Thermochimica Acta最新文献

Folic acid (FA) is a low-cost and suitable source for producing different N-doped carbon materials by pyrolysis. However, the pyrolytic steps of FA are not entirely understood, particularly above 350 °C, which hampers the intelligent design of tailor-made carbon materials by a one-pot route. In this work, the pyrolytic decomposition steps of FA were investigated by simultaneous thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (TGA-DSC). The released gaseous/volatile products were probed by coupling TGA to infrared spectroscopy and mass spectrometry (TGA-FTIR-MS). Considering the thermal analysis data, FA was pyrolysed in a furnace at 350, 430, 570, 800, and 1000 °C, and the products were analysed by X-ray diffractometry (XRD), vibrational spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. In situ high-temperature X-ray diffractometry (HT-XRD) experiments were also conducted under the nitrogen atmosphere. According to the data set, insights about FA decomposition steps could be proposed, including gaseous/volatile products released during the process and the structural evolution of N-doped graphitic carbon. The formation of carbonaceous material initiated between 200 and 350 °C through polymerisation/condensation reactions, and this step was marked by the release of 2-pyrrolidone and aniline. The graphitisation was enhanced above 350 °C, increasing graphitic nitrogen while the amide groups vanished. The process was accompanied by deoxygenation (i.e., CO and CO₂ release) and denitrogenation (e.g., NH₃, HNCO, and HCN) reactions. In the 570–800 °C range, the N-enrichment of carbon material (N-pyridine, N-pyrrole/Csp²-N in 5,7-membered rings, and nitrile) could occur by the reaction of released NH₃ over the char surface. Graphitic-like structures containing mainly N-graphite and N-pyridine were obtained above 800 °C. The original data about the thermal decomposition steps of FA allow for optimising the synthesis of N-doped carbon materials suitable for applications in adsorption, sensing, catalysis, and energy storage.

The thermochemical reaction of ammonium carbamate (AC) holds significant potential for low-grade heat utilization. However, the insufficient understanding of reaction kinetics limits its further applications. Therefore, a detailed study on the kinetic mechanism of AC decomposition was conducted using both the model-free and model-fitting thermal analysis methods with kinetic data from multiple heating program experiments. The results obtained from various methods are consistent, supporting the concept that AC decomposition is a single-step controlled multi-step reaction. The activation energy E, preexponential factor A, and most probable reaction model were determined to be 56.38 kJ∙mol⁻¹, 2.75 × 10⁶ s⁻¹, f(α)=(1-α)^0.7811, respectively. The reaction mechanism can be hypothesized as involving the rapid generation of numerous nucleation sites on the surface of solid AC, where surface reactions occur, with the movement of reaction interface governing the reaction rate. Consequently, a kinetic equation accounting for the AC decomposition was developed and evaluated, and the heat absorption specific power under different temperature conditions was predicted.

Current work provided a comprehensive assessment on the pyrolysis, combustion and gasification of a high-sulfur pet coke (PEC) and its blends with a forest waste (FOP). The potential of waste concrete fractions to capture SO₂ and CO₂ emissions was explored. The experiments were conducted in a fixed bed system and a thermogravimetric-mass spectrometric unit. Thermal behavior, reactivity, conversion, synergy, structural and chemical characteristics of solid materials, quantitative analysis of products and heating value, chemical, mineralogical and fusibility analysis of ashes were studied as a function of temperature, blending ratio and sorbent/fuel ratio. Addition of sorbent at a ratio Ca/S = 2 resulted in a desulfurization extent of 76–81 % during combustion. Quarry dust sorbent captured up to 95.4 % of CO₂ emitted below 700 °C. At 1000 °C H₂ content was 64.8–72.9 % mol and syngas yield 1.1–1.8 m³/kg. The gasification performance of PEC was improved upon blending with FOP.

To toughen brittle poly(L-lactic acid) (PLA), poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyhexanoate) (PHBH) and poly(vinyl acetate) (PVAc) were introduced into PLA matrix to prepared PLA/PHBH/PVAc ternary blends. PVAc was electively located in PLA matrix and refined phase morphology owing to better miscibility of PVAc with PLA than with PHBH. Increase in PVAc content decreased the crystallization rate and the crystallinity of PLA due to the dilution effect. More importantly, prominent enhancement of flexibility and toughness of PLA was obtained by the addition of PHBH and PVAc. Elongation at the break and impact strength of ternary blend with 10 wt% PVAc were 277 % and 326 % higher than that of neat PLA. Melt viscoelasticity of PLA was improved by incorporation of PHBH and PVAc. The combination of increased toughness and high melt viscoelasticity established in PLA biodegradable blends represent properties required in a wider range of applications.

