P123 Surfactant Research Articles

Mesoporous La0.8Sr0.2CoO3/H-COK-12 catalyst synthesized by template method: Highly active for the complete oxidation of CO

Using cheap sodium silicate as a silica source and surfactant P123 as a soft template, an environment-friendly mesoporous material, COK-12, was prepared in a near-neutral environment. COK-12 was modified with n-hexane to obtain an H-COK-12 template with a compact and ordered pore structure. In this study, the modified mesoporous material H-COK-12 was used as the template for the first time, and the mesoporous La0.8Sr0.2CoO3 (LSC) catalyst was prepared by nano-casting method combined with sol–gel method. The results showed that the LSC-650 catalyst synthesized at 650 °C for 2 h possessed a large specific surface area (103.46 m2/g) and the highest surface Co4+/Co3+ and Oads/Olat molar ratio. In addition, the CO conversion with the LSC-T (T = 550, 600, 650, 700 °C) samples indicated that the LSC-650 sample had the best catalytic activity (T50 = 145 °C, T90 = 149 °C) and stability.

High‐Efficiency Dimethyl Adipate Hydrogenation for 1,6‐Hexanediol Synthesis Over the Cu/SiO2 Nanoparticles with Reasonably Modulations of Pore Structure and Dispersion via Surface‐Assisted Method

AbstractSurfactant‐assisted co‐precipitation for catalyst preparation is an excellent potential preparation method for enhanced metal‐support interactions and abundant oxygen vacancy. Cu/SiO2 catalysts were prepared containing either glycolic acid ethoxylate lauryl ether (BRIJ35, B5), polyethylene oxide‐polypropylene oxide‐polyethylene oxide (P123 P3), or no surfactant. After further treatment with surfactants, the 1,6‐hexanediol selectivity was significantly increased, especially for P123 surfactant. The Cu/SiO2‐P3 catalyst showed good performance, which may be related to more surface basic amount, the larger dispersion of the Cu and abundant oxygen vacancy. Abundant Ovac may facilitate the hydrogenation of DMA by weakening the C=O bond. After the Cu/SiO2 catalyst was treated with surfactant, the micropores disappeared and SBET of the catalyst increased. Among them, Cu/SiO2‐P3 had the largest specific surface area (312.6 m2 g−1).

Gray mesoporous SnO2 catalyst for CO2 electroreduction with high partial current density and formate selectivity

The mesoporous metal oxide semiconductors exhibit unique chemical and physical characteristics, making them highly desirable for catalysis, electrochemistry, energy conversion, and energy storage applications. Here, we report the facial fabrication of mesoporous gray SnO2 (MGS) electrocatalysts employing an evaporation-induced co-assembly (EICA) approach, utilizing poly(ethylene oxide)–poly(propylene oxide)–poly(ethylene oxide) triblock copolymers Pluronic P123 (PEO-PPO-PEO) triblock copolymer as a template for electrochemical CO2 reduction reaction (eCO2RR). By sustaining the co-assembly conditions and utilizing a thermal treatment technique based on carbon, gray mesoporous SnO2 materials with a high density of active sites and oxygen vacancies can be constructed. The MGS materials were employed in eCO2RR in a flow cell type, which exhibits excellent catalytic activity and selectivity toward formate with a high partial current density of −234 mA cm−2 and Faradaic efficiency (FE) of 93.60 % at −1.3 V vs. reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE). Interestingly, the mesoporous SnO2 with a 1.5 wt% ratio of Sn precursor to P123 surfactant (MS-1.5@350N-400A) electrode exhibits a high level of Faradaic efficiency (FE) of (98%) at a low overpotential of −0.6 VRHE, which is a seldom recorded performance for similar systems. A stable FE of 96 ± 1% was observed in the range of −0.6 to −1.2 VRHE, which is the result of a large surface area (184 m2/g) and a high number of active sites and oxygen vacancies within the mesostructured framework.

