Xiao Xinyan

Synthesis of TiO2 nano-particles and their photocatalytic activity for formaldehyde and methyl orange degradation

TiO2 nano-particles were synthesized by sol-gel technique and characterized by X-ray diffractometer (XRD) and transmission electron microscope (TEM). Their photocatalytic activities for formaldehyde (FA) and methyl orange (MO) degradation were tested using degradation rate (η) as an evaluation index. Based on the orthogonal test results, the optimal condition for TiO2 preparation was obtained. Results showed that particle sizes were in the range of 10–40 nm, and that prepared TiO2 had better photocatalytic activity than P25. A simplified model was developed to evaluate the apparent quantum efficiency (Φapp) of this photocatalytic reaction system.

Isocyanate-functionalised Montmorillonite as a Reactive Asphalt Modifier

Asphalt, a by-product of crude oil fractionation, has been used in adhesives, sealants, anti-corrosion waterproof agents and road binders for thousands of years1. On account of its rich resources, low price and outstanding performance, asphalt is the most suitable material to be used as a binder for pavement applications2. Unfortunately, even the best designed and constructed pavements are still suffering from rutting and cracking under the combined effects of traffic loading and weathering. Hence, a variety of modifiers were added to improve the service performances of the binder, mainly concentrated on the polymer and nano-materials3-7. Much research on nanomaterial modifiers focuses on montmorillonite (MMT, including Na-MMT and OMMT)8-10, the addition of MMT to asphalt has been shown to be an effective way to improve the physical and aging properties11-13. However, MMT modifier is just physically mixed with the asphalt binder, phase separation will occur easily during storage, transportation and application, thus affecting road performance. And in order to solve this problem, researchers begin to find new and promising modifying agents.