In this work we report the design and synthesis of high-surface-area photocatalysts by coating TiO2 on fibrous nanosilica (KCC-1) using atomic layer deposition (ALD). Our developed catalyst showed enhanced photocatalytic activity, better than that of the well-known MCM-41- and SBA-15-supported TiO2 catalysts using ALD as well as that of other silica-supported TiO2 catalysts reported in the literature to date. This work shows how one can tune the photocatalytic activity of supported TiO2 catalysts by simply tuning the morphology of the support. In addition to extensive characterization of materials using various techniques, comprehensive mechanistic insight into ALD TiO2 coating on KCC-1 fibers was gained using solid-state NMR and UV-DRS. For the first time, we also observed the formation of small and monodispersed TiO2 nanoparticles after heat treatment of these ALD-coated samples of KCC-1. Notably, we observed size quantization effects in these TiO2 nanoparticles, which was confirmed by band gap shift measurements and the Brus effective mass approximation method. We believe that the combination of the unique textural properties and morphology of KCC-1 and TiO2 nanoparticle formation and their size quantization is the reason behind the enhanced photocatalytic activity of KCC-1/TiO2 catalysts.

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ZnO modified ZSM-5 and Y zeolites are synthesized by performing atomic layer deposition (ALD) of ZnO to HZSM-5 and HY using diethyl zinc and water as the precursors. The surface area and pore volume of ZSM-5 and Y zeolites are progressively reduced with the increasing number of ZnO ALD cycles. XRD and SEM characterization methods show that highly dispersed ZnO species are deposited on the internal and external surfaces of both zeolites. The ZnO species deposited on ZSM-5 are in an amorphous form while nano-crystallites of ZnO are present on Y zeolites after performing ≥2 cycles of ZnO ALD. XPS and TPR characterization methods reveal that isolated Zn(OH)(+) species are predominantly formed on both zeolites after the first cycle of ZnO ALD and the ZnO clusters gradually grow larger with the increasing number of ALD cycles. The type and strength of acid sites on the parent and the ALD ZnO modified zeolites are studied by FTIR spectra of adsorbed pyridine. Incorporation of ZnO into Y zeolite by ALD completely eliminates the Brønsted acid sites and increases the number of strong Lewis acid sites. Similar effects are obtained on ALD ZnO modified ZSM-5 except that the Brønsted acid sites are only partially removed. Catalytic properties of the ALD ZnO modified zeolites are evaluated in propane conversion. Introduction of ZnO species significantly improves the activities of both zeolites. Propylene is the major reaction product on ALD ZnO modified Y zeolite while high selectivities to aromatics are achieved on ALD ZnO modified ZSM-5. These results suggest that ZnO species merely promote the dehydrogenation reaction while the subsequent oligomerization and cyclization reactions require Brønsted acid sites. For both zeolites the catalyst fabricated by only 1 or 2 cycles of ZnO ALD performs better than those fabricated by multiple cycles of ALD, indicating that isolated Zn(OH)(+) species are more effective for the conversion of propane to propylene and aromatics.

Magnetorheological elastomers (MREs) are a group of smart materials which have many applications such as dynamic vibration absorbers, engine mounts, and so on. The damping behavior is important for applications of MREs. However, the mechanism of the damping of MREs has not been investigated thoroughly. In this study, MREs are modeled as special particle reinforced composites with magneto-induced properties and the mechanism of the damping behavior of MREs is investigated theoretically and experimentally. It has been found that there are three types of damping property in MREs: the intrinsic damping, the interface damping and the magneto-mechanical damping. The presented damping model is successfully validated by damping tests on a series of MRE samples. Furthermore, the relationships between the damping properties and formulas of MREs are discussed; this provides guidance for the manufacture of MREs with various damping properties.