Stoichiometry Of Products Research Articles

(Invited) Mechanism of H2 Synthesis Due to Plasma-Induced Water Splitting Via Free-Electron Impact

The electrified plasma-liquid interface (EPLI) has two major local reactors, the plasma phase and the liquid phase. Both local reactors enable water splitting, but their synthesis mechanism is different. While the mechanism of H2 synthesis in a liquid phase (plasma electrochemistry) was reasonably deciphered, the respective mechanism in the plasma phase does not (plasma chemistry). In this present contribution, the Chemical Reaction Network (CRN) analysis serves as a tool to decipher the H2 synthesis mechanism in the plasma reactor. For that, the datum from the laboratory of Sankaran serves as grounds for the CNR analysis. Sankaran team identified that the equilibrium vapor pressure of water introduces water vapor in the plasma phase; and that, fundamentally, there were eight elementary reactions involved in the plasma-chemistry mechanism of H2 synthesis, i.e., those reactions containing the largest constant rates (or electron rate coefficients). [1] The authors obtained the reaction rate constants via a numerical solution of the Boltzmann equation (BE) for electrons in weakly ionized gases considering the uniform electrical field. [2] Together, those eight elementary reactions form the following global reaction for the water splitting via electron-impact8 H2O → ●H+ ●OH + ●O + O– + O+ + OH– + OH+ + H– + H+ that is also rationalized in terms of global CRN, shown in figure 1. The water molecule splits into two major classes of fragments, the radical fragment set {●H, ●OH and ●O} and the ionic fragment set {O–, O+, OH–, OH+, H–, H+}. These two classes of fragments receive different treatments in this work because their kinetic relaxation is supposed to follow different time scales. The radical fragment is supposed to relax toward final products much faster than the ionic fragments. For this reason, only the chemical dynamics of the radical fragment are considered in the relaxation step toward the final products. The chemical dynamics of relaxation toward final products, thus, take into account only the set of radical fragments. This talk will present and discuss the chemical reaction network (CRN) for the relaxation of the radical fragment toward final products like hydrogen (H2), hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), water (H2O), and eventually oxygen (O2). The radical-relaxation CNR is not shown in this abstract but will be present/discussed in the talk.Roughly speaking, the radical-relaxation dynamics must deliver hydrogen as the major product and hydrogen peroxide as the major side-product, besides a stochiometric ratio of 4 to 1, respectively. Specifics on whether the radicals •OH relaxes toward H2O2 or H2O depend on the local dynamics, meaning that it mostly relies on the parameter set values that drive the CRN. Unfortunately, there is no experimental evidence already reporting the stoichiometry of products, which makes it unfeasible to evaluate the adherence of our analysis to the experimental pieces of evidence.

Stoichiometry of the Gene Products From the Tetrachloroethene Reductive Dehalogenase Operon pceABCT.

Organohalide respiration (OHR) is a bacterial anaerobic process that uses halogenated compounds, e.g., tetrachloroethene (PCE), as terminal electron acceptors. Our model organisms are Dehalobacter restrictus strain PER-K23, an obligate OHR bacterium (OHRB), and Desulfitobacterium hafniense strain TCE1, a bacterium with a versatile metabolism. The key enzyme is the PCE reductive dehalogenase (PceA) that is encoded in the highly conserved gene cluster (pceABCT) in both above-mentioned strains, and in other Firmicutes OHRB. To date, the functions of PceA and PceT, a dedicated molecular chaperone for the maturation of PceA, are well defined. However, the role of PceB and PceC are still not elucidated. We present a multilevel study aiming at deciphering the stoichiometry of pceABCT individual gene products. The investigation was assessed at RNA level by reverse transcription and (quantitative) polymerase chain reaction, while at protein level, proteomic analyses based on parallel reaction monitoring were performed to quantify the Pce proteins in cell-free extracts as well as in soluble and membrane fractions of both strains using heavy-labeled reference peptides. At RNA level, our results confirmed the co-transcription of all pce genes, while the quantitative analysis revealed a relative stoichiometry of the gene transcripts of pceA, pceB, pceC, and pceT at ~ 1.0:3.0:0.1:0.1 in D. restrictus. This trend was not observed in D. hafniense strain TCE1, where no substantial difference was measured for the four genes. At proteomic level, an apparent 2:1 stoichiometry of PceA and PceB was obtained in the membrane fraction, and a low abundance of PceC in comparison to the other two proteins. In the soluble fraction, a 1:1 stoichiometry of PceA and PceT was identified. In summary, we show that the pce gene cluster is transcribed as an operon with, however, a level of transcription that differs for individual genes, an observation that could be explained by post-transcriptional events. Despite challenges in the quantification of integral membrane proteins such as PceB and PceC, the similar abundance of PceA and PceB invites to consider them as forming a membrane-bound PceA2B protein complex, which, in contrast to the proposed model, seems to be devoid of PceC.

