Amount Of Glycol Research Articles

Efficient performances of hierarchical Bi24O31Br10 microspheres for Congo red dye adsorption

Developing new, high-efficiency and environmentally-friendly adsorbents are of great importance for more efficient removal of contaminants from wastewater. Therefore, it is necessary to adjust the synthesis parameters to control the surface area and morphology of the adsorbent, thereby improving the adsorption performance. Herein, hierarchical nanoflakes-assembled Bi24O31Br10 microspheres with high removal capacity of organic dyes were rationally designed and prepared by an ethylene glycol (EG) mediated solvothermal method. Different morphological Bi24O31Br10 and BiOBr were controllably synthesized by adjusting the amount of EG and pH value. A possible mechanism of formation was proposed from the results of morphological evolution. Congo red (CR) was adopted as typical contaminants to prove the absorption capacity of such unique Bi24O31Br10 hierarchical structures. The adsorption isotherm conforms to the Langmuir model, which provides the maximum calculated adsorption capacity of the nanoflakes-assembled hierarchical Bi24O31Br10 microspheres 465.1 mg/g. The adsorption mechanisms of CR onto Bi24O31Br10 mainly attributed to the electrostatic attraction and hydrogen bonding. The as-prepared Bi24O31Br10 hierarchical structure can be used as a candidate material for the removal of contaminants in wastewater.

Effect of Solvent Ratio (Ethylene Glycol/Water) in the Synthesis of Pt/C Cathode Catalysts on PEM Fuel Cell Performance

Abstract The ethylene glycol (EG)/water mixture composition of an alkaline one-step polyol synthesis for Pt/C catalysts was systematically investigated and optimized for a low ethylene glycol content with regards to resulting Pt particle size and electrochemical performance of membrane electrode assemblies tested as proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell cathode catalysts. Beginning test fuel cell data show a possible reduction of the required EG amount per gram of synthesized catalyst by up to 98% without significantly compromising the initial electrochemical performance. Taking catalyst durability into account, a Pt/C catalyst synthesized with 40 vol% H2O and 32 mM Pt precursor concentration showed a decent initial electrochemical performance (716 mV at 1 A cm-2) as well as an accelerated stress test-derived stability similar to an internal reference catalyst, obtained with 100 vol% EG. In summary, our study shows that optimizing the amount of water and platinum precursor in the synthesis process can lead to catalysts with excellent performance for PEM fuel cells while contributing significantly to cost reduction by using less EG during synthesis.

Theoretical and experimental analysis of CO2 capture into 1,5-diamino-2-methyl-pentane/n-propanol non-aqueous absorbent regulated by ethylene glycol

The non-aqueous amine solvents for CO2 capture gaine an advantage in energy-saving potential, but with a sharp increase viscosity after saturated absorption would easily cause problems such as equipment scaling and pipe blockage. In the present work, the ethylene glycol (EG) was used as co-solvent and activator to regulate the non-aqueous absorbent of 1,5-diamino-2-methyl-pentane (DA2MP) and n-propanol (PrOH) for CO2 capture. The absorption loading of the mixture solution was 1.13 mol·mol−1 when the mass concentration of DA2MP was 25 wt% and the volume ratio of PrOH to EG was 8:2. By activated by EG, the viscosity of the saturated solution was only 9.05 mPa·s, which changed from viscous precipitation to clarify liquid compared with that of DA2MP/PrOH. The absorbent maintained 90.30% of its initial CO2 absorption loading after 10th cycle regeneration under 393.15 K for 60 min. According to the quantum chemical calculations and experimental results, the reaction and regulation mechanism of CO2 capture into DA2MP/PrOH/EG was clarified. In DA2MP-PrOH solution, CO2 firstly reacted with DA2MP to form carbamate, and them the product further reacted with PrOH to form alkyl carbonates, which was viscous and insoluble due to the high intermolecular force between the CO2 products. After adding appropriate amount of EG, the solubility of insoluble products in solvent was increased through weakening the intermolecular interaction of products and enhancing the intermolecular interaction between products and solvents, which further converted them into soluble alkyl carbonate and realized viscosity reduction. The regeneration heat duty of DA2MP/PrOH/EG solution was estimated as 1.58 GJ·ton−1 CO2, which was 29.5% and 58.42% less than that of DA2MP/PrOH and bench mark MEA solution, respectively, indicating a alternative candidate for CO2 capture.

