Thermogravimetric And Differential Scanning Calorimetric Research Articles

Study on the Fluorination Process of Sc2O3 by NH4HF2.

Research on rare-earth fluorides is of urgent and critical importance for the preparation and emerging applications of high-purity alloys. The fluorination of Sc2O3 by NH4HF2 to fabricate ScF3 is investigated. The effects of the fluorination temperature, time and mass ratio of reactant on the fluorination rate and fluoride are discussed in this work. The fluorination reaction was first confirmed using thermodynamic calculation. The thermal and mass stability of the fluorination process were analyzed by thermogravimetric and differential scanning calorimetric (TG-DSC). The as-obtained products at different fluorination temperatures were characterized by Powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). The results indicated that the fluorination began at room temperature (RT) with the formation of (NH4)3ScF6. With the increase of temperature, the reaction proceeded sequentially through the formation of NH4ScF4, (NH4)2Sc3F11, and finally ScF3. The fluorination rate increased with the increase of fluorination temperature and holding time. ScF3 with a purity of 99.997 wt.% could be obtained by fluorination at 400 °C for 2 h.

Hydration Behavior of Magnesium Potassium Phosphate Cement: Experimental Study and Thermodynamic Modeling

The microstructure and performance of magnesium potassium phosphate cement (MKPC), a kind of magnesium phosphate cement (MPC), are determined by the hydration products. In this paper, the hydration behavior of MKPC is investigated through various material characterization methods and thermodynamic modeling, including X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric and differential scanning calorimeter (TG/DSC), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), mercury intrusion porosimetry (MIP) and GEMS software. The results of XRD, TG/DSC and SEM all indicate that K-struvite (MgKPO4·6H2O) is the main hydration product of MKPC. When the curing age is 1 day and 28 days, the TG data indicate that the mass loss of MKPC in the range of 60-200 °C is 17.76% and 17.82%, respectively. The MIP results show that the porosity of MKPC is 29.63% and 29.61% at the curing age of 1 day and 28 days, respectively, which indicates that the structure of MKPC becomes denser with the increase in curing age. In addition, the cumulative pore volume of MKPC at the curing age of 28 days is 2.8% lower than that at 1 day, and the pore diameters are shifted toward the small pores. Furthermore, the thermodynamic modeling is well suited to make an analysis of the hydration behavior of MKPC.

Synthesis of sodium silicate using industrial by-products glauber's salt and microsilica: Effective reuse of the waste.

Large amounts of by-products, including glauber's salt (GS) and microsilica (MS), are accumulated from chlor-alkali industry and ferrosilicon industry development, which not only wastes precious resources, but also causes serious environmental problems. In order to recycle and reuse these industrial by-products, solid sodium silicate was synthesized using GS and MS as the main raw materials, and semi-coke (SC) as the reducing agent. The effects of melting parameters including GS/SC and MS/GS molar ratio, heating rate, temperature, reaction time, and SC particle size on the conversion efficiency and modulus of solid sodium silicate were investigated and optimized. Under optimal conditions, the maximum conversion efficiency of 94.91% was obtained with modulus of 2.5. Characterization analysis of the products indicated that the amorphous silicate sodium was successfully synthesized. Moreover, the reaction mechanism was investigated, which focused on the thermal behavior and phase transformation using thermo-gravimetric and differential scanning calorimetric (TG-DSC) and in-situ X-ray diffraction. Additionally, the causes and suppression measures of "glauber's salt water" (GSW) during the experiment were summarized. This work not only creates resource utilization of GS and MS, but also provides the foundation for the synthesis of sodium silicate with GS.