Potential effect of warming on soil microbial nutrient limitations as determined by enzymatic stoichiometry in the farmland from different climate zones

The decomposition of organic matter mediated by soil enzymes is the key process that transports carbon from the soil into the atmosphere. To better understand the effect of global warming on organic matter decomposition, we evaluated the temperature sensitivity (Q10) of invertase (EC3.2.1.26), β-glucosidase (EC3.2.1.21), urease (EC3.1.1.5), acid phosphatase (EC3.1.3.2), and arylsulfatase (EC3.1.6.1) activities in red soil from the subtropical region and black soil from the mid-temperate region at 5, 15, 25, 35, and 45 °C. Further, the in-situ stoichiometry of the products released by enzymes was modelled. All of the enzyme activities in the tested soils increased with the increasing temperature (1.1–8.9 fold per 10 °C), indicating an enhanced degradation of the organic substrate with warming. In the lower temperature range (5–25 °C), Q10 of the enzyme activities in the red soil evaluated in terms of total enzyme activity index were more prominent than that in black soil (1.53 and 3.46 vs 1.16 and 3.19). Changes in the in-situ stoichiometry of enzyme products with warming indicated that, in colder months (Jan. to Apr. and Oct. to Dec.), the microbial nutrient demand in the red soil exhibited the following order, N > P > S > C. While in the black soil, it suggested that there is increasing microbial demand for only N and S. In the warmer months (May to Sep.), the microbial nutrient demands in the two soils were opposite to the colder months. The results suggested differential changes in microbial nutrient limitation with warming, which has significant implications for the carbon stocks management in farmlands under the changing global climate.

Krill vs salps: dominance shift from krill to salps is associated with higher dissolved N:P ratios

Pronounced atmospheric and oceanic warming along the West Antarctic Peninsula (WAP) has resulted in abundance shifts in populations of Antarctic krill and Salpa thompsoni determined by changes in the timing of sea-ice advance, the duration of sea-ice cover and food availability. Krill and salps represent the most important macrozooplankton grazers at the WAP, but differ profoundly in their feeding biology, population dynamics and stoichiometry of excretion products with potential consequences for the relative availability of dissolved nitrogen and phosphorus. Alternation of the dissolved nutrient pool due to shifts in krill and salp densities have been hypothesized but never explicitly tested by using observational data. We therefore used the Palmer LTER dataset in order to investigate whether the dominance of either grazer is related with the observed dissolved nitrogen:phosphorus (N:P) ratios at the WAP. Across the whole sampling grid, the dominance of salps over krill was significantly correlated to higher concentrations of both N and P as well as a higher N:P ratios. Using actual long-term data, our study shows for the first time that changes in key grazer dominance may have consequences for the dynamics of dissolved nitrogen and phosphorus at the WAP.

Non-firing solidification: A new room temperature ceramics processing

Low-temperature sintering has been long desired by many ceramists and materials scientist because sintering is a high-cost and time-consuming process. High temperature sintering is also attempted to be avoided because it may alter the microstructure of ceramics by causing an undesired grain growth or changing the chemical stoichiometry of the final product. This perspective aims to give an insight into a new concept of the powder solidification process, named as the “non-firing solidification process”. The main concept of the non-firing solidification process is to activate the surface of particles by mechanical milling and consolidate the particles via the joining of activated surfaces. This method, which is mainly conducted at room temperature, can be applied for a wide range of materials including oxides and nonoxides. SiO2 (silica) is taken as a model and radical centers before and after surface activation are studied by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR). The amount of water adsorption on the surface of silica during the process is also observed as an index of the activation. A molecular dynamics (MD) simulation model of β-tridymite silica whose surface is terminated with OH is applied in order to investigate the effect of mechanochemical activation on the surface of particles. The particle-particle bonding, as well as triple junctions and necking between particles are confirmed by transmission electron microscopy.

Detection of Multisite Phosphorylation of Intrinsically Disordered Proteins Using Phos-tag SDS-PAGE.

