Abstract: Given the ecological problems associated to the CO2 emissions of fossil fuels, plasma technology has gained
interest for conversion of CO2 into value-added products. Microwave plasmas operating at atmospheric pressure
have proven to be especially interesting, due to the high gas temperatures inside the reactor (i.e. up to 6000 K)
allowing for efficient thermal dissociation of CO2 into CO and O2. However, the performance of these high
temperature plasmas is limited by recombination of CO back into CO2 once the gas cools down in the afterglow.
In this work, we computationally investigated several quenching nozzles, developed and experimentally tested
by Hecimovic et al., [1] for their ability to quickly cool the gas after the plasma, thereby quenching the CO
recombination reactions. Using a 3D computational fluid dynamics model and a quasi-1D chemical kinetics
model, we reveal that a reactor without nozzle lacks gas mixing between hot gas in the center and cold gas near
the reactor walls. Especially at low flow rates, where there is an inherent lack of convective cooling due to the
low gas flow velocity, the temperature in the afterglow remains high (between 2000 and 3000 K) for a relatively
long time (in the 0.1 s range). As shown by our quasi-1D chemical kinetics model, this results in a important loss
of CO due to recombination reactions. Attaching a nozzle in the effluent of the reactor induces fast gas quenching
right after the plasma. Indeed, it introduces (i) more convective cooling by forcing cool gas near the walls to mix
with hot gas in the center of the reactor, as well as (ii) more conductive cooling through the water-cooled walls of
the nozzle. Our model shows that gas quenching and the suppression of recombination reactions have more
impact at low flow rates, where recombination is the most limiting factor in the conversion process.

Abstract: Germanium combined with high-κ dielectrics is investigated for the next generations of CMOS devices. Therefore, we study reaction mechanisms for Al2O3 atomic layer deposition on sulfur passivated Ge using calculations based on density functional theory and total reflection X-ray fluorescence (TXRF). TXRF indicates 6 S/nm2 and 4 Al/nm2 after the first TMA/H2O reaction cycle, and growth inhibition from the second reaction cycle on. Calculations are performed on molecular clusters representing −GeSH surface sites. The calculations confirm that the TMA reaction does not affect the S content. On fully SH-terminated Ge, TMA favorably reacts with up to three −GeSH sites, resulting in a near tetrahedral Al coordination. Electron deficient structures with a GeS site shared between two Al atoms are proposed. The impact of the cluster size on the structures and reaction energetics is systematically investigated.

Abstract: Gallium oxide nanorods with unprecedented small dimensions (20-80nm length and 3-5nm width) were prepared using a novel, template-free synthesis method. This nanomaterial is an excellent heterogeneous catalyst for the sustainable epoxidation of alkenes with H2O2, rivaling the industrial benchmark microporous titanosilicate TS-1 with linear alkenes and being much superior with bulkier substrates. A thorough characterization study elucidated the correlation between the physicochemical properties of the gallium oxide nanorods and their catalytic performance, and underlined the importance of the nanorod morphology for generating a material with high specific surface area and a high number of accessible acid sites.

Abstract: FT-IR spectroscopy and impedance measurements of tin dioxide sensor materials at working temperatures up to 450 °C in atmospheres with varying O2/N2 ratio are used as an in situ probe to study the interactions at the surface of the semiconducting oxide. Every diminution in the oxygen content above the sample induces a broad IR absorption band (X-band) between 2300700 cm−1 with a few small peaks in the 1400850 cm−1 region of the spectrum superimposed on it. The X-band results from the enchanced electron concentration in the bulk of the tin dioxide domain. The fine structure is due to the absorption of several kinds of surface oxygen species associated vibration modes. The porous tin dioxide consists of domains were the outward shell is depleted of electrons by the formation of adsorbed O− species on oxygen surface sites, SO(O− species. In our proposed model for the impedance data this gives rise to a parallel RpCp circuit for the domain boundary characteristics and to an Rs parameter for the intradomain resistance. The evolution of these IR and impedance spectroscopic effects with temperature and oxygen content is used to set up, to confirm and refine a physicochemical operation model of tin dioxide gas sensor. This model consists of a sensitizing reaction sequence in the presence of oxygen and a gas-detection reaction sequence when a reducing gas is present. Based on this model, the principal disadvantages of this type of gas sensor become clear. Every factor that influences the concentration of SO(O−) species, causes a conductance modification. If we can control and direct the nature, the number and the arrangement of the tin dioxide domains, a directed development and improvement of the sensor characteristics is possible.