Homoselective Synthesis of tetrazoles and chemoselective oxidation of sulfides using Ni(II)-Schiff base complex stabilized on 3-dimensional mesoporous KIT-6 surface as a recyclable nanocatalyst

Mesoporous silica with thick expanded walls, open porosity, and excellent thermal stability is a relatively new structure known as KIT-6. In this study, KIT-6 mesoporous was synthesized by using pluronic surfactant P123 as a modulator in an acidic environment. The synthesized KIT-6 was then modified by 3-chloropropyltrimethoxysilane (3-CPTMS) and finally, the nickel metal complex was fixed on the modified mesoporous KIT-6. IR, BET, XRD, EDS, SEM, AAS, and TGA methods were employed to examine the as-prepared catalyst. The proposed catalyst was then used for selective sulfides oxidation and preparation of tetrazole derivatives. The synthesized catalyst was found to be efficient and practical as it produced organic compounds in proper TOF and TON amounts, demonstrating the catalyst's practicality and efficiency.

Synergistic Effect of Selenium Dioxide for Better Photocatalytic Performance of Conventional Semiconductors Distributed into Mesoporous SBA‐15

AbstractThe mesoporous SBA‐15 was synthesized in acidic conditions by hydrothermal method using Pluronic surfactant P123. A combination of SeO2, TiO2, and CuO was loaded in SBA‐15 in pairs or singly. Synthesized SBA‐15 and some loaded mesoporous materials were characterized using several standard techniques. The efficiency of the synthesized photocatalysts was verified for the decomposition of two different dyes (methylene blue (MB) and methyl green (MG)) under ultraviolet and visible light radiation. The results show that the synthesized photocatalyst based on SBA‐15 with 5 % by weight of TiO2 and 5 % by weight of SeO2 has better performance (about 98 % of MB or MG were degraded within 120 min under UV radiation). Also, the photocatalyst with 5 % by weight of SeO2 and 5 % by weight of CuO shows a good performance for the degradation of the dyes under visible irradiation in the presence of H2O2 (complete elimination of MB and MG within 150 and 75 min, respectively). The scavenging test shows that superoxide has a governing role for the degradation of the dyes. The photocatalysts are reusable and they could preserve more than 74 % of the efficiency following 4 times of consecutive use for the degradation of the dyes.

Nonionic surfactant-templated mesoporous silica as supports for nickel active catalysts in liquid phase organic compounds oxidation

Three surfactants were selected from a series of EOx/POy/EOx triblock copolymers and ethoxylated octylphenol as nonionic templating agents for the synthesis of silica mesoporous materials at room temperature and by hydrothermal treatment. The surfactants were ethylene oxide-propylene oxide-ethylene oxide tri-block copolymers (Pluronic F68) and a polydisperse ethoxylated octylphenol (Triton X-100). The obtained materials were compared with SBA-15 mesoporous silica synthesized with Pluronic P123 surfactant and were used as support to obtain Ni and NiTi-silica catalysts (2.5% NiO, 5% TiO2). The synthesized materials were characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), N2 adsorption-desorption, IR and UV-Vis spectroscopy. Catalytic and photocatalytic activity of Ni and NiTi-silica samples were tested, with and without H2O2, for phenol and Brilliant Blue FCF dye oxidative degradation in the liquid phase. The obtained results showed a significant effect of surfactant on silica structure, morphology and texture, and catalytic and photocatalytic properties.

Synthesis of PEG-PPG-PEG templated polydopamine nanoparticles under intensified conditions: Kinetics investigation, continuous process design and demonstration for photothermal application

