The scientific impact of Francisco Rodríguez-Reinoso in carbon research and beyond

This review article is dedicated to the memory of Francisco (Paco) Rodríguez-Reinoso (Granada 1941 - Alicante 2020). Paco dedicated more than 56 years of his life to research on carbon materials, covering from their synthesis and characterization, to their evaluation using a range of processes such as gas adsorption/separation, heterogeneous catalysis, and drug delivery, among others. His extensive research was mainly performed in the Advanced Materials Laboratory (LMA) located at the University of Alicante, Spain. This research has been reflected in more than 400 research articles in high quality international journals. This review article summarizes some of Paco’s main achievements in carbon-related research emphasizing his main contributions and perspectives in the field

New Generation of MOF-Monoliths Based on Metal Foams

Herein, it has been developed a method to prepare metallic foams starting from Zamak5 (ZnAlCu alloy) with different pore sizes. The Zamak5 metallic foam is designed to serve as a support and metallic precursor of ZIF-8. In this way, composite materials MOF-metal can be prepared, these composites have a large number of application in energy exchange processe such as: adsorption or chemical reactions. Additionally, this method of sythesizing MOFs is environmentally friendly thanks to absence of solvents. Hanerssing the low melting point of the linker, the linker is infiltrated into the foam where the foam and the linker react to form the ZIF-8. In this way we have managed to transform part of the foam into ZIF-8 crystals that remain adhered to the foam. The foams have been characterized and modeled studying the mechanical and electrical properties, finding that both can be predected by various models. Among these, Ashby and Mortensen models for mechanical properties and Ashby and Percolation model for electrical properties stand.The authors would like to acknowledge the financial support from “Ministerio de Ciencia e innovación” (PID2020-116998RB-I00) and Ministerio de Economía y Empresa (MAT2017-86992-R) and action Mobility of Alicante University

Diseño de Experimentación en Química Inorgánica sostenible

Se plantea al alumnado el análisis de la huella de carbono que tiene, en la actualidad, la asignatura práctica Experimentación en Química Inorgánica, con el objetivo de que busquen las posibilidades de sustitución y/o reducción de reactivos tóxicos y peligrosos en las prácticas de laboratorio que se imparten. Previamente, en base a dicho análisis, la red ha redactado las directrices que guiarán al alumno en sus búsquedas en bases de datos y su proposición de sustitución razonada de reactivos. Cada grupo de alumnos que trabaja en un proyecto particular de “Síntesis y caracterización de sustancias inorgánicas”, redacta un protocolo de actuación para eliminar/reducir el uso de reactivos peligrosos/contaminantes en su proyecto. Como colofón, se redacta un protocolo global para hacer más sostenible el proceso de enseñanza/aprendizaje de esta asignatura práctica. Además de trabajar el contenido específico de la asignatura, con esta metodología de aprendizaje, se pretende aumentar la capacidad del alumnado del Grado en Química para ser autónomo a la hora de proponer actuaciones fundamentadas que conduzcan a preservar el medio ambiente en su futuro ejercicio de la profesión de graduado en química

Nearly Space-Filling Fractal Networks of Carbon Nanopores

URL:http://link.aps.org/doi/10.1103/PhysRevLett.88.115502 DOI:10.1103/PhysRevLett.88.115502Small-angle x-ray scattering, nitrogen adsorption, and scanning tunneling microscopy show that a series of activated carbons host an extended fractal network of channels with dimension Dp = 2.8-3.0 (pore fractal), channel width 15-20Å (lower end of scaling), network diameter 3000-3400Å (upper end of scaling), and porosity of 0.3-0.6. We interpret the network as a stack of quasiplanar invasion percolation clusters, formed by oxidative removal of walls between closed voids of diameter of ∼10Å and held in registry by fibrils of the biological precursor, and point out unique applications.This work was supported by the Petroleum Research Fund, Grant No. 30602-AC9,5 (P. P.); the Department of Energy, Contracts No. W-7405-ENG-36 (P. P.) and No. DE-AC04-00A185000 (T. P. R.); and the Ceramic and Non-Metallic Materials Program at AFOSR (W. P. H.)

