A facile shape-controlled synthesis of highly photoactive fluorine containing TiO2 nanosheets with high {001} facet exposure

Surface-fluorinated TiO2 materials with high {001} facet exposure were prepared by a simple and high-yield preparation procedure. Faceted/fluorinated samples showed a high photocatalytic performance not only in oxidation processes, tested in phenol and methyl orange degradation, but also in a reduction process as Cr(VI) photoreduction. Reaction rates for these materials greatly exceeded the ones obtained for…

High temperature creep of 20 vol%. SiC-HfB2 UHTCs up to 2000 degrees C and the effect of La2O3 addition

High temperature compressive creep of SiC-HfB2 UHTCs up to 2000 °C has been studied. Microstructural analysis after deformation reveals formation of new phases in the Hf-B-Si and Hf-B-Si-C systems, which are responsible for the poor creep resistance. RE oxide additions have a negative effect reducing the creep resistance of SiC-HfB2 UHTCs. A simplistic analysis for the required creep…

Outstanding performance of rehydrated Mg-Al hydrotalcites as heterogeneous methanolysis catalysts for the synthesis of biodiesel

There is still a need for active, selective and stable heterogeneous catalysts for the synthesis of biodiesel. In this work, magnesium-aluminium hydrotalcites with Mg/Al molar ratios within the 1.5-5 range were synthesized by coprecipitation and used as transesterification catalysts for the synthesis of biodiesel. The mixed oxides obtained after calcination recovered the hydrotalcite structure in…

Flexible and Adaptable Light-Emitting Coatings for Arbitrary Metal Surfaces based on Optical Tamm Mode Coupling

This study demonstrates a design that maximizes the power radiated into free space from a monolayer of nanoemitters embedded in a flexible distributed Bragg reflector conformably attached to a metal surface. This is achieved by positioning the light source at the precise depth within the multilayer for which optical Tamm states provide enhanced quantum yield…

Low-cost Ca-based composites synthesized by biotemplate method for thermochemical energy storage of concentrated solar power

An ever more environmentally conscious society demands the use of green, sustainable and high-efficiency renewable energy resources. However, large-scale energy storage remains a challenge for a deep penetration of power produced from renewables into the grid. The Calcium-Looping (CaL) process, based on the reversible carbonation/calcination of CaO, is a promising technology for thermochemical energy storage…

Local Disorder and Tunable Luminescence in Sr1–x/2Al2–xSixO4 (0.2 ≤ x ≤ 0.5) Transparent Ceramics

Eu-doped Sr1–x/2Al2–xSixO4 (x = 0.2, 0.4, and 0.5) transparent ceramics have been synthesized by full and congruent crystallization from glasses prepared by aerodynamic levitation and laser-heating method. Structural refinements from synchrotron and neutron powder diffraction data show that the ceramics adopt a 1 × 1 × 2 superstructure compared to the SrAl2O4 hexagonal polymorph. While the observed superstructure…

Effect of acid-treatment and colloidal-processing conditions on the room temperature mechanical and electrical properties of 3YTZP/MWNT ceramic nanocomposites

Different colloidal powder processing routines have been used to prepare composites of 3 mol% Y2O3 -ZrO2 (tetragonal zirconia polycrystals, 3YTZP) with 2.5 vol% multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWNT) with the aim of achieving a homogeneous distribution of the MWNTs in the ceramic, eliminating agglomerates but also minimizing carbon nanotube (CNT) damage during processing. Modifications of the acid treatment applied to…