Polydopamine is a nature inspired functional material with promising applications in a plethora of fields due to its structural, chemical, and optical properties. While there is significant interest in the preparation of polydopamine based nanomaterials that take advantage of its properties, less attention has been given to the optimisation of the synthetic process, which typically involves the oxidative self-polymerisation of dopamine under basic pH and requires 24–72 h for reaction completion. The present work investigated the kinetics of polydopamine formation in the presence of Pluronic P-123 (PEG-PPG-PEG) micelles acting as a soft template, in low monomer concentrations (that promote particle growth instead of nucleation) as a function of temperature and pressure. Simultaneous increase of pressure and temperature (up to 50 °C and 5 bar O2) was found to significantly reduce the reaction time to 20–40 min without compromising the particle quality. Based on the results of the kinetic investigation, the polydopamine synthesis was translated into a continuous process utilising a millifluidic co-axial membrane reactor with a focus on ease of use, process conditions’ reproducibility and safety of operation. The reactor produced nanoparticles similar to the batch synthesis and resisted fouling (which is generally expected in a compact flow reactor) due to the action of the P-123 surfactant. Due to the nontoxic process that utilises only biocompatible materials and oxygen as the oxidising agent, and the melanin-like structure of polydopamine, photothermal heating of the synthesised nanoparticles under concentrated IR irradiation at 808 nm light was studied, as this can potentially be used for photo-induced hyperthermia. The hyperthermia threshold of 10 °C temperature increase at relatively low laser power settings (fluence 1.77 W/cm2) was achieved, making it a promising candidate for this application.

Role and Effect of Meso-Structuring Surfactants on Properties and Formation Mechanism of Microfluidic-Enabled Mesoporous Silica Microspheres.

We have shown in a previous work that the combination of the emulsion solvent evaporation technique and droplet-based microfluidics allows for the synthesis of well-defined monodisperse mesoporous silica microcapsules (hollow microspheres), whose size, shape and composition may be finely and easily controlled. In this study, we focus on the crucial role played by the popular Pluronic® P123 surfactant, used for controlling the mesoporosity of synthesised silica microparticles. We show in particular, that although both types of initial precursor droplets, prepared with and without P123 meso-structuring agent, namely P123+ and P123- droplets, have a similar diameter (≃30 μm) and a similar TEOS silica precursor concentration (0.34 M), the resulting microparticles exhibit two noticeably different sizes and mass densities. Namely, 10 μm and 0.55 g/cm3 for P123+ microparticles, and 5.2 μm and 1.4 g/cm3 for P123- microparticles. To explain such differences, we used optical and scanning electron microscopies, small-angle X-ray diffraction and BET measurements to analyse structural properties of both types of microparticles and show that in the absence of Pluronic molecules, P123- microdroplets divide during their condensation process, on average, into three smaller droplets before condensing into silica solid microspheres with a smaller size and a higher mass density than those obtained in the presence of P123 surfactant molecules. Based on these results and on condensation kinetics analysis, we also propose an original mechanism for the formation of silica microspheres in the presence and in the absence of the meso-structuring and pore-forming P123 molecules.

Antireflection cum photocatalytic with superhydrophilic based durable single layer mesoporous TiO2 - ZrO2 coating surface for efficient solar photovoltaic application

The cover glass of the solar panel benefits greatly from the antireflection cum photocatalytic with durable superhydrophilic (SHF) coating on float glass, which is here referred to as solar cover glass (SCG). In this study, such coatings were coated as a single layer on SCG as a replacement for the glass that covers solar cells, and their performance was compared to that of the bare texture solar cover glass (TSCG) which available in market. Using the sol–gel dip-coating method, coatings were created from stable sol utilizing titanium (IV) isopropoxide (TTIP), zirconium (IV) oxychloride octahydrate (ZOC), and block co-polymer P123 (surfactant), then dried at 80 °C/2 h and heated for at 400 °C/h. The coatings were deposited on glass with dimensions of 150 mm × 150 mm and had a thickness of 186 ± 10 nm. They had a refractive index value of 1.4295±0.002 and water contact angle (WCA) of 5 – 6°. These coatings were found to be homogeneous and had good adhesion and pencil hardness ∼4H. The coatings' hardness and elastic modulus were also measured using the nano-indentation method with an optimum 500 µN stress and were found to be 0.7909 ± 0.05 GPa and 37.59 ± 1 GPa, respectively. The formation of mesoporous coating as observed by ATR FT-IR and the genesis of the Ti-O-Zr network structure was confirmed by TEM, FESEM, AFM and Raman spectroscopy analysis. Coated glass showed an increase of > 3 % in average transmission in the wavelength range of 700 to 1100 nm due to a lower RI value than substrate along with chemical and thermal stability of the coatings. Moreover, upto 5% increase in photocurrent density Jsc (mA/cm2) was found as compared to uncoated glass substrate (SCG). Furthermore, the degradation of methylene blue (MB) dye under UV irradiation and analysis using Raman spectroscopy indicated the photocatalytic ability of the coatings. Its triple functional single layer coated float glass (SCG) is therefore anticipated to be helpful and effective as a replacement for TSCG for home to agricultural applications.

