The capture of volatile radioactive iodine-129 is an important process for nuclear fission. Biphenyl-bridged wrinkled mesoporous silica shows similar performance for iodine sequestration to commercial Ag-mordenite and avoids the use of expensive silver. The biphenyl-wrinkled mesoporous silica nanoparticles function as a scaffold for biphenyl groups and also as a fluorescent indicator for the loading of iodine. The nanoparticles have a surface area of 973 m2/g and the biphenyl molecules form an electron charge-transfer complex with iodine. Iodine was loaded into the biphenyl-bridged wrinkled mesoporous silica (BWMS) at 19 ± 0.2 % loading by mass.

Much of the global agricultural by products go waste, especially in developing nations where much of their revenues depend on the exports of raw agricultural products. Such waste streams, if converted to “value added” products could serve as additional source of revenue while simultaneously having a positive impact on the socio-economic well being of the people. We present a preliminary investigation on utilizing chemical activation technique and ball milling to convert agricultural waste streams such as cocoa pod, coconut husk, palm midrib and calabash commonly found in Ghana into ultra-high surface area activated carbon. Such activated carbons are suitable for myriads of applications in environmental remediation, climate management, energy storage and conversion systems (batteries and supercapacitors), and improving crop productivity. We achieved BET surface area as high as ∼ 3000 m2/g.

Hydrophobic functionalized SBA-15 has been developed via postsynthesis modification with trimethylchlorosilane (TMCS) and used for volatile organic compounds (VOCs) removal. The adsorption and desorption performance of different SBA-15-TMCS under static and dynamic conditions were investigated. Experimental results indicated that all samples showed a highly ordered two dimensional hexagonal mesostructure, and the organic groups were chemically incorporated into the pore surface of SBA-15 substrate. Comparing with commercial silica gel and activated carbon, SBA-15-TMCS shows higher static adsorption capacities of n-hexane and 93# gasoline, good recyclability, lower water vapor adsorption capacity, higher dynamic adsorption capacity, and longer breakthrough time. The high adsorption efficiency and stability of SBA-15-TMCS are associated with their hydrophobic surface, uniform and large pore size, high surface area and pore volume. The designed SBA-15-TMCS with high VOC adsorption capacity and recyclability shows great potential for VOC removal.

Cleanliness is a prerequisite for obtaining economically feasible yield levels in the semiconductor industry. For the next generation of lithographic equipment, EUV lithography, the size of yield-loss inducing particles for the masks will be smaller than 20 nm. Consequently, equipment for handling EUV masks should not add particles larger than 20 nm. Detection methods for 20 nm particles on large area surfaces are needed to qualify the equipment for cleanliness. Detection of 20 nm particles is extremely challenging, not only because of the particle size, but also because of the large surface area and limited available time.

In 2002 TNO developed the RapidNano, a platform that is capable of detecting nanoparticles on flat substrates. Over the last decade, the smallest detectable particle size was decreased while the inspection rate was increased. This effort has led to a stable and affordable detection platform that is capable of inspecting the full surface of a mask blank.

The core of RapidNano is a dark-field imaging technique. Every substrate type has a typical background characteristic, which strongly affects the size of the smallest detectable particle. The noise level is induced by the speckle generated by the surface roughness of the mask. The signal-to-noise ratio can be improved by illuminating the inspection area from nine different angles. This improvement was first shown on test bench level and then applied in the RapidNano3. The RapidNano3 is capable of detecting 42nm latex sphere equivalents (and larger) on silicon surfaces. RapidNano4, the next generation, will use 193 nm light and the same nine angle illumination mode. Camera sensitivity and available laser power determine the achievable throughput. Therefore, special care was given to the optical design, particularly the optical path. With RapidNano4, TNO will push the detection limit of defects on EUV blanks to below 20nm.

Land-Grant Universities including those that were developed under the second Morrill Act in 1890 have historically been a key resource for the best scientifically based information for agricultural production. The University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) is situated on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, a critical area, with small farms and underserved farmers. This unique location serves as an interface between University specialty crop research and those farmers. While prices of crops such as corn and soy, which traditionally have been a major source of income for local farmers, have increased dramatically over the past years, small farms cannot generate enough income from these commodity crops alone, and a need alternatives for extra income. At UMES agricultural, chemical and material research specialists formed a special research and training cluster in which they work jointly on non-traditional and non-food related applications of specialty crops in the field of material research leading to non-traditional applications of such crops. Examples of such research are: (i) blending natural specialty crops extracts with polymers to develop natural and effective anti-foaling coating to prevent biofilm formation on objects including military ships, platforms etc.; (ii) using biocompatible polymeric chitosan-based blends as sorbents for reversible carbon dioxide capturing and controlled release in algae-growing reactors and in the process of transforming biomass into alcohol by fermentation to increase the effectiveness of biomass use. Only about 20% of students-researchers in the cluster are graduate students and the rest are undergraduates. The main focus is to provide undergraduate students with research experience as a powerful tool for their education and career development. Focus on students performing outstanding research through their undergraduate education is the main priority in UMES. Working on the material research projects described above, our material cluster has developed some educational practices for effectively involving undergraduate students into research. These practices include early involvement, the development of special workshops and training settings for fast project starts, working in small groups lead by more experienced students, picking projects that can be easily divided into small tasks suitable to undergraduate student’s schedules, and participation in scientific conferences for undergraduates and others. In this presentation we will review two material research projects for undergraduate students mentioned above and will show how our best practices are implemented in each of these projects.

