Structural characteristics of P123-modified supercritical drying and hydrophobic ambient pressure drying aerogels

Supercritical drying (SCD) and hydrophobic ambient pressure drying (APD) aerogels were prepared from hydrolysis of tetraethoxysilane in solutions of poly(ethylene oxide)-poly(propylene oxide)-poly(ethylene oxide) (P123) in the range of composition below the threshold for the ordered mesoporous silica precipitation. APD was carried out after silylation of wet gels with trimethylchlorosilane (TMCS) or hexamethyldisilazane (HMDZ). The samples were analyzed by small-angle X-ray scattering and nitrogen adsorption. Wet gels are formed by mass-fractal domains, with fractal dimension close to 2, and larger pores superposing the pores belonging to the fractal structure in case of high P123 concentrations. Aerogels exhibit smaller-sized mass-fractal domains with larger mass-fractal dimension accounting for some porosity elimination on drying. The pore volume of the aerogels increases significantly with the P123 amount and it is even larger in the APD aerogels than in the SCD aerogels. © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Structure of Hydrophobic Ambient-Pressure-Dried Aerogels Prepared by Sonohydrolysis of Tetraethoxysilane with Additions of N,N-Dimethylformamide

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Observation of high pressure o-GeTe phase at ambient pressure in Si-Te-Ge glasses

Te-rich Si15Te85-xGex (1 <= x <= 11) glasses are found to exhibit an anomalous phase separations with germanium composition. The structural transformation of o-GeTe crystalline phase from o-GeTe with a = 11.76 angstrom, b = 16.59 angstrom, c = 17.44 angstrom, to high pressure o-GeTe with a new reduced lattice parameters a = 10.95 angstrom, b = 4.03 angstrom, c = 4.45 angstrom, is observed at T-c3 in the composition range 6 <= x <= 11. Raman studies support the possible existence of high pressure o-GeTe phase which is observed in X-ray diffraction experiments. Copyright 2012 Author(s). This article is distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License. http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.3696862]

Effect of ambient pressure and radiation reabsorption of atmosphere on the flame spreading over thermally thin combustibles in microgravity

For the flame spread over thermally thin combustibles in an atmosphere, if the atmosphere cannot emit and absorb the thermal radiation (e.g. for atmosphere Of O-2-N-2), the conductive heat transfer from the flame to the fuel surface dominates the flame spread at lower ambient atmosphere. As the ambient pressure increases, the flame spread rate increases, and the radiant heat transfer from the flame to the fuel surface gradually becomes the dominant driving force for the flame spread. In contrast, if the atmosphere is able to emit and absorb the thermal radiation (e.g. for atmosphere Of O-2-CO2), at lower pressure, the heat transfer from flame to the fuel surface is enhanced by the radiation reabsorption of the atmosphere at the leading edge of the flame, and both conduction and thermal radiation play important roles in the mechanism of flame spread. With the increase in ambient pressure, the oxygen diffuses more quickly from ambient atmosphere into the flame, the chemical reaction in the flame is enhanced, and the flame spread rate increases. When the ambient pressure is greater than a critical value, the thermal radiation from the flame to the solid surface is hampered by the radiation reabsorption of ambient atmosphere with the further increase in ambient pressure. As a result, with the increase in ambient pressure, the flame spread rate decreases and the heat conduction gradually dominates the flame spread over the fuel surface.

The partial oxidation of methane over Pd/Al2O3 catalyst nanoparticles studied in-situ by near ambient-pressure x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy

Near ambient-pressure X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (NAP-XPS) is used to study the chemical state of methane oxidation catalysts in-situ. Al2O3{supported Pd catalysts are prepared with different particle sizes ranging from 4 nm to 10 nm. These catalysts were exposed to conditions similar to those used in the partial oxidation of methane (POM) to syn-gas and simultaneously monitored by NAP-XPS and mass spectrometry. NAP-XPS data show changes in the oxidation state of the palladium as the temperature in- creases, from metallic Pd0 to PdO, and back to Pd0. Mass spectrometry shows an increase in CO production whilst the Pd is in the oxide phase, and the metal is reduced back under presence of newly formed H2. A particle size effect is observed, such that CH4 conversion starts at lower temperatures with larger sized particles from 6 nm to 10 nm. We find that all nanoparticles begin CH4 conversion at lower temperatures than polycrystalline Pd foil.

Structural features of silicas prepared in n-heptane/water/ethanol/sodium dodecylsulfate microemulsions

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Estudo da fotossensibilidade de materiais híbridos de sílica dopados com heteropoliânions de tungstênio

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Preparação e caracterização de sílicas mesoporosas

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Propriedades nanoestruturais de géis de sílica preparados com adiçoes de surfactante anionico

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Preparação e caracterização estrutural de aerogéis de sílica com diferentes concentrações de F127

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Propriedades estruturais de géis de sílica preparados com adições de dodecil sulfato de sódio

This work aims to study the structural characteristics of silica gels obtained from the acid hydrolysis of tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) in water solutions with different concentrations of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS). The structural characteristics were studied in stages ranging from the wet gel to the dry stages of the gels (aerogels and xerogels). Aerogels were obtained by ambient pressure drying (APD) after silylation process using trimethylchlorosilane (TMCS) as silylating agent. Xerogels were obtained by conventional evaporating the liquid phase from non silylated gels. The samples were characterized by nitrogen adsorption and small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS). The structure of the wet gels and of the aerogels prepared with the surfactant exhibited characteristics of mass-fractal structures with fractal dimension D in the range 2.1-2.2 for the wet gels and 2.3-2.4 for the aerogels. The characteristic size  of the fractal domain reduces while the size a0 of the primary silica particle composing the fractal structure increases with the drying of the gels, in a process in which share of the porosity is eliminated. Aerogels exhibited typical values for the specific surface of 900 m2g-1 and of 3.5 cm3.g-1 for the total pore volume. These values are correspondingly comparable to those of the aerogels prepared by supercritical drying, since the silylation process replaces hydrophilic –OH groups by hydrophobic –Si-R3 ones, inhibiting the porosity elimination on drying. The silica particle size also increases lightly with the silylation because the attachment of the –Si-R3 groups on the silica surface. The pore size distribution curves of the aerogels are similar for all samples exhibiting a maximum in around 40 nm, independent the concentration of surfactant. This suggests that the characteristic size of 40 nm is due to the association of surfactant micelles... (Complete abstract click electronic access below)