48 h, and a subtracted cDNA library enriched for silica-induced genes (SIG) was constructed and differently screened. Nine cDNA clones (designated SIG-12, -14, -20, -41, -61, -81, -91, and -111) were partially sequenced and compared with sequences in GenBank/EMBL databases. SIG-12, -14, and -20 corresponded to the genes for ribosomal proteins L13A, L32, and L26, respectively. SIG-61 is the mouse homologue of p21 RhoC. SIG-91 is identical tomore » the 67-kDa high-affinity laminin receptor. Four genes were not identified and are novel. All of the mRNAs corresponding to the nine cloned cDNAs were inducible by silica. Steady-state levels of mRNAs in RAW 264.7 cells treated with various macrophage activators and inducers of signal transduction pathways were determined. A complex pattern of induction and repression was found, indicating that upon phagocytosis of silica particles, many regulatory mechanisms of genes expression are simultaneously triggered. 55 refs., 4 figs., 1 tab.« less

Less-costly activated carbon for sewage treatment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ingham, J. D.; Kalvinskas, J. J.; Mueller, W. A.

1977-01-01

Lignite-aided sewage treatment is based on absorption of dissolved pollutants by activated carbon. Settling sludge is removed and dried into cakes that are pyrolyzed with lignites to yield activated carbon. Lignite is less expensive than activated carbon previously used to supplement pyrolysis yield.

Processable high-carbon-yielding polymer for micro- and nanofabrication

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Perpall, Mark W.; Zengin, Huseyin; Perera, K. Prasanna U.; Zhou, Wensheng; Shah, Hiren; Wu, Xinyu; Creager, Stephen E.; Smith, Dennis W., Jr.; Foulger, Stephen H.; Ballato, John M.

2003-01-01

Bis-ortho-Diynyl Arene (BODA) monomers polymerize to network polynapthalene by the thermally-driven Bergman cyclization and subsequent radical polymerization via oligomeric intermediates that can be melt or solution processed. Further heating of the network to 1000 °C affords a high-yield glassy carbon structure that retains the approximate size and dimensions of the polymer precursor. The higher carbon-yield for BODA networks (75- 80 % by mass) is significantly greater than that of traditional phenol-formaldehyde resins and other carbon precursor polymers leading to its greater dimensional stability. Phenyl terminated BODA derived polymers were fabricated using microprocessing such as the micromolding in capillaries (MIMIC) technique, direct microtransfer molding, and molding in quartz capillary tubes. Nano-scale fabrication using closed packed silica spheres as templates was demonstrated with an hydroxy-terminated monomer which exhibits greatly enhanced compatibility for silica surfaces. After pyrolysis to glassy carbon, the silica is chemically etched leaving an inverse carbon opal photonic crystal which is electrically conductive. The wavelength of light diffracted is a function of the average refractive index of the carbon/ filler composite, which can be modified for use as sensitive detector elements.

Applications of Geothermally-Produced Colloidal Silica in Reservoir Management - Smart Gels

DOE Data Explorer

Hunt, Jonathan

2013-01-31

In enhanced geothermal systems (EGS) the reservoir permeability is often enhanced or created using hydraulic fracturing. In hydraulic fracturing, high fluid pressures are applied to confined zones in the subsurface usually using packers to fracture the host rock. This enhances rock permeability and therefore conductive heat transfer to the circulating geothermal fluid (e.g. water or supercritical carbon dioxide). The ultimate goal is to increase or improve the thermal energy production from the subsurface by either optimal designs of injection and production wells or by altering the fracture permeability to create different zones of circulation that can be exploited in geothermal heat extraction. Moreover, hydraulic fracturing can lead to the creation of undesirable short-circuits or fast flow-paths between the injection and extraction wells leading to a short thermal residence time, low heat recovery, and thus a short-life of the EGS. A potential remedy to these problems is to deploy a cementing (blocking, diverting) agent to minimize short-cuts and/or create new circulation cells for heat extraction. A potential diverting agent is the colloidal silica by-product that can be co-produced from geothermal fluids. Silica gels are abundant in various surface and subsurface applications, yet they have not been evaluated for EGS applications. In this study we are investigating the benefits of silica gel deployment on thermal response of an EGS, either by blocking short-circuiting undesirable pathways as a result of diverting the geofluid to other fractures; or creating, within fractures, new circulation cells for harvesting heat through newly active surface area contact. A significant advantage of colloidal silica is that it can be co-produced from geothermal fluids using an inexpensive membrane-based separation technology that was developed previously using DOE-GTP funding. This co-produced silica has properties that potentially make it useful as a fluid diversion agent

Catalytic ozonation of p-chlorobenzoic acid by activated carbon and nickel supported activated carbon prepared from petroleum coke.

PubMed

Li, Xukai; Zhang, Qiuyun; Tang, Lili; Lu, Ping; Sun, Fengqiang; Li, Laisheng

2009-04-15

The aim of this research was to investigate catalytic activity of petroleum coke, activated carbon (AC) prepared from this material, Ni supported catalyst on activated carbon (Ni/AC) in the ozonation of aqueous phase p-chlorobenzoic acid (p-CBA). Activated carbon and Ni/AC catalyst were characterized by XRD and SEM. The presence of petroleum coke did not improve the degradation of p-CBA compared to ozonation alone, but it was advantageous for p-CBA mineralization (total organic carbon, TOC, reduction), indicating the generation of highly oxidant species (*OH) in the medium. The presence of either activated carbon or Ni/AC considerably improves TOC removal during p-CBA ozonation. Ni/AC catalyst shows the better catalytic activity and stability based on five repeated tests during p-CBA ozonation. During the ozonation (50 mg/h ozone flow rate) of a 10 mg/L p-CBA (pH 4.31), it can be more mineralized in the presence of Ni/AC catalyst (5.0 g/L), TOC removal rate is over 60% in 60 min, 43% using activated carbon as catalyst, only 30% with ozonation alone.

Merging allylic carbon-hydrogen and selective carbon-carbon bond activation.

PubMed

Masarwa, Ahmad; Didier, Dorian; Zabrodski, Tamar; Schinkel, Marvin; Ackermann, Lutz; Marek, Ilan

2014-01-09

Since the nineteenth century, many synthetic organic chemists have focused on developing new strategies to regio-, diastereo- and enantioselectively build carbon-carbon and carbon-heteroatom bonds in a predictable and efficient manner. Ideal syntheses should use the least number of synthetic steps, with few or no functional group transformations and by-products, and maximum atom efficiency. One potentially attractive method for the synthesis of molecular skeletons that are difficult to prepare would be through the selective activation of C-H and C-C bonds, instead of the conventional construction of new C-C bonds. Here we present an approach that exploits the multifold reactivity of easily accessible substrates with a single organometallic species to furnish complex molecular scaffolds through the merging of otherwise difficult transformations: allylic C-H and selective C-C bond activations. The resulting bifunctional nucleophilic species, all of which have an all-carbon quaternary stereogenic centre, can then be selectively derivatized by the addition of two different electrophiles to obtain more complex molecular architecture from these easily available starting materials.

Merging allylic carbon-hydrogen and selective carbon-carbon bond activation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Masarwa, Ahmad; Didier, Dorian; Zabrodski, Tamar; Schinkel, Marvin; Ackermann, Lutz; Marek, Ilan

2014-01-01

Since the nineteenth century, many synthetic organic chemists have focused on developing new strategies to regio-, diastereo- and enantioselectively build carbon-carbon and carbon-heteroatom bonds in a predictable and efficient manner. Ideal syntheses should use the least number of synthetic steps, with few or no functional group transformations and by-products, and maximum atom efficiency. One potentially attractive method for the synthesis of molecular skeletons that are difficult to prepare would be through the selective activation of C-H and C-C bonds, instead of the conventional construction of new C-C bonds. Here we present an approach that exploits the multifold reactivity of easily accessible substrates with a single organometallic species to furnish complex molecular scaffolds through the merging of otherwise difficult transformations: allylic C-H and selective C-C bond activations. The resulting bifunctional nucleophilic species, all of which have an all-carbon quaternary stereogenic centre, can then be selectively derivatized by the addition of two different electrophiles to obtain more complex molecular architecture from these easily available starting materials.

Adsorption uptake of synthetic organic chemicals by carbon nanotubes and activated carbons.

PubMed

Brooks, A J; Lim, Hyung-nam; Kilduff, James E

2012-07-27

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have shown great promise as high performance materials for adsorbing priority pollutants from water and wastewater. This study compared uptake of two contaminants of interest in drinking water treatment (atrazine and trichloroethylene) by nine different types of carbonaceous adsorbents: three different types of single walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs), three different sized multi-walled nanotubes (MWNTs), two granular activated carbons (GACs) and a powdered activated carbon (PAC). On a mass basis, the activated carbons exhibited the highest uptake, followed by SWNTs and MWNTs. However, metallic impurities in SWNTs and multiple walls in MWNTs contribute to adsorbent mass but do not contribute commensurate adsorption sites. Therefore, when uptake was normalized by purity (carbon content) and surface area (instead of mass), the isotherms collapsed and much of the CNT data was comparable to the activated carbons, indicating that these two characteristics drive much of the observed differences between activated carbons and CNT materials. For the limited data set here, the Raman D:G ratio as a measure of disordered non-nanotube graphitic components was not a good predictor of adsorption from solution. Uptake of atrazine by MWNTs having a range of lengths and diameters was comparable and their Freundlich isotherms were statistically similar, and we found no impact of solution pH on the adsorption of either atrazine or trichloroethylene in the range of naturally occurring surface water (pH = 5.7-8.3). Experiments were performed using a suite of model aromatic compounds having a range of π-electron energy to investigate the role of π-π electron donor-acceptor interactions on organic compound uptake by SWNTs. For the compounds studied, hydrophobic interactions were the dominant mechanism in the uptake by both SWNTs and activated carbon. However, comparing the uptake of naphthalene and phenanthrene by activated carbon and SWNTs, size exclusion effects

Adsorption uptake of synthetic organic chemicals by carbon nanotubes and activated carbons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brooks, A. J.; Lim, Hyung-nam; Kilduff, James E.

2012-07-01

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have shown great promise as high performance materials for adsorbing priority pollutants from water and wastewater. This study compared uptake of two contaminants of interest in drinking water treatment (atrazine and trichloroethylene) by nine different types of carbonaceous adsorbents: three different types of single walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs), three different sized multi-walled nanotubes (MWNTs), two granular activated carbons (GACs) and a powdered activated carbon (PAC). On a mass basis, the activated carbons exhibited the highest uptake, followed by SWNTs and MWNTs. However, metallic impurities in SWNTs and multiple walls in MWNTs contribute to adsorbent mass but do not contribute commensurate adsorption sites. Therefore, when uptake was normalized by purity (carbon content) and surface area (instead of mass), the isotherms collapsed and much of the CNT data was comparable to the activated carbons, indicating that these two characteristics drive much of the observed differences between activated carbons and CNT materials. For the limited data set here, the Raman D:G ratio as a measure of disordered non-nanotube graphitic components was not a good predictor of adsorption from solution. Uptake of atrazine by MWNTs having a range of lengths and diameters was comparable and their Freundlich isotherms were statistically similar, and we found no impact of solution pH on the adsorption of either atrazine or trichloroethylene in the range of naturally occurring surface water (pH = 5.7-8.3). Experiments were performed using a suite of model aromatic compounds having a range of π-electron energy to investigate the role of π-π electron donor-acceptor interactions on organic compound uptake by SWNTs. For the compounds studied, hydrophobic interactions were the dominant mechanism in the uptake by both SWNTs and activated carbon. However, comparing the uptake of naphthalene and phenanthrene by activated carbon and SWNTs, size exclusion effects

DEVELOPMENT OF SULFHYDRYL-REACTIVE SILICA FOR PROTEIN IMMOBILIZATION IN HIGH-PERFORMANCE AFFINITY CHROMATOGRAPHY

PubMed Central

Mallik, Rangan; Wa, Chunling; Hage, David S.

2008-01-01

Two techniques were developed for the immobilization of proteins and other ligands to silica through sulfhydryl groups. These methods made use of maleimide-activated silica (the SMCC method) or iodoacetyl-activated silica (the SIA method). The resulting supports were tested for use in high-performance affinity chromatography by employing human serum albumin (HSA) as a model protein. Studies with normal and iodoacetamide-modified HSA indicated that these methods had a high selectivity for sulfhydryl groups on this protein, which accounted for the coupling of 77–81% of this protein to maleimide- or iodacetyl-activated silica. These supports were also evaluated in terms of their total protein content, binding capacity, specific activity, non-specific binding, stability and chiral selectivity for several test solutes. HSA columns prepared using maleimide-activated silica gave the best overall results for these properties when compared to HSA that had been immobilized to silica through the Schiff base method (i.e., an amine-based coupling technique). A key advantage of the supports developed in this work is that they offer the potential of giving greater site-selective immobilization and ligand activity than amine-based coupling methods. These features make these supports attractive in the development of protein columns for such applications as the study of biological interactions and chiral separations. PMID:17297940

Participatory role of zinc in structural and functional characterization of bioremediase: a unique thermostable microbial silica leaching protein.

PubMed

Chowdhury, Trinath; Sarkar, Manas; Chaudhuri, Biswadeep; Chattopadhyay, Brajadulal; Halder, Umesh Chandra

2015-07-01

A unique protein, bioremediase (UniProt Knowledgebase Accession No.: P86277), isolated from a hot spring bacterium BKH1 (GenBank Accession No.: FJ177512), has shown to exhibit silica leaching activity when incorporated to prepare bio-concrete material. Matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization mass spectrometry analysis suggests that bioremediase is 78% homologous to bovine carbonic anhydrase II though it does not exhibit carbonic anhydrase-like activity. Bioinformatics study is performed for understanding the various physical and chemical parameters of the protein which predicts the involvement of zinc encircled by three histidine residues (His94, His96 and His119) at the active site of the protein. Isothermal titration calorimetric-based thermodynamic study on diethyl pyrocarbonate-modified protein recognizes the presence of Zn(2+) in the enzyme moiety. Exothermic to endothermic transition as observed during titration of the protein with Zn(2+) discloses that there are at least two binding sites for zinc within the protein moiety. Addition of Zn(2+) regains the activity of EDTA chelated bioremediase confirming the presence of extra binding site of Zn(2+) in the protein moiety. Revival of folding pattern of completely unfolded urea-treated protein by Zn(2+) explains the participatory role of zinc in structural stability of the protein. Restoration of the λ max in intrinsic fluorescence emission study of the urea-treated protein by Zn(2+) similarly confirms the involvement of Zn in the refolding of the protein. The utility of bioremediase for silica nanoparticles preparation is observed by field emission scanning electron microscopy.

Total synthesis of isotopically enriched Si-29 silica NPs as potential spikes for isotope dilution quantification of natural silica NPs.

PubMed

Pálmai, Marcell; Szalay, Roland; Bartczak, Dorota; Varga, Zoltán; Nagy, Lívia Naszályi; Gollwitzer, Christian; Krumrey, Michael; Goenaga-Infante, Heidi

2015-05-01

A new method was developed for the preparation of highly monodisperse isotopically enriched Si-29 silica nanoparticles ((29)Si-silica NPs) with the purpose of using them as spikes for isotope dilution mass spectrometry (IDMS) quantification of silica NPs with natural isotopic distribution. Si-29 tetraethyl orthosilicate ((29)Si-TEOS), the silica precursor was prepared in two steps starting from elementary silicon-29 pellets. In the first step Si-29 silicon tetrachloride ((29)SiCl4) was prepared by heating elementary silicon-29 in chlorine gas stream. By using a multistep cooling system and the dilution of the volatile and moisture-sensitive (29)SiCl4 in carbon tetrachloride as inert medium we managed to reduce product loss caused by evaporation. (29)Si-TEOS was obtained by treating (29)SiCl4 with absolute ethanol. Structural characterisation of (29)Si-TEOS was performed by using (1)H and (13)C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. For the NP preparation, a basic amino acid catalysis route was used and the resulting NPs were analysed using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), dynamic light scattering (DLS) and zeta potential measurements. Finally, the feasibility of using enriched NPs for on-line field-flow fractionation coupled with multi-angle light scattering and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (FFF/MALS/ICP-MS) has been demonstrated. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Thermally Activated Motion of Sodium Cations in Insulating Parent Low-Silica X Zeolite

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Igarashi, Mutsuo; Jeglič, Peter; Mežnaršič, Tadej; Nakano, Takehito; Nozue, Yasuo; Watanabe, Naohiro; Arčon, Denis

2017-07-01

We report a 23Na spin-lattice relaxation rate, T1 - 1, in low-silica X zeolite. T1 - 1 follows multiple BPP-type behavior as a result of thermal motion of sodium cations in insulating material. The estimated lowest activation energy of 15 meV is much lower than 100 meV observed previously for sodium motion in heavily Na-loaded samples and is most likely attributed to short-distance jumps of sodium cations between sites within the same supercage.

Ligand-tailored single-site silica supported titanium catalysts: Synthesis, characterization and towards cyanosilylation reaction

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Xu, Wei; Li, Yani; Yu, Bo

2015-01-15

A successive anchoring of Ti(NMe{sub 2}){sub 4}, cyclopentadiene and a O-donor ligand, 1-hydroxyethylbenzene (PEA), 1,1′-bi-2-naphthol (Binol) or 2,3-dihydroxybutanedioic acid diethyl ester (Tartrate), on silica was conducted by SOMC strategy in moderate conditions. The silica, monitored by in-situ Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (in-situ FT-IR), was pretreated at different temperatures (200, 500 and 800 °C). The ligand tailored silica-supported titanium complexes were characterized by in-situ FT-IR, {sup 13}C CP MAS-NMR, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) and elemental analysis in detail, verifying that the surface titanium species are single sited. The catalytic activity of the ligand tailored single-sitemore » silica supported titanium complexes was evaluated by a cyanosilylation of benzaldehyde. The results showed that the catalytic activity is dependent strongly on the dehydroxylation temperatures of silica and the configuration of the ligands. - Graphical abstract: The ligand-tailored silica supported “single site” titanium complexes were synthesized by SOMC strategy and fully characterized. Their catalytic activity were evaluated by benzaldehyde silylcyanation. - Highlights: • Single-site silica supported Ti active species was prepared by SOMC technique. • O-donor ligand tailored Ti surface species was synthesized. • The surface species was characterized by XPS, {sup 13}C CP-MAS NMR, XANES etc. • Catalytic activity of the Ti active species in silylcyanation reaction was evaluated.« less

Mesoporous and biocompatible surface active silica aerogel synthesis using choline formate ionic liquid.

PubMed

Meera, Kamal Mohamed Seeni; Sankar, Rajavelu Murali; Jaisankar, Sellamuthu N; Mandal, Asit Baran

2011-09-01

In this paper, we report the preparation and characterization of mesoporous and biocompatible transparent silica aerogel by the sol-gel polymerization of tetraethyl orthosilicate using ionic liquid. Choline cation based ionic liquid allows the silica framework to form in a non collapsing environment and controls the pore size of the gel. FT-IR spectra reveal the interaction of ionic liquid with surface -OH of the gel. DSC thermogram giving the evidence of confinement of ionic liquid within the silica matrix, which helps to avoid the shrinkage of the gel during the aging process. Nitrogen sorption measurements of gel prepared with ionic liquid exhibit a low surface area of 100.53 m2/g and high average pore size of 3.74 nm. MTT assay proves the biocompatibility and cell viability of the prepared gels. This new nanoporous silica material can be applied to immobilize biological molecules, which may retain their stability over a longer period. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Simultaneous determination of hydroquinone and catechol at gold nanoparticles mesoporous silica modified carbon paste electrode.

PubMed

Tashkhourian, J; Daneshi, M; Nami-Ana, F; Behbahani, M; Bagheri, A

2016-11-15

A new electrochemical sensor based on gold nanoparticles mesoporous silica modified carbon paste electrode (AuNPs-MPS) was developed for simultaneous determination of hydroquinone and catechol. Morphology and structure of the AuNPs-MPS were characterized by transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The electrochemical behavior of hydroquinone and catechol were investigated using square wave voltammetry and the results indicate that the electrochemical responses are improved significantly at the modified electrode. The observed oxidative peaks separation of about 120mV made possible the simultaneous determination of hydroquinone and catechol in their binary-mixture. Under the optimized condition, a linear dynamic range of 10.0μM-1.0mM range for hydroquinone with the detection limit of 1.2μM and from 30.0μM-1.0mM for catechol with the detection limit of 1.1μM were obtained. The applicability of the method was demonstrated by the recovery studies of hydroquinone and catechol in spiked tap water samples. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Activated carbon from peach stones using phosphoric acid activation at medium temperatures.

PubMed

Kim, Dong-Su

2004-01-01

In the present study, the activation features of phosphoric acid have been investigated using waste peach stones as the raw material in the production of granular activated carbon. Thermogravimetry/differential thermal analysis was conducted to characterize the thermal behavior of peach stone and titration method was used to evaluate the adsorption capacity of the produced activated carbon. It was observed that the iodine value of the activated carbon increased with activation temperature. However, temperatures higher than 500 degrees C caused a thermal destruction, which resulted in the decrease of the adsorption capacity. Activation longer than 1.5 h at 500 degrees C resulted in thermal degradation of the porous structure of the activated carbon. The adsorption capacity was enhanced with increasing of amounts of phosphoric acid, however, excessive phosphoric acid caused a decrease in the iodine value. In addition, it was found that the carbon yields generally decreased with activation temperature and activation time. Scanning electron microscopy analysis was conducted to observe the changes in the poros structure of the activated carbon produced in different temperatures. Activation of carbon by phosphoric acid was found to be superior to that by CaCl2 and gas activation. The activated carbon produced from peach stone was applied as an adsorbent in the treatment of synthesized wastewater containing cadmium ion and its adsorption capacity was found to be as good as that of the commercial one.

Preparation of activated carbon monolith by application of phenolic resins as carbon precursors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sajad, Mehran; Kazemzad, Mahmood; Hosseinnia, Azarmidokht

2014-04-01

In the current work, activated carbon monoliths have been prepared by application of different phenolic hydrocarbons namely catechol and resorcinol as carbon precursors. For synthesis of carbon monolith, the precursors have been mixed with Genapol PF-10 as template and then polymerized in the presence of lysine as catalyst. Then the polymerized monolith carbonized in inert atmosphere at 700°C and activated by water steam at 550°C. It was found that resorcinol polymerization is easier than catechol and occurred at 90°C while for polymerization of catechol elevated temperature of 120°C at hydrothermal condition is necessary. The prepared activated carbon samples have been characterized by various analysis methods including scanning electron microscopy (SEM), surface area measurement, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The adsorptions of three different aromatic hydrocarbons by the prepared activated carbon samples have also been investigated by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and UV-Vis spectroscopy. It was found that carbon monolith prepared by catechol as carbon precursor has higher adsorpability and strength in comparison with the other sample. The higher performance of carbon monolith prepared by catechol can be associated with its higher active sites in comparison with resorcinol.

