| 1. |
- Hedlund, Artur, et al.
(författare)
-
Microstructures of cellulose coagulated in water and alcohols from 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate : contrasting coagulation mechanisms
- 2019
-
Ingår i: Cellulose. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0969-0239 .- 1572-882X. ; 26:3, s. 1545-1563
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Abstract: Coagulation of cellulose solutions is a process whereby many useful materials with variable microstructures and properties can be produced. This study investigates the complexity of the phase separation that generates the structural heterogeneity of such materials. The ionic liquid, 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate ([C2mim][OAc]), and a co-solvent, dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO), are used to dissolve microcrystalline cellulose in concentrations from 5 to 25 wt%. The solutions are coagulated in water or 2-propanol (2PrOH). The coagulated material is then washed and solvent exchanged (water → 2PrOH → butanone → cyclohexane) in order to preserve the generated microstructures upon subsequent drying before analysis. Sweep electron microscopy images of 50 k magnification reveal open-pore fibrillar structures. The crystalline constituents of those fibrils are estimated using wide-angle X-ray spectroscopy and specific surface area data. It is found that the crystalline order or crystallite size is reduced by an increase in cellulose concentration, by the use of the co-solvent DMSO, or by the use of 2PrOH instead of water as the coagulant. Because previous theories cannot explain these trends, an alternative explanation is presented here focused on solid–liquid versus liquid–liquid phase separations. Graphical abstract: [Figure not available: see fulltext.].
|
|
| 2. |
- Zhang, Chu, et al.
(författare)
-
Steps and catalytic reactions : CO oxidation with preadsorbed O on Rh(553)
- 2022
-
Ingår i: Surface Science. - : Elsevier BV. - 0039-6028 .- 1879-2758. ; 715
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Industrial catalysts are often comprised of nanoparticles supported on high-surface-area oxides, in order to maximise the catalytically active surface area and thereby utilise the active material better. These nanoparticles expose steps and corners that, due to low coordination to neighboring atoms, are more reactive and, as a consequence, are often assumed to have higher catalytic activity. We have investigated the reaction between CO and preadsorbed O on a stepped Rh(553) surface, and show that CO oxidation indeed occurs faster than on the flat Rh(111) surface at the same temperature. However, we do find that this is not a result of reactions at the step sites but rather at the terrace sites close to the steps, due to in-plane relaxation enabled by the step. This insight can provide ways to optimize the shape of the nanoparticles to further improve the activity of certain reactions.
|
|
| 3. |
- Hagman, Benjamin, et al.
(författare)
-
Steps Control the Dissociation of CO2 on Cu(100)
- 2018
-
Ingår i: Journal of the American Chemical Society. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 1520-5126 .- 0002-7863. ; 140:40, s. 12974-12979
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- CO2 reduction reactions, which provide one route to limit the emission of this greenhouse gas, are commonly performed over Cu-based catalysts. Here, we use ambient pressure X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy together with density functional theory to obtain an atomistic understanding of the dissociative adsorption of CO2 on Cu(100). We find that the process is dominated by the presence of steps, which promote both a lowering of the dissociation barrier and an efficient separation between adsorbed O and CO, reducing the probability for recombination. The identification of steps as sites for efficient CO2 dissociation provides an understanding that can be used in the design of future CO2 reduction catalysts.
|
|
| 4. |
- Pogorilyi, Roman, et al.