Phos-tagTM SDS-PAGE is a method that enables electrophoretic separation of proteins based on their phosphorylation status. With Phos-tagTM SDS-PAGE, it is possible to discriminate between different phosphoforms of proteins based on their phosphorylation level and the number of phosphorylated sites, and to determine the stoichiometry of different phosphorylation products. Phos-tagTM SDS-PAGE is useful for analyzing disordered proteins with multiple phosphorylation sites and can be used for any of the downstream applications used in combination with conventional SDS-PAGE, for example, Western blotting and mass-spectrometry. To obtain the best results with Phos-tagTM SDS-PAGE, however, it is often necessary to optimize the gel composition. Depending on the molecular weight and number of phosphoryl groups added to the protein, different gel composition or running conditions should be used. Here, we provide protocols for Mn2+- and Zn2+-Phos-tagTM SDS-PAGE and give examples of how disordered proteins with different characteristics behave in gels with various Phos-tag concentrations.

Photocatalytic activity of spinel ferrites CoxFe3-XO4 (0,25-x-1) obtained by treatment contact low-temperature nonequilibrium plasma

Researchers' interest in the CoxFe3-xO4system has grown significantly over the past decades. This is due to the use of cobalt ferrite for the manufacture of high-frequency devices, in magnetic resonance imaging, biotechnology due to the high magnetocrystalline anisotropy, high coercivity and moderate saturation of the magnetization, the ability to reduce magnetic loss at high frequencies.One way to improve the magnetic properties of ferrite powders is to control the structure of the starting material. Hydrophase synthesis methods, including innovative ones, are the basis for creating promising and high-tech ferrite materials. Therefore, the laws of their formation are the subject of a comprehensive study. The peculiarity of hydrophase synthesis is that it allows for high stoichiometry and uniformity of the final product, lower synthesis temperatures than for solid phase) and relatively simple and affordable equipment. The aim of the study was to determine the crystallochemical parameters of cobalt ferrites with spinel structure in the CoxFe3-xO4 (0.25<x<1) system, to determine the composition and magnetic characteristics of the resulting compounds as a function of composition, and to determine the photocatalytic activity of cobalt ferrites in the decomposition of 4-nitrophenol. A comparative study of CoxFe3-xO4 cobalt ferrites with different compositions (x = 0.25, 0.5, 0.75, 1.0) synthesized using contact low-temperature nonequilibrium plasma showed that compositions other than stoichiometric have a defective structure. The average crystallite size calculated from the diffraction pattern peaks confirmed a size range of 35.0 -41.8 nm. The saturation magnetization of samples increases with decreasing molar ratio of cations. The maximum coercive force corresponds to the stoichiometric composition. The photocatalytic properties in the decomposition reaction of 4 nitrophenol were studied. With an increase in cobalt content, the degree of decomposition of 4-nitrophenol decreases.

Making by Grinding: Mechanochemistry Boosts the Development of Halide Perovskites and Other Multinary Metal Halides

AbstractMechanochemical synthesis has recently emerged as a promising route for the synthesis of functional lead halide perovskites as well as other (lead‐free) metal halides. Mechanochemical synthesis presents several advantages with regards to more commonly used solution‐based processes such as an inherent lower toxicity by avoiding organic solvents and a finer control over stoichiometry of the final products. The ease of implementation, either through the use of a simple mortar and pestle or with an electrically powered ball‐mill, and low amount of side products make mechanochemical synthesis appealing for upscaling the production of halide perovskites. Due to the defect tolerance of lead halide perovskites, they are ideally suited to be prepared by this solvent‐free method. However, the implementation of these semiconductors in high‐efficiency optoelectronic devices requires the transformation of synthesized powder into smooth thin films where still some hurdles remain to be cleared.

Kinetics and mechanism of formation of the complex [Ru(CN)5INH]3− through the ligand substitution reaction between the aquapentacyanoruthenate(II) anion and isoniazid

The formation kinetics of the complex, [Ru(CN)5INH]3−, formed through the ligand substitution reaction between isoniazid (INH) and aquapentacyanoruthenate(II) ([Ru(CN)5H2O]3−), have been investigated, under pseudo first-order conditions, as a function of concentrations of [INH] and [Ru(CN)5H2O]3−, ionic strength and temperature at pH = 4.0 ± 0.02 in 0.2 M NaClO4 spectrophotometrically at 502 nm ( λmax of intense yellow colour product [Ru(CN)5INH]3−) corresponding to metal-to-ligand charge-transfer transitions, in aqueous medium. The pseudo first-order condition was maintained by taking at least 10% excess of [INH] over [Ru(CN)5H2O]3−. The stoichiometry of the reaction product was found to be 1:1 which was further supported and characterized using elemental analysis, infrared, nuclear magnetic resonance and mass spectrometric techniques. Thermodynamic and kinetic parameters have also been computed, using the Eyring equation, and the values of ΔH≠, Ea, ΔG≠ and ΔS≠ were found to be 47.3 kJ mol−1, 49.8 kJ mol−1, −8.62 kJ mol−1 and 187.6 J K−1mol−1, respectively. The reaction was found to obey first-order kinetics with respect to [INH]. It exhibited a negative salt effect on the rate upon variation of ionic strength of the medium. A tentative mechanistic scheme was proposed on the basis of experimental findings.