Preliminary investigation of the hydration mechanism of MgO-SiO2-K2HPO4 cement

Different from making ordinary magnesium phosphate cements (MPCs) with potassium dihydrogen phosphate (KH2PO4, PDP), magnesium oxide (MgO, M) and borate as retarder, a novel high-strength Magnesium Silicon Potassium Phosphate Cement (MSPPC) created by mixing dipotassium hydrogen phosphate (K2HPO4, DHP (P)), silica fume (SF), MgO and Water (W), without the use of a retarder, is proposed for the first time in this study. The mechanical properties of several MSPPC mixtures prepared with different proportions of P/M (weight ratio of K2HPO4 to MgO), W/C (weight ratio of water to cement paste (C = P + M + SF)) and mass fraction of silica fume were investigated. The hydration reaction mechanism of MgO-SiO2-K2HPO4 system was analyzed with a variety of techniques including pH, X-ray diffraction (XRD), environmental scanning electron microscope-energy dispersive spectrometer (ESEM-EDS) and thermo-gravimetric and differential scanning calorimeter (TG-DSC). The results show that the cement paste with P/M of 1/3, 15 wt% SF and W/C ratio of 0.16, the compressive strength was measured to be 113.16 MPa. The maximum flexural and compressive strength of MgO-SiO2-K2HPO4 system is 16.82 MPa and 101.26 MPa respectively, which is higher than those of MgO-K2HPO4 system. In MgO-K2HPO4 system, the reaction generates a large amount of Mg(OH)2 with poor gelation and expansion, and a small amount of hydration product MgKPO4·6H2O (MKP) with low internal crystallinity, so the structural strength is very low. Inversely, in MgO-SiO2-K2HPO4 system, silica fume plays an important role, and the active silicon components in silica fume are fully involved in the acid-base reaction, improving the mechanical properties and compactness of microstructure of MSPPC. Main hydration product struvite-K has good crystallization, compact accumulation, high density of cross-section structure and good structural integrity of MSPPC. Expected secondary hydration products are magnesium silicate gel (e.g., MgSiO3) and amorphous silicon phosphate phases, contributing to the strength in MSPPC pastes.

Physicochemical and functional characterization of mannan exopolysaccharide from Weissella confusa MD1 with bioactivities

The present study focused on production, optimization and characterization of exopolysaccharide (EPS) from Weissella confusa MD1. The purified EPS MD1 was also evaluated for in vitro biological activities. The maximum yield of EPS (10.07 ± 0.32 g/L) was obtained with optimized culture conditions of 35 °C at pH 6.5 for 36 h with 4% (w/v) galactose and 1% (w/v) ammonium nitrate supplemented in MRS broth. The crude EPS was purified with diethylamino ethanol-Sepharose Fast Flow column and Sephadex-G 75 column. The physicochemical and functional characterization of the EPS was done by high-performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC), high-performance gel permeation chromatography (HPGPC), fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), thermo gravimetric and differential scanning calorimetric (TG-DSC) analysis, x-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). HPGPC analysis showed molecular weight of purified EPS MD1 as 2.909 KDa. Monosaccharide analysis showed that EPS was a novel mannan with mannose as the only monomeric unit present, suggesting EPS to be a homopolysaccharide containing → 6) α-Man p (1 → linkages. Microstructure studies by SEM showed MD1 EPS has globular and porous structure. The purified EPS MD1 exhibited higher thermal stability having degradation temperature around 267.74 °C with melting enthalpy value (Δ H) of 337.7 J/g. The EPS showed promising antioxidant activities with excellent antibiofilm activity against Staphylococcus aureus, Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella enterica and Salmonella typhi. These striking physicochemical characteristics features and bioactivities of EPS would serve as potential candidate in food processing industry to be used as food adjunct in foods with health benefits. This is the first study reporting a mannan homopolysaccharide from Weissella sp. to be structurally characterized.

Structural, spectral, thermal, and optical studies of stilbazolium derivative crystal: (E)-4-(3-hydroxy-4-methoxystyryl)-1-methyl pyridinium iodide monohydrate

In the current research, (E)-4-(3-hydroxy-4-methoxystyryl)-1-methyl pyridinium iodide monohydrate (HMSI) has been prepared through Knoevenagel condensation and crystallized by slow evaporation technique. Crystallographic analysis has been carried out to study the crystal structure and unit cell parameters. The fundamental vibration frequencies of specific chemical functional groups were detected by infrared absorption spectrum. Further the molecular structure of the grown crystal was confirmed by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopic analysis. Thermal stability (145 °C) and meting point (248 °C) of the HMSI material have been elaborated by means of thermogravimetric and differential scanning calorimetric (TG/DSC) analysis. The crystal was found to be transparent above 460 nm with the band gap of 2.63 eV obtained from transmission spectral analysis. The growth features of HMSI crystal were examined to check for the defects using an optical microscope. Crystal surface damage by Nd: YAG laser at 1.064 μm radiation was measured to be 1.98 GW/cm2. Further, the nonlinear response of HMSI has been studied using Z-scan technique and it was found that the title crystal is capable of exhibiting self-focusing nature with reverse saturable absorption. The evaluated nonlinear susceptibility is in the order of 10−6 esu which is slightly higher compared to other third-order stilbazolium derivative crystals.

