Microwave-assisted hydrothermal synthesis of carbon monolith via a soft-template method using resorcinol and formaldehyde as carbon precursor and pluronic F127 as template

A new microwave-assisted hydrothermal synthesis of carbon monolith is reported in this work. The process uses microwave heating at 100 °C under acidic condition by employing a triblock copolymer F127 as the template, and resorcinol–formaldehyde as the carbon precursor. Scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, nitrogen sorption measurements, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray studies and thermogravimetic analysis were used to characterize the synthesized material. The carbon monolith is crack-free, mesoporous and has a high surface area of 697 m²/g. The results demonstrate that the microwave-assisted hydrothermal synthesis is a fast and simple approach to obtain carbon monoliths, as it reduces effectively the synthesis time from hours to a few minutes which could be an advantage in the large scale production of the material

The catalytic cracking of sterically challenging plastic feedstocks over high acid density Al-SBA-15 catalysts

The catalytic cracking of polyolefinic waste materials over solid acid catalysts, such as zeolites, is a promising process for the production of useful fuels and chemicals. However, the inherent diffusional constraints of the microporous zeolites restrict the access of bulky polyolefin molecules to the active site, therefore limiting their effectiveness. To address this, a simple yet effective method of producing mesoporous Al-SBA-15 materials with a high density of Brønsted acid sites has been employed. These catalysts are shown to be very active for the catalytic cracking of low density polyethylene (LDPE), a common waste plastic. The acidic and textural properties of the catalysts were characterised by ICP-OES, XPS, XRD, N2 physisorption, propylamine-TPD, pyridine-FTIR and STEM and have been correlated with their catalytic activity. The product distribution from the catalytic cracking of LDPE has been shown to depend strongly on both the pore architecture and the Al content of the SBA-15 and thus the density and strength of Brønsted acid sites. Fine-tuning the Al content of the SBA-15 materials can direct the product distribution of the hydrocarbons. The Al-SBA-15 materials display increased cracking orientated towards aliphatic hydrocarbons compared to ZSM-5, attributed to the mesoporous nature of SBA-15, overcoming diffusional limitations

Cover Picture: Ann. Phys. 2'2018

In article number 1700256, Emanuele Verrelli and co‐workers propose that cluster beam deposition of sub‐2nm magic number Au clusters, Au20 and Au55, on flat surfaces reveals a rich evolution of the phenomena taking place at substrate level. New magic number clusters have been formed via coalescence of neighbouring clusters, such as Au561. Experimental and simulation results reveal that neighbouring clusters on the substrate coalesce only when the distance from their nearest neighbour cluster is below a critical mark of 0.5 nm

Highly selective hydrogenation of furfural over supported Pt nanoparticles under mild conditions

The selective liquid phase hydrogenation of furfural to furfuryl alcohol over Pt nanoparticles supported on SiO₂, ZnO, γ-Al2O₃, CeO₂ is reported under extremely mild conditions. Ambient hydrogen pressure, and temperatures as low as 50 °C are shown sufficient to drive furfural hydrogenation with high conversion and >99% selectivity to furfuryl alcohol. Strong support and solvent dependencies are observed, with methanol and n-butanol proving excellent solvents for promoting high furfuryl alcohol yields over uniformly dispersed 4 nm Pt nanoparticles over MgO, CeO₂ and γ-Al₂O₃. In contrast, non-polar solvents conferred poor furfural conversion, while ethanol favored acetal by-product formation. Furfural selective hydrogenation can be tuned through controlling the oxide support, reaction solvent and temperature

Reproductive Biology Of The Shi Drum (Umbrina Cirrosa) In Captivity And Induction Of Spawning Using Gnrha

The reproductive biology of the shi drum (Umbrina cirrosa) in culture was histologically exam- ined and sperm quality was monitored during an entire reproductive period. Already in April, the ovary contained oocytes in all stages of maturation, from primary oocytes to full vitellogenesis, as expected from a group-synchronous multiple-batch spawning fish. Vitellogenesis of the first batch of oocytes occurred very rapidly and their mean diameter (500 μm) did not increase sig- nificantly (p>0.05) as the reproductive period proceeded. The spermiation index peaked in May- June, but fish never produced copious amounts of milt upon abdominal pressure. The sperma- tozoa motility percentage remained unchanged throughout the spawning season (80%) and a significant percentage (40%) maintained viability after overnight storage at 4°C. Sperm density and motility duration increased during the reproductive period and varied 13-26 x109 spermato- zoa/ml and 26-40 s, respectively. Spontaneous spawning was not observed during the two-year study. Injection of post-vitellogenic females with an agonist of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRHa) was successful in inducing a single spawning after two days, with fertilization, hatch- ing and 4-day larval survival rates of 65%, 42-76% and 46-80%, respectively. The results under- line the failure of female shi drum in culture to undergo final oocyte maturation and, although GnRHa injection was effective in inducing spawning of viable eggs, multiple treatments did not induce multiple spawns, as was expected from fish with multiple-batch group-synchronous ovar- ian biology

