A new term Volume Accessibility Factor (VAF), the product of micropore volume and acidity, correlates with ketone formation in modified montmorillonite.

The potential of graphene oxide–Fe3O4 nanoparticle (GO-Fe3O4) composite as an image contrast enhancing material in magnetic resonance imaging has been investigated. Proton relaxivity values were obtained in three different homogeneous dispersions of GO-Fe3O4 composites synthesized by precipitating Fe3O4 nanoparticles in three different reaction mixtures containing 0.01 g, 0.1 g, and 0.2 g of graphene oxide. A noticeable difference in proton relaxivity values was observed between the three cases. A comprehensive structural and magnetic characterization revealed discrete differences in the extent of reduction of the graphene oxide and spacing between the graphene oxide sheets in the three composites. The GO-Fe3O4 composite framework that contained graphene oxide with least extent of reduction of the carboxyl groups and largest spacing between the graphene oxide sheets provided the optimum structure for yielding a very high transverse proton relaxivity value. It was found that the GO-Fe3O4 composites possessed good biocompatibility with normal cell lines, whereas they exhibited considerable toxicity towards breast cancer cells.

BEA zeolite is modified using phenoldisulfonic acid to change catalyst characteristics, which helps to form a single cyclic product. A new term called volume space acidity (VSA) provides volume space available for dioxane to dioxalane rearrangement.

Ni-based perovskite catalysts are prepared by two different methods and used as selective catalyst for hydrogen production from glycerol. The physicochemical properties of the catalysts were studied by X-ray diffraction, H2 temperature-programmed reduction, NH3 temperature-programmed desorption, N2 physisorption and TEM analysis. The effects of perovskite structure on the Ni particle size and acidity were studied, and the possibility of a nontemplate approach is examined. Steam reforming of bio-glycerol was carried out in a fixed bed down flow reactor at atmospheric pressure. The catalysts were compared with the Ni supported alumina; catalysts prepared with and without template were found to contain smaller nickel oxide particles and optimum acidity for good glycerol conversion and hydrogen selectivity. Under optimized reaction conditions, LaNiO3 (E) catalyst exhibited 72% glycerol conversion with 70% hydrogen selectivity. The Ni/Al2O3 catalyst with bigger nickel oxide particle size and moderately strong acidic sites results in quick deactivation, metal sintering, and predominantly filamentous carbon deposition due to the coke formation.