Thermal decomposition and transformation mechanism of mullite with the action of sodium carbonate

Mullite as one of the major aluminum-containing minerals in pulverized coal fly ash (PCFA) has a stable crystal structure, resulting in the difficulty in aluminum extraction from PCFA. Na2CO3-assisted thermal activation of PCFA is an efficient approach to activate the reactivity of mullite in PCFA. A clear understanding of the decomposition and transformation mechanism of mullite calcined with Na2CO3 is of great significance to clarify the activation mechanism of PCFA and the further process optimization. In this work, the thermal decomposition behavior, the phase transformation and the microstructure change were investigated in detail using thermo-gravimetric and differential scanning calorimetric (TG-DSC), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and magic angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance (MAS-NMR). The results showed that the phase transformation process was mullite firstly converting into sodium aluminum silicate (SAS, Na1+xAl1+xSi1-xO4, 0 < x < 1) at< 800 °C and then to other minerals with higher structure stability, such as sodium aluminate and sodium silicate, with the increasing of Na2CO3 amount at> 800 °C. The reaction mechanism could be interpreted in terms of the combination change of different oxygen coordination. During the calcination, the Na2O decomposed from Na2CO3 would enter in mullite through filling oxygen vacancies and then react with the oxygen atoms around the AlVI, resulting in the formation of the AlO4 in SAS. Further increase in the calcination temperature and the Na2CO3 amount, the transforming from mullite to SAS would be obviously enhanced. When the temperature was> 800 °C, the residual AlO6 originated from mullite was further transformed into AlO4 with the larger amount of Na2CO3. Meanwhile, the bridging oxygen bonds between AlO4 and SiO4 in SAS were broken by the attacking of Na2O. Subsequently, all the obtained AlO4 and SiO4 as well as Na+ ion could be further recombined in a specific manner to transform into sodium aluminates (AlO4-AlO4), sodium silicates (SiO4-SiO4) and sodium aluminosilicates (AlO4-SiO4).

Effect of Carbon Nanoadditives on Lithium Hydroxide Monohydrate-Based Composite Materials for Low Temperature Chemical Heat Storage

Carbon nanospheres (CNSs) and multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) as nanoadditives were used to modify lithium hydroxide monohydrate for low temperature chemical heat storage application. The lithium hydroxide monohydrate particles were well dispersed on the nanoscale level, and the diameter of nanoparticles was about 20–30 nm in the case of the carbon nanospheres and 50–100 nm the case of the MWCNTs, as shown by transmission electron microscopy characterization results. X-ray diffraction results indicated that the LiOH·H2O-carbon nano thermochemical composite materials were successfully synthesized. The thermochemical composite materials LiOH·H2O/CNSs (2020 kJ/kg), LiOH·H2O/MWCNTs (1804 kJ/kg), and LiOH·H2O/AC (1236 kJ/kg) exhibited obviously improved heat storage density and higher hydration rate than pure LiOH·H2O (661 kJ/kg), which was shown by thermogravimetric and differential scanning calorimetric (TG-DSC) analysis. It appears that nanocarbon-modified lithium hydroxide monohydrate thermochemical composite materials have a huge potential for the application of low temperature chemical heat storage.