Porous Materials from Thermally Activated Kaolinite: Preparation, Characterization and Application

PubMed Central

Luo, Jun; Jiang, Tao; Li, Guanghui; Peng, Zhiwei; Rao, Mingjun; Zhang, Yuanbo

2017-01-01

In the present study, porous alumina/silica materials were prepared by selective leaching of silicon/aluminum constituents from thermal-activated kaolinite in inorganic acid or alkali liquor. The correlations between the characteristics of the prepared porous materials and the dissolution properties of activated kaolinite were also investigated. The results show that the specific surface area (SSA) of porous alumina/silica increases with silica/alumina dissolution, but without marked change of the BJH pore size. Furthermore, change in pore volume is more dependent on activation temperature. The porous alumina and silica obtained from alkali leaching of kaolinite activated at 1150 °C for 15 min and acid leaching of kaolinite activated at 850 °C for 15 min are mesoporous, with SSAs, BJH pore sizes and pore volumes of 55.8 m2/g and 280.3 m2/g, 6.06 nm and 3.06 nm, 0.1455 mL/g and 0.1945 mL/g, respectively. According to the adsorption tests, porous alumina has superior adsorption capacities for Cu2+, Pb2+ and Cd2+ compared with porous silica and activated carbon. The maximum capacities of porous alumina for Cu2+, Pb2+ and Cd2+ are 134 mg/g, 183 mg/g and 195 mg/g, respectively, at 30 °C. PMID:28773002

Bioactive and biodegradable silica biomaterial for bone regeneration.

PubMed

Wang, Shunfeng; Wang, Xiaohong; Draenert, Florian G; Albert, Olga; Schröder, Heinz C; Mailänder, Volker; Mitov, Gergo; Müller, Werner E G

2014-10-01

Biosilica, a biocompatible, natural inorganic polymer that is formed by an enzymatic, silicatein-mediated reaction in siliceous sponges to build up their inorganic skeleton, has been shown to be morphogenetically active and to induce mineralization of human osteoblast-like cells (SaOS-2) in vitro. In the present study, we prepared beads (microspheres) by encapsulation of β-tricalcium phosphate [β-TCP], either alone (control) or supplemented with silica or silicatein, into the biodegradable copolymer poly(d,l-lactide-co-glycolide) [PLGA]. Under the conditions used, ≈5% β-TCP, ≈9% silica, and 0.32μg/mg of silicatein were entrapped into the PLGA microspheres (diameter≈800μm). Determination of the biocompatibility of the β-TCP microspheres, supplemented with silica or silicatein, revealed no toxicity in the MTT based cell viability assay using SaOS-2 cells. The adherence of SaOS-2 cells to the surface of silica-containing microspheres was higher than for microspheres, containing only β-TCP. In addition, the silica-containing β-TCP microspheres and even more pronounced, a 1:1 mixture of microspheres containing β-TCP and silica, and β-TCP and silicatein, were found to strongly enhance the mineral deposition by SaOS-2 cells. Using these microspheres, first animal experiments with silica/biosilica were performed in female, adult New Zealand White rabbits to study the effect of the inorganic polymer on bone regeneration in vivo. The microspheres were implanted into 5mm thick holes, drilled into the femur of the animals, applying a bilateral comparison study design (3 test groups with 4-8 animals each). The control implant on one of the two hind legs contained microspheres with only β-TCP, while the test implant on the corresponding leg consisted either of microspheres containing β-TCP and silica, or a 1:1 mixture of microspheres, supplemented with β-TCP and silica, and β-TCP and silicatein. The results revealed that tissue/bone sections of silica

Cyclodextrin-functionalized mesostructured silica nanoparticles for removal of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.

PubMed

Topuz, Fuat; Uyar, Tamer

2017-07-01

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are the byproducts of the incomplete combustion of carbon-based fuels, and have high affinity towards DNA strands, ultimately exerting their carcinogenic effects. They are ubiquitousenvironmental contaminants,and can accumulate on tissues due to their lipophilic nature. In this article, we describe a novel concept for PAH removal from aqueous solutions using cyclodextrin-functionalized mesostructured silica nanoparticles (CDMSNs) and pristine mesostructured silica nanoparticles (MSNs). The adsorption applications of MSNs are greatly restricted due to the absence of surface functional groups on such particles. In this regard, cyclodextrins can serve as ideal functional molecules with their toroidal, cone-type structure, capable of inclusion-complex formation with many hydrophobic molecules, including genotoxic PAHs. The CDMSNs were synthesized by the surfactant-templated, NaOH-catalyzed condensation reactions of tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) in the presence of two different types of cyclodextrin (i.e. hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin (HP-β-CD) and native β-cyclodextrin (β-CD)). The physical incorporation of CD moieties was supported by XPS, FT-IR, NMR, TGA and solid-state 13 C NMR. The CDMSNs were treated with aqueous solutions of five different PAHs (e.g. pyrene, anthracene, phenanthrene, fluorene and fluoranthene). The functionalization of MSNs with cyclodextrin moieties significantly boosted the sorption capacity (q) of the MSNs up to ∼2-fold, and the q ranged between 0.3 and 1.65mg per gram CDMSNs, of which the performance was comparable to that of the activated carbon. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Silica extraction from geothermal water

DOEpatents

Bourcier, William L; Bruton, Carol J

2014-09-23

A method of producing silica from geothermal fluid containing low concentration of the silica of less than 275 ppm includes the steps of treating the geothermal fluid containing the silica by reverse osmosis treatment thereby producing a concentrated fluid containing the silica, seasoning the concentrated fluid thereby producing a slurry having precipitated colloids containing the silica, and separating the silica from the slurry.

Formation and decomposition of ethane, propane, and carbon dioxide hydrates in silica gel mesopores under high pressure.

PubMed

Aladko, E Ya; Dyadin, Yu A; Fenelonov, V B; Larionov, E G; Manakov, A Yu; Mel'gunov, M S; Zhurko, F V

2006-10-05

The experimental data on decomposition temperatures for the gas hydrates of ethane, propane, and carbon dioxide dispersed in silica gel mesopores are reported. The studies were performed at pressures up to 1 GPa. It is shown that the experimental dependence of hydrate decomposition temperature on the size of pores that limit the size of hydrate particles can be described on the basis of the Gibbs-Thomson equation only if one takes into account changes in the shape coefficient that is present in the equation; in turn, the value of this coefficient depends on a method of mesopore size determination. A mechanism of hydrate formation in mesoporous medium is proposed. Experimental data providing evidence of the possibility of the formation of hydrate compounds in hydrophobic matrixes under high pressure are reported. Decomposition temperature of those hydrate compounds is higher than that for the bulk hydrates of the corresponding gases.

Distribution of biogenic silica and quartz in recent deep-sea sediments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Leinen, Margaret; Cwienk, Douglas; Heath, G. Ross; Biscaye, Pierre E.; Kolla, V.; Thiede, Jørn; Dauphin, J. Paul

1986-03-01

All available quartz and biogenic silica concentrations from deep-sea surface sediments were intercalibrated, plotted, and contoured on a calcium-carbonate-free basis. The maps show highest concentrations of biogenic silica (opal) along the west African coast, along equatorial divergences in all oceans, and at the Polar Front in the southern Indian Ocean. These are all areas where upwelling is strong and there is high biological productivity. Quartz in pelagic sediments deposited far from land is generally eolian in origin. Its distribution reflects dominant wind systems in the Pacific, but in much of the Atlantic and Indian oceans the distribution pattern is strongly modified by turbidite deposition and bottom current processes.

Thermal stability and degradation kinetics of kenaf/sol-gel silica hybrid

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yusof, F. A. M.; Hashim, A. S.; Tajudin, Z.

2017-12-01

Thermal stability and degradation kinetics of kenaf/sol-gel silica hybrid materials was investigated by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Model-free iso-conversion Flynn-Wall-Ozawa (FWO) and Coats-Redfern-modified (CRm) were chosen to evaluate the activation energy of the kenaf (KF) and kenaf/sol-gel silica (KFS) at heating rates (β) of 10, 20, 30 and 40 °C/min. The results shows that an apparent activation energy was increased for the kenaf/sol-gel silica hybrid (211.59 kJ/mol for FWO and 191.55 kJ/mol for CRm) as compared to kenaf fiber (202.84 kJ/mol for FWO and 186.20 kJ/mol for CRm). Other parameters such as integral procedure decomposition temperature (IPDT), final residual weight (Rf), temperature of maximum degradation rate (Tmax) and residual at maximum temperature (RTmax) were obtained from TGA curves, additionally confirmed the thermal stability of the kenaf/sol-gel silica hybrid. These activation energy values and other findings developed the simplified approach in order to understand the thermal stability and degradation kinetics behavior of kenaf/sol-gel silica hybrid materials.

Silica exposure during construction activities: statistical modeling of task-based measurements from the literature.

PubMed

Sauvé, Jean-François; Beaudry, Charles; Bégin, Denis; Dion, Chantal; Gérin, Michel; Lavoué, Jérôme

2013-05-01

Many construction activities can put workers at risk of breathing silica containing dusts, and there is an important body of literature documenting exposure levels using a task-based strategy. In this study, statistical modeling was used to analyze a data set containing 1466 task-based, personal respirable crystalline silica (RCS) measurements gathered from 46 sources to estimate exposure levels during construction tasks and the effects of determinants of exposure. Monte-Carlo simulation was used to recreate individual exposures from summary parameters, and the statistical modeling involved multimodel inference with Tobit models containing combinations of the following exposure variables: sampling year, sampling duration, construction sector, project type, workspace, ventilation, and controls. Exposure levels by task were predicted based on the median reported duration by activity, the year 1998, absence of source control methods, and an equal distribution of the other determinants of exposure. The model containing all the variables explained 60% of the variability and was identified as the best approximating model. Of the 27 tasks contained in the data set, abrasive blasting, masonry chipping, scabbling concrete, tuck pointing, and tunnel boring had estimated geometric means above 0.1mg m(-3) based on the exposure scenario developed. Water-fed tools and local exhaust ventilation were associated with a reduction of 71 and 69% in exposure levels compared with no controls, respectively. The predictive model developed can be used to estimate RCS concentrations for many construction activities in a wide range of circumstances.

Straightforward fabrication of black nano silica dusting powder for latent fingerprint imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Komalasari, Isna; Krismastuti, Fransiska Sri Herwahyu; Elishian, Christine; Handayani, Eka Mardika; Nugraha, Willy Cahya; Ketrin, Rosi

2017-11-01

Imaging of latent fingerprint pattern (aka fingermark) is one of the most important and accurate detection methods in forensic investigation because of the characteristic of individual fingerprint. This detection technique relies on the mechanical adherence of fingerprint powder to the moisture and oily component of the skin left on the surface. The particle size of fingerprint powder is one of the critical parameter to obtain excellent fingerprint image. This study develops a simple, cheap and straightforward method to fabricate Nano size black dusting fingerprint powder based on Nano silica and applies the powder to visualize latent fingerprint. The nanostructured silica was prepared from tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) and then modified with Nano carbon, methylene blue and sodium acetate to color the powder. Finally, as a proof-of-principle, the ability of this black Nano silica dusting powder to image latent fingerprint is successfully demonstrated and the results show that this fingerprint powder provides clearer fingerprint pattern compared to the commercial one highlighting the potential application of the nanostructured silica in forensic science.

Making Activated Carbon by Wet Pressurized Pyrolysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fisher, John W.; Pisharody, Suresh; Wignarajah, K.; Moran, Mark

2006-01-01

A wet pressurized pyrolysis (wet carbonization) process has been invented as a means of producing activated carbon from a wide variety of inedible biomass consisting principally of plant wastes. The principal intended use of this activated carbon is room-temperature adsorption of pollutant gases from cooled incinerator exhaust streams. Activated carbon is highly porous and has a large surface area. The surface area depends strongly on the raw material and the production process. Coconut shells and bituminous coal are the primary raw materials that, until now, were converted into activated carbon of commercially acceptable quality by use of traditional production processes that involve activation by use of steam or carbon dioxide. In the wet pressurized pyrolysis process, the plant material is subjected to high pressure and temperature in an aqueous medium in the absence of oxygen for a specified amount of time to break carbon-oxygen bonds in the organic material and modify the structure of the material to obtain large surface area. Plant materials that have been used in demonstrations of the process include inedible parts of wheat, rice, potato, soybean, and tomato plants. The raw plant material is ground and mixed with a specified proportion of water. The mixture is placed in a stirred autoclave, wherein it is pyrolized at a temperature between 450 and 590 F (approximately between 230 and 310 C) and a pressure between 1 and 1.4 kpsi (approximately between 7 and 10 MPa) for a time between 5 minutes and 1 hour. The solid fraction remaining after wet carbonization is dried, then activated at a temperature of 500 F (260 C) in nitrogen gas. The activated carbon thus produced is comparable to commercial activated carbon. It can be used to adsorb oxides of sulfur, oxides of nitrogen, and trace amounts of hydrocarbons, any or all of which can be present in flue gas. Alternatively, the dried solid fraction can be used, even without the activation treatment, to absorb

Reaction mechanisms for enhancing carbon dioxide mineral sequestration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jarvis, Karalee Ann

Increasing global temperature resulting from the increased release of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere is one of the greatest problems facing society. Nevertheless, coal plants remain the largest source of electrical energy and carbon dioxide gas. For this reason, researchers are searching for methods to reduce carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere from the combustion of coal. Mineral sequestration of carbon dioxide reacted in electrolyte solutions at 185°C and 2200 psi with olivine (magnesium silicate) has been shown to produce environmentally benign carbonates. However, to make this method feasible for industrial applications, the reaction rate needs to be increased. Two methods were employed to increase the rate of mineral sequestration: reactant composition and concentration were altered independently in various runs. The products were analyzed with complete combustion for total carbon content. Crystalline phases in the product were analyzed with Debye-Scherrer X-ray powder diffraction. To understand the reaction mechanism, single crystals of San Carlos Olivine were reacted in two solutions: (0.64 M NaHCO3/1 M NaCl) and (5.5 M KHCO3) and analyzed with scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS), and fluctuation electron microscopy (FEM) to study the surface morphology, atomic crystalline structure, composition and amorphous structure. From solution chemistry studies, it was found that increasing the activity of the bicarbonate ion increased the conversion rate of carbon dioxide to magnesite. The fastest conversion, 60% conversion in one hour, occurred in a solution of 5.5 M KHCO3. The reaction product particles, magnesium carbonate, significantly increased in both number density and size on the coupon when the bicarbonate ion activity was increased. During some experiments reaction vessel corrosion also altered the mineral sequestration mechanism. Nickel ions from vessel

Functionalized silica aerogels for gas-phase purification, sensing, and catalysis: A review

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Amonette, James E.; Matyáš, Josef

Silica aerogels have a rich history and offer an unusual assembly of gas- and solid-phase properties that has lent them to many diverse applications. This review starts with a brief discussion of the fundamental issues driving the movement of gases in silica aerogels and then proceeds to provide an overview of the work that has been done with respect to the purification of gases, sensing of individual gases, and uses of silica aerogels as catalysts for gas-phase reactions. We present salient features of the research behind these different applications, and, where appropriate, critical aspects that affect the practical use ofmore » the aerogels are noted. Specific sections under the gas-purification category focus on the removal of airborne nanoparticles, carbon dioxide, volatile organic compounds, sulfur gases and radioactive iodine from gas streams. The use of silica aerogels as sensors for humidity, oxygen, hydrocarbons, volatile acids and bases, various non-ammoniacal nitrogen gases, and viral particles is discussed. With respect to catalysis, the demonstrated use of silica aerogels as supports for oxidation, Fischer-Tropsch, alkane isomerization, and hydrogenation reactions is reviewed, along with a section on untested catalytic formulations involving silica aerogels. A short section focuses on recent developments in thermomolecular Knudsen compressor pumps using silica aerogel membranes. Finally, the review continues with an overview of the production methods, locations of manufacturing facilities globally, and a brief discussion of the economics before concluding with a few remarks about the present and future trends revealed by the work presented.« less

Functionalized silica aerogels for gas-phase purification, sensing, and catalysis: A review

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Amonette, James E.; Matyáš, Josef

Silica aerogels have a rich history and a unique, fascinating gas-phase chemistry that has lent them to many diverse applications. This review starts with a brief discussion of the fundamental issues driving the movement of gases in silica aerogels and then proceeds to provide an overview of the work that has been done with respect to the purification of gases, sensing of individual gases, and uses of silica aerogels as catalysts for gas-phase reactions. Salient features of the research behind these different applications are presented, and, where appropriate, critical aspects that affect the practical use of the aerogels are noted.more » Specific sections under the gas-purification category focus on the removal of airborne nanoparticles, carbon dioxide, volatile organic compounds, sulfur gases and radioactive iodine from gas streams. The use of silica aerogels as sensors for humidity, oxygen, hydrocarbons, volatile acids and bases, various non-ammoniacal nitrogen gases, and viral particles is discussed. With respect to catalysis, the demonstrated use of silica aerogels as supports for oxidation, Fischer-Tropsch, alkane isomerization, and hydrogenation reactions is reviewed, along with a section on untested catalytic formulations involving silica aerogels. A short section focuses on recent developments in thermomolecular Knudsen compressor pumps using silica aerogel membranes. The review continues with an overview of the production methods, locations of manufacturing facilities globally, and a brief discussion of the economics before concluding with a few remarks about the present and future trends revealed by the work presented.« less

Functionalized silica aerogels for gas-phase purification, sensing, and catalysis: A review

DOE PAGES

Amonette, James E.; Matyáš, Josef

2017-09-01

Silica aerogels have a rich history and offer an unusual assembly of gas- and solid-phase properties that has lent them to many diverse applications. This review starts with a brief discussion of the fundamental issues driving the movement of gases in silica aerogels and then proceeds to provide an overview of the work that has been done with respect to the purification of gases, sensing of individual gases, and uses of silica aerogels as catalysts for gas-phase reactions. We present salient features of the research behind these different applications, and, where appropriate, critical aspects that affect the practical use ofmore » the aerogels are noted. Specific sections under the gas-purification category focus on the removal of airborne nanoparticles, carbon dioxide, volatile organic compounds, sulfur gases and radioactive iodine from gas streams. The use of silica aerogels as sensors for humidity, oxygen, hydrocarbons, volatile acids and bases, various non-ammoniacal nitrogen gases, and viral particles is discussed. With respect to catalysis, the demonstrated use of silica aerogels as supports for oxidation, Fischer-Tropsch, alkane isomerization, and hydrogenation reactions is reviewed, along with a section on untested catalytic formulations involving silica aerogels. A short section focuses on recent developments in thermomolecular Knudsen compressor pumps using silica aerogel membranes. Finally, the review continues with an overview of the production methods, locations of manufacturing facilities globally, and a brief discussion of the economics before concluding with a few remarks about the present and future trends revealed by the work presented.« less

Silica-Rich Soil Found by Spirit

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2007-01-01

NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit has found a patch of bright-toned soil so rich in silica that scientists propose water must have been involved in concentrating it.

The silica-rich patch, informally named 'Gertrude Weise' after a player in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, was exposed when Spirit drove over it during the 1,150th Martian day, or sol, of Spirit's Mars surface mission (March 29, 2007). One of Spirit's six wheels no longer rotates, so it leaves a deep track as it drags through soil. Most patches of disturbed, bright soil that Spirit had investigated previously are rich in sulfur, but this one has very little sulfur and is about 90 percent silica.

This image is a approximately true-color composite of three images taken through different filters by Spirit's panoramic camera on Sol 1,187 (May 6). The track of disturbed soil is roughly 20 centimeters (8 inches) wide.

Spirit's miniature thermal emission spectrometer, which can assess a target's mineral composition from a distance, examined the Gertrude Weise patch on Sol 1,172 (April 20). The indications it found for silica in the overturned soil prompted a decision to drive Spirit close enough to touch the soil with the alpha particle X-ray spectrometer, a chemical analyzer at the end of Spirit's robotic arm. The alpha particle X-ray spectrometer collected data about this target on sols 1,189 and 1,190 (May 8 and May 9) and produced the finding of approximately 90 percent silica.

Silica is silicon dioxide. On Earth, it commonly occurs as the crystalline mineral quartz and is the main ingredient in window glass. The Martian silica at Gertrude Weise is non-crystalline, with no detectable quartz.

In most cases, water is required to produce such a concentrated deposit of silica, according to members of the rover science team. One possible origin for the silica could have been interaction of soil with acidic steam produced by volcanic activity. Another could

Silica-Rich Soil in Gusev Crater

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2007-01-01

NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit has found a patch of bright-toned soil so rich in silica that scientists propose water must have been involved in concentrating it.

The silica-rich patch, informally named 'Gertrude Weise' after a player in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, was exposed when Spirit drove over it during the 1,150th Martian day, or sol, of Spirit's Mars surface mission (March 29, 2007). One of Spirit's six wheels no longer rotates, so it leaves a deep track as it drags through soil. Most patches of disturbed, bright soil that Spirit had investigated previously are rich in sulfur, but this one has very little sulfur and is about 90 percent silica.

Spirit's panoramic camera imaged the bright patch through various filters on Sol 1,158 (April 6). This approximately true-color image combines images taken through three different filters. The track of disturbed soil is roughly 20 centimeters (8 inches) wide.

Spirit's miniature thermal emission spectrometer, which can assess a target's mineral composition from a distance, examined the Gertrude Weise patch on Sol 1,172 (April 20). The indications it found for silica in the overturned soil prompted a decision to drive Spirit close enough to touch the soil with the alpha particle X-ray spectrometer, a chemical analyzer at the end of Spirit's robotic arm. The alpha particle X-ray spectrometer collected data about this target on sols 1,189 and 1,190 (May 8 and May 9) and produced the finding of approximately 90 percent silica.

Silica is silicon dioxide. On Earth, it commonly occurs as the crystalline mineral quartz and is the main ingredient in window glass. The Martian silica at Gertrude Weise is non-crystalline, with no detectable quartz.

In most cases, water is required to produce such a concentrated deposit of silica, according to members of the rover science team. One possible origin for the silica could have been interaction of soil with acidic steam

Carbon dioxide capture by activated methyl diethanol amine impregnated mesoporous carbon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ardhyarini, N.; Krisnandi, Y. K.

2017-07-01

Activated Methyl Diethanol Amine (aMDEA) were impregnated onto the surface of the mesoporous carbon to increase carbon dioxide (CO2) adsorption capacity. The mesoporous carbon was synthesized through soft template method with phloroglucinol as carbon precursor and triblock copolymer (Pluronic F127) as structure directing agent. These activated MDEA impregnated mesoporous carbon (aMDEA-MC) were characterized using various solid characterization techniques. CO2 adsorption was investigated using autoclaved-reactor in the batch system. The FTIR spectrum of aMDEA-MC had absorption peaks at 3395 cm-1 and 1031 cm-1 which are characteristic for O-H stretch and amine C-N stretch in MDEA. The elemental analyzer showed that nitrogen content on the mesoporous carbon increased after impregnation by 23 wt.%. The BET surface area and total pore volume of mesoporous carbon decreased after impregnation, 43 wt.% and 50 wt.%, respectively. The maximum CO2 adsorption capacity of aMDEA43-MC was 2.63 mmol/g (298 K, 5 psi and pure CO2). This is 64 % and 35 % higher compared to the CO2 adsorption capacity of the starting MC and also commercially available activated carbon with higher surface area. All the results suggest that MDEA-MC is a promising adsorbent for CO2 capture.

Dynamic pesticide removal with activated carbon fibers.

PubMed

Martín-Gullón, I; Font, R

2001-02-01

Rapid small-scale minicolumn tests were carried out to simulate the atrazine adsorption in water phase with three pelletized pitch-based activated carbon fibers (ACF) and one commercial granular activated carbon (GAC). Initial atrazine solutions were prepared with pretreated ground water. Minicolumn tests showed that the performance of highly activated carbon fibers (surface area of 1700 m2/g) is around 7 times better than the commercial GAC (with surface area at around 1100 m2/g), whereas carbon fibers with medium activation degree (surface area of 1500 m2/g) had a removal efficiency worse than the commercial carbon. The high removal efficiency of the highly activated ACF is due to the wide-opened microstructure of the material, with an appreciable contribution of the low size mesopores, maintaining at these conditions a fast kinetic adsorption rate rather than a selective adsorbent for micropollutants vs. natural organic matter.

