Enhancing the stability of Ni Fe-layered double hydroxide nanosheet array for alkaline seawater oxidation by Ce doping

Electrocatalytic hydrogen production from seawater holds enormous promise for clean energy generation.Nevertheless,the direct electrolysis of seawater encounters significant challenges due to poor anodic stability caused by detrimental chlorine chemistry.Herein,we present our recent discovery that the incorporation of Ce into Ni Fe layered double hydroxide nanosheet array on Ni foam(Ce-Ni Fe LDH/NF)emerges as a robust electrocatalyst for seawater oxidation.During the seawater oxidation process,CeO_(2)is generated,effectively repelling Cl^(-)and inhibiting the formation of Cl O-,resulting in a notable enhancement in the oxidation activity and stability of alkaline seawater.The prepared Ce-Ni Fe LDH/NF requires only overpotential of 390 m V to achieve the current density of 1 A cm^(-2),while maintaining long-term stability for 500 h,outperforming the performance of Ni Fe LDH/NF(430 m V,150 h)by a significant margin.This study highlights the effectiveness of a Ce-doping strategy in augmenting the activity and stability of materials based on Ni Fe LDH in seawater electrolysis for oxygen evolution.

Kinetics and Mechanism of the Photo-oxidation of Thiophene by O_2 Adsorbed on Molecular Sieves

Photochemical oxidation of thiophene in n-octane/water extraction system using O2 as oxidant was studied. The reaction mechanism ofthiophene oxidation was proposed. Results obtained here can be used as the reference for the oxidative desulfurization of gasoline because thiophene is one of the main components containing sulfur in fluid catalytic cracking gasoline. Thiophene dissolved in n-octane was photodecomposed and removed into the water phase at ambient temperature and atmospheric pressure. A 500 W high-pressure mercury lamp （main wave length 365 nm, 0.22 kW/m） was used as light source for irradiation, and air was introduced by a gas pump to supply O2. Thiophene can be photo-oxidized to sulfone, oxalic acid, SO4^2-, and CO2. The desulfurization yield of thiophene in n-octane is 58.9% under photo-irradiation for 5 h under the conditions of air flow at 150 mL/min and V（water）：V（n-octane）=1：1. It can be improved to 92.3% by adding 0.15 g zeoliteartificial into 100 mL reaction system, which is the adsorbent for O2 and thiophene. And under such conditions, the photo-oxidation kinetics of thiophene with O2/zeoliteartificial is first-order with an apparent rate constant of 0.5047 h^-1 and a half-time of 1.37 h. The sulfur content can be depressed from 800 μL/L to less than 62 μL/L.

EFFECTS OF ORGANIC COLORANTS ON PHOTO-INITIATED CROSSLINKING AND PHOTO-OXIDATION DEGRADATION OF POLYETHYLENE AND RELATED MECHANISM

The effects of three organic colorants on photo-initiated crosslinking and photo-oxidation degradation of polyethylene (PE) samples irradiated by microwave excited (MWE) UV lamp in the melt and the related mechanism have been studied by gel content and thermal extension rate determinations,X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS),mechanical property tests,UV spectroscopy,and light microscope.The data from the gel content and thermal extension rate determinations of photo-crosslinked polyethylene (XLPE) sample...

Fabrication of self-organized TiO_2 nanotubes by anodic oxidation and their photocatalysis

Self-organized TiO2 nanotubes were prepared on titanium foils at anodizing voltage of 20V in 0.5% HF solution for 2030min in order to provide a novel high-efficiency photocatalyst. And the resulting TiO2 nanotubes, in periodic ring structures around their exteriors, are open on the top, while closed on the bottom. After annealing for 3h in ambient atmosphere, the anatase phase was found, with the increasing content, in the originally amorphous TiO2 nanotubes treated at 350, 400 and 450℃; whereas the rutile phase emerged at 500℃, and the nanotube architecture could be preserved till 550℃. Furthermore, TiO2 nanotubes, fabricated at anodizing voltage of 20V for 20min and then annealed at 400℃, possesses the best photo-catalytic activity, i.e. the decolourisation of methyl orange irradiated for 40min is 99.6%.