Nanoparticle Formation Kinetics and Mechanistic Studies Important to Mechanism-Based Particle-Size Control: Evidence for Ligand-Based Slowing of the Autocatalytic Surface Growth Step Plus Postulated Mechanisms

Ligands are known to affect the formation, stabilization, size, and size-dispersion control of transition-metal and other nanoparticles, yet the kinetic and mechanistic basis for such ligand effects remains to be elucidated and then coupled to predictions for improved particle size and narrower particle size distribution syntheses. Toward this broad goal, the effect of the added excess ligand (L) and the stabilizer, L = POM9– (= the polyoxometalate, P2W15Nb3O629–) is studied for the formation of POM9–-stabilized Ir(0)n nanoparticles, {Ir(0)n·(POM9–)m}9m−, synthesized from an atomically characterized precatalyst (COD)Ir·POM8– under H2. First, the balanced reaction stoichiometry and characterization of the nanoparticle products are established. Next, the kinetics of nanoparticle formation is analyzed initially by the FW 2-step minimum mechanism consisting of slow, continuous nucleation, A → B (rate constant k1obs), and autocatalytic surface growth, A + B → 2B (rate constant k2obs), where A is nominally (COD...

Electrochemical Synthesis of Tantalum Silicides from Chloride-Fluoride Melts

The possibility of the electrochemical synthesis of tantalum silicides in chloride-fluoride melts is examined. Based on thermodynamic calculations and voltammetric studies, it has been proved that this process consists of one stage. It is shown that the ratio of the bulk concentrations of tantalum and silicon in the melt does not determine the stoichiometry of cathodic reduction products. Ta2Si powder and coatings have been obtained by electrolysis.

Non-firing ceramics: Activation of silica powder surface for achieving high-density solidified bodies

Sintering of most ceramic materials requires high temperatures over 1000 °C due to their high melting point. Sintering is a high-cost process, which can take several hours or days. Also, sintering at high temperatures can affect the microstructure of ceramics by causing undesired grain coarsening or changing the chemical stoichiometry of final product when volatile elements are present. In this study, a so-called “non-firing sintering” of silica particles is proposed, without using thermal energy. This method involves the chemical activation of powder surface via ball milling, where the surface of particles is rubbed against balls, and friction between particle/ball breaks the bonds of functional groups like SiOSi on the surface of particles. Results show that water adsorption increases as milling time is increased, while particle size is unchanged after ball milling according to nitrogen adsorption isotherms. Scanning electron microscopy results confirm the trans granular fracture of pellets prepared by ball milling, and transmission electron microscopy micrographs show a necking-like bonding between silica particles.

The effect of temperature on stoichiometry, cation ordering, and reaction rate in high-temperature dolomitization experiments

Natural dolomites exhibit a wide range of compositional and structural characteristics with respect to the amount and positions of calcium and magnesium cations within the crystal lattice. The physicochemical factors that regulate these characteristics are, however, poorly understood. Hundreds of high-temperature dolomitization experiments were conducted to specifically evaluate and quantify the effects of reaction temperature on dolomite stoichiometry and cation ordering. Laboratory dolomites were produced over the temperature range of 160 to 250°C in a Mg-Ca-Cl solution (Mg/Ca=1.0) via a replacement reaction with modern aragonite ooids. Solid products were analyzed using standard powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) to determine mineralogy, percent replacement, stoichiometry (mol% Mg), and degree of cation ordering. Similar to previous laboratory experiments, new data from the aragonite ooid experiments indicate that well-ordered, stoichiometric dolomite forms via a series of metastable precursors, including very-high magnesium calcite (VHMC) and poorly-ordered dolomite. These new laboratory data exhibit significantly less scatter than previously published data, and thus provide a more detailed account of the dolomitization reaction kinetics. The rate at which VHMC products replace aragonite ooid reactants, and thus the overall rate of dolomitization, exhibit strong, Arrhenius, non-linear temperature dependency. Temperatures below 200°C exhibit significantly slower reaction rates than temperatures above 200°C. Independent of reaction temperature, the initial VHMC products invariably lack XRD evidence of cation ordering. The stoichiometry of the initial VHMC products, which ranges from 35 to 46mol% Mg, and the rate at which cation ordering develops, both strongly covary with reaction temperature. These new data (i) confirm previous observations about the stepwise process by which stoichiometric, well-ordered dolomite forms, (ii) augment our understanding about the fundamental controls on dolomite stoichiometry and cation ordering, and (iii) help explain the wide range of variations in dolomite stoichiometry and cation ordering observed in the rock record.