Supramolecular Complex Antioxidant Consisting of Vitamins C, E and Hydrophilic-Hydrophobic Silica Nanoparticles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Laguta, I. V.; Kuzema, P. O.; Stavinskaya, O. N.; Kazakova, O. A.

Samples with varied amount of surface trimethylsilyl groups were obtained via gas-phase chemical modification of silica nanoparticles. The biocompatibility tests conducted in erythrocyte suspension have shown that hydrophobization of silica decreases its damaging effect to the cells. Being wettable in aqueous media, partially silylated silicas have higher affinity to hydrophobic bioactive molecules in comparison with the initial silica. Novel antioxidant consisting of vitamins C and E and silica with 40% of surface trimethylsilyl groups was formulated. It was found that supramolecular complexes are formed on the silica surface due to the affinity of water- and fat-soluble antioxidants to hydrophilic silanol and hydrophobic trimethylsilyl groups, respectively. Test reactions (total phenolic index determination, DPPH test) and in vitro studies (spectral analysis of erythrocyte suspensions undergoing UV irradiation) revealed the correlation between antioxidant activity of the complex antioxidant and the vitamins’ content. The antioxidant remained active during long-term storage under standard conditions.

Supramolecular Complex Antioxidant Consisting of Vitamins C, E and Hydrophilic-Hydrophobic Silica Nanoparticles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Laguta, I. V.; Kuzema, P. O.; Stavinskaya, O. N.; Kazakova, O. A.

Samples with varied amount of surface trimethylsilyl groups were obtained via gas-phase chemical modification of silica nanoparticles. The biocompatibility tests conducted in erythrocyte suspension have shown that hydrophobization of silica decreases its damaging effect to the cells. Being wettable in aqueous media, partially silylated silicas have higher affinity to hydrophobic bioactive molecules in comparison with the initial silica. Novel antioxidant consisting of vitamins C and E and silica with 40% of surface trimethylsilyl groups was formulated. It was found that supramolecular complexes are formed on the silica surface due to the affinity of water- and fat-soluble antioxidants to hydrophilic silanol and hydrophobic trimethylsilyl groups, respectively. Test reactions (total phenolic index determination, DPPH test) and in vitro studies (spectral analysis of erythrocyte suspensions undergoing UV irradiation) revealed the correlation between antioxidant activity of the complex antioxidant and the vitamins' content. The antioxidant remained active during long-term storage under standard conditions.

Preparation of Silica Aerogel from TEOS

PubMed

Tamon; Kitamura; Okazaki

1998-01-15

Silica alcogels were synthesized by the sol-gel polymerization of tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS). In the synthesis, HCl and NH3 were used as hydrolysis and condensation catalysts. The gelation time became short and the visible light transmittance increased with increasing the amount of HCl or lengthening the hydrolysis time. The alcogels were dried under supercritical conditions with carbon dioxide, and silica aerogels were obtained. As a result of characterization by visible light transmission and N2 adsorption, the aerogels are mesoporous materials with high surface areas. The experimental results suggest that the aerogel properties are not influenced by the drying conditions such as extraction temperature, extraction time, depressurizing temperature, and depressurizing rate. On the other hand, the properties are changed under the conditions of sol-gel polymerization. In the preparation of highly transparent aerogels with high surface areas and large pore volumes, it is necessary to synthesize highly transparent alcogels. It is found that the visible light transmittance of alcogels is an index for preparing aerogels from TEOS. Copyright 1998 Academic Press. Copyright 1998Academic Press

Surface grafting of zwitterionic polymers onto dye doped AIE-active luminescent silica nanoparticles through surface-initiated ATRP for biological imaging applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mao, Liucheng; Liu, Xinhua; Liu, Meiying; Huang, Long; Xu, Dazhuang; Jiang, Ruming; Huang, Qiang; Wen, Yuanqing; Zhang, Xiaoyong; Wei, Yen

2017-10-01

Aggregation-induced emission (AIE) dyes have recently been intensively explored for biological imaging applications owing to their outstanding optical feature as compared with conventional organic dyes. The AIE-active luminescent silica nanoparticles (LSNPs) are expected to combine the advantages both of silica nanoparticles and AIE-active dyes. Although the AIE-active LSNPs have been prepared previously, surface modification of these AIE-active LSNPs with functional polymers has not been reported thus far. In this work, we reported a rather facile and general strategy for preparation of polymers functionalized AIE-active LSNPs through the surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP). The AIE-active LSNPs were fabricated via direct encapsulation of AIE-active dye into silica nanoparticles through a non-covalent modified Stöber method. The ATRP initiator was subsequently immobilized onto these AIE-active LSNPs through amidation reaction between 3-aminopropyl-triethoxy-silane and 2-bromoisobutyryl bromide. Finally, the zwitterionic 2-(methacryloyloxy)ethyl phosphorylcholine (MPC) was selected as model monomer and grafted onto MSNs through ATRP. The characterization results suggested that LSNPs can be successfully modified with poly(MPC) through surface-initiated ATRP. The biological evaluation results demonstrated that the final SNPs-AIE-pMPC composites possess low cytotoxicity, desirable optical properties and great potential for biological imaging. Taken together, we demonstrated that AIE-active LSNPs can be fabricated and surface modified with functional polymers to endow novel functions and better performance for biomedical applications. More importantly, this strategy developed in this work could also be extended for fabrication of many other LSNPs polymer composites owing to the good monomer adoptability of ATRP.

Exposure to respirable crystalline silica in South African farm workers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Swanepoel, Andrew; Rees, David; Renton, Kevin; Kromhout, Hans

2009-02-01

Although listed in some publications as an activity associated with silica (quartz) exposure, agriculture is not widely recognized as an industry with a potential for silica associated diseases. Because so many people work in agriculture; and because silica exposure and silicosis are associated with serious diseases such as tuberculosis (TB), particular in those immunological compromised by the Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), silica exposure in agriculture is potentially very important. But in South Africa (SA) very little is known about silica exposure in this industry. The objectives of this project are: (a) to measure inhalable and respirable dust and its quartz content on two typical sandy soil farms in the Free State province of SA for all major tasks done on the farms; and (b) to characterise the mineralogy soil type of these farms. Two typical farms in the sandy soil region of the Free State province were studied. The potential health effects faced by these farm workers from exposure to respirable crystalline silica are discussed.

Synthesis of fluorine- doped silica-coating by fluorosilane nanofluid to ultrahydrophobic and ultraoleophobic surface

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saboori, R.; Azin, R.; Osfouri, Sh; Sabbaghi, S.; Bahramian, A.

2017-10-01

Liquid repellency treatment has many applications in various sectors including oil and gas reservoirs and self-cleaning surfaces. In this study, effect of silica, fluorine-doped silica and fluorine-doped silica-coating by fluorosilane nanofluid on ultrahydrophobic and ultraoleophobic surface of carbonate and sandstone rock were investigated. The nanoparticles were synthesized by sol-gel method and characterized using XRD, FTIR, FESEM and DLS and nanofluid was prepared. F-SiO2-F nanoparticle was adsorbed on surface of rocks and confirmed by FESEM and EDXA. Effect of nanofluid on wettability was investigated by measuring contact angles of water, crude oil, condensate, n-decane and ethylene glycol in air and stability of ultrahydrophobic and ultraoleophobic was investigated. Results show that nanofluid (0.05 wt% of nanoparticle) changes contact angle from strongly liquid-wet to strongly gas-wet in all systems. The original contact angle of water, crude oil, condensate, n-decane and ethylene glycol were 37.95°, 0°, 0°, 0° and 0° for carbonate rock and 40.30°, 0°, 0°, 0° and 0° for sandstone rock which altered to 146.47°, 145.59°, 138.24°, 139.06° and 146.52° for carbonate rock and 160.01°, 151.40°, 131.85°, 140.27° and 151.70° for sandstone rock after treatment. The ultraoleophobic and ultrahydrophobic stability were  >48 h and 120 min.

Catalytic Growth of Macroscopic Carbon Nanofibers Bodies with Activated Carbon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abdullah, N.; Rinaldi, A.; Muhammad, I. S.; Hamid, S. B. Abd.; Su, D. S.; Schlogl, R.

2009-06-01

Carbon-carbon composite of activated carbon and carbon nanofibers have been synthesized by growing Carbon nanofiber (CNF) on Palm shell-based Activated carbon (AC) with Ni catalyst. The composites are in an agglomerated shape due to the entanglement of the defective CNF between the AC particles forming a macroscopic body. The macroscopic size will allow the composite to be used as a stabile catalyst support and liquid adsorbent. The preparation of CNT/AC nanocarbon was initiated by pre-treating the activated carbon with nitric acid, followed by impregnation of 1 wt% loading of nickel (II) nitrate solutions in acetone. The catalyst precursor was calcined and reduced at 300° C for an hour in each step. The catalytic growth of nanocarbon in C2H4/H2 was carried out at temperature of 550° C for 2 hrs with different rotating angle in the fluidization system. SEM and N2 isotherms show the level of agglomeration which is a function of growth density and fluidization of the system. The effect of fluidization by rotating the reactor during growth with different speed give a significant impact on the agglomeration of the final CNF/AC composite and thus the amount of CNFs produced. The macrostructure body produced in this work of CNF/AC composite will have advantages in the adsorbent and catalyst support application, due to the mechanical and chemical properties of the material.

JPL Activated Carbon Treatment System (ACTS) for sewage

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1976-01-01

An Activated Carbon Treatment System (ACTS) was developed for sewage treatment and is being applied to a one-million gallon per day sewage treatment pilot plant in Orange County California. Activities reported include pyrolysis and activation of carbon-sewage sludge, and activated carbon treatment of sewage to meet ocean discharge standards. The ACTS Sewage treatment operations include carbon-sewage treatment, primary and secondary clarifiers, gravity (multi-media) filter, filter press dewatering, flash drying of carbon-sewage filter cake, and sludge pyrolysis and activation. Tests were conducted on a laboratory scale, 10,000 gallon per day demonstration plant and pilot test equipment. Preliminary economic studies are favorable to the ACTS process relative to activated sludge treatment for a 175,000,000 gallon per day sewage treatment plant.

Combined Hydrous Ferric Oxide and Quaternary Ammonium Surfactant Tailoring of Granular Activated Carbon for Concurrent Arsenate and Perchlorate Removal

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Jang, M.; Cannon, F; Parette, R

2009-01-01

Activated carbon was tailored with both iron and quaternary ammonium surfactants so as to concurrently remove both arsenate and perchlorate from groundwater. The iron (hydr)oxide preferentially removed the arsenate oxyanion but not perchlorate; while the quaternary ammonium preferentially removed the perchlorate oxyanion, but not the arsenate. The co-sorption of two anionic oxyanions via distinct mechanisms has yielded intriguing phenomena. Rapid small-scale column tests (RSSCTs) with these dually prepared media employed synthetic waters that were concurrently spiked with arsenate and perchlorate; and these trial results showed that the quaternary ammonium surfactants enhanced arsenate removal bed life by 25-50% when compared tomore » activated carbon media that had been preloaded merely with iron (hydr)oxide; and the surfactant also enhanced the diffusion rate of arsenate per the Donnan effect. The authors also employed natural groundwater from Rutland, MA which contained 60 microg/L As and traces of silica, and sulfate; and the authors spiked this with 40 microg/L perchlorate. When processing this water, activated carbon that had been tailored with iron and cationic surfactant could treat 12,500 bed volumes before 10 microg/L arsenic breakthrough, and 4500 bed volumes before 6 microg/L perchlorate breakthrough. Although the quaternary ammonium surfactants exhibited only a slight capacity for removing arsenate, these surfactants did facilitate a more favorably positively charged avenue for the arsenate to diffuse through the media to the iron sorption site (i.e. via the Donnan effect).« less

Salt permeation and exclusion in hydroxylated and functionalized silica pores.

PubMed

Leung, Kevin; Rempe, Susan B; Lorenz, Christian D

2006-03-10

We use combined ab initio molecular dynamics (AIMD), grand canonical Monte Carlo, and molecular dynamics techniques to study the effect of pore surface chemistry and confinement on the permeation of salt into silica nanopore arrays filled with water. AIMD shows that 11.6 A diameter hydroxylated silica pores are relatively stable in water, whereas amine groups on functionalized pore surfaces abstract silanol protons, turning into NH3+. Free energy calculations using an ab initio parametrized force field show that the hydroxylated pores strongly attract Na+ and repel Cl- ions. Pores lined with NH3+ have the reverse surface charge polarity. Finally, studies of ions in carbon nanotubes suggest that hydration of Cl- is more strongly frustrated by pure confinement effects than Na+.

Spatially and size selective synthesis of Fe-based nanoparticles on ordered mesoporous supports as highly active and stable catalysts for ammonia decomposition.

PubMed

Lu, An-Hui; Nitz, Joerg-Joachim; Comotti, Massimiliano; Weidenthaler, Claudia; Schlichte, Klaus; Lehmann, Christian W; Terasaki, Osamu; Schüth, Ferdi

2010-10-13

Uniform and highly dispersed γ-Fe(2)O(3) nanoparticles with a diameter of ∼6 nm supported on CMK-5 carbons and C/SBA-15 composites were prepared via simple impregnation and thermal treatment. The nanostructures of these materials were characterized by XRD, Mössbauer spectroscopy, XPS, SEM, TEM, and nitrogen sorption. Due to the confinement effect of the mesoporous ordered matrices, γ-Fe(2)O(3) nanoparticles were fully immobilized within the channels of the supports. Even at high Fe-loadings (up to about 12 wt %) on CMK-5 carbon no iron species were detected on the external surface of the carbon support by XPS analysis and electron microscopy. Fe(2)O(3)/CMK-5 showed the highest ammonia decomposition activity of all previously described Fe-based catalysts in this reaction. Complete ammonia decomposition was achieved at 700 °C and space velocities as high as 60,000 cm(3) g(cat)(-1) h(-1). At a space velocity of 7500 cm(3) g(cat)(-1) h(-1), complete ammonia conversion was maintained at 600 °C for 20 h. After the reaction, the immobilized γ-Fe(2)O(3) nanoparticles were found to be converted to much smaller nanoparticles (γ-Fe(2)O(3) and a small fraction of nitride), which were still embedded within the carbon matrix. The Fe(2)O(3)/CMK-5 catalyst is much more active than the benchmark NiO/Al(2)O(3) catalyst at high space velocity, due to its highly developed mesoporosity. γ-Fe(2)O(3) nanoparticles supported on carbon-silica composites are structurally much more stable over extended periods of time but less active than those supported on carbon. TEM observation reveals that iron-based nanoparticles penetrate through the carbon layer and then are anchored on the silica walls, thus preventing them from moving and sintering. In this way, the stability of the carbon-silica catalyst is improved. Comparison with the silica supported iron oxide catalyst reveals that the presence of a thin layer of carbon is essential for increased catalytic activity.

Crystalline Silica

Cancer.gov

Learn about crystalline silica (quartz dust), which can raise your risk of lung cancer. Crystalline silica is present in certain construction materials such as concrete, masonry, and brick and also in commercial products such as some cleansers, cosmetics, pet litter, talcum powder, caulk, and paint.

Biogas pre-upgrading by adsorption of trace compounds onto granular activated carbons and an activated carbon fiber-cloth.

PubMed

Boulinguiez, B; Le Cloirec, P

2009-01-01

The study assesses the adsorption onto activated carbon materials of selected volatile organic compounds -VOCs- (dichloromethane, 2-propanol, toluene, siloxane D4) in a biogas matrix composed of methane and carbon dioxide (55:45 v/v). Three different adsorbents are tested, two of them are granular activated carbon (GAC), and the last is an activated carbon fiber-cloth (ACFC). The adsorption isotherm data are fitted by different models by nonlinear regression. The Langmuir-Freundlich model appears to be the adequate one to describe the adsorption phenomena independently of the VOC considered or the adsorbent. The adsorbents present attractive adsorption capacity of the undesirable compounds in biogas atmosphere though the maximum adsorption capacities for a VOC are quite different from each other. The adsorption kinetics are characterized through three coefficients: the initial adsorption coefficient, the external film mass transfer coefficient and the internal diffusion coefficient of Weber. The ACFC demonstrates advanced kinetic yields compared to the granular activated carbon materials whatever VOC is considered. Therefore, pre-upgrading of biogas produced from wastewater sludge or co-digestion system by adsorption onto activated carbon appears worth investigating. Especially with ACFC material that presents correct adsorption capacities toward VOCs and concrete regeneration process opportunity to realize such process.

Hierarchically ordered carbon tubes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pan, Zheng-Wei; Zhu, Hao-Guo; Zhang, Zong-Tao; Im, Hee-Jung; Dai, Sheng; Beach, David B.; Lowndes, Douglas H.

2003-04-01

Micropatterns of hierarchically ordered carbon tubes (i.e., ordered carbon microtubes composed of aligned carbon nanotubes) were grown on a film-like iron/silica substrate consisting of ring-like catalyst patterns. The substrates were prepared by a combined technique, in which the sol-gel method was used to prepare catalyst film and transmission electron microscope grids were used as a shadow mask. In comparison with other techniques that involve sophisticated lithography, this approach represents a simple and low-cost way to the micropatterning of aligned carbon nanotubes.

Experimental Investigation on the Specific Heat of Carbonized Phenolic Resin-Based Ablative Materials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Te; Ye, Hong; Zhang, Lisong; Cai, Qilin

2017-10-01

As typical phenolic resin-based ablative materials, the high silica/phenolic and carbon/phenolic composites are widely used in aerospace field. The specific heat of the carbonized ablators after ablation is an important thermophysical parameter in the process of heat transfer, but it is rarely reported. In this investigation, the carbonized samples of the high silica/phenolic and carbon/phenolic were obtained through carbonization experiments, and the specific heat of the carbonized samples was determined by a 3D DSC from 150 °C to 970 °C. Structural and compositional characterizations were performed to determine the mass fractions of the fiber and the carbonized product of phenolic which are the two constituents of the carbonized samples, while the specific heat of each constituent was also measured by 3D DSC. The masses of the carbonized samples were reduced when heated to a high temperature in the specific heat measurements, due to the thermal degradation of the carbonized product of phenolic resin in the carbonized samples. The raw experimental specific heat of the two carbonized samples and the carbonized product of phenolic resin was modified according to the quality changes of the carbonized samples presented by TGA results. Based on the mass fraction and the specific heat of each constituent, a weighted average method was adopted to obtain the calculated results of the carbonized samples. Due to the unconsolidated property of the fiber samples which impacts the reliability of the DSC measurement, there is a certain deviation between the experimental and calculated results of the carbonized samples. Considering the similarity of composition and structure, the data of quartz glass and graphite were used to substitute the specific heat of the high silica fiber and carbon fiber, respectively, resulting in better agreements with the experimental ones. Furthermore, the accurate specific heat of the high silica fiber and carbon fiber bundles was obtained by

Enhanced adsorption of humic acids on ordered mesoporous carbon compared with microporous activated carbon.

PubMed

Liu, Fengling; Xu, Zhaoyi; Wan, Haiqin; Wan, Yuqiu; Zheng, Shourong; Zhu, Dongqiang

2011-04-01

Humic acids are ubiquitous in surface and underground waters and may pose potential risk to human health when present in drinking water sources. In this study, ordered mesoporous carbon was synthesized by means of a hard template method and further characterized by X-ray diffraction, N2 adsorption, transition electron microscopy, elemental analysis, and zeta-potential measurement. Batch experiments were conducted to evaluate adsorption of two humic acids from coal and soil, respectively, on the synthesized carbon. For comparison, a commercial microporous activated carbon and nonporous graphite were included as additional adsorbents; moreover, phenol was adopted as a small probe adsorbate. Pore size distribution characterization showed that the synthesized carbon had ordered mesoporous structure, whereas the activated carbon was composed mainly of micropores with a much broader pore size distribution. Accordingly, adsorption of the two humic acids was substantially lower on the activated carbon than on the synthesized carbon, because of the size-exclusion effect. In contrast, the synthesized carbon and activated carbon showed comparable adsorption for phenol when the size-exclusion effect was not in operation. Additionally, we verified by size-exclusion chromatography studies that the synthesized carbon exhibited greater adsorption for the large humic acid fraction than the activated carbon. The pH dependence of adsorption on the three carbonaceous adsorbents was also compared between the two test humic acids. The findings highlight the potential of using ordered mesoporous carbon as a superior adsorbent for the removal of humic acids. Copyright © 2011 SETAC.

Composites of silica with immobilized cholinesterase incorporated into polymeric shell

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Payentko, Victoriya; Matkovsky, Alexander; Matrunchik, Yulia

2015-02-01

Synthetic approaches for new nanocomposite materials with relatively high cholinesterase activity have been developed. The peculiarity of the formation of such systems is the introduction of cholinesterase into polymer with subsequent incorporation on the ready-made silica particles and into the polysiloxane matrixes during sol-gel synthesis. Evaluation of the cholinesterase activity has been fulfilled through the imitation of the acetylcholine chloride decomposition reaction. Values of activity for cholinesterase nanocomposites demonstrated in this work are higher than those for the native cholinesterase. The higher activity of cholinesterase contained in nanocomposites was found for those prepared using highly dispersed silica.

Preparation of carbon-functionalized magnetic graphene/mesoporous silica composites for selective extraction of miglitol and voglibose in rat plasma.

PubMed

Liu, Xiaodan; Feng, Jianan; Li, Yan

2018-05-15

In this work, magnetic graphene/mesoporous silica composites with carbon-functionalized pore-walls (denoted as MG@mSiO 2 -C composites) were synthesized and applied as restricted access matrix solid phase extraction (RAM-SPE) adsorbents for the determination of miglitol and voglibose in rat plasma by LC-MS/MS. The MG@mSiO 2 -C composites were synthesized by using the template (Cetyltrimethyl Ammonium Bromide, CTAB) as carbon source with sulfuric acid pretreated. The obtained nano-composites were proven to have many unique properties such as large specific surface area of 277.1 cm 2 g -1 , uniform mesopores with average pore size of 3.35 nm, and carbon-functionalized pore-walls. Taking advantage of the hydrophilic interaction between carbon and glycans, α-glucosidase inhibitors (miglitol and voglibose) could be directly extracted from rat plasma with no need of other pre-treatment procedures. The SPE conditions such as the adsorbent amount, elution solvent type, adsorption time and elution time were optimized. For both miglitol and voglibose, good linearities of 10-2000 ng mL -1 were obtained with determination coefficients (R 2 ) > 0.99. The intra-day and inter-day RSDs were 3.3-6.9% (n = 6) and 6.0-8.0% (n = 6), respectively. The recoveries were in the range of 99.9-100.4% and the sensitivities were as low as 2-2.5 ng mL -1 (LOD). This MG@mSiO 2 -C composites-based RAM-SPE method offers high extraction efficiency for the determination of α-glucosidase inhibitor in plasma. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Advances in silica based nanoparticles for targeted cancer therapy.

