Synthesis and Characterization of Y-Doped Mesoporous CeO_2 Using A Chemical Precipitation Method

Using cetyltrimethylammonium bromide （CTAB） as the template agent, cerium nitrate as the cerium resource, yttrium nitrate as the yttrium resource, and ammonium carbonate as the precipitating agent, mesoporous CeO2 powders doped with different yttrium contents were successfully synthesized using a chemical precipitation method, under an alkalescent condition. Properties of the obtained samples were characterized and analyzed with X-ray diffraction （XRD）, energy dispersive analysis of X-rays （EDAX）, transmission electron microscopy （TEM）, infrared （IR） absorbance, and the BET method. For the prepared samples with 20% （molar ratio） Y-doped content, a BET specific surface area of 106. 6 m^2 · g^- 1, with an average pore size of3~27 nm were obtained. XRD patterns showed that the doped samples were with a cubic fluorite structure. TEM micrographs revealed that the doped samples showed a spherical morphology with a diameter ranging from 20 to 30 nm and a round pore shape. IR results indicated that the Ce-O-Ce vibration intensity decreased as the Y-doped content increased. N2 adsorption-desorption isotherms showed that the samples possessed typical mesopore characteristics. The average pore size of the samples decreased alter mesoporous CeO2 was doped with yttrium, and the average pore size decreased largely as the Y-doped content increased.

Synthesis of γ-Al_2O_3 nanoparticles by chemical precipitation method

Highly pure active γ-Al2O3 nanoparticles were synthesized from aluminum nitrate and ammonium carbonate with a little surfactant by chemical precipitation method. The factors affecting the synthesis process were studied. The properties of γ-Al2O3 nanoparticles were characterized by DTA, XRD, BET, TEM, laser granularity analysis and impurity content analysis. The results show that the amorphous precursor AI（OH）3 sols are produced by using 0.1 mol/L Al（NO3）3·9H2O and 0.16 mol/L （NH4）2CO3·H2O reaction solutions, according to the volume ratio 1.33, adding 0.024%（volume fraction） surfactant PEG600, and reacting at 40℃, 1000 r/min stirring rate for 15min. Then, after stabilizing for 24 h, the precursors were extracted and filtrated by vacuum, washed thoroughly with deionized water and dehydrated ethanol, dried in vacuum at 80℃ for 8h, final calcined at 800℃ for 1h in the air, and high purity active γ-Al2O3 nanoparticles can be prepared with cubic in crystal system, OH^7-FD3M in space group, about 9 nm in crystal grain size, about 20 nm in particle size and uniform size distribution, 131.35 m^2/g in BET specific surface area, 7 - 11 nm in pore diameter, and not lower than 99.93% in purity.

Gas sensitive properties of nanometer materials In_2O_3 synthesized by chemical precipitation

In2O3 nanoparticles were prepared from or with different indium salts by chemical precipitation under the conditions of various pH values. The crystal structure and ceramic microstructure of the samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction （XRD） and transmission electron microscopy （TEM）. The results show that the mean grain size of In2O3 is less than 100 nm, and their particle homogeneity and dispersibility are satisfactory. The gas sensitivity defined as Ra/Rg was detected in a static system. The results show that the sensors made by as-prepared nanoparticles has high sensitivity to many gases such as alcohol, HCHO, NH3 , et al. The response time is less than 20 s and the recovery time is lower than 30 s.

Thermodynamic study on phosphorus removal from tungstate solution via magnesium salt precipitation method

The thermodynamic equilibrium diagrams of Mg2＋- 3-4PO - ＋4NH -H2O system at 298 K were established based on the thermodynamic calculation. From the diagram, the thermodynamic conditions for removing phosphorus from the tungstate solution by magnesium salt precipitation were obtained. The results show that when the concentration of total magnesium increases from 0.01 mol/L to 1.0 mol/L, the optimal pH for the phosphorus removal by magnesium phosphate decreases from 9.8 to 8.8. The residual concentration of total phosphorus almost keeps the level of 4.0×10-6 mol/L in the system. MgHPO4, Mg3（PO4）2 and the mixture of Mg3（PO4）2 and Mg（OH）2 are stabilized in these system, respectively. However, increasing the total concentration of magnesium has little effect on phosphorus removal by magnesium ammonium phosphate, while it is helpful for phosphorus removal by increasing the total ammonia concentration. The calculated results demonstrate that the residual concentration of total phosphorus can decrease to 5.0×10-7 mol/L as the total concentration of ammonia reaches 5.0 mol/L and the optimal pH value is 9-10. Finally, verification experiments were conducted with home-made ammonium tungstate solution containing 50 g/L WO3 and 13 g/L P. The results show that when the dosage of MgCl2 is 1.1 times of the theoretical amount, the optimum pH for removing phosphorus is 9.5, which matches with the results of the theoretical calculation exactly.

