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The mechanism of sodium borohydride removal of organothiols from gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) was studied using an experimental investigation and computational modeling. Organothiols and other AuNP surface adsorbates such as thiophene, adenine, rhodamine, small anions (Br(-) and I(-)), and a polymer (PVP, poly(N-vinylpyrrolidone)) can all be rapidly and completely removed from the AuNP surfaces. A computational study showed that hydride derived from sodium borohydride has a higher binding affinity to AuNPs than organothiols. Thus, it can displace organothiols and all the other adsorbates tested from AuNPs. Sodium borohydride may be used as a hazard-free, general-purpose detergent that should find utility in a variety of AuNP applications including catalysis, biosensing, surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy, and AuNP recycle and reuse.

Bio-oil was produced at 450°C by fast pyrolysis in a continuous auger reactor. Four feed stocks were used: pine wood, pine bark, oak wood, and oak bark. After extensive characterization of the whole bio-oils and their pyrolytic lignin-rich ethyl acetate fractions by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS), gel permeation chromatography (GPC), calorific values, viscosity dependences on shear rates and temperatures, elemental analyses, 1 H and 13 C NMR spectroscopy, water analyses, and ash content, these bio-oils were shown to be comparable to bio-oils produced by fast pyrolysis in fluidized bed and vacuum pyrolysis processes. This finding suggests that portable auger reactors might be used to produce bio-oil at locations in forests to generate bio-oil on-site for transport of the less bulky bio-oil (versus raw biomass) to biorefineries or power generation units. The pyrolysis reported herein had lower heat transfer rates than those achieved in fluidized bed reactors, suggesting significant further improvements are possible.