Solid matter and soluble compounds collected from cigarette smoke and heated tobacco product aerosol using a laboratory designed puffing setup.

A laboratory setup recently designed has been used to perform puffing experiments in conditions similar to those of Health Canada Intense regime with the purpose of collecting and studying any particulate and/or soluble matter generated as a result of cigarette smoking or Heets use in an IQOS device. Smoke or aerosol can leave deposited matter in several parts of the setup, roughly resembling the interaction with the human body. Samples have been collected from different parts of the setup.

Design of carbon supports for metal-catalyzed acetylene hydrochlorination.

For decades, carbons have been the support of choice in acetylene hydrochlorination, a key industrial process for polyvinyl chloride manufacture. However, no unequivocal design criteria could be established to date, due to the complex interplay between the carbon host and the metal nanostructure. Herein, we disentangle the roles of carbon in determining activity and stability of platinum-, ruthenium-, and gold-based hydrochlorination catalysts and derive descriptors for optimal host design, by systematically varying the porous properties and surface functionalization of carbon, while preserving the active metal sites.

TiO₂ Modification with Transition Metallic Species (Cr, Co, Ni, and Cu) for Photocatalytic Abatement of Acetic Acid in Liquid Phase and Propene in Gas Phase.

The commercial P25 titania has been modified with transition metallic species (Cr, Co, Ni, and Cu), added by impregnation with aqueous solutions of the corresponding nitrates. The preparation procedure also includes a heat treatment (500 °C) in argon to decompose the nitrates, remove impurities and to strengthen the metal⁻TiO₂ interaction. The catalysts have been thoroughly characterized using N₂ adsorption, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), UV-visible diffuse-reflectance spectroscopy (UV-vis DRS) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and have been tested in the aqueous phase decomposition of acetic acid and in the gas phase oxidation of propene, using an irradiation source of 365 nm in both cases.

Effect of the Preparation Method (Sol-Gel or Hydrothermal) and Conditions on the TiO₂ Properties and Activity for Propene Oxidation.

Since the two most commonly used methods for TiO₂ preparation are sol-gel (SG) and hydrothermal (HT) synthesis, this study attempts to compare both methods in order to determine which one is the most suitable to prepare photocatalysts for propene oxidation. In addition, this work studies how the concentration of the HCl used for hydrolysis of the TiO₂ precursor affects the properties of the obtained materials. Also, the effect of avoiding the post-synthesis heat-treatment in a selection of samples is investigated.

Spherical Activated Carbons with High Mechanical Strength Directly Prepared from Selected Spherical Seeds.

In the present manuscript, the preparation of spherical activated carbons (SACs) with suitable adsorption properties and high mechanical strength is reported, taking advantage of the retention of the spherical shape by the raw precursors. An easy procedure (carbonization followed by CO₂ activation) has been applied over a selection of three natural seeds, with a well-defined spherical shape and thermal stability: (RA), (OL), and (CI). After the carbonization-activation procedures, RA and CI, maintained their original spherical shapes and integrity, although a reduction in diameter around 48% and 25%, respectively, was observed.