Soil Chemical Property Changes over Time from Struvite Compared to Other Fertilizer-Phosphorus Sources in Multiple Soils

Studies have shown that phosphorus (P) recovered from wastewater as the mineral struvite [MgNH4PO4·6(H2O)] may be a viable alternative fertilizer-P source. This study aimed to compare the effectiveness of electrochemically precipitated struvite (ECST), reclaimed from synthetic wastewater, to other commercial fertilizer-P sources in cultivated soils from Arkansas [AR;silt loam (SiL) and loam (L)], Missouri (MO;SiL), and Nebraska [NE;SiL and sandy loam (SL)]. A plant-less, moist-soil incubation experiment, including ECST, chemically precipitated struvite (CPST), monoammonium phosphate (MAP), triple superphosphate (TSP), and an unamended control (UC), was conducted to quantify soil pH, nitrate (NO3-N), ammonium (NH4-N), and Mehlich-3 (M3)-P, -Ca, -Mg, and -Fe concentrations at 0.5, 1, 2, 4, and 6 months. All measured soil properties differed (P ·kg-1 for AR-L-TSP after 1 month and NE-SiL-MAP after 6 months, respectively. Soil M3-P ranged from -29.6 mg·kg-1 in the AR-L-UC after 1 month to 429 mg·kg-1 AR-SiL-TSP after 0.5 months. Results showed that, over time, ECST had comparable pH and soil NO3-N, NH4-N, and M3-P, -Ca, -Mg, and -Fe behavior compared to CPST, MAP, and TSP across various soil textures.

INTERACTION OF PRECIPITATION AND RECRYSTALLIZATION IN RAPIDLY SOLIDIFIED Cu-Cr-Zr-Mg ALLOY

The recrystallization process of a rapidly solidified Cu-Cr-Zr-Mg alloy during its aging was investigate experimentally. It was found that (1) upon aging, the precipitation process takes place prior to recrystallization for the cold-deformed Cu-Cr-Zr-Mg alloy produced by rapid solidification, and the precipitates have a restrained effect on the following recrystallization process; (2) the hindrance of the dispersed fine precipitates to the common recrystallization leads to the simultaneous in situ and discontinuous recrystallization; (3) the resolution of the precipitates in the front of migrating grain boundaries takes place during the nucleation and growth of recrystallization, which results in a supersaturation in the recrystallized zones, while the re-precipitation of the supersaturated solute atoms in vacancies further increases the dispersion hardening effect.

PRECIPITATION HARDENING IN B2-ORDERED NiAl BY Ni_(2)AlTi COMPOUND

Microstructural variations and correlated hardness changes in B2-ordered NiAl containing fine precipitation of Ni2AlTi have been investigated by means of transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and hardness tests. The amount of age hardening is not large as compared to the large microstructural variations during aging. TEM observations have revealed that the L21-type Ni2AlTi precipitates keep a lattice coherency with the NiAl matrix at the beginning of aging. By longer periods of aging Ni2AlTi precipitates lose their coherency and change their morphology to the globular ones surrounded by misfit dislocations. The temperature dependence of the yield strength of precipitate-containing B2-ordered NiAl was investigated by compression tests over the temperature range of 873-1273 K. The fine precipitation of Ni2AlTi was found to enhance greatly the yield strength and the high-temperature strength is comparable with that of superalloy Mar-M200.

Eff ect of Cementation on Calcium Carbonate Precipitation of Loose Sand Resulting from Microbial Treatment

Microbe-induced calcite precipitation is a sustainable improvement technique for sandy soil, which can alter the properties of sand via microbial activity. In this study, we investigated the loose-sand-consolidation effect by controlling the injection velocity, bacterial and cementing-solution concentrations, and hold times. The results demonstrate that, as the cyclic batch increases, the utilization rate of the bacterial fluid increases and both the optical density (OD600) of the bacteria and urease activity decrease. Moreover, it was determined that a 3-h hold time for a 0.5 mol/L cementing solution with a cementing fluid velocity of 2 mL/min has the greatest bonding effect. The final strength of the loose sand with an increase in calcium carbonate content was further discussed. © 2017 Tianjin University and Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany

PRECIPITATION AND MICROSTRUCTURE OF Cr MODIFIED Al_3Ti

The microstructures of Cr modified Al3Ti containing Al2Ti and L10-AlTi precipitates have been investigated in terms of transmission electron microscopy(TEM). Fine precipitation of Al2Ti (Ga2Hf type structure) and Ll0-AlTi(Cr) occurs in Ll2-Al3Ti(Cr) by aging around 973K. The aging behavior was investigated by microhardness measurements. TEM observations reveal that plate-like Al2Ti precipitates lie on{100} planes of the Ll2-Al3Ti(Cr) matrix with the c axis of the tetragonal phase perpendicular to the thin plate. As contrast with Al2Ti precipitates, Ll0-AlTi(Cr) precipitates form thin plate and lie on {100} planes of Ll2-Al3Ti(Cr) matrix at the initial aging time and for long time aging the habit plane of the thin plate deviates from {100} plane and finally forms a kinked plate. The coherency stresses across the precipitate/matrix interface are considered to be the main factors controlling the precipitate morphology.

Synthesis and photoluminescence of Y and Cd co-doped ZnO nanopowder

Y and Cd co-doped ZnO nanopowders were prepared via chemical precipitation method in order to modify the band gap and increase the luminescent intensity. The structures and optical properties of the as-synthesized samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction （XRD）, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy （XPS） and photoluminescence （PL）. The effects of Y and Cd ions on the optical properties of the samples were studied. Doping of Y into ZnO evidently increases the intensity of UV emission, or co-doping of Y and Cd enhances the UV emission, narrows the band gap of ZnO and hence red shifts the UV emission at the same time. Therefore, Y and Cd co-doped ZnO nanopowders exhibit an intense violet emission in the room temperature PL spectrum, which could be a potential candidate material for optoelectronic applications.

Low-cost preparation of mesoporous silica with high pore volume

Mesoporous silica materials with high pore volume were successfully prepared by the chemical precipitation method, with water glass and a biodegradable nonionic surfactant polyethylene glycol （PEG）. The obtained materials were characterized by transmission electron microscopy （TEM）, scanning electron microscopy （SEM）, thermo gravimetric analyzer and differential scanning calorimetry （TG-DSC）, nitrogen adsorption-desorption measurements, and X-ray diffraction （XRD）. The results showed that the changes of the pore parameters depended on both the surfactant content and heat treatment temperature. When the content of PEG was 10wt% and the obtained PEG/SiO2 composite was heated at 600℃, the mesoporous silica with a pore volume of 2.2 cma/g, a BET specific surface area of 361.55 m^2/g, and a diameter of 2-4 μm could be obtained. The obtained mesoporous silica materials have potential applications in the fields of paint and plastic, as thickening, reinforcing, and flatting agents.

Preparation and structure characteristics of nano-Bi_2O_3 powders with mixed crystal structure

The nano-Bi2O3 powders were prepared by a chemical precipitation method with Bi（NO3）3, HNO3 and NaOH as reactants. The structural characteristics and morphology of nano-Bi2O3 powders were investigated by X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy, respectively. The results show that under the optimum condition that 300g/L Bi（NO3）3 reacts at 90℃ for 2h, the Bi2O3 powders with 60nm on the average and 99.5% in purity are obtained. The prepared nano-Bi2O3 powders contain a mixed crystal structure of monoclinic and triclinic instead of traditional structure of monoclinic α-Bi2O3. And the mixed crystal structure is stable in air. The reason for the appearance of the mixed crystal structure may be that the ionic radius ratio of Bi 3+ to O 2- changes easily during the formation of nano-Bi2O3 particles by a chemical precipitation method.

Characteristics of magnetic Fe_3O_4 nanoparticles encapsulated with human serum albumin

Magnetic nanoparticles （Fe304） were prepared by chemical precipitation method using Fe^2＋ and Fe^3＋ salts with sodium hydroxide in the nitrogen atmosphere. Fe3O4 nanoparticles were coated with human serum albumin（HSA） for magnetic resonance imaging as contrast agent. Characteristics of magnetic particles coated or uncoated were carried out using scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction. Zeta potentials, package effects and distributions of colloid particles were measured to confirm the attachment of HSA on magnetic particles. Effects of Fe3O4 nanoparticles coated with HSA on magnetic resonance imaging were investigated with rats. The experimental results show that the adsorption of HSA on magnetic particles is very favorable to dispersing of magnetic Fe3O4 particles, while the sizes of Fe3O4 particles coated are related to the molar ratio of Fe3O4 to HSA. The diameters of the majority of particles coated are less than 100 nm. Fe3O4 nanoparticle coated with HSA has a good biocompatibility and low toxicity. This new contrast agent has some effects on the nuclear magnetic resonance imaging of liver and the lowest dosage is 20μmol/kg for the demands of diagnosis.

