Aravind Suresh

Heat Treatment of TiO 2 /SiO 2 Electrospun Ceramic Fibers

Nano-TiO2 is currently one of the most interesting topics of study in materials science and beyond, and is being used in a wide variety of applications [1]. However, producing crystalline TiO2 nanostructures, other than simple powders, can pose significant challenges: growing such structures in the crystalline state tends to be slow and expensive, and while this can be overcome by fabricating amorphous structures quickly and cheaply, handling these materials after the subsequent heat treatment will reduce them to a powder. Dispersing TiO2 particles on a mechanically robust support is a common method for overcoming this issue. One processing pathway for doing so is to electrospin a TiO2/SiO2 solution into fibers followed by heat treatment, which causes the two immiscible materials to phase separate and the TiO2 to crystallize [2, 3]. A forthcoming publication describes how this process has recently been improved to drastically increase the TiO2 content of such fibers [4]; this work is concerned with the details of the phase separation of the TiO2 and SiO2 during heat treatment and the crystallization of the TiO2.

Effect of Atmosphere on Heat-Treated Electro-Spun TiO 2 Fibers

1 Depto. de Materiales Metálicos y Cerámicos, IIM. UNAM. Mexico City, 04510, Mexico 2 Dept. of Chemical & Biomolecular Engng, U. of Connecticut, 191 Auditorium Rd, Storrs, CT 06269 3 Sandia National Laboratory, Materials Characterization Dept., MS 0886, Albuquerque, NM 87185 4 Dept. of Materials Science & Engineering, U. of Connecticut, 191 Auditorium Rd, Storrs, CT 06269 5 Institute of Materials Science, U. of Connecticut, 97 North Eagleville Road, Storrs, CT 06269

Synthesis and Activity of Co-doped Barium Cerium Zirconate for Hydrogen Reforming and Purification

BaCe 0.25 Zr 0.60 Co 0.15 O 3-x (BCZC) was synthesized via oxalate co-precipitation route. Material was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Catalytic activity of BCZC with respect to hydrogen generation via methanol partial oxidation was determined. Conductivity of the material at different temperatures and under different environments was determined by AC impedance spectroscopy. XRD and TEM results indicated that BCZC was synthesized as a homogeneous cubic phase material. Catalyst tests indicated that BCZC was catalytically active towards hydrogen generation and AC impedance results were positive enough to warrant further electrochemical studies.