Controllable Phase Transition for Layered β-FeSe Superconductor Synthesized by Solution Chemistry

Low-temperature synthesis of β-FeSe superconductor from soluble precursors is a great challenge in the chemical solution approaches. Here, we develop a new and facile solution-based synthetic route to first fabricate narrow-phased β-FeSe superconductor with soluble iron and selenium sources as starting materials. The growth mechanism of β-FeSe superconductors is discussed by kinetically controllable syntheses in various reaction conditions. Chemically engineering the stoichiometry of β-FeSe products by selenium-diffusion process gives rise to a transition of antiferromagnetic-superconducting-antiferromagnetic (AFM-SC-AFM) order. Once the AFM order is suppressed, SC β-FeSe nanosheets show a tunable initial superconducting transition temperature (TC) from 3.2 to 10 K in the superconducting regime. Electrical measurements on superconducting β-FeSe exhibit an upper critical magnetic field higher than 14 T, showing potential application of β-FeSe nanosheet for superconducting device. This method provides guidance for future applications in such chemical solutions for diffusion-controlled synthesis of narrow-phased functional materials, which are enriched of abundant fundamental physics and potentials for future applications.

In situ evolved gas analysis assisted thermogravimetric (TG-FTIR and TG/DTA–MS) studies on non-activated copper benzene-1,3,5-tricarboxylate

The results of a complete thermogravimetric study of copper benzene-1,3,5-tricarboxylate (Cu-BTC or HKUST-1) are reported here together with mass spectrometry (MS) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analyses of the evolved gases up to 800°C. Oxidative and inert conditions were applied to reveal the stoichiometry of the as-received synthesis product. In spite of using a water-ethanol mixture during the synthesis and the filtration, only water is retained in the pores. It is proposed that the thermolytic release of ethanol in the temperature range 150–250°C originates from ethanol-benzene-1,3,5-tricarboxylate (BTC) esters situated on the surface of the HKUST-1 crystal, and which limit the size of the developing crystals during the synthesis.

Integrated Transcriptome Map Highlights Structural and Functional Aspects of the Normal Human Heart.

A systematic meta-analysis of the available gene expression profiling datasets for the whole normal human heart generated a quantitative transcriptome reference map of this organ. Transcriptome Mapper (TRAM) software integrated 32 gene expression profile datasets from different sources returning a reference value of expression for each of the 43,360 known, mapped transcripts assayed by any of the experimental platforms used in this regard. Main findings include the visualization at the gene and chromosomal levels of the classical description of the basic histology and physiology of the heart, the identification of suitable housekeeping reference genes, the analysis of stoichiometry of gene products, and the focusing on chromosome 21 genes, which are present in one excess copy in Down syndrome subjects, presenting cardiovascular defects in 30-40% of cases. Independent in vitro validation showed an excellent correlation coefficient (r = 0.98) with the in silico data. Remarkably, heart/non-cardiac tissue expression ratio may also be used to anticipate that effects of mutations will most probably affect or not the heart. The quantitative reference global portrait of gene expression in the whole normal human heart illustrates the structural and functional aspects of the whole organ and is a general model to understand the mechanisms underlying heart pathophysiology. J. Cell. Physiol. 232: 759-770, 2017. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Ethylene hydrogenation catalysis on Pt(111) single-crystal surfaces studied by using mass spectrometry and in situ infrared absorption spectroscopy

