Hollow and nanoporous particles of zero-valent iron (ZVI) were prepared with template-directed synthesis. Polymer resin beads (0.4 mm diameter) were coated with nanoscale iron particles by reductive precipitation of ferrous iron [Fe(II)] with sodium borohydride. The resin was calcinated at 400 °C to produce hollow and nanoporous iron spheres. The nanoporous iron oxides were then reduced to metallic iron by hydrogen at 500 °C. Scanning electron microscope images of the reduced iron spheres showed that the particles were hollow. The shell thickness was approximately 5 μm and highly porous. Brunauer–Emmett–Teller specific surface area was 2100 m2/kg. In comparison, the theoretical specific surface area of solid iron particles of the same size is just 1.9 m2/kg. Batch tests showed that the surface area normalized reactivity of the porous particles were 14–31% higher than microscale iron particles with similar surface areas for the transformation of hexavalent chromium [Cr(VI)], azo dye Orange II {4-[(2-hydroxyl-1-naphthalenyl)azo]-benzenesulfonic acid monosodium}, and trichloroethene. The combined performance enhancement (larger surface area and higher surface activity) is significant (>1200 times).

Polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) reduction effect on free and complex Ag+ and Au3+ ions was studied from optical measurements by adding a metal precursor (K-30), commonly used as a stabilizer, to PVP. It was found that PVP has a strong reduction effect on free ionic metal, such as Ag+ ion in AgNO3, but much weaker on complex ionic metals, AuCl4− in HAuCl4 and Ag(NH3)2+ in Ag(NH3)2OH. This is explained based on the coordinative field of polar group in PVP molecules.

A series of experiments were conducted to investigate chemical interactions between silicon carbide (SiC) and synthetic ash compositions expected to be deposited on the surfaces and within the pore structure of a diesel particulate filter. The chosen ash compositions simulated those arising from lubricants and three fuel types: standard diesel, diesel containing ferrocene as a catalytic additive, and diesel containing a cerium-based catalyst. Results demonstrated that SiC suffered little chemical or oxidative degradation in the presence of the ashes at 900 °C. For the ash not containing Fe or Ce, ash sintering effects were a possible mechanism causing filter blockage at temperatures above 970 °C. For ashes containing Fe or Ce, appreciable sintering effects were not observed below 1100 °C. Based upon the work conducted the suitability of SiC as a construction material for diesel particulate filters is not compromised by chemical degradation in the presence of lubricant/additive derived ash at temperatures less than 1100 °C.

The reactivity of AlN powder in an aqueous environment was studied by measuring the pH and the temperature during the hydrolysis of the powder at room and elevated temperatures. The influences of the powder concentration and the starting pH of the slurry were also investigated. The results of the measurements at room temperature show that there is an incubation time before the start of the AlN hydrolysis reactions. Once this incubation time is over, the pH and the temperature of the slurry start to increase, indicating the onset of the reactions. A higher starting temperature not only speeds up the reaction of the AlN powder with water, but it also shortens the incubation time. In addition, the starting temperature influences the morphology of the reaction product: at temperatures below 60 °C, the final product of the hydrolysis is crystalline Al(OH)3, whereas at higher temperatures (above 60 °C), crystalline AlOOH is formed. At very low pH values (pH = 1), the reaction of AlN powder with water is prevented (i.e., the incubation time is very long), whereas in an alkaline environment, the incubation time is approximately the same as in distilled water, but the reaction is accelerated.

Described is a room-temperature hydrogen sensor comprised of a TiO2-nanotube array able to recover substantially from sensor poisoning through ultraviolet (UV) photocatalytic oxidation of the contaminating agent; in this case, various grades of motor oil. The TiO2 nanotubes comprising the sensor are a mixture of both anatase and rutile phases, having nominal dimensions of 22-nm inner diameter, 13.5-nm wall thickness, and 400-nm length, coated with a 10-nm-thick noncontinuous palladium layer. At 24 °C, in response to 1000 ppm of hydrogen, the sensors show a fully reversible change in electrical resistance of approximately 175,000%. Cyclic voltammograms using a 1 N KOH electrolyte under 170 mW/cm2 UV illumination show, for both a clean and an oil-contaminated sensor, anodic current densities of approximately 28 mA/cm2 at 2.5 V. The open circuit oxidation potential shows a shift from 0.5 V to −0.97 V upon UV illumination.

An abrasive-free polishing (AFP) solution for chemical–mechanical planarization (CMP) of copper films on semiconductor wafers has been developed to overcome such disadvantages of conventional CMP as dishing, erosion, Cu and oxide loss, and microscratching. Electrochemical methods are an effective way of understanding the role of each chemical component in the AFP solution in order to optimize its performance. Analysis of the reaction layer of Cu elucidates the reasons for the excellent results that have been obtained. By applying the AFP solution for Cu CMP in combination with a slurry for CMP of the metal barrier layer, seven-level multilayer Cu interconnections can be successfully fabricated.

Recent developments in hydrogen interaction with carbonaceous materials are reviewed in this article. The interaction is based on van der Waals attractive forces (physisorption), or the overlap of the highest occupied molecular orbitals of carbon with the hydrogen electron, overcoming the activation-energy barrier for hydrogen dissociation (chemisorption). While the physisorption of hydrogen limits the hydrogen-to-carbon ratio to less than one hydrogen atom per two carbon atoms (i.e., 4.2 mass%), in chemisorption, a ratio of two hydrogen atoms per one carbon atom is realized (e.g., in polyethylene). However, the materials with large hydrogen-to-carbon ratios only liberate the hydrogen at elevated temperature. No evidence, apart from theoretical calculations, was found for a new hydrogen-adsorption phenomenon on carbon nanotubes (CNTs), as compared with high-surface-area graphite. The curvature of CNTs and fullerenes increases the reactivity of these materials with hydrogen and leads more easily to the formation of hydrocarbons, as compared with graphite. Nanocrystalline or amorphous carbon exhibits an intermediate state for hydrogen between physisorption and chemisorption and absorbs up to one hydrogen atom per carbon atom. Nanostructured carbonaceous and metallic materials offer a large potential for hydrogen storage and must therefore be investigated in more detail.