Solvent extraction of scandium(III), yttrium(III), lanthanum(III) and gadolinium(III) using Cyanex 302 in heptane from hydrochloric acid solutions

The extractions of the selected rare earths (Sc, Y, La and Gd) from hydrochloric acid solutions have been investigated using bis(2,4,4-trimethylpentyl)-mono thiophosphinic acid (Cyanex 302, HL) in heptane as an extractant. The results demonstrate that the extractions of rare earths occur via the following reaction: Sc(OH)(2+) + 2[(HL)(2)]((O)) double left right arrow [Sc(OH)L-2 (.) 2(HL)]((O)) + 2H(+) Y3+ + 3[(HL)(2)]((O)) double left right arrow [Y(HL2)(3)]((O)) + 3H(+) La(OH)(2)(+) + 3[(HL)(2)](O) double left right arrow [La(OH)(2)L (.) 5(HL)]((O)) + H+ Gd(OH)(2+) + 3[(HL)(2)]((O)) double left right arrow [Gd(OH)L-2 (.) 4(HL)]((O)) + 2H(+) The pH(1/2) values and equilibrium constants of the extracted complexes have been deduced by taking into account the aqueous phase complexation of the metal ion with hydroxyl ligands and plausible complexes extracted into the organic phase. According to the pH(1/2) values, it is possible to realize mutual separation among Sc(III), Y(III), La(III) and Gd(III) with Cyanex 302 by controlling aqueous acidity.

Extraction and separation of cerium(IV) from nitric acid solutions containing thorium(IV) and rare earths(III) by DEHEHP

The extraction behaviour of Ce(IV), Th(IV) and part of RE(III), viz., La, Ce, Nd and Yb, has been investigated using di(2-ethylhexyl) 2-ethylhexyl phosphonate (DEHEHP,B) in heptane as an extractant. Results show that extractability varies in the order: Ce(IV) > Th(IV) much greater than RE(III). Therefore, it is possible to find the appropriate conditions under which Ce(IV) can be effectively separated from Th(IV) and RE(III). Furthermore, stripping Ce(IV) from the loaded organic phase can be carried out by dilute H2SO4 with an aliquot of H2O2.Roasted bastnasite made in Baotou (China) by Na2CO3 and leached by HNO3, there is about 50% Ce mainly as tetravalent nitrate along with other RE(III) and Th(IV) in the leachings. Through fractional extraction, taking nitric acid leachings of roasted Bastnasite as feed and DEHEHP as an extractant, we can obtain the CeO2 products with high purity of 99.9-99.99%, with a yield of >85%, in which ThO2/CeO2 < 10(-4).

Separation of thorium(IV) and extracting rare earths from sulfuric and phosphoric acid solutions by solvent extraction method

The bastnasite of Baotou (China) was roasted in concentrated sulfuric acid at 250-300 degreesC and the calcined products were leached by water. Almost all rare earths (RE) were moved into solutions in trivalent along with some radioactive impurity thorium(IV) (Th(IV))which accounts for 0.4% of RE and other impurities such as Fe(III), Ca, F, P, etc. Through fractional extraction (seven stages for extraction and nine for scrubbing), the mass ratio of Th(IV) and RE (ThO2/REO) in solution has decreased to 5 x 10(-6). The purity of ThO2 product recovered from organic phase is above 99%. The iron(III) in solutions can be removed in the form of precipitation by adding some magnesia into the solutions. Then RE can be concentrated by solvent extraction with 2-ethylhexyl phosphinic acid 2-ethylhexylester (P-507). The results of fractional extraction show that the concentration of total RE in aqueous solutions stripped by hydrochloric acid is over 200 g REO/I with the yield of RE above 99%. Individual RE can be attained by solvent extraction with P507 in the following process.

Analysis of interfacial phenomena of aqueous solutions of polyethylene oxide and polyethylene glycol flowing in hydrophilic and hydrophobic capillary viscometers

Viscosities of aqueous solutions of five polyethylene oxide (PEO) samples with molar masses from 1.5 x 10(5) to 1.0 x 10(6) were carefully measured in a polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) capillary Ubbelohde viscometer in the concentration range from dilute down to extremely dilute concentration regions and compared with those of the same sample obtained from a glass capillary viscometer. At the same time, viscosities of aqueous solutions of three PEG samples in glass and paraffin-coated capillary viscosity were measured. The wall effects occurred in viscosity measurements for PEO and PEG aqueous solutions in different capillary viscometers were theoretically analyzed and discussed. It was found that different interfacial behaviors occurred in both hydrophobic and hydrophilic capillary viscometers respectively and the interfacial behaviors also exhibit molar mass dependence.

