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The co-crystallisation of [NiEn3](NO3)2 (En = ethylenediamine) with Na2MoO4 and Na2WO4 from a water solution results in the formation of [NiEn3](MoO4)0.5(WO4)0.5 co-crystals. According to the X-ray diffraction analysis of eight single crystals, the parameters of the hexagonal unit cell (space group P–31c, Z = 2) vary in the following intervals: a = 9.2332(3)–9.2566(6); c = 9.9512(12)–9.9753(7) Å with the Mo/W ratio changing from 0.513(3)/0.487(3) to 0.078(4)/0.895(9). The thermal decomposition of [NiEn3](MoO4)0.5(WO4)0.5 individual crystals obtained by co-crystallisation was performed in He and H2 atmospheres. The ex situ X-ray study of thermal decomposition products shows the formation of nanocrystalline refractory alloys and carbide composites containing ternary Ni–Mo–W phases. The formation of carbon–nitride phases at certain stages of heating up to 1000 °C were shown.
Cyclic polylactides were prepared in bulk at 170 °C, crystallized at 120 °C and then annealed at temperatures between 130 and 170 C with variation of catalyst, catalyst concentration and annealing time. The transformation of the initially formed low melting (LTm) crystallites, having melting temperatures (Tm) <180 °C into high melting (HTm) crystallites having Tm values > 189 °C was monitored by means of DSC measurements and characterized in selected cases by SAXS measurements. It was confirmed that the formation of HTm crystallites involves a significant growth of the thickness of the lamellar crystallites along with smoothing of their surface. Annealing at 170 °C for 1 d or longer causes thermal degradation with lowering of the molecular weights, a gradual transition of cyclic into linear chains and a moderate decrease of lamellar thickness. An unexpected result revealed by MALDI TOF mass spectrometry is a partial reorganization of the molecular weight distribution driven by a gain of crystallization enthalpy.
Modern design of superior multi-functional alloys composed of several principal components requires in-depth studies of their local structure for developing desired macroscopic properties. Herein, peculiarities of atomic arrangements on the local scale and electronic states of constituent elements in the single-phase face-centered cubic (fcc)- and body-centered cubic (bcc)-structured high-entropy Alx-CrFeCoNi alloys (x = 0.3 and 3, respectively) are explored by element-specific X-ray absorption spectroscopy in hard and soft X-ray energy ranges. Simulations based on the reverse Monte Carlo approach allow to perform a simultaneous fit of extended X-ray absorption fine structure spectra recorded at K absorption edges of each 3d constituent and to reconstruct the local environment within the first coordination shells of absorbers with high precision. The revealed unimodal and bimodal distributions of all five elements are in agreement with structure-dependent magnetic properties of studied alloys probed by magnetometry. A degree of surface atoms oxidation uncovered by soft X-rays suggests different kinetics of oxide formation for each type of constituents and has to be taken into account. X-ray magnetic circular dichroism technique employed at L2,3 absorption edges of transition metals demonstrates reduced magnetic moments of 3d metal constituents in the sub-Surface region of in situ cleaned fcc-structured Al0.3-CrFeCoNi compared to their bulk values. Extended to nanostructured versions of multicomponent alloys, such studies would bring new insights related to effects of high entropy mixing on low dimensions.
ACEnano is an EU-funded project which aims at developing, optimising and validating methods for the detection and characterisation of nanomaterials (NMs) in increasingly complex matrices to improve confidence in the results and support their use in regulation. Within this project, several interlaboratory comparisons (ILCs) for the determination of particle size and concentration have been organised to benchmark existing analytical methods. In this paper the results of a number of these ILCs for the characterisation of NMs are presented and discussed. The results of the analyses of pristine well-defined particles such as 60 nm Au NMs in a simple aqueous suspension showed that laboratories are well capable of determining the sizes of these particles. The analysis of particles in complex matrices or formulations such as consumer products resulted in larger variations in particle sizes within technologies and clear differences in capability between techniques. Sunscreen lotion sample analysis by laboratories using spICP-MS and TEM/SEM identified and confirmed the TiO2 particles as being nanoscale and compliant with the EU definition of an NM for regulatory purposes. In a toothpaste sample orthogonal results by PTA, spICP-MS and TEM/SEM agreed and stated the TiO2 particles as not fitting the EU definition of an NM. In general, from the results of these ILCs we conclude that laboratories are well capable of determining particle sizes of NM, even in fairly complex formulations.
Theoretical calculations suggest a strong dependence of electrical conductivity and doping concentration in transition-metal doped titania. Herein, we present a combined theoretical and experimental approach for the prediction of relative phase stability and electrical conductivity in niobium-doped titania as model system.
Our method paves the way towards the development of materials with improved electrical properties.
The localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) excitation in plasmonic nanoparticles (NPs) in the visible and near-infrared ranges is currently at the forefront of improving photocatalytic performances via plasmonic photocatalysis. One bottleneck of this field is that the NPs that often display the best optical properties in the visible and near-infrared ranges are based on expensive noble metals such as silver (Ag) and gold (Au). While earth-abundant plasmonic materials have been proposed together with catalytic metals in antenna–reactor systems, their performances remain limited by their optical properties. Importantly, the synthesis of plasmonic photocatalysts remains challenging in terms of scalability while often requiring several steps, high temperatures, and special conditions. Herein, we address these challenges by developing a one-pot, gram-scale, room-temperature synthesis of earth-abundant plasmonic photocatalysts while improving their activities beyond what has been dictated by the LSPR excitation of the plasmonic component. We describe the mechanochemical synthesis of earth-abundant plasmonic photocatalysts by using MoO3 (antenna) and Au (reactor) NPs as a proof-of-concept example and demonstrate that the dual plasmonic excitation of antenna and reactor sites enables the tuning of plasmonic photocatalytic performances toward the reductive coupling of nitrobenzene to azobenzene as a model reaction. In addition to providing a pathway to the facile and gram-scale synthesis of plasmonic photocatalysts, the results reported herein may open pathways to improved activities in plasmonic catalysis.