TiO₂-Polysulfone Beads for Use in Photo Oxidation of Rhodamine B

The nano sized TiO2 has been synthesized by sol gel process. The titaniumisopropaxide diluted in propanol hydrolyzed under acidic condition to form a gel. The solvent from gel pores has been extracted at ambient pressure resulting in nano sized TiO2 crystallites. The crystalline phase of TiO2 could be assigned to anatase structure. An average crystallite size is about 12 nm. The surface area of TiO2 found to be 235 m2/g. The TiO2 nanocrystallites thus produced were blended with polysulphone to form its beads for ease of operation. These beads of TiO2 were used as photo catalyst in conjunction with H2O2 oxidizer in presence of UV light (254 nm) for treating the 50 ppm Rhodamine B aqueous solution. The solution decolorized within 10 minutes resulting in disappearance of absorption peak at around 600 nm in UV spectrometry. The organic entities degrade in about 60 minutes. The beads of nano sized TiO2 could be easily recovered from the treated effluent for further use.

Propene and CO oxidation on Pt/Ce-Zr-SO_4^(2-) diesel oxidation catalysts:Effect of sulfate on activity and stability

Platinum/cerium-zirconium-sulfate（Pt/Ce-Zr-SO_4^（2-）） catalysts were prepared by wetness impregnation.Catalytic activities were evaluated from the combustion of propene and CO.Sulfate（SO_4^（2-））addition improved the catalytic activity significantly.When using Pt/Ce-Zr-SO_4^（2-） with 10 wt%SO_4^（2-）,the temperature for 90%conversion of propene and CO decreased by 75℃ compared with Pt/Ce-Zr.The conversion exceeded 95%at 240℃ even after 0.02%sulfur dioxide poisoning for 20 h.Temperature-programmed desorption of CO and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analyses revealed an improvement in Pt dispersion onto the Ce-Zr-SO_4^（2-） support,and the increased number of Pt particles built up more Pt^（-）-（SO_4^（2-））^（-） couples,which resulted in excellent activity.The increased total acidity and new Bronsted acid sites on the surface provided the Pt/Ce-Zr-SO_4^（2-） with good sulfur resistance.

Methane Oxidation to Synthesis Gas Using Lattice Oxygen of La_(1-x)Sr_xMO_(3-λ)(M =Fe,Mn) Perovskite Oxides Instead of Molecular Oxygen

In this paper, the partial oxidation of methane to synthesis gas using lattice oxygen of La1- SrxMO3-λ (M=Fe, x Mn) perovskite oxides instead of molecular oxygen was investigated. The redox circulation between 11% O2/Ar flow and 11% CH4/He flow at 900℃ shows that methane can be oxidized to CO and H2 with a selectivity of over 90.7% using the lattice oxygen of La1- SrxFeO3-λ (x≤0.2) perovskite oxides in an appropriate reaction condition, while the lost lattice x oxygen can be supplemented by air re-oxidation. It is viable for the lattice oxygen of La1- SrxFeO3-λ (x≤0.2) perovskite x oxides instead of molecular oxygen to react with methane to synthesis gas in the redox mode.

Non-isothermal oxidation of coal with Ce(NO3)3 and Cu(NO3)2 additives

Non-isothermal oxidation of brown coal with 5 wt% of Cu(NO3)2, 5 wt% of Ce(NO3)3 and {2.5 wt% Cu(NO3)2 + 2.5 wt% Ce(NO3)3} additives was studied. The introduction of additives was carried out by an incipient wet impregnation method to ensure uniform distribution of cerium and copper nitrates within the structure of coal powdery samples (according to SEM and EDX mapping). The samples reactivity was studied in an isothermal oxidation regime at 200 °C (1 h) and by DSC/TGA at 2.5 °C/min heating rate. The additives implementation was found to reduce significantly the oxidation onset temperature (△Ti = 20-55 °C), the samples oxidation delay time (△ti= 2-22 min) and overall duration of the oxidation process (△tc = 8-16 min). The additives efficiency could be graded in accordance with the activation on the coal oxidation in the following row: Cu(NO3)2 >{Cu(NO3)2 + Ce(NO3)3}> Ce(NO3)3. According to the mass spectroscopy, the obtained row of activation correlates well with the initial temperature of the studied nitrate's decomposition (from 190 to 223 °C). A presence of nitrates was found to change significantly the trend of heat release taking place during the oxidation of coal samples (according to DSC/TGA data). The influence of coal morphology and volatiles concern in initial sample on the parameters of the oxidation process was studied as well. Activation energy (Ea) of the coal oxidation was calculated using Coats-Redfern method. Maximum decrease in Ea from 69 to 58 kJ/mol was observed for the samples with Cu(NO3)2. Graphical abstract.