Probing the micellization of diblock and triblock copolymers of poly(L-lactide) and poly(ethylene glycol) in aqueous and NaCl salt solutions

The micelle formation of a series of amphiphilic block copolymers in aqueous and NaCl solutions was studied by a fluorescent probe technique using pyrene as a 'model drug'. These copolymers were synthesized from poly (ethylene glycol) (PEG) and L-lactide by a new calcium ammoniate catalyst. They had fixed PEG block lengths (44, 104 or 113 ethylene oxide units) and various poly(L-lactide) (PLLA) block lengths (15-280 lactide units). The critical micelle concentration (cmc) was found to decrease with increasing PLLA content. The distinct dissimilarity of the cmc values of diblock and triblock copolymers based on the same block length of PEG provided evidence for the different configurations of their micelles. It was also observed that the introduction of NaCl salt significantly contributed to a decrease in the cmcs of the copolymers with short PEG and PLLA blocks, while it had less influence on the cmcs of copolymers with long PEG or PLLA blocks. The dependence of partition coefficients ranging from 0.2x10(5) to 1.9x10(5) on the PLLA content in the copolymer and on the micelle configuration was also discussed.

Coordination reactions in the extraction of cerium(IV) and fluorine(I) by DEHEHP from mixed nitric acid and hydrofluoric acid solutions

The coordination reactions during the solvent extraction of cerium(IV) and fluorine(l) from mixed nitric acid and hydrofluoric acid solutions by di-(2-ethylhexyl)-2-ethylhexylphosphonate, L (DEHEHP) in heptane have been investigated. The extraction data have been analyzed by graphical methods taking into account all plausible species extracted into the organic phase. Different variables influencing the extraction of Ce(IV), such as the concentrations of nitrate ions, hydrofluroric acid, nitric acid, and extractant have been studied. The results demonstrate that DEHEHP can extract not only Ce(NO3)(4) as Ce(NO3)4.2L and HF as HF (.) H2O (.) L, but both together as Ce(HF)(NO3)(4) (.) L. The extraction equilibrium equations are determined according to slope analysis and IR spectra. The equilibrium constants of the extracted complexes have been calculated, taking into account complexation between the metal ion and inorganic ligands in the aqueous phase and all plausible complexes extracted into the organic phase. It is also shown that boric acid, which was added into the mixed solutions to complex with F(I) is not extracted by DEHEHP, and neither does it affect the extraction of cerium(IV) and HF, nor change the extraction mechanism.

Investigation of sol-gel transition in Pluronic F127/D2O solutions using a combination of small-angle neutron scattering and Monte Carlo simulation

Physical gelation in the concentrated Pluronic F127/D2O solution has been studied by a combination of small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) and Monte Carlo simulation. A 15% F127/D2O solution exhibits a sol-gel transition at low temperature and a gel-sol transition at the higher temperature, as evidenced by SANS and Monte Carlo simulation studies. Our SANS and simulation results also suggest that the sol-gel transition is dominated by the formation of a percolated polymer network, while the gel-sol transition is determined by the loss of bound solvent. Furthermore, different diffusion behaviors of different bound solvents and free solvent are observed. We expect that this approach can be further extended to study phase behaviors of other systems with similar sol-gel phase diagrams.

How does solvent molecular size affect the microscopic structure in polymer solutions?

Monte Carlo simulation has been used to investigate the effects of linear solvent molecular size on polymer chain conformation in solutions. Increasing the solvent molecular size leads to shrinkage of the polymer chains and increase of the critical overlap concentrations. The root-mean-square radius of gyration of polymer chains (R-g) is less sensitive to the variation of polymer concentration in solutions of larger solvent molecules. In addition, the dependency of R-g on polymer concentration under normal solvent conditions and solvent molecular size is in good agreement with scaling laws. When the solvent molecular size approaches the ideal end-to-end distance of the polymer chain, an extra aggregation of polymer chains occurs, and the solvent becomes the so-called medium-sized solvent. When the size of solvent molecules is smaller than the medium size, the polymer chains are swollen or partially swollen. However, when the size of solvent molecules is larger than the medium size, the polymer coils shrink and segregate, enwrapped by the large solvent molecules.

On improving the phase stability and thermal expansion coefficients of lanthanum cerium oxide solid solutions

The phase stability of lanthanum cerium oxide (La2Ce2O7), which is stable up to 1400 degrees C, and the thermal expansion coefficient of La2Ce2O7 doped with Ta2O5 or WO3 were studied. The thermal expansion coefficient of La2Ce2O7 below 400 degrees C was increased by adding more CeO2 or doping with either Ta2O5 or WO3.