The catalytic hydrogenation of ethylene promoted by a Pt(111) single crystal was studied by using a ultrahigh-vacuum surface-science instrument equipped with a so-called high-pressure cell. Kinetic data were acquired continuously during the catalytic conversion of atmospheric-pressure mixtures of ethylene and hydrogen by using mass spectrometry while simultaneously characterizing the surface species in operando mode by reflection–absorption infrared spectroscopy (RAIRS). Many observations reported in previous studies of this system were corroborated, including the presence of adsorbed alkylidyne intermediates during the reaction and the zero-order dependence of the rate of hydrogenation on the pressure of ethylene. In addition, the high quality of the kinetic data, which could be recorded continuously versus time and processed to calculate time-dependent turnover frequencies (TOFs), afforded a more detailed analysis of the mechanism. Specifically, deuterium labeling could be used to estimate the extent of isotope scrambling reached with mixed-isotope-substituted reactants (C2H4+D2 and C2D4+H2). Perhaps the most important new observation from this work is that, although extensive H-D exchange takes place on ethylene before being fully converted to ethane, the average stoichiometry of the final product retains the expected stoichiometry of the gas mixture, that is, four regular hydrogen atoms and two deuteriums per ethane molecule in the case of the experiments with C2H4+D2. This means that no hydrogen atoms are removed from the surface via their inter-recombination to produce X2 (X=H or D). It is concluded that, under catalytic conditions, hydrogen surface recombination is much slower than ethylene hydrogenation and H-D exchange.

Multi-morphological growth of nano-structured In2Se3 by ambient pressure triethylene glycol based solution syntheses

In2Se3 nanoparticles, flower-like shaped and sheet-shaped nanocrystals were synthesized by a new, facile, ambient pressure triethylene glycol based solution chemical route using indium(III) chloride and selenium powder as precursors. The growing morphology, crystallization, chemical stoichiometry and light absorption property of the In2Se3 products synthesized were characterized by TEM, HRTEM, FESEM, XRD, EDX and UV–vis–NIR measurements. Multi-morphological growth of the nano-structured In2Se3 in triethylene glycol based solution syntheses with changed assisting agents and reaction styles was demonstrated.

Finite size effect on Sm3+ doped Mn0.5Zn0.5SmxFe2−xO4 (0≤x≤0.5) ferrite nanoparticles

Samarium doped Mn–Zn ferrite nanoparticles of composition Mn0.5Zn0.5SmxFe2−xO4 (0≤x≤0.5) have been synthesized by a chemical co-precipitation method for developing low Curie temperature stable ferrofluid. These samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS), Electron Paramagnetic Resonance (EPR) spectroscopy and search coil method analytical techniques for their structural, morphological and magnetic properties. X-ray diffraction patterns confirmed the formation of crystalline single spinel phase of as grown nanoparticles. Lattice parameter and lattice strain increases with the increase in Sm3+ content. SEM images revealed the presence of ultrafine particles and their agglomerated structures in higher Sm3+ ions concentration analogues. The stoichiometry of the final product agreed well with the initial substitution composition as evidenced by EDS data. Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectra proved the ferromagnetic nature of nanoparticles. The magnetic measurements by search coil method showed superparamagnetism for x=0, 0.1 the samples with saturation magnetization of 23.95emu/g for Mn0.5Zn0.5Fe2O4 sample which increases with rise in Sm3+ ions content. The results are explained and correlated with the structural, morphological and magnetic properties for developing stable kerosene based ferrofluid by using these nanoparticles.

A General Strategy toward Carbon Cloth-Based Hierarchical Films Constructed by Porous Nanosheets for Superior Photocatalytic Activity.

Herein, the controlled synthesis of 3D hierarchical films on carbon cloth (CC) in a high yield through a hydrothermal process and their high photocatalytic properties are reported. As representative examples, the obtained ZnIn2 S4 /CdIn2 S4 composites are composed of porous nanosheets. During the hydrothermal process, l-cysteine plays an important dual role as a coordinating agent and sulfur source, which is in favor of adjusting stoichiometry of the final product and forming the nanoporous structure. This facile method can be extended to synthesize other sulfides and oxides on CC substrates, such as CoIn2 S4 , MnIn2 S4 , FeIn2 S4 , SnS2 , and Bi2 WO6 . When evaluated the photocatalytic activity, the optimized ZnIn2 S4 /CdIn2 S4 (20%)-CC with an easily recycling feature shows higher photocatalytic degradation activity for methylene blue (MB) than ZnIn2 S4 -CC, CdIn2 S4 -CC, and ZnIn2 S4 /CdIn2 S4 (20%) powder. More importantly, ZnIn2 S4 /CdIn2 S4 (20%)-CC also exhibits superior H2 production activity. The enhanced photocatalytic activity is attributed to the unique porous sheet-like structure and the formation of heterojunction. Our results could provide a promising way to develop high-performance photocatalytic films, which makes it possible to be used in real devices.