PHOTOCHEMICAL OXIDATION OF BENZOTHIOPHENE IN SEAWATER

Kinetic investigation into the phogochemical oxidation of benzothiophene in seawater showed that photo-oxidation rates of benzothiophene were influenced by the medium,pH,heary metal ion,dissolved oxygen,and light intensity.The photo-oxidation of benzothiophene followed the first order reaction law, with the rate constants ranging from 1.21×10 -5 /s to 5.38×10 -5 /s.An interesting observation was that the presence of Hg 2+ could markedly enhance the photo-oxidation rate of benzothiophene in seawater;and that the photo-oxidation rate of benzothiophene increased with light intensity.The effect of oxygen on the rate constant for benzothiophene photolysis was also observed.Compared with purging with nitrogen,purging seawater with oxygen evidently increased the photolysis rate of benzothiophene. Based on this observation,a benzothiophene photo-oxidation mechanism including singlet oxygen (O 2 1 Δ g) was suggested.Two photolysis products of benzothiophene were identified.The photolysis of benzothiophene is considered to be important in the removal of this compound in seawater.

Ca and Sr co-doping induced oxygen vacancies in 3DOM La_(2-x)Sr_(x)Ce_(2-y)CayO_(7-δ)catalysts for boosting low-temperature oxidative coupling of methane

It is urgent to develop catalysts with application potential for oxidative coupling of methane(OCM)at relatively lower temperature.Herein,three-dimensional ordered macro porous(3 DOM)La_(2-x)Sr_(x)Ce_(2-y)CayO_(7-δ)(A_(2)B_(2)O_(7)-type)catalysts with disordered defective cubic fluorite phased structure were successfully prepared by a colloidal crystal template method.3DOM structure promotes the accessibility of the gaseous reactants(O2and CH4)to the active sites.The co-doping of Ca and Sr ions in La_(2-x)Sr_(x)Ce_(2-y)CayO_(7-δ)catalysts improved the formation of oxygen vacancies,thereby leading to increased density of surface-active oxygen species(O_(2)^(-))for the activation of CH4and the formation of C2products(C2H6and C2H4).3DOM La_(2-x)Sr_(x)Ce_(2-y)CayO_(7-δ)catalysts exhibit high catalytic activity for OCM at low temperature.3DOM La1.7Sr0.3Ce1.7Ca0.3O7-δcatalyst with the highest density of O_(2)^(-)species exhibited the highest catalytic activity for low-temperature OCM,i.e.,its CH4conversion,selectivity and yield of C2products at 650℃are 32.2%,66.1%and 21.3%,respectively.The mechanism was proposed that the increase in surface oxygen vacancies induced by the co-doping of Ca and Sr ions boosts the key step of C-H bond breaking and C-C bond coupling in catalyzing low-temperature OCM.It is meaningful for the development of the low-temperature and high-efficient catalysts for OCM reaction in practical application.

Heterogeneous Photooxidation of Phenol by Catalytic Membranes

In this work the heterogenization in polymeric membranes of decatungstate,a photocatalyst for oxidation reactions,was reported.Solid state characterization techniques confirmed that the catalyst structure was preserved within the polymeric membranes.The catalytic membranes were successfully applied in the aerobic photo-oxidation of phenol,one of the main organic pollutants in wastewater,providing stable and recyclable photocatalytic systems.The dependence of the phenol degradation rate by the catalyst loading and transmembrane pressure was shown.By comparison with homogeneous reaction,the catalyst heterogenized in membrane appears to be more efficient concerning the rate of phenol photodegradation and mineralization.