Production of carbon nanotubes via catalytic pyrolysis of polyethylene over Ni/ZSM-5 prepared by ethylene glycol assisted impregnation

The design of efficient catalysts is important for the recycling of plastic wastes. In this study, a series of high-dispersion nickel based catalysts were developed by ethylene glycol (EG) assisted impregnation method and applied for the carbon nanotubes (CNTs) production from pyrolytic catalysis of polyethylene. The effect of the addition amount of EG on the catalyst performance was investigated. Results indicated that the catalysts prepared by ethylene glycol assisted impregnation show a good catalytic performance, comparing with conventional impregnation, and the Ni/ZSM-5-EG(3) catalyst displayed a higher yield of carbon deposits (32.37 wt%), including 289 mg/gPE high-value CNTs. To understand the relationship between the catalyst structure and performance, the physicochemical properties of the catalyst were characterized through various technical means. The results indicated that the addition of EG during the catalyst preparation process effectively promoted the dispersion of nickel metal, resulting in formation of smaller NiO particle size. High dispersion and smaller Ni species could enhance the conversion of polyethylene into carbon nanomaterials. This study provides promising directions for the preparation of high-performance catalysts for the preparation of high-value chemicals from plastics waste.

Effect of ethylene glycol on preparation and electrical transport properties of La0.67Ca0.33MnO3 ceramics

Perovskite manganates La1-xCaxMnO3 (LCMO) has attracted wide attention due to its unique physical properties such as metal-insulator transition (IMT), colossal magnetoresistance (CMR), which has potential application value in infrared detection, magnetic sensor, and other fields. LCMO precursor powder was prepared using the sol-gel method with a large surface area, high surface energy, and unstable thermodynamic system. To reduce the free enthalpy of the system, powder particles will spontaneously form agglomeration, affecting the structure and properties of materials. Ethylene glycol is selected as a dispersant, and the content of ethylene glycol is changed to obtain LCMO ceramics with excellent uniformity. To achieve the purpose of regulating the electrical transport properties, temperature coefficient of resistance (TCR), and magnetoresistance (MR) of LCMO. In this study, when the amount of ethylene glycol was 4 %, TCR is 42.58 %·K−1 (262.69 K), and MR is 59.96 %. Therefore, the excellent preparation process promotes the application of such materials in the fields of uncooled thermal radiation infrared detection and magnetic sensitivity.

Ethylene glycol-regulated ammonium vanadate with stable layered structure and favorable interplanar spacing as high-performance cathode for aqueous zinc ion batteries

Ammonium vanadate compounds featuring large capacity, superior rate capability and light weight are regarded as promising cathode materials for aqueous zinc ion batteries (AZIBs). However, the controllable synthesis of desired ammonium vanadates remains a challenge. Herein, various ammonium vanadate compounds were successfully prepared by taking advantage of ethylene glycol (EG) regulated polyol-reduction strategy and solvent effect via hydrothermal reaction. The morphology and crystalline phase of resultant products show an evolution from dendritic (NH4)2V6O16 to rod-like NH4V4O10 and finally to lamellar (NH4)2V4O9 as increasing the amount of EG. Specifically, the NH4V4O10 product exhibits a high initial capacity of 427.5 mAh/g at 0.1 A/g and stable cycling with a capacity retention of 90.4% after 5000 cycles at 10 A/g. The relatively excellent electrochemical performances of NH4V4O10 can be ascribed to the stable open-framework layered structure, favorable (001) interplanar spacing, and peculiar rod-like morphology, which are beneficial to the highly reversible Zn2+ storage behaviors. This work offers a unique way for the rational design of high-performance cathode materials for AZIBs.

