Mixed-matrix membranes based on amorphous and semi-crystalline polyimides with zirconium dioxide (ZrO2) nanostars were synthesized. Amorphous poly(4,4′-oxydiphenylenepyromellitimide) and semi-crystalline polyimide prepared from 1,4-bis(4-aminophenoxy)benzene and 4,4’-oxydiphthalic anhydride were used. The effect of ZrO2 nanostars on the structure and morphology of nanocomposite membranes was st...

Bulk ZrO2 polymorphs generally have an extremely high amorphization tolerance upon low energy ion and swift heavy ion irradiation in which ballistic interaction and ionization radiation dominate the ion–solid interaction, respectively. However, under very high-energy irradiation by 1.33 GeV U-238, nanocrystalline (40–50 nm) monoclinic ZrO2 can be amorphized. A computational simulation based on ...

Vapor-phase naphthalene hydrogenation over various supported Pt catalysts was studied in a continuous fixed-bed microreactor. Experimental results indicated that the catalytic activity of the catalyst strongly depended on the nature of the support and the pre-reduction temperature. Reaction order was independent of the support as the reaction was pseudo-first-order with respect to naphthalene i...

In this report, we study the evolution of valence band (VB) structure during a controlled amorphous to tetragonal transformation of ZrO2 core−shell nanostructures fabricated from electrospun nanofiber template (at 130, 200, and 250 °C). Shell-ZrO2 was formed with atomic layer deposition. X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy are employed to unveil the transformation of amorphou...

ZrO2·nH2O (hydrogel) impregnated with transition metals (Cu, Co, and Ni) was studied in this work as a precursor for the synthesis of CuO/ZrO2 (CuZ), CoOx/ZrO2 (CoZ), and NiO/ZrO2 (NiZ) catalysts, employed in the naphthalene oxidation reaction. Fresh and catalytically used materials were characterized by different physicochemical techniques, to compare the bulk and surface behavior, with partic...

Nanostructurally stabilized zirconium oxide (NSZ) hard transparent fi lms were produced without chemical stabilizers by the ion beam assisted deposition technique (IBAD). A transmission electron microscopy study of the samples produced below 150 °C revealed that these fi lms are composed of zirconium oxide (ZrO2) nanocrystallites of diameters 7.5 ± 2.3 nm. X-ray and selected-area electron diffr...

CuO nanoparticle was found to be an efficient catalyst for the synthesis of flavanones derivatives from the reactions between 2-hydroxyacetophenones and aromatic aldehydes at room temperature. The protocol offers advantages in terms of higher yields, short reaction times, and mild reaction conditions, with reusability of the catalyst. The structures of the synthesized substituted flavanones wer...

In the energy-structure paradigm, we analyzed the defects that can arise in tetragonal zirconium oxide (T-ZrO2) involving the hydrogen atom or the hydrogen molecule using density functional theory. Our results indicate that the dominant hydrogen defect under reducing conditions is H(·)(0), a complex formed between the hydride ion and a doubly charged oxygen vacancy. This result is consistent wi...

Tungstated zirconia (WO3/ZrO2) is one of the most well-studied solid acid catalyst systems and continues to attract the attention of both academia and industry. Understanding and controlling the properties of WO3/ZrO2 catalysts has been a topic of considerable interest over almost the past three decades, with a particular focus on discovering the relationship between catalytic activity and the ...