Sandwichlike magnesium silicate/reduced graphene oxide nanocomposite for enhanced Pb²⁺ and methylene blue adsorption.

A sandwichlike magnesium silicate/reduced graphene oxide nanocomposite (MgSi/RGO) with high adsorption efficiency of organic dye and lead ion was synthesized by a hydrothermal approach. MgSi nanopetals were formed in situ on both sides of RGO sheets. The nanocomposite with good dispersion of nanopetals exhibits a high specific surface area of 450 m(2)/g and a good mass transportation property.

C60 fullerenol as an active and stable catalyst for the synthesis of cyclic carbonates from CO2 and epoxides.

C60 fullerenol was found to be a highly active, selective and stable catalyst for cycloaddition between CO2 and epoxides to produce various cyclic carbonates with excellent yields (89-99%). A solid/liquid interfacial hydrogen-bond assisted mechanism was proposed to account for its high efficiency.

Tunable synthesis of hexagram-shaped hematite iron oxide microcrystals with shape-dependent magnetic properties.

Uniform hexagram-shaped alpha-Fe2O3 microcrystals with tunable morphologies were fabricated by a facile hydrothermal method followed by annealing in air. The highly anisotropic hexagram-shaped alpha-Fe2O3 particles with the higher coercivity forces and remannent magnetizations showed weak ferromagnetic behaviors at room temperature and displayed the typical shape-dependent magnetic behaviors.

A core-shell-satellite structured Fe3O4@MS-NH2@Pd nanocomposite: a magnetically recyclable multifunctional catalyst for one-pot multistep cascade reaction sequences.

A hierarchical core-shell-satellite structured composite system Fe3O4@MS-NH2@Pd, which was composed of Pd nanoparticles well-dispersed on an amino group functionalized mesoporous silica (MS-NH2) nanosphere, and superparamagnetic Fe3O4 nanoparticles scattered inside the silica sphere, was prepared by using a facile procedure. The composite combined the catalytic properties of amino groups and Pd nanoparticles with superparamagnetic properties of magnetite into a single platform. This integrated nanosystem acted as an efficient magnetically recyclable noble metal-base multifunctional nanocatalyst and showed excellent catalytic activity, selectivity and stability for the direct synthesis of α-alkylated nitriles under mild conditions through facile one-pot multistep cascade reaction sequences.

α-Fe2 O3 nanodisks: layered structure, growth mechanism, and enhanced photocatalytic property.

Layered structure: α-Fe2 O3 nanodisks with a layered structure assembled from nanoplates were produced by a hydrothermal method. The simple, low-cost method used silicate anions as capping ligands, which selectively adsorbed onto the {0001} facet of α-Fe2 O3 and terminated the growth along the [0001] direction, leading to platelike building units. The layered structure led to significantly enhanced absorption of visible light, compared with single-layer α-Fe2 O3 , and excellent photocatalytic abilities.

One-pot multistep cascade reactions over multifunctional nanocomposites with Pd nanoparticles supported on amine-modified mesoporous silica.

Two kinds of multifunctional nanocomposites, SBA-15-NH2/Pd-p and SBA-15-NH2/Pd-f, with platelet-like and fiber-like morphologies, respectively, were fabricated by immobilizing Pd NPs onto amine-functionalized SBA-15. Some of the amino groups acted as anchoring sites for Pd NPs, whilst the remaining groups acted as Brønsted basic sites. As a result, the composites served as excellent multifunctional heterogeneous catalysts for one-pot multistep cascade reaction sequences.

Coating with mesoporous silica remarkably enhances the stability of the highly active yet fragile flower-like MgO catalyst for dimethyl carbonate synthesis.

Flower-like MgO is a highly effective catalyst for the synthesis of dimethyl carbonate through the transesterification method, and coating the catalyst with mesoporous silica significantly enhances the stability of the MgO catalyst.

Au nanoparticles embedded into the inner wall of TiO2 hollow spheres as a nanoreactor with superb thermal stability.

A new nanoreactor-type composite catalyst with Au NPs embedded into the inner wall of the mesoporous TiO2 hollow spheres resulted in an enhanced synergistic effect and superb thermal stability of highly dispersed Au NPs.

A yolk-shell structured Fe2O3@mesoporous SiO2 nanoreactor for enhanced activity as a Fenton catalyst in total oxidation of dyes.

Through a simple polymeric carbon assisted method, a yolk-shell structured Fe(2)O(3)@mesoporous SiO(2) nanoreactor was synthesized and showed excellent activity in Fenton-like reactions toward methylene blue total degradation.