PubMed

Yang, Yannan; Yu, Chengzhong

2016-02-01

Targeted delivery of anticancer drug specifically to tumor site without damaging normal tissues has been the dream of all scientists fighting against cancer for decades. Recent breakthrough on nanotechnology based medicines has provided a possible tool to solve this puzzle. Among diverse nanomaterials that are under development and extensive study, silica based nanoparticles with vast advantages have attracted great attention. In this review, we concentrate on the recent progress using silica based nanoparticles, particularly mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs), for targeted drug delivery applications. First, we discuss the passive targeting capability of silica based nanoparticles in relation to their physiochemical properties. Then, we focus on the recent advances of active targeting strategies involving tumor cell targeting, vascular targeting, nuclear targeting and multistage targeting, followed by an introduction to magnetic field directed targeting approach. We conclude with our personal perspectives on the remaining challenges and the possible future directions. Chemotherapy has been one of the mainstays of cancer treatment. The advances in nanotechnology has allowed the development of novel carrier systems for the delivery of anticancer drugs. Mesoporous silica has shown great promise in this respect. In this review article, the authors provided a comprehensive overview of the use of this nanoparticle in both passive, as well as active targeting in the field of oncology. The advantages of this particle were further discussed. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Formation of Uniform Hollow Silica microcapsules

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yan, Huan; Kim, Chanjoong

2012-02-01

Microcapsules are small containers with diameters in the range of 0.1 -- 100 μm. Mesoporous microcapsules with hollow morphologies possess unique properties such as low-density and high encapsulation capacity, while allowing controlled release by permeating substances with a specific size and chemistry. Our process is a one-step fabrication of monodisperse hollow silica capsules with a hierarchical pore structure and high size uniformity using double emulsion templates obtained by the glass-capillary microfluidic technique to encapsulate various active ingredients. These hollow silica microcapsules can be used as biomedical applications such as drug delivery and controlled release.

Formation of Uniform Hollow Silica microcapsules

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yan, Huan; Kim, Chanjoong

2013-03-01

Microcapsules are small containers with diameters in the range of 0.1 - 100 μm. Mesoporous microcapsules with hollow morphologies possess unique properties such as low-density and high encapsulation capacity, while allowing controlled release by permeating substances with a specific size and chemistry. Our process is a one-step fabrication of monodisperse hollow silica capsules with a hierarchical pore structure and high size uniformity using double emulsion templates obtained by the glass-capillary microfluidic technique to encapsulate various active ingredients. These hollow silica microcapsules can be used as biomedical applications such as drug delivery and controlled release.

Molecular Organization Induced Anisotropic Properties of Perylene - Silica Hybrid Nanoparticles.

PubMed

Sriramulu, Deepa; Turaga, Shuvan Prashant; Bettiol, Andrew Anthony; Valiyaveettil, Suresh

2017-08-10

Optically active silica nanoparticles are interesting owing to high stability and easy accessibility. Unlike previous reports on dye loaded silica particles, here we address an important question on how optical properties are dependent on the aggregation-induced segregation of perylene molecules inside and outside the silica nanoparticles. Three differentially functionalized fluorescent perylene - silica hybrid nanoparticles are prepared from appropriate ratios of perylene derivatives and tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) and investigated the structure property correlation (P-ST, P-NP and P-SF). The particles differ from each other on the distribution, organization and intermolecular interaction of perylene inside or outside the silica matrix. Structure and morphology of all hybrid nanoparticles were characterized using a range of techniques such as electron microscope, optical spectroscopic measurements and thermal analysis. The organizations of perylene in three different silica nanoparticles were explored using steady-state fluorescence, fluorescence anisotropy, lifetime measurements and solid state polarized spectroscopic studies. The interactions and changes in optical properties of the silica nanoparticles in presence of different amines were tested and quantified both in solution and in vapor phase using fluorescence quenching studies. The synthesized materials can be regenerated after washing with water and reused for sensing of amines.

Spectroscopic and chromatographic characterisation of a pentafluorophenylpropyl silica phase end-capped in supercritical carbon dioxide as a reaction solvent.

PubMed

Ashu-Arrah, Benjamin A; Glennon, Jeremy D; Albert, Klaus

2013-07-12

This research uses solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy to characterise the nature and amount of different surface species, and chromatography to evaluate phase properties of a pentafluorophenylpropyl (PFPP) bonded silica phase prepared and end-capped using supercritical carbon dioxide (sc-CO2) as a reaction solvent. Under sc-CO2 reaction conditions (at temperature of 100 °C and pressure of 414 bar), a PFPP silica phase was prepared using 3-[(pentafluorophenyl)propyldimethylchlorosilane] within 1h. The bonded PFPP phase was subsequently end-capped with bis-N,O-trimethylsilylacetamide (BSA), hexamethyldisilazane (HMDS) and trimethylchlorosilane (TMCS) within 1h under the same sc-CO2 reaction conditions (100 °C/4141 bar). Elemental microanalysis, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were used to provide support data to solid-state NMR and chromatographic evaluation. Results revealed a surface coverage of 2.2 μmol/m(2) for the non-end-capped PFPP silica phase while the PFPP phase end-capped with BSA gave a higher surface coverage (3.9 μmol/m(2)) compared to HMDS (2.9 μmol/m(2)) and TMCS (2.8 μmol/m(2)). (29)Si CP/MAS NMR analysis of the PFPP end-capped with BSA shows a significant decrease in the amount of Q(3) (free silanols) and Q(4) (siloxane groups) species, coupled with the absence of the most reactive Q(2) (geminal silanols) in addition to increased amount of a single resonance peak centred at +13 ppm (MH) corresponding to -Si-O-*Si-CH3 bond. (13)C CP/MAS NMR shows the resonance corresponding to the propyl linkage (CH3CH2CH2-) and methyl groups (Si(CH3)n) confirming successful silanisation and endcapping reactions in sc-CO2. Chromatographic evaluation of the BSA end-capped PFPP phase with Neue text mixture revealed improved chromatographic separation as evidenced in the enhanced retention of hydrophobic markers and decreased retention for basic solutes. Moreover, chromatography revealed a change in

Factors affecting the behavior of unburned carbon upon steam activation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lu, Zhe

The main objective of this study is to investigate the factors that could affect the behavior of unburned carbon samples upon steam activation. Through this work, the relationships among the factors that could influence the carbon-steam reaction with the surface area of the produced activated carbon were explored. Statistical analysis was used to relate the chemical and physical properties of the unburned carbon to the surface area of the activated carbon. Six unburned carbons were selected as feedstocks for activated carbon, and marked as UCA through UCF. The unburned carbons were activated using steam at 850°C for 90 minutes, and the surface areas of their activated counterparts were measured using N2 adsorption isotherms at 77K. The activated carbons produced from different unburned carbon precursors presented different surface areas at similar carbon burn-off levels. Moreover, in different carbon burn-off regions, the sequences for surface area of activated carbons from different unburned carbon samples were different. The factors that may affect the carbon-steam gasification reactions, including the concentration of carbon active sites, the crystallite size of the carbon, the intrinsic porous structure of carbon, and the inorganic impurities, were investigated. All unburned carbons investigated in this study were similar in that they showed the very broad (002) and (10 ) carbon peaks, which are characteristic of highly disordered carbonaceous materials. In this study, the unburned carbon samples contained about 17--48% of inorganic impurities. Compared to coals, the unburned carbon samples contain a larger amount of inorganic impurities as a result of the burn-off, or at lease part, of the carbon during the combustion process. These inorganic particles were divided into two groups in terms of the way they are associated with carbon particles: free single particles, and particles combined with carbon particles. As indicated from the present work, unburned

Carbon Dioxide (CO2) Adsorption by Activated Carbon Functionalized with Deep Eutectic Solvent (DES)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zulkurnai, N. Z.; Ali, U. F. Md.; Ibrahim, N.; Manan, N. S. Abdul

2017-06-01

In recent years, carbon dioxide (CO2) emission has become a major concern as the amount of the emitted gas significantly increases annually. Consequently, this phenomenon contributes to global warming. Several CO2 capture methods, including chemical adsorption by activated carbon, have been proposed. In this study, activated carbon was prepared from sea mango (Cerbera odollam), which was functionalized with deep eutectic solvent (DES) composed of choline chloride and glycerol to increase the efficiency of CO2 capture. The samples underwent pre-carbonization and carbonization processes at 200 °C and 500 °C, respectively, with nitrogen gas and flowing several gases, namely, CO2 and steam, and then followed by impregnation with 50 phosphoric acid (H3PO4) at 1:2 precursor-to-activant ratio. The prepared activated carbon was impregnated with DES at 1:2 precursor-to-activant ratio. The optimum CO2 adsorption capacity of the activated carbon was obtained by using CO2 gas treatment method (9.851 mgCO2/gsol), followed by the absence of gases (9.685 mgCO2/gsol), steam (9.636 mgCO2/gsol), and N2 (9.536 mgCO2/gsol).

Reuse performance of granular-activated carbon and activated carbon fiber in catalyzed peroxymonosulfate oxidation.

PubMed

Yang, Shiying; Li, Lei; Xiao, Tuo; Zhang, Jun; Shao, Xueting

2017-03-01

Recently, activated carbon was investigated as an efficient heterogeneous metal-free catalyst to directly activate peroxymonosulfate (PMS) for degradation of organic compounds. In this paper, the reuse performance and the possible deactivation reasons of granular-activated carbon (GAC) and activated carbon fiber (ACF) in PMS activation were investigated. As results indicated, the reusability of GAC, especially in the presence of high PMS dosage, was relatively superior to ACF in catalyzed PMS oxidation of Acid Orange 7 (AO7), which is much more easily adsorbed by ACF than by GAC. Pre-oxidation experiments were studied and it was demonstrated that PMS oxidation on ACF would retard ACF's deactivation to a big extent. After pre-adsorption with AO7, the catalytic ability of both GAC and ACF evidently diminished. However, when methanol was employed to extract the AO7-spent ACF, the catalytic ability could recover quite a bit. GAC and ACF could also effectively catalyze PMS to degrade Reactive Black 5 (RB5), which is very difficult to be adsorbed even by ACF, but both GAC and ACF have poor reuse performance for RB5 degradation. The original organic compounds or intermediate products adsorbed by GAC or ACF would be possibly responsible for the deactivation.

SORPTION OF ELEMENTAL MERCURY BY ACTIVATED CARBONS

EPA Science Inventory

The mechanisms and rate of elemental mercury (HgO) capture by activated carbons have been studied using a bench-scale apparatus. Three types of activated carbons, two of which are thermally activated (PC-100 and FGD) and one with elemental sulfur (S) impregnated in it (HGR), were...

Secular change in chert distribution: a reflection of evolving biological participation in the silica cycle

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Maliva, R. G.; Knoll, A. H.; Siever, R.

1989-01-01

In the modern oceans, the removal of dissolved silica from sea water is principally a biological process carried out by diatoms, with lesser contributions from radiolaria, silicoflagellates, and sponges. Because such silica in sediments is often redistributed locally during diagenesis to from nodular or bedded chert, stratigraphic changes in the facies distribution of early diagenetic chert provide important insights into the development of biological participation in the silica cycle. The abundance of chert in upper Proterozoic peritidal carbonates suggests that at this time silica was removed from seawater principally by abiological processes operating in part of the margins of the oceans. With the evolution of demosponges near the beginning of the Cambrian Period, subtidal biogenetic cherts became increasingly common, and with the Ordovician rise of radiolaria to ecological and biogeochemical prominence, sedimented skeletons became a principal sink for oceanic silica. Cherts of Silurian to Cretaceous age share many features of facies distribution and petrography but they differ from Cenozoic siliceous deposits. These differences are interpreted to reflect the mid-Cretaceous radiation of diatoms and their subsequent rise to domination of the silica cycle. Biogeochemical cycles provide an important framework for the paleobiological interpretation of the organisms that participate in them.

Comparison of activated carbon and iron/cerium modified activated carbon to remove methylene blue from wastewater.

PubMed

Cheng, Song; Zhang, Libo; Ma, Aiyuan; Xia, Hongying; Peng, Jinhui; Li, Chunyang; Shu, Jianhua

2018-03-01

The methylene blue (MB) removal abilities of raw activated carbon and iron/cerium modified raw activated carbon (Fe-Ce-AC) by adsorption were researched and compared. The characteristics of Fe-Ce-AC were examined by N 2 adsorption, zeta potential measurement, FTIR, Raman, XRD, XPS, SEM and EDS. After modification, the following phenomena occurred: The BET surface area, average pore diameter and total pore volume decreased; the degree of graphitization also decreased. Moreover, the presence of Fe 3 O 4 led to Fe-Ce-AC having magnetic properties, which makes it easy to separate from dye wastewater in an external magnetic field and subsequently recycle. In addition, the equilibrium isotherms and kinetics of MB adsorption on raw activated carbon and Fe-Ce-AC were systematically examined. The equilibrium adsorption data indicated that the adsorption behavior followed the Langmuir isotherm, and the pseudo-second-order model matched the kinetic data well. Compared with raw activated carbon, the maximum monolayer adsorption capacity of Fe-Ce-AC increased by 27.31%. According to the experimental results, Fe-Ce-AC can be used as an effective adsorbent for the removal of MB from dye wastewater. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Diamondlike carbon protective coatings for IR materials

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mirtich, M. J.; Nir, D.; Swec, D. M.; Banks, B. A.

1985-01-01

Diamondlike carbon (DLC) films have the potential to protect optical windows in applications where it is important to maintain the integrity of the specular transmittance of these films on ZnS and ZnSe infrared transmitting windows. The films must be adherent and durable such that they protect the windows from rain and particle erosion as well as chemical attack. In order to optimize the performance of these films, 0.1 micro m thick diamondlike carbon films were deposited on fused silica and silicon wafers, using three different methods of ion beam deposition. One method was sputter deposition from a carbon target using an 8 cm ion source. The merits of hydrogen addition were experimentally evaluated in conjunction with this method. The second method used a 30 cm hollow cathode ion source with hydrocarbon/Argon gases to deposit diamondlike carbon films from the primary beam at 90 to 250 eV. The third method used a dual beam system employing a hydrocarbon/Argon 30 cm ion source and an 8 cm ion source. Films were evaluated for adherence, intrinsic stress, infrared transmittance between 2.5 and 50 micro m, and protection from particle erosion. An erosion test using a sandblaster was used to give quantitative values of the protection afforded to the fused silica by the diamondlike carbon films. The fused silica surfaces protected by diamondlike carbon films were exposed to 100 micro m diameter SiO particles at 60 mi/hr (26.8/sec) in the sandblaster.

High export of dissolved silica from the Greenland Ice Sheet

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meire, L.; Meire, P.; Struyf, E.; Krawczyk, D. W.; Arendt, K. E.; Yde, J. C.; Juul Pedersen, T.; Hopwood, M. J.; Rysgaard, S.; Meysman, F. J. R.

2016-09-01

Silica is an essential element for marine life and plays a key role in the biogeochemistry of the ocean. Glacial activity stimulates rock weathering, generating dissolved silica that is exported to coastal areas along with meltwater. The magnitude of the dissolved silica export from large glacial areas such as the Greenland Ice Sheet is presently poorly quantified and not accounted for in global budgets. Here we present data from two fjord systems adjacent to the Greenland Ice Sheet which reveal a large export of dissolved silica by glacial meltwater relative to other macronutrients. Upscaled to the entire Greenland Ice Sheet, the export of dissolved silica equals 22 ± 10 Gmol Si yr-1. When the silicate-rich meltwater mixes with upwelled deep water, either inside or outside Greenland's fjords, primary production takes place at increased silicate to nitrate ratios. This likely stimulates the growth of diatoms relative to other phytoplankton groups.

Exceptional selectivity for dissolved silicas in industrial waters using mixed oxides

DOE PAGES

Sasan, Koroush; Brady, Patrick V.; Krumhansl, James L.; ...

2017-11-07

The removal of silica, ubiquitous in produced and industrial waters, by novel mixed oxides is investigated in this present study. We have combined the advantage of high selectivity hydrotalcite (HTC, (Mg 6Al 2(OH) 16(CO 3)·4H 2O)), with large surface area of active alumina (AA, (Al 2O 3)) for effective removing of the dissolved silica from cooling tower water. The batch test results indicated the combined HTC/AA is a more effective method for removing silica from CTW than using each of HTC or AA separately. The silica uptake was confirmed by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), and Energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS). Ourmore » results indicate HTC/AA effectively removes silica from cooling tower water (CTW), even in the presence of large concentrations of competing anions, such as Cl -, NO 3 - HCO 3 -, CO 3 2- and SO 4 2-. The Single Path Flow Through (SPFT) tests confirmed to rapid uptake of silica by combined HTC/AA during column filtration. The experimental data of silica adsorption fit best to Freundlich isotherm model.« less

Exceptional selectivity for dissolved silicas in industrial waters using mixed oxides

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sasan, Koroush; Brady, Patrick V.; Krumhansl, James L.

The removal of silica, ubiquitous in produced and industrial waters, by novel mixed oxides is investigated in this present study. We have combined the advantage of high selectivity hydrotalcite (HTC, (Mg 6Al 2(OH) 16(CO 3)·4H 2O)), with large surface area of active alumina (AA, (Al 2O 3)) for effective removing of the dissolved silica from cooling tower water. The batch test results indicated the combined HTC/AA is a more effective method for removing silica from CTW than using each of HTC or AA separately. The silica uptake was confirmed by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), and Energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS). Ourmore » results indicate HTC/AA effectively removes silica from cooling tower water (CTW), even in the presence of large concentrations of competing anions, such as Cl -, NO 3 - HCO 3 -, CO 3 2- and SO 4 2-. The Single Path Flow Through (SPFT) tests confirmed to rapid uptake of silica by combined HTC/AA during column filtration. The experimental data of silica adsorption fit best to Freundlich isotherm model.« less

Interfacial interaction between the epoxidized natural rubber and silica in natural rubber/silica composites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Tiwen; Jia, Zhixin; Luo, Yuanfang; Jia, Demin; Peng, Zheng

2015-02-01

The epoxidized natural rubber (ENR) as an interfacial modifier was used to improve the mechanical and dynamical mechanical properties of NR/silica composites. In order to reveal the interaction mechanism between ENR and silica, the ENR/Silica model compound was prepared by using an open mill and the interfacial interaction of ENR with silica was investigated by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and stress-strain testing. The results indicated that the ring-opening reaction occurs between the epoxy groups of ENR chains and Si-OH groups on the silica surfaces and the covalent bonds are formed between two phases, which can improve the dispersion of silica in the rubber matrix and enhance the interfacial combination between rubber and silica. The ring-opening reaction occurs not only in vulcanization process but also in mixing process, meanwhile, the latter seems to be more important due to the simultaneous effects of mechanical force and temperature.

Quality of poultry litter-derived granular activated carbon.

PubMed

Qiu, Guannan; Guo, Mingxin

2010-01-01

Utilization of poultry litter as a source material for generating activated carbon is a value-added and environmentally beneficial approach to recycling organic waste. In this study, the overall quality of poultry litter-derived granular activated carbon was systematically evaluated based on its various physical and chemical properties. Granular activated carbon generated from pelletized poultry litter following a typical steam-activation procedure possessed numerous micropores in the matrix. The product exhibited a mean particle diameter of 2.59 mm, an apparent density of 0.45 g cm(-3), a ball-pan hardness of 91.0, an iodine number of 454 mg g(-1), and a BET surface area of 403 m(2) g(-1). It contained high ash, nitrogen, phosphorus contents and the trace elements Cu, Zn, and As. Most of the nutrients and toxic elements were solidified and solution-unextractable. In general, poultry litter-based activated carbon demonstrated overall quality comparable to that of low-grade commercial activated carbon derived from coconut shell and bituminous coal. It is promising to use poultry litter as a feedstock to manufacture activated carbon for wastewater treatment.

Silica-based mesoporous nanoparticles for controlled drug delivery

PubMed Central

Kwon, Sooyeon; Singh, Rajendra K; Perez, Roman A; Abou Neel, Ensanya A

2013-01-01

Drug molecules with lack of specificity and solubility lead patients to take high doses of the drug to achieve sufficient therapeutic effects. This is a leading cause of adverse drug reactions, particularly for drugs with narrow therapeutic window or cytotoxic chemotherapeutics. To address these problems, there are various functional biocompatible drug carriers available in the market, which can deliver therapeutic agents to the target site in a controlled manner. Among the carriers developed thus far, mesoporous materials emerged as a promising candidate that can deliver a variety of drug molecules in a controllable and sustainable manner. In particular, mesoporous silica nanoparticles are widely used as a delivery reagent because silica possesses favourable chemical properties, thermal stability and biocompatibility. Currently, sol-gel-derived mesoporous silica nanoparticles in soft conditions are of main interest due to simplicity in production and modification and the capacity to maintain function of bioactive agents. The unique mesoporous structure of silica facilitates effective loading of drugs and their subsequent controlled release. The properties of mesopores, including pore size and porosity as well as the surface properties, can be altered depending on additives used to fabricate mesoporous silica nanoparticles. Active surface enables functionalisation to modify surface properties and link therapeutic molecules. The tuneable mesopore structure and modifiable surface of mesoporous silica nanoparticle allow incorporation of various classes of drug molecules and controlled delivery to the target sites. This review aims to present the state of knowledge of currently available drug delivery system and identify properties of an ideal drug carrier for specific application, focusing on mesoporous silica nanoparticles. PMID:24020012

Polymer-silica hybrids for separation of CO2 and catalysis of organic reactions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Silva Mojica, Ernesto

spectroscopic investigation of the interactions of CO 2 with amine molecules under simulated CO2 capture conditions. Industrial CO2 capture processes involve fluidization and require degradation-resistant sorbents in the form of pellets. Agglomeration of silica-based CO2 capture sorbents involved the formulation of a polymer binder solution and the design of a scalable pelletization process. The characterization of these pellets revealed the formation of a CO 2-permeable polymer-silica network, which is resistant to attrition, and exhibits similar CO2 capture and degradation performance as the non-pelletized sorbents. The performance of these sorbents and pellets was tested in lab-scale and bench-scale adsorption units, using in-house fabricated fixed-bed and fluidized-bed reactors. A compartmental modeling technique was used to simulate the CO2 adsorption process and to elucidate the kinetic and thermodynamic parameters that impact the commercial viability of emerging CO2 capture technologies. The fundamental concepts and experimental techniques developed for the preparation of CO2 capture sorbents served as a basis for fabricating amine-functionalized polymer-silica hybrids for applications in catalysis of organic reactions. (i) Basic catalysts for carbon-carbon addition reactions were prepared by immobilization of amine molecules on silica supports. The activity of these catalysts and the mechanisms of base-catalyzed organic condensation reactions were investigated by an in-situ FTIR micro-scale reactor. (ii) Particle-loaded PVA composite membranes were selected for immobilization of glucose oxidase (GOx). GOx was immobilized by adsorption at pH values between 3.5 and 7.1. The results showed that adsorption was primarily achieved via hydrophobic interactions, and that PVA membranes loaded with amine-functionalized particles could help retain the activity of immobilized GOx by providing a proper hydrophilic/hydrophobic balance to the immobilized enzymes micro-environment.

Development and characterization of silica and titania based nano structured materials for the removal of indoor and outdoor air pollutants

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peiris, Thelge Manindu Nirasha

Solar energy driven catalytic systems have gained popularity in environmental remediation recently. Various photocatalytic systems have been reported in this regard and most of the photocatalysts are based on well-known semiconducting material, Titanium Dioxide, while some are based on other materials such as Silicon Dioxide and various Zeolites. However, in titania based photocatalysts, titania is actively involved in the catalytic mechanism by absorbing light and generating exitons. Because of this vast popularity of titania in the field of photocatalysis it is believed that photocatalysis mainly occurs via non-localized mechanisms and semiconductors are extremely important. Even though it is still rare, photocatalysis could be localized and possible without use of a semiconductor as well. Thus, to support localized photocatalytic systems, and to compare the activity to titania based systems, degradation of organic air pollutants by nanostructured silica, titania and mixed silica titania systems were studied. New materials were prepared using two different approaches, precipitation technique (xerogel) and aerogel preparation technique. The prepared xerogel samples were doped with both metal (silver) and non-metals (carbon and sulfur) and aerogel samples were loaded with Chromium, Cobalt and Vanadium separately, in order to achieve visible light photocatalytic activity. Characterization studies of the materials were carried out using Nova BET analysis, DR UV-vis spectrometry, powder X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron Spectroscopy, FT-IR spectroscopy, Transmission Electron Microscopy, etc. Kinetics of the catalytic activities was studied using a Shimadzu GCMS-QP 5000 instrument using a closed glass reactor. All the experiments were carried out in gaseous phase using acetaldehyde as the model pollutant. Kinetic results suggest that chromium doped silica systems are good UV and visible light active photocatalysts. This is a good example for a localized

Selective adsorption mechanisms of antilipidemic and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug residues on functionalized silica-based porous materials in a mixed solute.