Enhanced Biodegradation of Lignin by Laccase through HOBT Mediator: Mechanistic Studies Supported by FTIR and GCMS Studies

In the present investigation, a suitable technology for biodegradation of lignin using laccase with the help of mediator 1-hydroxybenzotriazole (HOBT) for enhancing the degradation has been attempted. The results showed that biodegradation of lignin at the level of 91–98% could be achieved for different concentrations of laccase with optimized parameters of 5.0 mM HOBT at pH 7.0 and temperature at 32°C within 24 h. UV analysis confirmed the disappearance of the original peak indicating the break-down of aromatic content of lignin to smaller components. Thermo-gravimetric and differential scanning calorimetric (TGA-DSC) analysis showed thermal stability of the compound while decomposing through six steps, at 137, 257, 417, 586, 699 and 759°C, leaving a final residue of about 46%. The DSC experiment recorded the starting of thermal denaturing temperature as 83.83°C. Results of Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) analysis detected the presence of hydroxyl group (at 2939–3420 cm−1), C=C, C-H, C-N and C-S stretching at 1505–1595 cm−1, 1212 cm−1, 2597–3272 cm−1, indicating presence of phenolic and carboxylic acid groups during degradation. Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry (GCMS) confirmed the formation of various intermediates. Reduction of chemical oxygen demand (COD) and total organic carbon (TOC) at the level of 84 and 80% were observed, respectively. The present investigation is very useful in treating wastewater containing lignin.

Preparation and characterization of a novel double-walled Na2(TiO)SiO4 nanotube by hydrothermal process with CTAB as an assistant

A double-walled Na2(TiO)SiO4 nanotube was prepared by an effective hydrothermal process with cetyltrimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB) as an assistant. The precursor SiO2-TiO2 composite powder with diverse Si/Ti molar ratios was prepared by co-precipitation method using silica sol and titanyl sulfate as raw materials. Then it was added into the NaOH aqueous solution with CTAB for hydrothermal reaction. The Na2(TiO)SiO4 nanotubes were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric and differential scanning calorimeter (TG-DSC), transmission electron microscope (TEM), high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), nuclear magnetic resonance (29Si-NMR), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), Raman spectroscopy and N2 adsorption-desorption. The results showed that the Na2(TiO)SiO4 nanotubes are of large specific surface area, double-wall and Q0 structure. The length of Na2(TiO)SiO4 nanotubes can be controlled by adjusting the Si/Ti molar ratios from 100 nm to several hundred nanometers. A possible formation mechanism of the novel double-walled Na2(TiO)SiO4 nanotubes was also proposed.

LiFe1-x(Ni0.98Co0.01Mn0.01)xPO4/C (x = 0.01, 0.03, 0.05, 0.07) as cathode materials for lithium-ion batteries

LiFe1-x(Ni0.98Co0.01Mn0.01)xPO4/C (x=0.01, 0.03, 0.05, 0.07) is prepared by using spent electroless nickel plating solution as a raw material. The mechanism of the reaction is investigated by the analyses of thermogravimetric and differential scanning calorimeter (TG/DSC) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). It is found that the formation of LiFe1-x(Ni0.98Co0.01Mn0.01)xPO4/C starts at 300°C, and above 500°C, the product can be ascribed to LiFe1-x(Ni0.98Co0.01Mn0.01)xPO4/C. The structure, morphology and electrochemical properties of the samples are characterized by XRD, scanning electron microscope (SEM), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy(EIS) and charge/discharge tests. The results show that the Ni, Co and Mn multi-doping does not destroy the olivine structure of LiFePO4 and is beneficial to the uniform distribution of particles, which improves the electrochemical properties of the samples. Especially, LiFe0.97(Ni0.98Co0.01Mn0.01)0.03PO4/C exhibits the best cycling stability and rate capability among all the samples. Its initial discharge capacity is 150.6mAhg−1 with the capacity retention of 98.8% after 100 cycles at 1C. Even at 10C, it still shows a high discharge capacity of 116.5mAhg−1.

Facile Electrospinning of CeO2 /Bi2 WO6 Heterostructured Nanofibers with Excellent Visible-light-driven Photocatalytic Performance.

One-dimensional (1D) CeO2 /Bi2 WO6 heterostructured nanofibers with a diameter of about 300 nm were successfully synthesized by using a straightforward strategy combining an electrospinning technique with a sintering process. The acquired products were characterized by thermogravimetric and differential scanning calorimetric (TG-DSC), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area measurements, and UV/Vis spectroscopy. The obtained CeO2 /Bi2 WO6 heterostructured nanofibers exhibited an excellent photocatalytic property for the degradation of Rhodamine B (RhB) dye driven by visible light due to the promoted separation of photoelectrons and holes and the large contact area between the photocatalyst and organic pollutant.