The migration retardation of anionic radionuclides, notably I-129, in radioactive waste repositories is one of the most critical factors for improving the performance of engineered barriers. To gain more fundamental knowledge required to make such improvements, this study examined the sorption behavior of iodide ions on calcium silicate hydrate (CSH) and hydrotalcite (HT), which act as anion exchangers. CSH was synthesized using CaO and fumed silica, with Ca/Si molar ratios ranging from 0.4 to 1.6. The weight ratio of CSH to HT was 1.0. These solid samples were immersed for 14 days in a 30 mL sample of pure water or 0.6 M NaCl solution, each of which contained 0.5 mM iodide ions with a given liquid/solid weight ratio (10, 15, or 20). Raman spectroscopy studies indicated that the structures of CSH and HT were maintained during the hydration of the solid phase and the sorption of iodide ions. The distribution coefficients for the sorption of iodide ions on CSH and HT ranged from 6 to 13 L/kg for pure water and from 1 to 2 L/kg for NaCl solution. These retardation effects for iodide ions would contribute toward improving the performance of the repository system as most conventional safety assessments assume that iodide ions hardly sorb on engineered barriers such as cementitious materials.

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) can be hazardous to human health and can negatively impact the long-term stability of art objects. This research evaluated the VOC adsorbent properties of three materials commonly used in museums as humidity regulating or air filtering agents. Silica gel, activated charcoal, and zeolite powder, materials often placed in proximity to art objects, were analyzed using Thermal Desorption GC-MS to qualitatively identify adsorbed VOC’s from model environments. This research compared the adsorbing capabilities of these materials with a solid-phase micro-extraction (SPME) carboxen/polydimethyl siloxane fiber to frame their adsorbing powers. It was found that different adsorbents have very different ranges of adsorption for the chemicals tested. Silica gel powder and zeolite powder have the greatest sensitivity for acetic acid over a 24 hour exposure period. Zeolite powder and activated charcoal were more sensitive for identification of naphthalene. Silica gel powder proved to be the most sensitive adsorbent overall. This research discovered that the methods used to condition silica gel pellets for reuse need to be re-examined in light of fact they trap VOC’s, especially as it was observed that VOC’s desorb from the silica gel pellets under ambient conditions.

Imidazoles present a tunable, versatile and economical platform for the development of novel liquid solvents and polymer membranes for CO2 capture. An overview of our studies in this area is presented, with emphasis on characterization of structure-property relationships in imidazole-based materials through both experimental and computational studies. To this end, a growing library of systematically varied imidazole compounds has been synthesized using only commercial available starting materials and straightforward reactions. Using this library of compounds, we have sought to understand and develop predictive models for thermophysical properties relating to process design, including: density, viscosity, vapor pressure, pKa and CO2 absorption capacity. Furthermore, we have discovered that imidazoles are stable in the presence of SO2 and can form reversible 1:1 adducts, which can be beneficial as SO2 is typically present at ppm levels alongside CO2 in flue gas from coal-fired power plants.

The solar absorptance αs of nanostructured selective surface (NSS) for solar thermal energy is improved. The NSS are prepared by AC electrochemical impregnation of metal inclusions (MI) into porous anodized aluminum oxide (AAO). The dependence of the NSS performance with composition depth profile and MI is studied by numeric simulations based in a gradient index model and effective medium theory. The results are compared with experimental NSS prepared varying three control parameters and MI (Ni, Cu, Ag). The αs is improved to > 85% (keeping thermal emittance εT relatively low) for Ni MI, mainly by increasing MI content. Increasing AAO thickness or MI molecular weight (for a given experimental composition profile) also improves the performance. For Ag the αs was further improved to 90%.