Abstract: Formation and aggregation of metal carboxylates (metal soaps) can degrade the appearance and integrity of oil paints, challenging efforts to conserve painted works of art. Endeavors to understand the root cause of metal soap formation have been hampered by the limited spatial resolution of Fourier transform infrared microscopy (mu-FTIR). We overcome this limitation using optical photothermal infrared spectroscopy (O-PTIR) and photothermal-induced resonance (PTIR), two novel methods that provide IR spectra with approximate to 500 and approximate to 10 nm spatial resolutions, respectively. The distribution of chemical phases in thin sections from the top layer of a 19th-century painting is investigated at multiple scales (mu-FTIR approximate to 10(2) mu m(3), O-PTIR approximate to 10(-1) mu m(3), PTIR approximate to 10(-5) mu m(3)). The paint samples analyzed here are found to be mixtures of pigments (cobalt green, lead white), cured oil, and a rich array of intermixed, small (often << 0.1 mu m(3)) zinc soap domains. We identify Zn stearate and Zn oleate crystalline soaps with characteristic narrow IR peaks (approximate to 1530-1558 cm(-1)) and a heterogeneous, disordered, water-permeable, tetrahedral zinc soap phase, with a characteristic broad peak centered at approximate to 1596 cm(-1). We show that the high signal-to-noise ratio and spatial resolution afforded by O-PTIR are ideal for identifying phase-separated (or locally concentrated) species with low average concentration, while PTIR provides an unprecedented nanoscale view of distributions and associations of species in paint. This newly accessible nanocompositional information will advance our knowledge of chemical processes in oil paint and will stimulate new art conservation practices.

Abstract: For trace analyses of environmental waters, spark-source mass-spectrometry has been combined with a preconcentration procedure involving chelation of the dissolved trace elements with oxine and subsequent adsorption of the oxinates and naturally occurring organic and colloidal metal species onto activated carbon. The activated carbon is filtered off and ashed at low temperature. The residue is dissolved, an internal standard and pure graphite are added and, after drying, the electrodes are prepared. The photographically recorded mass spectrum is evaluated by a suitable computer routine. The error of the procedure is around 30%. While this preconcentration and analysis procedure is capable of measuring about 40 elements quantitatively, in practice 1025 trace elements are determined simultaneously above the 0.1-μg/l. detection limit, as is illustrated by analyses of drinking water, surface and ground water samples. Although a sophisticated technique, SSMS can be considered for regular panoramic survey analyses.

Abstract: For the composition (Sr0.61Pb0.18)(Fe0.75Mn0.25)O2.29, a new modulated crystallographic shear structure, related to perovskite, has been synthesized and structurally characterized by transmission electron microscopy. The structure can be described using a monoclinic supercell with cell parameters am = 27.595(2) Å, bm = 3.8786(2) Å, cm = 13.3453(9) Å, and βm = 100.126(5)°, refined from powder X-ray diffraction data. The incommensurate crystallographic shear phases require an alternative approach using the superspace formalism. This allows a unified description of the incommensurate phases from a monoclinically distorted perovskite unit cell and a modulation wave vector. The structure deduced from the high-resolution transmission electron microscopy and high-angle annular dark-field−scanning transmission electron microscopy images is that of a 1/2[110]p(203)p crystallographic shear structure. The structure follows the concept of a phasoid, with two coexisting variants with the same unit cell. The difference is situated at the translational interface, with the local formation of double (phase 2) or single (phase 1) tunnels, where the Pb cations are likely located.

Abstract: For oxygen conducting materials applied in solid oxide fuel cells and chemical-looping processes, the understanding of the oxygen diffusion mechanism and the materials’ crystal structure at different stages of the redox reactions is a key parameter to control their performance. In this paper we report the first ever in situ 3D ED experiment in a gas environment and with it uncover the structure evolution of SrFeO2.5 as notably different from that reported from in situ X-ray and in situ neutron powder diffraction studies in gas environments. Using in situ 3D ED on submicron sized single crystals obtained from a high quality monodomain SrFeO2.5 single crystal , we observe the transformation under O2 flow of SrFeO2.5 with an intra- and interlayer ordering of the left and right twisted (FeO4) tetrahedral chains (space group Pcmb) into consecutively SrFeO2.75 with space group Cmmm (at 350°C, 33% O2) and SrFeO3-δ with space group Pm3 ̅m (at 400°C, 100% O2). Upon reduction in H2 flow, the crystals return to the brownmillerite structure with intralayer order, but without regaining the interlayer order of the pristine crystals. Therefore, redox cycling of SrFeO2.5 crystals in O2 and H2 introduces stacking faults into the structure, resulting in an I2/m(0βγ)0s symmetry with variable β.

