Fabrication of Cu_2O@Cu_2O core-shell nanoparticles and conversion to Cu_2O@Cu core-shell nanoparticles in solution

Cu2O@Cu2O core-shell nanoparticles (NPs) were prepared by using solution phase strategy. It was found that Cu2O@Cu2O NPs were easily converted to Cu2O@Cu NPs with the help of polyvinylpyrrolidine (PVP) and excessive ascorbic acid (AA) in air at room temperature, which was an interesting phenomenon. The features of the two kinds of NPs were characterized by XRD, TEM and extinction spectra. Cu2O@Cu NPs with different shell thicknesses showed wide tunable optical properties for the localized surface plasmon (LSP) in metallic Cu. But Cu2O@Cu2O NPs did not indicate this feature. FTIR results reveal that Cu+ ions on the surface of Cu2O shell coordinate with N and O atoms in PVP and are further reduced to metallic Cu by excessive AA and then form a nucleation site on the surface of Cu2O nanocrystalline. PVP binds onto different sites to proceed with the reduction utill all the Cu sources in Cu2O shell are completely assumed.

A New Method for the Synthesis of Selenium Nanoparticles and the Application to Construction of H_2O_2 Biosensor

The well-distributed, stable selenium nanoparticles (10 nm) with good adhesive ability and biocompatibility were successfully synthesized by using the template of chitosan cross-linked with glutaradehyde. The resulting selenium nanoparticles were used as a new carrier for horseradish peroxidase to construct H2O2 biosensors with good performances.

Green-chemistry Compatible Approach to TiO_2-supported PdAu Bimetallic Nanoparticles for Solvent-free 1-Phenylethanol Oxidation under Mild Conditions

Ti O2-supported Pd Au bimetallic nanoparticles(NPs) with small size and good dispersity were prepared by the room-temperature ionic liquid-assisted bimetal sputtering, which is simple, environmentally friendly, and free of additives and byproducts. Pd/Au atomic ratio can be tuned by controlling the sputtering conditions simply. High catalytic activity was found in Pd Au–NPs–Ti O2 hybrids for solvent-free selective oxidation of 1-phenylethanol using O2 as the oxidant at the low temperature of 50 °C and low pressure of 1 atm. It was found that Pd/Au ratio strongly affected the catalytical activity, and the highest conversion of about 35 % and turnover frequency of about 421 h-1were achieved at 1:1 of Pd/Au atomic ratio. The synergistic effect in Pd Au NPs was also discussed based on the comprehensive characterization results.The present approach may offer an alternative platform for future development of green-chemistry compatible bimetallic nanocatalysts.

Enhancement of catalytic activity by homo-dispersing S_2O_8^(2–)-Fe_2O_3 nanoparticles on SBA-15 through ultrasonic adsorption

Mesoporous superacids S2O82–-Fe2O3/SBA-15(SFS)with active nanoparticles are prepared by ultrasonic adsorption method.This method is adopted to ensure a homo-dispersed nanoparticle active phase,large specific surface area and many acidic sites.Compared with bulk S2O82–-Fe2O3,Br?nsted acid catalysts and other reported catalysts,SFS with an Fe2O3 loading of 30%(SFS-30)exhibits an outstanding activity in the probe reaction of alcoholysis of styrene oxide by methanol with 100%yield.Moreover,SFS-30 also shows a more excellent catalytic performance than bulk S2O82–-Fe2O3 towards the alcoholysis of other ROHs(R=C2H5-C4H9).Lewis and Bronsted acid sites on the SFS-30 surfaces are confirmed by pyridine adsorbed infrared spectra.The highly efficient catalytic activity of SFS-30 may be attributed to the synergistic effect from the nano-effect of S2O82–-Fe2O3 nanoparticles and the mesostructure of SBA-15.Finally,SFS-30 shows a good catalytic reusability,providing an 84.1%yield after seven catalytic cycles.

Upconversion luminescence of Y_2O_3:Er^(3+), Yb^(3+) nanoparticles prepared by a homogeneous precipitation method

Y2O3： Er^3＋, Yb^3＋ nanoparticles were synthesized by a homogeneous precipitation method without and with different concentrations of EDTA 2Na. Upconversion luminescence spectra of the samples were studied under 980 nm laser excitation. The results of XRD showed that the obtained Y2O3：Er^3＋,Yb^3＋ nanoparticles were of a cubic structure. The average crystallite sizes calculated were in the range of 28-40 nm. Green and red upconversion emission were observed, and attributed to ^2H11/2,^4S3/2→^4I15/2 and ^4F9/2→^4I15/2 transitions of the ion, respectively. The ratio of the intensity of green emission to that of red emission drastically changed with a change in the EDTA 2Na concentration. In the sample synthesized without EDTA, the relative intensity of the green emission was weaker than that of the red emission. The relative intensities of green emission increased with the increased amount of EDTA 2Na used. The possible upconversion luminescence mechanisms were discussed.