(författare)
-
New product from old reaction : uniform magnetite nanoparticles from iron-mediated synthesis of alkali iodides and their protection from leaching in acidic media
- 2014
-
Ingår i: RSC Advances. - : Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC). - 2046-2069. ; 4:43, s. 22606-22612
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Iron-mediated synthesis of alkali metal iodides was quite unexpectedly demonstrated to be able to serve as a cost-efficient and reliable source of spherical single crystalline near-stoichiometric magnetite (Fe3O4) nanoparticles as revealed by TEM and XRD studies and also by XANES spectroscopic quantification of the Fe2+-content. Using the particles as nuclei for the Stoeber synthesis of silica nanoparticles, core-shell magnetic material has been produced. The nature of the magnetic component was probed by XANES spectroscopy. The size of the particles is dependent on the synthesis conditions and Si : Fe ratio but can be kept below 100 nm. It is the Si : Fe ratio that determines the stability of the particles in acidic medium. The latter was investigated spectrophotometrically as leaching of Fe3+-cations. Considerable stability was observed at Si : Fe > 10, while at Si : Fe >= 20 no measurable leaching could be observed in over 10 days. Magnetic nanoparticles with improved stability in acidic medium provide an attractive basis for creation of adsorbent materials for applications in harsh media.
|
|
| 5. |
- Liu, Shungang, et al.
(författare)
-
The role of connectivity in significant bandgap narrowing for fused-pyrene based non-fullerene acceptors toward high-efficiency organic solar cells
- 2020
-
Ingår i: Journal of Materials Chemistry A. - : Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC). - 2050-7488 .- 2050-7496. ; 8:12, s. 5995-6003
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Great attention has been paid to developing low bandgap non-fullerene acceptors (NFAs) for matching wide bandgap donor polymers to increase the photocurrent and therefore the power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) of NFA organic solar cells, while pyrene-core based acceptor-donor-acceptor (A-D-A) NFAs have been mainly reported via the 2,9-position connection due to their bisthieno[3′,2′-b']thienyl[a,h]pyrene fused via a five-membered ring bridge at the ortho-position of pyrene as the representative one named FPIC5, which has prohibited further narrowing their energy gap. Herein, an acceptor FPIC6 was exploited by creating the 1,8-position connection through fusing as bisthieno[3′,2′-b′]thienyl[f-g,m-n]pyrene linked at the bay-position via a six-membered bridge, with enhanced push-pull characteristics within such A-D-A structure. As a structural isomer of FPIC5, FPIC6 exhibited a much lower bandgap of 1.42 eV (1.63 eV for FPIC5). Therefore, the photocurrent and PCE of PTB7-Th:FPIC6 cells were improved to 21.50 mA cm-2 and 11.55%, respectively, due to the balanced mobilities, better photoluminescence quenching efficiency and optimized morphology, which are both ∼40% better than those of PTB7-Th:FPIC5 cells. Our results clearly proved that a pyrene fused core with 1,8-position connection with electron-withdrawing end groups instead of 2,9-position connection is an efficient molecular design strategy to narrow the optical bandgap and improve the photovoltaic performance of NFA based OSCs.
|
|
| 6. |
- Yang, Yi, et al.
(författare)
-
Using an ionomer as a size regulator in γ-radiation induced synthesis of Ag nanocatalysts for oxygen reduction reaction in alkaline solution
- 2023
-
Ingår i: Journal of Colloid and Interface Science. - : Elsevier BV. - 0021-9797 .- 1095-7103. ; 646, s. 381-390
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Ag nanoparticles (Ag NPs) are among the most promising candidates to replace Pt as the catalyst for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in anion exchange membrane fuel cells (AEMFCs). However, synthesizing size-controlled Ag NPs with efficient catalytic performance is still challenging. Herein, uniform Ag NPs are produced through a γ-radiation induced synthesis route in aqueous solutions, using the ionomer PTPipQ100 as both an efficient size regulator in the synthesis and a conductor of hydroxide ions during the ORR process. The origin of the size control is mainly attributed to the affinity of the ionomer to metallic silver. The resulting Ag NPs covered with ionomer layers can be applied as model catalysts for ORR. The nanoparticles that were prepared using 320 ppm ionomer in the reaction solution turned out to be coated with a ∼1 nm thick ionomer layer and exhibited superior ORR activity as compared to other Ag NPs of similar size studied here. The improved electrocatalytic performance can be attributed to the optimal ionomer coverage that enables fast oxygen diffusion, as well as interactions at the Ag-ionomer interface which promote the desorption of OH intermediates from the Ag surface. This work demonstrates the advantage of using an ionomer as the capping agent to produce efficient ORR catalysts.
|
|
| 7. |
- Adam, Rania E., et al.