Cherry-stones-based activated carbons as potential adsorbents for CO2/CH4 separation: effect of the activation parameters

This is the accepted version of the following article: Álvarez-Gutiérrez, N., Victoria Gil, M., Rubiera, F. and Pevida, C. (2015), Cherry-stones-based activated carbons as potential adsorbents for CO2/CH4 separation: effect of the activation parameters. Greenhouse Gas Sci Technol, 5: 812–825. doi: 10.1002/ghg.1534, which has been published in final form at http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/ghg.1534A low-cost biomass, cherry stones (CS), was used as a carbon precursor to synthesize two activated carbons to be used for CO2/CH4 separation. Single-step activation with two activating agents, carbon dioxide and steam, was used. The activation conditions that maximize the CO2 adsorption capacity by the adsorbents at 25 ºC and atmospheric pressure were determined by response surface methodology (RSM). The optimum values were 885 ºC and 12% of solid yield when activating with carbon dioxide, but 850 ºC and 15.3% of solid yield when activating with steam. Heating rate did not show a significant effect on the CO2 uptake. CO2 adsorption capacity values up to 11.45 and 10.56 wt.% were achieved under such conditions using carbon dioxide and steam as activating agents, respectively. Carbon dioxide activation promoted the development of microporosity, whereas both micropores and mesopores were developed during steam activation. The CO2/CH4 separation performance at 3 bar of the optimum adsorbents indicated that both cherry-stones-based activated carbons could have great potential as CO2 adsorbents for CO2/CH4 separation. The adsorbent activated with carbon dioxide, CS-CO2, showed a slightly higher adsorption capacity, but the steam-activated sample, CS-H2O, had an enhanced selectivity to separate CO2 from CO2/CH4 binary mixtures.This work was carried out with financial support from the Spanish MINECO (Project ENE2011-23467), co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and from the Gobierno del Principado de Asturias (PCTI-GRUPIN14-079)Peer reviewe

Percepción del alumnado de la adquisición de competencias

Con el nuevo diseño de una asignatura práctica de laboratorio, se pretende fomentar la adquisición de competencias transversales por parte del alumnado que serán muy importantes en el ejercicio de la profesión. En la Guía de la asignatura se incluye un conjunto de objetivos aportados por el profesorado, a la asignatura Experimentación en Química Inorgánica, relacionados con la adquisición de competencias muy importantes en la actualidad para los profesionales de la química. El alumnado trabaja en grupos para realizar los pasos necesarios para redactar el guion de una práctica de laboratorio; se entrena en la realización de búsquedas de información en fuentes fiables, analiza la aplicabilidad de la información encontrada a la elaboración del guion propuesto, realiza la experiencia de laboratorio seleccionada en función de los parámetros de la química verde y usando los medios de seguridad en el laboratorio que se requieren y, finalmente, redacta el guion con los contenidos necesarios para que se pueda utilizar en la asignatura de Experimentación en Química Inorgánica. Adicionalmente, cada grupo expone al resto del alumnado los pasos realizados para elaborar el documento escrito entregado, utilizando material gráfico de apoyo a su exposición. Se investiga, mediante encuestas, la percepción del alumnado del nivel adquirido en estas competencias

GEQI (Green Experimentación en Química Inorgánica)