Abstract: Five new layered cuprates, with a 1222-type structure, have been synthesized according to the formula (Hg(1-x)M(x))(Sr,Ba)(2) Pr2Cu2O9-delta with M = Pr, Pb, Pi, and Tl. They crystallize in a tetragonal cell with a approximate to a(p) and c approximate to 29.5 Angstrom; their structure consists in a triple intergrowth of oxygen-deficient perovskite, rock-salt-and fluorite-type layers. They are characterized by a mixed [Hg(1-x)M(x)O(1-delta)] layer in the rock-sail-type slice. The ED and HREM studies show that Tl, Bi, and Pb are statistically distributed in the mixed [Hg(1-x)M(x)O(1-delta)] layer, contrary to Pr which involves an ordering phenomenon along a. Different stacking defects are observed and discussed as well as the cleavage mode of the crystals. (C) 1995 Academic Press, Inc.

Abstract: Factors affecting the structure and orientation of the crystallographic shear (CS) planes in anion-deficient perovskites are investigated using the (Pb1−zSrz)1−xFe1+xO3−y perovskites as a model system. The orientation of the CS planes in the system varies unevenly with z. A comparison of the structures with different CS planes revels that the orientation of the CS planes is governed mainly by the stereochemical activity of the lone-electron-pair cations inside the perovskite blocks.

Abstract: Excessive CO2 emissions in the atmosphere from anthropogenic activity can be divided into point sources and diffuse sources. The capture of CO2 from flue gases of large industrial installations and its conversion into fuels and chemicals with fast catalytic processes seems technically possible. Some emerging technologies are already being demonstrated on an industrial scale. Others are still being tested on a laboratory or pilot scale. These emerging chemical technologies can be implemented in a time window ranging from 5 to 20 years. The massive amounts of energy needed for capturing processes and the conversion of CO2 should come from low-carbon energy sources, such as tidal, geothermal, and nuclear energy, but also, mainly, from the sun. Synthetic methane gas that can be formed from CO2 and hydrogen gas is an attractive renewable energy carrier with an existing distribution system. Methanol offers advantages as a liquid fuel and is also a building block for the chemical industry. CO2 emissions from diffuse sources is a difficult problem to solve, particularly for CO2 emissions from road, water, and air transport, but steady progress in the development of technology for capturing CO2 from air is being made. It is impossible to ban carbon from the entire energy
supply of mankind with the current technological knowledge, but a transition to a mixed carbon–hydrogen economy can reduce net CO2 emissions and ultimately lead to a CO2-neutral world.

Abstract: Epitaxial heterostructures of two-dimensional (2D) halide perovskites offer a new platform for studying intriguing structural, optical, and electronic properties. However, difficulties with the stability of Pb- and Sn-based heterostructures have repeatedly slowed the progress. Recently, Pb-free halide double perovskites are gaining a lot of attention due to their superior stability and greater chemical diversity, but they have not been successfully incorporated into epitaxial heterostructures for further investigation. Here, we report epitaxial core-shell heterostructures via growing Pb-free double perovskites (involving combinations of Ag(I)-Bi(III), Ag-Sb, Ag-In, Na-Bi, Na-Sb, and Na-In) around Pb perovskite 2D crystals. Distinct from Pb-Pb and Pb-Sn perovskite heterostructures, growths of the Pb-free shell at 45 degrees on the (100) surface of the lead perovskite core are observed in all Pb-free cases. The in-depth structural analysis carried out with electron diffraction unequivocally demonstrates the growth of the Pb-free shell along the [110] direction of the Pb perovskite, which is likely due to the relatively lower surface energy of the (110) surface. Furthermore, an investigation of anionic interdiffusion across heterostructure interfaces under the influence of heat was carried out. Interestingly, halide anion diffusion in the Pb-free 2D perovskites is found to be significantly suppressed as compared to Pb-based 2D perovskites. The great structural tunability and excellent stability of Pb-free perovskite heterostructures may find uses in electronic and optoelectronic devices in the near future.

