Exploring the Substitution of Fe(III) by Gd(III) in Nanomagnetite.

A promising superparamagnetic nanomagnetite dipped with Gd was synthesized for possible medical applications. Its size and morphology are independent of Gd content ranging from 1 to 5%. Gadolinium (III) replaced Fe(III) in the lattice.

Selenium Nanowire Formation by Reacting Selenate with Magnetite.

The mobility of Se, a fission product of U and long-lived radioisotope, is an important parameter in the safety assessment of radioactive nuclear waste disposal systems. Nonradioactive selenium is also an important contaminant of drainage waters from black shale mountains and coal mines. Highly mobile and soluble in its high oxidation states, selenate (Se()O) and selenite (Se()O) oxyanions can interact with magnetite, a mineral present in anoxic natural environments and in steel corrosion products, thereby being reduced and consequently immobilized by forming low-solubility solids.

Metastability of palladium carbide nanoparticles during hydrogen release from liquid organic hydrogen carriers.

Efficient hydrogen release from liquid organic hydrogen carriers (LOHCs) requires a high level of control over the catalytic properties of supported noble metal nanoparticles. Here, the formation of carbon-containing phases under operation conditions has a direct influence on the activity and selectivity of the catalyst. We studied the formation and stability of carbide phases using well-defined Pd/α-Al2O3(0001) model catalysts during dehydrogenation of a model LOHC, methylcyclohexane, in a flow reactor by in situ high-energy grazing incidence X-ray diffraction.

Solid and Aqueous Speciation of Yttrium in Passive Remediation Systems of Acid Mine Drainage.

Yttrium belongs to the rare earth elements (REEs) together with lanthanides and scandium. REEs are commonly used in modern technologies, and their limited supply has made it necessary to look for new alternative resources. Acid mine drainage (AMD) is a potential resource since it is moderately enriched in REEs.

Crystal structure and stacking faults in the layered honeycomb, delafossite-type materials AgLiIrO and AgLiRuO.

Powder samples of Ag3LiIr2O6 and Ag3LiRu2O6 were synthesized from α-Li2IrO3 and Li2RuO3 respectively by ion exchange in an AgNO3 melt. The crystal structures of the title compounds were solved from high resolution laboratory X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD) patterns and from pair distribution function (PDF) analysis using synchrotron X-ray powder diffraction data. In both crystal structures edge sharing LiO6/3- and (Ir/Ru)O6/3-octahedra form honeycomb like layers that are stacked in a staggered fashion.

Temperature dependence of the hydrogen bond network in trimethylamine N-oxide and guanidine hydrochloride-water solutions.

We present an X-ray Compton scattering study on aqueous trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO) and guanidine hydrochloride solutions (GdnHCl) as a function of temperature. Independent from the concentration of the solvent, Compton profiles almost resemble results for liquid water as a function of temperature. However, the number of hydrogen bonds per water molecule extracted from the Compton profiles suggests a decrease of hydrogen bonds with rising temperature for all studied samples, and the differences between water and the solutions are weak.

Quantitative X-ray pair distribution function analysis of nanocrystalline calcium silicate hydrates: a contribution to the understanding of cement chemistry.

The structural evolution of nanocrystalline calcium silicate hydrate (C-S-H) as a function of its calcium to silicon (Ca/Si) ratio has been probed using qualitative and quantitative X-ray atomic pair distribution function analysis of synchrotron X-ray scattering data. Whatever the Ca/Si ratio, the C-S-H structure is similar to that of tobermorite. When the Ca/Si ratio increases from ∼0.

Arsenate and Selenate Scavenging by Basaluminite: Insights into the Reactivity of Aluminum Phases in Acid Mine Drainage.

Basaluminite precipitation may play an important role in the behavior of trace elements in water and sediments affected by acid mine drainage and acid sulfate soils. In this study, the affinity of basaluminite and schwertmannite for arsenate and selenate is compared, and the coordination geometries of these oxyanions in both structures are reported. Batch isotherm experiments were conducted to examine the sorption capacity of synthetic schwertmannite and basaluminite and the potential competitive effect of sulfate.

Linear topology in amorphous metal oxide electrochromic networks obtained via low-temperature solution processing.

Amorphous transition metal oxides are recognized as leading candidates for electrochromic window coatings that can dynamically modulate solar irradiation and improve building energy efficiency. However, their thin films are normally prepared by energy-intensive sputtering techniques or high-temperature solution methods, which increase manufacturing cost and complexity. Here, we report on a room-temperature solution process to fabricate electrochromic films of niobium oxide glass (NbO) and 'nanocrystal-in-glass' composites (that is, tin-doped indium oxide (ITO) nanocrystals embedded in NbO glass) via acid-catalysed condensation of polyniobate clusters.

Cryptomelane formation from nanocrystalline vernadite precursor: a high energy X-ray scattering and transmission electron microscopy perspective on reaction mechanisms.

Background: Vernadite is a nanocrystalline and turbostratic phyllomanganate which is ubiquitous in the environment. Its layers are built of (MnO6)(8-) octahedra connected through their edges and frequently contain vacancies and  (or) isomorphic substitutions. Both create a layer charge deficit that can exceed 1 valence unit per layer octahedron and thus induces a strong chemical reactivity.

Isomorphism and solid solution as shown by an accurate high-resolution diffraction experiment.

High-resolution crystal structure determination and spherical and multipolar refinement enabled an organic solid solution of 1-(4'-chlorophenyl)-2-methyl-4-nitro-1H-imidazole-5-carbonitrile and 5-bromo-1-(4'-chlorophenyl)-2-methyl-4-nitro-1H-imidazole to be found, which would not normally be revealed using only standard resolution data (ca 0.8 Å), as the disordered part is only visible at high resolution. Therefore, this new structure would have been reported as just another polymorphic form, even more reasonably as isostructural with other derivatives.

Anharmonicity and isomorphic phase transition: a multi-temperature X-ray single-crystal and powder diffraction study of 1-(2'-aminophenyl)-2-methyl-4-nitroimidazole.

The harmonic model of atomic nuclear motions is usually enough for multipole modelling of high-resolution X-ray diffraction data; however, in some molecular crystals, such as 1-(2'-aminophenyl)-2-methyl-4-nitro-1H-imidazole [Paul, Kubicki, Jelsch et al. (2011 ▶). Acta Cryst.