Catalytic performance of copper and ruthenium loaded on N-doped modified PBZ-derived carbons for CO2 hydrogenation

This study presents the effective synthesis of copper and ruthenium loaded on nitrogen-doped polybenzoxazine (PBZ)-derived carbons modified using surfactants. The PBZ-derived carbons were modified with a surfactant, and their basicity were enhanced by nitrogen species doping. CeO2 and ZrO2 were loaded onto the carbons to promote the capture and dissociation of CO2. As determined by CO2-TPD, Cu-Ru-Zr/Am-P123 (prepared with ammonia as the nitrogen doping source and P123 surfactant) had a very high CO2 adsorption capacity of 6.72 mmol g−1. Cu-Ru-Zr/Am-P123 demonstrated outstanding catalytic performance under favorable conditions (T = 483 K, P = 1.5 MPa, CO2:H2 = 1:3, GHSV = 2000 h−1), with CO2 conversion of 37 % and a methanol space–time yield of 642 mg gcat−1h−1. Similar performance was achieved with Cu-Ru-Zr/U-P123 (prepared with urea as the nitrogen doping source). Interestingly, the selectivity of MeOH rose from 75% to 91% when ZrO2 was replaced with CeO2.

Micellization and gelation characteristics of Pluronic P123 and single ester-bonded cleavable cationic gemini surfactant: A potential system for solubilization and release of ibuprofen

We herein report the mixed micelle and monolayer formation of mixtures of a biocompatible and cleavable oxy-diester twin tailed (gemini) surfactant, 2,2′-[(oxybis(ethane-1,2-diyl))bis(oxy)]bis(N-hexadecyl-N,Ndimethyl-2-oxoethanaminium) dichloride (16-E1-16) with the triblock copolymer, P123 (HO(CH2CH2O)20(CH2CH(CH3)O)70(CH2CH2O)20H) using tensiometry, dynamic light scattering (DLS), and rheology. It was observed that P123 and 16-E1-16 have strong interaction and form small mixed micelles with similar micellar composition throughout the bulk mole fraction range with insignificant counterion binding. Besides, P123 and 16-E1-16 mixed surfactant system forms thermodynamically stable mixed monolayer that is rich in P123. Variation of viscosity with shear rate revealed better injectable property of the formulations of binary mixtures of P123 and 16-E1-16 compared to pure P123. Also, below α16-E1-16 = 0.3, all the mixtures were in the form of sol which transform into a weak gel at physiological temperatures making these formulations relevant as injectable delivery system. Solubilization capacity of these mixed micelles towards ibuprofen (IBU) showed that addition of 16-E1-16 to P123 micelles reduces its solubilization capacity but with the advantage of making the formulation injectable due to their favorable shear induced viscosity changes and thermogelation properties. Mixed micelles showed faster drug release rate predominantly following Fickian mechanism with negligible contribution of relaxation process in the release phenomena. There is no report showing interaction of biocompatible and cleavable gemini surfactant 16-E1-16 with P123 in mixed micelle and monolayer formation with detailed rheological, drug encapsulation and release studies even though this amphiphilic system has a potential to act as an injectable drug delivery system.

