Synthesis, Characterization and Antimicrobial Activity of Multiple Morphologies of Gold/Platinum Doped Bismuth Oxide Nanostructures.

Bismuth oxides were synthesized from bismuth carbonate using the sol-gel method. Studies have described the formation of BiO, as a precursor of HNO dissolution, and intermediate oxides, such as BiO when using HSO and HPO. The average size of the crystallite calculated from Scherrer's formula ranged from 9 to 19 nm, according to X-ray diffraction.

Study of Interactions between Titanium Dioxide Coating and Wood Cell Wall Ultrastructure.

Titanium dioxide (TiO) is used as a UV light absorber to protect wood matter from photodegradation. In this paper, interactions between wood and TiO coating are studied, and the efficiency of the coating is evaluated. For the experiments, two wood species were chosen: beech () and pine ().

Long-chain mercury carboxylates relevant to saponification in oil and tempera paintings: XRPD and ssNMR complementary study of their crystal structures.

Saponification, resulting from pigment-binder interactions, is one of the most endangering phenomena affecting the appearance and stability of painted works of art. The crystallization of metal carboxylates (soaps) in paint layers is recently assumed as the most critical point for the development of undesirable changes induced by saponification, however, the factors triggering it are not fully understood. The red pigment cinnabar (HgS) has been suspected of contributing to saponification, however, the paucity of reliable reference structural data limited the experimental research of its effect at the molecular level.

The Key Role of Tin (Sn) in Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of TiSnC (MAX) Thin Nanocrystalline Films and Powdered Polycrystalline Samples.

Layered ternary TiSnC carbides have attracted significant attention because of their advantage as a M2AX phase to bridge the gap between properties of metals and ceramics. In this study, TiSnC materials were synthesized by two different methods-an unconventional low-energy ion facility (LEIF) based on Ar ion beam sputtering of the Ti, Sn, and C targets and sintering of a compressed mixture consisting of Ti, Sn, and C elemental powders up to 1250 °C. The TiSnC nanocrystalline thin films obtained by LEIF were irradiated by Ar ions with an energy of 30 keV to the fluence of 1.

Synthesis and Catalytic Properties of New Polymeric Monometallic Composites Based on Copolymers of Polypropylene Glycol Maleate Phthalate with Acrylic Acid.

Metal-polymer composites based on copolymers of polypropylene glycol maleate phthalate with acrylic acid and metallic nickel and silver were synthesized for the first time. The objects obtained were characterized by infrared (IR) and Raman spectroscopies, thermogravimetry, a scanning electron microscope with energy dispersive spectroscopy, and atomic emission spectrometry. The catalytic activity of new metal-polymer composites that exhibited a rather high efficiency in the reactions of electrocatalytic hydrogenation of pyridine was studied.

Uncovering lead formate crystallization in oil-based paintings.

Lead carboxylates are an extensive group of compounds studied for their promising industrial applications and for their risky behavior when they are formed in oil paintings as corrosion products of lead-based pigments, leading to serious deterioration of paintings. Although the processes leading to the formation of aggregates, protrusions or inclusions, affecting undesirably the appearance of paintings, are assumed to be long term, neo-formed lead carboxylates are detectable in the early stage of paint drying. To uncover the chemical changes in lead pigments during the drying of oil paint films, model systems consisting of minium (Pb3O4) and four common drying oils were studied by X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD), 13C and 207Pb solid state NMR (ssNMR) spectroscopy and Fourier-transformed infrared spectroscopy (FTIR).

Mixed lead carboxylates relevant to soap formation in oil and tempera paintings: the study of the crystal structure by complementary XRPD and ssNMR.

Long-chain lead carboxylates, on the one hand, represent compounds for versatile industrial applications in high-tech industries, while on the other hand, they are predominant constituents of secondary products of saponification of paint layers in works of art. Affecting significantly the appearance and stability of painted works of art, saponification is one of the most serious problems of preservation of cultural heritage objects. Despite their versatility as well as hazardousness, there is a paucity of single-crystal X-ray structures of long-chain carboxylates, due to difficulties in preparing single crystals of sufficient quality.

New comprehensive approach for airborne asbestos characterisation and monitoring.

High concentrations of airborne asbestos in the ambient air are still a serious problem of air quality in numerous localities around the world. Since 2002, elevated concentrations of asbestos minerals of unknown origin have been detected in the ambient air of Pilsen, Czech Republic. To determine the asbestos fibre sources in this urban air, a systematic study was conducted.