PubMed

Suriyanon, Nakorn; Permrungruang, Jutima; Kaosaiphun, Jidanan; Wongrueng, Aunnop; Ngamcharussrivichai, Chawalit; Punyapalakul, Patiparn

2015-10-01

The selective adsorption mechanisms of naproxen (NAP), acetaminophen (ACT), and clofibric acid (CFA) on silica-based porous materials were examined by single and mixed-batch adsorption. Effects of the types and densities of surface functional groups on adsorption capacities were determined, including the role of hydrophobic and hydrophilic dissolved organic matters (DOMs). Hexagonal mesoporous silica (HMS), superparamagnetic HMS (HMS-SP) and SBA-15 were functionalized and applied as adsorbents. Compared with powdered activated carbon (PAC), amine-functionalized HMS had a better adsorption capacity for CFA, but PAC possessed a higher adsorption capacity for the other pharmaceuticals than HMS and its two derivatives. In contrast to PAC, the adsorption capacity of the mesoporous silicas varied with the solution pH, being highest at pH 5. Electrostatic interactions and hydrogen bonding were found to be the main mechanisms. Increase in grafted amine group density on silica surfaces can enhance the CFA adsorption capacity. Further, hydrophilic DOM can decrease CFA adsorption capacities on amino-grafted adsorbents by adsorption site competition, while hydrophobic DOM can interfere with CFA adsorption by the interaction between hydrophobic DOM and CFA. Finally, in a competitive adsorption study, the adsorption capacity of hydrophilic adsorbents for acidic pharmaceuticals varied with their pKa values. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Study of CO2 adsorption capacity of mesoporous carbon and activated carbon modified by triethylenetetramine (TETA)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sulistianti, I.; Krisnandi, Y. K.; Moenandar, I.

2017-04-01

Mesoporous carbon was synthesized by soft template method using phloroglucinol and formaldehyde as a carbon source; and Pluronic F-127 as a mesoporous template. The synthesized mesoporous carbon and commercial activated carbon were modified with triethylenetetramine (TETA) to increase CO2 adsorption capacity. Based on FTIR characterization, the synthesized mesoporous carbon and the activated carbon without modification process has similarity pattern. After the modification, both of them showed absorption peaks in the area around 1580 to 1650 cm-1 which is known as N-H bending vibration and absorption peaks in the area around 3150 to 3380 cm-1 which is known as N-H stretching vibration. The XRD results showed two peaks at 2θ = 24.21° and 2θ = 43.85°, according to JCPDS index No. 75-1621 those peak are the typical peaks for hexagonal graphite carbon. In BET analysis, the synthesized mesoporous carbon and activated carbon modified TETA have surface area, pore volume and pore diameter lower than without modification process. In carbon dioxide adsorption testing, the synthesized mesoporous carbon showed better performance than the commercial activated carbon for CO2 adsorption both without modification and by modification. The synthesized mesoporous carbon obtained CO2 adsorption of 9.916 mmol/g and the activated carbon of 3.84 mmol/g for on 3.5 hours of adsorption. It is three times better than activated carbon for adsorption of carbon dioxide. The modified mesoporous carbon has the best performance for adsorption of gas CO2 if compared by unmodified.

MCPIP1 Regulates Alveolar Macrophage Apoptosis and Pulmonary Fibroblast Activation After in vitro Exposure to Silica.

PubMed

Wang, Xingang; Zhang, Yuxia; Zhang, Wei; Liu, Haijun; Zhou, Zewei; Dai, Xiaoniu; Cheng, Yusi; Fang, Shencun; Zhang, Yingming; Yao, Honghong; Chao, Jie

2016-05-01

Silicosis is a fatal and fibrotic pulmonary disease caused by the inhalation of silica. After arriving at the alveoli, silica is ingested by alveolar macrophages (AMOs), in which monocyte chemotactic protein-induced protein 1 (MCPIP1) plays an essential role in controlling macrophage-mediated inflammatory responses. However, the mechanism of action of MCPIP1 in silicosis is poorly understood. Primary rat AMOs were isolated and treated with SiO2 (50 µg/cm(2)). MCPIP1 and AMO activation/apoptosis markers were detected by immunoblotting. MCPIP1 was down-regulated using siRNA in AMOs. The effects of AMOs on fibroblast activation and migration were evaluated using a gel contraction assay, a scratch assay, and a nested collagen matrix migration model. After exposure to SiO2, MCPIP1 was significantly increased in rat AMOs. Activation and apoptosis markers in AMOs were up-regulated after exposure to SiO2 Following siRNA-mediated silencing of MCPIP1 mRNA, the markers of AMO activation and apoptosis were significantly decreased. Rat pulmonary fibroblasts (PFBs) cultured in conditional medium from AMOs treated with MCPIP1 siRNA and SiO2 showed significantly less activation and migration compared with those cultured in conditional medium from AMOs treated with control siRNA and SiO2 CONCLUSION: Our data suggest a vital role for MCPIP1 in AMO apoptosis and PFB activation/migration induced by SiO2. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society of Toxicology. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Two choices for the functionalization of silica nanoparticles with gallic acid: characterization of the nanomaterials and their antimicrobial activity against Paenibacillus larvae

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vico, Tamara A.; Arce, Valeria B.; Fangio, María F.; Gende, Liesel B.; Bertran, Celso A.; Mártire, Daniel O.; Churio, María S.

2016-11-01

Silica nanoparticles attached to gallic acid were synthesized from 7-nm diameter fumed silica particles by different functionalization methods involving the condensation of hydroxyl or carboxyl groups. The particles were characterized by thermal analyses and UV-vis, FTIR, NMR, and EPR spectroscopies. In comparison to free gallic acid, enhanced stability and increased antimicrobial activity against Paenibacillus larvae were found for the functionalized nanoparticles. Thus, both derivatization strategies result in improved properties of the natural polyphenol as antimicrobial agent for the treatment of honeybee pathologies.

System and method for coproduction of activated carbon and steam/electricity

DOEpatents

Srinivasachar, Srivats [Sturbridge, MA; Benson, Steven [Grand Forks, ND; Crocker, Charlene [Newfolden, MN; Mackenzie, Jill [Carmel, IN

2011-07-19

A system and method for producing activated carbon comprising carbonizing a solid carbonaceous material in a carbonization zone of an activated carbon production apparatus (ACPA) to yield a carbonized product and carbonization product gases, the carbonization zone comprising carbonaceous material inlet, char outlet and carbonization gas outlet; activating the carbonized product via activation with steam in an activation zone of the ACPA to yield activated carbon and activation product gases, the activation zone comprising activated carbon outlet, activation gas outlet, and activation steam inlet; and utilizing process gas comprising at least a portion of the carbonization product gases or a combustion product thereof; at least a portion of the activation product gases or a combustion product thereof; or a combination thereof in a solid fuel boiler system that burns a solid fuel boiler feed with air to produce boiler-produced steam and flue gas, the boiler upstream of an air heater within a steam/electricity generation plant, said boiler comprising a combustion zone, a boiler-produced steam outlet and at least one flue gas outlet.

Self-immobilization of poly(methyloctylsiloxane) on high-performance liquid chromatographic silica.

PubMed

Collins, Kenneth E; Bottoli, Carla B G; Vigna, Camila R M; Bachmann, Stefan; Albert, Klaus; Collins, Carol H

2004-03-12

Poly(methyloctylsiloxane) (PMOS) was deposited on HPLC silica by a solvent evaporation procedure and this material was then extracted, using a good solvent for the PMOS, after different time periods, to remove unretained liquid polymer. Solvent extraction data reveal changes which occur at ambient temperature as a function of the time interval between particle loading and extraction. The quantity of PMOS remaining on the silica after extraction, as determined by elemental analysis for carbon, is attributed to strongly adsorbed polymer. This phenomenon is termed self-immobilization. Solid-state 29Si NMR spectra indicate the formation of a silicon species with a different chemical shift than the original PMOS. These new signals are attributed to a combination of different adsorbed and chemically bonded groups.

Porous properties of activated carbons from waste newspaper prepared by chemical and physical activation.

PubMed

Okada, Kiyoshi; Yamamoto, Nobuo; Kameshima, Yoshikazu; Yasumori, Atsuo

2003-06-01

Activated carbons were prepared from old newspaper and paper prepared from simulated paper sludge by chemical activation using various alkali carbonates and hydroxides as activating reagents and also by physical activation using steam. In the chemical activation, the influence of oxidation, carbonization, and activation on the porous properties of the resulting activated carbons was investigated. The specific surface areas (S(BET)) of the activated carbons prepared by single-step activation (direct activation without oxidation and carbonization) were higher than those resulting from two-step activation (oxidation-activation and carbonization-activation) and three-step activation (oxidation-carbonization-activation) methods. The S(BET) values were strongly dependent on the activating reagents and the activating conditions, being >1000 m(2)/g using K(2)CO(3), Rb(2)CO(3), Cs(2)CO(3), and KOH as activating reagents but <1000 m(2)/g using Li(2)CO(3), Na(2)CO(3), and NaOH. These differences in S(BET) values are suggested to be related to the ionic radii of the alkalis used as activating reagents. The microstructures of the higher S(BET) samples show a complete loss of fiber shape but those of the lower S(BET) samples maintain the shape. In the physical activation, the porous properties of the activated carbons prepared by the single-step method were examined as a function of the production conditions such as activation temperature, activation time, steam concentration, and flow rate of the carrier gas. The maximum S(BET) and total pore volume (V(P)) were 1086 m(2)/g and 1.01 ml/g, obtained by activation at 850 degrees C for 2 h, flowing 20 mol% of steam in nitrogen gas at 0.5 l/min. A correlation was found between S(BET) and the yield of the product, the maximum S(BET) value corresponding to a product yield of about 10%. This result is suggested to result from competition between pore formation and surface erosion. Compared with chemically activated carbons using K(2)CO

The silica cycle in a Northeast Pacific fjord; the role of biological resuspension

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Katz, Timor; Yahel, Gitai; Tunnicliffe, Verena; Herut, Barak; Whitney, Frank; Snelgrove, Paul V. R.; Lazar, Boaz

2016-09-01

This study is a quantitative assessment of the role fish-induced bio-resuspension plays in the silica cycle of coastal waters. We used new, published and archived oceanographic data to construct a comprehensive silica budget for Saanich Inlet (Vancouver Island, Canada), a highly productive Northeast Pacific fjord, where siliceous diatoms dominate primary productivity. Anoxia in the deep water of the inlet persists during most of the year, precluding animal life, whereas abundant groundfish continuously rework and resuspend bottom sediments in the shallower, oxygenated margins. This resuspension transfers settled biogenic silica fragments from the sediment, where they are immersed in porewater that is rich with dissolved silica, to the overlying water, where the much lower concentrations accelerate their dissolution rate. The budget shows that Saanich Inlet sediments constitute a sink for approximately 250 × 106 mol Si y-1. Most of this Si enters the inlet in advected, siliceous phytoplankton. Sediment resuspension by groundfish in the oxygenated margins of Saanich Inlet generates about 50% of the total flux of dissolved silica from the inlet seafloor. This resuspension also facilitates a massive transport of biogenic silica from the margins to the anoxic basin, where approximately 90% of all the biogenic silica is buried. The excess dissolution caused by fish activity reduces the burial efficiency of biogenic silica in the entire inlet sediments by about 20%. This case study emphasizes the link between the silica cycle and groundfish activity. Based on this study and because biological resuspension occurs in most regions of the ocean, we recommend that it will be taken into account when budgeting the silica cycle, and potentially other geochemical cycles, in marine environments.

Highly dispersed buckybowls as model carbocatalysts for C–H bond activation

DOE PAGES

Soykal, I. Ilgaz; Wang, Hui; Park, Jewook; ...

2015-03-19

Buckybowl fractions dispersed on mesoporous silica constitute an ideal model for studying the catalysis of graphitic forms of carbon since the dispersed carbon nanostructures contain a high ratio of edge defects and curvature induced by non-six-membered rings. Dispersion of the active centers on an easily accessible high surface area material allowed for high density of surface active sites associated with oxygenated structures. This report illustrates a facile method of creating model polycyclic aromatic nano-structures that are not only active for alkane C-H bond activation and oxidative dehydrogenation but also can be practical catalysts to be eventually used in industry.

Physicochemical Characterization of Functional Lignin–Silica Hybrid Fillers for Potential Application in Abrasive Tools

PubMed Central

Strzemiecka, Beata; Klapiszewski, Łukasz; Jamrozik, Artur; Szalaty, Tadeusz J.; Matykiewicz, Danuta; Sterzyński, Tomasz; Voelkel, Adam; Jesionowski, Teofil

2016-01-01

Functional lignin–SiO2 hybrid fillers were prepared for potential application in binders for phenolic resins, and their chemical structure was characterized. The properties of these fillers and of composites obtained from them with phenolic resin were compared with those of systems with lignin or silica alone. The chemical structure of the materials was investigated by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and carbon-13 nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (13C CP MAS NMR). The thermal stability of the new functional fillers was examined by thermogravimetric analysis–mass spectrometry (TG-MS). Thermo-mechanical properties of the lignin–silica hybrids and resin systems were investigated by dynamic mechanical thermal analysis (DMTA). The DMTA results showed that abrasive composites with lignin–SiO2 fillers have better thermo-mechanical properties than systems with silica alone. Thus, fillers based on lignin might provide new, promising properties for the abrasive industry, combining the good properties of lignin as a plasticizer and of silica as a filler improving mechanical properties. PMID:28773639

Adsorption enhancement of elemental mercury onto sulphur-functionalized silica gel adsorbents.

PubMed

Johari, Khairiraihanna; Saman, Norasikin; Mat, Hanapi

2014-01-01

In this study, elemental mercury (EM) adsorbents were synthesized using tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) and 3-mercaptopropyl trimethoxysilane as silica precursors. The synthesized silica gel (SG)-TEOS was further functionalized through impregnation with elemental sulphur and carbon disulphide (CS2). The SG adsorbents were then characterized by using scanning electron microscope, Fourier transform infra-red spectrophotometer, nitrogen adsorption/desorption, and energy-dispersive X-ray diffractometer. The EM adsorption of the SG adsorbents was determined using fabricated fixed-bed adsorber. The EM adsorption results showed that the sulphur-functionalized SG adsorbents had a greater Hgo breakthrough adsorption capacity, confirming that the presence of sulphur in silica matrices can improve Hgo adsorption performance due to their high affinity towards mercury. The highest Hgo adsorption capacity was observed for SG-TEOS(CS2) (82.62 microg/g), which was approximately 2.9 times higher than SG-TEOS (28.47 microg/g). The rate of Hgo adsorption was observed higher for sulphur-impregnated adsorbents, and decreased with the increase in the bed temperatures.

ENTRAINED-FLOW ADSORPTION OF MERCURY USING ACTIVATED CARBON

EPA Science Inventory

Bench-scale experiments were conducted in a flow reactor to simulate entrained-flow capture of elemental mercury (Hg) by activated carbon. Adsorption of Hg by several commercial activated carbons was examined at different carbon-to-mercury (C:Hg) ratios (by weight) (600:1 - 29000...

In vitro effects of cisplatin-functionalized silica nanoparticles on chondrocytes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bhowmick, Tridib Kumar; Yoon, Diana; Patel, Minal; Fisher, John; Ehrman, Sheryl

2010-10-01

In this study, we evaluated the combined effect of a known toxic molecule, cisplatin, in combination with relatively nontoxic nanoparticles, amorphous fumed silica, on chondrocyte cells. Cisplatin was attached to silica nanoparticles using aminopropyltriethoxy silane as a linker molecule, and characterized in terms of size, shape, specific surface area, as well as the dissolution of cisplatin from the silica surface. The primary particle diameter of the as-received silica nanoparticles ranged from 7.1 to 61 nm, estimated from measurements of specific surface area, and the primary particles were aggregated. The effects of cisplatin-functionalized silica particles with different specific surface areas (41, 85, 202, 237, and 297 m2/g) were compared in vitro on chondrocytes, the parenchymal cell of hyaline cartilage. The results show that adverse effects on cell function, as evidenced by reduced metabolic activity measured by the MTT assay and increased membrane permeability observed using the Live/Dead stain, can be correlated with specific surface area of the silica. Cisplatin-functionalized silica nanoparticles with the highest specific surface area incited the greatest response, which was almost equivalent to that induced by free cisplatin. This result suggests the importance of particle specific surface area in interactions between cells and surface-functionalized nanomaterials.

The adsorption of pharmaceutically active compounds from aqueous solutions onto activated carbons.

PubMed

Rakić, Vesna; Rac, Vladislav; Krmar, Marija; Otman, Otman; Auroux, Aline

2015-01-23

In this study, the adsorption of pharmaceutically active compounds - salicylic acid, acetylsalicylic acid, atenolol and diclofenac-Na onto activated carbons has been studied. Three different commercial activated carbons, possessing ∼650, 900 or 1500m(2)g(-1) surface areas were used as solid adsorbents. These materials were fully characterized - their textural, surface features and points of zero charge have been determined. The adsorption was studied from aqueous solutions at 303K using batch adsorption experiments and titration microcalorimetry, which was employed in order to obtain the heats evolved as a result of adsorption. The maximal adsorption capacities of investigated solids for all target pharmaceuticals are in the range of 10(-4)molg(-1). The obtained maximal retention capacities are correlated with the textural properties of applied activated carbon. The roles of acid/base features of activated carbons and of molecular structures of adsorbate molecules have been discussed. The obtained results enabled to estimate the possibility to use the activated carbons in the removal of pharmaceuticals by adsorption. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Sol-gel thin-film based mesoporous silica and carbon nanotubes for the determination of dopamine, uric acid and paracetamol in urine.

PubMed

Canevari, Thiago C; Raymundo-Pereira, Paulo A; Landers, Richard; Benvenutti, Edilson V; Machado, Sérgio A S

2013-11-15

This work describes the preparation, characterization and application of a hybrid material composed of disordered mesoporous silica (SiO2) modified with multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs), obtained by the sol-gel process using HF as the catalyst. This hybrid material was characterized by N2 adsorption-desorption isotherms, X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), high resolution transmission microscopy (HR-TEM), Raman spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). This new hybrid material was used for the construction of a thin film on a glassy carbon electrode. The modified electrode using this material was designated SiO2/MWCNT/GCE. The electrocatalytic properties of the electrode toward dopamine, uric acid and paracetamol oxidation were studied by differential pulse voltammetry. Well-defined and separated oxidation peaks were observed in phosphate buffer solution at pH 7.0, in contrast with the ill-defined peaks observed with unmodified glassy carbon electrodes. The electrode had high sensitivity for the determination of dopamine, uric acid and paracetamol, with the limits of detection obtained using statistical methods, at 0.014, 0.068 and 0.098 µmol L(-1), respectively. The electrode presented some important advantages, including enhanced physical rigidity, surface renewability by polishing and high sensitivity, allowing the simultaneous determination of these three analytes in a human urine sample. Crown Copyright © 2013 Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Activated carbon-supported CuO nanoparticles: a hybrid material for carbon dioxide adsorption

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boruban, Cansu; Esenturk, Emren Nalbant

2018-03-01

Activated carbon-supported copper(II) oxide (CuO) nanoparticles were synthesized by simple impregnation method to improve carbon dioxide (CO2) adsorption capacity of the support. The structural and chemical properties of the hybrid material were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray (EDX), X-ray diffraction (https://www.google.com.tr/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=3&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CCsQFjAC&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.intertek.com%2Fanalytical-laboratories%2Fxrd%2F&ei=-5WZVYSCHISz7Aatqq-IAw&usg=AFQjCNFBlk-9wqy49foh8tskmbD-GGbG9g&sig2=eKrhYjO75rl_Id2sLGpq4w&bvm=bv.96952980,d.bGg) (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS), and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) analyses. The analyses showed that CuO nanoparticles are well-distributed on the activated carbon surface. The CO2 adsorption behavior of the activated carbon-supported CuO nanoparticles was observed by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), temperature programmed desorption (TPD), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), and BET analyses. The results showed that CuO nanoparticle loading on activated carbon led to about 70% increase in CO2 adsorption capacity of activated carbon under standard conditions (1 atm and 298 K). The main contributor to the observed increase is an improvement in chemical adsorption of CO2 due to the presence of CuO nanoparticles on activated carbon.

Supercritical fluid chromatography of metoprolol and analogues on aminopropyl and ethylpyridine silica without any additives.

PubMed

Lundgren, Johanna; Salomonsson, John; Gyllenhaal, Olle; Johansson, Erik

2007-06-22

Metoprolol and a number of related amino alcohols and similar analytes have been chromatographed on aminopropyl (APS) and ethylpyridine (EPS) silica columns. The mobile phase was carbon dioxide with methanol as modifier and no amine additive was present. Optimal isocratic conditions for the selectivity were evaluated based on experiments using design of experiments. A central composite circumscribed model for each column was used. Factors were column temperature, back-pressure and % (v/v) of modifier. The responses were retention and selectivity versus metoprolol. The % of modifier mainly controlled the retention on both columns but pressure and temperature could also be important for optimizing the selectivity between the amino alcohols. The compounds could be divided into four and five groups on both columns, with respect to the selectivity. Furthermore, on the aminopropyl silica the analytes were more spread out whereas on the ethylpyridine silica, due to its aromaticity, retention and selectivity were closer. For optimal conditions the column temperature and back-pressure should be high and the modifier concentration low. A comparison of the selectivity using optimized conditions show a few switches of retention order between the two columns. On aminopropyl silica an aldehyde failed to be eluted owing to Schiff-base formation. Peak symmetry and column efficiency were briefly studied for some structurally close analogues. This revealed some activity from the columns that affected analytes that had less protected amino groups, a methyl group instead of isopropyl. The tailing was more marked with the ethylpyridine column even with the more bulky alkyl substituents. Plate number N was a better measure than the asymmetry factor since some analyte peaks broadened without serious deterioration of symmetry compared to homologues.

Organic solvent regeneration of granular activated carbon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cross, W. H.; Suidan, M. T.; Roller, M. A.; Kim, B. R.; Gould, J. P.

1982-09-01

The use of activated carbon for the treatment of industrial waste-streams was shown to be an effective treatment. The high costs associated with the replacement or thermal regeneration of the carbon have prohibited the economic feasibility of this process. The in situ solvent regeneration of activated carbon by means of organic solvent extraction was suggested as an economically alternative to thermal regeneration. The important aspects of the solvent regeneration process include: the physical and chemical characteristics of the adsorbent, the pore size distribution and energy of adsorption associated with the activated carbon; the degree of solubility of the adsorbate in the organic solvent; the miscibility of the organic solvent in water; and the temperature at which the generation is performed.