Synthesis, self-assembly, and high performance in gas sensing of X-shaped iron oxide crystals.

X-shaped goethite iron oxide crystals were synthesized by a surfactant-free mild hydrothermal synthesis method with the aid of fluorine ions. The X-shaped goethite crystals could readily self-assemble into microscopic hollow spheres through an oil-water interface induced self-assembly method. X-shaped hematite crystals were obtained by phase topotactic transformation of the goethite precursors.

Core-shell structured mesoporous silica as acid-base bifunctional catalyst with designated diffusion path for cascade reaction sequences.

A core-shell structured mesoporous silica nanosphere with antagonistic acid and basic sites spatially isolated and designated diffusion path was fabricated and served as an efficient acid-base bifunctional catalyst for one-pot cascade reaction sequences with excellent activity and selectivity.

Fe3+ and amino functioned mesoporous silica: preparation, structural analysis and arsenic adsorption.

Two novel adsorbents to remove excess arsenate and arsenite in the drinking water were prepared for the first time by grafting monoamine and diamine, respectively, and then coordinating Fe(3+) on silica gel that was obtained using sol-gel method with two-step acid-base catalysis. It was found that both adsorbents had mesoporous structure, large specific surface, and high amino and iron content according to N(2) adsorption isotherms, FTIR, XPS, and NMR analysis. The removal ability and adsorption rate of the adsorbents were very high for both As(V) and As(III).

Temperature-responsive smart nanoreactors: poly(N-isopropylacrylamide)-coated Au@mesoporous-SiO2 hollow nanospheres.

A nanoreactor with temperature-responsive poly(N-isopopylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) coated on the external pore mouth of mesoporous silica hollow spheres and Au nanoparticles at the internal pore mouth were fabricated. Such spatial separation allows both Au nanoparticles and PNIPAM to function without interfering with each other. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectra, and temperature-dependent optical transmittance curves demonstrate successful grafting of PNIPAM.

Superb adsorption capacity and mechanism of flowerlike magnesium oxide nanostructures for lead and cadmium ions.

A facile method based on microwave-assisted solvothermal process has been developed to synthesize flowerlike MgO precursors, which were then transformed to MgO by simple calcinations. All the chemicals used (magnesium nitrate, urea, and ethanol) were low cost and environmentally benign. The products were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, high-resolution TEM, and N(2) adsorption-desorption methods.

Synthesis of cyclic carbonates: catalysis by an iron-based composite and the role of hydrogen bonding at the solid/liquid interface.

Say it with flowers: Flower-like Fe(3)O(4)@Fe(OH)(3) composite catalysts show good activity and stability in the synthesis of cyclic carbonates from epoxides and CO(2). The role of hydrogen bonding between the surface hydroxyl groups of the solid and the epoxides at the solid/liquid interface is proposed as a key factor in activating the epoxide and stabilizing the ring-opened carbonate intermediates.

Synthesis of biomimetic poly[2-(methacryloyloxy)ethyl phosphorycholine]-coated magnetite nanoparticles via surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization.

Modification of magnetite nanoparticles with biomimetic poly[2-(methacryloyloxy)ethyl phosphorycholine] (poly(MPC)) via surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) was carried out. Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analyses (TGA) and zeta potential studies indicated that well defined poly (MPC) was successfully grafted on the surface of magnetite nanoparticles. X-ray diffraction results showed the structure of magnetite nanoparticles after surface modification was not changed.

Low-cost synthesis of flowerlike α-Fe2O3 nanostructures for heavy metal ion removal: adsorption property and mechanism.

Flowerlike α-Fe(2)O(3) nanostructures were synthesized via a template-free microwave-assisted solvothermal method. All chemicals used were low-cost compounds and environmentally benign. These flowerlike α-Fe(2)O(3) nanostructures had high surface area and abundant hydroxyl on their surface.

Superb fluoride and arsenic removal performance of highly ordered mesoporous aluminas.

Highly ordered mesoporous aluminas and calcium-doped aluminas were synthesized through a facile and reproducible method. Their fluoride adsorption characteristics, including adsorption isotherms, adsorption kinetics, the effect of pH and co-existing anions were investigated. These materials exhibited strong affinity to fluoride ions and extremely high defluoridation capacities.

Fabrication of nanostructured metal nitrides with tailored composition and morphology.

Unprecedented multi-channel TiN micro/nanotubes as well as various metal nitride nanofibers, including TiN, VN, NbN and ternary metal nitride nanofibers, were fabricated by a template free electrospinning method combined with post-nitridation.