Structural and photoluminescence properties of terbium-doped zinc oxide nanoparticles

We present in this paper a study of the structural and photoluminescence （PL） properties of terbium （Tb） doped zinc oxide （ZnO） nanoparticles synthesized by a simple low temperature chemical precipitation method, using zinc acetate and terbium nitrate in an isopropanol medium with diethanolamine （DEA） as the capping agent at 60 ℃. The as-prepared samples were heat treated and the PL of the annealed samples were studied. The prepared nanoparticles were characterized with X-ray diffraction （XRD）. The XRD patterns show the pattern of typical ZnO nanoparticles and correspond with the standard XRD pattern given by JCPDS card No. 36-1451, showing the hexagonal phase structure. The PL intensity was enhanced due to Tb^3＋ doping, and it decreased at higher concentrations of Tb^3＋ doping after reaching a certain optimum concentration. The PL spectra of Tb^3＋ doped samples exhibited blue, bluish green, and green emissions at 460 nm （5^D3 - 7^F3）, 484 nm （5^D4 - 7^F6）, and 530 nm （5^D4 - 7^F5）, respectively, which were more intense than the emissions for the undoped ZnO sample. Based on the results, an energy level schematic diagram was proposed to explain the possible electron transition processes.

Preparation of NiO nanoparticles from Ni(OH)_2·NiCO_3·4H_2O precursor by mechanical activation

A mechanical activation process was introduced as a facile method for producing nickel oxide nanopowders. The precursor compound Ni（OH）2-NiCO3-4H2O was synthesized by chemical precipitation. The precursor was milled with NaCl diluent. A high-energy ball milling process led to decomposition of the precursor and subsequent dispersal in NaCl media. Nickel oxide nanocrystalline powders were produced by subsequent heat treatment and water washing. Milling rotation speed, milling time, ball-to-powder ratio （BPR）, and nickel chlo-ride-to-precursor ratio were introduced as influential parameters on the wavelength of maximum absorption （λmax）. The effects of these pa-rameters were investigated by the Taguchi method. The optimum conditions for this study were a milling rotation speed of 150 r/min, a mill-ing time of 20 h, a BPR of 15/1, and a NaCl-to-powder weight ratio （NPR） of 6/1. In these conditions,λmax was predicted to be 292 nm. The structural properties of the samples were determined by field emission scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and energy dispersive spectrometry.

Effect of Sn^(4+) content on properties of indium tin oxide nanopowders

Indium tin oxide(ITO)nanopowders were prepared by a modified chemical co-precipitation process.The influence of different SnO2 contents on the decomposition behavior of ITO precursors,and on the phase and morphology of ITO precursors and ITO nanopowders were studied by X-ray diffractometry,transmission electron microscopy and differential thermal and thermogravimetry analysis methods.The TG-DSC curves show that the decomposition process of precursor precipitation is completed when the temperature is close to 600 ℃and the end temperature of decompositionis somewhat lower when the doping amount of SnO2 is increased.The XRD patterns indicate that the solubility limit of Sn4+ relates directly to the calcining temperature. When being calcined at 700℃,a single phase ITO powder with 15%SnO2(mass fraction)can be obtained.But,when the calcining temperature is higher than 800℃,the phase of SnO2 will appear in ITO nanopowders which contain more than 10%SnO2.The particle size of the ITO nanopowders is 15-25 nm.The ITO nanoparticles without Sn have a spherical shape,but their morphology moves towards an irregular shape when being doped with Sn4+.