We present preliminary results on a processing protocol by chemical activation that transforms organic waste product such as coconut husk into high surface area activated carbon. Dried raw materials of the coconut husk were carbonized anaerobically into char. The char was impregnated with KOH of different ratios and were activated at 800°C and 900°C. The transmission electron microscope was used to acquire structural and morphological information of the activated carbon, and the surface area and porosity analysis were performed using Micromeritics ASAP 2020 analyzer. The activated carbons show both micropores and mesopores with specific surface area as high as 2900m2/g.

The traditional paradigm for obtaining a quantitative measurement in point-of-care (POC) assays may not be adequate for extremely resource-limited environments, such as remote villages in the developing world. In standard quantitative POC assays, sample volume and assay time must be controlled. Furthermore, thermally stable assay reagents, a power supply, and an electronic reader must be available. Arranging all of these variables in a single assay results in systems that are too complicated, expensive, and user-intensive for extremely resource-limited environments. This overview describes new approaches in various areas of materials science that are beginning to redefine how quantitative POC assays are achieved, with a focus on approaches that use paper as the platform for the assays. Such approaches should have an immediate impact in the developing world, but also may transform quantitative POC assays in a variety of other settings, where quantitative information about the health of people, plants, animals, and the environment would help individuals better assess and manage their lives.

The removal of oil spills or oily organic solvents from water surface is a great technological challenge for environmental protection. Here, a facile method to prepare superhydrophobic and superoleophilic sponge for fast and selective removal of oils from water surface has been reported. The as-prepared sponge exhibited superhydrophobic property with the water contact angle around 165°, which can be used for the absorption of oil spills or oily organic solvents. Furthermore, the resultant sponge showed good durability toward temperature. This fabrication technique is easy to grasp and to be extended. So we believe that this new functionalized sponge could be realized for the large-scale commercialized production.

The sand of glaciolacustrine origin is offered as a major component of the backfill in repositories for solid or solidified low and intermediate level waste (LILW). Clinoptilolite, hematite, and magnesium oxide are offered as additives for increasing of sorption. In this work was carried investigation of sorption properties of sand, clinoptilolite, hematite and magnesium oxide and mixtures of sand with these mineral additives.

A zeroth order dendritic carbosilane structure, SiFA4H with four hexafluoroisopropanol (HFIP) functional groups attached via propyl ligand arms to a central silicon atom, has been developed as a model hydrogen-bond (HB) acid sorbent coating and candidate reference HB acid. The HB donor interaction, through the hydroxyl of the HFIP moiety, with a solute HB base can be monitored by observing the hydroxyl stretching frequency through measurements of SiFA4H FTIR spectra before and during vapor exposure. HFIP hydroxyl stretch shifts, upwards of 700 cm-1 have been observed depending on the HB base. For a range of HB bases, the resulting hydroxyl stretch shifts correlate directly with the solute HB basicity scale, “B”, developed by Abraham et al [1]. A variety of techniques exist to measure solute HB basicity, however, the applicability to examine HB bases delivered as vapors or gases and the simplicity of the measurements described herein, with a reusable reference HB acid sorbent coating and standard FTIR spectrophotometer techniques is attractive for some applications including those with hazardous chemicals. Moreover, as an extension of this work we propose employing SiFA4H or related sorbents as molecular sensing coatings, where the semi-selective sorbent is examined by various infrared (IR) spectroscopic techniques to monitor and identify hazardous chemicals, taking advantage of molecular binding phenomena which occur in the sorbent [2].

Novel nanocomposite materials where titanium dioxide nanoparticles were inserted into the walls of a macroporous activated carbon were produced and their efficiency for the removal of As(III) from water was compared with pure activated carbon and titanium dioxide nanoparticles. The nanocomposites were synthesized with different molar ratios by using sol-gel method and were characterized by x-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The nanocomposite system showed excellent capability for the removal of As(III) ions from water by considering feasibility, efficiency and cost. The maximum As(III) removal percentages were ∼4.7% at pH 8 for activated carbon, ∼38 % for titanium dioxide at pH 6, and ∼98 % at pH 7 for activated carbon/titanium dioxide (AC/TiO2) nanocomposite, respectively. According to kinetic sorption data, the higher regression coefficients (R2) were obtained after the application of pseudo-second order to the experimental adsorption data for all adsorbent materials. The equilibrium data were modeled with the help of Langmuir and Freundlich equations. Overall, the data are well fitted with both the models, with a slight advantage for Langmuir model. The maximum arsenic uptake (qmax) value computed from slope of the linearized Langmuir plot was 26.62 mg/g for the adsorption of As(III) onto AC/TiO2 nanocomposite.