Effective Controlling of Ni3S2/MoS2 Porous Hollow Spheres on Ni Foam by Non‐ionic Surfactant Micelles for Oxygen Evolution Reaction

AbstractThe hollow sphere structure has attracted various attention in the catalytic field due to its high specific surface. The good dispersion and morphology of hollow spheres are important to provide high active sites. It is a big challenge to control the morphology and distribution of the active materials during synthesis. Serious deformation and uneven distribution of the spheres were usually obtained due to inappropriate templates. A facile one‐step hydrothermal method using micelles of triblock copolymer surfactant P123 was adopted to in‐situ grow Ni3S2/MoS2 porous hollow spheres on Ni foam with uniform distribution. The as‐produced Ni3S2/MoS2 porous hollow spheres have been demonstrated to have excellent oxygen evolution reaction catalytic performance as integrated electrodes. Low overpotentials of 314 mV and 337 mV have been achieved at current densities of 50 mA cm−2 and 100 mA cm−2 with a Tafel slope of 57 mV dec−1 and an excellent long‐term stability, which is better than other Ni‐base material.

Porous carbon derived from Surfactant/Polybenzoxazine Blends

Carbon dioxide adsorption based on porous materials has emerged as a promising technique to prevent the emission of greenhouse gases (GHGs) to the atmosphere and to capture GHGs before they enter the carbon cycle. In this work, polybenzoxazine (PBZ) was synthesized and carbonized at 1173 K for use as a CO2 capture material and a catalytic support for the hydrogenation of CO2 to methanol. The effect of cationic, anionic, and non-ionic surfactants on the morphology of PBZ-derived carbon was investigated, and it was determined that the type of surfactant had a major impact on the morphology of the PBZ-derived carbon. Moreover, using a higher surfactant concentration led to a larger pore size, pore volume, and specific surface area. The high efficiency of the PBZ-derived carbon for CO2 adsorption was confirmed by CO2-TPD, FT-IR, and SEM. Notably, the carbon modified by the P123 surfactant delivered a high CO2 adsorption capacity of 1.59 mmol g−1, which was 2 times higher than that of unmodified carbon.

Syntheses of gold supported on metal oxides and their application in organic transformations

Herein, we report a general and straightforward synthesis method for gold supported on mesoporous and microporous metal oxides. Supported materials, in general, show higher crystallinity compare to unsupported systems as verified through powder X-ray diffraction (XRD). Also, through XRD, most of the metal is observed to be in its oxide form, whereas the gold support was found to be in its metallic state, which has been further confirmed from TEM. In terms of surface area, the catalyst was not found to follow any trend. Morphology wise, there are no changes observed after doping except in few cases. Combined results from XRD, X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy, Auger, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy suggest that gold is mainly in the bulk and very little (0.04% in case of gold doped calcium oxide) or non (in case of gold doped mixed manganese-cerium oxide) on the surface. The presence of Au (0) 4f peaks in XPS further confirms the metallic state of the gold. Oxides of indium, magnesium and calcium have been studied for the organic transformation reactions. An enhancement in activity and product selectivity was observed in the case of the gold supported catalysts. Indium serves as a great catalyst for C–C coupling and electrophilic aromatic substitution reactions and gives >99% conversion. Interestingly, 88% selectivity for C–C coupling and >99% selectivity for aromatic substitution have been achieved at 100 °C and room temperature respectively. Magnesium and calcium give Knoevenagel condensation products. At room temperature with very low catalyst loading, >99% conversion and selectivity were observed for the Knoevenagel reaction with as high as 35.30 TOF. A mechanism for the C–C coupling reaction has been proposed based on these results. The general and straightforward synthesis of gold promoted mesoporous and microporous metal oxides were templated using Pluronic P123 surfactant via inverse micelle formation. These catalysts were scanned for the various organic transformation reactions and enhanced activity was shown in the case of gold promoted catalysts. • A general and straightforward synthesis method for gold support mesoporous and microporous metal oxides. • An improvement in metal oxide crystallinity as a result of gold doping. • An enhancement in activity and product selectivity due to the gold supported catalysts. • Indium based C–C coupling and electrophilic aromatic substitution reactions that give >99% conversion. • High selectivity and high conversion for Knoevenagel ester condensation with very low catalyst loading.

