Abstract: In the present work, the identification of two hexagonal phases of germanium oxides (namely GeO2 and GeO) through the vibrational and optical properties is reported using density functional theory calculations. While structural optimizations show that single-layer GeO2 and GeO crystallize in 1T and buckled phases, phonon band dispersions reveal the dynamical stability of each structure. First-order off-resonant Raman spectral predictions demonstrate that each free-standing single-layer possesses characteristic peaks that are representative for the identification of the germanium oxide phase. On the other hand, electronic band dispersion analysis shows the insulating and large-gap semiconducting nature of single-layer GeO2 and GeO, respectively. Moreover, optical absorption, reflectance, and transmittance spectra obtained by means of G(0)W(0)-BSE calculations reveal the existence of tightly bound excitons in each phase, displaying strong optical absorption. Furthermore, the excitonic gaps are found to be at deep UV and visible portions of the spectrum, for GeO2 and GeO crystals, with energies of 6.24 and 3.10 eV, respectively. In addition, at the prominent excitonic resonances, single-layers display high reflectivity with a zero transmittance, which is another indication of the strong light-matter interaction inside the crystal medium.

Abstract: The adsorption probability and reaction behavior of CHx plasma species on various nickel catalyst surfaces is investigated by means of reactive molecular dynamics (MD) simulations using the ReaxFF potential. Such catalysts are used in the reforming of hydrocarbons and in the growth of carbon nanotubes, and further insight in the underlying mechanisms of these processes is needed to increase their applicability. Single and consecutive impacts of CHx radicals (x={1,2,3}) were performed on four different Ni surfaces, at a temperature of 400 K. The adsorption probability is shown to be related to the number of free electrons, i.e. a higher number leads to more adsorptions, and the steric hindrance caused by the hydrogen atoms bonded to the impacting CHx species. Furthermore, some of the CH bonds break after adsorption, which generally leads to diffusion of the hydrogen atom over the surface. Additionally, these adsorbed H-atoms can be used in reactions to form new molecules, such as CH4 and C2Hx, although this is dependent on the precise morphology of the surface. New molecules are also formed by subtraction of H-atoms from adsorbed radicals, leading to occasional formation of H2 and C2Hx molecules.

Abstract: Recycling of carbon dioxide by its conversion into value-added products has gained significant interest owing to the role it can play for use in an anthropogenic carbon cycle. The combined conversion with H2O could even mimic the natural photosynthesis process. An interesting gas conversion technique currently being considered in the field of CO2 conversion is plasma technology. To investigate whether it is also promising for this combined conversion, we performed a series of experiments and developed a chemical kinetics plasma chemistry model for a deeper understanding of the process. The main products formed were the syngas components CO and H2, as well as O2 and H2O2, whereas methanol formation was only observed in the parts-per-billion to parts-per-million range. The syngas ratio, on the other hand, could easily be controlled by varying both the water content and/or energy input. On the basis of the model, which was validated with experimental results, a chemical kinetics analysis was performed, which allowed the construction and investigation of the different pathways leading to the observed experimental results and which helped to clarify these results. This approach allowed us to evaluate this technology on the basis of its underlying chemistry and to propose solutions on how to further improve the formation of value-added products by using plasma technology.

Abstract: We present a computational study for the conversion of CH4 and CO2 into value-added chemicals, i.e., the so-called dry reforming of methane, in a dielectric barrier discharge reactor. A zero-dimensional chemical kinetics model is applied to study the plasma chemistry in a 1:1 CH4/CO2 mixture. The calculations are first performed for one microdischarge pulse and its afterglow, to study in detail the chemical pathways of the conversion. Subsequently, long time-scale simulations are carried out, corresponding to real residence times in the plasma, assuming a large number of consecutive microdischarge pulses, to mimic the conditions of the filamentary discharge regime in a dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) reactor. The conversion of CH4 and CO2 as well as the selectivity of the formed products and the energy cost and energy efficiency of the process are calculated and compared to experiments for a range of different powers and gas flows, and reasonable agreement is reached.

Abstract: Photocatalytic soot oxidation is studied on P25 TiO2 as an important model reaction for self-cleaning processes by means of electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. Contacting of carbon black with P25 leads on the one hand to a reduction of the local dioxygen concentration in the powder. On the other hand, the weakly adsorbed radicals on the carbon particles are likely to act as alternative traps for the photogenerated conduction-band electrons. We find furthermore that the presence of dioxygen and oxygen-related radicals is vital for the photocatalytic soot degradation. The complete oxidation of soot to CO2 is evidenced by in situ FTIR spectroscopy, no intermediate CO is detected during the photocatalytic process.

