ABSTRACT
The stoichiometry of the components of hexacyanoferrate materials affecting their final porosity properties and applications in CO2 capture is an issue that is rarely studied. In this work, the effect that stoichiometry of all element components and oxidation states of transition metals has on the structures of mesoporous K or Na-cobalt hexacyanoferrates (CoHCFs) and CO2 removal is reported. A series of CoHCFs model systems are synthesized using the co-precipitation method with varying amounts of Co ions. CoHCFs are characterized by N2 adsorption, TGA, FTIR-ATR, XRD, and XPS. N2 adsorption results reveal a more developed external surface area (72.69-172.18 m2/g) generated in samples containing mixtures of K+/Fe2+/Fe3+ ions (system III) compared to samples with Na+/Fe2+ ions (systems I, II). TGA results show that the porous structure of CoHCFs is affected by Fe and Co ions oxidation states, the number of water molecules, and alkali ions. The formation of two crystalline cells (FCC and triclinic) is confirmed by XRD results. Fe and Co oxidation states are authenticated by XPS and allow for the confirmation of charges involved in the stabilization of CoCHFs. CO2 removal capacities (3.04 mmol/g) are comparable with other materials reported. CO2 adsorption kinetics is fast (3-6 s), making CoHCFs attractive for continuous operations. Qst (24.3 kJ/mol) reveals a physical adsorption process. Regeneration effectiveness for adsorption/desorption cycles indicates ~1.6% loss and selectivity (~47) for gas mixtures (CO2:N2 = 15:85). The results of this study demonstrate that the CoHCFs have practical implications in the potential use of CO2 capture and flue gas separations.
ABSTRACT
The droplet phase of a reverse microemulsion formed by the surfactant cetyltrimethylammonium ferrocyanide was used as a matrix to synthesize nanoparticles of nickel hexacyanoferrate by adding just a solution of NiCl2 to the microemulsion media. Dynamic light scattering and small-angle neutron scattering measurements show that the reverse microemulsion droplets employed have a globular structure, with sizes that depend on water content. Transmission electron microscopy and electron diffraction are used to obtain information about the structure of the synthesized nanoparticles. The results show that the size and shape of the coordination compound nanoparticles correspond with the size and shape of the droplets, suggesting that the presented system constitutes an alternative method of the synthesis of metal hexacyanoferrate nanoparticles.
ABSTRACT
The use of an electrochemical reactor operated under different flow conditions to deposit silver from aqueous AgNO(3) solutions and tartaric acid as an organic additive on a commercial activated carbon with ultimate bactericidal applications in water purification processes is presented. The characterization of carbon/silver samples was studied by BET, FTIR, X-ray diffraction, XPS, and SEM techniques. The bactericidal activity of the carbon/silver samples was tested on drinking water samples inoculated with E. coli. A reduction of carbon surface area was detected and was caused by increased amounts of silver deposited on carbon samples. Adherent silver deposits were obtained on the carbon/silver samples. X-ray diffraction studies of carbon with electrodeposited silver showed two different preferential deposition planes, [111] and [220]. The FTIR results confirm the presence of carboxyl, phenolic, quinone, and ether surface groups. The XPS results suggest the formation of Ag(2)O and AgO surface species and confirm the reduction of silver to the metallic form. Antimicrobial activity toward E. coli indicated reductions by up to 7 orders of magnitude in the log CFU/mL in just 10 min contact time and for silver contents of 2.47 wt%.