Intensification of levofloxacin sono-degradation in a US/H_2O_2 system with Fe_3O_4 magnetic nanoparticles

Fe3O4 magnetic nanoparticles(MNPs) were synthesised, characterised, and used as a peroxidase mimetic to accelerate levofloxacin sono-degradation in an ultrasound(US)/H2O2 system. The Fe3O4 MNPs were in nanometre scale with an average diameter of approximately 12 to 18 nm. The introduction of Fe3O4 MNPs increased levofloxacin sono-degradation in the US/H2O2 system. Experimental parameters, such as Fe3O4 MNP dose, initial solution p H, and H2O2 concentration, were investigated by a one-factor-at-a-time approach. The results showed that Fe3O4 MNPs enhanced levofloxacin removal in the p H range from 4.0 to 9.0. Levofloxacin removal ratio increased with Fe3O4 MNP dose up to 1.0 g·L-1and with H2O2 concentration until reaching the maximum. Moreover, three main intermediate compounds were identified by HPLC with electrospray ionisation tandem mass spectrometry, and a possible degradation pathway was proposed. This study suggests that combination of H2O2, Fe3O4 MNPs and US is a good way to improve the degradation efficiency of antibiotics.

Synergistically Toughening Effect of SiC Whiskers and Nanoparticles in Al_2O_3-based Composite Ceramic Cutting Tool Material

In recent decades, many additives with different characteristics have been applied to strengthen and toughen Al2O3-based ceramic cutting tool materials. Among them, SiC whiskers and SiC nanoparticles showed excellent performance in improving the material properties. While no attempts have been made to add SiC whiskers and SiC nanoparticles together into the ceramic matrix and the synergistically toughening effects of them have not been studied. An Al2O3-SiCw-SiC np advanced ceramic cutting tool material is fabricated by adding both one-dimensional SiC whiskers and zero-dimensional SiC nanoparticles into the Al2O3 matrix with an effective dispersing and mixing process. The composites with 25 vol% SiC whiskers and 25 vol% SiC nanoparticles alone are also investegated for comparison purposes. Results show that the Al2O3-SiCw-SiCnp composite with both 20 vo1% SiC whiskers and 5 vol% SiC nanoparticles additives have much improved mechanical properties. The flexural strength of Al2O3-SiCw-SiCnp is 730＋ 95 MPa and fracture toughness is 5.6 ± 0.6 MPa.m1/2. The toughening and strengthening mechanisms of SiC whiskers and nanoparticles are studied when they are added either individually or in combination. It is indicated that when SiC whiskers and nanoparticles are added together, the grains are further refined and homogenized, so that the microstructure and fracture mode ratio is modified. The SiC nanoparticles are found helpful to enhance the toughening effects of the SiC whiskers. The proposed research helps to enrich the types of ceramic cutting tool and is benefit to expand the application range of ceramic cutting tool.

Surface-sulfurized Ag_2O nanoparticles with stable full-solar-spectrum photocatalytic activity

Ag2O has attracted much recent attention,because of its high photocatalytic activity in the ultraviolet(UV)‐visible region.However,there have been few reports on the near‐infrared(NIR)photocatalytic activity of Ag2O.This paper reports the high NIR photocatalytic activity of Ag2O nanoparticles.Ag2O is unsuitable for application in full‐solar‐spectrum photocatalysis,because it is unstable under UV irradiation.A surface sulfurization process was carried out to address this issue.Specifically,a layer of Ag2S2O7nanoparticles was grown on the surface of the Ag2O nanoparticles,to improve the stability of the Ag2O photocatalyst and enhance its photocatalytic activity in the UV,visible and NIR regions.The Ag2O/Ag2S2O7heterostructure is a stable and efficient full‐solar‐spectrum photocatalyst.It has potential application in the photodegradation of organic pollutants,and more generally in environmental engineering where full utilization of the solar spectrum is required.

Hydrothermal synthesis and characterization of Eu-doped GaOOH/α-Ga_2O_3/β-Ga_2O_3 nanoparticles

Eu-doped GaOOH nanoparticles with size of 5-8 nm were prepared by hydrothermal method using sodium dodecylbenzene sulfonate （SDBS） as surfactant. Eu-doped α-Ga2O3 and β-Ga2O3 were further fabricated by annealing GaOOH：Eu and then characterized by X-ray diffraction（XRD）, transmission electron microscopy （TEM） and photoluminescence （PL）. The TEM results show that monodisperse Eu^3＋-doped GaOOH nanoparticles form and then transform into Eu^3＋-doped a-Ga2O3 and β-Ga2O3 through annealing the GaOOH：Eu nanoparticles at 600 and 900℃, respectively. PL studies indicate that GaOOH：Eu has the highest intensity at 618 nm. Luminescence quenching is observed at higher Eu3＋concentration in all samples.