Abstract: Environmental factors, such as light, humidity and temperature are triggering agents for the alteration of organic and/or inorganic constituents of oil paintings. The oxidation of the organic material is favored by increasing of relative humidity and temperature, whereas processes involving changes of the oxidation states of a number of inorganic pigments (e.g., vermilion, cadmium yellows, zinc yellows, chrome yellows) are mainly activated by light-exposure. In view of the optimization of the long-term conservation and restoration strategies of paintings it is of relevant interest to establish the consequences of thermal parameters (temperature and relative humidity) on the chemical/photochemical-reactivity and the nature of the alteration products of light sensitive-pigments in oil medium. To this aim here we propose a multi-method analytical approach based on the combination of diffuse reflectance UV-Vis, FTIR, synchrotron radiation (SR)-based micro X-ray fluorescence (mu-XRF)/micro-X-ray absorption neat edge structure ()CANES) and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopies for studying the effects of different relative humidity conditions before and after light exposure on the reactivity of a series of lead chromate-based pigments [such as PbCrO4 center dot PbO (monoclinic), PbCrO4 (monoclinic) and PbCr0.2S0.8O4 (orthorhombic)] in an oil medium. The investigation of paint models was also compared to that of a late 19th century historical orthorhombic PbCr0.4S0.6O4 oil paint. Diffuse reflectance UV-Vis and FTIR spectroscopies were used to obtain information associated with chromatic changes and the formation of organo-metal degradation products at the paint surface. SR-based Cr K-edge mu-XANES/mu-XRF mapping analysis and EPR spectroscopy were employed in a complementary fashion to determine the amount, nature and distribution of Cr(III) and Cr(V)-based alteration compounds within the paints with micrometric spatial resolution. Under the employed thermal aging conditions, lead(II)-carboxylates and reduced Cr-compounds (in abundance of up to about 35% at the surface) have been identified in the lead chromate-based paints. The tendency of chromates to become reduced increased with increasing moisture levels and was favored for the orthorhombic PbCr0.2S0.8O4 compounds. The redox process gave rise to the formation of Cr(V)-species in relative amount much higher than that was formed in the equivalent paint which was exposed only to light. After light-exposure of the thermally aged paints, compounds ascribable to the oxidation of the organic binder were detected for all the types of pigments. Nevertheless, the previous thermal treatment increased the tendency toward photo-reduction of only the PbCr0.2S0.8O4 pigment. For this light-sensitive compound, the thickness variation of the reduced Cr-rich (ca. 70%) photo-alteration layer with moisture levels could be ascribed to a surface passivation phenomenon that had already occurred before photochemical aging. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Abstract: Endocrine disruptors (EDCs) are environmental pollutants that, once incorporated into an organism, affect the hormonal balance of humans and various species. Its presence in environment is of great importance in water quality related questions. The proposed method describes the development of an accurate, sensitive and selective sensor for the detection of bisphenol-A (BPA) and its treatment by green technology. A fullerene (C60) fabricated electrochemical sensor was developed for the ultrasensitive detection of BPA. The homemade sensor was characterized by scanning electron microscopy, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and chronocoulometry. The influence of measuring parameters such as pH and C60 loading on the analytical performance of the sensor was evaluated. Various kinetic parameters such as electron transfer number (n); charge transfer coefficient (α); electrode surface area (A) and diffusion coefficient (D) were also calculated. Under the optimal conditions, the oxidation peak current was linear over the concentration range of 74 nM to 0.23 μM with the detection limit (LOD) of 3.7 nM. The fabricated sensor was successfully applied to the determination of BPA in wastewater samples and it has promising analytical applications for the direct determination of BPA at trace level.

Abstract: Electron tomography (ET) has become a well-established technique to visualize nanomaterials in three dimensions. A vast richness in information can be gained by ET, but the conventional acquisition of a tomography series is an inherently slow process on the order of 1 h. The slow acquisition limits the applicability of ET for monitoring dynamic processes or visualizing nanoparticles, which are sensitive to the electron beam. In this Perspective, we summarize recent work on the development of emerging experimental and computational schemes to enhance the data acquisition process. We particularly focus on the application of these fast ET techniques for beam-sensitive materials and highlight insight into dynamic transformations of nanoparticles under external stimuli, which could be gained by fast in situ ET. Moreover, we discuss challenges and possible solutions for simultaneously increasing the speed and quality of fast ET.