Mineral Waste Coupled with Boron Oxide for Producing Active Belite Cement Clinker

This paper presents a laboratory study on active belite cement clinker using boron oxide as dopant to stabilize high temperature phases of Dicalcium silicate (C2S), and mineral waste as siliceous materials in complete replacement of clay. The clinker samples were soaked in Muffle Furnace at different burning temperatures and for various time durations, and then, cooled down to room temperature using air blower. Quantitative X-ray Diffraction analysis (QXRD) by Rietveld method indicates that major mineral components are Dicalcium Silicate (C2S), Ferrite (C2 (A0.48F1.52) O5) and trace amount of Tricalcium Silicate (C3S) in the cement clinkers. Among them, Dicalcium silicate is over 85 percent, Ferrite around 10 percent and Tricalcium silicate less than 10 percent. Thermogravimetric and Differential Scanning Calorimetric (TGA-DSC) spectrum shows that there is no significant phase change while cement clinker was cooling down, which means significant amount of high temperature polymorphic C2S was stabilized during cooling process. It is agreeable with the results from QXRD analysis. Specifically, among polymorphic belite phases, αH-C2S accounts for around 66% of cement clinker, and αL-C2S for about 22% of cement clinker. In addition, massive belite phase was identified by Scanning Electronic Microscope (SEM) analysis and Light Microscopy analysis. At last, the mechanical tests on active belite cement show that active belite cement clinker has a slow strength development at early ages, but rapid strength gain at 28 days in comparison with belite clinker without adding boron oxide. Thus, this active belite cement clinker demonstrates very promising prospect in sustainable cement industry development. Keywords: Active Belite Cement Clinker; Doped; Boron Oxide; αH-C2S; αL-C2S; Strength Development

The Influence of Introduction of Polyethylene Glycol on Synthesis of Bimodal Mesoporous γ-Al&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt;O&lt;sub&gt;3&lt;/sub&gt;

In the presence of polyethylene glycol (PEG2W),bimodal mesoporous γ-Al2O3 was successfully synthesized via hydrothermal method. The samples were respectively characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), N2 physisorption, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), thermogravimetric and differential scanning calorimeter (TG-DSC). Introduction of PEG2W can increase the relative crystallinity of AACH and γ-Al2O3. The BET surface area and pore volume of alumina shows an increasing trend with increasing of PEG2W content, while the pore size shows an opposite tendency. The PEG2W also plays an important role in inducing the formation of the nanorod-like alumina.

Thermal behaviour of tobermorite from N'Chwaning II mine (Kalahari Manganese Field, Republic of South Africa). I. Thermo-gravimetric and X-ray diffraction studies

The minerals belonging to the tobermorite group differ essentially by their basal spacing (approximately 14, 11, and 9 A u ), related to their water content; additionally, the phases with an 11 A u periodicity differ in their behaviour upon heating, which can be ''normal'' if they collapse to form a 9 A u phase or ''anomalous'' if they preserve their original basal spacing. The ''anomalous'' thermal behaviour of tobermorite 11 A u from N'Chwaning II mine (Kalahari Manganese Field, Republic of South Africa), which does not shrink at 300 � C, is accurately studied by means of thermo-gravimetric and differential scanning calorimetric (TG-DSC) analysis and in situ and ex situ X-ray diffraction experiments. In situ X-ray powder diffraction shows that at � 420 � C, tobermorite 11 A u transforms into a phase with a basal spacing of approximately 10.1 A u , namely ''tobermorite 10 A u ''. The TG-DSC study shows a two- step weight loss: the former occurs between room temperature and 300 � C, whereas the latter is observed between 500 � C and 600 � C. These two steps correspond to endothermic and exothermic processes, respectively, which are related to the dehydration of tobermorite and its transformation into tobermorite 10 A u . Above 1000 � C, tobermorite 10 A u transforms into wollastonite. Finally, ex situ X-ray diffraction studies, using both powder and single-crystal techniques, show that the transformation from the 11 A u to the 10 A u phase passes through an intermediate clinotobermorite-like phase.