Enhanced Electrochemical Properties of Cobalt by Varying the Ethylene Glycol - Choline Chloride Composition in a Deep Eutectic Solvent Mixture

The increased demand for portable electronic devices and electric vehicles has resulted in an exponential increase in lithium-ion battery (LIB) waste, and becoming in turn an important secondary source for critical metals. Electrowinning is a commonly used method to recover base and precious metals from a solution, which can also be used to recover valuable metals from spent LIBs. This study unveiled the cobalt electrochemical recovery using model Co sources in increasing amounts of ethylene glycol (EG), 67 molar %, 82 molar % and 100 molar %, in a mixture with choline chloride. The electrochemical results show that increasing the amount of EG together with a small concentration of sulfate anions, in conjunction with chloride anions, in the solution mixture favours the reduction of Co2+. This improved electrochemistry seems to be related to changes of Co2+ speciation easing the reduction process. Additionally, the nature of the Co salt has a significant impact on the recovery efficiency, morphology, and purity of the Co electrodeposit. This work will underpin the science to design safe electrolyte mixtures to enhance the electrochemical recovery of Co2+ in solution from secondary sources.

Mechanism of Photodegradation of Organic Pollutants in Seawater by TiO2-Based Photocatalysts and Improvement in Their Performance.

The mechanism of photodegradation of organic pollutants in seawater by TiO2-based catalysts irradiated by visible light was first explored by adding holes and free radical traps. The results showed that the photogenerated holes formed by the catalyst played a key role in the degradation of organic pollutants, regardless of whether the photodegradation occurred in seawater or pure water. Considering that the Yb-TiO2-rGO catalyst has a strong adsorption for organics, the salt ion almost did not interfere with the adsorption of pollutants by Yb-TiO2-rGO. Therefore, the degradation performance of Yb-TiO2-rGO did not remarkably change in the two water systems. For P25-ZN with a weak adsorption capacity for organics, several salt ions in the seawater hindered the contact of pollutants with the catalyst surface. Thus, the degradation rate of P25-ZN for phenol was significantly reduced. After the solvothermal reduction treatment for catalysts using ethylene glycol (EG) as the solvent, the increase in the Ti3+ content in the catalyst improved the visible-light response and activity of the catalyst. In addition, a small amount of EG grafted on the catalyst surface promoted the photocatalytic reaction process on the catalyst surface, thereby effectively resisting the interference of salt ions.

Increasing in the Selectivity of Formose Reaction for Glyceraldehyde Production in the Presence of Fumed Silica and Montmorillonite Catalysts

In the present paper, the Formose reaction is investigated to produce polyols in the presence of two different catalysts at different pHs. The Formose reaction mechanism is the same as aldol condensation, which occurs in alkaline media and is accelerated by the presence of a heterogeneous catalysis. The products observed in the reaction medium are ethylene glycol, and glyceraldehyde. The present study shows that in the presence of fumed silica catalyst, increasing the pH from 7.6 to 9.3 reduces the production of ethylene glycol; however, it increases the conversion of ethylene glycol to glyceraldehyde. As a result, the amount of ethylene glycol in the reaction mixture decreases compared with neutral pHs. Nevertheless, the selectivity of the reaction to the production of glyceraldehyde increases. The same result can be observed when using montmorillonite as another heterogeneous catalyst. The difference is that the montmorillonite catalyst has less ability to accelerate the reaction than fumed silica. Also, at pH around 9 and above, practically no product is observed in the reaction medium.

