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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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+.

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.

Recent developments of surface complexation models applied to environmental aquatic chemistry

Based on numerous latest references, the current developments in surface complexation, surface precipitation and the corresponding models (SCMs and SPMs), were reviewed. The contents involved comparison on surface charge composition and layer-structure of solid-solution interface for the classical 1-pK and 2-pK models. In addition, the fundamental concept and relations of the new models, i. e., multi-site complexation (MUSIC) and charge- distribution (CD) MUSIC models were described as well. To avoid misuse or abuse, it must be emphasized that the applicability and limitation for each model should be considered carefully when selecting the concerned model(s). In addition, some new powerful techniques for surface characterization and analysis applied to model establishment and modification were also briefly introduced.

Process, mechanism and impacts of scale formation in alkaline flooding by a variable porosity and permeability model

In spite of the role of alkali in enhancing oil recovery（EOR）, the formation of precipitation during alkaline-surfactant-polymer（ASP） flooding can severely do harm to the stratum of oil reservoirs, which has been observed in situ tests of oil fields such as scale deposits found in oil stratum and at the bottom of oil wells. On the other hand,remarkable variation of stratum parameters, e.g., pore radius,porosity, and permeability due to scale formation considerably affects seepage flow and alkaline flooding process in return. The objective of this study is to firstly examine these mutual influential phenomena and corresponding mechanisms along with EOR during alkaline flooding when the effects of precipitation are no longer negligible. The chemical kinetic theory is applied for the specific fundamental reactions to describe the process of rock dissolution in silicabased reservoirs. The solubility product principle is used to analyze the mechanism of alkali scale formation in flooding.Then a 3D alkaline flooding coupling model accounting for the variation of porosity and permeability is established to quantitatively estimate the impact of alkali scales on reservoir stratum. The reliability of the present model is verified in comparison with indoor experiments and field tests of the Daqing oil field. Then, the numerical simulations on a 1/4well group in a 5-spot pattern show that the precipitation grows with alkali concentration, temperature, and injection pressure and, thus, reduces reservoir permeability and oil recovery correspondingly. As a result, the selection of alkaliwith a weak base is preferable in ASP flooding by tradeoff strategy.

Modification of the activated sludge model for chemical dosage

Full-scale experiments have been carried out to adapt the activated sludge model ASM2d to include the influence of metal dosage （Fe^3＋ and Al^3＋） for phosphorus removal. Phosphorus removal rates, nitrification rates, as well as pH and sludge settling performance, were evaluated as functions of the metal dosages. Furthermore, models relating certain parameters to the dosage of chemicals have been derived. Corresponding parameters in the ASM2d and the secondary settler models, included in the Benchmark Simulation Model No 1 （BSM1）, have been modified to take the metal influence into consideration. Based on the effluent limits and penalty policy of China, an equivalent evaluation method was derived for the total cost assessment. A large number of 300-day steady-state and 14-day open-loop dynamic simulations were performed to demonstrate the difference in behavior between the original and the modified BSM1. The results show that 1） both in low and high mole concentrations, Fe^3＋ addition results in a higher phosphorus removal rate than Al^3＋; 2） the sludge settling velocity will increase due to the metal addition; 3） the respiration rate of the activated sludge is decreased more by the dosage of Al^3＋ than Fe^3＋; 4） the inhibition of Al^3＋ on the nitrification rate is stronger than that of Fe^3＋; 5） the total operating cost will reach the minimum point for smaller dosages of Fe^3＋, but always increase with Al^3＋ addition.

Preparation and optical properties of poly (vinylidene difluoride)/(Y_(0.97)Eu_(0.03))_2O_3 rare-earth nanocomposite

In this letter, poly（vinylidene difluoride） （PVDF）/（Y0.97Eu0.03）2O3 rare-earth nanocomposites were prepared by a simple co-precipitation method, and their morphology, structure, and optical properties were investigated. The scanning electron microscope （SEM） images showed that the （Y0.97Eu0.03）2O3 rare- earth nanoparticles formed 50 nm - 2 μm aggregates in PVDF matrices. X-ray diffraction （XRD） curves indicated the incorporation and structure preserving of （Y0.97Eu0.03）2O3 nanoparticles in PVDF matrices. Photoluminescence （PL） spectra of the nanocomposite showed a characteristic red light emission at 612 nm, which was attributed to the intrinsic emission of （Y0.97Eu0.03）2O3 nanoparticles. Optical band gap （Eg） of the nanocomposite exhibited a decreasing trend with the increase of （Y0.97Eu0.03）2O3 content in PVDF matrices within the experimental dosage range.

Influence of silver nanoparticles on Er3+up-conversion in CaF2precipitated oxyfluoride glass-ceramics

The influence of silver nanoparticles on Er3＋ up-conversion in CaF2 precipitated oxyfluoride glass-ceramics is investigated. After heat-treatments, transmission electron microscopy images show that CaF2 nano- crystals precipitate in the glass matrix uniformity, and sliver nanoparticles are spread around the CaF2 nano-crystals simultaneously. Comparing with the samples without Ag doped, high efficiency up-conversion luminescences of Er3＋ at 540 and 658 nm are distinctly observed in the silver nanopartieles containing glass-ceramics by the 980-nm excitation. Moreover, since the intensity ratio of green and red emissions changes after silver nanopartieles precipitation, the up-conversion mechanism of Er3＋ is discussed.

FePO4-coated Li[Li0.2Ni0.13Co0.13Mn0.54]O2 with improved cycling performance as cathode material for Li-ion batteries

Li[Li0.2Ni0.13Coo.13Mn0.54]O2 cathode materials were synthesized by carbonate-based co-precipitation method, and then, its surface was coated by thin layers of FePO4. The prepared samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction （XRD）, field emission scanning electron micro- scope （FESEM）, energy-dispersive spectroscopy （EDS）, and transmission electron microscopy （TEM）. The XRD and TEM results suggest that both the pristine and the coated materials have a hexagonal layered structure, and the FePO4 coating layer does not make any major change in the crystal structure. The FePO4-coated sample exhibits both improved initial discharge capacity and columbic efficiency compared to the pristine one. More significantly, the FePO4 coating layer has a much positive influence on the cycling perfor- mance. The FePO4-coated sample exhibits capacity reten- tion of 82 % after 100 cycles at 0.5℃ between 2.0 and 4.8 V, while only 28 % for the pristine one at the same charge-discharge condition. The electrochemical impe- dance spectroscopy （EIS） results indicate that this improved cycling performance could be ascribed to the presence of FePO4 on the surface of Li[Li0.2Ni0.13Co0.13Mno.54102 par- ticle, which helps to protect the cathode from chemical attacks by HF and thus suppresses the large increase in charge transfer resistance.