Applied bias photon-to-current conversion efficiency of ZnO enhanced by hybridization with reduced graphene oxide

The role of reduced graphene oxide（rGO） in the enhancement of photo-conversion efficiency of ZnO films for photoelectrochemical（PEC） water-splitting applications was analyzed. ZnO and rGO-hybridized ZnO（rGO/ZnO） films were prepared via a two-step electrochemical deposition method followed by annealing at 300 °C under argon gas flow. The physical, optical and electrochemical properties of the films were characterized to identify the effect of rGO-hybridization on the applied bias photon-to-current efficiency（ABPE） of ZnO. Scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction indicated the formation of verticallyaligned, wurtzite-phase ZnO nanorods. Diffuse-reflectance UV–visible spectroscopy indicated that rGO-hybridization was able to increase the light absorption range of the rGO/ZnO film. UPS analysis showed that hybridization with rGO increased the band gap of ZnO（3.56 eV） to 3.63 eV for rGO/ZnO sample,which may be attributed to the Burstein–Moss effect. Photoluminescence（PL） spectra disclosed that rGOhybridization suppressed electron-hole recombination due to crystal defects. Linear sweep voltammetry of the prepared thin films showed photocurrent density of 1.0 and 1.8 m A/cm;for ZnO and rGO/ZnO at+0.7 V, which corresponded to an ABPE of 0.55% and 0.95%, respectively. Thus, this report highlighted the multi-faceted role of rGO-hybridization in the enhancement of ZnO photo-conversion efficiency.

Studies on Photocatalytic Degradation of Acridine Orange and Chloroform Sensing Using As-Grown Antimony oxide Microstructures

Flower shaped antimony oxide (Sb2O3) microstructures were synthesized in a large quantity via simple solution method using aqueous mixtures of antimony chloride and hexamethylene diamine (HMDA). The morphological characterizations were done by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), which revealed that the synthesized products possess flower-shaped microstructures. The detailed structural characterizations performed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectrophotometer (FT-IR) and Raman spectrophotometer confirmed that the synthesized microstructures are well-crystalline antimony oxide. The Energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) shows that the grown products are composed of Sb and O. Optical properties of the synthesized products were characterized by UV-Visible spectrophotometer which exhibits a well defined peak at ~ 291.0 nm. The photo-catalytic activity of the Sb2O3 microstructures was evaluated by degradation of acridine orange (AO), which mineralized almost 63.0% in 150 min. The chemical sensing properties of Sb2O3 microstructures was also studied by I-V technique using chloroform as a detecting solvent. The fabricated chloroform sensor demonstrates good sensitivity of 0.1154 μA cm–2 mM–1, lower-detection limit (~0.1 mM), large-linear dynamic range (LDR, 0.122 mM to 1.22 M) with linearity (R = 0.7898) in short response time (10.0 sec).

Effect of ZnO on Oxidation Resistance of Low Carbon MgO-C Refractories

Al-containing low carbon MgO - C refractories were prepared using 70% （in mass, the same hereinafter） fused magnesia （ ≤3 mm）, 24% fused magnesia powder （ 〈0. 074 mm） , 3% flake graphite, 3% Al powder and 4% phenolic resin （extra-added） as the basic formulation. Influence of ZnO addhion on oxidation resistance of the materials was investigated by adding 1% ZnO to substitute fused magnesia powder. The relationship between in-situ formed spinel and ZnO in the matrix was discussed by comparing apparent porosity, cold crushing strength, and phase evolution of the materials matrix. The oxidation resistances of the two materials were compared by observing the formed dense MgO layer between the decarburized layer and the original layer. The result shows that adding ZnO in MgO - C refractories accelerates the in-situ formation of ZnAl204 spinel and the formation of dense MgO layer, thus improves the oxidation resistance of the low carbon MgO - C refractories.

Performance of a Demonstrative (Scale-Pilot) Double Advanced Oxidation Wastewater Treatment Plant to Treat Discharges from a Small Community in Morelia, Michoacán, México

