Silica sol, i.e., colloidal SiO2, may be used as a low-pH injection grout for very fine fractures in the construction of deep geological repositories for radioactive waste in Sweden and in Finland. If the bentonite barrier encounters SiO2-colloid particles under conditions favorable for aggregation, there is concern that it will modify the bentonite barrier at the bentonite/bedrock interface. I...

A novel adsorbent based on silica-coated magnetic multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) surface modified by dual hydroxy functional ionic liquid (FIL) ([OH]-FIL-m-MWCNTs@SiO2) has been designed and used for the purification of lysozyme (Lys) by magnetic solid-phase extraction (MSPE). Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), a vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM), transmission electron micro...

Diamond is an evidence for carbon existing in the deep Earth. Some diamonds are considered to have originated at various depth ranges from the mantle transition zone to the lower mantle. These diamonds are expected to carry significant information about the deep Earth. Here, we determined the phase relations in the MgCO3-SiO2 system up to 152 GPa and 3,100 K using a double sided laser-heated di...

Conventional supported Pt catalysts have often been prepared by loading Pt onto commercial supports, such as SiO2, TiO2, Al2O3, and carbon. These catalysts usually have simple metal-support (i.e., Pt-SiO2) interfaces. To tune the catalytic performance of supported Pt catalysts, it is desirable to modify the metal-support interfaces by incorporating an oxide additive into the catalyst formula. H...

Waveguide SIS mixers are presented in which Nb/Al-AlOx/Nb tunnel junctions are integrated with both NbTiN/SiO2/NbTiN and NbTiN/SiO2/Al tuning circuits. The mixers with a NbTiN/SiO2/NbTiN tuning circuit yield relatively low receiver noise temperatures between 700 and 830 GHz, but their sensitivity drops significantly above ~ 850 GHz. In contrast, low-noise heterodyne mixing near 1 THz is observe...

In this article, I will discuss the optical properties of SiO2-nanoparticles that we have investigated recently by photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy. In particular, I will show the blue-shifts of PL, originating from the electron-hole recombination of the self-trapped exciton (STE), observed in smaller-sized SiO2-nanoparticles. To explain the size effect in relating to the STE PL shift, a que...

Nanocrystal HZSM-5 zeolite aggregates with different SiO2/Al2O3 molar ratios were prepared under low temperature and were used to catalyze the conversion of methanol to propylene and butene. The coke location, coke content, and coke species deposited on HZSM-5 aggregates were investigated. The near-graphite carbon on the external surface of HZSM-5 zeolite (SiO2/Al2O3 molar ratio = 400) was dist...

SiO2/high-κ dielectric stack is a candidate for replacing the conventional SiO2-based dielectric stacks for future Flash memory cells. Electron traps in the high-κ layer can limit the memory retention via the trap-assisted tunneling, and there is a pressing need for their characterization. A new two-pulse C–V measurement technique is developed in this letter, which, for the first time, allows u...

Protein aggregation is a problem in biotechnology. High temperature is one of the most important reasons to enhance enzyme inactivation and aggregation in industrial systems. This work focuses on the effect of TiO2 and SiO2 nanoparticles on refolding and reactivation of lysozyme. In the presence of TiO2 and SiO2 nanoparticles, after enzyme heat treatment at 98C for 30 min, not only aggregates w...

The doping effects of Al2O3 on SiO2 ( -cristobalite) have been studied by first principles calculations, with emphasis on the structural, electronic and optical properties. Compared to pure SiO2 crystal, the electronic density of states (DOS) of the Al2O3 doped SiO2 show significant changes. The electron energy states corresponding to the newly emerged sharp DOS peaks are found to exhibit local...