Baiyu Huang

The thermodynamic properties of hydrated γ-Al2O3 nanoparticles.

In this paper we report a combined calorimetric and inelastic neutron scattering (INS) study of hydrated γ-Al2O3 (γ-alumina) nanoparticles. These complementary techniques have enabled a comprehensive evaluation of the thermodynamic properties of this technological and industrially important metal oxide to be achieved. The isobaric heat capacity (C(p)) data presented herein provide further critical insights into the much-debated chemical composition of γ-alumina nanoparticles. Furthermore, the isochoric heat capacity (C(v)) of the surface water, which is so essential to the stability of all metal-oxides at the nanoscale, has been extracted from the high-resolution INS data and differs significantly from that of ice-Ih due to the dominating influence of strong surface-water interactions. This study also encompassed the analysis of four γ-alumina samples with differing pore diameters [4.5 (1), 13.8 (2), 17.9 (3), and 27.2 nm (4)], and the results obtained allow us to unambiguously conclude that the water content and pore size have no influence on the thermodynamic behaviour of hydrated γ-alumina nanoparticles.

Synthesis and Thermodynamics of Porous Metal Oxide Nanomaterials

Porous metal oxide nanoparticles is a new class of material of great scientific and technological importance with a wide range of applications. In this article, we briefly review the synthetic methods and thermodynamic properties of such materials. We compare and summarize common synthetic routes of such materials including solid-state, solution- phase (co-precipitation, sol-gel, microemulsion, solvothermal/hydrothermal, non-aqueous), and vapor-phase methods. As for the thermodynamics of porous metal oxide nanoparticles, we review experimental determinations, mainly by calorime- try, on surface and interfaces energetics. The interplay among particle size, surface area, morphology, surface stabilizer, phase stability, and redox potentials is discussed.

Effect of Drying Temperature on Iron Fischer-Tropsch Catalysts Prepared by Solvent Deficient Precipitation

A novel solvent deficient precipitation (SDP) method to produce nanoparticles was studied for its potential in Fischer-Tropsch synthesis (FTS) catalysis. Using Fe(NO3)3·9H2O as the iron-containing precursor, this method produces ferrihydrite particles which are then dried, calcined, reduced, and carbidized to form the active catalytic phase for FTS. Six different drying profiles, including final drying temperatures ranging between 80 and 150°C, were used to investigate the effect of ammonium nitrate (AN), a major by-product of reaction between Fe(NO3)3·9H2O and NH4HCO3 in the SDP method. Since AN has two phase-transitions within this range of drying temperatures, three different AN phases can exist during the drying of the catalyst precursors. These AN phases, along with physical changes occurring during the phase transitions, may affect the pore structure and the agglomeration of ferrihydrite crystallites, suggesting possible reasons for the observed differences in catalytic performance. Catalysts dried at 130°C showed the highest FTS rate and the lowest methane selectivity. In general, better catalytic performance is related to the AN phase present during drying as follows: phase III > phase II > phase I. However, within each AN phase, lower drying temperatures led to better catalytic properties.