This paper,reports the performance of a wastewater treatment scale-pilot plant to treat 2 GPM(Gallons per Minute)discharges with 5,205 mg/L of pollutants expressed in COD(Chemical Oxygen Demand),from“Lomas de la Maestransa”a small community in Morelia City,Michoacan,Mexico.The scale-pilot plant is a train with(1)pretreatment with a triturated pump for floating solid,(2)primary treatment with“in line”coagulation,and rapid filtration to retain suspended colloids and dissolved solids higher of 5μm diameter,(3)double advanced oxidation as secondary treatment with ozone and heterogeneous photo catalysis to oxidize volatile solids,and(4)tertiary treatment with activated carbon to retain refractory compounds.Plant performance was analyzed by a certified laboratory that belongs to Potable Water,Sewage and Sanitation Department from Morelia City Government.Results show that treated water effluent complied with the Mexican Official Standard NOM-001-SEMARNAT-1996 for discharges into national waters,with exception of fecal coliforms,since the raw water contains an average of 64,228,351 MNP/100 mL of fecal coliforms,and in spite that we obtained a 99.998%efficiency,the maximum level allowable 2,000 MPN/100 mL standard,was exceeded by 400 MPN/100 mL.After this experience,the wastewater treatment plant is equipped with a residual chlorine tank to keep a 1.5 ppm chlorine residual concentration to keep the treated water clean.This project was possible because we had the support of the Morelia Sanitation Department.

Coherent-Synchronized Oxidation of Pyridine with Nitrous Oxide to 2,2- and 2,3-Dipyridil

Synthesis of pyridine bases by way of relatively simple transformations with use of cheaper and available raw, is an actual problem. In this aspect the method in which the reactions of hydro-carbons oxidation are induced by nitrous oxide, is of scientific and practical interest. In the present work, the authors report the results of the experiments coherent-synchronized oxidation of pyridine with nitrous oxide to 2,2- and 2,3-dipyridyle.

Partial Oxidation of Methane to Synthesis Gas over Hexaaluminates LaMAl_(11)O_(19-δ) catalysts

A series of M-substituted hexaaluminates LaMAl11O19-δ （M=Fe, Co, Ni, Mn, and Cu） were prepared and characterized by XRD, XPS, TPR and TGA techniques, respectively. They exhibited different reducibility and catalytic activity for partial oxidation of methane （POM） to synthesis gas. Among the LaMAl11019-δ samples, LaNiAl11O19-δ showed the best catalytic activity for the topic reaction and selectivity for synthesis gas at 780 ℃ for 2 h. The conversion of CH4 was over 99.2%, and the product selectivity for both CO and H2 was above 90.3%.

Oxidation of Al_2O_3-30%TiCN-0.2%Y_2O_3 Composite

The oxidation behavior of Al2O3-30%TiCN-0.2%Y2O3 composite and its effect on high temperature bending strength was studied. The result indicates that the mass gain during static oxidation of the material under normal atmosphere follows the parabolic law. Oxide increases with increasing temperature and prolonging time. It has good oxidation resistance. The product of oxidation of the material is TiO2. Therefore, the volume of the material expands. The oxide film is destroyed because residual stress inside the oxide film is released. Proper oxidation is beneficial to the improvement of bending strength of Al2O3-30%TiCN-0.2%Y2O3 composite. The strength increase is up to 4.5%.

Comparative Study of the Effects of Thermal and Photochemical Accelerated Oxidations on Quality of “Green Type” and “Black Type” French Olive Oils

Oxidative stability of two commercial olive oils of different specificity (green type and black type) has been studied during thermal and photochemical accelerated processes through the evolution of quality indices. It might help to assure a good utilisation of olive oil. In most of works described in literature, they are measured individually. In this study, a Principal Component Analysis (PCA) has been performed to emphasize their variation and describe in concise way the quality and the safety of extra-virgin olive oil after two oxidative stresses. No difference had been detected between both type oils when they are heated. Peroxides, aldehydes and conjugated dienes and trienes were formed but rapidly degraded into final oxidation compounds, mainly acid compounds. During the photochemical process, similar changes occurred slower and the green type oil had shown better stability because of its higher phenolic content. The fatty acids had been more impacted (higher disappearance of monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA)) when the oils were heated than when irradiated. Saturated fatty acids (SFA), MUFA and PUFA were the most relevant indicators to characterize non-oxidized oils and PV characterized the early stage of oil oxidation.

Amino-Functionalized Reduced Graphene-Oxide-Copper (I) Oxide Composite: A Prospective Catalyst for Photo-Reduction of CO2

In the present article, an easy synthetic strategy of a novel composite photo-catalyst comprising of amino-functionalized reduced graphene oxide and Cu2O has been proposed. Role of this composite catalyst in photo reduction of CO2 has been analyzed and it is shown that both amino groups and reduced grapheme oxide, participate in enhancing quantum yield of the photo reduction process.