Pressure effects on the thermodynamics of trans-decahydronaphthalene/polystyrene polymer solutions: Application of the Sanchez-Lacombe lattice fluid theory

The cloud-point temperatures (T-cl's) of trans-decahydronaphthalene(TD)/polystyrene (PS, (M) over bar (w) = 270 000) solutions were determined by light scattering measurements over a range of temperatures (1-16degreesC), pressures (100-900 bar), and compositions (4.2-21.6 vol.-% polymer). The system phase separates upon cooling and T-cl was found to increase with rising pressure for constant composition. In the absence of special effects, this finding indicates positive excess volume for the mixing. Special attention was paid to the demixing temperatures as a function of pressure for different polymer solutions and the plots in the T-phi plane (where phi signifies volume fractions). The cloud-point curves of polymer solutions under different pressures were observed for different compositions, which demonstrated that pressure has a greater effect on the TD/PS solutions when far from the critical point as opposed to near the critical point. The Sanchez-Lacombe lattice fluid theory (SLLFT) was used to calculate the spinodals, the binodals, the Flory-Huggins (FH) interaction parameter, the enthalpy of mixing, and the volume changes of mixing. The calculated results show that modified PS scaling parameters can describe the thermodynamics of the TD/PS system well. Moreover the SLLFT describes the experimental results well.

Nitrate-citrate combustion synthesis and properties of Ce1-xSmxO2-x/2 solid solutions

A nitrate-citrate combustion route to synthesize nanocrystalline samarium-doped ceria powders for solid electrolyte ceramics is presented. This route is based on the gelling of nitrate solutions by the addition of citric acid and ammonium hydroxide, followed by an intense combustion process due to an exothermic redox reaction between nitrate and citrate ions. The influence of ignition temperature on the characteristics of the powders was studied. The change of the crystal structure with the content of doped Sm was investigated. High temperature X-ray, and Raman scattering were used to characterize the sample. The lattice constant and unit volume increase with doping level and increasing temperature. Dense ceramic samples prepared by uniaxial pressing and sintering in air were also studied.

Synthesis of new solid solutions on neodymium-stabilized La2Mo2O9

A new ionic conductor La2-xNdxMo2O9 (x=0.0-2.0) has been synthesized by wet-chemistry method. The precursors and the resultant oxide powders were characterized by DTA/TG, DSC, XRD and XPS techniques. Effect of substituting Nd for La reveals that the phase transition which occurs in La2Mo2O9 around 565degreesC disappears when x>0.2. And the maximum amount of Nd stabilized the high temperature phase of beta-La2Mo2O9 from cubic to tetragonal is about x=1.6. The measurements of impedance spectroscopy indicate that the ionic conductivity becomes considerably higher in comparison to that of La2Mo2O9.

Low temperature preparation of ceria solid solutions doubly doped with rare-earth and alkali-earth and their properties as solid oxide fuel cells

A series of solid electrolytes, (Ce(0.8)Ln(0.2))(1 - x)MxO2 - delta(Ln = La, Nd, Sm, Gd, M:Alkali-earth), were prepared by amorphous citrate gel method. XRD patterns indicate that a pure fluorite phase is formed at 800 degreesC. The electrical conductivity and the AC impedance spectra were measured. XPS spectra show that the oxygen vacancies increase owing to the MO doping, which results in the increase of the oxygen ionic transport number and conductivity. The performance of ceria-based solid electrolyte is improved. The effects of rare-earth and alkali-earth ions on the electricity were discussed. The open-circuit voltages and maximum power density of planar solid oxide fuel cell using (Ce0.8Sm0.2)(1 - 0.05)Ca0.05O2 - delta as electrolyte are 0.86 V and 33 mW . cm(-2), respectively.

AFM studies of DNA structures on mica in the presence of alkaline earth metal ions

As counterions of DNA on mica, Mg2+, Ca2+, Sr2+ and Ba2+ were used for,clarifying whether DNA molecules equilibrate or are trapped on mica surface. End to end distance and contour lengths were determined from statistical analysis of AFM data. It was revealed that DNA molecules can equilibrate on mica when Mg2+, Ca2+ and Sr2+ are counterions. When Ba2+ is present, significantly crossovered DNA molecules indicate that it is most difficult for DNA to equilibrate on mica and the trapping degree is different under different preparation conditions. In the presence of ethanol, using AFM we have also observed the dependence of B A conformational transition on counterion identities. The four alkaline earth metal ions cause the B-A transition in different degrees, in which Sr2+ induces the greatest structural transition.

Sol-gel synthesis and properties of Ce1-xGdxO2-x/2 solid solutions

A series of solid electrolytes Ce1-xGdxO2-x/2(x=0 similar to0.6) was prepared by sol-gel method. The structure, thermal expansion coefficient and electrical properties of the solid solutions were systematically studied. XRD data showed that a complete cubic fluorite structure was formed at 160 degreesC. The purity of the product prepared by the sol-gel method is higher, the grain size is uniformly smaller. They were easily sintered into highly dense ceramic pellets at 1 300 degreesC. The sintering temperature was significantly lower than that by traditionally high temperature solid phase reaction method. The thermal expansion coefficient of Ce0.8Gd0.2O1.9, determined from high- temperature XRD data, is 8. 125 X 10(-6) K-1. Impedance spectra analyses showed that the grain-boundary resistance of the solid electrolyte prepared by sol-gel method was reduced or even eliminated. The conductivity of Ce0.8Gd0.2O1.9 is 5.26 X 10(-3) S/cm at 600 degreesC. The activation energy (E-a) is 0.82 eV.