A key application of atomic force microscopy (AFM) is the measurement of physical properties at sub-micrometer resolution. Methods such as force–distance curves (FDCs) or dynamic variants (such as intermodulation AFM (ImAFM)) are able to measure mechanical properties (such as the local stiffness, kr) of nanoscopic heterogeneous materials. For a complete structure–property correlation, these mechanical measurements are considered to lack the ability to identify the chemical structure of the materials. In this study, the measured attractive force, Fattr, acting between the AFM tip and the sample is shown to be an independent measurement for the local chemical composition and hence a complete structure–property correlation can be obtained. A proof of concept is provided by two model samples comprised of (1) epoxy/polycarbonate and (2) epoxy/boehmite. The preparation of the model samples allowed for the assignment of material phases based on AFM topography. Additional chemical characterization on the nanoscale is performed by an AFM/infrared-spectroscopy hybrid method. Mechanical properties (kr) and attractive forces (Fattr) are calculated and a structure–property correlation is obtained by a manual principle component analysis (mPCA) from a kr/Fattr diagram. A third sample comprised of (3) epoxy/polycarbonate/boehmite is measured by ImAFM. The measurement of a 2 × 2 µm cross section yields 128 × 128 force curves which are successfully evaluated by a kr/Fattr diagram and the nanoscopic heterogeneity of the sample is determined.
Epoxy nanocomposites are promising materials for industrial applications (i.e., aerospace, marine and automotive industry) due to their extraordinary mechanical and thermal properties. Here, the effect of hollow halloysite nanotubes (HNT) on an epoxy matrix (Ep) was the focus of the study. The structure and molecular mobility of the nanocomposites were investigated using a combination of X-ray scattering, calorimetry (differential (DSC) and fast scanning calorimetry (FSC)) and dielectric spectroscopy. Additionally, the effect of surface modification of HNT (polydopamine (PDA) and Fe(OH)3 nanodots) was considered. For Ep/HNT, the glass transition temperature (Tg) is was de-creased due to a nanoparticle-related decrease of the crosslinking density. For the modified system, Ep/m-HNT, the surface modification resulted in enhanced filler–matrix interactions leading to higher Tg values than the pure epoxy in some cases. For Ep/m-HNT, the amount of interface formed between the nanoparticles and the matrix ranged from 5% to 15%. Through BDS measurements, localized fluctuations were detected as a β- and γ-relaxation, related to rotational fluctuations of phenyl rings and local reorientations of unreacted components. A combination of calorimetry and BDS dielectric spectroscopy revealed a dynamic and structural heterogeneity of the matrix, as confirmed by two glassy dynamics in both systems, related to regions with different crosslinking densities.
The reinforcing effect of boehmite nanoparticles (BNP) in epoxy resins for fiber composite lightweight construction is related to the formation of a soft but bound interphase between filler and polymer. The interphase is able to dissipate crack propagation energy and consequently increases the fracture toughness of the epoxy resin. Usually, the nanoparticles are dispersed in the resin and then mixed with the hardener to form an applicable mixture to impregnate the fibers. If one wishes to locally increase the fracture toughness at particularly stressed positions of the fiber-reinforced polymer composites (FRPC), this could be done by spraying nanoparticles from a suspension. However, this would entail high costs for removing the nanoparticles from the ambient air. We propose that a fiber fleece containing bound nanoparticles be inserted at exposed locations. For the present proof-of-concept study, an electrospun polycarbonate nonwoven and taurine modified BNP are proposed. After fabrication of suitable PC/EP/BNP composites, the thermomechanical properties were tested by dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA). Comparatively, the local nanomechanical properties such as stiffness and elastic modulus were determined by atomic force microscopy (AFM). An additional investigation of the distribution of the nanoparticles in the epoxy matrix, which is a prerequisite for an effective nanocomposite, is carried out by scanning electron microscopy in transmission mode (TSEM). From the results it can be concluded that the concept of carrier fibers for nanoparticles is viable.
Time resolved in situ (TRIS) monitoring has revolutionised the study of mechanochemical transformations but has been limited by available data quality. Here we report how a combination of miniaturised grinding jars together with innovations in X-ray powder diffraction data collection and state-of-the-art analysis strategies transform the power of TRIS synchrotron mechanochemical experiments. Accurate phase compositions, comparable to those obtained by ex situ measurements, can be obtained with small sample loadings. Moreover, microstructural parameters (crystal size and microstrain) can be also determined with high confidence. This strategy applies to all chemistries, is readily implemented, and yields high-quality diffraction data even using a low energy synchrotron source. This offers a direct avenue towards the mechanochemical investigation of reactions comprising scarce, expensive, or toxic compounds. Our strategy is applied to model systems, including inorganic, metal-organic, and organic mechanosyntheses, resolves previously misinterpreted mechanisms in mechanochemical syntheses, and promises broad, new directions for mechanochemical research.