Fe2O3 Incorporated Anatase/Brookite Biphasic TiO2 for degradation of Phenol under Simulated Solar Light

This work describes the synthesis of Fe-doped mesoporous anatase and brookite polymorphs of TiO2 in the occurrence of P-123 surfactant at varying Fe3+ ions contents (0.5–2%). The photocatalytic performance of the newly synthesized Fe–TiO2 was evaluated for phenol degradation compared to the parent TiO2, commercial P25 and 2%Fe–P25 under the solar simulator. XRD and TEM results illustrated that the construction of TiO2 NPs with brookite and anatase phases and the diameter of 10 nm was achieved. The surface area of 2%Fe–TiO2 NPs (100 m2/g) revealed a large two times compared to that of P25 (50 m2/g). Interestingly, the optimum 2%Fe–TiO2 photocatalyst exhibited complete degradation phenol within 40 min, and it was two times greater than that bare TiO2 and commercial P25 under simulated solar light. The rate constant for degradation of phenol over 2% Fe–TiO2 was enhanced 5.5 and 2.93 folds than that P25 and bare TiO2 NPs. The photocatalytic enhancement performance of Fe–TiO2 photocatalyst was supposedly created from the got better utilization of the visible light range. This is because Fe3+ ions can serve as a transient capturing site for photoinduced hole-electron, which suppressed the charge carriers' recombination and extended their lifetime. Photoelectrochemical measurements such as electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, chronoamperometry and cyclic voltammetry were conducted to verify and confirm the photocatalytic performance of the newly synthesized photocatalysts.

Experimental Studies on the Removal of Aluminium Ions from Synthetic Aqueous Solution by Hydroxyapatites.

In this work we have presented the results obtained in the adsorption behavior of hydroxyapatite with different treatment towards aluminium ions from synthetic wastewaters. Experiments were performed in batch technique at different pH values, temperatures, sorbent dosage, contact time and initial aluminium concentration. The thermodynamic studies on the adsorption process of aluminium onto hydroxyapatite indicated that the process is spontaneous and endothermic. The Langmuir, Freundlich, Flory-Huggins, Dubinin-Radushkevich and Temkin equilibrium models were applied to the description of experimental data. The adsorption of aluminium follows the Langmuir adsorption isotherm. The kinetics of adsorption was evaluated using the pseudo-first order, pseudo-second order and intraparticle diffusion kinetic models. The rate of aluminium adsorption was successfully described by a pseudo-second-order kinetic model. The obtained results indicated that hydroxyapatite treated with Pluronic P123 surfactant has a higher sorption capacity toward aluminium ions (117.65 mg g-1) than hydroxyapatite treated with Pluronic F127 surfactant (109.89 mg g-1) while untreated hydroxyapatite exhibited the lowest one (104.17 mg g-1).

Boosting the Rate Performance of Li–S Batteries via Highly Dispersed Cobalt Nanoparticles Embedded into Nitrogen-Doped Hierarchical Porous Carbon

Boosting the Rate Performance of Li–S Batteries via Highly Dispersed Cobalt Nanoparticles Embedded into Nitrogen-Doped Hierarchical Porous Carbon

Preparation of strontium doped mesoporous ZnO nanoparticles to investigate their dye degradation efficiency

Mesoporous strontium doped ZnO nanoparticles are synthesized as photocatalyst by using zinc nitrate hexahydrate, surfactant P123, strontium nitrate hexahydrate via the hydrothermal process. X-ray diffraction (XRD), UV-visible spectroscopy (UV), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), Photoluminescence (PL), Energy-dispersive x-ray (EDX), Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) characterizations are used for the analysis of all the samples. XRD spectra disclose the disparity in the crystal size 14.98 to 22.74 nm. The study of UV spectroscopy revealed the energy bandgap difference between 3.3–2.92 eV. PL spectroscopy shows the effect of doping on the electron-hole recombination rate of the sample. FTIR analysis has utilized to determine the functional groups such as –OH, C=O=C, and –C–O present in the sample. EDX spectra show the elemental compositions of the sample. SEM images show the agglomerated morphology and TEM images show the different shape morphology of the sample. BET analysis shows the occurrence of 39.9 m2 g−1 surface area with mesoporous morphology. The effect of the increasing percentage of strontium on the photocatalytic capability of ZnO is checked against methylene blue and congo red dyes with 75% and 80% degradation.

