Showing papers in "Progress in Natural Science: Materials International in 2012"

TL;DR: The field of thermoelectrics has long been recognized as a potentially transformative power generation technology and the field is now growing steadily due to their ability to convert heat directly into electricity and to develop cost effective, pollution-free forms of energy conversion.

TL;DR: In this article, the antimicrobial efficacy of green and chemical synthesized ZnO nanoparticles against various bacterial and fungal pathogens was evaluated using varying concentrations of green nanoparticles with sizes 40 and 25 nm respectively.

TL;DR: In this paper, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscope (SEM), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and UV-vis spectrography and electrical conductivity of PANI-ZnO composites were analyzed.

TL;DR: In this paper, a Loeb-Sourirajan (L-S) phase inversion process was used to combine polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) composite membranes with nano-crystalline cellulose (NCC) for ultrafiltration.

TL;DR: In this paper, the ABO3-based photocatalysts for water splitting were systematically reviewed in detail and divided into four groups based on the employed modification strategies, i.e., chemical component adjustment, micro-/nano-structure adjustment, local lattice structure adjustment, and application of the modification strategy of ABO 3 in designing AxByOz photocatalyst.

TL;DR: Li et al. as mentioned in this paper reviewed the recent progress in developing nanostructured LiMn2O4 and LMC/LMC/Carbon nanocomposites, and the benefits to the electrochemical performance of LMC-based cathodes by using these electrode materials.

TL;DR: In this article, a review of nanostructured materials designed for selected applications in renewable energy conversion and utilization is presented, with particular focus on solar hydrogen production, hydrogen storage and hydrogen utilization.

TL;DR: In this paper, the authors used three dimensional atom probe (3DAP) technology accompanying with thermodynamic calculation have been used to investigate the Cu-rich phase precipitation behavior during 650°C aging.

TL;DR: In this article, the influence of four die channel angles, three outer corner angles and pass number up to 8 has been analyzed to investigate the strain distribution behavior of ECAPed material, and two methods for quantifying the strain homogeneity namely inhomogeneity index (C i ) and standard deviation (S.D.) are compared.

TL;DR: In this paper, a series of research work about Icosahedral phase containing Mg alloys have been systematically investigated including I-phase formation mechanism and their effects on mechanical properties of Mg-Zn-Y-Zr alloys.

TL;DR: In this article, a review of the preparation methods, pore characteristics, and hydrogen storage capacities of representative nanoporous carbons including activated carbons, zeolite-templated carbon, and carbide-derived carbon is presented.

TL;DR: In this paper, a kind of cubic ZnFe 2 O 4 with spinel structure was synthesized by an improved solution combustion method via a facile and environmentally friendly pathway and their photocatalytic activity under visible light radiation was investigated.

TL;DR: In this paper, a three-factor five level central composite rotatable design matrix with full replication for planning, conduction, execution, and development of empirical relationship between the process parameters (input power, stand-off distance and powder feed rate) and the coating quality characteristics (porosity) is presented.

TL;DR: In this article, yttria stabilized zirconia (YSZ) TBCs produced by electron beam physical vapor deposition (EB-PVD) were exposed to CMAS deposits at 1250°C.

TL;DR: In this paper, the effects of characteristics of chitosan (i.e. molecular weight and degree of deacetylation) and the chitosa/montmorillonite mass ratio on the properties of Chitosans-Montmorillonites were investigated.

TL;DR: WO3-CeO2-TiO2 catalysts for NO (nitrogen monoxide) reduction by ammonia were prepared by a sol-gel method as discussed by the authors, and the catalysts were characterized by BET, XRD, Raman, NH3/NO adsorption and H2-TPR to investigate the relationships among the catalyst composition, structure, redox property, acidity and deNOx activity.

TL;DR: In this article, the authors introduced the new natural biologic magnetic material bacterial magnetosomes (BMs) to be used in magnetic fluid hyperthermia (MFH) treatment, which consists of introducing nanoparticles as energy absorbent agents in tumor tissue under an oscillating magnetic field, where nanoparticles dissipate energy in the form of heat, causing localized rise in the temperature and tumor cell death.

TL;DR: In this paper, the authors investigated the properties of NiTiNb shape memory alloys and their wide hysteresis effect and found that the Nb element dissolved in the matrix of the NiTi(Nb) phase, rather than the precipitated β-Nb phase, is responsible for the wide hystresis.

TL;DR: In this article, a semi-batch emulsion copolymerization of acrylate monomers (AC) in the presence of a commercial polyurethane dispersion as seeds was performed.

TL;DR: A rod-shaped BiPO4 photocatalyst was prepared by a simple hydrothermal method for light-induced catalytic degradation of stable aromatic compounds such as benzene in gas phase under ambient conditions.

TL;DR: In this article, a photocatalyst, lead sulfide (PbS)-intercalated layer perovskite-type compound (K2La2Ti3O10), was synthesized via ion exchange reaction, butylamine pillaring and sulfuration processes under the assistance of the microwave irradiation.

TL;DR: In this article, the effect of various reducing methods on the influence of particle size vis-a-vis on the electrocatalytic effect is investigated, and the results of the synthetic methods, characterization techniques and the performance indicate that the Pt/CMK-3 catalysts are superior to that prepared with activated carbon (Pt/AC) as well as with that of the commercial platinum-supported carbon catalyst (Pit/E-TEK).

TL;DR: In this article, the dispersion stability of alumina colloidal particles stabilized by polymeric (non-ionic) surfactants in an electroless bath was investigated and the surface morphology and the relevant structure were evaluated by scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction.

TL;DR: In this article, Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) was employed to non-destructively examine the impedance and capacitance behavior of free standing YSZ coatings deposited by plasma spray with CMAS (calcium-magnesium-alumino-silicate) infiltration.

TL;DR: In this paper, the shape-stabilized phase change materials (PCMs) are used for energy conservation systems and they exhibit desirable thermal storage properties, such as good interface, desirable phase change temperature range and latent heat values.

TL;DR: In this article, the corrosion behavior of Mg-(0.25, 2.5, 5, 8 and 15)Y alloys in 3.5wt. NaCl aqueous solution was investigated and it was found that the degree of corrosion deterioration increased with increasing immersion time up to 2h.

TL;DR: In this article, a multilayer film was successfully fabricated by layer-by-layer assembly of regenerated cellulose and graphene oxide, in which graphene oxide nanosheets were used as the building blocks.

TL;DR: In this article, two cholesterol imide derivatives with azobenzene substituent groups have been synthesized, and the gelation test revealed that a subtle change in the headgroup of azobenene segment produced a dramatic change in gelation behavior of both compounds.

TL;DR: A review of state-of-the-art amide-hydride composite systems with the focus on the materials design and modification is presented in this article. But the focus of this paper is on the design of the composite system.

TL;DR: In this article, a short review gives an overview of the recent works for improvement of the CO tolerance of Pt in the Pt-CeOx/C anodes and enhancement of the oxygen reduction reaction activity on Pt in C cathodes for fuel cell application.