The physicochemical properties of the H(2)O molecules adsorbed on TiO(2) surfaces during UV light irradiation were fully investigated by near-infrared (NIR) absorption spectroscopy. It was found that the H(2)O molecules adsorbed on the TiO(2) surfaces desorb during UV light irradiation by the heating effect of the light source. Since the amount of the H(2)O adsorbed on the TiO(2) surfaces decreased, the distribution of the hydrogen bonds within the H(2)O molecules decreased, resulting in a decrease in the surface tension of the H(2)O clusters. The decrease in the surface tension of H(2)O under UV light irradiation was found to be one of the most important driving forces in which the H(2)O clusters on the TiO(2) surface spread out thermodynamically, forming H(2)O thin layers. The partial elimination of the hydrocarbons from the TiO(2) surface by the photocatalytic complete oxidation was seen to be the other important factor, providing free spaces on the surface where the H(2)O clusters could spill over and spread out to form the thin H(2)O layers. Moreover, the temperature changes of the TiO(2) powder samples during UV light irradiation were found to show a good correspondence with the changes in the contact angle of the H(2)O droplets on the TiO(2) thin film surfaces. Especially the time scale for the hydrophilic conversion on the TiO(2) surfaces under UV light irradiation was in good agreement with the decrease in the amount of H(2)O molecules adsorbed on the TiO(2) surfaces but not the amount of the hydrocarbons eliminated by the photocatalytic oxidation reactions, showing that the adsorption and desorption of H(2)O molecules are generally quite sensitive to the temperature changes of solid surfaces.

▪ Abstract  This review covers the synthesis, characterization, and physico-chemical properties of microporous and mesoporous aluminophosphates and silicoaluminophosphates molecular sieves. Particular emphasis is given to the materials that have found applications as acid catalysts. We consider the evolution of the synthesis procedures from the first discoveries to the current methodologies and give perspectives for new possible synthesis strategies. Emphasis is given to the use of specially prepared precursors/reactants designed for the use as molecular sieves. Experimental (especially MAS-NMR and FTIR spectroscopy) and theoretical approaches to the description of the Si insertion into the ALPO framework and to the acidic properties of SAPOs and MeAPSOs materials are discussed.

Ti−MCM41 catalysts prepared by anchoring titanocene onto the inner walls of MCM-41 exhibit high catalytic performance in the epoxidation of cyclohexene and in oxidation of bulky cyclic and aromatic compounds because of the presence, as revealed by means of XANES and EXAFS spectroscopy, of a high concentration of accessible, well-spaced, and structurally well-defined Ti tetrahedral active sites (see Maschmeyer et al. Nature, 1995, 378, 159). These results have prompted us to study the nature and the coordinative environment of Ti active sites in MCM-41 also by means of diffuse reflectance UV−visible and luminescence spectroscopy. We revealed, particularly by means of photoluminescence spectroscopy, the presence of more than one kind of tetrahedral titanium site.

A multi-technique study devoted to investigate the surface features of nanosized hydroxyapatite (HA) was carried out. UHR-TEM observation provided evidence that HA nanoparticles are constituted by a crystalline core, elongated in the direction of the crystallographic c-axis, coated by an amorphous layer 1−2 nm thick. By means of IR spectroscopy and microgravimetry, the amount of water and hydroxy groups on the surface was evaluated. For the as-prepared material, it was found that the first hydration layer is mainly constituted by H2O molecules interacting through a coordinative bond with Ca2+ in a 1:1 ratio, while hydroxy groups account only for ca. 20% of surface hydration species. Outgassing at increasing temperatures up to 300 °C resulted in a complete surface dehydration, accompanied by a decrease of the capability to readsorb water. Possible changes of the local structure of surface Ca2+ ions were probed by IR spectra of adsorbed CO. The combination of these data with rehydration tests suggested that a significant part of surface Ca2+ ions, once dehydrated, can undergo a relaxation inward the surface, progressively more irreversible as the outgassing temperature increases.

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