Direct catalytic conversion of agro-forestry biomass wastes into ethylene glycol over CNT supported Ru and W catalysts

This work focuses on the one-pot catalytic conversion of forestry, agricultural and urban waste lignocellulosic materials into ethylene glycol (EG), by an environmentally friendly process that uses only water as solvent, avoiding the use of acids (and the problems associated with their use). Ru and W catalysts supported on commercial and oxidized carbon nanotubes were coupled in the catalytic transformation of the different wastes and the effects of ball-milling and the presence of lignin on the activity were investigated. The properties of the different materials were characterized by several techniques, such as XRD, TG, SEM, EDS, FTIR, determination of contact angles and elemental analysis. Holocelluloses were obtained by removal of lignin from the various wastes and were intensively characterized. Both characterizations and catalytic tests of the different materials were performed before and after pre-treatment (ball-milling and/or lignin removal) to study the properties of biomass and disclose the critical factors for directly converting biomass to EG. The woody biomass (pine, oak, eucalyptus, platanus and australia) as well as pine cones and corncob were the materials that allowed producing a higher amount of EG (over 23 %). Among them, the highest EG yield of 32.4 % was attained after 5 h from the conversion of australia holocellulose. However, since the lignin removal process is not green, the conversion of the original biomass wastes was also evaluated without any pre-treatment besides ball-milling. As expected, due to their higher amount of holocellulose, the woody biomass allowed to obtain higher yields of EG, similar to those obtained from the conversion of cellulosic materials (cotton wool and tissue paper). As result, the maximum yield of EG obtained from forestry residues was increased to 40.7 % in the case of eucalyptus wood. In addition to the woody wastes, if the cellulosic materials are also considered, this maximum EG yield can be still slightly increased to 41.5 %. These results are two of the highest ever reached from the direct conversion of biomass wastes using a green process. Moreover, the catalytic mixture proved to be reusable for at least four successive runs without significant yield loss. As far as we are concerned, there is no report about the direct conversion of raw biomass wastes (or their extracted holocelluloses) into glycols using carbon supported Ru and W catalysts in just water using an environmentally friendly process.

Polydiketopyrrolopyrroles Carrying Ethylene Glycol Substituents as Efficient Mixed Ion‐Electron Conductors for Biocompatible Organic Electrochemical Transistors

AbstractA comprehensive investigation of four polydiketopyrrolopyrroles (PDPPs) with increasing ethylene glycol (EG) content and varying nature of comonomer is presented, and guidelines for the design of efficient mixed ion‐electron conductors (MIECs) are deduced. The studies in NaCl electrolyte‐gated organic electrochemical transistors (OECTs) reveal that a high amount of EG on the DPP moiety is essential for MIEC. The PDPP containing 52 wt% EG exhibits a high volumetric capacitance of 338 F cm−3 (at 0.8 V), a high hole mobility in aqueous medium (0.13 cm2 V−1 s−1), and a μC* product of 45 F cm−1 V−1 s−1. OECTs using this polymer retain 97% of the initial drain‐current after 1200 cycles (90 min of continuous operation). In a cell growth medium, the OECT‐performance is fully maintained as in the NaCl electrolyte. In vitro cytotoxicity and cell viability assays reveal the excellent cell compatibility of these novel systems, showing no toxicity after 24 h of culture. Due to the excellent OECT performance with a considerable cycling stability for 1200 cycles and an outstanding cell compatibility, these PDPPs render themselves viable for in vitro and in vivo bioelectronics.

Vertically Aligned Se Nanowires-PEDOT:PSS Hybrid Composites on Flexible PDMS Substrate and Their Thermoelectric Properties