Facile synthesis of La_2Mo_2O_9 nanoparticles via an EDTA complexing approach

A facile EDTA （ethylene diamine tetraacetic acid） complexing technique has been successfully employed to prepare La2Mo2O9 nanoparticles. The as-synthesized products are characterized by X-ray diffraction （XRD）, scanning electron microscopy （SEM）, transmission electron microscopy （TEM）, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy （FT-IR）. The results show that a homogeneous transparent gel can be obtained with EDTA as the organic complexing reagent under the pH value of 3.0. Further thermal decomposition of the as-synthesized transparent gel by increasing the temperature up to 600℃ for 3 h results in the formation of La2Mo2O9 nanoparticles with a crystal size of about 30 nm. Moreover, the nanoparticles tend to form micrometer-sized aggregates with a three-dimensional network structure, which shows promising applications in solid oxide fuel cells （SOFC）, catalysts and so on.

Synthesis and Characterization of Superparamagnetic Fe₃O₄@SiO₂Core-Shell Composite Nanoparticles

The Fe3O4@SiO2 composite nanoparticles were obtained from as-synthesized magnetite (Fe3O4) nanoparticles through the modified St?ber method. Then, the Fe3O4 nanoparticles and Fe3O4@SiO2 composite nanoparticles were characterized by means of X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectra, scanning electron microscope (SEM) and vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM). Recently, the studies focus on how to improve the dispersion of composite particle and achieve good magnetic performance. Hence effects of the volume ratio of tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) and magnetite colloid on the structural, morphological and magnetic properties of the composite nanoparticles were systematically investi-gated. The results revealed that the Fe3O4@SiO2 had better thermal stability and dispersion than the magnetite nanoparticles. Furthermore, the particle size and magnetic property of the Fe3O4@SiO2 composite nanoparticles can be adjusted by changing the volume ratio of TEOS and magnetite colloid.

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.

Influence of the Ratio of Ethanol to Water on the Agglomeration of Al_2O_3/Y_2O_3-ZrO_2 Nanoparticles

A method of heating ethanol-aqueous salt solution combined with co-precipitation was used to synthesize Al2O3/ZrO2 nanoparticles. The analysis of DSC and XRD revealed that the transformation temperature from amorphous to crystal phase was about 850 ℃. The grain size was increased with the raising of calcine temperature. The alcohol-water ratio did not affect the formation of main crystal phases, but affected the agglomeration of nanoparticles based on the results of TEM. When alcohol-water ratio was 5∶1, the dispersion of nanoparticles was good. When there was not alcohol, the dispersion of nanoparticles was poor because there was only pure co-precipitation reaction and the speed of co-precipitation reaction was too high to have enough time of PEG. dispersing particles.

Porous Cube-like In_2O_3 Nanoparticles and Their Sensing Characteristics toward Ethanol

Porous cube-like crystalline In2O3 nanoparticles with an average diagonal length of 34.8 nm were fabricated by a laser ablation-reflux process to form In（OH）3, followed by a calcination treatment to yield porous In2O3. HRTEM （high-resolution transmission electronic microscopy）, XRD （X-ray diffraction）, BET （Brunauer-Emmett-Teller）, and XPS （X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy） analysis were used to characterize their crystalline structures, grain sizes, surface areas, and surface compositions. The as-prepared porous in-dium oxides were tested for their sensing properties toward ethanol. Non-porous In2O3 nanopowder （about 40 nm） was also examined in order to compare the results with the as-prepared porous In2O3 nanomaterials. The porous In2O3 exhibited much better performance than that of non-porosus In2O3, and showed enhanced sensitivity with a lower detection limit than other reported In2O3-based materials when exposed to ethanol. Good gas sensitivity and linear behavior as a function of ethanol concentration were observed in the porous In2O3 nanoparticles.

Calculation of photon attenuation coefficient and dose rate in concrete with the addition of SiO_2 and MnFe_2O_4 nanoparticles using MCNPX code and comparison with experimental results

One of the most important safety features of nuclear facilities is the shielding material used to protect the operating personnel from radiation exposure. The most common materials used in radiation shielding are concretes. In this study, a Monte Carlo N-Particle eXtended code is used to calculate the gamma-ray attenuation coefficients and dose rates for a new concrete material composed of MnFe_2O_4 nanoparticles, which is then compared with the theoretical and experimental results obtained for a SiO_2 nanoparticle concrete material. According to the results, the average relative differences between the simulations and the theoretical and experimental results for the linear attenuation coefficient(l) in the SiO_2 nanoparticle materials are 6.4% and 5.5%, respectively. By increasing the SiO_2 content up to 1.5% and the temperature of MnFe_2O_4 up to 673 K, l is increased for all energies. In addition, the photon dose rate decreases up to 9.2% and3.7% for MnFe_2O_4 and SiO_2 for gamma-ray energies of0.511 and 1.274 MeV, respectively. Therefore, it was concluded that the addition of SiO_2 and MnFe_2O_4 nanoparticles to concrete improves its nuclear properties and could lead to it being more useful in radiation shielding.