Abstract: Branched plasmonic nanocrystals (NCs) have attracted much attention due to electric field enhancements at their tips. Seeded growth provides routes to NCs with defined branching patterns and, in turn, near-field distributions with defined symmetries. Here, a systematic analysis was undertaken in which seeds containing different distributions of planar defects were used to grow branched NCs in order to understand how their distributions direct the branching. Characterization of the products by multimode electron tomography and analysis of the NC morphologies at different overgrowth stages indicate that the branching patterns are directed by the seed defects, with the emergence of branches from the seed faces consistent with minimizing volumetric strain energy at the expense of surface energy. These results contrast with growth of branched NCs from single-crystalline seeds and provide a new platform for the synthesis of symmetrically branched plasmonic NCs.

Abstract: In this study the effects of the heating rate and heating time on the formation of crystal-like benzene bridged periodic mesoporous organosilicas (PMOs) are investigated. The time needed to heat up an autoclave during the hydrothermal treatment has shown to be crucial in the synthesis of PMOs, while the total duration of heating gave rise to only minor differences. By choosing a smart heating profile, superior PMO materials can be obtained in a short time. Different heating profiles in a range from one minute to one hour are adopted by microwave equipment and compared with conventional heating methods. The heating rate has a large influence on the porosity characteristics and the uniformity of the obtained particles. Moreover, two new alternative synthetic strategies to adopt the smart heating profile are presented, in order to give some possible solutions for the expensive microwave equipment.

Abstract: Stearate@Cu/ZnO nanocomposite particles with molar ratios of ZnO ∶ Cu = 2 and 5 are synthesized by reduction of the metalorganic Cu precursor [Cu{(OCH(CH3)CH2N(CH3)2)}2] in the presence of stearate@ZnO nanoparticles. In the case of ZnO ∶ Cu = 5, high-angle annular dark field-scanning transmission electron microscopy (HAADF-STEM) combined with electron-energy-loss-spectroscopy (EELS) as well as attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared (ATR-IR) spectroscopy are used to localize the small amount of Cu deposited on the surface of 35 nm sized stearate@ZnO particles. For ZnO ∶ Cu = 2, the microstructure of the nanocomposites after catalytic activity testing is characterized by HAADF-STEM techniques. This reveals the construction of large Cu nanoparticles (2050 nm) decorated by small ZnO nanoparticles (35 nm). The catalytic activity of both composites for the synthesis of methanol from syn gas is evaluated.

Abstract: The electrochemical detection of cephalosporins is a promising approach for the monitoring of cephalosporin levels in process waters. However, this class of antibiotics, like penicillins, is composed of chemically active molecules and susceptible to hydrolysis and aminolysis of the four membered β-lactam ring present. In order to develop a smart monitoring strategy for cephalosporins, the influence of degradation (hydrolysis and aminolysis) on the electrochemical fingerprint has to be taken into account. Therefore, an investigation was carried out to understand the changes of the voltammetric fingerprints upon acidic and alkaline degradation. Changes in fingerprints were correlated to the degradation pathways through the combination of square wave voltammetry and liquid chromatography quadrupole time-of-flight analysis. The characteristic electrochemical signals of the β-lactam ring disappeared upon hydrolysis. Additional oxidation signals that appeared after degradation were elucidated and linked to different degradation products, and therefore, enrich the voltammetric fingerprints with information of the state of the cephalosporins. The applicability of the electrochemical monitoring system was explored by the analysis of the intact and degraded industrial process waters containing the key intermediate 7-aminodeacetoxycephalosporanic acid (7-ADCA). Clearly, the intact process samples exhibited the expected core signals of 7-ADCA and could be quantified, while the degraded samples only showed the newly formed degradation products.

Abstract: The effect of ultrasonication parameters, such as time and power applied, to exfoliate graphite in o-dichlorobenzene (o-DCB) and N-methyl-1,2-pyrrolidone (NMP) was examined. It was found that the concentration of graphene was higher in o-DCB, while its dispersibility was increased when sonication was applied for a longer period and/or at higher power. However, spectroscopic examination by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) revealed that ultrasonication causes defects and induces oxygen functional groups in the form of carboxylic acids and ethers/epoxides onto the graphene lattice. Additional proof for the latter arose from Raman, IR, and thermogravimetry studies. The carboxylic acids and ethers/epoxides onto exfoliated graphene were derived from air during ultrasonication and found independent of the solvent used for the exfoliation and the power and/or time ultrasonication applied. Quantitative evaluation of the amount of oxygenated species present on exfoliated graphene as performed by high-resolution XPS revealed that the relative oxygen percentage was higher when exfoliation was performed in NMP. Finally, the sonication time and/or power affected the oxygen content on exfoliated graphene, since extended ultrasonication resulted in a decrease in the oxygen content on exfoliated graphene, with a simultaneous increase of defected sp(3) carbon atoms.

