Fluorous and Organic Extraction Systems: A Comparison from the Perspectives of Coordination Structures, Interfaces, and Bulk Extraction Phases.

Microscopic structures in liquid-liquid extraction, such as structuration between extractants or extracted complexes in bulk organic phases and at interfaces, can influence macroscopic phenomena, such as the distribution behavior of solutes, including extraction efficiency and selectivity. In this study, we correlated the macroscopic behavior of the Zr(IV) extraction from nitric acid solutions with microscopic structural information to understand at the molecular level the key factors contributing to the higher metal ion extraction performance in the fluorous extraction system as compared to the analogous organic extraction system. The fluorous and organic extraction systems consist of tris(4,4,5,5,6,6,7,7,7-nonafluoroheptyl) phosphate (TFP) in perfluorohexane and tri--heptyl phosphate (THP) in -hexane, respectively.

Heavy water recycling for producing deuterium compounds.

Deuterium oxide (DO) is a special variety of water that serves as a crucial resource in a range of applications, but it is a costly and unusual resource. We therefore developed a new DO concentration system that combines a polymer electrolyte water electrolyzer and a catalytic combustor for recycling used DO. In this study, 1.

Direct Probe of the Ferromagnetic Proximity Effect at the Interface of SnTe/Fe Heterostructure by Polarized Neutron Reflectometry.

Introducing magnetic order into a topological insulator (TI) system has attracted much attention with an expectation of realizing exotic phenomena such as the quantum anomalous Hall effect (QAHE) and axion insulator states. The magnetic proximity effect (MPE) is one of the promising schemes to induce the magnetic order on the surface of a TI without introducing disorder accompanied by doping magnetic impurities in the TI. In this study, we investigate the MPE at the interface of a heterostructure consisting of the topological crystalline insulator (TCI) SnTe and Fe by employing polarized neutron reflectometry.

Surface Functionalization of Non-Woven Fabrics Using a Novel Silica-Resin Coating Technology: Antiviral Treatment of Non-Woven Fabric Filters in Surgical Masks.

Masks are effective for preventing the spread of COVID-19 and other respiratory infections. If antimicrobial properties can be applied to the non-woven fabric filters in masks, they can become a more effective countermeasure against human-to-human and environmental infections. We investigated the possibilities of carrying antimicrobial agents on the fiber surfaces of non-woven fabric filters by applying silica-resin coating technology, which can form silica-resin layers on such fabrics at normal temperature and pressure.

Fine-Structure Analysis of Perhydropolysilazane-Derived Nano Layers in Deep-Buried Condition Using Polarized Neutron Reflectometry.

A large background scattering originating from the sample matrix is a major obstacle for fine-structure analysis of a nanometric layer buried in a bulk material. As polarization analysis can decrease undesired scattering in a neutron reflectivity (NR) profile, we performed NR experiments with polarization analysis on a polypropylene (PP)/perhydropolysilazane-derived SiO (PDS)/Si substrate sample, having a deep-buried layer of SiO to elucidate the fine structure of the nano-PDS layer. This method offers unique possibilities for increasing the amplitude of the Kiessig fringes in the higher scattering vector () region of the NR profiles in the sample by decreasing the undesired background scattering.

Continuous Mesoporous Aluminum Oxide Film with Perpendicularly Oriented Mesopore Channels.

Mesoporous aluminum oxide (MAO) films with perpendicularly oriented cylindrical mesopores (pore diameter: ca. 10 nm) were successfully deposited on a glass substrate by a surfactant-templating approach using aluminum nitrate as an aluminum source. The perpendicular orientation of mesopores was confirmed by grazing-incidence small-angle X-ray scattering and neutron reflection experiments.

Birch-Type Reduction of Arenes in 2-Propanol Catalyzed by Zero-Valent Iron and Platinum on Carbon.

Catalytic arene reduction was effectively realized by heating in 2-propanol/water in the presence of Pt on carbon (Pt/C) and metallic Fe. 2-Propanol acted as a hydrogen source, obviating the need for flammable (and hence, dangerous and hard-to-handle) hydrogen gas, while metallic Fe acted as an essential co-catalyst to promote reduction. The chemical states of Pt and Fe in the reaction mixture were determined by X-ray absorption near-edge structure analysis, and the obtained results were used to suggest a plausible reaction mechanism, implying that catalytic reduction involved Pt- and Fe-mediated single-electron transfer and the dehydrogenation of 2-propanol.

Controlled deuterium labelling of imidazolium ionic liquids to probe the fine structure of the electrical double layer using neutron reflectometry.

We combined the deuterium labeling and neutron reflectivity techniques to determine the fine structure of the electric double layer structure in an imidazolium ionic liquid (IL). For this, a simple and large scale deuteration method for imidazolium ILs was developed, where the deuteration level can be systematically controlled.