Dye type solar cells, especially those incorporating low cost dyes suffer from a very narrow photo-response wavelength range. Motivated by natural photosynthesis research, energy relay dyes (ERDs) appear to offer a possibility to broaden the dye-cell spectral response. In-turn photovoltaic cells can be an extremely sensitive tool for investigation of dye ERD photochemistry. Sensitive Chlorophyll based dye-type solar cells were prepared from purified natural Chlorophyll A. The importance of Chlorophyll purity is discussed as well as the use of purified Chlorophyll A in combination with ERD’s. . Results shed light on many interesting phenomenon including the nature of purified Chlorophyll A excitation and absorption. Importantly, it was found by this work that the ERD architecture when combined with a photosensitizer do not appear to having greater absorption in the infrared region of the spectrum than the ERD alone indicating a lack of cooperative absorption.

Expanded graphite/cobalt ferrite/polyaniline (EG/CF/PANI) ternary composites were obtained by a two-step process. The intercalation compound, CF embedded in EG, was synthesized by a coprecipitation method. PANI could then be coated on the surface of the EG/CF microparticles by in-situ polymerization to form ternary composites of EG/CF/PANI. The results indicate that the electrical and magnetic performance of EG/CF and EG/CF/PANI composites are related to their composition. The EG/CF composite with mass ratio of 1.0 has the maximal conductivity (833.33 S·cm−1) among the binary composites. Saturation magnetizations (Ms) of the EG/CF composite with mEG/mCF of 0.8 is the largest among EG/CF composites, the ternary composites of EG/CF/PANI were prepared from the EG/CF composite at this mass ratio. The electromagnetic wave absorbing property of all ternary composites excelled those of EG/CF composites, and the sample with 40 wt% of PANI has the best absorption properties in the range of 8–18 GHz frequency.

Entrapping hydrogen molecules within the nanopores of solid adsorbents serves as a unique alternative for on-board storing of hydrogen for transportation purposes. The key advantage of the physisorption process for hydrogen storage is the higher density values achieved with the adsorbed gas, compared to that of the compressed phase, translating into higher storage capacities at lower pressures. The necessary condition for effective adsorption is the presence of narrow micropores of < 2 nm in width which provide the most suitable environment of hydrogen adsorption. Despite numerous theoretical calculations or indirect experimental estimations, there has not been a direct experimental measurement of the density of adsorbed hydrogen as a function of pressure and/or pore size. In the present study, we report on the use of in-situ small angle neutron scattering (SANS) to study the phase behavior of hydrogen confined in narrow micropores. We provide for the first time direct experimental measurements of the effect of pore size and pressure on hydrogen adsorbed on a polyfurfuryl alcohol-derived activated carbon (PFAC), at room temperature and pressures up to 207 bar. SANS studies were carried out at the General-Purpose Small-Angle Neutron Scattering spectrometer of the High Flux Isotope Reactor at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The measurements covered the Q-range from 0.01 to 0.8 Å-1, covering the pores in the range of 9 to 34 Å of the PFAC material. Initial results suggest that the density of adsorbed hydrogen is higher than the density of bulk hydrogen gas and increases with decreasing pore size.

In this work, the one dimensional (1D) titanate nanotubes (TNT)/nanowires (TNW), bulk titanate micro-particles (TMP), and three dimensional (3D) titanate microsphere particles (TMS) with high specific surface area were synthesized via different approaches. The chemical composition and structure of these products have been characterized by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), transmission electron microscope (TEM) study and Raman scattering spectroscopy. The as-prepared TMS shows excellent adsorption performance compared with TMP, TNW and TNT when methylene blue (MB) and PbII ions are used as representative organic and inorganic pollutants.

Today the company seeks alternative natural medicine that are compatible with the body, which does not produce side effects and hang time are easily accessible and cost of those who currently have. The concern of researchers and specialists in the development of new materials is to seek, to experiment and create products that can be useful and compatible with human beings so as to obtain a curative effect without a side effect originates.

The development of pharmacologically active materials has increased in recent years. People lack access to most drugs and is therefore a need for more rapid and less expensive than current, which can be applied to cellular systems in vitro, in order to evaluate the biocompatibility of new materials. The current study seeks to experiment in a new line of research that helps health care and have a better quality of life.

The excipients in the drug are auxiliary substances that help the active ingredient is the one with the therapeutic action, can be formulated in an effective and pleasant for the patient. It is one or more substances that are incorporated into the product to facilitate its preparation, maintenance or administration. We therefore tested clay known as bentonite to serve as a vehicle for transport of an active substance (ursolic acid) [1] and some scientific studies have shown that it possesses anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antifungal and highly cytotoxic capacity. Both materials were mixed to generate a new biomaterial that has anti-inflammatory activity. Evaluation of this model was under the inhibition of edema produced by 13-acetate-12-ortho-tetradecanoylphorbol (TPA) in mouse ear.