Influencing Factors of Ammonium Nitrogen Removal by Composite Phosphate and Magnesium

It is necessary to adjust reaction pH when a single kind of PO4^3- is used as phosphorus source to remove NH4^＋- N in a chemical precipitation process. However, this tedious step could be avoided in experiments that use the buffering effect of the composite phosphate and employ PO4^3- and HPO4^2- as phosphorus sources, pH was controlled by properly changing the proportion of PO4^3- to HPO4^2-. The influences of pH, material proportion and different addition modes of magnesium on NH4^＋-N removal efficiency were investigated, with NH4^3--N concentration in influent being 200 mg/L. It showed that the ratio of HPO4^2- ： PO4^3- was concerned with phosphorus and NH4^＋-N removal. Under the condition that the total amount of phosphate is definite, the removal efficiency of NH4^＋-N decreased with the enhancement of HPO4^2- concentration, while the efficiency of phosphorus increased. When increasing PO4^3- concentration, it benefited the removal of NH4^＋-N, but the remaining phosphorus was high. The results showed that NH4^＋-N concentration decreased from the initial 200 mg/L to 39.14 mg/L with the remaining PO4^3- at 5.14 mg/L if the ratio of HPO4^2- ： PO4^3- remained at 1：3.

Treatment of electroplating wastewater

To study the feasibility of treated water being used as rinsing water with CP/ED (chemical precipitation/ electrodialysis) system, the relation between concentration of Cr (Ⅵ) and conductivity of water is investigated, the effect of electrodialysis (ED) for different wastewater is also studied. And several parameters of importance that are relevant to the process are identified. Analysis of ICP (Inductively coupled plasma) and IC (Ion chromatography) shows that the main reason of conductivity increase in CP treated water is the increase of Na+ and Cl- ions. The 93.8%-100% of ions from wastewater both in ED and CP/ED systems was removed successfully. The results of experiments indicate that the CP/ED system is a feasible method for electroplating wastewater treatment, the CP/ED system used as a way of wastwater is not only in favour of environment, but also economic beneficial to achieve.

Improvement of catalytic stability for CO_2 reforming of methane by copper promoted Ni-based catalyst derived from layered-double hydroxides

Copper-promoted nickel-based metal nanoparticles (NPs) with high dispersion and good thermal stability were derived from layered-double hydroxides (LDHs) precursors that were facilely developed by a co-precipitation strategy. The copper-promoted Ni-based metal NPs catalysts were investigated for methane reforming with carbon dioxide to hydrogen and syngas. A series of characterization techniques including XRD, N2adsorption and desorption, H2-TPR, XPS, CO2-TPD, TEM, TGA and in situ CH4-TPSR were utilized to determine the structure-function relationship for the obtained catalysts. The copper addition accelerated the catalyst reducibility as well as the methane activation, and made the Ni species form smaller NPs during both preparation and reaction by restricting the aggregation. However, with higher copper loading, the derived catalysts were less active during methane reforming with CO2to syngas. It was confirmed that the catalyst with 1 wt% Cu additive gave the higher catalytic activity and remained stable during long time reaction with excellent resistance to coking and to sintering. Furthermore, the mean size of metal NPs changed minimally from 6.6 to 7.9 nm even after 80 h of time on stream at temperature as high as 700 °C for this optimized catalyst. Therefore, this high dispersed anti-coking copper-promoted nickel catalyst derived from LDHs precursor could be prospective catalyst candidate for the efficient heterogeneous catalysis of sustainable CO2conversion. © 2016 Science Press

Effect of different water supply on morphology, growth and physiological characteristics of Salix psammophila seedlings in Maowusu sandland, China

Response pattern was investigated for seedlings of Salix psammophila, a dominant shrub in Maowusu sandland, to the simulated precipitation change by artificially controlling water supply at four levels. The growth characters, in terms of plant height, stem diameter, total branch number, total leaf number and area, total bifurcation ratio, total branch lenght and branch number, branch lenght, leaf number and leaf area of each branch order, and leaf, branch and root biomass significantly increased when water supply increased. That water supply had significant effect on biomass allocation showed different investment pattern of biomass resource of the seedlings grown under different water supply treatments. Stomatal density of abaxial leaf surface decreased, and stomatal apparatus length and width of adaxial and abaxial leaf surface increased with the increase of water supply, while Stomatal density of adaxial leaf surface was not affected by water supply. Water supply obviously affected the diumal changes of photosynthetic rate, and the photosynthetic rate of the seedlings showed strongly midday depression grown under the 157.5 mm water supply, but not grown under higher water supply. Additionally the assimilation-light response curves and flourescence efficiency more showed that water supply improve photosynthesis capacity. Finally, S. psammophila seedlings stood out by their slow growth and relatively high investments in root growth in order to reduce tissue losing rate and consumption of water resource for keeping water balance under water stress. The seedlings that grown under rich water supply did by their fast growth and relatively high investments in branch and leaf growth in order to improve the power of capturing light energy for higher photosynthesis.