Twin carbon nanocoils (T-CNCs) were synthesized by means of acetylene decomposition over nickel nanoparticles. From the TEM image, one can see the growth of carbon nanocoils from the opposite sides of a nickel nanodisc, making an interangle of 180 degrees. We examined the microwave electromagnetic (EM) and microwave-absorbing properties of the as-prepared and annealed (1400 degrees C in Ar) T-CNCs systematically. A composite containing the as-prepared T-CNCs (15 wt %) and paraffin exhibited strong microwave absorption in a frequency range of 2 to 18 GHz. Over an absorber of double-layered composite (2.5 and 3.5 nim thickness), an absorption bandwidth of ca. 10 GHz corresponding to reflection loss below -10 dB can be obtained. We found that the magnetic parameters of the composite are low and suggest that the good absorption properties of T-CNCs should be attributed to dielectric rather than magnetic loss. It was observed that the as-prepared T-CNCs are superior to the annealed T-CNCs in microwave absorption ability, and such a phenomenon is interpreted in terms of the defect and graphitic nature of the materials. We also demonstrated that the complex permittivity and electric conductivity of T-CNCs can be controlled via annealling of T-CNCs at high temperature

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An acrylic acid yield of 74.3% and a formation rate of 12.0 mmol gcat−1 h−1 have been achieved at 340 °C by lactic acid dehydration over Na2HPO4-modified NaY nanocrystallites (NaY-n) due to appropriate surface acidity together with the unique structural features of NaY-n.

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Mesoporous chromia with ordered three-dimensional (3D) hexagonal polycrystalline structures were fabricated at 130, 180, 240, 280, and 350 degrees C in an autoclave through a novel solvent-free route using KIT-6 as the hard template. The as-obtained materials were characterized (by means of X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, N(2) adsorption-desorption, temperature-programmed reduction, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy techniques) and tested as a catalyst for the complete oxidation of toluene and ethyl acetate. We found that with a high surface area of 106 m(2)/g and being multivalent (Cr(3+), Cr(5+), and Cr(6+)), the chromia (meso-Cr-240) fabricated at 240 degrees C is the best among the five in catalytic performance. According to the results of the temperature-programmed reduction and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy investigations, it is apparent that the coexistence of multiple chromium species promotes the low-temperature reducibility of chromia. The excellent performance of meso-Cr-240 is because of good 3D mesoporosity and low-temperature reducibility as well as the high surface area of the chromia. The combustion follows a first-order reaction with respect to toluene or ethyl acetate in the presence of excess oxygen, and the corresponding average activation energy is 79.8 and 51.9 kJ/mol, respectively, over the best-performing catalyst.

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