(författare)
-
Graphene-based plasmonic nanocomposites for highly enhanced solar-driven photocatalytic activities
- 2019
-
Ingår i: RSC Advances. - : Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC). - 2046-2069. ; 9:52, s. 30585-30598
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- High-efficiency photocatalysts are crucial for the removal of organic pollutants and environmental sustainability. In the present work, we report on a new low-temperature hydrothermal chemical method, assisted by ultrasonication, to synthesize disruptive plasmonic ZnO/graphene/Ag/AgI nanocomposites for solar-driven photocatalysis. The plasmonic nanocomposites were investigated by a wide range of characterization techniques, confirming successful formation of photocatalysts with excellent degradation efficiency. Using Congo red as a model dye molecule, our experimental results demonstrated a photocatalytic reactivity exceeding 90% efficiency after one hour simulated solar irradiation. The significantly enhanced degradation efficiency is attributed to improved electronic properties of the nanocomposites by hybridization of the graphene and to the addition of Ag/AgI which generates a strong surface plasmon resonance effect in the metallic silver further improving the photocatalytic activity and stability under solar irradiation. Scavenger experiments suggest that superoxide and hydroxyl radicals are responsible for the photodegradation of Congo red. Our findings are important for the fundamental understanding of the photocatalytic mechanism of ZnO/graphene/Ag/AgI nanocomposites and can lead to further development of novel efficient photocatalyst materials.
|
|
| 8. |
|
|
| 9. |
- Gajdek, Dorotea, et al.
(författare)
-
Structural Changes in Monolayer Cobalt Oxides under Ambient Pressure CO and O 2 Studied by In Situ Grazing-Incidence X-ray Absorption Fine Structure Spectroscopy
- 2022
-
Ingår i: Journal of Physical Chemistry C. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 1932-7447 .- 1932-7455. ; 126:7, s. 3411-3418
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We have used grazing incidence X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy at the cobalt K-edge to characterize monolayer CoO films on Pt(111) under ambient pressure exposure to CO and O2, with the aim of identifying the Co phases present and their transformations under oxidizing and reducing conditions. X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) spectra show clear changes in the chemical state of Co, with the 2+ state predominant under CO exposure and the 3+ state predominant under O2-rich conditions. Extended X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy (EXAFS) analysis shows that the CoO bilayer characterized in ultrahigh vacuum is not formed under the conditions used in this study. Instead, the spectra acquired at low temperatures suggest formation of cobalt hydroxide and oxyhydroxide. At higher temperatures, the spectra indicate dewetting of the film and suggest formation of bulklike Co3O4 under oxidizing conditions. The experiments demonstrate the power of hard X-ray spectroscopy to probe the structures of well-defined oxide monolayers on metal single crystals under realistic catalytic conditions.
|
|
| 10. |
- Hagman, Benjamin, et al.
(författare)
-
Oxygen induced faceting of Cu(911)
- 2022
-
Ingår i: Surface Science. - : Elsevier BV. - 0039-6028. ; 715
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The oxidation of copper is essential for several fields, such as corrosion, catalytic methanol synthesis, and CO2 electroreduction. However, the understanding of the oxidation of copper under various conditions is not complete. Here, we study the oxidation of the vicinal Cu(911) surface by O2 with in-situ Surface X-ray Diffraction. It was found that the surface facets to (410), (401), and (100) which are stable in the parameter range of T = 25–400 °C and p = 10−10–10−5 mbar O2. The (410) and (401) facets are present until the surface is further oxidized to Cu2O, at 10−5 mbar and above. These results further the knowledge on the oxidation of copper and its surfaces, which may be of importance for a wide range of applications.
|
|