Comparable Studies of Adsorption and Magnetic Properties of Ferrite MnFe_2O_4 Nanoparticles,Porous Bulks and Nanowires

The spinel ferrites MnFe2O4 nanowires were synthesized by hydrothermal route,porous MnFe2O4 and nanoparticles morphologies were synthesized by sol-gel method with egg white.The structures,morphologies,magnetic properties and adsorption properties of these obtained ferrites with different morphologies were studied contrastively.Results show that the obtained samples exhibit ferromagnetic properties.This realizes convenient magnetic separation from solution when they are used in the treatment of organic dyes wastewater.However,the contrastive studies show that the saturation magnetizations（Ms） of MnFe2O4 with different morphologies are different and the Ms follows the order：Ms（porous）〈Ms（nanoparticles）〈Ms（nanowires）.In addition,the adsorptions of methylene blue（MB） onto these ferrites depend on ferrites＇ morphologies seriously.The adsorption rate of MB on the porous MnFe2O4 is much higher than those onto the other two samples because the porous structure can provide high efficient mass transport through the pores.

Grain-size-induced Relaxor Ferroelectric Phase Transition in SrBi_2Ta_2O_9 Nanoparticles

The transition from paraelectric phase to ferroelectric phase for SrBi2Ta2O9(SBT) nanoparticles has been investigated by high-temperature X-ray diffraction,temperature-dependent dielectric and specific heat measurements.The crystal structure of SBT nanoparticles at room temperature is orthogonal with an A21am symmetry.The high-temperature phase(>350 ℃) exhibits a tetragonal structure(I4/mmm).There are two anomalies in all samples of SBT nanoparticles from the dielectric and specific heat curves.The high-temperature anomaly is frequency-dependent,which is a typical characteristic of relaxor ferroelectric phase transition.However,the low-temperature anomaly is heating-rate dependent,which is related to structural relaxation.These two phase transitions are accompanied with the changes in local symmetry,which is related to disordered atoms that are induced by size effects in SBT nanoparticles.

Controlled Preparation of Monodisperse CoFe_2O_4 Nanoparticles by a Facile Method

CoFe2O4 nanoparticles （NPs） were synthesized by coprecipitation method using FeCl3·6H2O and CoCl2·6H2O as precursors.The synthesized conditions were optimized,such as added means of precipitator,quantity of precipitator,the mol ratio of Fe 3＋ to Co2＋,reaction temperature and pH value.The synthesized material was characterized by XRD,TEM,FTIR,EDS,Raman and its magnetic properties were studied by VSM.The experimental results confirm that the sample is cubic spinel structure CoFe2O4 with a narrow size distribution and a good dispersion feature.CoFe2O4 NPs with well-controlled shape and size was obtained at 70℃.The magnetic properties indicate superparamagnetic behavior and good saturated magnetization.

The Film-forming Behavior on the Interface between Air and Hydrosol of Fe_2O_3 Nanoparticles

The film forming behavior on the interface between air and hydrosol of Fe2O3 nanoparticles was investigated by the surface pressure-time isotherms, the surface pressure-trough area isotherms, Brewster angle microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. It is found that the freshly prepared hydrosol of Fe2O3 nanoparticles is not stable. The surface pressure increases with the aging time and finally approaches a constant, and the smaller the concentration is, the smaller the surface pressure is stabilized at and the shorter the time the hydrosol reaching stable needs. The surface pressure also increases with compression until collapsed, and the longer the hydrosol is aged, the higher the collapsing pressure is. A uniform and compact film composed of nanoparticles with an average diameter of about 2-3 nm on the air-hydrosol interface is observed by Brewster angle microscope and transmission electron microscope.

A Solvothermal Route to Cu_2O Nanocubes and Cu Nanoparticles

Cu2O nanocubes and Cu nanoparticles were prepared by reducing Cu（ Ⅱ ） salt with ethanol as the reducing agent and solvent in the presence of multidentate ligand poly（vinylpyrrolidone） （PVP） under different conditions. The morphologies and the crystalline structures of the products were characterized by using scanning electron microscopy （SEM）, transmission electron microscopy（TEM）, selected-area electron diffraction（ SAED）, and powder X-ray diffraction（XRD）. In particular, the influences of the solvothennal reaction temperature and alkalinity on the products were investigated. A lower temperature and a lower alkali concentration favor the formation of the Cu2O phase, whereas a higher temperature and a higher alkali concentration generally lead to the formation of the Cu phase.