Abstract: Ab initio calculations within the density functional theory formalism are performed to investigate the stability and electronic properties of fluorinated bilayer graphene (bilayer fluorographene). A comparison is made to previously investigated graphane, bilayer graphane, and fluorographene. Bilayer fluorographene is found to be a much more stable material than bilayer graphane. Its electronic band structure is similar to that of monolayer fluorographene, but its electronic band gap is significantly larger (about 1 eV). We also calculate the effective masses around the Gamma-point for fluorographene and bilayer fluorographene and find that they are isotropic, in contrast to earlier reports. Furthermore, it is found that bilayer fluorographene is almost as strong as graphene, as its 2D Young's modulus is approximately 300 N m(-1).

Abstract: The surface termination of MXenes greatly determines the electrochemical properties and ion kinetics on their surfaces. So far, hydroxyl-, oxygen-, and fluorine-terminated MXenes have been widely studied for energy storage applications. Recently, sulfur-functionalized MXene structures, which possess low diffusion barriers, have been proposed as candidate materials to enhance battery performance. We performed first-principles calculations on the structural, stability, electrochemical, and ion dynamic properties of Li-adsorbed sulfur-functionalized groups 3B, 4B, 5B, and 6B transition-metal (M)-based MXenes (i.e., M2CS2 with M = Sc, Ti, Zr, Hf, V, Nb, Ta, Cr, Mo, and W). We performed phonon calculations, which indicated that all of the above M2CS2 MXenes, except for Sc, are dynamically stable at T = 0 K. The ground-state structure of each M2CS2 monolayer depends on the type of M atom. For instance, while sulfur prefers to sit at the FCC site on Ti2CS2, it occupies the HCP site of Cr-based MXene. We determined the Li adsorption configurations at different concentrations using the cluster expansion method. The highest maximum open-circuit voltages were computed for the group 4B element (i.e., Ti, Zr, and Hf)-based M2CS2, which are larger than 2.1 V, while their average voltages are approximately 1 V. The maximum voltage for the group 6B element (i.e., Cr, Mo, W)-based M2CS2 is less than 1 V, and the average voltage is less than 0.71 V. We found that S functionalization is helpful for capacity improvements over the O-terminated MXenes. In this respect, the computed storage gravimetric capacity may reach up to 417.4 mAh/g for Ti2CS2 and 404.5 mAh/g for V2CS2. Ta-, Cr-, Mo-, and W-based M2CS2 MXenes show very low capacities, which are less than 100 mAh/g. The Li surface diffusion energy barriers for all of the considered MXenes are less than 0.22 eV, which is favorable for high charging and discharging rates. Finally, ab initio molecular dynamic simulations performed at 400 K and bond-length analysis with respect to Li concentration verify that selected promising systems are robust against thermally induced perturbations that may induce structural transformations or distortions and undesirable Li release.

Abstract: The melting of fluorographene is very unusual and depends strongly on the degree of fluorination. For temperatures below 1000 K, fully fluorinated graphene (FFG) is thermomechanically more stable than graphene but at T-m approximate to 2800 K FFG transits to random coils which is almost 2 times lower than the melting temperature of graphene, i.e., 5300 K. For fluorinated graphene up to 30% ripples causes detachment of individual F-atoms around 2000 K, while for 40%-60% fluorination large defects are formed beyond 1500 K and beyond 60% of fluorination F-atoms remain bonded to graphene until melting. The results agree with recent experiments on the dependence of the reversibility of the fluorination process on the percentage of fluorination.

Abstract: The new complex germanates RCrGeO5 (R=NdEr, Y) have been synthesized and investigated by means of X-ray powder diffraction, electron microscopy, magnetic susceptibility and specific heat measurements. All the compounds are isostructural and crystallize in the orthorhombic symmetry, space group Pbam, and Z=4. The crystal structure of RCrGeO5, as refined using X-ray powder diffraction data, includes infinite chains built by edge-sharing Cr+3O6 octahedra with two alternating Cr−Cr distances. The chains are combined into a three-dimensional framework by Ge2O8 groups consisting of two edge-linked square pyramids oriented in opposite directions. The resulting framework contains pentagonal channels where rare-earth elements are located. Thus, RCrGeO5 germanates present new examples of RMn2O5-type compounds and show ordering of Cr+3 and Ge+4 cations. Electron diffraction as well as high-resolution electron microscopy confirm the structure solution. Magnetic susceptibility data for R=Nd, Sm, and Eu are qualitatively consistent with the presence of isolated 3d (antiferromagnetically coupled Cr+3 cations) and 4f (R+3) spin subsystems in the RCrGeO5 compounds. NdCrGeO5 undergoes long-range magnetic ordering at 2.6 K, while SmCrGeO5 and EuCrGeO5 do not show any phase transitions down to 2 K.