TiO-based mixed oxide-carbon composite supports have been suggested to provide enhanced stability for platinum (Pt) electrocatalysts in polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cells. The addition of molybdenum (Mo) to the mixed oxide is known to increase the CO tolerance of the electrocatalyst. In this work Pt catalysts, supported on TiMoO-C composites with a 25/75 oxide/carbon mass ratio and prepared from different carbon materials (C: Vulcan XC-72, unmodified and functionalized Black Pearls 2000), were compared in the hydrogen oxidation reaction (HOR) and in the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) with a commercial Pt/C reference catalyst in order to assess the influence of the support on the electrocatalytic behavior.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFStructural and electrical properties of epitaxial Pb(ZrTi)O films grown by pulsed laser deposition from targets with different purities are investigated in this study. One target was produced in-house by using high purity precursor oxides (at least 99.99%), and the other target was a commercial product (99.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn this study, nano-BaTiO (BTO) powders were obtained via the solvothermal method at different reaction times and were investigated using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Raman spectroscopy. The results were compared with those obtained for a larger crystallite size BTO powder (BTO-m). The sizes of the cuboid crystallites (as determined by XRD and TEM) ranged from about 18 to 24 nm, depending on the reaction time.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPd deposited on CeO-MnO/La-AlO has been prepared as a sensitive material for methane (CH) detection. The effect of different amounts (1.25%, 2.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMesoporous CeO:MnO materials (3:7 and 7:3 molar ratio) were prepared by co-precipitation and deposited as porous thick films over alumina (AlO) planar substrate provided with Pt meander. The aim was oriented towards detecting low levels methane (CH) at moderate operating temperatures. Herein we demonstrated that the sensitivity of catalytic micro-converters (CMCs) towards a given peak of CH concentration corresponds to specific gas-surface interaction phenomena.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn this study, the synergistic behavior of Ni species and bimodal mesoporous undoped SnO is investigated in oxygen evolution reactions (OERs) under alkaline conditions without any other modification of the compositional phases or using noble metals. An efficient and environmentally friendly hydrothermal method to prepare bimodal mesoporous undoped SnO with a very high surface area (>130 m g) and a general deposition-precipitation method for the synthesis of well-dispersed Ni species on undoped SnO are reported. The powders were characterized by adsorption-desorption isotherms, TG-DTA, XRD, SEM, TEM, Raman, TPR-H, and XPS.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThis study presents the synthesis and characterization of lanthanum-modified alumina supported cerium-manganese mixed oxides, which were prepared by three different methods (coprecipitation, impregnation and citrate-based sol-gel method) followed by calcination at 500 °C. The physicochemical properties of the synthesized materials were investigated by various characterization techniques, namely: nitrogen adsorption-desorption isotherms, X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and H-temperature programmed reduction (TPR). This experimental study demonstrated that the role of the catalytic surface is much more important than the bulk one.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWe report the applicability of a hybrid system comprising a La-based catalyst and an Au/TiO photocatalyst in the decomposition of chemical weapons. This system is able to perform complete degradation of soman, sarin and VX in less than 1 minute under low basic conditions and visible light irradiation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCommercial P25 modified by Au-Cu alloy nanoparticles as thin film exhibits, for CO2 reduction by water under sun simulated light, a rate of methane production above 2000 μmol (g of photocatalyst)(-1) h(-1). Although evolution of hydrogen is observed and O2 and ethane detected, the selectivity of conduction band electrons for methane formation is almost complete, about 97%. This photocatalytic behavior is completely different from that measured for Au/P25 (hydrogen evolution) and Cu/P25 (lower activity, but similar methane selectivity).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFLayered magadiite and zeolites Y containing framework Co or small CoO clusters in the pores have been synthesized and tested as photocatalysts for water splitting, in the absence and presence of methanol, upon UV or simulated sunlight irradiation; the best performing material was Co-magadiite.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe reduction of carbon dioxide to useful chemicals has received a great deal of attention as an alternative to the depletion of fossil resources without altering the atmospheric CO2 balance. As the chemical reduction of CO2 is energetically uphill due to its remarkable thermodynamic stability, this process requires a significant transfer of energy. Achievements in the fields of photocatalysis during the last decade sparked increased interest in the possibility of using sunlight to reduce CO2.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDifferent metallophthalocyanines and 2,4,6-triphenylpyrylium (TP+) ions were entrapped in different inorganic supports such as Y zeolite, mesoporous MCM-41, TiO2-SiO2 and SiO2 following a specific protocol. The resulting supramolecular structures were characterized by chemical analysis and diffuse reflectance UV-vis measurements. The determination of the band gap on the basis of UV-vis measurements showed that the host is not a spectator in this process and an electronic interaction occurs that lowers the band gap of the support.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEfficient photocatalytic decomposition of chemical warfare agents is a process that may find application in emergency situations or for the controlled destruction of chemical warfare stockpiles. A series of heterogeneous photocatalysts comprising TiO2-activated carbon or N-TiO2-activated carbon composites exhibit excellent photocatalytic activity to effect the complete decomposition of yperite, soman, and VX in high concentrations. The remarkable photocatalytic activity arises from the synergism between adsorption on active carbon and photoactivity by titania.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe photocatalytic decomposition of yperite (bis(2-chloroethyl)sulfide), a chemical warfare agent, was achieved by using titania-silica catalysts doped with several transition metal ions. The preparation of these catalysts was achieved by impregnation of a titania-silica mixed oxide previously synthesized using a sol-gel route with salts of the doping elements (vanadium, iron, manganese). The above catalysts were characterized using several spectroscopic techniques: FTIR, Raman, DR-UV-Vis, and XPS.
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