The best thermoelectric materials should have low thermal conductivity (κ) and high Seebeck coefficient (S) and electrical conductivity (σ). However, the three parameters, which constitute ZT (ZT = S2σT/κ), are interdependent on each other. Advances in high-ZT thermoelectric materials have been mostly achieved by optimizing material composition and modifying the nanostructure of inorganic materials. However, the inorganic thermoelectric materials are generally less abundant, expensive, and toxic. Recently, researches have been focused on polymer-based thermoelectric materials in order to overcome these limitations of inorganic materials. In particular, conducting polymers have attracted great attention as promising thermoelectric materials because of their unique advantages such as low thermal conductivity, flexibility, low cost, and low toxicity. However, the typical ZT value of the conducting polymer-based materials are on the order of 10−2 ~ 10−3 and are much lower than those of inorganic materials. It is essential to enhance the Seebeck coefficient without decreasing the electrical conductivity. The poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) is one of the most promising materials. Water soluble PEDOT:PSS is already widely used for thermoelectrics as a base material for composition between inorganic and organic materials. It can be also modified by a secondary doping according to adding high boiling point cosolvents to increase its conductivity more than 1000 S/cm. Among the cosolvents, ethylene glycol (EG), which is miscible with water and has a boiling point of 189 °C, is one of the most commonly used cosolvents for this purpose.Interestingly, the one-dimensionally aligned inorganic structures can also allow for more effective thermal and electrical energy transfer as forming the hybrid microstructures with the conducting PEDOT:PSS, because the number of inorganic-organic interface grain boundaries that cause energy loss is lower than that in the case of randomly dispersed structures. Moreover, the aligned structures transfer the produced energy to the neighboring structures more effectively. These characteristics of the aligned structures can prevent the cancellation of charge carrier movements among the core materials and can produce the relative enhancement of the energy generation.In this study, we have demonstrated the developed thermoelectric properties of ethylene glycol (EG)-doped poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene): poly(4-styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS)/Se nanowires hybrid composites film on the flexible PDMS substrate (PEDOT:PSS-Se/PDMS). The amount of EG added to the PEDOT:PSS solutions was optimized by measuring the σ , using a conventional four-probe method. As the EG concentration increased from 0 to 10%, σ increased to ~ 1000 S/cm. We have demonstrated in tuning the barrier energy difference of between PEDOT:PSS and Se via the EG doping. The S can be maximized up to 121.6 μV/K through optimization of PEDOT:PSS-Se/PDMS barrier energy according to so-called energy filtering effect. The power factor of the fabricated EG 8%-doped PEDOT:PSS-Se/PDMS composite film was 1.59 mW/mK2 at 30 °C. The electrical conductivity can be also enhanced simultaneously owing to the EG-induced π - π stacking among PEDOT chains. This work provides a smart approach to design and modulate the thermoelectric properties of conducting polymer/inorganic nanostructure composites. This study also shows that flexible thermoelectric devices based on cheap conducting polymers have great potential in wearable electronics. Figure 1

Modeling, design, and synthesis of gram-scale monodispersed silver nanoparticles using microwave-assisted polyol process for metamaterial applications

High-yield monodispersed silver (Ag) nanospheres were modeled, designed, and synthesized by microwave-assisted (MW-assisted) polyol method from AgNO 3 , polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP), and ethylene glycol (EG), as precursors, at 145 °C within a short reaction time of 2 min, and the results were compared to those of conventional polyol method. Maintaining the PVP:AgNO 3 molar ratio, the effect of increasing the amounts of AgNO 3 and PVP at a constant amount of EG (40 mL) on the final product was evaluated. The synthesized nanoparticles (NPs) were characterized by SEM, UV–Vis spectroscopy, FTIR and DLS analysis. The results showed that with increasing the amount of AgNO 3 to 0.5 and 1 g, monodispersed Ag nanoparticles (Ag NPs) with particle sizes of 54 and 61 nm were formed, as per the plasmon absorption peaks at 436 and 442 nm, respectively. Moreover, using 40 mL of the EG solution, we could obtain a high yield of the NPs (~90%). The sub-gram yield was excellently high, offering great opportunities for commercializing the procedure. Also, the proposed study paves a new way for Ag NPs realization for different practical applications ranging from MW to optics. • Mathematical description of the electromagnetic and thermal interaction obtained between the impinging waves and AgNPs. • New MW-assisted polyol process used to synthesized very high yield AgNPs. • The obtained yield corresponded to a significant fraction of a gram as well as higher degrees of monodispersity.