Synthesis of La0.85Sr0.15Ga0.8Mg0.2O3 − δ powder by carbonate co-precipitation combining with azeotropic-distillation process

La0.85Sr0.15Ga0.8Mg0.2O3−δ (LSGM1520) powder is synthesized by a carbonate co-precipitation coupling with azeotropic-distillation process. The composition of the as-prepared precipitate is determined by X-ray diffraction (XRD), elemental analysis (EA), thermogravimetric and differential scanning calorimeter (TG-DSC) and inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES). The post-distilled precursor is submitted to various thermal treatments and characterized by XRD and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The results show that the components of the powder calcined at 1000°C contain a main perovskite phase and small amounts of secondary phases (namely LaSrGaO4 and LaSrGa3O7). TEM observation reveals that the powder has a narrow grain size distribution, which turns out to be suitable for sintering (>97% relative density for a pellet sintered at 1400°C during 4h). The conductivity of sintered pellets is measured and the highest conductivity at 800°C of LSGM1520 is 0.186Scm−1, which is nearly three times as high as that of La0.8Sr0.2Ga0.8Mg0.2O3−δ (0.0644Scm−1) prepared by the similar carbonate method. It suggests that a new route of synthesizing Sr- and Mg-doped lanthanum gallate (LSGM) with good sinterability has been developed.

Preparation TiO&lt;sup&gt;2&lt;/sup&gt; Thin Films Using Freeze Drying Technique

Titanium dioxide (TiO2) thin film has been successfully synthesized deposited on glass substrates by the sol–gel dip-coating method using freeze drying technique. The precursor and TiO2 film were characterized using thermogravimetric and differential scanning calorimetric (TG-DSC), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) analysis technology. The preparation of the precursor sols and TiO2 film were described in detail. The XRD result demonstrates that the TiO2 film is well crystallized and consists of anatase phase only with (101) plane. The morphology of the nanoparticles of TiO2 thin film is spherical shape with grain size of 30.1 nm in average diameter and the surface of the TiO2 film is smooth. The freeze drying technique offers a novel process route in treating thin film for commercial applications

ZnO/SiO&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt; Nanocomposite Cryogels Prepared by Vacuum Freeze Drying

In recent years, ZnO/SiO2 nanocomposite thin films have attracted much attention for a wide range of device applications based on their specific optical and electrical properties. Traditionally, the ZnO/SiO2 nanocomposites were prepared at the form of thin film because the ZnO/SiO2 nanocomposite gels are difficult to synthesize. Therefore, in the present study, a novel route of the mixed ZnO/SiO2 nanocomposite cryogels were prepared by sol-gel technology and dried by vacuum freeze drying. The wet gels were synthesized by co-precursor method with the precursors containing tetraethoxysilane [Si(OC2H5)4,TEOS] and zinc acetate [Zn(CH3COO)2.2H2O]. After vacuum freeze drying, the nanocomposites were annealed at different temperature. The properties of the resulting ZnO/SiO2 nanocomposite cryogels were characterized using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), nitrogen absorption/desorption isotherms, thermogravimetric and differential scanning calorimeter (TG-DSC).

Synthesis of ZrO 2 nanowires by ionic-liquid route

Zirconia precursor nanowires were synthesized via the solvothermal reaction of zirconium tetra- n-propoxide Zr(OPr n ) 4 with ethylene glycol and 1-butyl-3-methyl imidazolium tetrafluoroborate ionic liquid at 160 °C. The as-synthesized nanowires were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric and differential scanning calorimetric (TG-DSC) analysis, and infrared spectroscopy (IR), etc. The length of the as-synthesized nanowires reaches ∼20 μm, and the width ∼50 nm, giving an aspect ratio of a few hundreds. Upon calcination at elevated temperatures, the zirconia precursor nanowires transform from relative dense structure into highly porous ZrO 2 nanowires consisting of interconnected nanocrystallites; in addition the length of the nanowires is greatly reduced. Cyclic voltammetry measurement shows that the modification of the graphite electrode with the ZrO 2 nanowires greatly enhances sensitivity of the detection of vanadium, suggesting that ZrO 2 nanowires may find important applications in vanadium(V) determination using electroanalytical methods with chemically modified electrode technique.