Catalysts with Cerium in a Membrane Reactor for the Removal of Formaldehyde Pollutant from Water Effluents.

We report the synthesis of cerium oxide, cobalt oxide, mixed cerium, and cobalt oxides and a Ce-Co/Al₂O₃ membrane, which are employed as catalysts for the catalytic wet oxidation (CWO) reaction process and the removal of formaldehyde from industrial effluents. Formaldehyde is present in numerous waste streams from the chemical industry in a concentration low enough to make its recovery not economically justified but high enough to create an environmental hazard. Common biological degradation methods do not work for formaldehyde, a highly toxic but refractory, low biodegradability substance.

Structural dependence of phase transition and dielectric relaxation in ferroelectric poly(vinylidene fluoride-chlorotrifluoroethylene-trifluoroethylene)s.

A series of ferroelectric poly(vinylidene fluoride-chlorotrifluoroethylene-trifluoroethylene)s, P(VDF-CTFE-TrFE), with systematically varied chemical compositions have been synthesized via a two-step approach consisting of copolymerization and dechlorination. The effect of polymer structure on polarization responses and dielectric properties has been investigated over a broad frequency and temperature range. As shown in the X-ray diffraction patterns, multiple phases coexist within the terpolymers as a result of the gauche conformation induced by the CTFE unit.