Sol–gel-based carbon xerogels possess very promising properties for pollution abatement, using processes that associate adsorption and on-site electrochemical oxidation. However, combining a high exterior surface area (for efficient diffusion) monolithic shape (necessary processes) poses challenges. In this work, the of was contrived by use 3D-printed molds. Several parameters were optimized: c...

A series of new near-infrared (NIR) luminescent lanthanide-quinolinate derivatives [Ln(Q-Si)(3)] and xerogels (named as LnQSi-Gel, Ln = Er, Nd, Yb) covalently linked with the Ln(Q-Si)(3) by using the 8-hydroxyquinoline-functionalized alkoxysilane (Q-Si) have been synthesized. The obtained xerogel materials LnQSi-Gel are rigid and show homogeneous by field-emission scanning electron microscopy (...

Sol-gel derived poly(oxyethylene)/siloxane hybrids doped with lithium hexafluoroantimonate, LiSbF6, have been prepared. Compositions of these novel xerogel electrolytes were identified using the conventional d-U(2000)nLiSbF6 notation, (where n is the molar ratio of oxyethylene moieties per Li + ion) and samples with n between ∞ and 2.5 were characterized by conductivity measurements, cyclic vol...

Raman, UV-Vis and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy were combined in one experimental setup to directly study the interplay between structure and dispersion of SBA-15 supported vanadium oxide during dehydration. The fully hydrated catalyst is slightly reduced but consists mainly of V species with pseudo-octahedral V coordination strongly resembling the xerogel V2O5·1.2H2O. After dehydration a hi...

Novel silicon carbide nanostructures, beaded nanochains, are prepared from the carbothermal reduction of a carbonaceous silica xerogel with cetyltrimethylammonium bromide and lanthanum nitrate as additives. The nanochains consist of a stem with a diameter of about 50 nm and uniform beads with diameters of 100–200 nm. It is demonstrated that the tensile strength of an epoxy composite filled with...

Neural microelectrodes are an important component of neural prosthetic systems which assist paralyzed patients by allowing them to operate computers or robots using their neural activity. These microelectrodes are also used in clinical settings to localize the locus of seizure initiation in epilepsy or to stimulate sub-cortical structures in patients with Parkinson’s disease. In neural prosthet...