This study reports a simple method to synthesize pure kalsilite (KAlSiO4) using readily available precursors, kaolinite and KOH solution, after only 12 h of hydrothermal treatment in mild conditions. A structural refinement has been carried out using the Rietveld method to obtain unit cell parameters, and the 29Si and 27Al magic angle spinning nuclear magnetic…
Herein, we present a detailed analysis of the structure of artificial opal films. We demonstrate that, rather than the generally assumed face centered cubic lattice of spheres, opal films are better approximated by rhombohedral assemblies of distorted colloids. Detailed analysis of the optical response in a very wide spectral range (0.4 ≤ a/λ ≤ 2,…
A synthetic route is presented to attain high-optical-quality multilayered structures that residtfront coupling ordered n7esoporous tilaniuni oxide thin films to the surface of a dense one-dimensional photonic crystal. Such architectures present spectrally well-defined photon resonant modes localized in the outer coating that finely respond to physicochemically induced modifications of its pore volume. The potential of…
Tin amalgam, which is obtained by pouring mercury onto a sheet of tin, has been used in the production of reflective coatings for mirrors. The corrosion processes of the amalgam layer were investigated in several mirrors from historical buildings located in southern Spain using SEM/EDS, XPS, and GID. Mercury and Sn4+ are present as spheres…
FeMn mixed oxides were prepared by the citrate method with Fe:Mn atomic ratio equal to 1:1, 1:3 and 3:1. The sample was characterized by means of specific surface area measurements, X-ray diffractometry (XRD), temperature programmed desorption of oxygen (O2-DTP), temperature programmed reduction (TPR), X-ray fluorescence (XRF), transmission electron microscopy (TEM and SAED) and high resolution…
Vibrational (infrared and Raman) spectroscopy has been used to characterize SiOxNy and SiOx films prepared by magnetron sputtering on steel and silicon substrates. Interference bands in the infrared reflectivity measurements provided the film thickness and the dielectric function of the films. Vibrational modes bands were obtained both from infrared and Raman spectra providing useful information…
The Deep Geological Repository (DGR) concept involves the placement of long-lived radioactive waste in rooms excavated deep. The major responsibility of the disposal safety falls on the Engineered Barrier System (EBS). The main constituent of EBS is bentonite that prevents the release of radiactive nuclei by physical and chemical mechanisms. The physical mechanism is expected…
Diamond like carbon (DLC) thin films have been exposed to different nitrogen containing plasmas. A dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) at atmospheric pressure and a microwave discharge (MW) at low pressure using N2 and mixtures Ar + NH3 have been compared. Optical Emission and X-ray Photoelectron spectroscopies, Atomic Force Microscopy and contact angle measurements have been used for…
We have studied the oxidation of carbon monoxide over a lanthanum substituted perovskite (La0.5Sr0.5CoO3−d) catalyst prepared by spray pyrolysis. Under the assumption of a first-order kinetics mechanism for CO, it has been found that the activation energy barrier of the reaction changes from ∼80 to ∼40 kJ mol−1 at a threshold temperature of ca. 320…
In the present work we have evaluated the oxidation of toluene over different lanthanum perovskites with a general composition of LaNi1−y Co y O3−δ. These catalysts, prepared by a spray pyrolysis method, have been characterised by XRD, BET and FE-SEM techniques. Additional experiments of temperature programmed desorption of O2, reduction in H2 and X-ray absorption…