Waste Water for Power Generation via Energy Efficient Selective Silica Separations

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Nenoff, Tina M.; Brady, Patrick Vane; Sasan, Koroush

Silica is ubiquitous in produced and industrial waters, and plays a major disruptive role in water recycle. Herein we have investigated the use of mixed oxides for the removal of silica from these waters, and their incorporation into a low cost and low energy water purification process. High selectivity hydrotalcite (HTC, (Mg 6Al 2(OH) 16(CO 3)•4H 2O)), is combined in series with high surface area active alumina (AA, (Al 2O 3)) as the dissolved silica removal media. Batch test results indicated that combined HTC/AA is a more effective method for removing silica from industrial cooling tower wasters (CTW) than usingmore » HTC or AA separately. The silica uptake via ion exchange on the mixed oxides was confirmed by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), and Energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS). Furthermore, HTC/AA effectively removes silica from CTW even in the presence of large concentrations of competing anions, such as Cl -, NO 3 - HCO 3 -, CO 3 2- and SO 4 2-. Similar to batch tests, Single Path Flow Through (SPFT) tests with sequential HTC/AA column filtration has very high silica removal too. Technoeconomic Analysis (TEA) was simultaneously performed for cost comparisons to existing silica removal technologies.« less

Design of activated carbon/activated carbon asymmetric capacitors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Piñeiro-Prado, Isabel; Salinas-Torres, David; Ruiz Rosas, Ramiro; Morallon, Emilia; Cazorla-Amoros, Diego

2016-03-01

Supercapacitors are energy storage devices that offer a high power density and a low energy density in comparison with batteries. Their limited energy density can be overcome by using asymmetric configuration in mass electrodes, where each electrode works within their maximum available potential window, rendering the maximum voltage output of the system. Such asymmetric capacitors must be optimized through careful electrochemical characterization of the electrodes for accurate determination of the capacitance and the potential stability limits. The results of the characterization are then used for optimizing mass ratio of the electrodes from the balance of stored charge. The reliability of the design largely depends on the approach taken for the electrochemical characterization. Therefore, the performance could be lower than expected and even the system could break down, if a well thought out procedure is not followed. In this work, a procedure for the development of asymmetric supercapacitors based on activated carbons is detailed. Three activated carbon materials with different textural properties and surface chemistry have been systematically characterized in neutral aqueous electrolyte. The asymmetric configuration of the masses of both electrodes in the supercapacitor has allowed to cover a higher potential window, resulting in an increase of the energy density of the three devices studied when compared with the symmetric systems, and an improved cycle life.

Modified Activated Carbon Perchlorate Sorbents

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-01-25

Yield 4.64 g. Methyl Chloride Alkylated Activated Carbon Methyl chloride (MeCl) treatment was carried out in a tube furnace generally in...with alkylation agents lowers the solution pH as the basic sites are alkylated . In the case of Me2SO4 treatment , the low slurry pH is believed to be...by Cannon and coworkers, the alkylated carbons are not significantly better. In the case of the SAI carbons, ammonia treatment does not result in a

Synthesis and Characterization of Bionanoparticle-Silica Composites and Mesoporous Silica with Large Pores

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Niu, Z.; Yang, L.; Kabisatpathy, S.

2009-03-24

A sol-gel process has been developed to incorporate bionanoparticles, such as turnip yellow mosaic virus, cowpea mosaic virus, tobacco mosaic virus, and ferritin into silica, while maintaining the integrity and morphology of the particles. The structures of the resulting materials were characterized by transmission electron microscopy, small angle X-ray scattering, and N{sub 2} adsorption-desorption analysis. The results show that the shape and surface morphology of the bionanoparticles are largely preserved after being embedded into silica. After removal of the bionanoparticles by calcination, mesoporous silica with monodisperse pores, having the shape and surface morphology of the bionanoparticles replicated inside the silica,more » was produced,. This study is expected to lead to both functional composite materials and mesoporous silica with structurally well-defined large pores.« less

Mesoscale eddies drive increased silica export in the subtropical Pacific Ocean.

PubMed

Benitez-Nelson, Claudia R; Bidigare, Robert R; Dickey, Tommy D; Landry, Michael R; Leonard, Carrie L; Brown, Susan L; Nencioli, Francesco; Rii, Yoshimi M; Maiti, Kanchan; Becker, Jamie W; Bibby, Thomas S; Black, Wil; Cai, Wei-Jun; Carlson, Craig A; Chen, Feizhou; Kuwahara, Victor S; Mahaffey, Claire; McAndrew, Patricia M; Quay, Paul D; Rappé, Michael S; Selph, Karen E; Simmons, Melinda P; Yang, Eun Jin

2007-05-18

Mesoscale eddies may play a critical role in ocean biogeochemistry by increasing nutrient supply, primary production, and efficiency of the biological pump, that is, the ratio of carbon export to primary production in otherwise nutrient-deficient waters. We examined a diatom bloom within a cold-core cyclonic eddy off Hawaii. Eddy primary production, community biomass, and size composition were markedly enhanced but had little effect on the carbon export ratio. Instead, the system functioned as a selective silica pump. Strong trophic coupling and inefficient organic export may be general characteristics of community perturbation responses in the warm waters of the Pacific Ocean.

Silica incorporated membrane for wastewater based filtration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fernandes, C. S.; Bilad, M. R.; Nordin, N. A. H. M.

2017-10-01

Membrane technology has long been applied for waste water treatment industries due to its numerous advantages compared to other conventional processes. However, the biggest challenge in pressure driven membrane process is membrane fouling. Fouling decreases the productivity and efficiency of the filtration, reduces the lifespan of the membrane and reduces the overall efficiency of water treatment processes. In this study, a novel membrane material is developed for water filtration. The developed membrane incorporates silica nanoparticles mainly to improve its structural properties. Membranes with different loadings of silica nanoparticles were applied in this study. The result shows an increase in clean water permeability and filterability of the membrane for treating activated sludge, microalgae solution, secondary effluent and raw sewage as feed. Adding silica into the membrane matrix does not significantly alter contact angle and membrane pore size. We believe that silica acts as an effective pore forming agent that increases the number of pores without significantly altering the pore sizes. A higher number of small pores on the surface of the membrane could reduce membrane fouling because of a low specific loading imposed to individual pores.

Carbon monoxide and methane adsorption of crude oil refinery using activated carbon from palm shells as biosorbent

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yuliusman; Afdhol, M. K.; Sanal, Alristo

2018-03-01

Carbon monoxide and methane gas are widely present in oil refineries. Off-potential gas is used as raw material for the petrochemical industry. In order for this off-gas to be utilized, carbon monoxide and methane must be removed from off-gas. This study aims to adsorb carbon monoxide and methane using activated carbon of palm shells and commercial activated carbon simultaneously. This research was conducted in 2 stages: 1) Preparation and characterization of activated carbon, 2) Carbon monoxide and methane adsorption test. The activation experiments using carbon dioxide at a flow rate of 150 ml/min yielded a surface area of 978.29 m2/g, Nitrogen at flow rate 150 ml/min yielded surface area 1241.48 m2/g, and carbon dioxide and nitrogen at a flow rate 200 ml/min yielded a surface area 300.37 m2/g. Adsorption of carbon monoxide and methane on activated carbon of palm shell systems yielded results in the amount of 0.5485 mg/g and 0.0649 mg/g and using commercial activated carbon yielded results in the amount of 0.5480 mg/g and 0.0650 mg/g

Computer simulation of the carbon activity in austenite

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Murch, G.E.; Thorn, R.J.

1979-02-01

Carbon activity in austenite is described in terms of an Ising-like f.c.c. lattice gas model in which carbon interstitials repel only at the distance of nearest neighbors. A Monte Carlo simulation method in the petit canonical ensemble is employed to calculate directly the carbon activity as a function of composition and temperature. The computed activities are in satisfactory agreement with the experimental data, similarly for the decompostion of the activity to the partial molar enthalpy and entropy.

Unburnt carbon from coal fly ashes as a precursor of activated carbon for nitric oxide removal.

PubMed

Rubio, Begoña; Izquierdo, M Teresa; Mayoral, M Carmen; Bona, M Teresa; Andres, Jose M

2007-05-08

The aim of this work is to evaluate the characteristics of an activated carbon obtained from unburnt carbon in coal fly ashes to be used in the removal of NO. Carbon-rich fraction was obtained by mechanical sieving of fly ashes. The mineral matter was removed by conventional HCl and HF demineralization procedure. Activation was carried out with steam at 900 degrees C in order to develop porosity onto the sample. Characterization of samples was performed by several techniques with a main objective: to follow the mineral matter content, composition and distribution on the samples in order to better understand how to remove it from unburnt carbon in fly ashes. To study the use of this unburnt carbon as a precursor for the preparation of activated carbons for gas cleaning, the NO removal by ammonia using activated carbon as a catalyst at low temperature was performed. Results show a good performance of activated carbon in this reaction that is in relationship with BET surface area.

Curiosity ChemCam Finds High-Silica Mars Rocks

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Frydenvang, Jens

A team of scientists, including one from Los Alamos National Laboratory, has found much higher concentrations of silica at some sites the Curiosity rover has investigated in the past seven months than anywhere else it has visited since landing on Mars 40 months ago. The first discovery was as Curiosity approached the area “Marias Pass,” where a lower geological unit contacts an overlying one. ChemCam, the rover’s laser-firing instrument for checking rock composition from a distance, detected bountiful silica in some targets the rover passed along the way to the contact zone. The ChemCam instrument was developed at Los Alamosmore » in partnership with the French IRAP laboratory in Toulouse and the French Space Agency. “The high silica was a surprise,” said Jens Frydenvang of Los Alamos National Laboratory and the University of Copenhagen, also a Curiosity science team member. “While we’re still working with multiple hypotheses on how the silica got so enriched, these hypotheses all require considerable water activity, and on Earth high silica deposits are often associated with environments that provide excellent support for microbial life. Because of this, the science team agreed to make a rare backtrack to investigate it more.”« less

Synthesis of a Carbon-activated Microfiber from Spider Webs Silk

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Taer, E.; Mustika, W. S.; Taslim, R.

2017-03-01

Carbon fiber of spider web silk has been produced through the simple carbonization process. Cobwebs are a source of strong natural fiber, flexible and micrometer in size. Preparation of micro carbon fiber from spider webs that consist of carbonization and activation processes. Carbonization was performed in N2 gas environment by multi step heating profile up to temperature of 400 °C, while the activation process was done by using chemical activation with KOH activating agent assistance. Measurement of physical properties was conducted on the surface morphology, element content and the degree of crystallinity. The measurement results found that micro carbon fiber from spider webs has a diameter in the range of 0.5 -25 micrometers. It is found that the carbon-activated microfiber takes the amorphous form with the carbon content of 84 %.

Octadecylsilane hybrid silicas prepared by the sol-gel method: morphological and textural aspects.

PubMed

Brambilla, Rodrigo; Pires, Gilvan P; dos Santos, João H Z; Lacerda Miranda, Márcia S

2007-08-15

A series of octadecylsilane-modified silicas was prepared by the sol-gel method through the hydrolysis and cocondensation of tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS) with octadecyltriethoxysilane (ODS). The ODS:TEOS ratio was varied between 0:100 and 100:0. The resulting carbon content was between 2.5 and 53.4%. In the case of pure ODS, the resulting silica presented 68.6% of C. Hybrid silicas were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and (29)Si nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Spheres of ca. 0.5-1.0 microm were obtained in the case of hydrolysis of pure TEOS. The combination of ODS:TEOS ratio yielded systems combining spherical and lamellar patterns zones. Monitoring the particle growth, it seems that spherical particles grow around lamellar zones, these latter concentrating the organosilicon moieties. The degree of cross-linking of ODS moieties was shown to be dependent on the ODS addition time and stirring speed.

Carbon Dioxide Capture by Deep Eutectic Solvent Impregnated Sea Mango Activated Carbon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zulkurnai, N. Z.; Ali, U. F. Md.; Ibrahim, N.; Manan, N. S. Abdul

2018-03-01

The increment amount of the CO2 emission by years has become a major concern worldwide due to the global warming issue. However, the influence modification of activated carbon (AC) has given a huge revolution in CO2 adsorption capture compare to the unmodified AC. In the present study, the Deep Eutectic Solvent (DES) modified surface AC was used for Carbon Dioxide (CO2) capture in the fixed-bed column. The AC underwent pre-carbonization and carbonization processes at 519.8 °C, respectively, with flowing of CO2 gas and then followed by impregnation with 53.75% phosphoric acid (H3PO4) at 1:2 precursor-to-activant ratios. The prepared AC known as sea mango activated carbon (SMAC) was impregnated with DES at 1:2 solid-to-liquid ratio. The DES is composing of choline chloride and urea with ratio 1:2 choline chloride to urea. The optimum adsorption capacity of SMAC was 33.46 mgco2/gsol and 39.40 mgco2/gsol for DES modified AC (DESAC).

Sorption studies of nickel ions onto activated carbon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Joshi, Parth; Vyas, Meet; Patel, Chirag

2018-05-01

Activated porous carbons are made through pyrolysis and activation of carbonaceous natural as well as synthetic precursors. The use of low-cost activated carbon derived from azadirachta indica, an agricultural waste material, has been investigated as a replacement for the current expensive methods of removing nickel ions from wastewater. The temperature variation study showed that the nickel ions adsorption is endothermic and spontaneous with increased randomness at the solid solution interface. Significant effect on adsorption was observed on varying the pH of the nickel ion solutions. Therefore, this study revealed that azadirachta indica can serve as a good source of activated carbon with multiple and simultaneous metal ions removing potentials and may serve as a better replacement for commercial activated carbons in applications that warrant their use.

Synthesis and characterization of activated carbon from white lotus via single step chemical activation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Andas, Jeyashelly; Midon, Muhammad Dzulfiqar

2017-08-01

Highly porous activated carbon was successfully fabricated from the stalk of Nymphaea odorata via single step chemical activation. ZnCl2 was used as the chemical activating agent in the activation process. The raw material was preliminary characterized using Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR), ultimate analysis (CHNS/O Analyzer) and Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). The percentage yield, iodine number (IN) and the textural properties of the activated carbon were optimized under the influence of several synthesizing parameters such as impregnation ratio, activation temperature and activation time using ZnCl2. High IN (750.11 mg/g - 967.16 mg/g) was obtained from Sodium thiosulphate volumetric method and represents the porosity of the synthesized materials. Reduction in several functional groups was observed in the FTIR spectrum of the synthesized activated carbon. SEM analysis of the activated carbon verified the formation of highly porous surface compared to the raw Nymphaea odorata. This study provides a facile synthesis of activated carbon from waste natural resources at benign condition.

Mesoporous silica coatings for cephalosporin active release at the bone-implant interface

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rădulescu, Dragoş; Voicu, Georgeta; Oprea, Alexandra Elena; Andronescu, Ecaterina; Grumezescu, Valentina; Holban, Alina Maria; Vasile, Bogdan Stefan; Surdu, Adrian Vasile; Grumezescu, Alexandru Mihai; Socol, Gabriel; Mogoantă, Laurenţiu; Mogoşanu, George Dan; Balaure, Paul Cătălin; Rădulescu, Radu; Chifiriuc, Mariana Carmen

2016-06-01

In this study, we investigated the potential of MAPLE-deposited coatings mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) to release Zinforo (ceftarolinum fosmil) in biologically active form. The MSNs were prepared by using a classic procedure with cetyltrimethylammonium bromide as sacrificial template and tetraethylorthosilicate as the monomer. The Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analyses revealed network-forming granules with diameters under 100 nm and an average pore diameter of 2.33 nm. The deposited films were characterized by SEM, TEM, XRD and IR. Microbiological analyses performed on ceftaroline-loaded films demonstrated that the antibiotic was released in an active form, decreasing the microbial adherence rate and colonization of the surface. Moreover, the in vitro and in vivo assays proved the excellent biodistribution and biocompatibility of the prepared systems. Our results suggest that the obtained bioactive coatings possess a significant potential for the design of drug delivery systems and antibacterial medical-use surfaces, with great applications in bone implantology.

Ultrafast laser-induced birefringence in various porosity silica glasses: from fused silica to aerogel.

PubMed

Cerkauskaite, Ausra; Drevinskas, Rokas; Rybaltovskii, Alexey O; Kazansky, Peter G

2017-04-03

We compare a femtosecond laser induced modification in silica matrices with three different degrees of porosity. In single pulse regime, the decrease of substrate density from fused silica to high-silica porous glass and to silica aerogel glass results in tenfold increase of laser affected region with the formation of a symmetric cavity surrounded by the compressed silica shell with pearl like structures. In multi-pulse regime, if the cavity produced by the first pulse is relatively large, the subsequent pulses do not cause further modifications. If not, the transition from void to the anisotropic structure with the optical axis oriented parallel to the incident polarization is observed. The maximum retardance value achieved in porous glass is twofold higher than in fused silica, and tenfold greater than in aerogel. The polarization sensitive structuring in porous glass by two pulses of ultrafast laser irradiation is demonstrated, as well as no observable stress is generated at any conditions.

Bond Durability of Carbon-Microfiber-Reinforced Alkali-Activated High-Temperature Cement Adhering to Carbon Steel

DOE PAGES

Sugama, Toshifumi; Pyatina, Tatiana

2017-02-01

The study aims at evaluating the bond durability of a carbon microfiber (CMF)-reinforced alkali-activating calcium aluminate cement (CAC)/fly ash F (FAF) blend cementitious material adhering to carbon steel (CS) under stresses induced by a 350°C heat-25°Cwater cooling cycle. This cementitious material/CS joint sample was originally prepared in an autoclave at 300°C under a pressure of 8.3 MPa. For comparison, two reference geothermal well cements, Class G modified with silica (G) and calciumaluminum phosphate (CaP), were employed as well reinforced with CMF. In the CAC/FAF blending cement systems, the CAC-derived cementitious reaction products preferentially adhered to CS surfaces, rather than thatmore » of FAF-related reaction products. CMF played a pivotal role in creating tough interfacial bond structure of cement layer adhering to CS. The bond toughness also was supported by the crystalline cementitious reaction products including sodalite, brownmillerite, and hedenbergite as major phases, and aragonite, boehmite, and garronite as minor ones. The brownmillerite as an interfacial reaction product between cement and CS promoted the chemical bonding of the cement to CS, while the other phases served in providing the attractive bonding of the cement to CS. The post-stress-test joint samples revealed the formation of additional brown-millerite, aragonite, and garronite, in particular brownmillerite as the major one. The combination of chemical bonding and self-advancing adherence behavior of the cement was essential for creating a better interfacial bond structure. A similar interfacial bond structure was observed with CaP. The crystalline phase composition of the autoclaved cement revealed apatite, zeolite, and ferrowyllieite as major reaction products, and aragonite and al-katoite as the minor ones. Ferrowyllieite was identified as cement/CS interfacial reaction product contributing to the chemical bond of cement, while the other phases aided in providing the

Silicon and Manganese Partition Between Slag and Metal Phases and Their Activities Pertinent to Ferromanganese and Silicomanganese Production

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cengizler, Hakan; Eric, R. Hurman

Equilibrium between MnO-CaO-MgO-SiO2-Al2O3 slags and carbon saturated Mn-Si-Fe-C alloys was investigated under CO at 1500oC. Manganese and silicon activities were obtained by using the present data and the previously determined MnO and SiO2 activities of the slag. Quadratic multi-coefficient regression equations were developed for activity coefficients of manganese and silicon. The conclusions of this work are:(i)increase in the basicity and the CaO/Al2O3 ratios decreases the Mn distribution ratio,(ii)increase in the silica concentration and the MgO/CaO ratio increases the Mn distribution ratio, iii)carbon and manganese as well as carbon and silicon of the metal phase are inversely proportional,(iv)as Mn/Fe and Mn/Si ratio increases in the metal the carbon solubility increases,(v)decrease in the basicity increases the silicon content of the metal and (vi)increase in the silica content of the slag increases the silicon content of the metal and this effect is more pronounced at the higher Mn/Fe and Mn/Si ratios.

Grafting of activated carbon cloths for selective adsorption

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gineys, M.; Benoit, R.; Cohaut, N.; Béguin, F.; Delpeux-Ouldriane, S.

2016-05-01

Chemical functionalization of an activated carbon cloth with 3-aminophthalic acid and 4-aminobenzoic acid groups by the in situ formation of the corresponding diazonium salt in aqueous acidic solution is reported. The nature and amount of selected functions on an activated carbon surface, in particular the grafted density, were determined by potentiometric titration, elemental analysis and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The nanotextural properties of the modified carbon were explored by gas adsorption. Functionalized activated carbon cloth was obtained at a discrete grafting level while preserving interesting textural properties and a large porous volume. Finally, the grafting homogeneity of the carbon surface and the nature of the chemical bonding were investigated using Time-of-Flight Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) technique.

Adsorption onto Mesoporous Silica Using Supercritical Fluid Technology Improves Dissolution Rate of Carbamazepine-a Poorly Soluble Compound.

PubMed

Gandhi, Aditya V; Thipsay, Priyanka; Kirthivasan, Bharat; Squillante, Emilio

2017-11-01

The purpose of this research was to design and characterize an immediate-release formulation of carbamazepine (CBZ), a poorly soluble anti-epileptic drug, using a porous silica carrier. Carbon dioxide in its supercritical state (2000 psi, 30-35°C) was used as an anti-solvent to precipitate CBZ onto two particle size variants of silica. Adsorption isotherms were used as a pre-formulation strategy to select optimum ratios of silica and CBZ. The obtained drug-silica formulations were characterized by dissolution studies, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). This formulation strategy resulted in a 2.4-fold improvement in dissolution rate when compared to pure drug after 30 min of dissolution testing. PXRD and DSC confirmed the amorphous nature of CBZ in the formulations as well as the differences in polymorphic forms of commercial and supercritical fluid-processed CBZ. Additionally, solid-state NMR spectroscopy showed that the spin-lattice relaxation time for bulk drug (without silica) was ∼7.5 times greater than that for silica-confined CBZ, implying that when CBZ was adsorbed onto mesoporous silica, it is structurally disordered and had higher structural mobility, a characteristic of amorphous solids. The mesoporous silica matrix prevented CBZ crystal growth by imposing spatial constraint on CBZ nuclei and hence resulted in faster dissolution compared to bulk solid drug. Adsorption onto mesoporous silica using supercritical fluid technology may be used as a novel formulation strategy for amorphization of poorly soluble compounds, in turn improving their dissolution rate.

Preparation and Characterization of Impregnated Commercial Rice Husks Activated Carbon with Piperazine for Carbon Dioxide (CO2) Capture

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Masoum Raman, S. N.; Ismail, N. A.; Jamari, S. S.

2017-06-01

Development of effective materials for carbon dioxide (CO2) capture technology is a fundamental importance to reduce CO2 emissions. This work establishes the addition of amine functional group on the surface of activated carbon to further improve the adsorption capacity of CO2. Rice husks activated carbon were modified using wet impregnation method by introducing piperazine onto the activated carbon surfaces at different concentrations and mixture ratios. These modified activated carbons were characterized by using X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), Brunauer, Emmett and Teller (BET), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) and Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM). The results from XRD analysis show the presence of polyethylene butane at diffraction angles of 21.8° and 36.2° for modified activated carbon with increasing intensity corresponding to increase in piperazine concentration. BET results found the surface area and pore volume of non-impregnated activated carbon to be 126.69 m2/g and 0.081 cm3/g respectively, while the modified activated carbons with 4M of piperazine have lower surface area and pore volume which is 6.77 m2/g and 0.015 cm3/g respectively. At 10M concentration, the surface area and pore volume are the lowest which is 4.48 m2/g and 0.0065 cm3/g respectively. These results indicate the piperazine being filled inside the activated carbon pores thus, lowering the surface area and pore volume of the activated carbon. From the FTIR analysis, the presence of peaks at 3312 cm-1 and 1636 cm-1 proved the existence of reaction between carboxyl groups on the activated carbon surfaces with piperazine. The surface morphology of activated carbon can be clearly seen through FESEM analysis. The modified activated carbon contains fewer pores than non-modified activated carbon as the pores have been covered with piperazine.