An experimental study on heat transfer enhancement and flow characteristics of a tube with plain, perforated and dimpled twisted tape inserts

In order to increase the performance of a heat exchanger flowing ethylene glycol (EG) and water (W) mixtures, the effects of different twisted tapes on heat transfer and flow characteristics in a heat exchanger tube is experimentally investigated. Material of the twisted tapes and the tube is selected as stainless steel. Three different volumetric ratios of EG and W mixtures are used with the volumetric ratio of (0:100), (20:80) and (40:60). The twisted tapes having twist ratio of 5.88 are perforated and dimpled with pitch ratio of (Pp/y and Pd/y) of 0.25, 0.5 and 1.0. The experiments are conducted under constant heat flux and Reynold number ranging from 5217 to 22,754. The experiments for both the smooth tube and the typical twisted tape inserted tube are validated with the literature. The results indicated that the use of twisted tape inserts enhances the heat transfer performance. Experimental results revealed that novelty dimpled twisted tape insert provides higher heat transfer performance than the others. Adding the ethylene glycol on pure water has not major role on increase in the friction factor. As the amount of ethylene glycol in the mixture increases, thermo hydraulic performance decreases. The best thermo-hydraulic performance results are obtained as 1.42, 1.17 and 1.05 for dimpled twisted tape (Pd/y = 0.25) inserted tube at the lowest Reynolds numbers for the fluids which are (0:100), (20:80) and (40:60), respectively.

3D hierarchical flower-like NiMoO4@Ni3S2 composites on Ni foam for high-performance battery-type supercapacitors

A hydrothermal method was used to prepare a hierarchical flower-like NiMoO4@Ni3S2 composite on a three-dimensional Ni foam substrate, and the effects of different amounts of ethylene glycol in the precursor solution on the morphology and performance of Ni@NiMoO4@Ni3S2 were investigated. The as-synthesized No-10/Ni3S2 electrode exhibits a specific capacity up to 870 C g−1 at 0.6 A g−1 and excellent cycle stability (capacity retention of 81.2% after 8000 cycles). More importantly, in a hybrid supercapacitor with a No-10/Ni3S2 as a positive electrode and activated carbon (AC) as a negative electrode (No-10/Ni3S2//AC), the energy density of 128.31 W h kg−1 at a power density of 7106.4 W kg−1. As displayed, the performances make No-10/Ni3S2 a promising candidate as high-performance electrode material for supercapacitors.

Four-factor optimization for PET glycolysis with consideration of the effect of sodium bicarbonate catalyst using response surface methodology

In this study, Response Surface Methodology based on four-factor Box-Behnken design was applied to suggest the optimal conditions for glycolysis of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and to analyze the individual and interaction effects of the factors on the process. Four independent factors of interest, namely reaction time (3–5 h), reaction temperature (192–200 °C), mass ratio of ethylene glycol (EG) to PET (2.5–7.5), and mass ratio of sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3) to PET (0.6–1.0%), were under consideration for their catalyst effect on the process. A regression model as a mathematical function of the four factors was obtained to predict the yield of bis(2-hydroxyethyl) terephthalate (BHET) yield and its reliability was evaluated by analysis of variance. A remarkably high yield of 75.7% was obtained with 1.3% error from the predicted value at the optimal operating conditions for temperature, time, EG:PET mass ratio, and NaHCO3:PET mass ratio of 192 °C, 3.02 h, 6.09 and 0.82%, respectively. The experimental results and analysis of response surfaces revealed that an inappropriately large amount of catalyst might restrict monomer conversion under excess EG conditions. Moreover, PET glycolysis process could be carried out under lower temperature and shorter time due to the profound effect of excess EG at a suitable concentration level of NaHCO3. This suggested future in-depth analysis with wider parameter space to optimize PET glycolysis under conditions of large amount of EG and to gain insight into the interaction effect between EG amount and catalyst concentration.

