No abstract

A facile synthetic route to NiO x nanostructures using various amphiphilic polystyrene-block-poly-(2-vinylpyridine) (PS-b-P2VP) diblock copolymers as templates was investigated. The synthesis targets NiO x nanostructures with a large surface area in order to allow an efficient functionalization, e.g., through loading with dyes to enable photo-induced hole injection for use in dye-sensitized solar cells or in (photo-) catalytic systems. The complete synthetic process to NiO x contains several steps: (i) the dissolution of the diblock copolymer, (ii) the subsequent addition of Ni 2+ , followed by the formation of core-corona micelles and eventually, (iii) further addition of Ni 2+ , resulting in the formation of a macroscopic precipitate. In all cases, (iv) deposition onto different substrates and calcination yielded NiO x films. All intermediates were thoroughly investigated using scanning or transmission electron microscopy, dynamic light scattering, and UV-vis spectroscopy. In contrast to the well-established synthetic route via the commercially available Pluronic F108 triblock copolymer, in our case a variety of different morphologies was found, i.e. spherical particles, toroid structures, or networks. Furthermore, the obtained BET area of about 50 m 2 g À1 is comparable to the value for conventionally obtained NiO x surfaces. First dye sensitization experiments with coumarine 343 confirm that the dye binds to the surface, which is a prerequisite for using the material as a photo-electrode. The presented route to porous NiO x is easy and provides superior control over the morphology of the intermediates involved in nanostructure formation.

Laser vaporisation is a promising technology for the industrial manufacturing of spherical, oxidic nanoparticles, including crystalline, less-agglomerated ferromagnetic maghemite and superparamagnetic silica coated iron oxide composite nanoparticles.

The Alouette primary aluminum smelter is the largest in the Americas, with an annual production of ~ 630,000 t of aluminum. In this collaborative study, a detailed product carbon footprint analysis was undertaken by Rain Carbon using a large body of primary emissions data to provide a complete cradle-to-gate analysis of the smelter’s emissions. The total carbon footprint of the smelter in 2019 was 3914 kg CO2e/t of aluminum for scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions, and 1835 kg CO2e for scope 1 and 2 emissions. The modeling results were compared to those for global average and Canadian average smelters, using reference datasets developed by the International Aluminium Institute (IAI) and GaBi Professional Database. Alouette’s carbon footprint is ~ 76% lower than a world average smelter and ~ 25% lower than a Canadian average smelter. For the scope 3 emissions, the primary contributors to the lower carbon footprint are lower emissions from the alumina supply and the calcined petroleum coke supply. Today, Alouette produces among the lowest carbon aluminum in the world, and this is set to decrease further following a switch from fuel oil to natural gas in the anode baking furnaces, and a switch to LNG at the alumina supplier refinery.