The Hydrogenation of Crotonaldehyde on PdCu Single Atom Alloy Catalysts

Recyclable PdCu single atom alloys supported on Al2O3 were applied to the selective hydrogenation of crotonaldehyde to elucidate the minimum number of Pd atoms required to facilitate the sustainable transformation of an α,β-unsaturated carbonyl molecule. It was found that, by diluting the Pd content of the alloy, the reaction activity of Cu nanoparticles can be accelerated, enabling more time for the cascade conversion of butanal to butanol. In addition, a significant increase in the conversion rate was observed, compared to bulk Cu/Al2O3 and Pd/Al2O3 catalysts when normalising for Cu and Pd content, respectively. The reaction selectivity over the single atom alloy catalysts was found to be primarily controlled by the Cu host surface, mainly leading to the formation of butanal but at a significantly higher rate than the monometallic Cu catalyst. Low quantities of crotyl alcohol were observed over all Cu-based catalysts but not for the Pd monometallic catalyst, suggesting that it may be a transient species converted immediately to butanol and or isomerized to butanal. These results demonstrate that fine-tuning the dilution of PdCu single atom alloy catalysts can leverage the activity and selectivity enhancement, and lead to cost-effective, sustainable, and atom-efficient alternatives to monometallic catalysts

Mutual Funds' Conditional Performance Free of Data Snooping Bias

We introduce a test to assess mutual funds' "conditional" performance that is based on updated information and corrects data snooping bias. Our method, named the functional False Discovery Rate "plus" (f F DR +), incorporates fund characteristics in estimating fund performance free of data snooping bias. Simulations suggest that the f F DR + controls well the ratio of false discoveries and gains considerable power over prior methods that do not account for extra information. Portfolios of funds selected by the f F DR + outperform other tests not accounting for information updating, highlighting the importance of evaluating mutual funds from a conditional perspective

Atom efficient PtCu bimetallic catalysts and ultra dilute alloys for the selective hydrogenation of furfural

A range of Pt:Cu bimetallic nanoparticles were investigated for the liquid-phase selective hydrogenation of furfural, an important platform biomass feedstock. Alloying of the two metals had a profound effect on the overall catalytic activity, providing superior rates of reaction and achieving the needed high selectivity towards furfuryl alcohol. Furthermore, we investigated the catalytic activity of an Ultra Dilute Alloy (UDA) formed via the galvanic replacement of Cu atoms by Pt atoms on dispersed host Cu nanoparticles (atomic ratio Pt:Cu 1:20). This UDA, after overcoming an induction period, exhibits exceptionally high initial rates of hydrogenation under modest hydrogen pressures of 10 and 20 bar, rivalling the catalytic turnover for the monometallic Pt (containing 12 times more Pt), and outdoing the pure Cu or other compositions of bimetallic nanoparticle alloy catalysts. These atom efficient catalysts are ideal candidates for the valorization of furfural due to their activity and vastly greater economic viability

Monometallic and bimetallic catalysts based on Pd, Cu and Ni for hydrogen transfer deoxygenation of a prototypical fatty acid to diesel range hydrocarbons

Bimetallic PdxNi(100-x) and PdxCu(100-x) structures of a wide compositional range supported on activated carbon were synthesised via a simple, cheap and commercially relevant method. The surface and bulk properties of both the bimetallic structures and their monometallic counterparts were determined via STEM-EDS, TEM, XPS, powder XRD, N2 porosimetry and ICP-OES. A close correlation between the XRD patterns and EDS elemental composition mapping of individual metal particles established the extent of palladium-base metal interaction in each sample. The performance of the different structures as catalysts for the selective hydrogenation and hydrodeoxygenation of oleic acid, a prototypical fatty acid, was evaluated using tetralin as a hydrogen donor. Catalysts displaying true bimetallic/alloy formation were found to improve the conversion of tetralin as compared to catalysts in which compositional segregation was observed. The PdxNi(100-x) series was found to outperform the PdxCu(100-x) catalysts in terms of hydrogen production via the dehydrogenation of tetralin, mirroring the fact that compositional segregation occurs more for the PdxCu(100-x) series than PdxNi(100-x). The hydrogen transfer deoxygenation of oleic acid over the monometallic and bimetallic catalysts was found to mirror the availability of hydrogen with those catalysts liberating more hydrogen also favouring the formation of C17 and C18 alkanes