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Mesoporous S,N-TiO(2) nanocomposite was prepared by a one-pot template free homogeneous coprecipitation technique using titanium oxysulfate sulfuric acid complex hydrate, thiourea, ethanol, and water. Nano gold deposition on mesoporous S,N-TiO(2) was preformed by a borohydrate reduction method. To evaluate the structural and electronic properties, these catalysts were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM), UV-vis DRS, photoluminescent (PL) spectra, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), and TPO/TPD. CO adsorption and CO + O(2) interaction over these catalysts were investigated by in situ FTIR. Sulfur and nitrogen doping enhances the catalytic activity of Au/TiO(2.) Higher catalytic activity of Au/S,N-TiO(2) compared to Au/TiO(2) was attributed to the presence of oxygen vacancy and creation of new adsorption sites at Au/TiO(2) interfaces for the adsorption and activation of O(2) molecules.

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Silver nanoclusters were prepared in a soda-lime glass matrix through the ion-exchange (Ag(+)↔ Na(+)) method followed by thermal annealing in an air atmosphere. The nanoscale patterning of Ag nanoclusters embedded in a soda lime glass matrix in an air atmosphere at different annealing temperatures has been investigated. During annealing, Ag(+) is reduced to Ag(0) and subsequently forms silver nanoparticles inside the glass matrix. A blue shift of 20 nm has been observed as a function of the post annealing temperature. The photoluminescence intensity is highest for an annealing temperature of 500 °C for 1 h and continuously decreases as annealing temperature increases up to 600 °C. The presence of spherical nanoparticles with a maximum particle size of 7.2 nm has been observed after annealing at 600 °C for 1 hour, which is consistent with Mie theory based results.

Opacity variations with increasing annealing temperatures in Ag+-exchange soda-lime glass.

Engine oils undergo oxidative degradation and wears out during service. Hence it is important to characterize ageing of engine oils at different simulated conditions to evaluate the performance of existing oils and also design new formulations. This work focuses on characterizing the thermo-oxidative degradation of synthetic and semi-synthetic engine oils aged at 120, 149 and 200 °C. Apparent activation energy of decomposition of aged oils evaluated using the isoconversional Kissinger-Akahira-Sunose technique was used as a thermal stability marker. The temporal variation of stability at different ageing temperatures was corroborated with kinematic viscosity, oxidation, sulfation and nitration indices, total base number, antiwear additive content and molecular structure of the organic species present in the oils. At the lowest temperature employed, synthetic oil underwent higher rate of oxidation, while semi-synthetic oil was stable for longer time periods. At higher temperatures, the initial rate of change of average apparent activation energy of synthetic oil correlated well with a similar variation in oxidation number. A mixture of long chain linear, branched, and cyclic hydrocarbons were observed when semi-synthetic oil was degraded at higher temperatures.

Transport of redox species (VO2+/VO2 +, V2+/V3+, Ti3+/Ti4+, and Fe2+/Fe3+) across the electrode/electrolyte interface is investigated in a thin-film rotating disk electrode configuration using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The transport features depend on the constituents of the thin-film catalyst layer and on the rate constant of the redox reaction. On Nafion-free porous electrodes, semi-infinite linear and finite transport features are observed under static and hydrodynamic conditions of the electrode, respectively. Depending on the rate constant of the electrochemical reaction, an equivalent circuit consisting of either resistance (R) and constant phase element (Q) or the Warburg short (W s) element is proposed to explain the finite transport features. Addition of Nafion (binder) in the electrode offers extra resistance to the transport of redox species, which helps resolve EIS features of the transport of redox species through the porous thin-film electrode and that through the bulk of the electrolyte. The features of the transport of redox species through the porous electrode media are independent of the hydrodynamic conditions.