In this work Photopyroelectric Techniques for thermal and optical characterization are introduced for measuring thermal diffusivity and optical absorption coefficient of colloidal suspensions of SiO₂. Thermal diffusivity and Optical absorption coefficients at 904 nm, 940 nm, 980 nm and 1550 nm were measured for spherical SiO₂ colloidal suspensions of 61 and 673 nm average size, in a range of 1 mg/mL to 26 mg/mL. It was found a linear increment of this optical property with SiO₂ nano-spheres concentration, which was not possible to obtain by means of absorbance measurements with conventional UV-Vis spectroscopy; in relation with thermal diffusivity it was found a slightly increment of this thermal property with increasing concentration, however this increment was not as large as the one reported for similar samples but using experimental techniques involving the optical properties of the samples. The direct measurement of optical absorption coefficients of colloidal suspensions allowed the knowledge of their absorptivity at the selected wavelengths. The presented methodology could be useful for measuring this optical property for colloidal suspensions in general at other wavelengths and as a function of other variables of interest, such as size particle.

With the rising use of metallic implants worldwide, bacterial infection has become a major concern due to its significant impact on patient health and national healthcare budgets. This study aimed to evaluate the sensitivity of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a common bacterium responsible for implant surgery infections, to different concentrations of titanium tetrachloride (TiCl₄) solutions. Microcalorimetry was used to analyze the heat output produced by bacteria metabolism when exposed to TiCl₄ at concentrations ranging from 0 to 10 mM, as well as a saturated solution. The inner chamber of the calorimeter was set to the physiological temperature of the human body (309.65 K), and the heat output produced by bacteria metabolism was collected at intervals of 22.2 s for 48 h using a data acquisition and processing system. The data was then represented as thermograms. The results showed that higher concentrations of TiCl₄ had a bactericidal effect on the growth of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. This study supports the potential use of higher concentrations of this compound in surgical implants to reduce the risk of infection development due to its bactericidal properties.

As a type of renewable and biodegradable polymer, poly(lactic acid) (PLA) has been widely used in various fields. However, its weak crystallization ability deteriorates the properties of the final product. In this work, a novel nucleating agent (MWCNTs@CeO₂), multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) decorated with ceria (CeO₂), was synthesized using the hydrothermal method and subsequently used to manipulate the non-isothermal crystallization kinetics and nucleation behavior of PLA. The results show that MWCNTs@CeO₂ can act as an effective nucleating agent to accelerate the crystallization rate of PLA by reducing the half-crystallization time. In non-isothermal crystallization kinetics, the Avrami equation modified by Jeziorny cannot accurately describe the non-isothermal crystallization behavior of PLA and PLA/MWCNTs@CeO₂ composite films, whereas the Mo method can. Furthermore, it is found that the addition of MWCNTs@CeO₂ does not change the crystal structure of PLA, but increases the nucleation and growth rate of PLA, thereby promoting its crystallization.

To study the phase behavior and role of defects in the ion conduction of a well-investigated plastic crystal electrolyte, we measured the low-temperature heat capacities of quinuclidinium hexafluorophosphate ([HQ]PF₆) plastic crystal and the defects of pure [HQ]PF₆ and its mixtures containing lithium ions and chloride ions. The heat capacities of the pure material show two solid‒solid phase transitions at room temperature and a low temperature. Positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy (PALS) revealed the phase dependence of the defect size for both the pure material and the mixtures. The defects in these two mixtures expand largely to approximately 2 (with Li⁺) and 2.5 (with Cl⁻) times larger than those in the pure material. The relationships between the ionic conductivity and vacancy volume of the pure material and the mixtures obey the Cohen−Turnbull free volume model, which is also phase dependent. This work help elucidate defect-assisted ion transfer in organic ionic plastic crystals.

The process of pyrolysis of liquid crystalline polyurethane (LCPU) composites with polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxanes (POSS) has been studied using pyrolysis - gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (Py-GC/MS) and thermogravimetry/Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (TG/FTIR) coupled thermoanalytical techniques. LCPU elastomers modified with POSS molecules with different architectures, bearing aromatic, isobutyl and cycloaliphatic moieties, yield various volatile products of pyrolysis that were collected and characterized. The TG study showed significant differences in the thermal behavior of composites studied, evidencing the influence of the silsesquioxane type on the polyurethane pyrolysis paths. FTIR study of volatile products of thermal decomposition showed the presence of characteristic bands originated from carbonyl, amine, ether, methylene, and unsaturated hydrocarbon linkages. GC/MS investigation confirmed the existence of compounds identified by the IR method. The application of both thermoanalytical methods made it possible to postulate the thermal decomposition routes of PU/POSS hybrids and to point out the main factors responsible for changes in the thermal stability.

The recrystallization and grain growth activation energies of the hybrid AZ31/Mg-0.6Gd (wt.%) alloy were calculated using differential scanning calorimetry analyses and scanning electron microscopy, respectively, after fabricating by high-pressure torsion up to 20 turns and then subjecting to an isochronal annealing treatment from 423 to 723 K for 1 h. The DSC results show one exothermic peak belonging to the static recrystallization of the AZ31 region with an activation energy of 112 ± 10 kJ/mol. The grain growth kinetics for the AZ31 and Mg-0.6Gd regions were described by the Arrhenius equation. The calculation with a grain growth exponent equal to 4 gave values for the activation energies in both the AZ31 (146.2 ± 8.4 kJ/mol) and Mg-0.6Gd (90.9 ± 13.5 kJ/mol) regions. The present results reveal the heterogeneity of the thermal stability of the AZ31/Mg-0.6Gd hybrid material.