Glucose, lactose, and saccharose were used as precursors to prepare chars at 400 °C then activated at 800 °C or 1000 °C in closed vessels with controlled amounts of oxygen penetrating through nanopores in the vessel walls. There are correlations between the porosity, amounts of residual O- and H-containing functionalities, and electroconductivity of amorphous carbons studied. The pore size distributions calculated using the nitrogen adsorption isotherms and TEM images show that all carbons are mainly nanoporous with certain contribution of narrow mesopores (at pore half-width x < 5 nm). Oxidizing activation by oxygen penetrating into the closed vessels with chars through nanopores can more strongly change the outer layers of char particles than the inner pores. Therefore, despite relatively great burn-off degree, the textural characteristics are relatively low for activated carbons.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s11671-016-1723-z) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

One of the most important problems of agriculture is finding new methods to increase soil fertility and productivity. The use of fertilizers increases the efficiency of nutrients, however, their uncontrolled use leads to leaching and contamination of the environment. Zeolite is considered a natural element that has no negative environmental effects. Its ion exchange properties are important for plant nutrition due to its cation exchange ability and porosity. Zeolites added to fertilizers give a double result when applied to soil: provide long lasting action of fertilizer (prolongation effect) and prevent nutrient leaching. This article analyzes current literary sources of information on the use of zeolite-based composites as a prolonged action fertilizer in agriculture, as well as their impact on nutrient retention and release into the soil.

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We have proposed and experimentally tested a phenomenological model of nucleation of a specific polymorphic phase of titanium dioxide (anatase, rutile, brookite) resulting from the interaction of Ti 4+ hydroxocomplexes at different pH values of reaction medium. The degree of hydrolysis was determined as a function of pH for the monomers formed during the hydrolysis of titanium tetrachloride. Mixtures of anatase and brookite with an average size of coherently scattering domains of 5 nm and particles of ellipsoidal shape were obtained by precipitation at pH = 8. At the same time, nanoparticles of rutile with rod-like morphology and an average size of 10 nm were obtained at a pH = 1.

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