Production of melamine formaldehyde resins used in impregnation by incorporation of ethylene glycol and caprolactam with high flexibility, storage stability, and low formaldehyde content

Ethylene glycol and caprolactam were added during the synthesis process of melamine formaldehyde (MF) resins to develop a new MF formulation with high flexibility, storage stability, and low formaldehyde emissions that can be used for the impregnation of papers. It was demonstrated that the MF resins with amounts of ethylene glycol (molar ratio of ethylene glycol to melamine was 1.0) and caprolactam (molar ratio of caprolactam to formaldehyde was 0.12) achieved higher storage stability, flexibility, and lower free formaldehyde content. The impregnated papers made from these MF resins displayed good dry and wet tensile strength and passed the relevant standard specifications for decorative paper on wood-based panels. The size exclusion chromatography (SEC) and Fourier transform-infrared spectrometry (FT-IR) studies showed that the MF resins produced via incorporation of ethylene glycol and caprolactam had a different molecular weight distribution and polymeric structure.

Synthesis of mesoporous C/MoS2 for adsorption of methyl orange and photo-catalytic sterilization

Porous molybdenum disulfide has bright prospect for applications in adsorption and catalysis. Herein, a simple hydrothermal method has been developed to synthesize mesoporous C/MoS2 composites using (NH4)6Mo7O24⋅4H2O, sublimed sulfur, ethylene glycol (EG) and H2O as raw material. EG is both reducing agent and carbon source in the synthetic reaction. The layer thickness of MoS2 nanosheets, carbon content and specific surface area of C/MoS2 composite can be controlled by adjusting the amount of EG. The introduction of carbon into ultrathin MoS2 nanosheets can protect the edge active sites of MoS2 by preventing its aggregation. The prepared C/MoS2 composites have large specific surface area of ~209.36 m2/g, ultrathin nanosheets of less than 6 layers, rich edge active sites and excellent ultraviolet–visible light absorption properties. Thus they can be used for the removal of methyl orange (MO) in dye wastewater, the easily recycled adsorbent has very high MO adsorption capacity of ~450 mg/g at pH = 1. They also easily generate photo-electrons and holes under visible light irradiation, so Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) can be killed by photo-catalysis.

Efficient self-assembly solvothermal synthesis of octahedral CuWO4 microstructures assisted by ethylene glycol

Octahedral CuWO4 microstructurals were successfully obtained via a simple self-assembly solvothermal synthesis pathway for the first time. The effect of organic solvents on the morphology of copper tungstate (CuWO4) was systematically investigated here. In addition, some other parameters, such as the reaction time, sodium salts and a possible mechanism for the formation of CuWO4 with varied morphologies were discussed. We succeed in fabricating and characterizing an octahedral CuWO4 and the results demonstrate that the amount of ethylene glycol (EG) and Cl− plays a critical effect on the formation of unique morphology of CuWO4. According to our investigation, samples obtained show better photocatalytic activity toward the degradation of RhB. Our research provides some new perspective of the morphology control of CuWO4 and is conducive to understand the relationship between the morphology of other wolframite-type microcrystals and their properties.

Synthesis and characterization of Nano NiCo2O4 by microwave promoted precipitation method

Nanostructured spinel NiCo2O4 was synthesized via a facile and effective microwave promoted precipitation method with a simple post-calcination treatment. The crystalline and textural structure and morphology of the samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction, field-emission scanning electron microscopy, and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller techniques. The influence of several parameters on the morphology of NiCo2O4, such as Ni/Co mole ratio, amount of precipitation agent urea, amount of ethylene glycol (EG), were investigated, and the optimal reaction conditions (Ni/Co = 1.0:2.5, urea 0.30 g, and EG 30 ml) were obtained. Under the optimal reaction conditions, the prepared spinel NiCo2O4 has a regular porous nanosheet structure. The nanosheet spinel NiCo2O4 possesses a high surface area of 124.8 m2/g, a narrow pore size distribution of 3–10 nm, and a mean pore diameter of 5.4 nm.