Se rediseñó una asignatura práctica del Grado en Química para fomentar la adquisición de competencias transferibles, demandadas por las empresas en el s. XXI para la profesión química. Se seleccionaron actividades que trabajan estas competencias, adicionalmente a las cognitivas y procedimentales. La Red GEQI elaboró la Guía de la asignatura, incluyendo objetivos aportados por el profesorado, relacionados con dichas competencias. Las actividades propuestas se realizan todas en grupo, utilizando procedimientos de gestión de calidad y buenas prácticas de laboratorio. Entre ellas están la elaboración de una práctica adaptada a la Química Verde, exposición oral del desarrollo del trabajo realizado, problemas encontrados y soluciones aportadas, utilizando material gráfico de apoyo a la exposición. Los instrumentos de evaluación de las competencias se calificaron utilizando matrices de evaluación que se suministraron al alumnado previamente a la realización de los mismos, con un doble fin: que el alumnado conociera la puntuación de cada parte del contenido evaluado, para que centraran su esfuerzo en conseguir las puntuaciones más altas, y que las calificaciones fueran homogéneas independientemente del profesorado que evaluara a cada grupo. Se investiga, mediante encuestas, la percepción del alumnado del nivel adquirido en estas competencias y se compara con las calificaciones obtenidas

Inorganic chemistry teaching materials for mobile learning and/or “bring your own device” strategy

The study habits of millennial students are quite different from the students of past times. The new university student generations will need new teaching approaches adapted to their technological skills, with lap tops, tablets, smartphones, and so on, as tools for learning as its own pace, everywhere. In this communication, the adaptation of a collection of study materials, used in an Inorganic Chemistry Foundations topic, for their use in mobile learning and/or BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) strategy is presented. The materials are suited for the understanding of inorganic crystalline solids which, having crystalline structures (long range order), seem so difficult to visualize with 2D figures, as to understand their structural characteristics. The format of these materials was initially in PDF documents with 2D figures used for constructing models with little balls, following the steps in the text, on-site class in the laboratory. Later, the use of web pages with Java applets, running with JMol, introduced the students in a 3D visualization of the structure; clicking the different applet buttons student discovers the inner structure of the crystalline inorganic solids step by step. Both types of materials have been now brought up to date so that students would use them not only on-site classroom but also in every other time and place. Because JMol with Java doesn’t run in mobile devices, it has been necessary to use JSMol and also re-write the HTML5 (HyperText Markup Language) code and CSS (Cascading Style Sheet) following the RWD (Responsive Web Design) approach. Programming the website to automatically respond to the user’s preferences, it can be switching continuously image size and scripting abilities to accommodate for resolution, depending on the device used

Catalytic conversion of methylated aromatics over wood-derived chars – the role of reforming agents and the effect of methyl groups

Toluene steam reforming was performed over three wood-derived chars and compared with a previously-reported pyrolytic conversion study. The heterogeneous mechanism of toluene decomposition was not directly affected by the introduction of steam, but it caused gasification of char and toluene-derived coke, which prolonged the initial high conversion efficiency. Conversely, when oxygen was used as a substitute for steam, a direct ring-opening reaction of toluene was observed, rather than solid carbon combustion. A comparison of benzene, toluene, and p-xylene conversion revealed that the presence of a methyl group on the aromatic ring enhanced its decomposition, regardless of the catalyst’s activity. However, a second methyl group did not further improve the conversion and only served to increase the intensity of secondary recombination reactions

Micromesoporous Activated Carbons as Catalysts for the Efficient Oxidation of Aqueous Sulfide

KOH activation of a mesophase pitch produces very efficient carbons for the removal of sulfide in aqueous solution, increasing the sulfur oxidation rate with the degree of activation of the carbon. These carbons are characterized by their graphitic structures, with domains of sizes of around 20 nm, and a moderate concentration of surface oxygen groups (0.2–0.5 mmol·g–1) dominating the basic groups. Because the activation leads first to a strong development of the micropores and later to a development of the mesopores, the surface area values are always high, reaching values of as high as 3250 m2·g–1 in the most activated carbon, with a volume of mesopores of as high as 44% of the total pore volume. In the presence of this carbon, the sulfide oxidation rate is 100 times higher than that found for a commercial activated carbon, the results indicating that the porosity of the carbon, especially mesoporosity, plays a role more important than the structure or the chemical nature of the carbon in the kinetics of sulfide oxidation to different polysulfides.The authors thank CNPq, CAPES, INCT, PRPq-UFMG, and Prometeo II/2014/004 for financial support