Mesoporous silica SBA-15 decreases hyperammonemia and affects the gene expression of mitogen-activated protein kinases in the prefrontal cortex of rats with bile duct ligation.

Objective(s):We aim to examine possible ammonia lowering effects of mesoporous silica SBA-15 in rats after the common bile duct ligation (BDL). We also evaluate the effect of SBA-15 treatments during 28 days of BDL on locomotion and rearing behavior, as well as on the gene expression of Jnk3 and p38alpha (p38α) mitogen-activated protein kinases in the prefrontal cortex (PFC).Materials and Methods:SBA-15 was prepared with the hydrothermal method from the surfactant P123 and tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS), and calcined at 550 ºC. Then, the product was characterized by FT-IR, XRD, SEM, and BJH-BET techniques. Male Wistar rats in sham control and a group with BDL received saline but another group with BDL received SBA-15 during 28 days of BDL. We examined all groups of rats weekly for locomotion and rearing behavior; then on day 28, we sacrificed all rats, collected the blood sample, and finally dissected the PFC from the whole brain.Results:The SBA-15 treatments had no effect on locomotion but improved rearing behavior on days 7 and 14 of BDL. Biochemical analysis indicated that the SBA-15 treatments in rats with BDL significantly decreased hyperammonemia. The results also revealed that the SBA-15 treatments in rats with BDL significantly restored the decreased Jnk3 gene expression, and increased the p38α gene expression in the PFC.Conclusion:We conclude that SBA-15 can be used as an ammonia lowering agent in hepatic encephalopathy; however, its improving effects on locomotion and neuroinflammation, as well as signaling molecules in the brain need more investigations.

Effect of swelling agent on pore properties of mesoporous carbonated hydroxyapatite

Mesoporous carbonated hydroxyapatite (CHA) has been seen to be suitable as an adsorbent material due to the proven biocompatibility, bioactivity and chemical stability. However, obtaining the high surface area and desired pore size for mesoporous materials become the main challenge in producing good quality adsorbent materials. Thus, this study aims to investigate the effect of addition of swelling agents on pore properties of mesoporous CHA. Mesoporous CHA was synthesised by precipitation method. Triblock co-polymer, P123 surfactant was used as a soft template to introduce pores within the CHA particles and 1-dodecanethiol as a swelling agent. Two different mixing temperature (60°C and 80°C) were used during the mixing process of P123-calcium solution and 1-dodecanethiol. The effect of different mixing temperature (60°C and 80°C) and various concentration of swelling agent on the phase, morphology and pore characteristics of mesoporous CHA were investigated using various material characterization techniques. Mixing temperature 60°C, produced mesoporous CHA with much higher surface area (92.8 m2/g), larger pore size (22.9 nm) and higher pore volume (0.502 cm2/g) than those produce at 80°C (surface area = 62.7 m2/g, pore size = 2.6 nm and pore volume = 0.105 cm2/g). The highest surface area (146.9 m2/g) of mesoporous CHA was obtained when there was no swelling agent added. However, the pore size of the sample was very small. Therefore, the optimum pore characteristics (surface area = 104.5 m2/g, pore size = 24.4 nm and pore volume = 0.530 cm2/g) of mesoporous CHA was obtained when the swelling agent concentration is 0.6 M and the mixing temperature is 60°C. Both mixing temperature and swelling agent concentration have profound effect on the pore characteristics of mesoporous carbonated hydroxyapatite (CHA).