Wettability of modified silica layers deposited on glass support activated by plasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Terpiłowski, Konrad; Rymuszka, Diana; Goncharuk, Olena V.; Sulym, Iryna Ya.; Gun'ko, Vladimir M.

2015-10-01

Fumed silica modified by hexamethyldisilazane [HDMS] and polydimethylsiloxane [PDMS] was dispersed in a polystyrene/chloroform solution. To increase adhesion between deposited silica layers and a glass surface, the latter was pretreated with air plasma for 30 s. The silica/polystyrene dispersion was deposited on the glass support using a spin coater. After deposition, the plates were dried in a desiccator for 24 h. Water advancing and receding contact angles were measured using the tilted plate method. The apparent surface free energy (γS) was evaluated using the contact angle hysteresis approach. The surface topography was determined using the optical profilometry method. Contact angles changed from 59.7° ± 4.4 (at surface coverage with trimethylsilyl groups Θ = 0.14) to 155° ± 3.1 at Θ = 1. The value of γS decreased from 51.3 ± 2.8 mJ/m2 (for the sample at the lowest value of Θ) to 1.0 ± 0.4 mJ/m2 for the most hydrophobic sample. Thus, some systems with a high degree of modification by HDMS showed superhydrophobicity, and the sliding angle amounted to about 16° ± 2.1.

Vulcanization characteristics and dynamic mechanical behavior of natural rubber reinforced with silane modified silica.

PubMed

Chonkaew, Wunpen; Minghvanish, Withawat; Kungliean, Ulchulee; Rochanawipart, Nutthaya; Brostow, Witold

2011-03-01

Two silane coupling agents were used for hydrolysis-condensation reaction modification of nanosilica surfaces. The surface characteristics were analyzed using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The vulcanization kinetics of natural rubber (NR) + silica composites was studied and compared to behavior of the neat NR using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) in the dynamic scan mode. Dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) was performed to evaluate the effects of the surface modification. Activation energy E(a) values for the reaction are obtained. The presence of silica, modified or otherwise, inhibits the vulcanization reaction of NR. The neat silica containing system has the lowest cure rate index and the highest activation energy for the vulcanization reaction. The coupling agent with longer chains causes more swelling and moves the glass transition temperature T(g) downwards. Below the glass transition region, silica causes a lowering of the dynamic storage modulus G', a result of hindering the cure reaction. Above the glass transition, silica-again modified or otherwise-provides the expected reinforcement effect.

Ligand-tailored single-site silica supported titanium catalysts: Synthesis, characterization and towards cyanosilylation reaction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Wei; Li, Yani; Yu, Bo; Yang, Jindou; Zhang, Ying; Chen, Xi; Zhang, Guofang; Gao, Ziwei

2015-01-01

A successive anchoring of Ti(NMe2)4, cyclopentadiene and a O-donor ligand, 1-hydroxyethylbenzene (PEA), 1,1‧-bi-2-naphthol (Binol) or 2,3-dihydroxybutanedioic acid diethyl ester (Tartrate), on silica was conducted by SOMC strategy in moderate conditions. The silica, monitored by in-situ Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (in-situ FT-IR), was pretreated at different temperatures (200, 500 and 800 °C). The ligand tailored silica-supported titanium complexes were characterized by in-situ FT-IR, 13C CP MAS-NMR, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) and elemental analysis in detail, verifying that the surface titanium species are single sited. The catalytic activity of the ligand tailored single-site silica supported titanium complexes was evaluated by a cyanosilylation of benzaldehyde. The results showed that the catalytic activity is dependent strongly on the dehydroxylation temperatures of silica and the configuration of the ligands.

The Management of Silica in Los Alamos National Laboratory Tap Water - A Study of Silica Solubility

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wohlberg, C.; Worland, V.P.; Kozubal, M.A.

1999-07-01

Well water at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) has a silica (SiO{sub 2}) content of 60 to 100 mg/L, with 4 mg/L of magnesium, 13 mg/L calcium and lesser concentrations of other ions. On evaporation in cooling towers, when the silica concentration reaches 150 to 220 mg/L, silica deposits on heat transfer surfaces. When the high silica well water is used in the reprocessing of plutonium, silica remains in solution at the end of the process and creates a problem of removal from the effluent prior to discharge or evaporation. The work described in this Report is divided into twomore » major parts. The first part describes the behavior of silica when the water is evaporated at various conditions of pH and in the presence of different classes of anions: inorganic and organic. In the second part of this work it was found that precipitation (floccing) of silica was a function of solution pH and mole ratio of metal to silica.« less

Biomass-based palm shell activated carbon and palm shell carbon molecular sieve as gas separation adsorbents.

PubMed

Sethupathi, Sumathi; Bashir, Mohammed Jk; Akbar, Zinatizadeh Ali; Mohamed, Abdul Rahman

2015-04-01

Lignocellulosic biomass has been widely recognised as a potential low-cost source for the production of high added value materials and proved to be a good precursor for the production of activated carbons. One of such valuable biomasses used for the production of activated carbons is palm shell. Palm shell (endocarp) is an abundant by-product produced from the palm oil industries throughout tropical countries. Palm shell activated carbon and palm shell carbon molecular sieve has been widely applied in various environmental pollution control technologies, mainly owing to its high adsorption performance, well-developed porosity and low cost, leading to potential applications in gas-phase separation using adsorption processes. This mini-review represents a comprehensive overview of the palm shell activated carbon and palm shell carbon molecular sieve preparation method, physicochemical properties and feasibility of palm shell activated carbon and palm shell carbon molecular sieve in gas separation processes. Some of the limitations are outlined and suggestions for future improvements are pointed out. © The Author(s) 2015.

Organically Modified Silicas on Metal Nanowires

PubMed Central

2010-01-01

Organically modified silica coatings were prepared on metal nanowires using a variety of silicon alkoxides with different functional groups (i.e., carboxyl groups, polyethylene oxide, cyano, dihydroimidazole, and hexyl linkers). Organically modified silicas were deposited onto the surface of 6-μm-long, ∼300-nm-wide, cylindrical metal nanowires in suspension by the hydrolysis and polycondensation of silicon alkoxides. Syntheses were performed at several ratios of tetraethoxysilane to an organically modified silicon alkoxide to incorporate desired functional groups into thin organosilica shells on the nanowires. These coatings were characterized using transmission electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and infrared spectroscopy. All of the organically modified silicas prepared here were sufficiently porous to allow the removal of the metal nanowire cores by acid etching to form organically modified silica nanotubes. Additional functionality provided to the modified silicas as compared to unmodified silica prepared using only tetraethoxysilane precursors was demonstrated by chromate adsorption on imidazole-containing silicas and resistance to protein adsorption on polyethyleneoxide-containing silicas. Organically modified silica coatings on nanowires and other nano- and microparticles have potential application in fields such as biosensing or nanoscale therapeutics due to the enhanced properties of the silica coatings, for example, the prevention of biofouling. PMID:20715881

Controllable Synthesis of Functional Hollow Carbon Nanostructures with Dopamine As Precursor for Supercapacitors.

PubMed

Liu, Chao; Wang, Jing; Li, Jiansheng; Luo, Rui; Shen, Jinyou; Sun, Xiuyun; Han, Weiqing; Wang, Lianjun

2015-08-26

N-doped hollow carbon spheres (N-HCSs) are promising candidates as electrode material for supercapacitor application. In this work, we report a facile one-step synthesis of discrete and highly dispersible N-HCSs with dopamine (DA) as a carbon precursor and TEOS as a structure-assistant agent in a mixture containing water, ethanol, and ammonia. The architectures of resultant N-HCSs, including yolk-shell hollow carbon spheres (YS-HCSs), single-shell hollow carbon spheres (SS-HCSs), and double-shells hollow carbon spheres (DS-HCSs), can be efficiently controlled through the adjustment of the amount of ammonia. To explain the relation and formation mechanism of these hollow carbon structures, the samples during the different synthetic steps, including polymer/silica spheres, carbon/silica spheres and silica spheres by combustion in air, were characterized by TEM. Electrochemical measurements performed on YS-HCSs, SS-HCSs, and DS-HCSs showed high capacitance with 215, 280, and 381 F g(-1), respectively. Moreover, all the nitrogen-doped hollow carbon nanospheres showed a good cycling stability 97.0% capacitive retention after 3000 cycles. Notably, the highest capacitance of DS-HCSs up to 381 F g(-1) is higher than the capacitance reported so far for many carbon-based materials, which may be attributed to the high surface area, hollow structure, nitrogen functionalization, and double-shell architecture. These kinds of N-doped hollow-structured carbon spheres may show promising prospects as advanced energy storage materials and catalyst supports.

Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering Using Silica Whispering-Gallery Mode Resonators

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Anderson, Mark S.

2013-01-01

The motivation of this work was to have robust spectroscopic sensors for sensitive detection and chemical analysis of organic and molecular compounds. The solution is to use silica sphere optical resonators to provide surface-enhanced spectroscopic signal. Whispering-gallery mode (WGM) resonators made from silica microspheres were used for surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) without coupling to a plasmonic mechanism. Large Raman signal enhancement is observed by exclusively using 5.08-micron silica spheres with 785-nm laser excitation. The advantage of this non-plasmonic approach is that the active substrate is chemically inert silica, thermally stable, and relatively simple to fabricate. The Raman signal enhancement is broadly applicable to a wide range of molecular functional groups including aliphatic hydrocarbons, siloxanes, and esters. Applications include trace organic analysis, particularly for in situ planetary instruments that require robust sensors with consistent response.

Macroporous Silica with Thick Framework for Steam-Stable and High-Performance Poly(ethyleneimine)/Silica CO2 Adsorbent.

PubMed

Min, Kyungmin; Choi, Woosung; Choi, Minkee

2017-06-09

Poly(ethyleneimine) (PEI)/silica has been widely studied as a solid adsorbent for post-combustion CO 2 capture. In this work, a highly macroporous silica (MacS), synthesized by secondary sintering of fumed silica, is compared with various mesoporous silicas with different pore structures as a support for PEI. The silicas with large pore diameter and volume enabled high CO 2 adsorption kinetics and capacity, because pore occlusion by the supported PEI was minimized. The steam stability of the silica structures increased with the silica wall thickness owing to suppressed framework ripening. The silicas with low steam stability showed rapid leaching of PEI, which indicated that the PEI squeezed out of the collapsed silica pores leached more readily. Consequently, MacS that had an extra-large pore volume (1.80 cm 3  g -1 ) and pore diameter (56.0 nm), and a thick wall (>10 nm), showed the most promising CO 2 adsorption kinetics and capacity as well as steam stability. © 2017 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Preparation and characterization of activated carbon produced from pomegranate seeds by ZnCl 2 activation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Uçar, Suat; Erdem, Murat; Tay, Turgay; Karagöz, Selhan

2009-08-01

In this study, pomegranate seeds, a by-product of fruit juice industry, were used as precursor for the preparation of activated carbon by chemical activation with ZnCl 2. The influence of process variables such as the carbonization temperature and the impregnation ratio on textural and chemical-surface properties of the activated carbons was studied. When using the 2.0 impregnation ratio at the carbonization temperature of 600 °C, the specific surface area of the resultant carbon is as high as 978.8 m 2 g -1. The results showed that the surface area and total pore volume of the activated carbons at the lowest impregnation ratio and the carbonization temperature were achieved as high as 709.4 m 2 g -1 and 0.329 cm 3 g -1. The surface area was strongly influenced by the impregnation ratio of activation reagent and the subsequent carbonization temperature.

Adsorption kinetics of surfactants on activated carbon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arnelli; Aditama, WP; Fikriani, Z.; Astuti, Y.

2018-04-01

A study on the adsorption of both cationic and anionic surfactants using activated carbon as well as the investigation of the adsorption isotherms and adsorption kinetics has been conducted. The results showed that the adsorption of sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) by activated carbon was Langmuir’s adsorption isotherm while its adsorption kinetics showed pseudo-second order with an adsorption rate constant of 2.23 x 103 g mg-1 hour-1. Meanwhile, the adsorption of HDTMA-Br by activated carbon showed that the isotherm adsorption tended to follow Freundlich’s isotherm and was pseudo-second order with an adsorption rate constant of 89.39 g mg-1 hour-1.

Activated carbons from KOH-activation of argan (Argania spinosa) seed shells as supercapacitor electrodes.

PubMed

Elmouwahidi, Abdelhakim; Zapata-Benabithe, Zulamita; Carrasco-Marín, Francisco; Moreno-Castilla, Carlos

2012-05-01

Activated carbons were prepared by KOH-activation of argan seed shells (ASS). The activated carbon with the largest surface area and most developed porosity was superficially treated to introduce oxygen and nitrogen functionalities. Activated carbons with a surface area of around 2100 m(2)/g were obtained. Electrochemical measurements were carried out with a three-electrode cell using 1M H(2)SO(4) as electrolyte and Ag/AgCl as reference electrode. The O-rich activated carbon showed the lowest capacitance (259 F/g at 125 mA/g) and the lowest capacity retention (52% at 1A/g), due to surface carboxyl groups hindering electrolyte diffusion into the pores. Conversely, the N-rich activated carbon showed the highest capacitance (355 F/g at 125 mA/g) with the highest retention (93% at 1A/g), due to its well-developed micro-mesoporosity and the pseudocapacitance effects of N functionalities. This capacitance performance was among the highest reported for other activated carbons from a large variety of biomass precursors. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Decolorization of Cheddar cheese whey by activated carbon.

PubMed

Zhang, Yue; Campbell, Rachel; Drake, MaryAnne; Zhong, Qixin

2015-05-01

Colored Cheddar whey is a source for whey protein recovery and is decolorized conventionally by bleaching, which affects whey protein quality. Two activated carbons were studied in the present work as physical means of removing annatto (norbixin) in Cheddar cheese whey. The color and residual norbixin content of Cheddar whey were reduced by a higher level of activated carbon at a higher temperature between 25 and 55°C and a longer time. Activated carbon applied at 40g/L for 2h at 30°C was more effective than bleaching by 500mg/L of hydrogen peroxide at 68°C. The lowered temperature in activated-carbon treatments had less effect on protein structure as investigated for fluorescence spectroscopy and volatile compounds, particularly oxidation products, based on gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Activated carbon was also reusable, removing more than 50% norbixin even after 10 times of regeneration, which showed great potential for decolorizing cheese whey. Copyright © 2015 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Synthesis and characterization of titanium oxide supported silica materials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schrijnemakers, Koen

2002-01-01

Titania-silica materials are interesting materials for use in catalysis, both as a catalyst support as well as a catalyst itself. Titania-silica materials combine the excellent support and photocatalytic properties of titania with the high thermal and mechanical stability of silica. Moreover, the interaction of titania with silica leads to new active sites, such as acid and redox sites, that are not found on the single oxides. In this Ph.D. two recently developed deposition methods were studied and evaluated for their use to create titanium oxide supported silica materials, the Chemical Surface Coating (CSC) and the Molecular Designed Dispersion (MDD). These methods were applied to two structurally different silica supports, an amorphous silica gel and the highly ordered MCM-48. Both methods are based on the specific interaction between a titanium source and the functional groups on the silica surface. With the CSC method high amounts of titanium can be obtained. However, clustering of the titania phase is observed in most cases. The MDD method allows much lower titanium amounts to be deposited without the formation of crystallites. Only at the highest Ti loading very small crystallites are formed after calcination. MCM-48 and silica gel are both pure SiO2 materials and therefore chemically similar to each other. However, they possess a different morphology and are synthesized in a different way. As such, some authors have reported that the MCM-48 surface would be more reactive than the surface of silica gel. In our experiments however no differences could be observed that confirmed this hypothesis. In the CSC method, the same reactions were observed and similar amounts of Ti and Cl were deposited. In the case of the MDD method, no difference in the reaction mechanism was observed. However, due to the lower thermal and hydrothermal stability of the MCM-48 structure compared to silica gel, partial incorporation of Ti atoms in the pore walls of MCM-48 took place

Transport of colloidal silica in unsaturated sand: Effect of charging properties of sand and silica particles.

PubMed

Fujita, Yosuke; Kobayashi, Motoyoshi

2016-07-01

We have studied the transport of colloidal silica in various degrees of a water-saturated Toyoura sand column, because silica particles are widely used as catalyst carriers and abrasive agents, and their toxicity is reported recently. Since water-silica, water-sand, and air-water interfaces have pH-dependent negative charges, the magnitude of surface charge was controlled by changing the solution pH. The results show that, at high pH conditions (pH 7.4), the deposition of colloidal silica to the sand surface is interrupted and the silica concentration at the column outlet immediately reaches the input concentration in saturated conditions. In addition, the relative concentration of silica at the column outlet only slightly decreases to 0.9 with decreasing degrees of water saturation to 38%, because silica particles are trapped in straining regions in the soil pore and air-water interface. On the other hand, at pH 5 conditions (low pH), where sand and colloid have less charge, reduced repulsive forces result in colloidal silica attaching onto the sand in saturated conditions. The deposition amount of silica particles remarkably increases with decreasing degrees of water saturation to 37%, which is explained by more particles being retained in the sand column associated with the air-water interface. In conclusion, at higher pH, the mobility of silica particles is high, and the air-water interface is inactive for the deposition of silica. On the other hand, at low pH, the deposition amount increases with decreasing water saturation, and the particle transport is inhibited. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Gas-Phase Synthesis of Gold- and Silica-Coated Nanoparticles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boies, Adam Meyer

2011-12-01

Composite nanoparticles consisting of separate core-shell materials are of interest for a variety of biomedical and industrial applications. By combining different materials at the nanoscale, particles can exhibit enhanced or multi-functional behavior such as plasmon resonance combined with superparamagnetism. Gas-phase nanoparticle synthesis processes are promising because they can continuously produce particles with high mass-yield rates. In this dissertation, new methods are investigated for producing gas-phase coatings of nanoparticles in an "assembly-line" fashion. Separate processes are developed to create coatings from silica and gold that can be used with a variety of core-particle chemistries. A photoinduced chemical vapor deposition (photo-CVD) method is used to produce silica coatings from tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) on the surface of nanoparticles (diameter ˜5--70 nm). Tandem differential mobility analysis (TDMA) of the process demonstrates that particle coatings can be produced with controllable thicknesses (˜1--10 nm) by varying system parameters such as precursor flow rate. Electron microscopy and infrared spectroscopy confirm that the photo-CVD films uniformly coat the particles and that the coatings are silica. In order to describe the coating process a chemical mechanism is proposed that includes gas-phase, surface and photochemical reactions. A chemical kinetics model of the mechanism indicates that photo-CVD coating proceeds primarily through the photodecomposition of TEOS which removes ethyl groups, thus creating activated TEOS species. The activated TEOS then adsorbs onto the surface of the particle where a series of subsequent reactions remove the remaining ethyl groups to produce a silica film with an open site for further attachment. The model results show good agreement with the experimentally measured coating trends, where increased TEOS flow increases coating thickness and increased nitrogen flow decreases coating thickness. Gold

Silica-Silver Nanocomposites as Regenerable Sorbents for Hg0 Removal from Flue Gases.

PubMed

Cao, Tiantian; Li, Zhen; Xiong, Yong; Yang, Yue; Xu, Shengming; Bisson, Teresa; Gupta, Rajender; Xu, Zhenghe

2017-10-17

Silica-silver nanocomposites (Ag-SBA-15) are a novel class of multifunctional materials with potential applications as sorbents, catalysts, sensors, and disinfectants. In this work, an innovative yet simple and robust method of depositing silver nanoparticles on a mesoporous silica (SBA-15) was developed. The synthesized Ag-SBA-15 was found to achieve a complete capture of Hg 0 at temperatures up to 200 °C. Silver nanoparticles on the SBA-15 were shown to be the critical active sites for the capture of Hg 0 by the Ag-Hg 0 amalgamation mechanism. An Hg 0 capture capacity as high as 13.2 mg·g -1 was achieved by Ag(10)-SBA-15, which is much higher than that achievable by existing Ag-based sorbents and comparable with that achieved by commercial activated carbon. Even after exposure to more complex simulated flue gas flow for 1 h, the Ag(10)-SBA-15 could still achieve an Hg 0 removal efficiency as high as 91.6% with a Hg 0 capture capacity of 457.3 μg·g -1 . More importantly, the spent sorbent could be effectively regenerated and reused without noticeable performance degradation over five cycles. The excellent Hg 0 removal efficiency combined with a simple synthesis procedure, strong tolerance to complex flue gas environment, great thermal stability, and outstanding regeneration capability make the Ag-SBA-15 a promising sorbent for practical applications to Hg 0 capture from coal-fired flue gases.

An Overview of Orbital Detections of Hydrated Silica and Silica-Rich Rocks on Mars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sun, V. Z.; Milliken, R.

2016-12-01

Early predictions of high-silica phases on Mars have been confirmed by numerous orbital observations throughout the past 15 years and supported by recent rover and meteorite investigations. Orbital spectroscopy at visible-near-IR (CRISM/OMEGA) and thermal IR (TES/THEMIS) wavelengths has established the presence of aqueously formed hydrated silica across the planet as well as regional silica-rich rocks of igneous origin. TES data provided the first indications of widespread silica enrichment in the northern lowlands, which were debated to represent either andesite or altered basalt on the basis of spectral and geologic arguments. Since then, more localized occurrences of primary silicic lithologies have suggested that igneous processes on Mars may have been more diverse and complex than previously recognized. CRISM and OMEGA data also reveal numerous occurrences of hydrated silica on the Martian surface, likely reflecting primary chemical precipitates or secondary processes such as aqueous alteration or diagenesis. These detections have been associated with fluvial landforms, volcanic settings, uplifted central peak rocks, and mobile sediments, suggesting a variety of formation mechanisms. These silica phases and their colocation with other alteration products such as clays and sulfates reveal aqueous environments that may have been acidic, alkaline, or alternatingly both through space and time. Although there is an apparent prevalence of geochemically immature silica (e.g., glass or opal-A) indicating limited aqueous alteration, several instances of more mature silica (e.g., opal-CT or quartz) point to locales that may have experienced periods of prolonged water-rock interaction. This presentation will give an overview of the distribution and variety of these high-silica phases as seen from orbital datasets and discuss their implications for the magmatic and aqueous history of Mars.

Control over Silica Particle Growth and Particle–Biomolecule Interactions Facilitates Silica Encapsulation of Mammalian Cells with Thickness Control

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Johnston, Robert K.; Harper, Jason C.; Tartis, Michaelann S.

Over the past 20 years, many strategies utilizing sol–gel chemistry to integrate biological cells into silica-based materials have been reported. One such strategy, Sol-Generating Chemical Vapor into Liquid (SG-CViL) deposition, shows promise as an efficient encapsulation technique due to the ability to vary the silica encapsulation morphology obtained by this process through variation of SG-CViL reaction conditions. In this report, we develop SG-CViL as a tunable, multi-purpose silica encapsulation strategy by investigating the mechanisms governing both silica particle generation and subsequent interaction with phospholipid assemblies (liposomes and living cells). Using Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS) measurements, linear and exponential silica particlemore » growth dynamics were observed which were dependent on deposition buffer ion constituents and ion concentration. Silica particle growth followed a cluster–cluster growth mechanism at acidic pH, and a monomer-cluster growth mechanism at neutral to basic pH. Increasing silica sol aging temperature resulted in higher rates of particle growth and larger particles. DLS measurements employing PEG-coated liposomes and cationic liposomes, serving as model phospholipid assemblies, revealed that electrostatic interactions promote more stable liposome–silica interactions than hydrogen bonding and facilitate silica coating on suspension cells. However, continued silica reactivity leads to aggregation of silica-coated suspension cells, revealing the need for cell isolation to tune deposited silica thickness. As a result, utilizing these mechanistic study insights, silica was deposited onto adherent HeLa cells under biocompatible conditions with micrometer-scale control over silica thickness, minimal cell manipulation steps, and retained cell viability over several days.« less

Control over Silica Particle Growth and Particle–Biomolecule Interactions Facilitates Silica Encapsulation of Mammalian Cells with Thickness Control

DOE PAGES

Johnston, Robert K.; Harper, Jason C.; Tartis, Michaelann S.

