Colloidal MnxCd1−xS nanorods as highly efficient H2 generation photocatalysts were prepared by hot-injection synthesis for the first time.

The chitosan doped polyvinyl alcohol film are prepared by blending heating method. The prepared membrane is characterized by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrometer (FTIR), scanning electron microscope (SEM), atomic force microscope (AFM) and universal testing machine. The surface of the cast membranes is generally flat, and the pervaporation process would cause the membrane to have a wrinkled shape. These membranes can be used for pervaporation to separate methanol/biodiesel mixtures. This paper studies the effects of different chitosan additions, feed temperature and feed concentration on membrane performance. When the chitosan doping amount is 30 % by mass of polyvinyl alcohol at 40°C, the maximum flux reaches 569.212 g m À 2 h À 1 . At the same time, the separation factor increases as the methanol concentration in the liquid decreases. When the methanol mass fraction is 10 %, the separation factor can reach 116.717.

Using etherification to convert glycerol into biofuel additives is an effective way to solve the current problem of excess glycerol. In this study, a series of environmentally friendly (x)HPW/ZrO 2 catalysts were synthesized for the etherification of glycerol and tert-butyl alcohol (TBA). The internal microstructure and acidity analysis of the synthesized samples were derived from BET, XRD, Raman spectroscopy, FTIR, SEM, NH 3 -TPD and Py-FTIR. The results revealed that the synthesized catalysts retained the complete Keggin structure of phosphotungstic acid (HPW) which supported on it. The (15)HPW/ZrO 2 catalyst with suitable structure and acidity had an excellent catalytic effect on the etherification reaction. Driven by the (15) HPW/ZrO 2 catalyst, the optimal reaction conditions were determined from parameters of reaction temperature, time, molar rate of glycerol and TBA, and catalyst dosage. 93.2% glycerol conversion and 42.5% selectivity of multi-substituted tert-butyl glycerol ethers (DTBG + TTBG) were obtained under optimal conditions. In addition, even after a total of four consecutive reactions, (15)HPW/ZrO 2 catalyst still demonstrated relatively good catalytic activity.

Concentrated sulfuric acid is generally used as a catalyst for producing brominated alkanes in traditional methods, but is highly corrosive and difficult to separate. This work reports the preparation of bromopropane from n-propanol based on a reactive distillation strategy combined with alumina-modified sulfated zirconia (Al2O3/SO42−/ZrO2) as a heterogenous catalyst. As expected, under the optimum reaction conditions (110 °C), the yield of bromopropane was 96.18% without side reactions due to the reactive distillation strategy. Meanwhile, the microscopic morphology and performance of Al2O3/SO42−/ZrO2 were evaluated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Brunner–Emmet–Teller (BET), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT–IR), and other characterization methods. The results confirmed that the morphology of zirconia sulfate is effectively regulated by the modification method of alumina, and more edges and angles provide more catalytic acid sites for the reaction. Furthermore, Al2O3/SO42−/ZrO2 exhibited high stability and remarkable reusability due to the strong chemical bond Zr–Al–Zr. This work provides a practical method for the preparation of bromopropane and can be further extended to the preparation of other bromoalkanes.

Alkylphosphinates have received extensive attention in the past few decades because of their very useful mechanical properties, electrical properties, low density, and low toxicity, and have been widely used in flame-retardant materials and other fields. In this work, aluminum diethylphosphinate is successfully synthesized under atmospheric pressure. More importantly, two novel dialkylphosphinates, aluminum dioctylphosphinate and aluminum didecylphosphinate, are first synthesized and characterized. The structures of these aluminum dialkylphosphinates are confirmed by nuclear magnetic resonance, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, and high-resolution mass spectrometry, and the microscopic morphology and thermal stability are analyzed by scanning electron microscopy and thermogravimetric analysis, respectively. Furthermore, conditions for the synthesis of aluminum dioctylphosphinate are optimized. Compared with the traditional method of synthesizing dialkylphosphinates under high pressure, the method reported in this paper has the advantages of high safety, easy operation, and low economic cost, which makes it suitable for industrial production.