Benjamin R. Knappett

Hydration of nitriles to amides by a chitin-supported ruthenium catalyst

Chitin-supported ruthenium (Ru/chitin) promotes the hydration of nitriles to carboxamides under aqueous conditions. The nitrile hydration can be performed on a gram-scale and is compatible with the presence of various functional groups including olefins, aldehydes, carboxylic esters and nitro and benzyloxycarbonyl groups. The Ru/chitin catalyst is easily prepared from commercially available chitin, ruthenium(III) chloride and sodium borohydride. Analysis of Ru/chitin by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy indicates the presence of ruthenium nanoparticles on the chitin support.

Multicomponent signal unmixing from nanoheterostructures: overcoming the traditional challenges of nanoscale X-ray analysis via machine learning.

The chemical composition of core–shell nanoparticle clusters have been determined through principal component analysis (PCA) and independent component analysis (ICA) of an energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectrum image (SI) acquired in a scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM). The method blindly decomposes the SI into three components, which are found to accurately represent the isolated and unmixed X-ray signals originating from the supporting carbon film, the shell, and the bimetallic core. The composition of the latter is verified by and is in excellent agreement with the separate quantification of bare bimetallic seed nanoparticles.

Selective hydrogenation of arenes to cyclohexanes in water catalyzed by chitin-supported ruthenium nanoparticles

The selective hydrogenation of aromatic compounds to cyclohexanes was found to be promoted by chitin-supported ruthenium nanoparticles (Ru/chitin) under near-neutral, aqueous conditions without the loss of C–O/C–N linkages at benzylic positions.

AC Magnetic Heating of Superparamagnetic Fe and Co Nanoparticles

AC magnetic heating of superparamagnetic Co and Fe nanoparticles for application in hyperthermia was measured to find a size of nanoparticles that would result in an optimal heating for given amplitude and frequency of ac externally applied magnetic field. To measure it, a custom-made power supply connected to a 20-turn insulated copper coil in the shape of a spiral solenoid cooled with water was used. A fiber-optic temperature sensor has been used to measure the temperature with an accuracy of 0.0001 K. The magnetic field with magnitude of 20.6 μT and a frequency of oscillation equal to 348 kHz was generated inside the coil to heat magnetic nanoparticles. The maximum specific power loss or the highest heating rate for Co magnetic nanoparticles was achieved for nanoparticles of 8.2 nm in diameter. The maximum heating rate for coated Fe was found for nanoparticles with diameter of 18.61 nm.

Overcoming Traditional Challenges in Nano-scale X-ray Characterization Using Independent Component Analysis

Nano-heterostructures are inherently challenging to characterize due to the presence of spatially and often spectrally overlapping signals when using energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectroscopy or electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) techniques. In addition, inherently low signal yields from such small volumes and electron beam damage often limits signal quality. New image and spectral processing routes are needed to address these issues [1].

Surface Effects and Critical Dimensions of Iron Nanoparticles

The surface effects on the critical dimensions of ferromagnetic nanoparticles have been studied. Iron nanoparticles with different mean diameter from 5.9 nm to 21.4 nm were prepared by thermal decomposition of iron pentacarbonyl in the presence of oleic acid/octyl ether. The heating response of these ferromagnetic nanoparticles suspended in water were measured experimentally during which the same amount of iron nanoparticles and di-ionized water were irradiated by an alternating magnetic field and the increase in temperature of the system was measured. The heating performance of the nanoparticles was described in terms of Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) which depends on the heating rate. The heating rate was calculated from the initial slope of the heating curve at an inflection point whereby there is minimum heat loss to the surrounding. Results were analyzed to find the critical diameters for the transition from single-domain to superparamagnetic regime and from single-domain to multi-domain regime. Also, the frequency and current dependence of SAR were studied. The maximum value of SAR was obtained when the applied frequency and current were at 175 kHz and 15 A, respectively. An equation for the critical radius for the transition from single-domain to multi-domain regime with low anisotropy was derived and numerically solved by using a program written in C++ and results were analyzed to find the effect of surface parameters on the critical diameter of nanoparticles. The SAR as a function of nanoparticle’s diameter shows two maxima which can be connected with the two critical dimensions. One is DC1 at 18 nm for the transition from single-domain to multi-domain configuration and the second is DC2 at 10 nm for the transition from single-domain to superparamagnetic regime. Comparison of these experimental results with the bond order-length-strength correlation theory was discussed.