2017-07-13

Over the past 20 years, many strategies utilizing sol–gel chemistry to integrate biological cells into silica-based materials have been reported. One such strategy, Sol-Generating Chemical Vapor into Liquid (SG-CViL) deposition, shows promise as an efficient encapsulation technique due to the ability to vary the silica encapsulation morphology obtained by this process through variation of SG-CViL reaction conditions. In this report, we develop SG-CViL as a tunable, multi-purpose silica encapsulation strategy by investigating the mechanisms governing both silica particle generation and subsequent interaction with phospholipid assemblies (liposomes and living cells). Using Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS) measurements, linear and exponential silica particlemore » growth dynamics were observed which were dependent on deposition buffer ion constituents and ion concentration. Silica particle growth followed a cluster–cluster growth mechanism at acidic pH, and a monomer-cluster growth mechanism at neutral to basic pH. Increasing silica sol aging temperature resulted in higher rates of particle growth and larger particles. DLS measurements employing PEG-coated liposomes and cationic liposomes, serving as model phospholipid assemblies, revealed that electrostatic interactions promote more stable liposome–silica interactions than hydrogen bonding and facilitate silica coating on suspension cells. However, continued silica reactivity leads to aggregation of silica-coated suspension cells, revealing the need for cell isolation to tune deposited silica thickness. As a result, utilizing these mechanistic study insights, silica was deposited onto adherent HeLa cells under biocompatible conditions with micrometer-scale control over silica thickness, minimal cell manipulation steps, and retained cell viability over several days.« less

21 CFR 182.1711 - Silica aerogel.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... 21 Food and Drugs 3 2011-04-01 2011-04-01 false Silica aerogel. 182.1711 Section 182.1711 Food and Drugs FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES (CONTINUED) FOOD FOR HUMAN....1711 Silica aerogel. (a) Product. Silica aerogel as a finely powdered microcellular silica foam having...

21 CFR 182.1711 - Silica aerogel.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... 21 Food and Drugs 3 2012-04-01 2012-04-01 false Silica aerogel. 182.1711 Section 182.1711 Food and Drugs FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES (CONTINUED) FOOD FOR HUMAN....1711 Silica aerogel. (a) Product. Silica aerogel as a finely powdered microcellular silica foam having...

Formation of carbonate concretions in deep-sea sediment below the CCD and above an active gas hydrate system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dicus, C. M.; Snyder, G. T.; Dickens, G. R.

2004-12-01

Site 1230 of the Ocean Drilling Program targeted the chemistry and microbiology of an active deep-water gas hydrate system in the Peru Trench. The site is noteworthy because, at nearly 6000 m water depth, it lies well below the carbonate compensation depth and the sediments comprise mostly terrigenous clays and biogenic silica. Shipboard work at this site delineated a prominent sulfate-methane transition (SMT) at 8-10 m below seafloor (mbsf) as well as some carbonate horizons. In this study, we present calcium and strontium data for pore waters and sediments at this site, including across the SMT. Concentration profiles show that dissolved Ca2+ diffuses downward from the seafloor toward the SMT, where a sharp inflection indicates consumption of Ca2+ into an authigenic phase. Dissolved Sr2+, on the other hand, diffuses upward from depth toward the SMT. Again, however, a prominent inflection suggests removal of Sr2+ to sediment. The inferences from pore water profiles are borne out by sediment chemistry. Large peaks in the calcium and strontium content of sediment mark the SMT. The calcium and strontium fronts reach ˜2700 and ˜5 mmol/kg, respectively, at 9 mbsf, which are much greater than average background values of ˜10 and ˜1 mmol/kg. These authigenic fronts are primarily composed of carbonate minerals, as determined by acetic acid extractions and x-ray diffraction. Because the calcium and strontium fronts coincide with both the SMT and changes in dissolved chemistry, it is proposed that the carbonates are currently forming as follows: methane rising from the underlying gas hydrate system reacts with dissolved sulfate through anaerobic oxidation of methane which releases HCO3- and alkalinity and causes carbonate precipitation. The overall process has been observed elsewhere; the Peru Trench is interesting, however, because the process leads to carbonate in sediments otherwise devoid of carbonate.

Curiosity ChemCam Finds High-Silica Mars Rocks

ScienceCinema

Frydenvang, Jens

2018-01-16

A team of scientists, including one from Los Alamos National Laboratory, has found much higher concentrations of silica at some sites the Curiosity rover has investigated in the past seven months than anywhere else it has visited since landing on Mars 40 months ago. The first discovery was as Curiosity approached the area “Marias Pass,” where a lower geological unit contacts an overlying one. ChemCam, the rover’s laser-firing instrument for checking rock composition from a distance, detected bountiful silica in some targets the rover passed along the way to the contact zone. The ChemCam instrument was developed at Los Alamos in partnership with the French IRAP laboratory in Toulouse and the French Space Agency. “The high silica was a surprise,” said Jens Frydenvang of Los Alamos National Laboratory and the University of Copenhagen, also a Curiosity science team member. “While we’re still working with multiple hypotheses on how the silica got so enriched, these hypotheses all require considerable water activity, and on Earth high silica deposits are often associated with environments that provide excellent support for microbial life. Because of this, the science team agreed to make a rare backtrack to investigate it more.”

Silica micro- and nanoparticles reduce the toxicity of surfactant solutions.

PubMed

Ríos, Francisco; Fernández-Arteaga, Alejandro; Fernández-Serrano, Mercedes; Jurado, Encarnación; Lechuga, Manuela

2018-04-20

In this work, the toxicity of hydrophilic fumed silica micro- and nanoparticles of various sizes (7 nm, 12 nm, and 50 μm) was evaluated using the luminescent bacteria Vibrio fischeri. In addition, the toxicity of an anionic surfactant solution (ether carboxylic acid), a nonionic surfactant solution (alkyl polyglucoside), and a binary (1:1) mixture of these solutions all containing these silica particles was evaluated. Furthermore, this work discusses the adsorption of surfactants onto particle surfaces and evaluates the effects of silica particles on the surface tension and critical micellar concentration (CMC) of these anionic and nonionic surfactants. It was determined that silica particles can be considered as non-toxic and that silica particles reduce the toxicity of surfactant solutions. Nevertheless, the toxicity reduction depends on the ionic character of the surfactants. Differences can be explained by the different adsorption behavior of surfactants onto the particle surface, which is weaker for nonionic surfactants than for anionic surfactants. Regarding the effects on surface tension, it was found that silica particles increased the surface activity of anionic surfactants and considerably reduced their CMC, whereas in the case of nonionic surfactants, the effects were reversed. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Silica biogeochemical cycle in temperate ecosystems of the Pampean Plain, Argentina

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Osterrieth, Margarita; Borrelli, Natalia; Alvarez, María Fernanda; Fernández Honaine, Mariana

2015-11-01

Silicophytoliths were produced in the plant communities of the Pampean Plain during the Quaternary. The biogeochemistry of silicon is scarcely known in continental environments of Argentina. The aim of this work is to present a synthesis of: the plant production and the presence of silicophytoliths in soils with grasses, and its relationship with silica content in soil solution, soil matrix and groundwaters in temperate ecosystems of the Pampean Plain, Argentina. We quantified the content of silicophytoliths in representative grasses and soils of the area. Mineralochemical determinations of the soils' matrix were made. The concentration of silica was determined in soil solution and groundwaters. The silicophytoliths assemblages in plants let to differenciate subfamilies within Poaceae. In soils, silicophytoliths represent 40-5% of the total components, conforming a stock of 59-72 × 103 kg/ha in A horizons. The concentration of SiO2 in soil solution increases with depth (453-1243 μmol/L) in relation with plant communities, their nutritional requirements and root development. The average concentration of silica in groundwaters is 840 umol/L. In the studied soils, inorganic minerals and volcanic shards show no features of weathering. About 10-40% of silicophytoliths were taxonomically unidentified because of their weathering degrees. The matrix of the aggregates is made up by microaggregates composed of carbon and silicon. The weathering of silicophytoliths is a process that contributes to the formation of amorphous silica-rich matrix of the aggregates. So, silicophytoliths could play an important role in the silica cycle being a sink and source of Si in soils and enriching soil solutions and groundwaters.

Effects of ionizing radiations on the optical properties of ionic copper-activated sol-gel silica glasses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Al Helou, Nissrine; El Hamzaoui, Hicham; Capoen, Bruno; Ouerdane, Youcef; Boukenter, Aziz; Girard, Sylvain; Bouazaoui, Mohamed

2018-01-01

Studying the impact of radiations on doped silica glasses is essential for several technological applications. Herein, bulk silica glasses, activated with various concentrations of luminescent monovalent copper (Cu+), have been prepared using the sol-gel technique. Thereafter, these glasses were subjected to X- or γ-rays irradiation at 1 MGy(SiO2) accumulated dose. The effect of these ionizing radiations on the optical properties of these glasses, as a function of the Cu-doping content, were investigated using optical absorption and photoluminescence spectroscopies. Before any irradiation, the glass with the lowest copper concentration exhibits blue and green luminescence bands under UV excitation, suggesting that Cu+ ions occupy both cubic and tetragonal symmetry sites. However, at higher Cu-doping level, only the green emission band exists. Moreover, we showed that the hydroxyl content decreases with increasing copper doping concentration. Both X and γ radiation exposures induced visible absorption due to HC1 color centers in the highly Cu-doped glasses. In the case of the lower Cu-doped glass, the Cu+ sites with a cubic symmetry are transformed into sites with tetragonal symmetry.

Synergistic bactericidal activity of chlorhexidine-loaded, silver-decorated mesoporous silica nanoparticles.

PubMed

Lu, Meng-Meng; Wang, Qiu-Jing; Chang, Zhi-Min; Wang, Zheng; Zheng, Xiao; Shao, Dan; Dong, Wen-Fei; Zhou, Yan-Min

2017-01-01

Combination of chlorhexidine (CHX) and silver ions could engender synergistic bactericidal effect and improve the bactericidal efficacy. It is highly desired to develop an efficient carrier for the antiseptics codelivery targeting infection foci with acidic microenvironment. In this work, monodisperse mesoporous silica nanoparticle (MSN) nanospheres were successfully developed as an ideal carrier for CHX and nanosilver codelivery through a facile and environmentally friendly method. The CHX-loaded, silver-decorated mesoporous silica nanoparticles (Ag-MSNs@CHX) exhibited a pH-responsive release manner of CHX and silver ions simultaneously, leading to synergistically antibacterial effect against both gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus and gram-negative Escherichia coli . Moreover, the effective antibacterial concentration of Ag-MSNs@CHX showed less cytotoxicity on normal cells. Given their synergistically bactericidal ability and good biocompatibility, these nanoantiseptics might have effective and broad clinical applications for bacterial infections.

Occupational exposure to crystalline silica at Alberta work sites.

PubMed

Radnoff, Diane; Todor, Maria S; Beach, Jeremy

2014-01-01

Although crystalline silica has been recognized as a health hazard for many years, it is still encountered in many work environments. Numerous studies have revealed an association between exposure to respirable crystalline silica and the development of silicosis and other lung diseases including lung cancer. Alberta Jobs, Skills, Training and Labour conducted a project to evaluate exposure to crystalline silica at a total of 40 work sites across 13 industries. Total airborne respirable dust and respirable crystalline silica concentrations were quite variable, but there was a potential to exceed the Alberta Occupational Exposure Limit (OEL) of 0.025 mg/m(3) for respirable crystalline silica at many of the work sites evaluated. The industries with the highest potentials for overexposure occurred in sand and mineral processing (GM 0.090 mg/m(3)), followed by new commercial building construction (GM 0.055 mg/m(3)), aggregate mining and crushing (GM 0.048 mg/m(3)), abrasive blasting (GM 0.027 mg/m(3)), and demolition (GM 0.027 mg/m(3)). For worker occupations, geometric mean exposure ranged from 0.105 mg/m(3) (brick layer/mason/concrete cutting) to 0.008 mg/m(3) (dispatcher/shipping, administration). Potential for GM exposure exceeding the OEL was identified in a number of occupations where it was not expected, such as electricians, carpenters and painters. These exposures were generally related to the specific task the worker was doing, or arose from incidental exposure from other activities at the work site. The results indicate that where there is a potential for activities producing airborne respirable crystalline silica, it is critical that the employer include all worker occupations at the work site in their hazard assessment. There appears to be a relationship between airborne total respirable dust concentration and total respirable dust concentrations, but further study is require to fully characterize this relationship. If this relationship holds true

Macrophages phagocytose nonopsonized silica particles using a unique microtubule-dependent pathway

PubMed Central

Gilberti, Renée M.; Knecht, David A.

2015-01-01

Silica inhalation leads to the development of the chronic lung disease silicosis. Macrophages are killed by uptake of nonopsonized silica particles, and this is believed to play a critical role in the etiology of silicosis. However, the mechanism of nonopsonized-particle uptake is not well understood. We compared the molecular events associated with nonopsonized- and opsonized-particle phagocytosis. Both Rac and RhoA GTPases are activated upon nonopsonized-particle exposure, whereas opsonized particles activate either Rac or RhoA. All types of particles quickly generate a PI(3,4,5)P3 and F-actin response at the particle attachment site. After formation of a phagosome, the events related to endolysosome-to-phagosome fusion do not significantly differ between the pathways. Inhibitors of tyrosine kinases, actin polymerization, and the phosphatidylinositol cascade prevent opsonized- and nonopsonized-particle uptake similarly. Inhibition of silica particle uptake prevents silica-induced cell death. Microtubule depolymerization abolished uptake of complement-opsonized and nonopsonized particles but not Ab-opsonized particles. Of interest, regrowth of microtubules allowed uptake of new nonopsonized particles but not ones bound to cells in the absence of microtubules. Although complement-mediated uptake requires macrophages to be PMA-primed, untreated cells phagocytose nonopsonized silica and latex. Thus it appears that nonopsonized-particle uptake is accomplished by a pathway with unique characteristics. PMID:25428990

Mesoporous silica-encapsulated gold nanoparticles as artificial enzymes for self-activated cascade catalysis.

PubMed

Lin, Youhui; Li, Zhenhua; Chen, Zhaowei; Ren, Jinsong; Qu, Xiaogang

2013-04-01

A significant challenge in chemistry is to create synthetic structures that mimic the complexity and function of natural systems. Here, a self-activated, enzyme-mimetic catalytic cascade has been realized by utilizing expanded mesoporous silica-encapsulated gold nanoparticles (EMSN-AuNPs) as both glucose oxidase- and peroxidase-like artificial enzymes. Specifically, EMSN helps the formation of a high degree of very small and well-dispersed AuNPs, which exhibit an extraordinarily stability and dual enzyme-like activities. Inspired by these unique and attractive properties, we further piece them together into a self-organized artificial cascade reaction, which is usually completed by the oxidase-peroxidase coupled enzyme system. Our finding may pave the way to use matrix as the structural component for the design and development of biomimetic catalysts and to apply enzyme mimics for realizing higher functions. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Influence of Exposure Conditions on the Efficacy of Lithium Nitrate in Mitigating Alkali Silica Reaction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zapała-Sławeta, Justyna; Owsiak, Zdzisława

2017-10-01

Lithium nitrate is known to have the highest potential to inhibit alkali silica reaction in concrete. It is well soluble in water and does not increase the pH of concrete pore solution. The extent to which the alkali silica reaction is mitigated is affected by the amount of the applied lithium ions, exposure conditions and by the kind of reactive aggregate. It is known that some lithium compounds such as lithium carbonate or lithium fluoride, when used in insufficient amount, may increase expansion due to alkali silica reaction. This effect was not detected in the presence of lithium nitrate. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of lithium nitrate on alkali silica reaction in mortars exposed to different conditions. Expansion studies were conducted in accordance with the accelerated mortar bar test (ASTM C1260) and the standard mortar bar test (ASTM C227). It was observed that the long-term expansion results are different from the values obtained in the accelerated mortar bar test. Lithium nitrate does not reduce ASR-induced expansion when mortars are stored under conditions specified in ASTM C 227. The microstructure of the mortar samples exposed to different conditions was examined and X-ray microanalysis was performed. The microstructure and compositions of the alkali-silica reaction products varied. The amount of alkali silica gel in mortars with lithium nitrate in which the expansion was high was greater than that in the mortar bars tested by accelerated method.

TiO2 nanotubes and mesoporous silica as containers in self-healing epoxy coatings

PubMed Central

Vijayan P., Poornima; Al-Maadeed, Mariam Ali S. A.

2016-01-01

The potential of inorganic nanomaterials as reservoirs for healing agents is presented here. Mesoporous silica (SBA-15) and TiO2 nanotubes (TNTs) were synthesized. Both epoxy-encapsulated TiO2 nanotubes and amine-immobilized mesoporous silica were incorporated into epoxy and subsequently coated on a carbon steel substrate. The encapsulated TiO2 nanotubes was quantitatively estimated using a ‘dead pore ratio’ calculation. The morphology of the composite coating was studied in detail using transmission electron microscopic (TEM) analysis. The self-healing ability of the coating was monitored using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS); the coating recovered 57% of its anticorrosive property in 5 days. The self-healing of the scratch on the coating was monitored using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). The results confirmed that the epoxy pre-polymer was slowly released into the crack. The released epoxy pre-polymer came into contact with the amine immobilized in mesoporous silica and cross-linked to heal the scratch. PMID:27941829

Epoxy Grout With Silica Thickener

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mcclung, C. E.

1984-01-01

Grout cures quickly, even in presence of hydraulic oil. Grout is mixture of aggregate particles, finely-divided silica, epoxy resin, and triethylenetetramine curing agent, with mixture containing about 85 percent silica and aggregate particle sand 15 percent resin and curing agent. Silica is thickening agent and keeps grout from sagging.

A trimodal porous carbon as an effective catalyst for hydrogen production by methane decomposition.

PubMed

Shen, Yi; Lua, Aik Chong

2016-01-15

A new type of porous carbon with an interconnected trimodal pore system is synthesized by a nanocasting method using nanoparticulated bimodal micro-mesoporous silica particles as the template. The synthesized template and carbon material are characterized using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), field emission electron scanning microscopy (FESEM) and nitrogen adsorption-desorption test. The synthesized carbon material has an extremely high surface area, a large pore volume and an interconnected pore structure, which could provide abundant active sites and space for chemical reactions and minimize the diffusion resistance of the reactants. The resulting carbon is used as the catalyst for hydrogen production by the thermal decomposition of methane. The catalytic results show that the as-synthesized carbon in this study produces much higher methane conversion and hydrogen yield than the commercial carbon materials. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Synthesis of monodisperse silica microspheres and modification with diazoresin for mixed-mode ultra high performance liquid chromatography separations.

PubMed

Cong, Hailin; Yu, Bing; Tian, Chao; Zhang, Shuai; Yuan, Hua

2017-11-01

Monodisperse silica particles with average diameters of 1.9-2.9 μm were synthesized by a modified Stöber method, in which tetraethyl orthosilicate was continuously supplied to the reaction mixture containing KCl electrolyte, water, ethanol, and ammonia. The obtained silica particles were modified by self-assembly with positively charged photosensitive diazoresin on the surface. After treatment with ultraviolet light, the ionic bonding between silica and diazoresin was converted into covalent bonding through a unique photochemistry reaction of diazoresin. Depending on the chemical structure of diazoresin and mobile phase composition, the diazoresin-modified silica stationary phase showed different separation mechanisms, including reversed phase and hydrophilic interactions. Therefore, a variety of baseline separation of benzene analogues and organic acids was achieved by using the diazoresin-modified silica particles as packing materials in ultra high performance liquid chromatography. According to the π-π interactional difference between carbon rings of fullerenes and benzene rings of diazoresin, C 60 and C 70 were also well separated by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography. Because it has a small size, the ∼2.5 μm monodisperse diazoresin-modified silica stationary phase shows ultra-high efficiency compared with the commercial C 18 -silica high-performance liquid chromatography stationary phase with average diameters of ∼5 μm. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Chemical activation of gasification carbon residue for phosphate removal

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kilpimaa, Sari; Runtti, Hanna; Lassi, Ulla; Kuokkanen, Toivo

2012-05-01

Recycling of waste materials provides an economical and environmentally significant method to reduce the amount of waste. Bioash formed in the gasification process possesses a notable amount of unburned carbon and therefore it can be called a carbon residue. After chemical activation carbon residue could be use to replace activated carbon for example in wastewater purification processes. The effect of chemical activation process variables such as chemical agents and contact time in the chemical activation process were investigated. This study also explored the effectiveness of the chemically activated carbon residue for the removal of phosphate from an aqueous solution. The experimental adsorption study was performed in a batch reactor and the influence of adsorption time, initial phosphate concentration and pH was studied. Due to the carbon residue's low cost and high adsorption capacity, this type of waste has the potential to be utilised for the cost-effective removal of phosphate from wastewaters. Potential adsorbents could be prepared from these carbonaceous by-products and used as an adsorbent for phosphate removal.

Investigating permeability and carbonation behavior of sustainable cements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

White, C.; Blyth, A.; Scherer, G. W.; Morandeau, A. E.

2015-12-01

The durability of new sustainable cementitious materials is intimately linked with the ability for these materials to prevent the ingress of aggressive ions through their percolated pore networks. However, it is also important to be able to control and limit the detrimental chemical degradation mechanisms that occur to the cement binder once the ions have diffused through the pore network. Here, alkali-activated materials will be discussed, and recent research on measuring the permeability of this class of cements using the beam-bending method will be presented. It will be shown that the permeability can be controlled by tailoring the activator chemistry, and that the addition of free silica in the activator has a strong (favorable) influence on the resulting percolated pore network. Carbonation is one type of chemical degradation process that is known to severely shorten the service life of concrete, especially in environments containing elevated CO­2 levels. However, the exact atomic structural changes that occur to the main binder phase (calcium-silicate-hydrate gel) during carbonation remain largely unknown. Here, X-ray pair distribution function analysis is used to elucidate the local atomic structural changes that occur during carbonation of calcium-silicate-hydrate gel and calcium-aluminosilicate-hydrate gel (alkali-activated slag binder), where distinct differences in the extent of gel decalcification are measured according to the chemistry of the starting precursor material. The results will be discussed in the context of limiting the extent of carbonation in cementitious materials, with potential applications of alkali-activated materials in geological storage of CO2 due to their increased resistance to carbonation.

Metal-silica sol-gel materials

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stiegman, Albert E. (Inventor)

2002-01-01

The present invention relates to a single phase metal-silica sol-gel glass formed by the co-condensation of a transition metal with silicon atoms where the metal atoms are uniformly distributed within the sol-gel glass as individual metal centers. Any transition metal may be used in the sol-gel glasses. The present invention also relates to sensor materials where the sensor material is formed using the single phase metal-silica sol-gel glasses. The sensor materials may be in the form of a thin film or may be attached to an optical fiber. The present invention also relates to a method of sensing chemicals using the chemical sensors by monitoring the chromatic change of the metal-silica sol-gel glass when the chemical binds to the sensor. The present invention also relates to oxidation catalysts where a metal-silica sol-gel glass catalyzes the reaction. The present invention also relates to a method of performing oxidation reactions using the metal-silica sol-gel glasses. The present invention also relates to organopolymer metal-silica sol-gel composites where the pores of the metal-silica sol-gel glasses are filled with an organic polymer polymerized by the sol-gel glass.